Now that we’ve chosen our fabric, let’s turn to the sizing of the totebag panels and gusset. I’ve found that the most effective grocery bags have panels that are taller than they are wide. This allows for a turn down at the top edge of the bag, concealing the raw edge, providing reinforcement, and stiffening. […]
The website is the one of the few requirements for the career indie author. It acts as your online headquarters, where everyone can reach you. This post will outline what you need for your first author website. After all, not everyone is on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever social media site that’s popular today. Having […]
Where do you get the fabric? You start at any fabric store. Joann’s is a national chain, they run good sales, they have a clearance rack, and they provide discount coupons. Sign up for their mailing list, look over their fliers, and you may get lucky. Many fabric stores do the same thing so if […]
When I sat down to write a CIA post, I knew what I wanted to do. I had an outline for an article full of book marketing advice, specifically online advertising. Most of the research was done, I just needed to write a draft. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the types of book marketers […]
What kind of fabric should you use to make cloth grocery bags? The easy answer is the cheap kind, but this is not completely accurate. The weight and sewability of the grocery bag fabric also matter. I look for a woven fabric heavy enough to use for skirts, pants, draperies, or upholstery. If it looks […]
I admit that I’m not a good web designer. I was never trained in it, so I flail about and experiment and try not to crash the site. This leads to frustration that’s unfair to others, but amuses me later. I was trying out one of those sites that’ll host your blog. Never mind the […]
For a book in which everyone stays firmly on land and the only boat in sight is a skeletal wreck, the sea still plays a major role in “The Essex Serpent,” a historical novel by Sarah Perry that was a surprise best-seller in Britain last year. At the book’s center is the serpent, seen 300 […]
Part of the reason why I’m writing The Career Indie Author is to educate myself about the business. I’ve been writing and publishing – in books and newspapers and other publications – for a couple decades. I’ll be the first to admit that at times I’m not very good at it, whereas there are some […]
This past month, film critics and bloggers were treated to the first look at the Kenneth Branagh Murder on the Orient Express. Like the 1974 movie, it’s stylish, mostly faithful to the book and featuring an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penélope Cruz, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, and Derek […]
Never give up hope. The week before Art on Chocolate 2017 in downtown Hershey, we were looking at 100% chance of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures. Weather predictions in the midstate are notoriously unreliable, but day after day, as we pulled together the equipment and worked on the books, the numbers didn’t change. We braced […]