Author Archives: Simon Royle

Breaking News!!! Amazon drops International wireless delivery charges on eBooks

For anyone living outside the USA or Canada, it used to cost about $2-00 to get the book delivered by wireless to your kindle or reading device. That meant a .99 cents book was 2.99. Even when you “gifted” your own book to someone living in the USA, using Amazon’s services, it still cost you that $2-00. Continue reading

IndieView with indie reviewer, Barbara Hightower, of Bab’s World of Books

“When I am asked to do a review I always tell them up front I am honest and I never fudge – if I like it great, if not, I am still posting a review.  That being said, I have never and will not write something so derogatory that is makes the author look bad.  It is the book you are evaluating not the author.”

Barbara Hightower 23 March 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with SM Jonas, author of, Crimson Leaf

“I enjoy a wide range of writers, styles and genres. As such, I’ve never been particularly influenced by any one writer or style, but have instead built up from my own very lean prose into something of more depth and substance. Writers I’ve admired over the years, particularly for their originality and imagination, include CG Cherryh, Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov.”

SM Jonas 20 March 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with Helen Hanson, author of, 3 Lies

Cover for 3 Lies by author Helen Hanson“Me.  I’m a thriller reader, and I want to be entertained as I write the blasted thing.  I prefer a side of humor served with all my tragedies.  The term target reader makes me see a bull’s eye on someone’s forehead.  No wonder I didn’t get an agent.”

Helen Hanson 15 March 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with Monique Martin, author of, Out Of Time

Cover for Out Of Time by author Monique Martin

“I do a detailed outline with an index card for every scene. Some have oodles of detail and some are just a sentence.  It’s my screenwriting training. I was taught to write beat-sheets and plot to the paradigm, knowing every scene before I started churning out pages.”

Monique Martin 4 March 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with Karen Cantwell, author of, Take The Monkeys and Run

Cover for Take the Monkeys and RunKaren is currently shooting up the Amazon charts and soon to be in the top 100 for paid Kindle store eBooks. You have a chance to win a copy of this very funny book, just leave a comment below… otherwise enjoy this charming lady talking about her book, writing and indie publishing.

“I never found an agent through querying.  It wasn’t until I had success with self-publishing on Kindle that an agent actually sought me out.  She is now representing me.”

Karen Cantwell 21 February 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with Greg Dawe, author of Theta Head

Cover for ThetaHead by Greg DaweSomething a bit different with this post – a traditionally published author. Yep. We’re open-minded here on the IndieView.

“After going though the ups and downs of the Publishing Process and getting good reviews and the bad reviews, I’ve decided that there is only one way I will ever be a successful writer: I will continue to write.  I won’t spend hours a day – okay, maybe an hour – on the net sending out hundreds of emails and ferociously self-promoting.  I will instead slowly but steadily build up a body of work that may speak for itself.”

Greg Dawe 20 February 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with John Hamilton, author of, Isle Royale

Isle Royale by John Hamilton“I think it must be my journalism training, but I need an outline.  I need to know where the story is going, especially the end.  By the end of the outlining stage, the plot is pretty well set, with few surprises.  But the way the characters are drawn out continues to evolve, even beyond the first draft.  Characters always surprise me, which keeps the writing process interesting.” John Hamilton 12 February 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with reviewer Joanna of Indie eBook Hall of Fame

Joanna, perhaps more known to some of you as Ficbot, is a real champion of Indie work. Asides from writing for Teleread for a long time, Joanna also reviews indie books at her blog, and also runs the Indie eBook Hall of Fame.

“This might sound a little harsh, but honestly, what I am looking for is a book that is of a high enough quality that I could actually picture it being sold in a store. If indie authors want true credibility, that is the bar they need to aim for, and that’s why I give very few 5/5 ratings.”

Joanna 6 February 2011 Continue reading

IndieView with Lindsay Buroker, author of, Encrypted

Cover for ENCRYPTED by Lindsay Buroker

“I’ve been making a living blogging since 2004, though, so I wasn’t intimidated at the notion of learning to promote my work online. If anything, I was excited by the idea of having so much control over it. I can’t imagine being quite as motivated if I couldn’t see the sales numbers ticking upward day by day in the Amazon control panel. Your destiny really is in your own hands.” Lindsay Buroker 5 February 2011 Continue reading