Theodore’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2017)

Theodore’s comments from the Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie group.

Carmel wrote: "I have no problem with limiting winners, to even the playing field..I was commenting on tossing a story for mentioning God. Smiley face!"

I have no problem with the limit either. And lots of luck with your story. (;>) G_d is not PC, apparently, in any capacity.

Dale wrote: "Carmel wrote: "That was an amusing story, Ted! And some picky editors!"

I think the rule change is a good one. The editors are faced with the challenge of making what is admittedly a popularity co..."

I agree with Dale. I must also admit to the fact that I'm assembling a series of Flash Fiction anthologies, each containing 73 stories. The first (which is already on Kindle pre-sale) will be released on February 5th, with others to follow on March 5th (also on pre-sale), April 5th, and June 5th. (A fifth currently is in preparation.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077RMWGTG

I include my IU stories in these anthologies, and having the ability to put their Weekly Flash Fiction emblem under the IU photo prompt became sort of a prize catch for the books each week. So, there was a madness to it all on my part.

But, as Dale said, we both want the Editors' Choice awards, one of which he already has.

Carmel wrote: "Theodore wrote: "New Rules for the Indies Unlimited Competitions

In 2018, there are two new changes to the rules of the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. First, there will be a limit on ho..."

Thanks, Carmel. Were you speaking about the earlier story that was removed, about the man and his flower garden?

Dale wrote: "Theodore wrote: " I wrote to them, asking how submissions from people who win would be handled, given they still would be shooting for Editors' Choice awards, but I never received an answer."

I th..."

Yes, that's what it said. I asked whether one's story still would appear along with the others or simply would be archived for the editors' review.

Also, I was confused...in one place they said there would be no word prompt, in another, that there would.

Dale wrote: "Theodore wrote: "Hope your wife is on the mend."

She's doing better of late, thanks. And yes, I was really hoping to trounce you this week, but I just can't seem to get enough votes. ;-) I think t..."

Yes, I don't know how you did it that one time, but it was a real beating, all right. It will be interesting to see how they handle things from now on because I intend to continue submitting weekly. I wrote to them, asking how submissions from people who win would be handled, given they still would be shooting for Editors' Choice awards, but I never received an answer.

Dale wrote: "Theodore wrote: "I'm actually wondering if they even are going to make awards for the last half of last year."

Their historical record suggests they'll get to it eventually, probably in a spate of..."

Helluva horse race this week, my friend. (;>) Looks like things will even out pretty much in the future.

Hope your wife is on the mend.

Carole wrote: "I paid a local bookstore monthly"real estate" to carry some of our books. My books sold well, but after the monthly charges and their cut- I realized I was losing money and pulled the books."

After my recent eye-opener, I'm not surprised. Sad.

Dale wrote: "Theodore wrote: "My books are POD. ..."

In that case, it sounds like you get a reasonably good deal on them. Thanks for the info and the links."

I'm not complaining about the price I pay for my books, given the quality that CreateSpace provides. I initially had a problem with their reproduction of the blue tint I was using on the Pepe cover, but once I substituted a blue with no RED in the RGB numbers, the problem went away. It all had to do with the subtractive process they use in the printing process.

Dale wrote: "Saw that. Good changes, I think, but I wish they could figure out some way to get word out on the editor's choice awards a little faster. I understand that they are all volunteers and may sometimes..."

I agree. These are the awards we really are shooting for, and now (and correct me if I'm wrong), they're seven months behind. I'm actually wondering if they even are going to make awards for the last half of last year.

New Rules for the Indies Unlimited Competitions

In 2018, there are two new changes to the rules of the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. First, there will be a limit on how many times an author can win the challenge each month. Authors are welcome to enter every week, but will only be eligible to win the popular vote once each month. Second, no corrections will be made to flash fiction entries once they have been submitted. Make sure you have proofread your entry. Let it sit overnight, and look at it again the next day with fresh eyes. Please see the updated rules in detail below – they are listed in italics. All the other rules and scheduling remain unchanged.

Here are the parameters for the 2018 Flash Fiction Challenge:

Each Saturday, we will post a challenge, consisting of a picture. There will be no written prompt. Award-winning author and photographer K.S. Brooks has graciously extended permission for the use of her photos for this purpose. You are welcome to post your entry with the photograph on your blog, but please make sure to give attribution to K. S. Brooks.
Authors can participate by writing their entries in the comment section. The word limit for entries is 250 words. The word limit will be strictly enforced.
Each weekly exercise will accept entries until 5:00 PM Pacific time the following Tuesday.
Each entry should be edited and proofread before submission. We will not accept requests to correct mistakes once an entry has been posted.
Tuesday night, the admins/editors will choose the best entry based on a) the quality of writing (grammar, punctuation, and style); and b) relevance to the written and photo prompts. This story will be featured in the IU Anthology published at year-end and the winners will be announced at the end of each month in a separate blog post.
Authors are welcome to enter every week – but will only be eligible to win the popular vote once each month. Authors who have won the popular vote previously during the month will not be listed in the voting, which is explained next.
On Wednesday, we will open voting on all eligible entries to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday. If you have entered the challenge, it’s fine to ask people to vote for you! Don’t be shy. That’s how you get your writing out there.
Each week, the admins/editors have the right NOT to choose a Editors’ Choice pick if they do not feel it meets the quality standards for the anthology. There is the possibility that the Editors’ Choice and the popular vote may select the same entry on any given week.
ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. Results displayed in the poll are unofficial until verified by administration.
Each Saturday, the popular vote winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature.
In the event of a tie in the voting, the entry which posted earliest will be chosen as the winner.
At the beginning of the next year, Indies Unlimited will publish an eBook with all the photos and the “Editors’ Choice” winning expositions, adding one more credit to your portfolio.
By submitting an entry, the author agrees to these terms and grants Indies Unlimited the nonexclusive rights to publish the material submitted and waives any and all further consideration in return for acknowledgement as a contributing author to the final anthology.
Reprinting: if you would like to use your entry elsewhere, please give us the courtesy of full disclosure with the statement “originally posted at Indies Unlimited.” If you would like to include the link to the page with the entry, even better and much appreciated. Should you use the photograph that goes with the entry, make sure to give photographer’s credit to K. S. Brooks. She already works for free here, and bad things happen to people who don’t do right by her. And she WILL find out. Trust us on that one!
We hope you will have fun, hone your chops, and call in all kinds of favors from your friends to get them to vote for your entry. Most of all, we hope to offer you one more way to reach a wider audience.

https://www.indiesunlimited.com/2018/...

Marie Silk wrote: "Even the big book stores aren't making it anymore. In our town, the two biggest (and only) book stores, Hastings and Borders, are now gone after "going out of business". I did notice that much of t..."

I guess it's all a matter of what one wants to pay for their 15 minutes of fame. (;>)

Dale wrote: "Ted,

$6 for that sounds good. Are you getting those books POD or doing a print run? We'll be doing a run of about 300 full color children's books shortly, 24 pages as I recall, for $3 and some odd..."

My books are POD. The "illustrations" really are color photographs to which I have purchased the rights and which I have digitally altered to appear as color pencil drawings. You can see examples on the LookInside feature on the Webpages for each of the three books:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAQ9IDZ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5T2F07

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WP365XJ

The penguin book also comes in Spanish and French paperback editions.

Good luck with your books. At $3 per copy, that leaves you plenty of room to profit.

Members of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) may want to check out the story I penned, "Are Authors Giving Up on 20 Percent of Their Readers?", that can be found in the Winter, 2018, edition of the organization's BULLETIN. It offers hints on how to format your books to help those with reading disabilities better work their way through your books.

I'd be happy to hear your feedback.

BTW, there is a special paperback edition of the YA novel The Hypnotist I wrote under the pen name Alyssa Devine that is published using a special font created especially for readers with dyslexia. You can read more about this edition here:

https://www.amazon.com/Hypnotist-Spec...

Dale wrote: "The participation fee surprises me a little, although it probably shouldn't. The 40% discount, return policy, and lost/stolen/damaged policy are industry standard and why POD books generally cannot..."

Good points, Dale.

In the case of my $6 books, these are 52-page, full color, illustrated children's storybooks in verse, as professional (in my humble and biased opinion) as anything you'll find out there...and with healthy messages to boot (anti-bullying, empathy, listen to Mama).

But you are correct. Another bookstore in the area was totally unimpressed with the fact that one of my books is one of two in the local high school's Core Genre (Mystery) Reading Program (the other book is Witness for the Prosecution) or that I lecture on mystery writing at that school (guest lecturer). "Who are you?" was the response I got, when I approached them.

Here's another example of just how cost-ineffective a relationship such as that I discussed above would be, this time on a non-book entity.

I sell stuffed penguins (8-inches high) that cost me $1.20 to the door, shipping included. (I have them running all over the house right now (;>)) Let's say I sell them for $3.00 in the bookstore (alongside my book, Pepe [the penguin] Builds a Nest). Now, 60% of $3.00 obviously is $1.80, so I net $0.60. Big whup! What happens if some kid or parent steals or soils/tears one by playing with it or dropping it on the floor? My loss.

Again, what's the big deal in selling a one, two, or even ten penguins. The economics aren't there, no matter how you slice and dice it.

Many indies think it would be wonderful to get our books into brick and mortar stores locally if not across the country. Of course, the fact our books are, with few exceptions, non-returnable makes that unlikely to happen. (What I'm saying is, for those who are unfamiliar with industry practices, is that in general, bookstores can't return indie books to the publisher (say, to CreateSpace) whereas unsold books ordered from legacy publishers can be returned for credit.)

Given the above, you can imagine how surprised I was when the owner of a local bookstore with two outlets reached out to me and invited me to a meeting to discuss placing some of my books with them as well as participating in their program of events. They also were kind enough to send a copy of the contract I would be asked to sign. For reasons you'll see below, I declined to attend the meeting and have no intention of working with them.

Here are my reasons (the emphasis is mine):

1. Participation requires a fee of $15 for participation in the program, per store (remember, there are TWO stores)
2. Only THREE titles will be carried by the stores
3. The author will receive 60% of the retail price set vs. 40% for the stores
4. The author MUST participate in the Local Author Partnership Program
5. They take NO responsibility for lost, stolen, or damaged books

So, basically, ALL the risk is on the author and, more importantly, the economics make no sense. To wit, consider the following example:

My illustrated storybooks cost me roughly $6 from the printer (shipping included). The books sell on Amazon.com for $12 ($11.99), not including shipping. I’d have to sell these books for that price in your bookshop, which means I would receive $7.20, leaving me with $1.20 profit per book. I would have to sell 12 books at each store just to break after paying the $15 processing fee per store (and, on top of that, I'd have to pay taxes on the profits!). And did I mention the fact that participation in their Local Author Partnership Program would require traveling some distance to their stores (45-minute drive, each way, to both) plus time spent at an event?

You do the math! Unless you're looking to make a name for yourself locally and have the time for something like this, I can't see any benefit in such a relationship. Which is sad, considering the many good books produced by indies and the state of the independent bookstore business today.

Carole wrote: "Voted"

(;>)

Here we go again, Gang!

Lots of competition this time around, so please (PLEASE) vote.

My story is an interesting one, taking place, as you might intuit, in the 1950s. It involves the disappearance of two teenagers without a trace and the hint the Arizona State Troopers might know something about which they’re not talking. What do YOU think?

You can vote here:

https://www.indiesunlimited.com/2018/...

I know the URL says “sunflower”, but the link will take you to the correct page (not sure what’s up with the sponsors this week).

And as always, thanks for your support.

Ted

Anna Faversham wrote: "Interesting, very interesting...

It's late now, but I am marking this with * and will read and put into practice what I feel I can.

Thank you."

I hope it helps...dig up your accomplishments, get some reviews, apply for some awards...build your creds.

Anna Faversham wrote: "As always, Ted, you're very helpful. I hesitated to comment on Alex's bio as they are definitely not my strong point. It never occurred to me that working in Psychiatry/Psychology might be useful t..."

I should note: for most of my career, I wrote proposals to federal and state governments in the areas of defense, homeland security, and anti-terrorism. The value of the contracts sought ranged from $5,000 to $300,000,000 and up. Critical to each proposal was a Management Section that included the resumes of the personnel proposed for the job. Each resume had to be tailored to the specific position for which that person was proposed...which meant that we had to interview each person, dig out what in that person's background and work experience was relevant to the specific position for which they were being bid, and relate that experience to the position. Metrics also were critical ("Developed a new technique for monitoring cash flow that resulted in first-year savings to the government of $150 million.")

In our world, we have to tell a story that creates credibility in the readers' minds. We have to give them reasons for laying down their hard-earned money for our books. All we have to sell is ourselves--our backgrounds--our backstories. What have we accomplished in our lives that provides the wherewithal to create something in which they might be interested??? That's the fundamental, underlying question the bio should answer. And lending credence to anything we might say are any awards we have won, quotes from reviewers, and so forth.

Regarding reviews...yes, they do cost money, but absent awards, the best thing you can do, for example, is purchase one review from Readers' Favorite or Feathered Quill (these houses are among the least expensive) and use a quote from the review on your back cover and your Website. Hell, get two. Post the 5-STAR seal on your Website as well, as I do. Enter the Indies Unlimited competition (which Dale and I do most weeks), get your friends to vote (Dale and I enjoy calling in the cavalry every week), and if you win a week's competition or an Editor's Choice Award (and they are running seven months behind on those), post their emblem as well...anything that establishes your creds as a writer.

'Nuff said. I am retiring to my cave. It's cold out here! (;>)

Anna Faversham wrote: "As always, Ted, you're very helpful. I hesitated to comment on Alex's bio as they are definitely not my strong point. It never occurred to me that working in Psychiatry/Psychology might be useful t..."

It absolutely might! It's all how you spin it. It's not the facts that matter; it's the spin you impose on the facts. (Cohen's Second Law)