indieBRAG

Subscribe

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud With Stuart

Bob Clouston
Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today Stuart shares with us a little about his reading habits, reviewing books, how he finds books, and much more. Thank you, Stuart for sharing with us today. indieBRAG: How do you find books and what do you think of social media and books? Via a variety of routes. As a bibliophile, I have a tendency to buy more books than I have time to read, so my shelves currently hold around 120 volumes I have yet to read. Also, I review on my website, so I’m often approached by authors, their agents, or their publishers, to read/review books. I’m as selective with these as with any other: sometimes books offered leave a lot to be desired!  I use Goodreads, and recommendations come via that site. Sometimes another…

Read More

indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The World of Reading, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , , , , , ,

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud with Peter

Geri Clouston
Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today Peter shares with us a little about his reading habits, reviewing books, how he finds books, book covers, and much more. Thank you, Peter for sharing with us today. First please tell us about your reading interest.  indieBRAG:    Thank you for joining us for this reader's event. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your survey. indieBRAG: How do you choose a book to read? On looking through the list of BRAG Medallion applications, I try to identify something that I hope will be interesting and well-written. I then check it out on Amazon, and if it still looks interesting I request it. If it doesn’t look interesting, I repeat the process until something better appears. I have sometimes been right through the list this…

Read More

Authors' Chat, award winning books, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , , ,

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud With Susan

Bob Clouston
Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today we are talking with Susan.  Susan, how do you choose a book to read? Choosing a book to read is the beginning of an adventure and what I hope is a great relationship between me, the characters and the author.  Which title is appealing? Does the opening paragraph grab me?  Does the last paragraph conclude the book well? (Yes, I’m a peeker at the end of the book!) Does the author’s bio contain a tidbit that brings me closer to that person?  Do I know and like other works of the author or has the book been recommended by a friend or website that I like, such as indiebrag. How much does the cover and title matter? A good cover will make me pick up the book.…

Read More

indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The World of Reading, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud with Lisl

Bob Clouston
Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today we are talking with Lisl.  Lisl, how do you find books and what do you think of social media and books? I often find books in a series of links, that is to say reading one work might lead me to another. But I also browse bookshops and libraries, or see books mentioned online or by people in real life. Do you go to an author's website or social media when looking for a book or do you usually pick a book based on a search on sites such as Amazon? I almost never take up any recommendations put forth by Amazon, though it has happened that I’ve seen a book there that ends up on my TBR. However, this is in the minority of instances. Also,…

Read More

award winning books, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud with Jack

Geri Clouston
Thank you for joining us in giving Readers a voice!  You have been one of our earliest and most dependable readers and I think you thoughts are helpful to us at indieBRAG and authors- IndieBRAG: How do you choose a book to read? When I choose a book to read I usually have a topic or period of time in mind. I especially like medieval and ancient times. So I will search an online book seller with something like, “1314 Scotland Books”. This usually brings up a list of books of the right approximate time and place. I skim down through the list speed reading titles and glancing at covers. When a cover catches my eye or a title sounds interesting, then I slow down and read the book description. If it still sounds interesting then I look at the price. If it is more than I feel like spending, then I continue the process until I find a book at the right price point. If I'm shopping in a physical bookstore, my process is much the same. Although before I buy a paper book, I leaf through the book looking at pictures and reading snatches here and there to…

Read More

award winning books, Bloggers, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, The World of Reading, Words of Wisdom, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , , ,

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud with Lauren

Bob Clouston
Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author's platforms and performance on social media. Today Lauren shares with us a little about her reading habits, reviewing books, how she finds books, how she regards pricing, giveaways, book covers, and much more. Thank you, Lauren for sharing with us today. First please tell us about your reading interest.  I’m an avid reader of Historical Fiction, and have been since I picked up Treasure Island, Little Women, and other classics as a child. That’s more than 40 years of HF reading. (Here I will pause to say that I consider anything set 100 years or more ago to be HF, regardless of whether it was ‘contemporary’ when written. That’s because it’s all about the reader, not the writer. Should I, on reading Dickens or Scott, first research whether this work of his fits into…

Read More

indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

“Becoming Malka” – Argentinian matzah balls!

Geri Clouston
Foodie Lit: A genre of novel and memoirs filled with food stories and recipes Each month, I’ll share the magic of a good Foodie Lit read and one of its recipes.  Cooking and recipes in novels or memoirs take us into the mind of the character or narrator and brings us into the book’s kitchen to see, smell and share the lives within. Here’s to cooking and reading! With Love, The Argentina Family; Becoming Malka Mirta Ines Trupp Mirta Innes Trupp searches for family history and her identity in her memoir, With Love, The Argentina Family and in her historical fiction, Becoming Malka, works that she describes as the story of a Russian, Argentinian, American and Jewish immigrant. Teachers couldn’t pronounce her name and students couldn’t figure out what group she belonged to. “Here at home, I struggled to find myself within the American tapestry. I was acutely aware of how different we seemed to be from others. Not only were we immigrants, but we didn’t quite fit the mold. … I couldn’t find my niche.” Mirta’s journey becomes literary when she writes With Love, The Argentina Family.  When her father begins working for Pan Am, Mirta frequently travels back and forth between the…

Read More

Authors' Chat, award winning books, Bloggers, Book Spotlight, Food for Thought, Foodie Lit, indieBRAG, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The World of Reading , ,

Quality is important!

Geri Clouston
Self- Publishing Self-published authors are not competing with other self-published authors but ALL authors. Once a book is available for sale, it must be up to the standard that readers expect from all good books. You rarely get a second chance for a good first impression!  Once you put out a book that lacks professionalism, readers will be less likely to try your next book.  This can be a very difficult hurdle to get over. Traditionally published authors are not your enemy.  Most traditionally published authors don’t have any advantages that you can’t achieve. Traditionally Published books are: Edited by the publisher Cover art is done by the publisher Some help with promotion is provided- most is expected from the author unless they have high sales. Lower royalty payments Self- Published books are: Editing is provided by the author Cover provided by the author Promotion done by the author Higher royalty payments. If a SP author pays for professional help, they will probably come out about equal in money made. Doing the work requires time and money but the author maintains complete control- something that is often very important. The self-publishing community is very generous in advice and with a…

Read More

award winning books, Book Marketing, Editing, indieBRAG, Marketing an indie Book, The B.R.A.G.Medallion, The Self-publishing World, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing , ,

One Reader’s Voice Out Loud With Stephanie M Hopkins

Bob Clouston
Today we are asking questions to Stephanie about her different opinions of social media, book covers, how author's promote and what draws her attention to books she might consider to buy. Stephanie, how do you find books and what do you think of social media and books? I find books all sorts of ways. Books are always on my mind. It’s like I have a radar built inside my head and I can detect them. On a more serious note, I am completely drawn into the world of stories and the people who write them. My passion is to share my love of reading, good reads and my hunt for them. Daily-as a book blogger- I am exploring social media and various book sites for the next great read.. Then there is driving along and spotting a bookstore and having to stop to take a look. Whenever I am running errands, I am always on the lookout. I guess you can say it’s an obsession. Not that it is a bad thing. Do you go to an author's website or social media when looking for a book or do you usually pick a book based on a search on sites…

Read More

Bloggers, indieBRAG, Readers Thoughts!, The World of Reading, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

Moving Into Spring with Nicole Evelina

Bob Clouston
What are your writing goals for spring? I am writing my first non-fiction book this spring. It’s about the evolution of the character of Guinevere over the course of Arthurian legend, beginning with the first references to her in the Celtic triads and going all the way through my own books and others published in the last year or two. There are a few theses and dissertations that trace her changing nature from their origins through works written in the early 1990s, but they are hard to find, sometimes highly academic and don’t cover more recent history. I’m hoping my book makes the information accessible to the average reader and I’m excited to cover books that have come out in the last 20 years. I’m hoping for a summer release on that book. After that, I am going to do some research for Mistress of Legend, the final book in the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy. I have a draft written, but it’s getting a major re-write. That likely will take me into summer at least. My goal is to publish it by the end of the year. Do you Pinterest? What is your favorite board? OMG! I LOVE Pinterest! I’m actually…

Read More

Authors' Chat, indieBRAG, Writers, Readers & Self Publishing

Most Shared Posts

 

 

Most Discussed Posts

Blog Categories