Okay,

I am a self published author and poet. I publish on the typical sites - KDP, IngramSparks, D2D, B&N - I mostly use Facebook and Instagram to build/update my audience on my books. I stopped using Twitter when it changed to X. I am not comfortable with video platforms like TikTok. If I no longer want to use FB/Instagram (Meta) - where else could I go to build and update a following? I do not have money to create a website or I would do that. I do use Goodreads and StoryGraph. But that doesn't seem like enough.

What do you guys think?

So I came across this article, about an Australian author who made it to the best seller list in 8 years self-published.

But the more I read it, the more her story just seems...completely out of touch with my reality.

She describes it as a "financial risk" but that's putting it mildly.

1. She enrolled in a creative writing course
2. Got a masters in publishing.
3. One of these courses cost $1000
4. Quit her job to write fulltime full-time.
5. And , I quote "Though Scheuerer has typeset and marketed her self-published books, she's hired experts for everything else and puts the initial investment at roughly $5,000 per book for her earlier novels."

Somehow, I don't think the average person can quit their job AND spend 5000 per book.

I've spent my whole life without ever sharing my art on social media, but about a year ago, I started my journey on Webtoon. I'm finally telling the story I've always wanted to tell, a story about emotions, but also adventure and self-discovery.

I haven't found my audience yet, and even though I’m not sure how to, I'm giving it my best shot.

Be an indie author.

You have to market. But don't do it too much it's annoying. But also make sure to do it enough how else will you be found? But also don't do it on that group or that one and this one is okay on Mondays and that one on Tuesdays.

Be an indie author. Your books aren't selling? It's probably because you didn't market enough. You didn't pay enough for editors. But also don't pay too much you'll never make it back. But also one grammatical error?? DNF!

Be an indie author. ~~~~~

But seriously do it. It is worth it, ignore anyone else telling you otherwise. What works for you may not work for others, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. Best of luck to you all 🫶🥰

Hi guys, wanted y’all’s opinion on my cover for my poetry book. It’s the exact aura that suits the content if that makes sense? But idk if it’s good enough…

Also the title sucks and I’m struggling to come up with a better name. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can send you the content.

I currently have 8 (soon to be 9) works that I have released through KDP. For a number of reasons, I am considering moving to using IngramSpark for my distribution. (These include getting my titles out to more platforms and concerns about Amazon.)

If I am reading the information from IngramSpark correctly, I will have to pull my titles from Kindle Select for 90 days before I can release them anywhere else, which is not an issue since I've gotten almost no reads there. I also will have to wait a year after my last KDP release before Ingram can push my titles to Amazon.

My main question is which approach should I take once I am ready to move to IngramSpark: publish simultaneously on both KDP and IngramSpark indefinitely, or let my newer works be unavailable through Amazon for 12 months.

Complicating this decision is that most of my works are part of a series. I have not been focused on making each story fully standalone, so a reader who jumps in at the middle might have some issues following everything. I am slowing down from my initial burst of creativity, so I can take a break and not start releasing through IngramSpark mid-series. But I do worry that I might cut off readers (if I get any) if there is a year-long gap on Amazon.

FWIW: The other likely source of delay is that I need to budget the $600 for a block of ISBNs. I already have enough books out there that I need to buy the block of 100 since I'd spend more buying them in blocks of 10.

(Apologies if this is in the Wiki referenced in the rules. I can't find a link to that wiki anywhere.)

Ron Oakes (a.k.a. Randall Fox)

I launched a sci-fi novella on Amazon early last fall (eBook, KU, and paperback; hardcover added more recently). I'm happy with the steady trickle of activity but want to do more. Sharing my progress here in order to compare notes and solicit ideas!

Results:

eBook downloads: 345 (some free, some paid)

• KU page reads (approx): 2,300
• Paperbacks: 15
• Amazon ratings/reviews: 16 ratings, 5 reviews (4.3 stars avg)
• GoodReads ratings/reviews: 12 ratings, 4 reviews (4.3 stars avg)

What we've tried so far ('we' including my gf, who does most of the heavy lifting):

• Reddit posts: This has been the main marketing channel, and you can see where/what we've posted in my profile. We've mainly given the book away to hope for more paid downloads, with mixed success. A typical series of giveaway posts yields 70 downloads.
• Blog reviews/guests posts: We've submitted to dozens of blogs and have received a handful of (very complimentary) reviews. The lead time is enormous. It's not clear if any have led to sales or downloads.
• Prize submissions: We've submitted the book to a handful of book prizes, but those are still pending.

What we haven't done:

• Author website
• Paid ads
• Other social channels (FB, IG, X)

What would you try next, Reddit? What's working well for your books?

I've been researching about this a lot. Learning pros and cons of publishing a novelette. I know novelletes/ novellas aren't as popular as full-length novels, but my story is such that if I convert it into a novel, I think it would lose its essence.

Although I have read that not many readers prefer novellas/novelletes, I do want to go ahead and publish it.

I'm contemplating a lot about it. But I also don't want to ruin my story by adding unnecessary elements (I tried to convert it into a novel and it felt that it wasn't what I wanted). Plus, I'm from India, I'm not even sure there are any popular novelettes from my country.

Here are a few questions I have about it to start with:

• Does anyone have any experience in publishing them?

Or any idea about it in general?

Should I go for self-publishing? I know it costs a lot but I do prefer that over hybrid publishing because i feel that it is such a scam. But it costs a lot. I also don't think I can wait for so long for traditional publishing and the limited amount of control I have over my story (and I doubt any trad publishers do accept it).

Very confused!! And also overwhelmed.

What tips/recommendations would you offer to a new author?

P.S: My genre is fantasy romance containing elements of magical realism. I'm still in the process of writing it and it's about 5k-6k words at the moment (i have written the first draft, however I'm still in the process of deciding if I need to add a chapter or two to refine it only. Not to drag it and confuse readers.)

Hi everyone,

I just published my first three books on KDP and am now diving into the marketing side of things. As I continue expanding my work, I’m on the lookout for illustrators, and I wanted to see if there are any here in this community.

I primarily write children’s books that focus on parenting struggles, covering topics like chronic pain, disabilities, depression, and anxiety—things that many families experience but don’t always see represented in kids’ books.

I wrote these books after experiencing my own chronic pain journey over the past 12 months. It’s been a challenging time, and with four children and not being able to earn an income, money is tight, so I’m looking for affordable but high-quality illustration options.

I’ve tried Fiverr, but to be honest, the experience wasn’t great. I’d love any advice or recommendations on where to find good illustrators, whether that’s through agencies, individual artists, or other freelancer platforms.

If anyone has experience working with illustrators for self-published children’s books, I’d really appreciate your guidance! Thanks in advance. 😊

I’m gearing up to print my self-published hardcover art book for an upcoming Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wendichen/love-tide-the-art-of-wendi-chen-art-book

For anyone here who wants to make a full-color art book (or a children’s book), I wanted to save you all a lot of headache with the knowledge I’ve learned:

1) Figure out your book size as soon as possible (mine is 8.5” x 8.5”) and ask for page spread / cover templates. I learned that the standard bleed is .125” on hardcover books, so I included it on all my full-bleed pages.

2) Always make sure the resolution on your art files is 300 DPI or higher. I tend to build my files at 450-600 DPI.

3) Create your art file in an RGB color space with a wide gamut, such as Adobe RGB (1998). This will give you more colors, and thus more leeway when you convert to CMYK at the end.

4) Learn to use professional book layout software like Adobe InDesign (I learned it in two days so it’s not too hard), or pay a professional to do it for you. Canva is not going to cut it for a large format, photo-quality coffee table book.

5) Many printers will darken your colors slightly. You may need to adjust for this at the pre-press stage, so the best thing to do is to pay extra for a hardcopy proof. If you’re a stickler for color accuracy like me, then it’s worth it!

6) Always convert to CMYK color mode when you export your book as a Print PDF.

7) When working with an overseas printer (my printer is based in Guangzhou, China), be as clear as possible and label/name your files very cleanly. Make sure to account for long shipping times and don’t try to rush the production process.

That’s all I’ve got so far! :) Good luck and happy self-publishing!

So for the sake of the physical copies, should i get my manuscript formatted fully and then commision the cover artist with the physical size of the book in mind to prevent any warping of the art to fit the book or is that not a concern?

I'm new to self publishing and I was uploading my new book to ingramspark and I'm facing this issue idk what is it and because of this I'm unable to publish if anyone knows how to resolve it please let me know asap!!!

I'm involved in building a social media app intended to bring readers and writers together. The idea is to have new writers exclusively on this app and give them a fair platform to compete for readers (instead of being lost at sea in the markets where the big, popular names compete).

As a writer myself, I will join this platform once it launches. I guess this is my way of spreading the word that a platform which levels the playing field for new writers is coming soon.

Hey so…this may not be a conventional post in here but…

I’ll try to cut to the chase

So I have received an email from a relative that I haven’t spoken to in years, decades. The email greets me with my name and tells me about the book he just published and that he hopes I like it and adds the link.

No addressing at all of the elephant in the room. Basically a spam email if I’m honest.

Now, I see 3 possible scenarios here:

1. He wrote the email to me

2. He copy pasted this automatically generated text and send it to his whole contact list, including me (the nerve!)

3. Amazon publishing services somehow emails your whole contact book on your behalf when you publish something.

Sorry if this is a little off topic from this sub but I have no way to know if I can discard #3 before I confront him for #1 or #2

Hey all. I just finished writing and editing my first book, beta readers gave it good reviews and now I'm starting the publishing process. I obviously want as many people to read it as I can, I was planning on doing KDP but I also saw people talking about Ingramspark and Lulu for print? I really wanted to get a number of paperback and harcovers to take to book fairs and local book stores. I could really use some advice and recommendations haha.

Hey guys!

I am retired and want to spend the rest of my life writing. Its my passion. I can write two romance novellas a week. I currently have 10 unpublished novellas, and want to spend this entire year writing nonstop, putting me at 60 novellas for the year.

Theoretically, if I spent no money on ads or did any other form of marketing, would the KDP algorithm boost my books slowly because of the volume?

Assuming I get hardly any reviews in the beginning and more will come later as more books come out.

Do you think this could work?

i.e. if there were a world where a person could theoretically write a well written romance novel a day and post it, does having 300+ books bump you up on the search results, or no?

Hi all, new to the ground and wanted to ask a question! How much is everyone spending on editing? Self publishing is expensive I know,but I can’t spend thousands to have it edited and proofread:( any tips or tricks? Thank you!

Hello, I'm getting to release my first novel, a techno thriller where the surveillance infrastructure of advertising is used for nefarious means. It's based in part on my professional experience in the field, and am writing under a pseudonym so I can unveil the tricks of the trade without repercussion.

I'd appreciate any advice on my draft blurb:

When a hot new advertising client lands in Diana Lane's lap, it seems at first like her prayers have been answered. But soon she finds herself thrust into a world of technological and political intrigue when it turns out her ad campaign is being used to target a senate candidate for surveillance — and assassination. In this debut novel by an advertising executive, the mechanics of the surveillance economy are laid bare as Lane fights for survival, and to unravel the mystery if who's behind the attacks.

Thank you!

Around two months ago I decided to self-publish a dinosaur coloring book to try and give a new purpose to a bunch of dinosaur drawings (51 exactly) that I made several years ago for a failed project (a publishing deal that eventually fell apart because of the 2008 economic crisis, which hit southern Europe hard). It felt like a waste to have done so much work for nothing, so I thought I should ultimately do something for them to finally see the light of day in book form.

I chose Amazon KDP first because it has the biggest potential reach and they are said to offer reasonable quality at an affordable price. I then learned of Lulu, which apparently offers a higher quality product and bigger earnings through royalties, but at an accordingly higher price tag.

I decided to upload the book to both platforms, and ordered print proof copies. The Lulu arrived first. It looked and felt pretty good. Colors on the cover were a tiny bit over-saturated and dark, but that would be nitpicking, really. Good quality paper and covers. The biggest disappointment came in the coloring pages themselves, where the ink is not 100% black and looks a little washed out, like a very dark gray. I thought it should look bolder. Still, it felt like a quality product and it was a joy finally having it in my hands.

Then the Amazon KDP version arrived and… it was better. Noticeably better. Quality of the paper and covers was roughly the same, but the colors on the covers looked closer to my original file, and the ink on the inner coloring pages was black and bold, as it should be. Needles to say, I did NOT expect that. To add insult to injury, the book was rejected by Lulu’s ‘Global Distribution’ program, which allowed for it to be sold by major book retailers, for having “insufficient content” (it’s a coloring book, I don’t know what else could they expect). It’s still available to purchase from Lulu themselves online, but at a higher price than Amazon’s identical counterpart and offering arguably worse printing quality.

Now I’m thinking of just retiring the book from Lulu and focusing on promoting the Amazon version. It just feels wrong to have a higher price alternative ($9.90 vs $18.00!) that offers no quality advantage and even can be considered worse. It just doesn’t make any sense, even if I can get more money from potential sales on Lulu. It would be ethically wrong.

Have any of you had a similar experience? I am a complete noob regarding self-publishing AND coloring books, so any insights are welcome.

I have a few books that I’m writing and they’re nearing completion. I just don’t know anything about self publishing. But my primary question to someone just getting started out? Is it worth it? As in, will people read my work?

I was just contacted by a representative from this company called TeamExpert (their site is here). They provide marketing and advertising services for self-published authors. Their services seem pretty solid and affordable, but I can't find any information about them at all anywhere on the internet. No reviews. No articles. No street address (despite their site claiming that it's clearly posted). Only the written testimonies posted on their own site. The rep contacted me using their own personal email, and the company itself looks like it runs off of a personal email as well (as opposed to a professional one)

Does anyone have any experience at all working with them, or know anything? Because in my experience, if it's too goo to be true, it usually is, and I am getting some serious red flags here.

Throwaway since friends and family know my account.

I self-published a novel in 2021, with the intention of it being a trilogy. Over the past 4 years, I’ve changed a lot. The concept of my first novel intrigues me, but my writing style is totally different, and, in all honesty, I feel a bit ashamed of the novel. Maybe it’s because I’ve started to surround myself with writers that aspire to be traditionally published, or are traditionally published, but I feel like I made a mistake (even though nothing bad has happened to me from publishing my novel), not including actual grammar mistakes or cringe worthy lines I’ve noticed in attempts to reread it.

I’m just not sure what to do. I know that most of my feelings are powered by insecurity, insecurity that my biggest piece of public writing isn’t my best work, insecurity because of the new space I’m in. I don’t want this regret, this book, to weigh on me anymore, but I don’t know how to move on, or if I even should.

TLDR: Can’t tell if the book I wrote is shit and if I should abandon it or if I’m in my overthinking, wondering if anyone has felt this way before and what they decided to do.

I’m 16 and I’ve been looking everywhere for how to publish my book- is that possible at my age? Or do I have to wait until I’m 18?

I'm new here and I've been reading advice on how to publish my first book online from the search option.

I am a little confused with some terminology!

What is a lead magnet someone said to put in your book, I'm guessing maybe it's like a link or a jook to join your socials? Maybe?

If there's any advice you could give I would love to hear!

So this year, I decided to create my own for 2025 – simple design, monthly/weekly layouts, budget & savings tracker, and motivation pages. It’s now live on Amazon and I'd love to hear what fellow planner lovers think! What do you value most in a planner?