(Prefer audio? Click here to listen to the podcast episode.)

(This article and podcast are human-made, because I’m a human and I like to make things).

Everyone loves a series, right?

After all, it means more books for readers to enjoy, which also means more royalties for authors because when readers enjoy books, they buy future books in that series. Those purchases tell the author that this series is connecting with readers, so they write more books. Everyone wins!

However, there are some major pitfalls with writing a series of books that can wreck your sales and your relationship with your readers. I know, I’ve been there—and I’ve even adjusted some series to help them work just a bit better. Because as an indie, I can do that, and sometimes an update is the best thing for a series.

Now a lot of these mistakes are easy to avoid with just a little foresight, so that’s what I’m here to give you today.

For a bit of framework, I’m going to be connecting this article with the movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which recently released at the time of this podcast recording and just cleared one hundred billion dollars in sales worldwide (source). So it made just a bit of money, and it’s on track to make more, all in a movie genre that people have said is “fatigued” and “dead” and “oh no, another superhero movie?” Since it’s the fourth movie in a series in a genre that some critics say is flagging, and it’s had fantastic success, it’s a great point of reference for this discussion.

Also, I like Spiderman, and superheroes in general. So there’s that. You’ve been warned.

And a second warning: This is general advice. Your mileage may vary depending on the specifics of your story’s genre. Review and modify depending on what you know about your genre.

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Here are three tips to help your next series succeed and/or to help you level up your existing series.

1.) Tie off the series as soon as you’re able (depending on your genre).

Hint: “Tie Off” means “end” or at least end the major story or character arc.

There are readers who will not touch a series until the final book is released, and at times they can be very vocal about this choice. There are a number of reasons for this, including authors not finishing their series ( *coughs* working on it *coughs* ) and the reader’s desire to binge-read. Also, with the book market being filled with new books every day, readers have plenty of finished series to choose from.

So whenever possible, make life easier on yourself and tie off that series. I’ve seen more and more authors do this, even in genres that traditionally were known for long series. For example, urban fantasy was known for having 8-10 book series at a minimum. Some of the older series, including Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs (14 books at the time of this article) and Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (18 books at the time of this articles) are still going strong.

However, more recently the urban fantasy genre has shifted. A long series is now considered 6 books, and urban fantasy trilogies (or 3-book series) are more and more common. This comes down to sheer economics: the authors want those “only read when its finished” readers to binge their series, so they’re making the series shorter. As an adaptation, they might write multiple trilogies or quartets in the same universe, or they might release a longer series of short novellas that are quicker for them to write.

But what if you want to continue a story with the same characters? Spider-Man: Brand New Day works with this by following shorter, multi-movie story arcs. The first three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies follow his high school journey, and they can be seen as their own in-series trilogy or story arc. By using the title Brand New Day, Spiderman 4 is introducing a new arc in a pretty on-the-nose way; in fact, this movie is literally all about Peter Parker’s physical and psychological transition into full adulthood. Spider-Man actor Tom Holland mentioned that “it really doesn’t feel like we’re making a fourth movie. We’re making the first movie in the chapter [sic]…” (source).

In the same way, you can build in mini multi-book arcs within your larger series. Some authors have done this by tweaking the subtitles of new books in the same series. Others tweak the cover design. In this way, you can benefit from the read-through of a larger series while still giving those skittish “is it finished?” readers the sense of closure they crave, which builds reader trust.

2.) Keep your individual story and/or character arcs in each book as simple as possible.

Sometimes authors can really get in our heads about complexity, thoughtful world building, and unique stories. Scifi and fantasy authors can be extra guilty of this - and for those of you writing epic scifi or fantasy, you’re well aware that your complexity is your genre’s strength. Go you!

At the same time, a story can only contain so many plot threads, character arcs, and world building elements. Really really. Even for epic stories that come in hardback editions that you can use as a doorstop or bludgeoning tool (also, you can read them). So keep your story arcs as simple as possible in each book. This goes double for series, because you have to maintain those threads throughout the entire series. That’s a lot to keep track of, friend. Be kind to yourself and your margins by loving the self-edit and letting go of elements when you can.

Again, epic scifi and fantasy authors: I know, you need all those extras. I’m not here to make you part from them. But even there, trim where you can, even if it’s just, I dunno, a thousand words? A thousand words still counts.

The Tom Holland Spider-Man movies have really excelled at using individual story arcs. Each of the original three movies tackles one area of Peter Parker’s high school life and how it intertwines with his superhero life. They even “give it away” in the titles.

Spider-Man: Homecoming addresses his school’s homecoming celebration and weaves connections between the Big Bad, Peter’s quest to be on the Avengers, and his smaller interpersonal life and pursuit of his crush, Liz.

Spider-Man: Far From Home tackles Peter trying to maintain superhero’ing while on a school trip, and while mourning the loss of his mentor Tony Stark. It also continues his romance with MJ.

Spider-Man: No Way Home deals with Peter’s senior year travails when his superhero identity is unmasked in front of the world. He’s coping with a pivotal time in a teenager’s life, while dealing with the repercussions of trying to re-hide his identity and maintain his core relationships.

And, as I mentioned earlier, Brand New Day shows Peter’s transition into life as an adult with more power and responsibility, both in terms of his literal superpowers and in terms of how he relates to others.

Now these character arcs exist within a complicated world building universe. The audience is here for this universe.

This is why, in general, I adhere to the following adage for scifi and fantasy authors:

-Complicated Plot
-Complicated Characterization
-Complicated World Building

You get to pick two.

Now, are there genres where most of those elements are simple? Yup. Welcome to cozy. Although even cozy will choose one of those three areas to make a bit more complex than the rest.

Are there genres where all three elements are complicated? Yup. Welcome to epic scifi and fantasy. Although some epic books can be a bit lighter on characterization, especially if the books feature a large cast.

3.) Give new readers an easy jumping-on point.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day literally starts at a later point in Peter Parker’s life. Years have passed. You don’t need to know the lore or relationships from the first three movies to appreciate this one. That being said, knowing that lore does deepen your appreciation for this movie, and I’m sure whichever streaming service owns the first trilogy is seeing an uptick in views. Yet Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still accessible as a summer popcorn movie for those who don’t want to watch all the previous installments.

Creating a jumping-on point can be tricky for a book series, so as with all the rules here, it’s more of a guideline. Some authors write a series of connected standalones so that they can capture the attention of casual readers. This works particularly well in fairy tale retellings and romance series where the book is often outlined around a specific fairy tale or features an expected romance trope. It’s a reason why you often see multi-author series in the romance and fairy tale genres.

There are also are ways you can capitalize on an easy jumping-on point in a longer, more connected series. One main way is to have jumping-on short stories and novellas for readers to enjoy. Not only do these work as a great free sample (and a great reader magnet), but they can also introduce readers to your larger world and get them hooked on the series as a whole.

Consider this your public service announcement to get that prequel novella, reader magnet, or short story written, friend! They have multiple uses, and they are incredible at getting readers connected with your larger series.

Bonus: Keep up consistent quality in your series - and keep offering the things that readers love.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day offers the same incredible visual sequences, interpersonal moments, snarky/awkward scenes, and angst that people expect from Spider-Man as a whole. While I’m not sure if this was my favorite Spider-Man movie, I came away satisfied and feeling that I had seen a good story about the webslinger. It understood the assignment and delivered on the promise.

Consistency in delivering on story promises to readers is gold. Showing up and telling a great story that you (and your readers) love is how you win. There are ways to break tropes and expectations a bit, and we’ll likely tackle that in a future episode. After all, Brand New Day introduced some brand new elements that deviated from other Spider-Man movies. However, I would argue that it gets away with those story and genre shifts precisely because it delivers so well in many other areas.

But again, that’s for a future episode. If you want it sooner rather than later, let me know in a comment!

For now, go forth and be awesome.

Who doesn’t, right?

What if Spider-Man could teach you? Yup, really.

In this episode of Author Margins I share three action items that you can implement right now to improve your series read-through and help you connect with more readers.

And the secret sauce comes from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which proves that a superhero movie series can win with audiences even in movie four (take that, “superhero fatigue”).

So let’s hang out, level up those series with epic tips, and yes, geek out over Spider-Man.

Go forth and be awesome!

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(Prefer audio? Click here to listen to the podcast episode.)

In over a decade of mentoring authors, this is one of the biggest areas I’ve seen authors fail - or conversely, soar to fantastic heights.

• Authors who have clarity in this area can make the best decisions for themselves and their book.

• They can ignore wads and wads of advice they don’t need and zero in on that one piece of advice that makes sense for them

• They can persevere in the trenches of writing their next book, solid in their convictions and purposes for that book.

Because friends, there will always be trenches. What I’m going to share in this post isn’t a miracle cure that’s going to make your book write like a dream, your edits effortless, and your marketing guaranteed to work. No one can promise that.

I can’t even promise you a dragon. I know, that alone might make you go “what? Seriously Janeen, why am I even here?”

But stick with me, because while this information won’t be the perfect answer to every problem, it will give your author life definition and help you make those hard, awesome choices that will save you time, money, and stress.

And we’re all about helping you find more time, money, and breathing space here at Author Margins, so let’s do this!

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You need to decide whether you’re writing your current book for profit, message, or self-expression. Period. End of story. Once you figure that out, it helps with the rest of the decisions you make.

Because unlike chasing trendy genre categories or testing out the latest software, these categories are timeless. They help you put blinders on like nothing else and make the choices that are important for you, not the person next to you. I review them with every 1:1 client, I’ve discussed them at many online and in-person classes, and I consult them when I’m making decisions about my own books.

So in this occasional series, we’re going to dive into each of these areas. I’ll discuss what they mean for your own author life, how you can use this information to save time with your story, and what to do when your goals clash. Yup, I see you amazing people who say, “But I want to make a profit with this book and write exactly what I want, when I feel like it.” It’s a mood, and we’ll get there.

Here’s just a quick overview of these three sections and what they mean for your book.

Profit - Your book needs to make money. Specifically, the money your book makes must exceed the money you invest in it. In fact, this might even be an absolute need for you. There are no other alternatives. You might be business-minded, or you might just be in a place where your budget demands a profit margin from your book.

You’re in the right place because I’m a fan of this too.

Message - Your book’s message is primary. You’re willing to invest what you need in order for this book to reach as many people as possible. It might not even be necessary for this book to make any money. You might give it away for free and never, ever charge money for it. Connecting with readership is more important than anything else.

I get this, and there is a huge need for these books in the world.

Self-Expression - You’re writing your book to express something important to you and connect with readers who will appreciate that self-expression. You might sail right by those tropes, trends, and oh-so-now genre elements if they don’t fit what you want to say. This book is first and foremost your act of processing a deep theme or fun moment, shaping it around a story, and then hoping readers will connect with that story.

Friend, this is a vibe. There is nothing wrong with embracing the self-expression in your story.

Now, you might be saying, “Wait, Janeen, how can you be a fan of ALL of these categories? Aren’t they at odds?”

We’ll get into that in the future, but the short answer is: nope!

Then, because you’re a smart author, you might say, “Then what’s the point of the categories if there’s overlap anyway?”

The categories aren’t about hard barriers, but about defined starting places. Red, blue, and yellow could all be considered categories of color. Yet we all know that you can blend them to varying degrees and get a host of new shades. That doesn’t invalidate the original three shades—and in the end, you’re still working with variations of those three primary colors.

In the same way, these are three primary starting categories. We’ll discuss mix and matching in future episodes, but everything comes back to these three angles. And the more that you’re sure of your primary reason (and secondary reason) for each of your books, the easier it will be to make the right decisions for you. This gives you the confidence to plan, act, do the thing, and get the data to review.

And I’m here to help you make those next best steps.

Go forth and be awesome!

So, what’s your primary reason for writing your current WIP: profit, message, or self-expression?

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If you’ve ever felt pulled in a dozen directions:
“Should I follow trends?”
“Should I just write what I want?”
“Should I treat this like a business?”

This is your moment, friend. This is where we sort all of that out.

In this episode, I’m breaking down a simple framework I use with every mentoring client—one that helps you:
✨ Filter out unnecessary advice
✨ Make confident decisions
✨ Stay grounded when things get hard

Come grab the framework that makes all those decisions a whole lot easier.

Go forth and be awesome!

(Prefer audio? Click here to listen to the podcast episode.)

I’m going to share a phrase that will help you be bolder, stronger, and more confident as an author, whether you’re writing, considering publishing options, or marketing.

As authors, we think a lot because what we think is literally what we sell. Those ideas, concepts, scenes, characters, stories, and all of that analysis during edits are what get stories on the page and out to readers. But also, that hyper-thinking can be a major Achilles’ heel when it comes to creativity. It can stop us right in our tracks when in comes to actually doing the thing - the writing, the editing, the publishing, the marketing.

Y’know, all of that fun stuff that authors do because we’re authors. Sure, we go through dry spells and rest periods, but then we come back to that page or to that spreadsheet and we do the thing.

Except sometimes it can be hard to take that next step. The stress over “what’s the right answer,” or “what’s the right way,” or what’s the right move?” can be super-paralyzing. And this can happen to long-time authors as much as to first-time authors. After seventeen years into this industry, I’m still always facing new opportunities, new decisions, new chances as an author, and it can be a massive overload.

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So here’s what I tell myself, the phrase that unlocks my brain so that I can act and do and have that data to assess:

“I can always change it later.”

Seriously, I can.

-Don’t like the cover? Change it - and I have. Sometimes you have to embrace the rebrand and relaunch.
-Need to tweak the content? Change it - and I have. Again, rebrands and relaunches have been my jam for the last three years after closing down my publishing company.
-Used the wrong keyword or platform, or marketing angle? Change it - and I have. Pivoting is crucial in the chaotic publishing industry.

That small phrase, “I can always change it later,” means that I don’t have to get it perfectly right this time. I can do the best job possible at that moment. I can make my best guesses and predictions about the market. I can go with the book cover in front of me.

Again, I’m not talking about slacking off. Strive for excellence. Dream expansively and plan thoughtfully for where you are and what you know. Don’t just go around ignoring all sage advice. That sage advice can help you avoid common pitfalls. Trust me, you’ll still learn plenty through mistakes and hard-won experience without looking for trouble.

Do the dreaming. Do the planning.
Then take imperfect action.

You can always change it later.

Now this comes with one caveat: If you’re signed with a tradition publishing house, you’ve signed away some of your control and ability to shift with the market. The publishing house has those rights. This is why it’s vital to review publishing contracts and publishing houses extremely carefully and go with someone that you trust. In that situation, the power to change is often in their hands, not yours (again, depending on the publishing house and your specific arrangement with them).

But even if you’re a trad author, eventually you get those rights back, and so if you don’t like something, guess what? You can always change it later. Really really. All is not lost.

What the phrase “I can always change it later” does is free up your brain to try, to move, and to grow as an author. It frees up your creativity to try that next thing. It clears out any anxiety or breath-holding of “but what if? What if?” This phrase gives you mental margin to act - and we’re all about healthy margins here.

So authors, take that next step with this phrase in mind: “I can always change it later.”

Let this encourage you today, friends - and share one big, crazy action you need to take in your author life! I’d love to hear it.

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But let’s make it easier to act on that.

In this episode, we’re talking about the mindset shift that creates real author margins—more space to think, create, and move forward without getting stuck.

“I can always change it later.”

This phrase isn’t about lowering your standards.

It’s about freeing your brain so you can:
-Try new things
-Make decisions
-Build momentum

Own your process, take the step, and adjust as you go.

Sometimes…it’s the absurdly normal stuff.

In this episode, I’m sharing three simple habits that help you:

• Save time (future you will thank you)

• Save money (goodbye, lost receipts)

• Create breathing space (yes, even at conferences)

These aren’t flashy tips. But they work.
And they just might make your writing life a whole lot easier.

Hey there, amazing authors!

This week I’m hanging out at the Realm Makers Expo at the Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri - woohoo!! I’ll be taking mentor & critique appointments, plus moderating two panels (one on Hunger Games/dystopian fiction and one on fairy tales & folklore). I’ll also have piles of my books in stock at my booth (cleverly labeled #1006 on the map), and I’d love for you to stop by, chat, and get some great reads. Just click here to learn more and get your ticket!

Also, for any authors who are attending the Realm Makers Writers Conference and want some extremely sane, chill advice about thriving at writers conferences (even if you’re overwhelmed, neurodivergent, introverted, or just plain tired), check out this video I made last year.

Aaaand…now onto those three absurdly normal things you need to do like, yesterday. Assuming you have a time-travel device. And if you don’t, friend, we need to work on that shopping list, amiright?

Seriously, these are ridiculously “that makes sense” bits of guidance that often, reliably, I forget to do as an author, and then have to double back and fix later. So I’m passing them on to you!

To Save Time:
1.) Label your digital documents in a way that makes sense to your brain - aka, you can look at it and go “oh yeah, I know what that is.”

I did warn you that these would be absurdly normal, didn’t I? When I’m in that perfect magical headspace of organization, I’m careful to title/label docs so that I can actually find them later (or easily search for them). But when I’m in a rush, excited about an idea, or just tired of being on draft 510,000th of a new story intro, Present Janeen can get lazy. Present Janeen thinks that labeling documents in a sane, sensible way is for lame people. Present Janeen is tired.

Then Future Janeen goes “what the CRAP, woman? Where is this file? What on earth did I name it?”

Be kind to your Future Self. Take twenty extra seconds and label the file/document with a name that makes sense.

To Save Money:
2.) Take photos of your receipts for later reimbursement. I mean it. If you have a receipt from shipping books or buying a new author resource to learn a new skill or whatever, just take a picture of it right now. I’ll still be here.

You can also get a free app like Expensify to upload and track your expenses. But if you want something absolutely basic, just take the photo and email it to yourself. Tada! Now you have it saved as a business expense and you can download it, save it to a folder, and/or input it to a spreadsheet later on. Receipt paper gets blurry and messy really quick, friends.

One other thing I do is select the “email receipt” option when possible. It takes a little more time to type in my email address, but then I have the proof of purchase already in my inbox.

To Give Breathing Space:
3.) Take the extra snack bar/blanket/pillow/neck massager or what-have-you so that you can cope with life craziness at author events & conferences.

Look, it used to be a point of pride for me to pack as light as possible. Yes, even when I knew I had all kinds of chronic conditions and sensory issues. For some reason, I wanted to look normal, blend in, “be professional”, and all of that. Now I know better.

Being professional doesn’t mean ignoring what your own body needs to thrive and do well - even if it feels like you’re surrounded by people who just seem to effortlessly plow through life.

Nowadays, I still pack as light as I can, especially because I often carpool with a friend (and cart along my many, many books). But I also include extra, unobtrusive snacks (blood sugar crashes are no joke), a travel weighted blanket (so I can sleep well at night), and yes, a small neck massager (my body likes to store ALL the tension in my neck and helpfully turn that tension into migraines - no thanks!).

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What’s one of your absurdly normal tips or tricks to create Author Margins - get more time, money, and breathing space?

Share in a comment - OR tell me in person at the Realm Makers Expo!

(Prefer audio? Click here to listen to the podcast episode.)

This might come across as rude, but hear me out.

When someone tells me they’ve written a book, started writing a book, or even that they’re considering writing a book, my first thought is often, “Why?”

Now, I don’t say that because I actually do know how to communicate well, and that dreaded “w” word can be seen as being confrontational, abrasive, or at the very least, asking a bit more of a personal question. I’m poking at someone’s reasons. Their purpose. Their heart behind their work (or potential work). I get it.

And I’m a super-fan of more amazing, impactful, fantastical books being written, so I do have genuine enthusiasm when I say the usual statements of:

“That’s fantastic!” or “Good for you!” or “The more the merrier!” and maybe, if we have time, a side of “If you’re cool with sharing, what’s it about?”

Because I am honestly excited and I want to encourage.

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Yet underneath that question lingers, waiting to be asked if the conversation deepens: “Why? Why are you writing a book? Why do this when you could be doing anything else with your time? Why write a book when we live in a world with endless distractions and ways to amuse yourself? Why this?”

That “why” is pivotal for all authors, not just newbies. It’s something that I ask myself before and during and after every book I write, because it matters that much.

For me as a Christian, it matters from now through eternity, because I believe I’m accountable to God for everything I do and say and think (and then I thank God for Jesus all over again because I fail every day to use my time as well as I could).

Everything you do has inherent value and impact, either positive or negative. All of us humans have a limited time on this planet. There are only so many hours in a day, minutes in an hour, seconds in a minute. What you do with your life matters.

Why are you writing this book? Why does it matter?

And why you’re writing your book matters for your margins, from time to money to breathing space. Because your work on this book is going to take up each of those precious resources.

-You’re spending time writing it (and by the way, “time is money” - you could be doing something else).
-You’ll have to decide if you’ll spend money on this book, how much, when, where, on what, and for what purpose.
-Your book is more than just a place to process - it’s a vital part of communicating with your readers. It’s a way to build a community with them, to share your art, and yes, to break even and/or make a profit. Communication takes effort, which means you’ll need to carve out time from that effort (even if you really, really love writing).

And because I love me some practical application, here are some questions to get you started on your “why” - and how it impacts your author margins.

Note: There are absolutely no right or wrong answers here. This is a zero-judgement zone. My goal is for you to get greater focus, clarity, and purpose as you move forward.

Time
-Why is this book worth spending time on?
-How much time do you have to invest in this book?
-Where will that time come from?
-What will you have to sacrifice to make time for this work?

Bonus: Set a date in the future of when you’ll want to have this book finished - not to be a buzzkill, but to give yourself a sense of momentum. Don’t worry about if you fail (or don’t). It’s not doom, it’s data. Your writing is valuable, so make time for it. If it isn’t valuable, then go back to your “why”?

Money
-Is this book worth spending money on? If so, why? If not, why not?
-How much money do you have to invest in this book?
-Where will that money come from?
-What will you have to sacrifice to make sure you have enough money?

Bonus: Set a budget for this book. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but figure out about how much you can spend on various aspects of production, from editing to formatting to cover design to publishing costs. If you’re going to pitch this book, consider what you might invest for connections - pitching to agents or editors at events or getting pitch prep help from an industry expert. If you’re DIY’ing entirely, then put a value on your time. How much will you spend, and could you be doing something else instead?

Rest
-How will you rest/refresh from writing this book?
-How much space will you have to rest and refresh?
-Where will that resting space come from? What will you have to say “no” to in order to make sure that your creative well is filled?

Bonus: Do some brainstorming on how you refresh your creativity. For some authors, it’s exercising or playing games or spending time with others. Or it might be watching a specific TV show or movie. It could be doing something with your hands away from screens. It could be time spent in prayer, meditation, or thoughtful reading. Knowing how you refresh your brain is crucial to your creative process.

Your “why” matters in writing your book, whether you’re just starting, in the editing stage, or considering your publishing options. Don’t run from the question. Face it, embrace it, and figure out your reasons.

Your unique words are worth it.

So, friends, I’d love to know: why are you writing your current book, story, etc?

Share in a comment!

In this episode, we’re asking the question that changes everything: why are you writing this book?

Because if your why is unclear, your time gets stretched, your budget gets blurry, and your creative energy burns out fast.

We’ll walk through how your “why” impacts your time, money, and rest—and how to build a writing process that actually lasts.

No guilt. No judgment. No right answers. No wrong answers. Just an opportunity to get honest—and build margins that support your work.

Your unique words are worth it.

Go forth and be awesome!

Hey there friends,

Sometimes our brains are lying to us. Especially in this day and age where every news platform and ad uses all the psychological tricks to keep you scrolling and clicking.

Now, I’m not necessarily against a binge scroll through short videos (duck homesteaders, tiny houses, and watching people decorate cakes are three of my favorites).

And sometimes those ads can be helpful (just ask the tabs of gluten-free, dairy-free recipes I’m going to try someday - also, this is a judgement-free tab zone, I need every single one of those thirty browser tabs).

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But also, boundaries are essential, or all the info all the time can drive you mad - and suck your creative juices dry. Your brain shifts from that essential deep focus into constant dopamine hits - and/or you get a blast of the daily news (or your friends/contacts’ reaction to the daily news) and suddenly what is life and I want to live in a Hobbit hole with potatoes and cake.

So this is me giving you permission to ignore all of that, put blinders on, and do your next, best steps.

This might include:
-not keeping up with all the author/publishing industry news (and creating a framework for what matters to you and what doesn’t)
-doing your writing before you start scrolling or check in with updates (yes, even with awesome Substacks like this one)
-implementing the next book marketing step for you right now (instead of worrying about something five steps down the road)
-finding ways to drop into creative world even when you don’t have a fancy office and aren’t allowed real candles (yup, my office space is in a corner of my living room and my rental agreement prohibits open flames)

Because finding your margin is essential for sustainable success. And that means not being everywhere (because you literally can’t be). It means being where you are, doing the writing and publishing, doing the marketing, and checking the results (because it’s not doom, it’s data).

Your unique words are worth it.

Along with this, I have a teeny-huge announcement - I’m not sure if it’s small or large, so you get BOTH adjectives.

Author Culture is shifting to Author Margins.

Author Culture was a bit of an experiment to see what worked out best for me as Your Friendly Author Coach and you as the Epic Amazing Author (or author-curious). Then I took a hiatus just to figure out all the data and where things went next (because data is awesome).

And what I realized was that:
-y’all got a lot going on
-y’all enjoy storytelling, but also, life is crazy
-y’all are here for me to equip and encourage you

And the best way I can do that is to simply home in on what matters most: helping you amazing authors get more time, money, and breathing room to achieve your success, your way.

In a word, helping you find more margin in a world that seems to eat time, dollars, and mental health for breakfast.

Hence: Author Margins

If you’re ready to:
-stop chasing every strategy (down with the overwhelm)
-start building what works for you (and testing, and trying, and learning, and winning)
-create a profitable author life you can actually sustain (you don’t have to be a super-star full-timer to want to break even and make some on the side)

This is your place/jam session/hobbit hole where we believe in meat and potatoes and cake. Welcome!

I’m super-excited to go on this journey with you. Expect short (for Substack), friendly, weekly posts that will drop on Thursdays. They might include writing essentials, encouragement & mindset, timeless business tips that work no matter what, lessons from my own 17 years of hard-earned experience, and what to ignore this week.

ALSO, I’m open to your questions! Comment/reply with a question and it might just get answered in a weekly post.

Quick Q&A

Q. - What about the scifi and fantasy focus?
A. - I’m still a scifi and fantasy author, so that will still be in there (including world building tips). However, my tips will often also be applicable to other kinds of fiction and author life.

Q. - What about the fun fandom features?
A. - When I have thoughts, yes, but it will always be connected to Author Margins vibes as well.

Q. - What about publishing industry commentary?
A. - On an as-need basis. Those super-long articles take a lot of effort because I do not do “hot takes”, I do informed takes with actual citations and multiple articles and all those other fun, unpopular things. I’m also actively working in the industry as an author and an author coach/editor (as opposed to a research writer).

I’m super-excited for what we can do together to create more truly sustainable author lives and careers.

Go forth and be awesome!

Remember, I’m open to your questions! Comment/reply with a question and it might just get answered in a weekly post.

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World building is great - until it’s super dated, amiright?

But how do you keep your world building fresh, accessible, and irresistible to readers? Build sideways!

I recently hopped onto my YouTube Channel for a livestream geeking out about Sunrise on the Reaping (and the terrific trailer drop) and diving deep into how world building sideways can level up your scifi or fantasy story.

Here’s a podcast episode with all the best stuff from that stream!

Plus, I’ll be showing up tomorrow, Tuesday April 28th at 8:30 pm (EDT) for another epic livestream (topic TBD). Let’s hang out - just click here and hit “notify” so you know when I’m showing up.

Looking forward to it!

All my best,

Janeen

Now, will readers finish your book even if your chapter openings and closings are subpar? Sure, some of them will. But not as many.

Readers exist in a world of distraction, with social media platforms, streaming services, and YouTube all fighting for their attention. So put in the effort to keep them connected with your book. After all, you’ve gotten this far with with your story - go the extra mile and make those chapter openings and closings sing.

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Just FYI: A chapter ending should not only resolve the main narrative of the chapter (in some way), but also keep the larger story moving toward the ending of your book. You want your reader to feel like the chapter has actually made a concrete step forward, and you also want them to anticipate what is coming next.

Too much resolution and you lose the reader to a sense of security.

Too much open-ended and…you don’t have an actual ending.

You need to find that sweet spot between the two extremes. Remember, this is in part defined by your goals with the story, your audience, and your genre expectations.

Here are some surprisingly relevant and oddly specific tips for chapter endings:

1.) Read books in your genre - and also, some outside of your genre. Books in your genre give you an idea of chapter opening/closing expectations and show you how other authors are writing them effectively. However, you can also get fresh ideas from outside your genre, so give those a look as well.

2.) While ending chapters with dramatic cliffhangers isn’t always important, sometimes it can be the winning ticket. Just use this trick judiciously. If every single chapter is The End of the World of Doom and Darkness, it can be pretty one-note. If EVERYTHING is serious, then nothing is. If you’re making it a gimmick to have hyper-dramatic endings, then own it. Otherwise, have some endings be a little more chill and others be DOOM.

3.) Uncertainty is your friend in chapter endings. You don’t always have to bring dramatic doom, but you do want to always leave things hanging a bit. This can be external in a big way (cue end of the world), or in a small way (oh no, I’m late for school).

You can also play with chapter endings that allow for a bit of character reflection. This is helpful when you’ve just finished a major action chapter and you want to offer some contrast. Have your character start to process the moment, and then tease off so that the reader hops to the next chapter to see the rest of their thought process. This does rely on you, as the author, creating solid, sympathetic reader connection with your POV character so that their internal processing is compelling.

4.) Big reveals can also be a boatload of fun. You can drop a surprise twist or piece of information that makes the reader go “what the hey?” and then have to read onward. Just make sure that you’ve led up to the twist over the course of the chapter (and book) with foreshadowing.

You want readers to be surprised in the way of “I didn’t see THAT coming, but ohhh, it makes sense.”

You don’t want “wait, seriously? That came out of nowhere. This is ridiculous.”

5.) When it comes to that light-hearted and/or cozy book, you can either have a low-key chapter ending (still bringing the uncertainty, but not as intense) or you can end on an intense moment and then resolve it quickly at the beginning of the next chapter. I’ve seen the latter trick in numerous light-hearted/cozy reads, and it works well.

Here are a few ideas for chapter endings that you can grab:
-end with the character having a sudden realization
-end with an ominous (or happy, but unexpected) arrival
-end with a reminder of the countdown to whatever doom - this is great if you want a mostly chill chapter ending but can’t let them be too relaxed
-end with a surprise reveal or twist
-end with the character deciding to make a terrible decision (work that dramatic irony)
-end with disaster - but interesting disaster, not final disaster
-end with your MC getting smacked with a raw fish (worked for Monty Python)

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Do you have any additional tips and tricks for chapter endings?

Or do you have a chapter ending that you’ve read (or written) that made you go “WHOA.”

Share in a comment!

Then you wake up one day and say, “y’know what? I’m going to make a cake without chocolate. Instead, I’ll create a vanilla cake with pistachios, tamarind, and pineapple. To pacify the chocolate fans, I’ll do a tiny chocolate drizzle on top. To be extra unique, it will be incredibly bitter chocolate coated in salt.”

Critics call the new cake “innovative” and “unique,” with a side of “us critics are sick of chocolate anyway—seriously, who goes to a chocolate cake shop to get chocolate cake? It’s so passe.” Their reviews are over the top with praise.

However, for some reason, sales for this new dessert tank. Most of the regulars refuse to even go to the shop at all. Shockingly, when you build an audience around chocolate and connect with chocolate fans, they get confused and even annoyed when you decide that “whatever, chocolate” and make something totally different.

This is a good metaphor for Wonder Man, the latest superhero series to drop on Disney+. Didn’t hear about it? You’re not alone. It was sneaked out in January. I only found out about it because we have a Disney+/Hulu package—mostly due to Hulu—and it was at the top for a brief second. At first, I thought it was one of those literary art house movies, especially since Ben Kingsley was featured in the ad. As it turns out, it is a literary art house series…that sort of includes superheroes.

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Wonder Man dares to be a superhero TV show that uses next to no superpowers, has nothing to do with superhero’ing, includes no recognizable superhero characters, and proudly disdains fight scenes and special effects.

Also, it goes without saying that this show has nothing to do with the comic book, where Simon Williams is the son of a rich industrialist who gets his superpowers because he’s desperate, angry at rival Tony Stark, and accepts bail money in exchange for becoming a super-powered pawn in a villain’s evil plot (source).

Instead, it shows that Simon is a very powerful super-abled—no origin story needed—who is determined to succeed as an actor in Hollywood. Superpowers are shown largely as a liability and a force that negatively impacts the lives of those who have them. The tone is incredibly low key and follows the pattern of literary fiction with a character-focused narrative, ambiguous plot points, and lack of adherence to a fixed plot formula (source).

To be fair, the lead actors do a great job with the material they are given. Ben Kingsley is a terrific actor, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does a great job as well. They have a compelling bromance connection. Also, there is a particular episode about a superpowered character called the Doorman that is really fascinating as a piece of artsy storytelling. However, the fact remains that the series purposefully avoids any trope, action scene, camera angle, or scene that would connect Wonder Man to the superhero genre. This might just be a problem.

Now, Rotten Tomatoes loves Wonder Man–it is 91% fresh. Time Magazine adore it. Collider found it refreshing that the story focused on “the new and consistent challenges that working actors face” (source). Overall, it’s a critical darling.

However, Wonder Man’s Nielsen ratings tanked upon the initial release. Viewers tuned out quickly. Disney dropped the entire series at once to encourage bingeing, and it was still the least watched Marvel show on Disney+. It vanished from the Nielsen rankings within a week. Disney put the first episode on YouTube for free, trying to connect with viewers. But the thing is, it’s an art house movie, which means it isn’t designed to be hooky and click with the average YouTube viewer. And the data shows that indeed, Wonder Man didn’t connect with viewers (source).

Wonder why? It might be because, despite the cranky Reddit threads, most superhero viewers actually like superhero shows that show people with superpowers…being superheroes. They might like those action scenes and special effects that critics disdain as being “overdone” and “overblown”. They might want wisecracks and fast pacing.

This isn’t to say that depth and solid acting don’t matter in superhero films. As last year’s success with Thunderbolts, Superman, and Fantastic Four shows, worldview and story message go a long way. Solid acting and relationships between characters matter. To hit top success, the chocolate cake needs an extra oomph. Viewers don’t just want superhero movies, they want quality superhero movies.

Instead, Disney+ delivered a series that completely ignored their audience. And that is likely what caused Wonder Man to lose interest from most fans. As a literary, art house series, it holds up fine. But it turned its back on the viewers in favor of Hollywood-focused narratives. In turn, the viewers turned their backs on Wonder Man, even in the first two test screenings (source).

For authors out there, the lesson is that yes, you can create your art house stories, whatever they are. No one can stop you. Sometimes releasing heart projects can be good for the soul. But also, you can’t necessarily expect your current readers to just follow over to those books.

My main genres are fairytale retellings, urban fantasy, superheroes, and steampunk fantasy. However, I also write poetry. I have four anthologies out in the world. I rarely promote or talk about them because they aren’t my focus. They’re just for me and the 5-10 poetry readers out there. That’s fine. I keep my production costs low, I get inexpensive covers, and when I’ve created enough poems for another short book, I quietly release it, and those 5-10 poetry fans get to enjoy another anthology. Meanwhile, I also continue to connect with my main readership.

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As an author and creator, you can make what you want. But if you want to bring readers along for the ride, you need to understand that storytelling is communication, which means it’s a two-way street. It involves listening to your readers, and not simply assuming they’ll hop over to whatever you want.

So, in summary:
-Wonder Man is a decent art house series that had no intention of connecting with the superhero viewing audience, and so, it didn’t.

-Ben Kingsley is a very good actor. He is the best part about Wonder Man. Also, the episode about the Doorman is great and can be enjoyed as a standalone. Just FYI.

-Wonder Man was a critical darling that had massive positive reviews but tanked at the wider Nielsen rankings, which measure what people actually watch.

-The low viewership is likely because Wonder Man is not actually a superhero series at all and didn’t include anything that brings those viewers to watch.

-This is an example of a heart-story. They can be awesome and very meaningful for the creators, but they don’t necessarily connect with the core audience.

-When compelled to write heart stories, adjust your expectations and production costs accordingly. Your chocolate-loving readership might follow you over, but they might not, and that is perfectly reasonable because you switched flavors. Just keep that in mind if and/or when you choose to follow your creativity. When possible, see if you can write your heart stories in a way that also has a chance of connecting with your readership.

Go forth and be awesome!

February was a crazy book launch month - plus, I had to move websites, which is a mission when you have 25+ books.

Also, since my podcast/YouTube hiatus in December, I’ve been trying to figure out a sustainable way to do this Substack without going crazy.

Overall story - I’m going back to 1-2 public posts focused on roundups, scifi & fantasy commentary, and author help posts focused on very specific things and areas that don’t really come up in “Top 5” posts on Google.

ALSO, paid subscribers will get bonus snippets per month.

Bonus Content 1 - “Navigating the Chaos” - aka, my infiltered thoughts on topics in the publishing industry. Mostly audio snippets.

Bonus Content 2 - “Don’t Forget This” - aka, a monthly action item that will help you sell more books. Could be audio or text.

(And I’m offering 15% off paid subscriptions forever - click here, ends Saturday night).

Today’s Topic Is - “Why Don’t Authors Just Admit to Using AI?”

This is one of those awesome bonus snippets - if you’re a free subscriber, just FYI I’m offering a 15% off forever deal through Saturday!

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One of the main mantras of the AI revolution is, “Look, it saves so much time!”

From the introduction of auto-correct and spell-checker - “saves you from checking the dictionary or a grammar book”, to the modern LLMs claiming to help you create everything with prompting - “write 15 books/courses/games/new manifestos for world peace in 24 hours” - everything about our current cultural moment seems to be driven to getting places better, faster, and easier.

I like timesaving tricks as much as the next person. I have limited spoons to deal with everyday tasks, much less my author business. My natural drive for optimization is fueled by the reality that those little scraps of time are precious, and it doesn’t take much for my well to run dry.

I’m sure you feel the same at times:
-If you’re a hobbyist author, you probably have other hobbies that you would also like to explore.
-If you’re a part-time author, that means you likely have other work and responsibilities.
-If you’re a full-time author, the ever-changing shifts of the industry and constant work to produce AND oversee all of those books in your business means that any chance you get to do something more efficiently, you’re tempted to take it.

After all, why wouldn’t you want to do more things? Who doesn’t want more time and space? ← And doesn’t that sentence really belong in a scifi novel?

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Here’s the thing: the best way to save time as an author is to do less and focus on what is most important, so that you have more time to breathe and think your own thoughts, however random they might be.

This isn’t just a hippy-dippy, artsy-fartsy do-ten-deep-breathing exercises sort of statement.

(Although breathing is scientifically one of THE most important things that keeps our bodies alive, so I’m not sure what standing the anti-breathing crowd has. If you take even three deep breaths right now, you are getting more oxygen to your brain, so yay you!)

Our brains need that ebb and flow of “on time” productivity and “down time” rest in order to keep the creative gears turning and creative juices flowing. We need that vital creative “boredom” in order to let our brains come up with fresh ideas.

Sometimes this flies in the face of the “writers write” statement.

Sometimes, writing doesn’t mean getting words onto the page, but sorting out things in your brain in the quiet spaces in the morning, or the lull of driving around doing ordinary errands, or the restful time before bed. This can mean that you have to grab a scrap of paper to jot down ideas, and hope that your handwriting is legible in the morning. Been there. I still have a page of text that has clearly been encrypted by some mysterious code half-asleep me created in five seconds.

Yet these moments of “wasted time” are often where the creative magic happens.

What makes these “wasted moments” most valuable is that they come from your brain, your musings, and your thoughts. Not the promptings of an AI bot co-thinking with you. Your unique vision and your unique words. That true, deep story that you have to share with the world in whatever artistic and/or marketable way you choose.

One warning sign that I needed to step back from podcasting was the fact that my down time was no longer playing with story ideas and fun concepts. Instead, I was thinking about video improvements, podcast topics, new script possibilities, and solving the latest tech problems (there are always tech problems). That down time was directing my “on time” to be focused more on podcasting than on book writing. What I realized was that in my current life season, I do not have space for both. After much prayer and thought, I chose to focus on my stories, and put the podcast on hiatus. I have stories to write, readers who want them, and series to finish, and that is where I need to be. I can still connect with authors through blogs and short-form video, but that is it.

What we do in our downtime as authors directs our “on” time. Those relaxed moments, those scraps of boredom and random driving time, are vital for how we show up at our blank pages or blank screens. Moreover, where our heart is focused when we’re not actively working (“wasting time”) affects what we do when we are working.

(Note: Of course there are ways to legitimately waste time. Just enjoying some unstructured rest on your couch, or taking a quiet walk or brainstorming while grocery shopping differs from a 7-hour streaming binge or long moments of doom scrolling.)

Now we come to the takeaway part of this post. I gotta admit, it’s weird to think about action items when it comes to resting. Somehow, ordering someone to “relax, RIGHT NOW” feels a bit counterintuitive.

But also, most of the online world is very intent on keeping you hyped up and overstimulated (*eyes social media, YouTube, search engines, phones in general*).

So here are some ways to make space for that breathing time (seriously people, air is a thing):

-Put fewer tasks on your author plate to start with. If you’re trying to take on too many projects at once, your brain will be on a ceaseless cycle of the next thing on the to-do list, and you’ll never have that satisfaction of completing something because there are 12 more things coming after it (that you’re probably behind on).

Focusing might involve moving from 30 items to 10, or from 10 items to 5, or from 5 items to 1. It depends on a number of factors. But in general, do less work and do it more intentionally.

-Take regular phone breaks. Yes, phones can be incredible devices for productivity. They can also be time-wasting devices of doom. Turn on Do Not Disturb and set the phone aside. Rest in the quiet and the boredom. When you’re in line at a store, don’t automatically hop to the phone. Do some people watching or some random observations. If people are too much or there’s no one around, then pull out a book or a notepad and paper. I have an eReader separate from my phone so I can enjoy a story with my brain instead of giving in to random scrolling.

-Get curious about your story worlds. Yes, story structure is important. No, your book doesn’t need 15 plots or bunny trails. But curiosity and exploration are still good and helpful. Ask yourself questions about your story or your characters or your worlds. Maybe they’ll go somewhere. Maybe they won’t. Considering how the human brain works, I’m betting you’ll come up with some fun things in the midst of all of that mental meandering.

Storytelling isn’t just an act of physically writing the book, but a journey of your mind, your dreams, your hopes and thoughts, and how you want to interact with the world around you. Getting things onto paper (physical or digital) is important because readers aren’t telepaths. But don’t neglect that inner storytelling as well. It’s just as important for your creative longevity - aka, writing more of those fantastic stories that the world needs.

The world is filled with a lot of noise, friend. There is endless drama to be found, an endless news cycle to be outraged or stressed about (or both, these feelings often go together), and endless ways that you can be improving just about everything.

But you were not made to be an endless consumer of vital updates and complex controversy. You were made to create stories that are true, beautiful, and potent and share them with readers who need them.

So take a deep breath (or ten of them) and make sure you’re having that essential, wonderful, boring, vital time to think and dream and explore. Give your mind the gift of chilling out.

And go forth and be awesome.

The thing is, the Author Culture Podcast didn’t fail.

It worked well enough to teach me what’s sustainable, what’s not, and what I want my creative life to look like moving forward.

Podcasting for a year was a joyful experiment. But, after reviewing my available time and my life season, it became clear that continuing a solo podcast would pull energy away from writing books and supporting authors — the work I feel most called to do right now.

Author Culture continues here on Substack with those in-depth, encouraging blog posts you’ve been enjoying, plus in short-form videos on YouTube and Instagram.

Thank you for being here. Your existence is fantastic

Go forth and be awesome.

Let’s face it:
-while everyone is talking about New Year’s resolutions
-and experts are working hard to turn out new epic plans for your success
-and people are doing a ton of reflection
-sometimes you just kind’ve realize that life is a hot mess, especially if you’re in the publishing industry

I know, I know, it’s easy to ignore this hot-mess truth when you’re flying high on a great launch or an award or a fantabulous review. And conversely, after a tough year, you could be like, “why am I in such a crazy industry? Why aren’t I in a safer field, like accounting?”

(BTW, I know very little about the accounting world, but from what I know of jobs in general, things with finances and numbers and detailed spreadsheet tend to do better, if for no other reason than taxes and business situations are complex and will always need someone to organize data and decode overwhelmingly complex information that makes the final puzzles at the end of a DND campaign seem chill and easy).

So, let’s face the facts.

Publishing is an unstable industry. This is doubly true of fiction book publishing. Once you get to scifi and fantasy, you’re off the deep end of many people going, “oh, you write that? That’s…nice…”

BUT ALSO, if you’re still with me this far into this post, then you are still head-over-heels into the writing gig and you’d like some guidance that goes beyond the “make a list of accomplishments and setbacks” sort of things and gets into the meat of what author life is really all about (and how we get into our own heads all. The. TIME.).

So here is your oddly specific, possibly insane, but ultimately relevant list of options and/or ideas for 2026:

1.) Check your milestones.

Yes, I know I just said “no list of accomplishments and setbacks.” A milestone is just anything major that stuck out, positive or negative, and impacted your life.

So take a minute, acknowledge those milestones, and then start figuring out what you can learn from them.

Maybe you totally won at a launch, and it was great! You learned you loved launching books! Or maybe you realized that in winning at the launch, you absolutely hated your life, and you need to do things differently next time.

Maybe you failed at a project and the story went nowhere. Lean in and think about why it didn’t go anywhere. Was the concept less fun than you hoped? Were there issues with your life season? Did you burn out of enthusiasm and might need an accountability group? Or maybe you just like different kinds of stories?

Whether you succeeded or failed, there’s always something to learn.

2.) Do the obvious thing.

Y’know, the thing you’ve been putting off forever because something in your brain goes, “seriously? No one does that.” Or maybe a side of “well, that works for everyone else, but not for me.”

Or that thing on your list that everyone says, “why not do this?” and it makes you uncomfortable for reasons you’re not sure about. Dig deep, figure out why the obvious thing somehow hasn’t been on your radar, and then make a plan to do the obvious thing.

This is doubly true if the obvious thing is a clear takeaway from data and/or feedback from readers (which is basically data).

3.) Dare to dream beyond the predictions.

Many people are making predictions right about now. Maybe if there’s interest from y’all, I’ll give it predictions a try. But no one can see the future. No one. I don’t care how much they know of history or culture (culture nerd here). People and places and things are unpredictable - and this is doubly true in publishing.

So sure, read the articles about predictions in 2026. Take each speculation with a grain of salt (or a few dozen barrels of salt). And then dream and plan based on what is working for you, the obvious choices for you, and what you’re learning from your personal milestones.

I’m not saying experts don’t know things. We do. And man, studying things in depth takes work. Still, it’s all generalizations and educated guesses, so don’t let someone’s random prediction be the final say in your author story.

4.) If you have no reason to change something, then leave it alone.

Yup, I mean it. Really, really. I see you over there, going “ooooh, shiny!” Sometimes, I am you.

And yet, sometimes what you need in the new year isn’t a whole new plan and new focus and new you. Sometimes you need to focus on what you’re already doing and see it through to the finish line.

Projects can overlap the new year, because they don’t care that it’s now 2026 (it is, after all, just a conceptual idea of time and date based on cultural notions).

For those of you who are in the right place and just need to stick it out, this is me saying: friend, stick it out. It’s worth it.

5.) Refresh your incentives.

Unless you’re writing as a joyful, do-whatever-I-want hobby, then chances are you’re having to figure out self-motivation. You need ways to get yourself into the right vibe to write consistently. You need new tracking methods or accountability methods or just a different candy bar to get you over the finish line.

Look, I love to write. It’s one of my favorite things ever. I still have incentives for myself because sometimes, you might just not be feeling it. Feelings can be indicators of something deeper - but they can also just be your brain being lazy or uninspired and thinking, “oh look, Netflix/YouTube/nerdy sciencey book/random craft that I’m going to buy things for but not actually do.” Give yourself the gift of reviewing your incentives and set out some new rewards in 2026.

Also if you’re someone who knows you’re in a special/hard life season or that you have specific life challenges, take this time to figure out how you’re going to care for yourself and set reasonable goals (don’t wait until you’re already crispy fried - been there, it’s not pretty).

BONUS

6.) Remind yourself all over again why you’re doing this.

This is a crazy industry. There are many, many other things you can do other than writing.

Take the time to reignite your passion and own your why in the new year. Pray, talk with friends, journal, take a walk, do whatever you need to in order to get clear on that. That “why” makes it all worth it.

Also, I’m going to be offering a monthly live Q&A video call to paid subscribers where I can answer your specific questions about writing/publishing and we have a great time.

Just subscribe for $5 a month and get access to my brain for your questions (and I’ll send out a recording if you can’t make it live). Plus, your subscription supports all I do to help authors like you get clarity, confidence, achieve epic goals, and have some fandom fun along the way.

If this sounds good, just hit the subscribe button below and become a paid subscriber. I’d love to help you get on the right track for you in 2026!

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Yes, I took off podcasting for the rest of 2025. I stand by that.

But I said NOTHING about blog posts, mwahaha…

And with some of the publishing drama lately, I’ve been knee-deep in research, so here you are - a round-up to give you some clarity as you consider the new year.

(Note: this is current events information and analysis on publishing events as of 12/20/2025, so all of this is subject to change as new developments occur).

What’s Coming in This Post:
-A Research Round-Up of DRM and the Ask This Book controversy
-Some current author perspectives/choices on AI - with the pros and pitfalls
-Some choices you can consider moving forward as you’re navigating this situation

So, first off - yes, the sky is falling. This is normal for the publishing industry, especially since about 2008-2009. The publishing industry is constantly changing with the ebook revolution and the indie revolution, and now with AI, things are shifting again.

And if you’re going “again? I just want to freaking write books and get them to readers who will enjoy them!” I get it. Your feelings are valid. But also, industries do this all the time. This is why it’s crucial to own your why and make changes that make sense for you.

But also, feel free to take a breather. Because friends, it is nuts

Now, moving on.

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So, Amazon did a bold, friendly announcement of the DRM change, and all authors who are using KDP received an email about it.

The other announcement was sneaked out, there were no emails to authors who use KDP, and their actual press release could be summed up like “hey, we’ve already been doing this, and we’re going to keep doing it, you cool with that? Haha, ignore the question mark, you don’t really have a say in this.”

Let’s tackle DRM first.

The DRM Change - Readers Can Now (Sometimes) Transfer Books They Bought From Amazon to Other Devices
-As of 2026, readers can download ebooks they’ve purchased from Amazon in different file types - notably, PDF and epub - that can be transferred to other devices.
-This is sort of Amazon giving people BACK something they took away earlier - namely, earlier this year in February of 2025, Amazon said they were going to make it impossible for people who purchased an Amazon ebook to transfer or upload it to other devices. Cue all the reader outrage and many, many YouTube videos giving commentary about it.
-At the time, I noted that this could potentially be protecting author rights and if author’s wanted to offer books directly, they could just take their ebooks out of Kindle Unlimited, upload them wide, start a direct sales ebook storefront, and go on with their lives.
-I received reader pushback on this, because after all, they believe they DID purchase the ebook, they own it, and they can do what they like with it. And this is fair. I can see that point of view as well.
-Now, Amazon is walking this back and allowing authors to remove DRM from their books.

Official quote from Amazon website:

Effective January 20, 2026, verified purchasers can download the EPUB and PDF files of your confirmed DRM-free books.

So if an author chooses to opt out of DRM protection, then readers can download their books in other file types that can be transferred to other devices. Instead of a blanket “protection” for ebooks, forcing them to be kept in the Amazon ecosystem, authors have a choice here. This might frustrate readers who can download some books but not others, but the control is in the hands of authors.

By the way, note that earlier tension between what readers want and what authors want. For simplicity, readers would likely want to just be able to download all ebooks or not download all ebooks. Having it be an author-by-author and book-by-book choice will likely frustrate some readers who are expecting a uniform experience from the Amazon storefront.

One takeaway from this story is that Amazon is actually giving authors some control and power, at the expense of reader choice (and potentially with some reader confusion).

Another takeaway is that if authors opt out of DRM, then readers can download their ebook files not only in epub, a pretty standard file, but also in PDF, which is more widely used in other formats.

-Some authors are concerned about people pirating their work.
-Other authors are like “um, this is already happening, what’s the big deal?”
-And other authors might be like “I’m tired of the back and forth, I’m going solo with my storefront.” Which is fair.

We’ll come back to all of this.

(and because I believe in sources, you can learn more about this change directly from Amazon here, and get additional articles on TechCrunch and The Bookseller)

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The Kindle Software Change - Amazon Will Be Using In-House Bots to Scan Your Books in their Ask This Book Feature

Here is information from AboutAmazon.com. Note that this release is very much in favor of this, because since Amazon made this change, they’re a fan of it and they want to promote it.

Full AboutAmazon.com information page on roll-out.

Here are the key takeaways that the article deems important:

Key takeaways

• Ask this Book lets you ask questions about the book you’re reading and receive spoiler-free answers.

• The feature answers questions about the plot, characters, and other relevant details.

• Ask this Book is available on the Kindle iOS app for U.S. customers and will come to Kindle devices and Android OS next year.

Remember how I said earlier that there would be tension between what readers perceive as good for them and what authors perceive as good for them? Yup, here we have it. Or at least, that’s how some of the narrative spin is going. After all, Amazon is all about user experience, and this is ostensibly meant to improve user experience of individual books by giving them a chatbot.

This presumes a few things about readers:
-Readers can’t scroll back and reread pages
-Readers might be reading so many books that they forget what is in each one
-Readers are used to chatbots, so here’s another one for them

From all the scrolling I’ve done on Facebook and Reddit, responses are mixed across the board. And the thing is, if a lot of responses are overwhelmingly negative, but a reader enjoys the idea anyway, they’ll likely just opt out of the argument and use the chatbot.

The silence of readers who might enjoy this software can just mean that a lot of people would rather read books than get involved in another online debate, no matter the level of perceived or actual importance.

Okay, let’s dive into concerns for authors:

First off - Writer Beware did an excellent summary article on this topic. Please check it out there.

-Amazon has labeled this a “software change” hardwired into Kindles and the Kindle app.
-Thus, KDP authors currently have no ability to opt out of this “software change.”
-This “software change” is a generative AI chatbot that will have access to all the ebooks in KDP.
-Amazon is a corporation that wants to make money above all else. The chances that it is acting altruistically and has no interest in using all of this data scraped from author’s books in a future endeavor is highly unlikely. And the fact is that currently Amazon has make no statement or strong promises stating that it won’t use this scraped data for other purposes, such as training its AI systems.
-Amazon sneaked this out. This is a biggie, and addressed very well in the Writer Beware post.
-The Writer Beware post points out that many publishing executives and literary agents were also unaware of this, and they also see concerning areas.
-From their lack of transparency over this “software issue” vs. Amazon’s vocal transparency over author control in DRM management, one can speculate that Amazon was hoping everyone would applaud the DRM move (“see? We believe in author rights!”) and, y’know, ignore this area over here.

Amazon is spinning this as a “simple software upgrade” to help out readers.

However, this software upgrade is in fact making use of generative AI software that Amazon is well aware that authors have mixed feelings about (to put it mildly). Amazon itself requires that authors disclose AI usage when they are about to publish a book. There is little to no chance that Amazon is acting in ignorance here.

Authors, publishing houses, and literary agents are seeing this as a rights issue. The owner of copyrighted material, such as a book, should have a right to consent to it being used for/scraped by generative AI or to opt out. This seems reasonable, and it will be interesting to see of lawsuits develop from this.

Furthermore, Amazon dominates the ebook market (one lawsuit even calls it a monopoly). Even if authors choose to remove all of their ebooks from Amazon’s system, selling ebooks widely or through a direct storefront is a much bigger marketing challenge and the authors could lose access to a significant portion of the reader market. This gives Amazon what some could perceive as an allegedly unfair leverage against authors and ability to control access to the ebook marketplace.

What Can You Do As An Author?

I’m all about choices for you, authors. And in situations like this, it can feel easy or freeing to take drastic measures or just say “I’m so done with all of this.” I get it.

So here are some choices (note that these choices are representative of arguments and choices I’ve seen online, and do not necessarily reflect my personal views):

1.) Do nothing because generative AI is here to stay, you don’t have time to worry about this, and/or you’re not threatened by this at all.

If you have zero worries about this situation, and you think the reader feature sounds cool, then go on about your day. You have that option. There is probably a lot of “technically” legal generative AI scraping going on already with books. Just embrace the machines and don’t worry at all about personal ownership or intellectual property. Words and information are just there for everyone to enjoy, and you can always write more books.

Also, if you find that even though you’re concerned about this situation, moving from Amazon or creating a whole new platform just isn’t viable for you, that’s legit too. We’re all in different places here. This is a no-judgement space.

2.) Develop some kind of hybrid approach to make as much money from your book at the start, via Kickstarter or some other exclusive approach (like serialized fiction), then widely distribute your books across platforms (or use KU).

This is an option if your concern is less about rights and more about Amazon and other distributors getting access to your books before you’ve made your money back. Keep your books exclusive, then drip them out as you choose to other storefronts.

3.) Wait and see how the Ask This Book generative AI situation plays out. It isn’t going quietly like it would seem Amazon hoped it would. There could be shifts. However, the challenge is that a lot of people in the US are on holiday breaks, making it difficult for things to happen fast. So if you’re looking for fast change or fast action, it likely won’t happen - it took Amazon 8 months to walk back the DRM issue, even after the enormous backlash from readers.

4.) Take your ebooks out of KDP by the end of the year and sell them exclusively through your own storefront. Because the thing is, if Amazon “wins” this, then it sets a precedent for other ereaders to also add a “generative AI software” function. If you’re hardcore against any book distributor scanning your books with their in-house generative AI, then selling your ebooks exclusively on your own storefront is the way to go.

Note: Selling any kind of book or product directly via your own storefront is a drastic business and marketing shift with a lot of challenges. It can work, and work well. But it will take time and effort, especially in finding readers and driving traffic to your storefront. There is a significant upfront investment of time and/or money. Even the big name authors will see this - small authors will have it even tougher. By the same token, if you’re just starting your author platform, you can build a platform that works with this, and you can find success. You just have to approach things differently.

I hope you find this helpful! Again, this current events information and analysis on publishing events as of 12/20/2025, so all of this is subject to change as new developments occur.

Please feel free to reply or comment with additional thoughts, ideas, comments, or critiques. Just keep it civil. All of us authors are trying to navigate this situation together.

Yep, we’re talking books, Christmas cards, new tech, creative momentum, and a big reminder to breathe as we wrap up another whirlwind year in publishing. I also share the temporary (and delightfully chaotic) stand-in cover for my upcoming release… and tease the shiny, real one coming soon.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• A quick refresh of the books I wrote this year

• A sneak peek at my Christmas cards for readers, fans, and clients

• The new tech I picked up — and how it’s helping me work smarter

• A first look at what’s coming to Author Culture and my fiction lineup in 2026

• Why this season is the perfect time to rest, reset, and celebrate your own wins

• A silly temporary book cover reveal (yes, really) and hints about the official one

PLUS a gentle reminder: you’ve done more this year than you think. Take a breather. Celebrate your progress. And as always… go forth and be awesome.