We’re excited to announce the publication of the Iron Pen Anthology: Volume 1.
This is a collection of stories written by members of Mythic Scribes. Each of these stories was written for one of our Iron Pen contests, which challenge writers to come up with fantasy stories based on four prompts.
This anthology features eight winning entries, which have been further expanded and polished, as well as a bonus story.
The collection includes:
This article is by Cate Morgan.
There’s no doubt about it: there is a lot of noise out there in the crowded, Dread Interwebz when it comes to what I refer to as the Self-Publishing Fandango.
It’s like a tango in the respect that it sounds sexy at the outset, and certainly looks sexy when it’s done by trained professionals. But without full knowledge of the steps, it can turn violent in terms of tangled legs, stepped-on toes, and ballistic stilettos impaling innocent bystanders. In other words, disappointing and not pretty for all concerned.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We all know the publishing landscape has changed dramatically with the wide acceptance of eBooks and the wild popularity of the Kindle. That’s not news. What is news is authors’ perspectives changing right along with it, and as dramatically as a sudden stiletto to the eye.
This is the first in a two-part series by Alexandra Butcher. Part two is here.
Indie authors are given an almost overwhelming amount of advice about promoting and marketing their book, a great deal of which is contradictory.
It has to be said there is NO single path to take which works for every author. One person may find a good deal of success with one way, and the next finds that it simply does not work.
One of the most controversial ways is to offer a book for free. Amazon’s KDP Select Programme allows self-published authors to do just this. In return for exclusivity to Amazon, an author can offer his or her book for five days free promotion in every ninety day term. The theory being readers will take a chance on a free book by an unknown or little known author which they may not otherwise consider.
The reality of marketing a self-published book and finding your audience presents a challenge somewhere in-between the faint dream of online success, and the sense of screaming unheard into the web’s dark and angry void.
Traditional publishers target their marketing towards their network of book reviewers and buying agents who, in turn, bring a book to the attention of readers. As a self-publisher, not only do you probably lack this network, but you also face an image deficit when you try to piece one together.
They think you’re trying to sell a story from the slush pile of traditional publishers.
I love books. I love the way that they feel in my hands. I love how they smell. To me, every book is a treasure.
Hence, when the eBook craze began I was a doubter. In fact, I was a fairly vocal critic of the movement. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would choose to download and read a digital manuscript when they had the option of reading a real book.
Slowly, my resistance has been melting away.
First, my sister-in-law showed me her NOOK eReader. At first glance, the screen looked like paper. I was amazed by the E Ink technology, and just how easy it is on my eyes.
Second, I’m running out of space in my home and office. Since my wife and I became parents, space has been at a premium. Our home bookshelves are filled with rows of books, one layer piled upon another. My office bookshelves are also at maximum capacity. I love to buy and read books, but I’m simply out of space.