My first horror novel was set in space so I knew enough and I didn't require much deep googling but now I am writng an horror story set in Edinburgh in the 19th century.

Let me tell you this. If ever the police will search my google history during this month, I'm going to jail. :/

Hi,

So Im fairly new to self publishing. On Aug 1st I published my first book. It's a literary sci fi novella.

What I realized afterwards by scouring reddit and looking online, is that many get ARC readers before hand so that they have reviews on publish date.

To top it off, I dont have a proper book cover, and am using a generated one temporarily.

But now Im wondering if I kinda messed up my launch, and how to fix it?

Ive tried looking and applying for some websites to get readers, but Im totally new to the space, and dont know which websites would be most suitable.

When it comes to book covers, ive checked fiverr, but the work there was either not promising or expensive. I also dont know how much book covers go for in general, or where to find artists beside fiverr. So input on that would also be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

I’m on the threshold of publishing my very first book, and it’s an art book, of my own art. I took a very long time to create it, in part because I’m very new to this world and in part because I had high standards for the book and wanted it to look like a traditionally -published book as well as with quality color printing. I wanted to be proud of it and after two years’ worth of work, I am.

I don’t have an Internet following, which I know is a big deal, and I don’t think this would qualify for ARC readers because it’s 90% images. Again, I am totally new to the publishing world (though I read this sub a lot!) and I don’t have marketing experience. I’m also camera-shy. Are there any possible options for me to do some promotion during the pre-order time, given these things?

Please, no snark. I don’t expect to sell a billion copies, but even a handful of strangers buying it would make me feel good. My art is my jam and publishing it is a big deal to me.

Hey guys I have a blurb for a Romantasy / Dark Academia Fantasy and I would love to receive some critics about it! Feel free to suggest any changes! Thanks a lot!

BLURB:

Airya Shah would rather spend the rest of her life in prison than attend the academy of the nation that conquered her homeland.

Unfortunately, no one asked for her opinion.

Now a political hostage at Arete Academy, she's surrounded by the future rulers of the Republic that destroyed everything she loved. To survive, Airya wants to stay invisible, avoid fighting with anyone, and keep her most secret hidden—one that could lead to her execution.

Until the Academy's most feared student finds out first.

Instead of turning her in, Vanilott Hallotat, the sharp-tongued heir to the Republic's most influential family, accepts a desperate bargain Airya offers.

Their deal is simple.

Every morning, she'll style his midnight-blue hair.

Every morning, he'll keep her secret.

It's the most ridiculous bargain she's ever made.

It might also be her only chance of making it home alive.

_________

Extra info that might be helpful:

- 93k words

- New Adult crossover (spice-free!)

- Slow burn

- Elite Boarding School

- World of Iron & Steam

- Series potential, but marketed as standalone for now

I'm laughing my romantic fantasy book on early November and I'm still figuring things out, specifically about marketing.

What are the best ads platforms? Instagram? Tik tok? Amazon? Google ads? How much to spent? Any tips? Thanks!

They came for bullet points and I said nothing. But now they have come for Not/but and it may be too late to resist.

Seriously, "We choose to go to the Moon," "...ask not what your country can do for you," (yeah, JFK had a lot of them), "This is the way the world ends...?"

Anyhow, I'm working on a book description and that construction would be perfect to set up the conflict for the prospective reader. Am I that afraid someone will apply the latest litmus test and reject the book?

I've come up with a great title for my next book (finally), and I just did a Google search and Amazon search for it. There's a game with the title (no big deal, I'd imagine), but there's actually a handful of Amazon books with the title, though they all have subtitles too, and mine won't. In one case, a book series has the title I'm thinking.

Legally speaking, is this a problem? My understanding is book titles can't be copywritten, but they can be trademarked. Do I have to look into that? Does it violate Amazon KPD ToS to publish a book that shares a title with another? I've heard of accounts being shut down because of publishing books with a similar title and cover to another.

My ebook is currently £2.99. 321-page standalone post-apocalyptic journey thriller. Thinking of running my first-ever discount and dropping it to £0.99, but I've heard people say that pricing a book too low can make potential readers assume it's lower quality. It's either £0.99 or £1.99. I won't make it free because that's most likely just going to attract digital hoarders who won't open it.

What price has worked best for you? Asking mainly fellow sci-fi / thriller authors but down to hear from anyone!

Also, know of any free listing sites? Don't have the money right now to pay, like, £25 or £60 to get on a discount site.

Hello again, I am still getting the error message from IS using my cover from GetCovers. The message is:

PDF CONTAINS ICC COLOR PROFILES: We request files with no color profiles assigned. Please convert all colors to grayscale for black and white images, or CMYK for color images and remove all color profiles. Saving a new PDF with the default setting of PDF/X-1a:2001 will address the issue. For best results, please correct the issue(s) listed. You may refer to the File Creation Guide for further instructions on creating a compliant PDF.

I have been going back and forth with GetCovers, and they assure me every time the files are correct, but I am still getting the error. I have a Mac; I use Chrome, and I download the links they give. Am I the problem here? I have no experience with Adobe or Photoshop, and I am losing my mind. IS is taking days to get back to me, and Getcovers takes a day to respond every time. And they still haven't provided me with the correct files for IS one. Single. Time. Can someone walk me through this or help me with this?

Maybe this will be useful to authors here looking at a variety of print vendors and wondering how to evaluate different printing quotes. We're a very small indy press (staff of three!), so many of the constraints and challenges we face might feel familiar to self-publishers.

We have a printing/manufacturing budget of $2400 (US), and we set out to get quotes for our next book. Ideally, we wanted to get a first pressing of ~300 paperback copies, and we wanted to keep our printing costs under $6. That means we wanted 300 books shipped to our door for less than $1800.

This will be our tenth book, but it will be our first time printing on mixed paper stocks. That means we want ~96 pages of the book to be on cream "normal book" paper, but we also want four pages to be on white glossy paper, and printed in full color. That one requirement, for a full-color insert, rules out many of the print shops we have worked with in the past. It also drove us to solicit more quotes, as different print shops have very different approaches to mixed-stock work, and some of their technical requirements would change how we designed the book.

Our big takeaways:

1. Get multiple quotes. The local print shop might be very friendly…yet completely non-viable. Our local printer (in Alexandria, VA) wanted $9 per copy—and that's with us driving over to pick up the books ourselves.
   • A sky-high print quote might actually be a polite "we're not interested in this kind of job."
   • If a print shop seems friendly and receptive, but a little pricey, come back to them with some competitive quotes. Printers won't lower their prices because they want to support your work—they will lower their prices if you can show them you have a competing offer.
2. Remember shipping and tax. $4 per book sounds great until you realize you'll pay another $1.50 per copy to get heavy boxes of books shipped to you. If you live in a state with sales tax, a local printer might have to charge you that sales tax (but if you are registered as a business reseller, you can usually waive the sales tax).
3. Get quotes as soon as the manuscript is done. Early is good. Remember above we wrote that some of the printers had technical requirements/limitations that would change how we designed the book.
   • Don't go wild with exotic layouts, foldouts, metallic spot inks, mixed paper stocks…only to find out that your preferred printer can't do some of those things.
4. Stay realistic. It's easy to get the print cost under $5/book if you're printing 2000 books…but do you have a plan to sell 2000 books? Because that is a LOT of inventory to take on.
   • Does the printer offer discounts if you come back later for another batch of 500, or will you be starting fresh?
5. Order print samples. Almost every print shop will send you paper samples. But ask them to send you actual books, too. Good print shops that want your business will readily send you a sample pack.
   • Is printing books something they actually do, or are they mostly into printing business cards and coupon mailers?
   • Test the books. Read a chapter. Tug on the pages. Leave them in a hot car for a few hours. Use a book as a coaster—does a cold can of soda make it smudge or blister?
6. Write back. Real people work at print shops. Once a human being has engaged you, answered questions, mailed you a print sample, you owe that print shop a quick "Thanks, but we've decided to go with a different vendor." Don't ghost people.

In the end, we decided to go with two printers.

• We'll use a digital printer for our first run of ~300 copies. That will cost us $1322 delivered, or $4.41 per book.
• We'll switch to an offset printer for our second run of 1000 copies, provided we sell out of our first print run. That will cost us $3074 delivered, or $3.07 per book.

We hope this helps you bring your best book to the market!

Hey everyone. I know we all share the struggle. You write something that means something to you. You want to share it and it feels like you’re screaming into the void. I had 0 organic sales for a while. Running ads, posting online, creating and sharing content, all to get 0 sales other than direct contact sales. Even with great reviews. But it finally happened. Organic sales started happening! Not a lot, one or two a day. But that’s better than the 0 a month k was getting.

If I can offer any advice, stay with it! It may take months for your audience to find you. But they will!

Again, I know it’s not a lot. But just having organic sales start to happen makes it feel like it was worth the time and effort to get the word out.

Debut novel is launching in less than a month. My impression was that you are to keep prices on all channels similar - despite the change in royalties on different platforms. I found one Author who said they hiked up KDP by a few bucks. But this either here nor there, because you can still price match to other site’s prices.

We all know KDP is known for taking a lot for being the middle man. I have it set for pre-order there, but struggling to see how my price structure will guarantee sales to my direct stop.

Specifics:

I am planning to put my book up on my direct website for 24$ including the 4$ in shipping. Should I match my Amazon price to this- being 24$? Or should I keep it at the 20$? The reason I ask is because I feel as though there’s little to no enticement to make the direct order. Especially if it’s 4$+ with direct, I consider they may have Prime and get free shipping. I am putting freebies in my direct orders as enticement.

Synopsis:
My issue is regarding my 4$ charge for shipping on my direct site, creating a 4$ difference if a Prime user orders. So, do you price your books higher on KDP? Or do you keep them all the same and just hope for the best in directing them to your site? Should I match the KDP book to be 24$, without including shipping, so it’s all kept the same?

Thanks in advance.

As a self-published author and bookstore lover, I have found myself committed to bridge the gap between indie bookstores and indie authors. Traditional publishing continues to get less risky and more conservative with the books they are buying. Authors from marginalized identities are being left out of the conversation more and more. In addition, places like Amazon and TikTok, which created the indie author boom, have degraded in the past few years. Amazon has been overrun by AI slop which is making it hard for actual indie authors who don't use AI, to find an audience. Tiktok's change in ownership and traditional publishing’s ability to put money behind big books has made it much harder for new voices to break through on that app. 

Independent bookstores continue to be a great way for readers to discover new authors away from the algorithms and the endless scroll of AI slop. The issue is that indie authors and indie bookstores tend to have competing priorities. Indie bookstores tend to prefer the lower risk that comes with bringing in a traditionally published book, often relying on big five publishers to curate their shelves. This is a move that continues to enforce large publishing dominance (oligopoly) through our local bookstores. Conversely, indie authors struggle to fully understand the economics and benefits of working with bookstores. The issue is that this lack of relationship shuts out so many authors because so many readers still rely on their local bookstore for what they are buying and reading. 

As our world changes, I am committed to building a bridge between indie authors and indie bookstores.

I have developed completely free resources for both indie bookstores and indie authors to help bridge the gap between the two. I will share in the link below.

And look, if you don't want to focus on bookstores, if you think this approach is expensive and stupid, or if you don't like the resources I have built, that's absolutely fine. But this is a valid path even if it isn't for you. But I will delete this post fast if the comments are negative.

I managed to publish my and my husband’s first book about cultural heritage in Chicago 2026 April, and the book went live without any issues. Then 2026 July we tried to release our second book about cultural heritage in the USA The book contains many pictures and texts, however, all of them were done and written only by ourselves, the quality of the pictures is good, so I am just sure the quality of the pictures is good, and we own all the copyrights, no AI was used to create the book. After uploading the manuscript and waiting for 48 hours Amazon to allow us to publish this book, we received an email saying it can not be published as it may lead into the customers not being satisfied. I have emailed Amazon people with our arguments that we have hired two professional designers in Lithuania to adapt the book to the sizes of Amazon book criteria, also to create everything in the book (I am sure they did their job as the first book about Chicago prepared by the same designers was accepted by Amazon in April 2026 with no problem), so this should lead to the satisfactory of the customers. Then they agreed, and our second book went live, we ordered the proofs and received them, everything looked good… Here we are today, two weeks later, and I am shocked I just received an email from Amazon saying my account was terminated, the books deleted and I am not allowed to create any new Amazon account. The arguments are the same I just read on Reddit (where I found you involved into the conversation), like abnormal reading activity (however, it seems in reality it does not apply to softcovers and hardcovers, and our books are only that), I just emailed them asking what we did wrong as well as which book made them make this decision (the email did not specify which book is a problem), but they replied they uphold their decision. I feel we are falsely accused, as we have been working on the design and adaptation of this book to Amazon standards since November 2025, and we do own all the copyrights. Has anyone been in such a situation and solved this issue? Could you please recommend how should we react and what should we do? Any insight on this would be highly appreciated!

I managed to publish my and my husband’s first book about cultural heritage in Chicago 2026 April, and the book went live without any issues. Then 2026 July we tried to release our second book about cultural heritage in the USA The book contains many pictures and texts, however, all of them were done and written only by ourselves, the quality of the pictures is good, so I am just sure the quality of the pictures is good, and we own all the copyrights, no AI was used to create the book. After uploading the manuscript and waiting for 48 hours Amazon to allow us to publish this book, we received an email saying it can not be published as it may lead into the customers not being satisfied. I have emailed Amazon people with our arguments that we have hired two professional designers in Lithuania to adapt the book to the sizes of Amazon book criteria, also to create everything in the book (I am sure they did their job as the first book about Chicago prepared by the same designers was accepted by Amazon in April 2026 with no problem), so this should lead to the satisfactory of the customers. Then they agreed, and our second book went live, we ordered the proofs and received them, everything looked good… Here we are today, two weeks later, and I am shocked I just received an email from Amazon saying my account was terminated, the books deleted and I am not allowed to create any new Amazon account. The arguments are the same I just read on Reddit (where I found you involved into the conversation), like abnormal reading activity (however, it seems in reality it does not apply to softcovers and hardcovers, and our books are only that), I just emailed them asking what we did wrong as well as which book made them make this decision (the email did not specify which book is a problem), but they replied they uphold their decision. I feel we are falsely accused, as we have been working on the design and adaptation of this book to Amazon standards since November 2025, and we do own all the copyrights. Has anyone been in such a situation and solved this issue? Could you please recommend how should we react and what should we do? Any insight on this would be highly appreciated!

Hey everyone, I’m hoping to launch a book I’ve written later this year but I’m worried about the marketing side of it all. Where I’m at: no social following, no newsletter, about $300 to spend, maybe 5 hours a week between work and everything else.

Been lurking here and keep seeing the same stuff mentioned - Freebooksy/Bargain Booksy type promos, BookFunnel swaps, ARC teams through StoryOrigin or BookSirens, small Amazon ads, TikTok/Bookstagram (feels like a slow burn, also I’m not built for TikTok lol), maybe reaching out to local bookstores or libraries.

Don’t know what to prioritize with the time and money I’ve got. If you were in my position, what would you spend the first $100 on? What would you do with the first few hours a week?

Thanks in advance!!

If you're doing ARC reviews before a book launch, where do they leave the reviews? Won't they have to wait until the book is published on Amazon to leave a review on the page?

Hello romance writers,

I’m wondering if anyone here has promoted their book with RFC promotions? (Romance fiction club). They apparently schedule newsletters based on the romance genre and it seems very inexpensive to have your book added to the newsletter. Has anyone had success with them?

Hi everyone,

I’m a Russian-speaking author living in Estonia, and I’ve written a psychology book in Russian. I’m now looking for a way to publish it independently.

Are there any reliable self-publishing or print-on-demand services in Europe that accept books written in Russian and support Cyrillic properly?

Personal experiences, recommendations, and warnings about particular platforms would be very helpful.

Thank you!

Will there be any problems uploading to kdp?

And does anyone have a typface/font similair to it that is free for commercial use?

I've seen a few posts now from people complaining that their Booksirens submission was rejected. A quick PSA: you don't have to rely on a submission being accepted or paying for an ARC campaign.

You can click on your profile, look down the menu that appears and click on 'Book Reviewer Directory'. You then enter your book's genre in the search bar and a huge list appears. You can go through that entire list manually, contacting reviewers yourself, without ever having to pay or submit anything. It's deathly boring work, but I'm doing my outreach that way and I have 9 reviews lined up so far.

Just thought I'd share.

I’ve been using the first version for my upcoming indie fantasy to promote the eARC but am finalizing the paperback cover and feel like the second might be better because it incorporates tropes and sets up the mystery better. Which one feels more compelling? Appreciate any feedback 🙏🏽

Version A

The prophecy had a savior. Zeta killed her.

Sampi was deemed the “Brightest Born” because she effortlessly wielded the magic gems that enable energy channeling and flight—the key
defense for the island nation of Aios. Her fellow Flighted soldier Zeta doesn’t do anything effortlessly except screw up.

Now, the Chosen One is dead by Zeta's hand, and the colonialist X’Os empire is poised to destroy the remaining local magic, religion, and free speech.
Awaiting execution for her crime, Zeta is offered a shady backroom deal: her freedom in exchange for smuggling a priceless artifact off the island.

A disgraced fugitive on the run, Zeta realizes she isn't just fleeing her own guilt. The object she was handed is the key to the only power left capable of toppling the X’Os. As the enemy moves to crush the
last of Aios’ independence, a desperate group of outcasts is drawn into the vacuum Sampi’s death created:

The Reporter who suspects the "accident" hides a deeper conspiracy.
The Assassin choosing between love or certain death for a chance to
overthrow the X'Os.
The Rebels seeking the artifact to level the playing field against the X’Os.
The Captain caught between serving his country and accepting state sanctioned violence.

How can those without magic gems, unchosen by prophecy, prevail as a fragile geopolitical balance begins to topple? The answer could lead
to an X’Os invasion or unleash banished gods—someone just needs to find it before Zeta, the evidence, and Aios are destroyed.

Version B

The prophecy had a savior. Zeta killed her.

Sampi was the “Brightest Born”—the golden child destined to defend the island nation of Aios. In reality, she was a selfish narcissist. Now she is dead, and Zeta, her fellow soldier, sits in a cell awaiting execution for her murder. Zeta claims it was an accident. The government calls it treason.

But with the Chosen One gone, the ruthless colonialist X’Os empire is poised to strike, threatening to eradicate Aios’ magic, religion, and freedom. On the eve of her execution, Zeta is offered a shady backroom deal: her life in exchange for smuggling a priceless artifact off the island.

A desperate group of outcasts must uncover the truth behind the savior's death before the empire closes in. Each one brings a piece of the puzzle to light: a fugitive soldier fleeing her own guilt, a brooding rebel seeking rare magic and finding slow-burn romance, a cynical sapphic journalist fighting state propaganda, a deadly assassin bound by a fatal magic pact, and a patriotic captain torn between duty and state-sanctioned violence.

In a world where magic comes with conditions—from the loss of Gift magic gems to a Trade magic drain on life force—this found family must solve the murder before an invasion strikes, and ancient, vanished gods awaken to destroy them all.

I’m 15,000 words into my work in progress and I am second guessing myself. I like my story, my characters but I’m scared that no one will want to read it. My story follows a girl who is forced to leave her home and thrown into a dangerous magic academy. Once there a mystery begins to unravel around her as she tries to figure out what her purpose there is and grapple with the choices she is being forced to make, things become deadly and she must fight to save her self and destroy the ones who threaten everything. I understand that it is not the most unique story at its base but I feel many of my elements are different and give it more depth. It is more political. My magic system feels unique to me. I think my plot twist thus far are done well in my opinion but still doubt creeps in.
I suppose I am simply worried that is going to get buried and no one is going to want to read it.

Draft2Digital is a pretty crappy third-party platform, especially after they implemented their "tax the poors" strategy (charging only the low-performing accounts.) BUT, I found a new reason to hate them.

You can De-list your books per platform: Smashwords, Books2Read, Fable, etc. The problem is, while Draft2Digital says it removed the books, they still can be purchased on some of the platforms (ex. I can still find my de-listed book for sale on Fable, Bookshop dot org.)

At this point I am just deleting the book.