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October Indie Author of the Month "Opening Hook" Contest

9/16/2021

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Does your fantasy or sci-fi story have what it takes to "hook" a $100 grand prize and the title of October Indie Author of the Month?

Starry Ink Press is looking for the catchiest, most thrilling openings in our October Indie Author of the Month "Opening Hook" Contest. 

There is no cost to enter, and the winner will receive:

-A $100.00 USD cash prize (paid via PayPal)
-A free beta read for your entire story (up to 150,000 words) from one of our Professional Beta Readers, including in-line comments and a summary report
-A written interview on the Starry Ink Press Blog
-Entry into the 2021 Starry Reader Awards in December

The rules to this contest are simple:

-Submit the opening paragraph of your story (up to 50 words)
-Stories MUST be fantasy or sci-fi for consideration (any sub-genre)
-Stories MUST be written in English (US, UK, CA, AU, or NZ preferred)
-Openings of short stories, novellas, and full novels will all be considered
-Contest submissions will CLOSE on October 1st 2021 at 11:00pm CST

Judging: 

Our judging team will screen all entries and select our top ten choices.

The top ten openings will be shared with our readers for a popular vote, which will open on October 5th 2021 and will close October 15th 2021.

The winner will be announced via e-mail to our newsletter subscribers on October 17th 2021, and then on social media/our blog on October 18th 2021.

​Ready to submit your hook? 

    Submit Your Opening Hook Here:

    Single-spaced, up to 50 words max.
    The grand prize winner will be notified of their win via e-mail following the conclusion of the contest. All other entrants will only be notified via e-mail if you opt-in here. Opt-in is not required to participate/win, and you may unsubscribe at any time without affecting your chances of winning.
Submit
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Voting Is Now CLOSED For The September Indie Author of the Month Award Cover Contest

9/4/2021

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Voting is now CLOSED for the September Indie Author of the Month Award Cover Contest, hosted by Starry Ink Press and sponsored by MiblArt.

While the judging panel has begun their deliberations for the award winner, authors and readers are welcome to place their votes for their favorite cover here. Reader's Favorite voting closed September 15th 2021 at 11:59pm CST. 

The winner of the Reader's Favorite will receive a $50 USD cash prize sent to them via PayPal.

The judging panel will also announce our Indie Author of the Month, with prizes including:

-A professional ebook cover design by our sponsoring partner, MiblArt
-A written interview on the Starry Ink Press blog
-Entry into the 2021 Starry Reader Awards in December 2021

Winners will be announced to our e-mail subscribers on September 17th 2021.
Winners will be announced on our social media pages on September 18th 2021.

Cast your vote for the Reader's Favorite cover below.
Authors are welcome to vote for their own cover if they wish. 
Votes are limited to 1 vote per email address and 1 vote per IP address for the duration of the contest; votes on multiple dates by the same email/IP address will not be counted.
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Meet The Cover Contest Judges

8/31/2021

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Julia Dutka:
Creative Director @ MiblArt

Julia Dutka is an expert graphic designer with over 8 years of experience. 

Beginning her career as a freelancer, Julia first worked as a graphic designer for Ria Media Corporation before being promoted to Head of the Promo Department.

Julia joined the MiblArt team as a Senior Graphic Designer, where she was then promoted to Creative Director.
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See examples of MiblArt's covers & learn more about them HERE.

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Amelia Rikstad:
​Utopia Courier Press

Amelia Rikstad is the owner of Utopian Courier Press, an artist/illustrator, and author of ‘Yours Truly Della Coleman’ a YA series about magic, cryptozoology, and world legends.

​With her art and books, she hopes to bring magic and imagination back into the world through characters and worlds people can relate to. Currently she is writing the sequel to her first novel, as well as illustrating a D&D style rule book for a fellow indie author.
You can find out more at her website HERE, and follow her on Instagram HERE.

Sophie @bewareofthereader

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Learn more about Sophie on her website HERE, and follow her Bookstagram account HERE for all her latest news!
Sophie is a fifty-something Belgian working mom of two young adults.
​

Managing two teams at work and a crazy bunch at home - furry ball included - was not enough for her ADHD tendencies. She began blogging on a dare, and does it like everything else:  with utter enthusiasm.

She has lived her former life as a cat, and is always landing on her feet even when her blog is crashing down. Wait, no! That’s her IT hub's mojo - operating after she’s bribed him with her infamous… chocolate cake.
​

When she is not busy reading, writing reviews, taking pictures for bookstagram or clumsily following her feed, you can find her on the treadmill, in the woods, or making bookish funko pops of her favorite characters.

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Gee R. - @gee.reads.books

A young woman from Madrid, Spain, Gee R. has a passion for books, autumn mornings, and black coffee.

Ever since she became physically able to hold a book in her hands, she's been devouring them, as well as dreaming of writing her own one day.

While she waits for her opera prima to come together, she spends her time supporting indie authors and their works on Instagram, Goodreads, and wherever books are reviewed.

Follow Gee's Bookstagram HERE

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Natalia - @nataliazuu

Natalia Zúñiga is a translator student from Argentina.

Natalia loves to read, especially fantasy, and help spread the word of amazing indie books.

Follow Natalia's Bookstagram HERE.


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L.D. Walters
​Author/Designer

L.D. Walters graduated college in Graphic Design.

She writes YA fantasy, but is not limited to one genre.

L.D. Walters has been a lifelong writer, and first began creating worlds and characters in the 6th grade. She is inspired by movies, television shows, nature, and reading novels that transport her into the story itself.

A New Dynasty of An Old Story is her first published short story.

Learn More About L.D.'s Works HERE
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Rachel Pope - (R.L. Pope)
​Author/Designer

Rachel is an American writer born and raised in the midwest but currently living in South Australia.

Growing up, she was an avid reader who dabbled in writing, but it wasn't until she moved to the mountains that she discovered her true passion for it when her first novel came to her in a dream.

Although Rachel enjoys reading a wide variety of genres, her writing focus is primarily fantasy and science fiction.

​When she isn't working on her current novel or short story, you're likely to find her drawing inspiration from nature on a hiking trail with her husband and their loveable dogs Kota and Moose.

Learn More About Rachel's Works HERE

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Amanda the Book Witch
Author / Book Blogger 

Books are like magic. They are the reason Amanda has had such a passion for life.

Allow me to introduce Amanda the book witch! Amanda is a mother of two brilliant children and wife to an amazing husband.

Halloween is her favorite holiday and fall is her favorite season.  She spends her time writing for her blog that offers reviews, does crafts, and finds  spooky oddities.

Currently, Amanda is working to publish her first book for children. She plans to write more children’s books in the future with a more spooky theme.

Her best friend is her familiar, Boo, a tuxedo cat with a lot of personality. If she is not working on her writing or photography, you can usually find her with her nose in a book. 

The best part about being a writer for children is admitting that she never grew up. And for that, she has nothing to be ashamed of - for seeing the magic around every corner. 
You can read Amanda's blogs and learn more about her writing on her website HERE. 
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Kellie - @92reviews

Kellie is a stay-at-home Mama of two. She joined Bookstagram a year ago, and loves reading and reviewing any and all books!

Follow Kellie's Bookstagram HERE

Nicole Wells - Author/Designer

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To learn more about Nicole and her works, check out her website HERE.
In the ethos where herds of story ideas run wild and free, Nicole is known as the Devourer of Books.

A voracious predator, she --

Okay. Nicole is a mom of three young children. And she claims to spend way too much time in the fantasy world in her head.

Luckily, Nicole can channel that into unpredictable stories with unforgettable romance.

Her debut series is The Five Elements, a mix of science fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Nicole has also published The Worst Story Ever Written, a 
humorous PNR, and is currently working on a women's paranormal fiction book, Midlife Magic School. 

Designing fantasy and romance book covers is another passion of Nicole's.
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Nominations for the September Indie Author of the Month Award - Cover Contest Open August 27th *Nominations Are Now Closed*

8/26/2021

3 Comments

 
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Nominations for the September Indie Author of the Month Award - Cover Contest open August 27th 2021!

This month's indie author award is being presented in partnership with MIBLart, who will present the winning author with a free ebook cover for 1 novel of their choice. 

To keep our awards as fair as possible, we have assembled a panel of experienced and objective judges who LOVE indie authors and their books to judge for the final award, which will include:

-1 professional ebook cover with commercial use rights, sponsored by our partners at MIBLart
-A written interview on the Starry Ink Press Blog
-Entry into the 2021 Starry Reader Awards in December

Additionally, Starry Ink Press will present a separate reader's choice award cash prize of $50 USD payed via PayPal to the cover with the most popular votes during the voting phase, which begins September 1st 2021. 

 Nominations for the September Indie Author of the Month Awards - Cover Contest open August 27th 2021 and close on August 30th 2021 at 11:59pm CST. 

Please keep the following notes in mind when nominating a cover:

-This contest is for Sci-Fi or Fantasy Book Covers Only (Romantic subplot is fine, but Sci-Fi or Fantasy must be the main plot.

-Indie and Hybrid (some self-published books while traditionally publishing others at the same time) are all welcome, but the cover nominated MUST be an indie published book (no traditionally-published books will be considered).

-Not-yet-published covers are welcome IF the book is up for pre-order and has a link we can use for the judges to verify that it is on the market at the time of voting.

-Each nominated author will be contacted to give us permission to include their cover in our contest.

-Single-author books only; anthologies/collections/co-authored pieces will not be considered.

-Judges cannot submit/judge their own books for consideration, but authors/designers who are not on the judge's panel are welcome to submit their own books for consideration (ie: you can nominate yourself if you're not a judge).

-You do not need to know the author's designer to nominate a book; we can ask the author. 

**Nominations are now closed. Please come back for the voting period on September 5th 2021.**

Good luck all!
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Carol Beth Anderson: August Indie Author of the Month

8/18/2021

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Starry Ink Press congratulates Carol Beth Anderson: August indie author of the month! 

Carol Beth Anderson was born and raised in the Arizona desert, where she played make-believe games with her twin sister and older brother, transforming blankets into princess capes and her mother’s dresses into fine gowns. Almost as soon as she learned to write words, she began turning them into stories.

Beth is the author of the Sun-Blessed Trilogy and The Magic Eaters Trilogy, as well as The Curio Cabinet: A Collection of Miniature Stories and Early Readers Catch the Worms: How Alpha, Beta, and ARC Readers Can Help You Publish a Better Novel. Her next book is Faerie Fallen, a YA romantic fantasy novel.

In addition to writing, Beth enjoys baking sourdough bread, acting in community theater productions, hanging out with her teenage kids, husband, and miniature schnauzer, and hosting high-school exchange students.

----Thank you to everyone who nominated and voted for authors for the August 2021 indie author of the month award, the theme of which was to recognize authors who truly pay it forward to the author community.

Starry Ink Press thanks all of the other authors who participated in our first author of the month awards. Each of you were more than deserving of a win yourselves, and it has been an honor to spotlight you and the good you give back to the writing community this month.----

Want to learn more about Carol Beth Anderson: August indie author of the month? Click HERE to check out Carol Beth's Instagram.

Want to stay in the loop for September's Author of the month award? 
-Sign up for the Starry Ink Press newsletter on our home page HERE.
-Follow Starry Ink Press on Instagram HERE for first-alert news.
-Like/follow Starr Ink Press on Facebook HERE for first-alert news.

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August 2021 Indie Author of the Month Voting Poll **Polls Now Closed**

8/3/2021

60 Comments

 
The August 2021 Indie Author of the Month Voting Poll is now open, and will remain open thru August 15th 2021 at 11:59pm CST.

Thank you to all the amazing indie authors who participated in our first nomination period for the Moving Stars Indie Author of the Month Award! 

Our theme for the August Author of the Month awards was recognizing and celebrating indie authors who lift up others and pay it forward to the indie author community. The prize for the August winner will be:

-$100 cash (sent to the winner via PayPal)
-1 round of technical editing for 1 book of the author's choice (choice of 1 line edit, 1 copy edit, or 1 proofread)
-Entry into the "Starry Reader" Awards (held in December)

We have tallied your nominations, and listed all nominated authors in the voting poll below. Your nominations (and bonuses) will be added to the final vote count for each author before results are announced on August 17th 2021.

Before you cast your vote, take a minute to scroll through the slideshow and meet the authors, as well. You may find some new favorites to follow.
Voting has now closed. Please check our new blog on 8/17 to see the winner announcements.
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  • Home
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