If you look me up online you'll quickly realize that my name isn't actually Anne Belle. While Anne is my middle name, my name is actually Samantha. I was born as Samantha Anne Branham. I married and became a Tiner. Now, I'm on the tail end of a divorce (just the legal fees remain before it is final) and I'm about to remarry and become Mrs. Wilson. With all that change and me trying to build a solid foundation as an author, a pen name seemed the best solution. So, I bit the proverbial bullet…

This post is putting the horse before the cart in a way. On Thursday, May 23, the following post went out in the She Writes newsletter:

If you lost your baby mere weeks before it was to be born, what would you do? Perhaps more importantly, what would it do to you?

Return to Zero is the first film ever created with stillbirth as its central theme. It has an amazing cast (Minnie Driver, Paul Adelstein, Alfred Molina, Kathy Baker, and more), but…

It’s a zoo out there; the noise in the publishing industry sounds like the cacophony of birds and beasts in a wildlife park; lot’s of trumpeting. The paths to publication appear to vary widely. I see three options: Hold out for the big house (the large publishing conglomerates); find a small, independent publisher who loves your work; or, take the bull by the horns and self publish. I have signed a book publishing contract with a small publishing house. …

If you haven’t impregnated a Kardashian, toppled Wall Street, or starred in your own syndicated un-reality show, you may not have an instant platform for promoting your newly minted book. Let’s face it, for most first-time authors—and even for many of the multiply published among us—the first…

Coming to the resolve and saying, I am going to be an author, is becoming less intimidating these days. But that it is not say any less overwhelming. 

I am on the heels of (self) publishing my first book next week and along the…

Check out the new publishing company on the block: Clean Teen Publishing! To roll out their new company, they are hosting a huge writing contest with prizes up to $100, plus inclusion in their premier anthology and the chance for a publishing contract.

http://www.cleanteenpublishing.com

https://www.facebook.com/cleanteenpublishing…

While I'm no longer self-published, I began my career that way and am a big fan of indie publishing because it gives anyone the opportunity to fulfill his or her dream of becoming an author. However, authors must watch out for the unscrupulous types who prey on unsuspecting writers who are so eager to see their work in print that they get, for lack of a more gentle term, ripped off.…

Hi everyone, fellow sister writers,

I've been following posts for a while, and haven't really had time to write a blog post or even read everyone who is posting, but I do enjoy the updates that arrive in my email inbox once a week or so.

The recent blog on self-publishing got me engaged, and I appreciate the information and advice from other self-published authors. I like the term 'indie' publishing, and from now on, that's who I am. I initially started Little Red Bird Press…

Step 1. Indicate the title, edition of the book, mention the series title and which installment it is if applicable. Indicate the Author’s name.

Step 2. Give the book an overall rating. Use a system that makes sense to you and is easy to understand by others. For example, on a scale of 1 to 5, five being the best, “I give Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern a solid 5.”

Step…

I want the world to know, my first published novel, Until Proven: A Mystery in Two Parts is now available as printed book and as ebook, through the usual sources. I would hope you'd order it through your favorite local bookstore but will surely appreciate your interest however it takes form.

I sent the manuscript to my book designer on June 22, 2012 and as those of you have published independently will know, it was like entering a tunnel. My…

This post is for my indie author pals...

I was talking to one of my friends that gets huge Excel downloads from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Smashwords, etc. and she has no idea how to make it all add up easily and quickly.

I won’t even tell you how she was doing it, but I showed her to use the Subtotal feature in Excel — trust me, it’s easier.

 …

First, the confession. For years--decades even--I've harbored a small, secret, but acrid judgement about the self-publishing world.  I confess this now, red-faced in front of my dear friends and esteemed authors who have gone the self publishing route. Please forgive me.  I'm confessing a dirty secret here and I've developed a new outlook.  And even you fine self-published writers with beautiful, well-written books have to admit that the self-publishing process has created a certain…

First, the confession. For years--decades even--I've harbored a small, secret, but acrid judgment about the self-publishing world. I confess this now, red-faced in front of my dear friends and esteemed authors who have gone the self publishing route. Please forgive me. I'm confessing a dirty secret here and I've developed a new outlook. And even you fine self-published writers with beautiful, well-written books have to admit that the self-publishing process has created a certain percentage…

Full disclosure:  I am a partner with a promotional book touring company.  We do blog tours, social media management, Twitter parties, release day packages, Pinterest parties, and we also offer editorial services. We work with an amazing group of bloggers and reviewers!

I am first an author, of course, and as such I field many questions about how to go about becoming a published indie author. We've decided to offer an author education course and answer these questions in a…

Self-proclaimed nerd, BrookLyn Scott, is an eighteen-year-old high school senior in upstate New York who has never held a boy’s hand let alone one’s interest. She has some friends at school and church but is never far from the watchful eye of her abusive parents. BrookLyn’s plan is to escape the abuse by excelling in high school and running safely to college just as her older siblings did. Her plan is derailed after she’s invited and attends her first party. By the end of the night, BrookLyn…

Warwick Valley High School junior, Graye Moon, strolled innocently through the hallways at school in the shadows of her older sister, Sylver, and had never been interested in dating. Her parents strictly enforced their no dating before eighteen rule discouraging her from seeking more than friendships. Graye was focused on hanging with her best friends, doing her homework, playing sports, and staying away from the pranks her sisters Sylver and Blu conjured up.

Out of nowhere a…

Warwick Valley High School junior, Graye Moon, strolled innocently through the hallways at school in the shadows of her older sister, Sylver, and had never been interested in dating. Her parents strictly enforced their no dating before eighteen rule discouraging her from seeking more than friendships. Graye was focused on hanging with her best friends, doing her homework, playing sports, and staying away from the pranks her sisters Sylver and Blu conjured up.

Out of nowhere a…

IndieReader Discovery Awards

   I received the exciting news that I was a named a Winner in the Environment Category at the IndieReader Discovery Awards held at the Javits Center in New York City. What an exciting day this has been for me!!!

Yea!!! Just received the news ... I made the cut and my book - "Maria's Duck Tales: Wildlife Stories From My Garden" is a finalist in the IndieReader Discovery Awards!!! It also received 5-Stars and the review will be posted this week!


http://indiereader.com/2012/05/indiereader-discovery-awards-top-titles-to-date/