Since Lulu launched its self-publishing platform in 2002, the company has focused on helping authors build the businesses they want to create. Through its print-on-demand and fulfillment services, Lulu helps authors produce custom books in a variety of styles and formats, but it also offers authors as much creative control over their books’ distribution as they have for their production. Following the launch of the Direct Buy Button earlier this month, Lulu’s Senior Marketing Manager Paul Hobday explored four ways authors using the platform can use Lulu to sell their books directly: via the Lulu Bookstore, through the platform's integrated distribution channels, through crowdfunding fulfillment options, and with Lulu Direct, including the Direct Buy Button. In his guest article, learn more about the sales channels Lulu offers and how those interested can set up those channels for themselves.

*****

Publishing is evolving; as more authors find their businesses left to the whims of platform changes and shifting algorithms, they are prioritizing long-term control over immediate payouts or recognition. Building a direct relationship with your audience has become crucial to success.

The challenge is managing book sales across a wide array of retail channels while building a dedicated audience.

Along with the level of control a platform offers users, authors today should evaluate publishing platforms on factors such as

• ease of use,

• production quality,

• product variety, and

• customer support.

Platforms such as KDP, IngramSpark, Curios, BookVault in the UK, and Lulu can each provide authors with opportunities to reach readers in different ways. Which one is right for you depends on your business strategies and goals.

Lulu.com stands out not merely as another publishing platform but as a comprehensive solution to the problem. The platform supports a myriad of projects, including print books, photo books, comic books, magazines, yearbooks, calendars, and ebooks. But it also offers authors four distinct distribution avenues tailored to various facets of the publishing journey: a dedicated online bookstore, the Lulu Direct platform, expansive retail distribution, and crowdfunding possibilities.

After creating a free account on Lulu.com, you can begin crafting your first project. Then, you can select one of the four methods to explore options for distributing your work to eager readers.

Lulu’s Retail Bookstore: Bridging Indie Authors with Global Readers

Lulu’s bookstore is one of the largest indie booksellers currently in the market, creating a space where authors can sell their books to readers around the world. The secure checkout also accommodates multiple currencies, simplifying transactions for readers worldwide.

Self-published authors can use Lulu’s bookstore to make their books available for sale quickly. There is no retailer review process, meaning books can be published and listed on the same day.

Retail Distribution: Centralizing Sales and Distribution

Along with the Lulu Bookstore, authors have access to an integrated global distribution service through the platform. Opting into distribution through Lulu links authors to common online and physical retailers like Amazon, Ingram, Apple Books, Kobo, and Libri. Authors are able to oversee all sales and revenue from different booksellers on a single dashboard.

Key Considerations Using Lulu’s Distribution

Authors looking to distribute their books through Lulu should keep in mind the following requirements for uploading projects to various retailers.

• Submission: To sell through retailers, you’ll need to include all necessary metadata, including an ISBN and product description, during the publishing process.

• Approval: For print editions, you must purchase, review, and approve a physical proof copy of your book before submission. If you make a revision to the book, a new proof will be required to submit the update.

• Fees: Print books and ebooks have a one-time distribution fee of $4.99, paid the first time the project is submitted. Revisions will not incur the distribution fee.

Lulu offers detailed guides to help authors submit their projects for distribution. The Global Distribution Guide and the Eligible Products Guide provide insights into the requirements and eligible product types for global distribution.

Fulfilling Crowdfunding Campaigns via Lulu

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter are a huge boon to creators of all kinds. Offering a new book to your readers before it launches helps you gauge interest and ensure you’re not overbuying copies on release. Adding stretch goals, such as special editions or extra swag, adds another way for your fans to support you and helps build your revenue. Once the project hits your funding goal, you’ll get paid and have the resources to purchase editorial services, cover design, and printing copies for those backers​​.

Lulu includes tools designed to simplify the process of fulfilling bulk orders for an author’s crowdfunding campaign. After publishing a book on Lulu, authors can use the Order Import tool to upload a CSV file containing backers’ orders and shipping details. This file can include any books the author has published with Lulu, simplifying the process for offering multiple editions while crowdfunding. From there, Lulu prints and drop-ships the orders to backers globally​—nothing else is required of the author to complete distribution.

Lulu Direct: Facilitating Direct Sales for Indie Authors

Outside of crowdfunding campaigns that offer authors a chance to sell to readers directly, many authors today also choose to sell books through a dedicated online storefront. Lulu Direct—an extension of Lulu.com—streamlines selling books directly for authors with a variety of e-commerce integrations.

Lulu offers two ways for users to sell directly:

• Using Lulu’s integrations for Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce: In this scenario, you list your products on your website, and Lulu fulfills the orders transparently. The platform acts as a drop-shipper, handling the print-on-demand and shipping duties and leaving the sale in the hands of the author.

• Using Lulu’s Direct Buy Button: Authors can also choose to set up a direct link or embedded button connected to a Stripe checkout experience. Those using buy buttons won’t need to subscribe to an e-commerce service, manage their taxes and shipping, or have a website to sell their books directly.

Using Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce to Build Your Author Website

Any authors who want to sell books directly using an e-commerce platform must set up their websites to ensure they follow security protocols for credit card collection and privacy policies, as well as tax collection and shipping rates. For details about setting up your site, review the details on your chosen platform’s website.

• Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/website/builder

• Wix: https://www.wix.com/website/design

• WooCommerce: https://woocommerce.com/customize

Once you’ve set up your storefront, navigate to the Lulu homepage, create an account or log in, and locate the My Stores option in the navigation menu​. This is the Lulu Direct Dashboard, where you can access all direct selling tools Lulu offers. Click the “Connect A Store” button​. Input your store URL. Once done, hit the “Connect” button and approve the connection.

Pro Tip: For help connecting your storefront to Lulu, view a walk-through at the link below. When inputting your store’s URL, remember to use HTTPS, as Lulu Direct doesn’t support HTTP connections.

Once your site is connected, Lulu gives you a checklist to complete to ensure you’re ready for website sales to be processed.

Lulu Direct Payment Processing

Lulu Direct’s drop-shipping model can help streamline the sales process for indie authors. When an order is placed on your Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce website, the author collects payment directly from the customer, and Lulu bills the author for the printing and shipping using a stored credit card. This system allows authors to manage customer payments and fulfill orders efficiently while Lulu Direct handles the backend logistics.

Lulu Direct Settings

There are a few important features to note before you begin processing orders via Lulu Direct.

• Every order is subject to a production delay. This is a safeguard against readers’ hasty decisions or inadvertent errors, but authors can adjust this window to up to twenty-four hours based on their comfort level.

• After your first order, you can expedite the production process by enabling automatic order approval. This will send any new order to production after the production delay, without the need for manual oversight.

• If automatic payments are enabled, Lulu Direct will use your saved payment method to cover printing and shipping expenses as soon as the production delay ends.

• Lulu Direct offers a range of shipping options, from the most cost-effective to the fastest traceable options. Shipping options vary by platform and can be manually adjusted—authors using a Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce integration control the shipping options displayed at checkout. For those using a buy button, readers can select from Lulu’s available options, and shipping is entirely handled by Lulu.

To get a clearer picture of the shipping costs, revenue estimates, and design options, Lulu’s pricing calculator provides estimated rates.

Pro Tip: Authors can create a custom packing slip for their store with their business address and any refund or return policies. Because Lulu acts as a drop shipper, your customer will only have your contact information should they wish to return their item, but you can change this address on the packing slip if needed—for example, if you have set up a separate business mailing address than the billing address you’ve entered into Lulu. You can also craft a personal message to be included with each order on the packing slip.

Using Stripe to Sell Via the Direct Buy Button

Unlike the other e-commerce integrations Lulu offers, the Direct Buy Button does not require an e-commerce store or subscription to an e-commerce service.

Instead, authors can use Lulu’s Direct Buy Button to create a linked Stripe account. Once linked, users can create two kinds of direct purchase options:

1. The direct checkout link is a URL you can copy and paste almost anywhere, including a social media profile, email newsletter, or a QR code. When a reader clicks the link, they’ll be directed to a secure checkout to complete their purchase.

2. The buy button offers three customizable widgets that allow you to embed a checkout experience in your website or newsletter without needing an e-commerce platform. When a reader clicks the buy button, your book is added to their shopping cart, and checkout is again secured by Stripe.

Both options use Lulu to create a checkout experience, with Stripe handling security and payout management.

Authors can set any price for titles available through the Direct Buy Button or Direct Checkout Link. Lulu deducts the printing cost and charges your customer directly for shipping, so you keep the remaining balance as revenue. Lulu manages everything behind the scenes, including offering shipping methods, collecting taxes, and fulfilling orders.

Unlike the other Lulu Direct e-commerce integrations, readers pay Lulu directly when ordering. The revenue you earn is held in your Stripe account and paid out within thirty days or less. For other e-commerce platforms, the payout schedule will be based on their policies.

Publishing a Project and Creating a Product

Note that the Lulu site differentiates a project and a product. A Lulu project is anything you’ve published, including a print book, photo book, comic book, magazine, yearbook, calendar, or ebook.

When you use Lulu’s direct sales options, you’ll create a product, or a specific listing on your website for sale. This includes the information about your book, like the title, description, author, and pricing, that you would display on a product page.

To create a product through Lulu Direct, you’ll choose “Add a Product.” You have two choices: Create a New Product or Connect an Existing Product.

Creating a new product uses the basics of your project to create a new product in your e-commerce store on your website. This method should be the simplest, but it can result in permission errors from your site. If that is the case, it may be better to connect an existing product by first creating a product on your website and then connecting it to your Lulu project.

Pro Tip: Keep the product listing on your website simple to start. The bridge between your website and Lulu will time out if your description is over 250 words. Connect the product with the project, then revise the product on your website with the full blurb and sales copy you want your customers to see.

Publishing Wide to Reach a Bigger Audience

No matter how you choose to publish and sell your books, using a range of sales channels is key to reaching your audience. That includes third-party retail, in-person events, crowdfunding, and direct sales from your own site.

As the publishing landscape continually evolves, being equipped with the right tools and knowledge can make all the difference. Platforms like Lulu.com present indie authors with a toolkit catering to various facets of this journey. From retailing on Lulu’s bookstore to facilitating direct sales through Lulu Direct, ensuring global retail distribution, or leveraging the power of crowdfunding, Lulu endeavors to be a holistic solution for indie authors.

Only you and your readers can decide whether it’s right for your business as well.

Paul Hobday is the Senior Marketing Manager at Lulu.com. When he's not entrenched in the publishing and print-on-demand world, he likes to hike the scenic North Carolina landscape, read, sample the fanciest micro-brewed beer, and collect fountain pens. Paul is a dog person but considers himself cat-tolerant.

Self-publishing has never had more visibility than it does right now. More authors are building lasting careers, more books are reaching readers directly, and more of the industry is paying attention to what indie authors are doing. That visibility is good news.

It also means indie authors have become a target.

The Alliance of Independent Authors’s (ALLi’s) Watchdog Desk has been rating and investigating publishing services since 2012, and over the years it has built up a picture of how scams targeting our community typically work. What’s changed recently isn’t the basic shape of these scams. It’s how convincing they’ve become.

Why This Is Getting Harder to Spot

A few years ago, a badly written email was often the giveaway that an offer was a scam. Fraudulent emails often had poor grammar, generic flattery, or an obvious mismatch between the offer and reality. Authors could usually trust their instincts to catch it.

Today, however, researchers at IBM have found that a convincing, well-targeted scam email takes an AI tool about five minutes to write. The same email, built by hand the way scammers used to do it, could take an experienced scammer up to sixteen hours of research and drafting. What used to require skill and patience now just takes a name, a book title, and a free AI tool.

This means the emails landing in your inbox can be personal. They can mention your book by name, describe its themes accurately, and sound like they’ve been written with you in mind. None of that means they’re real.

Pro Tip: Not sure what to look for yet? ALLi’s free guide, “How to Spot a Publishing Scam,” walks through this in more detail: https://selfpublishingadvice.kit.com/524fa77556.

Three Patterns Worth Knowing

It’s been a busy year for ALLi’s Watchdog Desk. With what can feel like a seemingly endless stream of new scams, it’s easy for the whole subject to feel overwhelming. The good news is that scams tend to follow familiar patterns, and this year, three in particular have come up repeatedly.

1. The Personalized Pitch

An email arrives telling you your book has been selected for something special and claiming to be from a well-known book club, a film studio, or in some cases even from ALLi, as we shared in this article from July happened to one ALLi member. In the past few months, scammers have shifted from posing as famous authors or generic book clubs to now impersonating real editors, agents, and other professionals from traditional publishing, ALLi, and other author groups. Many recipients have grown wise to the famous-author trick, so scammers have adapted; it’s become just as easy for them to find people working within the sectors they’re targeting, then use AI to impersonate them. The result is a much higher “hit rate,” since authors are naturally more likely to reply to people and institutions they recognize as plausibly having a reason to contact them.

These emails don’t ask for anything valuable upfront, so they don’t necessarily trigger the alarm bells a direct financial request would. The message is typically warm, personal, and asks very little of you at first. At the same time, they often complement your book or your writing, which makes authors more likely to respond or engage as they would with an excited reader. By the time money does come up, you’ve already invested hope in the outcome, and that makes it harder to walk away.

Before responding to any email claiming to represent an organization, it’s worth verifying it independently. Check the sender’s actual email address, not just the name displayed, since a legitimate organization will send from its own domain rather than a free provider like Gmail or Yahoo. If a specific person is named, look them up separately on the organization’s staff page or LinkedIn to confirm they’re really who they say they are. Then reach out through contact details you find on the organization’s official website, not the ones provided in the email itself, and ask directly whether it’s genuine.

2. The Deal That Doesn’t Add Up

This is often more familiar territory for authors watching for vanity presses and bad-faith service providers. These scams often involve vague pricing that is only disclosed once you’re on a call, guarantees of bestseller status that no service can legitimately make, and pressure to sign quickly before a discount expires. Manufactured reviews often sit alongside these offers, since fake five-star ratings on sites like Trustpilot are simple to generate and are commonly used to create an illusion of legitimacy.

Pressure from these companies is designed to get you emotionally committed before you see the real numbers, and glowing reviews make your due diligence feel unnecessary. The best way to combat this is to do exactly what these offers discourage: Slow down, and consider the details of the offer rather than just the end result. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Pro Tip: For a full breakdown of these red flags and how ALLi’s Watchdog Desk rates services, see ALLi’s article from June “How to Spot a Publishing Scam in 2026.”

3. The Direct Theft

Not every scam arrives in your inbox. ALLi’s Watchdog Desk has also seen a rise in authors’ books being scraped and re-uploaded on platforms like Google Play Books under false author names, then resold without the original author’s knowledge.

Those pirating books can do so with no contact with the author at all, so many authors don’t realize their books have been stolen until they or a reader stumble across the listing. ALLi has put together a full guide on prevention and what to do if this happens to you, “What to Do When Your Book Is Sold Under a False Name.”

How to Spot a Scam

Across all three patterns, a few tells show up again and again. If you notice any of these, do more research and try to verify the offer before moving forward.

• The sender’s address doesn’t match the name. A message might say “ALLi” or “Amazon Prime Video,” but the actual email address may be a free Gmail account or an unfamiliar domain made to look official at a glance.

• The sender uses a look-alike domain. Scammers often register web addresses designed to look legitimate at a glance, such as macmillanpublishing.com instead of macmillan.com, or an organization’s name with an extra word, hyphen, or different ending tacked on. Always double-check by going to the company’s actual website yourself—don’t click through from the email—and compare the domain shown there with the one in the message you received.

• The details are accurate, but the specifics are missing. A scam email might correctly describe your book’s themes, but it won’t include the small, verifiable things a real offer always has: an ISBN, a contract, and a named point of contact you can look up independently.

• The ask is small. Genuine opportunities don’t usually need an immediate reply to “confirm interest.” A tiny, low-friction first step is often designed purely to get you engaged before anything costs you money.

• The gap between the offer and the effort feels too wide. A major deal, a bestseller guarantee, or a screen adaptation arriving out of nowhere, with no prior relationship or vetting, is worth treating with real suspicion.

• There’s pressure to act fast. Discounts that expire “today,” an opportunity that will “close soon,” or any language designed to stop you thinking it over should be a red flag that an offer is a potential scam.

• You can’t verify it anywhere else. A quick search for the organization or person named, alongside the word “scam,” often surfaces other authors who’ve had the same experience.

None of these signs alone is inherently proof of a scam. But when two or three line up at once, that’s usually enough to know to pause.

How to Protect Yourself

A few standing habits make you a harder target for scams and are worth practicing to protect your business.

• Before working with any publishing service, check it against ALLi’s Self-Publishing Services Directory, which is free to search and covers thousands of rated services.

• Set a Google Alert for your book title and your name, so you’re more likely to catch it early if your work is ever scraped or resold elsewhere.

• Keep your author information—bio, contact details, and book metadata—consistent and easy to verify across your own website and social channels. This makes it easier for others, including ALLi, to confirm you’re really you if anyone ever needs to check.

If It Has Already Happened to You

None of this is about blame. These operations are professional, well-resourced, and built specifically to get past careful people. If you’ve been targeted or have already fallen victim to a scam, a few steps can help.

• Stop engaging immediately. Don’t send further replies, payments, or information.

• Document everything: the email address, any names used, and copies of the correspondence.

• If your book has been resold under a false name, file a copyright removal request directly with the platform involved, and report the account, not just the individual listing, since these operations often post in bulk. You don’t need to have registered your book with the US Copyright Office to file a takedown notice; copyright exists automatically the moment you create the work. Registration only becomes relevant if the case escalates to a lawsuit—for example, if a platform ignores your notice or the infringer files a counterclaim.

• Report the incident to ALLi’s Watchdog Desk. The more the author community and organizations like ALLi hear about a particular scam, the better they can warn the rest of the community and push platforms to act.

If you’ve lost money to a scam, it’s also worth reporting it to the relevant authorities in your country, such as the FTC or IC3 in the US, Action Fraud in the UK, or your local consumer protection agency. This won’t always result in recovering your money, but it helps build the wider case against these operations and may be necessary if you want to pursue legal action.

Take the Next Step

ALLi has put together a free short guide, “How to Spot a Publishing Scam,” covering the ten questions every author should ask a publishing service before signing anything, along with the red flags to watch for. It’s free to download and worth keeping open next time you’re evaluating an offer.

Get ALLi’s free guide on how to spot a publishing scam at: https://selfpublishingadvice.kit.com/524fa77556.

Scams will keep evolving, and the details will keep changing. There’s no single fix that will make them disappear for good. But staying ahead of them starts with us; the more we each learn to spot the signs, the harder we are to catch individually. And the more we share what we’ve seen with each other—whether that’s with ALLi, with other authors, or within our own networks—the harder it becomes for these operations to succeed at all.

That’s why ALLi runs Spammers and Scammers, an ongoing monthly series on the Self-Publishing Advice Center where the Watchdog Desk breaks down a new scam or pattern in more depth each month. Learn more and find other articles in the series at https://selfpublishingadvice.org/category/watchdog.

Baked-in book marketing isn’t limited to the catchy hooks you embed in your story. Creative book design draws your readers in, making them want to pick up your book, run their hands over the cover, and show it to their friends. And with the rise of direct sales and crowdfunding campaigns making it easier to justify the cost, more authors are exploring ways to produce special editions that go far beyond the design limitations of a print-on-demand paperback.

As soon as authors consider something out of the ordinary for binding, book format, or geography, they enter the dangerously seductive marketplace of print production: nearly infinite trim sizes, formats, and finishing options such as metallic foil, sprayed edges, physical box sets, ribbon bookmarks, and a slew of drool-worthy cover refinements.

But fancy printing cuts both ways. Your choices can make your story values gorgeously tactile, but they also increase the cost of producing your books and may limit your options for where to print new copies. Choosing the right printer—or mix of printers—is a strategic question for indie authors that comes with many additional elements to consider: profit margin, shipping time, publishing laws, customization your readers expect, and more. For your sanity and sustainability, it’s worthwhile to consider each printer’s strongest offerings and make choices that not only match your price and design requirements but also simplify your workload.

Profit Margin: How Much Should It Cost?

Setting prices for your books is already a decision with plenty of variables for authors to consider, from genre to the length of the story and its placement within a series. But custom print books can vary even more widely, both in production and retail costs. The design elements you choose, the printing company you use, and the shipping and distribution costs of a book can all play a factor in a special edition’s final price.

As with any format, a high cost per book could put you out of business. You don’t want to price-gouge your readers, and you also want to ensure you’re paying yourself fairly so that you can keep on writing and publishing books. While making your decisions, be sure you’re finding a balance between prices that are fair for readers and suppliers and will generate a profit for you.

To help you create a sustainable business, Dawn Fotopulos in Accounting for the Numberphobic recommends a profit margin of 30 percent of the retail price. For example, if your three-hundred-page paperback costs $10 to print and $8 to ship to you, and you price the book at $20, you only have a profit margin of $2, or 10 percent. You would need to price the book at $26 or higher in order to achieve the profit margin Fotopulos recommends.

There are other ways to improve profits beyond increasing prices for readers. You might need to find another printer, find new distribution outlets that don’t require a 55 percent discount, or find creative ways to lower your shipping costs. You may also consider adjusting your formatting to save on printing costs, such as publishing in a larger trim size to reduce the page count or re-formatting the interior with tighter line spacing, smaller margins, or different fonts.

For many printers, printing a greater number of copies in a single run can reduce unit costs, which may seem like an easy solution to raise profits per book without raising prices. However, as with every other pricing decision, printing more books to reduce costs is a balancing act. In Joe Solari’s Enough is Enough, the managing director and co-owner of Author Nation writes that authors should aim for their business to have a margin of 25 percent to 35 percent or more. A larger print run, while great for decreasing the cost of printing per book, may affect the cost to your overall business, particularly if extra books go unsold for some time.

Pro Tip: Solari’s “Fortress” concept in Enough Is Enough may also help authors build toward the breakeven point and profitability in their author business. Find the book at https://dl.bookfunnel.com/waq2xzcs4d.

Authors don’t necessarily need to decide a book’s retail price at the start of the production process, but keeping costs—for you and your readers—in mind from the beginning can help with deciding which design elements you’ll want to include in the final version of your book and which printer will be the right fit for your project.

Time To Ship: How Long Will It Take?

Another constraint authors may consider when ordering custom printed books is the production and shipping time. Especially for those running crowdfunding campaigns or attending scheduled events, the time needed to print and ship books from a printer may change which company is right for your book.

With any new printer, it’s recommended that you order proof copies to ensure the quality matches your expectations—but this can serve two purposes. As you place orders for proof copies, keep track of the printer you’ve ordered from; your order date; the shipping time; your book’s page count, in case you reformat or omit a chapter by mistake; and the quality of the final product. To calculate the per-book cost, you can also track the size of the order, printing cost, shipping cost, whether the shipping is trackable, and customs and handling fees. Use this information to compare options when making the final decision as to which printer or printers you’d like to use for your book.

If you’re hoping to shorten your readers’ wait time and lighten your workload, you may also look for companies that offer drop-shipping, which means books ship to readers directly from the printer. Not all printers offer this service, and even if yours does, you won’t be able to drop-ship if you plan to add inserts, customize your packaging, or sign books before shipping them to readers. However, for those authors who simply want to deliver books quickly or who want to avoid the need to store, package, and ship books themselves, drop-shipping may be a feature worth considering.

Publishing Laws: Selling In Europe

For authors who want to sell books in Europe, keep in mind that the EU’s specific requirements for packaging, safety information, the fixed price law for books, imprint requirements, and customs or VAT costs can take time to sort out. Using an EU printer who can drop-ship titles, or one that already has processes in place to comply with EU requirements, may save you time and resources.

Pro Tip: The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) has a quick overview of EU safety requirements for authors at https://selfpublishingadvice.org/gpsr. For more about how individual printers handle these regulations, see listings below.

For US-based authors, Lulu may be a reliable option, as the company ships to the EU from France and handles general product safety requirements, often abbreviated as GPSR, and VAT for you. Authors who are not EU residents or who don’t want to be the EU representative for their books can also use BookVault’s suggested paid solution for handling VAT and new customs fees. The platform’s users have the option of using a tax calculation tool such as the EAS plug-in or ticking a box to add the new €3 surcharge to your book’s order price for an EU customer.

If you have VAT, IOSS, or OSS numbers for your business, you may want to use printers who will let you take advantage of the price or paperwork savings. Skye MacKinnon’s Self-Publishing in German, 2nd edition compares the pros and cons of print-on-demand providers for the Germany, Austria, and Switzerland markets.

Customized: What’s Right For Your Readers in Every Market

Selecting your own printer and custom print options for your book gives you nearly endless flexibility with your project; your only limitations are the time, money, and resources you choose to spend. You could decide to customize print sizes or choose printers based on the country where you sell more copies, or you may choose to prioritize printers that offer environmentally friendly printing and packing options, such as recycled paper or special inks.

You may also decide to order books from multiple printers to take advantage of different companies’ offers and benefits in different markets. If you do, consider that your files may need adjustment, requiring your time and effort or additional graphic design costs. For example, Germany’s Tolino Media requires file types that can’t be produced with Affinity Designer or Publisher, adding an extra step to the cover production process. Choosing a different paper for the interior may also change the cover file size. Interior files may need to have specific manufacturer’s information, page margins or gutters, or color or grayscale profiles. Adding even a single full-page illustration requires full bleed for all pages in the book, and printers handle full bleed differently.

Pro Tip: If altering trim sizes across international markets, note that each new trim size for a book requires a new ISBN.

Your choice of printer may also affect your books’ metadata. In the German language market, Tolino Media automatically submits your titles to the German equivalent of Books In Print, a comprehensive book database. BookVault does a similar book registration process for your books in the UK market, adding information to Nielsen and sending a sample of book information to UK distributor Gardners, who then decide whether to include the title in their catalog and what ordering status to assign to the title for UK bookstores.

Whether you choose to use one printer or multiple, to customize your books to a particular regional market or to stick with standard North American sizes and formats like those used by Amazon and other print-on-demand companies, be sure you’re considering what’s sustainable for your business and making a decision that matches your readers’ demand. As Solari suggests in Enough Is Enough, set clear boundaries and goals for your project before you start; they’ll help ensure you’re as happy about the process as you are the finished product.

Simplicity is Sustainable

Manufacturing is where standardization shines. Although custom printing allows you nearly endless options for personalizing your printed books, if deciding whether to use multiple printers or customize your books to a specific market feels overwhelming, here are a few ways you could simplify your creative work.

• Strategy #1: Use a single printer. Create one set of files per book and format, and use only printing options available via that printer. This is one of the most common options among indie authors exploring custom printing.

• Strategy #2: Keep the trim size and page count the same for all printers. This makes it easier to catch errors like a missing chapter or back matter. If the page count is correct, the file is complete. It also saves you from needing to issue—and potentially purchase—new ISBNs.

• Strategy #3: Limit binding choices. For example, print paperbacks. This makes it easier to use companies that drop-ship to customers worldwide, such as IngramSpark, Amazon KDP, Lulu, and BookVault.

• Strategy #4: Pick one geographic market at a time. Figure out one country at a time, or start local to avoid confusion over international regulations and costs and to ensure your book’s design appeals to that market.

Who Should You Use?

Which printer you choose to use for custom printing depends heavily on your goals for your publishing business. When deciding which printer to use, authors should be sure to look beyond customization options and also consider the cost of a print run, where a company’s books are printed, and whether a printer handles tax information, EU distribution requirements, or distribution. The following list of printers is far from exhaustive, but for authors getting started with custom printing, it may provide a few popular options to compare.

BooksFactory

BooksFactory in Poland can provide highly customized paperbacks and hardcovers in micro print runs, printing as little as one book for a €50 minimum fee. The company’s flat-rate shipping is useful for bulk orders or local events, where you are shipping to a single address. Once you have a free account, their English-language website will let you compare pricing for the options and number of books in their calculator.

Website: https://booksfactory.eu (English-language site)

Upload fee: None

Direct sales option: None

Printing options: Must create a free account (by country) to see printing options and generate quotes. Offers hardcover, softcover, board books; Wire-O hardcover, softcover, booklet; edge printing for softcover, hardcover, and board books; foiling, cutaways, ribbons, rounded spines, and more. Visit the BooksFactory website to see a complete list.

Templates: Quote calculator generates templates for interior and cover files or overlays a template on the book files you upload.

Minimum order: €50 but accounts can also be approved for up to three free proof copies. You can also request BooksFactory’s sample books.

Discount offers: None

Ships from: EU countries or UK; cost varies by country.

GPSR: Manufacturing safety information is provided at https://booksfactory.eu/information.php.

Legal/tax information: Accepts author VAT information.

Note: BooksFactory is unrelated to BookFactory, which is a printer in Dayton, Ohio, specializing in lab books.

BookVault

BookVault prints special editions in the UK and offers drop-shipping to send paperbacks from the author’s online store directly to readers in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada.

BookVault ships worldwide, but jacketed hardcovers and special editions ship solely from their UK plant. Paperbacks printed in the UK can have the interior cover printed, but BookVault can’t print duplex covers in the US, Australia, or Canada.

Website: https://bookvault.app

Upload fee: Yes

Direct sales options: BookVault Shop (a replacement for The Great British Book Shop), PayHip, WooCommerce, Wix, Shopify, and Kickstarter Bulk Import Tool. TikTok Shop listed as “coming soon.” API is also available.

Printing options: The UK-based BookVault Bespoke offers ribbons, box sets, foiling, sprayed edges, endpages, and headbands and tailbands and can ship worldwide from the UK. Other printing options include wire-bound, paperback, cloth hardback, spiral-bound, saddle-stitched, and hardback.

Templates: Yes. The templates inside the dashboard are recommended. Visit https://bookvault.app/downloading-bookvault-templates.

Minimum order: No

Discount offers: Yes; Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) members can view member offers at https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/Bookvault, and members of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) can add unlimited free titles with their own ISBN.

Ships from: UK printers offer duplex covers, paperback, jackets for hardcovers; Australia printers offer paperbacks only; Canada offers hardbacks and paperbacks in either 70 gsm cream and 80 gsm bond, no “split color”; uses US currency. The US printer offers everything except duplex paperback print and recycled paper and is FSC-certified. Shipping fees are not included in BookVault’s pricing, though they offer options, depending on the number of books ordered at one time or if you’re drop-shipping.

GPSR: An overview of the EU safety regulations and BookVault resources, including required Declaration of Conformity in multiple languages, is available at https://help.bookvault.app/what-is-gpsr-how-will-it-affect-me.

Legal/tax information: Will accept author IOSS information. Recommends EAS plugin (paid subscription) to meet EU requirements and offers a flat fee model for surcharge per EU order. Visit https://bookvault.app/compliance-hub for more information.

CPI

CPI offers short-run and long-run printing, print-on-demand in the UK, Germany, and France; auto stock replenishment in the UK, Germany, and France; zero inventory in the UK and Germany; global print solutions in the UK and Germany; and print and distribution via CPI Gardners (UK), CPI Wiley (UK), CPI Zeitfracht (overnight printing and delivery in the UK and Germany), and Highway (web-based order management system, not available in the Czech Republic).

Website: https://www.cpi-print.com

Upload fee: Setup charge or annual file storage charge for repeat orders

Direct sales option: Only for large-scale publishers

Printing options: Vary by country. In the UK: B-format, A5, Demy, Royal, Crown Quatro, A4, and others at no additional charge. The UK has a request form for print-on-demand and short-run estimates at https://www.cpi-print.co.uk/get-an-estimate and contact info for print runs including 1,500 or more copies. Germany has a book calculator in English showing available print options: https://cpidirect.cpi-print.de/auswahl.php.

The self-publishing guide for the UK provides some additional details. Printing cost is based on the one-time setup charge, production charge (fixed printing cost per copy), delivery charge (based on weight), and an annual file storage charge; alternatively, files can be deleted and the setup charge would be due at the time of reprinting.

Templates: UK file specifications: https://www.cpi-print.co.uk/digital-file-specs

Minimum order: No, but the number of copies in an order affects how the book is printed. Orders of less than fifty copies are printed on demand with sheet feed machines; ultra-short runs begin at fifty copies and include access to more printing options. You can find more information about the printing options available depending on the size of your order through a downloadable brochure on CPI’s website.

Discount offers: None known.

Ships from: Prints in France, UK, Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic.

GPSR: Publisher has responsibility and must upload files that are GPSR compliant.

Legal/tax information: None known. The publisher has responsibility for tracking VAT and other tax information.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark is familiar to most indie authors. The company’s worldwide distribution allows your print books to be offered in traditional bookstores and libraries around the globe. They offer a large range of trim sizes and bindings, including book jackets for hardcovers.

Website: https://www.ingramspark.com/book-printing

Upload fee: No upload or revision fees as of February 1, 2026. The market access fee per title for using IngramSpark’s distribution network is 1.875 percent of local list price at time of sale.

Direct sales option: share & sell links for the US and the UK only. Note: Reader information is not shared with the author and payment is received ninety days after sale.

Printing options: Free downloadable file creation guide, or use the Print and Ship Calculator to see trim sizes and binding options.

Templates: Yes; the Cover Template Calculator will email them to you.

Minimum order: None

Discount offers: ALLi members receive 10 percent off direct publisher orders, fifty-copy minimum. IBPA members also receive occasional quantity discounts via email newsletter.

Ships from: Varies. The Print and Ship Calculator provides cost estimates.

GPSR: Yes. Declaration of Conformity, EU representative, and General Product Safety Risk Assessment can be found at https://www.ingramcontent.com/pod-product-compliance.

Legal/tax information: Accepts author IOSS and EORI numbers when placing orders. How this affects shipping options and fees is explained here. The benefit to authors is that shipping will be streamlined and readers won’t be asked to pay fees at the door, with exact change.

Lulu

Lulu is well-known for high-quality printing and has a large number of integrations for online store options, as well as international shipping options with printing locations in Australia, Canada, France, India, the UK, and the US.

Website: https://www.lulu.com

Upload fee: $4.99 for new titles for global distribution. Purchase of a proof copy is required for new titles and for all revisions for global distribution. No fee or required proof copy for publisher’s direct orders or with Lulu’s API.

Direct sales option: Lulu offers integrations with online store providers, an API, and an online bookstore. Books offered in the bookstore can’t be restricted to specific countries. Authors can create discounts fourteen days in advance for one to thirty days. Lulu will only share customer contact information with the publisher for marketing use if the customer has given permission during the sale. Lulu also offers a Kickstarter order upload tool: https://www.lulu.com/sell/order-import.

Templates: Interior pages templates and cover templates

Minimum order: None

Discount offers: ALLi and IBPA members receive 15 percent off orders direct to publisher. Lulu posts discounts on social media and their current discount code can also be found here.

Ships from: Prints in Australia, Canada, France, India, the UK, and the US.

GPSR: Yes. Manufacturing safety information provided on packing slips. Their EU contact is Easy Access System Europe.

Legal/tax information: Lulu collects US sales tax on sales to most states (see Lulu’s website for exceptions) and collects VAT on all European sales. Author/publishers cannot input their business tax information.

Mixam

Mixam acts like a clearinghouse for multiple printers. In practice, this means many options and a few inconsistencies on the website—for example, multiple categories for finding book printing options. Novel, Paperback Books, and Hardcover Books categories might show different pricing and availability, so it’s worth checking multiple categories.

Website: https://mixam.com

Upload fee: None

Direct sales option: PrintLink widget integrates with Stripe and doesn’t require a website or shop. The author retains customer information. Shopify, Stripe integrations, or API are available at https://mixam.com/documentation/api.

Printing options: Wide range of trim sizes and options. Comic book or graphic novel formats are available. For example, jackets for hardcovers are available, but there is a minimum order value, and they aren’t available in all countries. Photo books and art books are available too. Find comic book and graphic novel tips at https://mixam.com/blog and https://updates.kickstarter.com/how-to-make-a-comic-book-with-kickstarter-and-mixam.

Templates: Yes; visit https://mixam.com/support/filesetup.

Minimum order: None stated.

Discount offers: Mixam’s reward program allows authors to earn points on print orders that can be redeemed for discounts on future orders.

Ships from: Prints in the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Australia. US and UK sites offer paid “international shipping with Mixam’s partners,” according to Mixam’s website.

GPSR: No. Mixam considers the author/publisher responsible for EU requirements.

Legal/tax information: In the EU, email Mixam once you have set up your book to qualify for the lower VAT rate for books. In the UK, these items are VAT exempt: hardcover and paperback books, brochures, booklets, magazines, catalogs, comic books, zines, flyers, and folded leaflets. Find out more at https://mixam.co.uk/support/vat.

Tolino Media

Tolino Media is a distributor of ebooks and print books in the German-speaking market, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Originally launched as an ebook competitor to Amazon KDP, Tolino Media now also offers printing and distribution options for print books.

Website: https://www.tolino-media.de

Upload fee: Title registration fee is €18.90 per book, which includes registration in the German equivalent of Books in Print (Verzeichnis Lieferbarer Bücher, or VLB), ISBN, and distribution. Uploading a book without distribution is free.

Direct sales option: None

Printing options: Seven trim sizes are offered in softcover and hardcover with cream or white 90 gsm paper.

Templates: Not available. Dimensions are provided in your publisher account dashboard.

Minimum order: None; Tolino Media is a print-on-demand printer.

Discount offers: None known. Tolino Print Media doesn’t appear to offer fee waivers through any author organizations, but their offering for book registration costs much less than registering your books directly with the VLB on your own. Promotion opportunities are available for authors publishing directly with Tolino.

Ships from: Can be ordered by readers from most brick-and-mortar and online bookstores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

GPSR: Yes. You must format the interior to allow Tolino Media to add required Impressum and manufacturing information.

Legal/tax information: Refer to Skye MacKinnon’s Self-Publishing in German, 2nd edition for more details.

Guangzhou SESE Printing Manufacturer

According to Kickstarter for Authors 2nd Edition, Anthea Sharp reports working with SESE Printing, a company based in China. “Printing in China is usually the cheapest,” Morgana Best writes in Stop Making Others Rich: How Authors Can Make Bank by Selling Direct, but also points out that customs duties “will have to be factored into your costs, as will time if you go the cheaper way of transporting your books from an international printer by ship rather than by air.”

Website: www.seseprinting.com or www.book-printing-factory.com/about-us

Upload fee: None

Direct sales option: None

Printing options: Customized binding, paper, trim size, edge finishes, box sets, board books, and packaging. Standard sizes (portrait or landscape) include 5.5” × 8.5” for novels, 6” × 9” for hardbacks, or 8.5” × 11” for art books and “fully bespoke dimensions,” according to the website.

Templates: Provided upon request. Some templates also available at www.seseprinting.co/download.html.

Minimum order: Standard minimum of three hundred or “microbatch” of fifty. Request a quote for more accurate information.

Discount offers: None

Ships from: Per SESE’s website, they offer a twenty-four-hour response time and door-to-door shipping to addresses in the US, the UK, Australia, and the EU.

GPSR: Yes, EUREPSTAR.

Legal/tax information: The company’s website lists the following certifications: ISO9001, BSCI, Disney Fama, FSC, and Sedex certified. For more information, contact the publisher.

A Final Note

When choosing a printer, there are a host of details to consider beyond which design elements to add to the final product. Your printer’s location; the legal requirements of international markets; your profit margin; the shipping times; the formats, bindings, and special elements a printer offers; your genre’s traditions; and whether the printer or printers of choice can integrate with other services you plan to use all can factor into the decision.

Whatever you choose, be sure your final design takes into account the level of complexity your author business can support and your own mental well-being. Simplicity and consistency in your printing and publishing decisions protects your creative time and energy as an author. And that creativity is essential for creating compelling stories and designing books your readers can’t resist adding to their bookshelves.

Hello, my pretties!

Your book is written, edited, covered, and formatted. You could publish tomorrow.

But should you?

Launching a book without preparation is like throwing a party without sending invitations. You might have a wonderful time alone, but it won’t be exactly what you hoped for.

Developing your pre-launch strategy is about building anticipation so readers are waiting when your book goes live. It gives your book the best possible chance of finding its audience.

How Far Ahead to Plan

For a first book, I recommend planning at least four to six weeks of pre-launch activity before your book goes live. More experienced authors with existing audiences might need less. New authors or those launching a new pen name, like me, might need more.

The goal is to create awareness before release day. You’ll want readers to add your book to their to-read lists, mark the publication date on their calendars, and get excited to buy it the moment it’s available.

Setting Up Your Preorder

Before you decide on any pre-launch marketing, you’ll first need to decide whether you’ll make your book available for readers to preorder ahead of its release. Most platforms allow you to set up preorders weeks or months before a book’s official release.

Preorders have advantages. They let you promote with a buy link immediately. Readers can commit to purchasing even before the book exists. Preorders accumulate and count toward release day sales, which can help with algorithms and, depending on the platform, bestseller rankings.

They also create a deadline that forces you to finish. This can be helpful for some authors, but it can also lead to one of the biggest downsides to preorders. Platforms often penalize authors for publishing books late and missing their preorder dates, sometimes severely. For example, if you miss an upload date with Amazon, the platform will revoke your preorder privileges for a year, so you will be unable to put another book up for preorder in that time. This could be disastrous if your publishing plan is built around a rapid-release schedule in which you encourage people to preorder the next book in the series. Some platforms let authors push back preorder dates by a limited amount without penalty—Amazon KDP gives authors thirty days of leeway—but it’s still best to only set up preorders when you’re confident you can deliver.

If you choose to set up a preorder for your book, note that most platforms require you to upload your final files a few days ahead of publication in order to allow their system time to approve the files—so keep this in mind as you’re preparing for your launch. I’ve set my preorder for six weeks before launch. My book is done, so the risk is minimal. I just need to remember to upload and hit “Publish.”

Building Your Platform

Even without an existing audience, you can build connections before your book’s launch.

If you haven’t set up an author newsletter, do that now. This is the foundation for building your audience and keeping them informed of your future releases. Offer a reader magnet—a free short story or bonus content—in exchange for email signups. These readers become your launch team.

Social media presence also helps, but it isn’t mandatory. Choose one or two platforms where your readers spend time. Be genuinely helpful and interesting rather than constantly promotional—you can share about your writing process, books you love, or topics related to your genre to pull audiences in.

Goodreads allows you to create an author profile and add your upcoming book. Readers can mark it as “want to read,” creating early visibility.

Amazon Author Central lets you claim your author page and customize it with your bio and photo.

Yes, this may sound like a lot of administrative work, and administration is something many creatives struggle with. But this is where your promotion starts. If you want publishing to be a career and not a hobby, then you can’t skip this part.

Advance Reader Copies

For any self-publishing author, reviews matter enormously. Books with reviews sell better than books without them. Early reviews provide social proof that real people have read and enjoyed your work, and more reviews often encourage algorithms on bookseller websites to list your book earlier in searches.

Sending advance reader copies, or ARCs, to reviewers before launch generates reviews that appear on release day. There is no magic number of reviews you need to generate, but a book with no reviews won’t sell as well as one with a half dozen good reviews. Be wary of asking friends and relatives, as their accounts’ “also-bought” recommendations might mess with your algorithm. Find ARC readers through bookish communities on social media, such as Bookstagram or BookTok; book bloggers; Goodreads groups; and ARC distribution services like BookSirens or NetGalley. Start reaching out four to six weeks before launch.

When reaching out to potential ARC readers, be clear about expectations. You’re offering a free book in exchange for an honest review. Not every ARC reader will review, and that’s normal. And not everyone will leave a positive review—that is a risk. Be aware, you must not bribe people to leave you a five-star rating. That is against the platform’s rules, and any good reviewer will react unfavorably to the merest hint of buying them off. Send the book to more people than you need, and expect that not everyone will leave a review. Don’t worry; a good book will be well supported.

Newsletter Swaps and Promotions

Your newsletter mailing list is likely one of the most important marketing tools in your author tool belt, especially ahead of a new release. Cross-promotion with other authors expands your reach.

Newsletter swaps involve promoting another author’s book to your list while they promote yours to theirs. This works best when you have similar audiences. Multi-author promotions and giveaways introduce your book to new readers. Services like StoryOrigin and BookFunnel facilitate these collaborations. Both strategies offer opportunities to draw more readers to your newsletter and pique their interest in your book before it publishes—and long after it has launched.

For a new pen name, I’m starting small—a few newsletter swaps with Romance authors I’ve connected with through online communities. It’s nothing elaborate, but it should be enough to build some early awareness. You will find swaps and author promos on a range of sites, including BookFunnel and Bookclicker. Many readers will sign up for free goodies like a series-related reader magnet, which is often a prequel or short story from an alternate point of view.

What Not to Do

Pre-launch can become overwhelming if you try to do everything. Your goal should be to pick a handful of marketing strategies and focus your energy on them rather than attempting to do it all and spreading yourself too thin. You also don’t want to spend so much time promoting your book that you neglect finishing it. Creating the book comes first.

Don’t invest heavily in paid advertising before you have reviews—and, ideally, additional books to market. Ads work better once social proof exists and readers can be funneled to other titles.

Finally, if this is your first book, don’t expect your first launch to be massive. Building readership takes time and multiple books—but this book will be just the start of that journey.

In any marketing push for your author business, focus on what’s manageable. A few weeks of steady, sustainable effort beats a frantic week of exhausting activity.

Reflection Exercise

Before you pull out the calendar and start planning your book launch, take a few minutes to consider your strategy before you start.

1. What pre-launch activities match your current platform and energy?

2. How many weeks before launch should you begin promoting?

3. Where might you find potential ARC readers?

4. What would a realistic, non-overwhelming pre-launch look like to you?

Reality Check-In

Pre-launch for my book is underway.

I set up my preorder last week. Seeing my book listed on Amazon with that gorgeous cover and my carefully crafted blurb is always a thrill. There’s a release date. Random readers can find it. It’s almost time to set my baby free.

I’ve started reaching out to book bloggers who review Contemporary Romance. The response rate is lower than I’d hoped, but I’ve secured five ARC commitments so far. I’m aiming for fifteen.

Usually, I have a fair idea how my ARC readers will react and can be certain they will leave positive reviews on launch day or soon after. But this is a new project, with a new audience and new ARC readers. So I will admit I am also feeling a little nervous.

My newsletter for this pen name is small—just forty subscribers gathered through a reader magnet I set up months ago. But those forty people are genuinely interested in Romance, and I’ll ask them to help spread the word.

The Cozy Mystery side of my career taught me that first launches are rarely spectacular. I’m keeping expectations realistic. The goal is not to turn this book into a bestseller. The goal is to build a solid foundation for book 2.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

How do you build a sustainable writing career in an industry that never stops changing? The enigma has long plagued many indie authors—those writing Mystery and other genres alike. But USA TODAY best-selling author Sara Rosett has spent years doing exactly that. From traditional publishing to hybrid and ultimately fully independent publishing, and from writing more than thirty Cozy Mysteries to creating nonfiction craft books, teaching fellow authors, and hosting two podcasts, Rosett has continually adapted her career to fit her lifestyle and interests.

Although her first few series featured amateur sleuths thrown into investigative work through a variety of unusual events, in her later work, Rosett’s protagonists have grown into professional investigators whose reputations precede them. As she explains, “I intentionally set up [the protagonist of] my Historical Cozies to be a woman who, eventually, as the series goes on, people begin to come to her. She becomes known as the sleuth for the posh set.”

Much like her characters, Rosett has grown from an author learning the publishing landscape into someone other writers seek out for guidance. As the author of How to Outline a Cozy Mystery and How to Write a Series, she now shares the lessons she’s gathered through books, speaking engagements, and conversations with authors navigating the same path. Her roles as co-host of the Wish I’d Known Then podcast with Jami Albright and co-author of The Trope Thesaurus: Mystery and Thriller position her as an expert on the genre.

But the success of Rosett’s career is no secret to uncover. She has built it the same way her characters’ mysteries are solved: by gathering information, recognizing patterns, adapting to new clues, and making intentional decisions about what comes next.

Discovering the Mystery of Publishing

Sara Rosett didn’t set out to become an independent author. She launched her career in 2006 with her Ellie Avery books, which she published with Kensington Publishing. The Contemporary Cozy Mystery series came at a time when traditional publishing was still the standard path for Mystery writers. After building a successful career there, she experimented with a different approach, independently publishing the international Mystery series, On the Run, in 2012 while continuing to write the Ellie Avery series for Kensington.

For several years, Rosett worked in both traditional and independent publishing, giving her a rare opportunity to compare the two models firsthand. “I enjoyed traditional publishing in some ways, but there were a lot of frustrations with it, too—one of them being that so much of it is out of your control,” she says.

Those challenges became especially clear when she was writing one book for a traditional publisher while drafting another independently. “I was working on two books at the same time, which I’d never have done, and it was mind-bending for me. It was horrible, but I got through it,” she says. “I just found that going back and forth was very hard for me because I would just get rolling on one of my indie projects and then copy edits would come in [for the traditionally published project], and I’d have to stop and do those.”

“I enjoyed traditional publishing in some ways, but there were a lot of frustrations with it, too—one of them being that so much of it is out of your control.”
—Sara Rosett

For Rosett, the greatest benefit of indie publishing was the ability to make intentional choices about every part of the process. “I enjoyed the freedom of being able to hire somebody to do my cover, and controlling the process, and my timing, and not being on somebody else’s schedule,” she says. That same intentionality eventually shaped how she approached her series planning, allowing her to think not just about individual books but also about the long-term reader experience she wanted to create, now as a full-time independently published author.

From Amateur Sleuth to Professional Investigator

Following her experiment with the suspenseful On the Run books, which she refers to as Travel Cozies, Rosett returned to her Cozy Mystery roots with the Murder on Location series, about “a Jane Austen location scout traveling around England looking for locations to shoot Jane Austen adaptations,” she says. Writing the seven books for that series after the ten Ellie Avery books gave her a deeper understanding of what readers expected from the Cozy Mystery genre.

As her understanding of Mystery storytelling deepened, so did the kinds of investigators she wanted to write. “I wish I’d thought more about how I was going to extend different growth arcs across the series,” Rosett says of her early series. She began thinking beyond the next book, considering how her characters would grow over multiple installments and what would keep readers invested over the long term instead of focusing solely on the mystery at hand.

That lesson shaped her approach to the High Society Lady Detective series. “With my most recent series, with the High Society series, I really planned it out,” Rosett says. “I was like, ‘Okay, in the beginning, she will figure out she’s a detective in the first couple books, and then in the next three books, she’ll be working for friends and family, and then in the next three books, she’ll have strangers bringing her cases.’”

“My first love is novels and writing the stories that I want to write.”
—Sara Rosett

Planning for the long term also changed how Rosett viewed the publishing business. Along with developing sustainable series, she learned the importance of watching the market and anticipating change. Still, she says, she wished she had “kept an eye on the market more” earlier in her career. “I was just totally unprepared for all the changes,” she says.

Rosett says she noticed shifting trends within her genre as well. Comparing the way the market has evolved with where it was when she started publishing, Rosett says genre conventions have become more specific, with an increasing number of niches creating silos within the broader Cozy Mystery category. “The market itself has changed so much, and when I first started, nothing was quite as sharply defined as it is now,” Rosett says. “I felt everything was getting much more fractured.”

However, she acknowledges that despite the narrow definitions, “readers have changed in that they’re more willing to read different types of stories, or stories that people would say are edgier Cozies,” which allows authors to push the boundaries.

Although she says she’s “not very futuristic” and has trouble predicting shifts in the industry, Rosett has learned to offset her challenges by following other authors who are stronger in those areas. She tunes into Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn podcast and spends time looking at popular covers in her genre regularly, using what she learns to inform but not control her process. Her advice for authors looking to find their audience is to find a niche that interests them and stay the course—”as long as you’re happy continuing to write that type of book” and as long as the readership of that niche is big enough to support a career.

Sharing the Case Files

Advising other authors seemingly comes naturally to Rosett, and with several nonfiction craft books, a podcast, and panel appearances under her belt, it’s become a large part of her career. But Rosett’s transition from author to educator happened gradually. She began by sharing information simply because she had spent years gathering it herself.

When she began writing Cozy Mysteries, she found herself learning the conventions of the genre through trial and error. “I felt like I stumbled around quite a bit trying to figure out how to write a Cozy,” Rosett says. When more authors began moving into Cozy Mystery from other genres, she realized they were facing many of the same questions she had encountered. “At the time that I first did How to Outline a Cozy Mystery [published in 2020], people were moving from other genres into Cozy, and I thought, ‘You know, I can take what I learned and put it in a book,’” she says.

Her approach to teaching reflects the way she approaches research in her own writing. Rather than positioning herself as someone with all the answers, she prefers to collect information, organize it, and make it available for other authors to use. “I didn’t want to coach people. I was like, ‘Here’s the information. Do with it what you will,’” Rosett says.

The writing resources she’s created have developed naturally from this research and from conversations she’s had with friends and other authors. “I have a couple of really close author friends … and we would talk about these things over lunch, and try and figure out the serious questions that would come up,” Rosett says. Since that first book in 2020, Rosett published a follow-up craft book, How to Write a Series, in the same year and contributed to Jennifer Hilt’s Trope Thesaurus series in 2026.

In addition to writing the craft book on Cozy Mystery, Rosett started a podcast about mystery books for readers in 2020, offering news and book recommendations within the genre. The format shift brought as much of a learning curve as the transition from traditional to indie publishing. Eventually, she decided to step away and reevaluate the podcast’s purpose. “There just wasn’t enough news about things that would be of interest to readers, and I was really stretching to find information,” she says. “And then I came back later with more focus just on either a singular book or doing a kind of overview of an author or mystery TV shows and things like that.”

The new informal format fits around her publishing and producing schedule, sometimes getting pushed back as she leans into her next book or the other podcast she helps create—the Wish I’d Known Then podcast, which she co-hosts with best-selling author Jami Albright.

Finding the Right Partners in Crime

While publishing can often feel like an individual pursuit, Rosett’s career also demonstrates the importance of collaboration, whether in her podcast work or her co-writing project earlier this year. “I’d never done a co-writing project before, when I worked with Jennifer Hilt for the Trope Thesaurus, and that was really fun,” she says. “We would get together, and we would talk about how we wanted to approach everything. So that was great to have somebody to brainstorm with.”

Rosett’s partnership with Jami Albright on the Wish I’d Known Then podcast is also a chance for the author to brainstorm and discuss writing and publishing questions and topics with someone else in the industry.

The pair met at a small writing conference in Texas. “We found out that we lived in Houston, and we’re actually very close to each other,” Rosett says. Their friendship—and later, the idea for their podcast—grew from shared experiences and conversations about publishing.

Their partnership works because their strengths complement each other, Rosett says. “Jami is so good at making people feel comfortable. She just really connects with people really well,” Rosett says. “She’s very much a people person. I’m more introverted.”

That difference has become an advantage. Rather than trying to approach the podcast in the same way, they naturally divide responsibilities based on what each person does best. “She’s definitely the hype person for the podcast, and the connector person,” Rosett says. “I’m more like the background, setting things up—kind of the admin.”

For a writer who describes herself as introverted, stepping into a public-facing role has required its own adjustments. Although she has given solo presentations, Rosett prefers to be part of a panel. “I actually feel much more comfortable on panels because I feel like the attention is spread out, and it’s not all on me,” Rosett says. Even with years of experience, being viewed as an expert can feel intimidating. However, she has found that connecting with other authors helps shift the perspective. “If you talk to people who are in the audience, it’s a lot less threatening, because most of them are just authors, just like us, trying to figure it all out,” Rosett says.

The Next Chapter

The next thing Rosett wants to figure out is a Wish I’d Known Then series about fandom. She’s interested in “looking at the nuts and bolts of fandom: what we’re fans of, and why we’re fans of those things–what draws us and what the core of fandom is.” She’d also like to do a craft episode for the podcast on writing about conflict, which they haven’t tackled before.

On her own, Rosett is currently fulfilling a Kickstarter project for which she mails physical letters to readers. The first story she did this way unfolded over eight weeks, told through letters that had layouts designed by her cover artist. The project was so successful that she did another run of eight letters and is now mailing a story told in twenty-four parts, which started last December. The run will end in November.

She says the project is one that can easily grow, with new stories, new art, and new bonuses to add in, but she has to limit herself to what fits her lifestyle and her business model. She completed writing and designing the letters last year, and “I made a vow that I’m not doing anything else this year,” she says.

Rosett says that she is considering doing the project again in the future, but she will probably scale back, as the sets of eight were more sustainable. Although some authors have set up similar physical subscriptions that readers can start at any time, Rosett prefers to keep hers as limited runs with fixed mailing dates. “I didn’t want to be a letter publisher,” she says. “My first love is novels and writing the stories that I want to write. So I’m keeping that as a side business.”

After nearly two decades in publishing, Rosett’s strongest advice for newer authors comes down to perspective. The biggest lessons are not about shortcuts or overnight success. They are about building something sustainable—“the attitude that this is a long haul,” Rosett says.

“I want my books to last,” she says. “I want them to be around in twenty, thirty years, and people still reading them, enjoying them.”

That long view has shaped the choices she makes today. Instead of focusing only on immediate results, she is building a body of work designed to endure. “One book a year is plenty for me right now,” Rosett says. That does not mean she is stepping away from writing. Instead, she has become more intentional about the role writing plays in her life. “I want to be able to write my books, but then I also want to be able to step away and go have a great afternoon or vacation and not be worried about what’s happening,” Rosett says.

Looking at all she’s accomplished with that mindset, Rosett’s success doesn’t seem like such a mystery after all.

Hello, my pretties!

We’ve spent the past two installments talking about how your book looks on the outside—the cover that will draw your readers’ eyes and the blurb that will get them hooked on your story. Now, we’re turning the page, literally, to focus on how it looks on the inside.

Formatting is the work readers never notice unless it’s wrong. Good formatting is invisible. The reader flows through your story without tripping over awkward page breaks, inconsistent fonts, or chapters that start in strange places.

Bad formatting pulls readers out of the story. It makes your book feel amateur and can earn you reviews that mention poor quality, even when your writing is excellent.

The goal is that the inside of your book looks professional, clean, and unobtrusive. And that’s why the way you format it deserves a closer look.

Ebook Versus Print

Many newbies don’t realize ebooks and print books require different formatting approaches.

Ebook formatting must be flexible. Readers will access your book on different devices, read in various apps, and—depending on the app they prefer and the files you upload—adjust fonts and font sizes to suit their preferences. Your formatting needs to flow gracefully across all these scenarios.

Print formatting is fixed. You control exactly how each page looks. But you also need to manage margins, gutters, widows, orphans, and all the technical details that make a physical book feel professional, as well as ensure it’s legible for a broad range of readers.

Most authors today publish in both formats. That means formatting twice or using tools that handle both efficiently.

Your Formatting Options

For laying out your book’s interior, you have several approaches to choose from.

1. Formatting with writing software like Word or Google Docs can work, but it requires attention to detail. You’ll need to understand styles, section breaks, and export settings. The learning curve is real, and mistakes are common.

2. Dedicated formatting software, such as Vellum, Atticus, or the tools available through Draft2Digital or Reedsy, simplifies the formatting process significantly. These programs are designed for book formatting and handle many technical details automatically. You may have limitations to your design, or you may need to prepare your text files before you upload them, but these platforms can limit the heavy lifting and technical knowledge other formatting options can require. I’ll be honest, anything technical scares me, so I usually choose this option.

3. If you have the technical know-how, then you can also try using dedicated formatting or layout software such as Adobe InDesign or Affinity Publisher. The results will be more unique and may be worth the effort, especially for special edition print copies, depending on your genre. But be prepared to allow yourself plenty of time to do this in your publishing schedule.

4. Hiring a professional formatter is the hands-off approach. You send your manuscript; they return files ready for upload. This option can offer the same flexibility and customization as using professional software without the effort on your part, though costs range from $50 to $200 depending on complexity.

I used Vellum for my Cozy Mysteries—rather, I asked a friend who owns Vellum to do it for me because I don’t own a MacBook. However, you can get similar results with other formatters like Atticus, which runs on any laptop. There is an initial upfront cost to either platform, but the investment will pay for itself in time saved and professional results.

For this Romance project, I’ve invested in Atticus. There is only so far you can push a friendship.

Still, if you’re operating on a tight budget, there are free platforms that can also work, such as Reedsy. Even Amazon has its own KDP Publisher tool, which will do the job if you’re only planning on publishing through KDP. It all depends on what you need, your financial and technical limitations, and how pretty you want to make it.

The Essentials

Regardless of how you approach formatting, you’ll need to ensure your final book contains certain key elements.

• Front matter should include your title page, copyright page, and any dedication or epigraph. Keep it simple. If you are not sure what to put, look at other books. Everything you need to include will be there.

• Chapter headings should be consistent throughout your story, in look and in naming convention. Pick a style, and stick with it. Readers notice inconsistency even when they can’t articulate why something feels off.

• Scene breaks need clear markers. Whether you use a symbol, extra spacing, or another device, readers should never be confused about when a scene shift occurs.

• Back matter is your opportunity to connect with readers. Good marketing practice suggests you include an author bio, links to your other books, and a call-to-action for signing up for your newsletter or preordering your next release.

For print, you’ll also need to consider your book’s trim size, margins, and paper type. You likely decided this when designing your cover, but either way, you’ll need to ensure your final dimensions match between the interior pages and the cover. Standard sizes like 5 × 8 inches or 6 × 9 inches work well for most fiction.

Common Formatting Mistakes

New authors often stumble in predictable places. Keep the following in mind as you begin formatting your book.

• Use proper paragraph formatting rather than tabs or manual spacing to organize your text. The alternative creates chaos in ebooks where text reflows constantly.

• Keep your style consistent. Avoid using different fonts, sizes, or spacing throughout the book. This can confuse readers or disrupt your story, and your style may be lost in a reflowable ebook, where readers can select their own fonts within their e-reading platform.

• Ebooks need navigable tables of contents. Print books may or may not include them, depending on genre conventions, but an ebook table of contents should allow readers to click and jump to the start of any chapter or section in the book.

• Don’t ignore how your ebook looks at different sizes and dimensions. What works on a tablet may look strange on a phone screen.

• For print books, a few conventions help your book feel professional. Body text typically uses a serif font like Garamond or Times New Roman, which is easier to read on paper than sans serif alternatives. Page numbers should appear on every page except the title page and chapter openers. Each chapter should begin on a new page, often a right-hand page in traditional publishing, with some blank space before the chapter heading. These details seem small, but readers notice when they’re missing.

• Always proofread the final formatted version of your book. Formatting can introduce new errors or reveal others that slipped through earlier in the process.

Before you publish, test your formatted files. For ebooks, preview them on multiple devices and apps. Kindle Previewer is required for publishing on Amazon. Check on phones, tablets, and e-readers if possible. For print, order a proof copy. Hold the physical book. Flip through the pages. Check for errors you missed on screen.

This testing stage catches problems before readers do. It’s worth the extra time and cost.

Perfection Isn’t Required

Formatting should be professional, but it doesn’t need to be elaborate.

Readers want a clean reading experience. They don’t need fancy drop caps, decorative elements, or complex layouts. Simple and consistent beats fancy and inconsistent every time.

Focus on getting the basics right. Polish matters more than flourish.

Reflection Exercise

Before diving into formatting, ask yourself the following questions.

1. What formatting approach matches my skills and budget?

2. Have I looked at how books in my genre typically are formatted?

3. What front matter and back matter elements do I want to include?

4. How will I test my formatted files before publishing?

Reality Check-In

Formatting turned out to be less terrifying than I expected.

As I mentioned before, I’m using Atticus for this project. I imported my manuscript and let the software do its magic. Within an hour, I had a clean ebook file and a print-ready PDF.

I’ll be honest, doing it myself was very satisfying. I was able to see my words laid out like a real book, with chapter headings in my chosen style, clean page breaks, and professional margins. After months of staring at a Word document, seeing my words formatted made everything feel more real.

I ordered a print proof last week, and it arrived just before I sat down to pen this article. Holding the physical book was emotional in ways I hadn’t anticipated. There’s something about paper and ink that makes the accomplishment tangible. As I write this, I keep looking at it.

I need to make a few minor fixes: One scene break didn’t render correctly, and I spotted a typo that survived every previous round of editing. The typo hurt. But better I caught it now than after launch.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

Hello, my pretties!

Covers are the windows to your book’s soul, but they don’t work in isolation. If covers get readers to click, blurbs get them to buy.

A blurb is not a summary. Its job is not to tell readers the whole story. It’s to tell them just enough that they’re desperate to know what happens next—so desperate they’ll pay money and spend hours to find out.

Many authors find blurb writing harder than writing the book itself. You’ve spent months crafting sixty thousand words of nuanced storytelling, and now you need to capture its essence in one hundred fifty words that practically vibrate with urgency.

The good news: Blurbs follow patterns. Once you understand the structure, the writing becomes more manageable.

The Anatomy of a Blurb

Most effective blurbs follow a recognizable structure.

• They open with a hook that creates immediate interest. This might be your protagonist in a compelling situation, a provocative question, or a premise that intrigues.

• Then, they introduce the main character and their situation. What do they want? What’s their world like? Why should we care?

• Next, they present the central conflict. What stands between your character and what they want? What are the stakes?

• Finally, they end with a cliffhanger or question that creates urgency. The reader needs to feel that not buying this book would be a mistake.

That’s it: hook, character, conflict, urgency.

Study Your Genre

I keep saying this, but it bears repeating: It really is important to research your genre. Each genre’s readers will expect different things from your blurb. Romance blurbs focus on the emotional tension between characters. Thriller blurbs emphasize danger and stakes. Cozy Mystery blurbs promise puzzles and charm.

Before you write your blurb, read fifty blurbs in your genre. Notice the language they use, their structure, and the promises they make about their stories.

I’ve been studying Romance blurbs obsessively. They often name both protagonists. They highlight the spark and the obstacle. They promise emotional satisfaction without spoiling the journey.

The best Romance blurbs make you root for the couple before you’ve read a single page. Your blurb should do this too. The most effective way to hook your readers with your description alone is by weaving in the most important elements of your genre.

Common Blurb Mistakes

Although blurbs can be broken down into a list of key parts—hook, character, conflict, and urgency—there are a number of novice potholes to navigate as well.

• Don’t summarize too much of the plot. A blurb should cover roughly the first third of your book, if that. Leave the reader wanting more.

• Don’t be too vague. “She must face her fears” tells me nothing, but “She must return to the small town where her heart was broken” tells me much more.

• Don’t include too many characters. Focus on your protagonist and maybe your antagonist or love interest. Try to keep it to a maximum of three characters.

• Don’t forget your book’s emotional stakes. Plot stakes matter, but emotional stakes sell. What does the character stand to lose that readers will care about?

• Don’t sound like every other blurb. Although it’s important to follow genre conventions, it’s also important to find your unique angle. What makes your book different?

Writing Process

I write blurbs in layers.

First, I dump everything I might want to include onto the page: character details, plot points, themes, and hooks. Then I identify the essential elements. Who’s the main character? What do they want? What’s stopping them? Why is this story compelling?

Once I have the elements I need to include, I draft the first version of my blurb, following the structure we developed before: hook, character, conflict, urgency. I aim for around one hundred fifty words.

Then I revise. I cut ruthlessly. Every word must earn its place. I read it aloud to check the rhythm.

Finally, I test. I share with other writers or readers and ask what they expect from the book based on the blurb. If their expectations match my book, the blurb is working.

When You’re Stuck

Blurbs often take several drafts to perfect, but if you reach a point where you feel like you’re going in circles, try these approaches.

• Describe your book to a friend or out loud to yourself. Record the result. Often our natural pitch is better than our written attempts.

• Use templates. There are blurb formulas available online. They feel formulaic, but they work, and once you have the structure right, you can play with the final version to make sure it sounds like your voice.

• Hire help. Some editors and copywriters specialize in blurbs. If your budget allows, this expertise can be worth it.

• Don’t agonize forever. Write something workable and move on. You can always revise your blurb later based on reader feedback.

Reflection Exercise

As you sit down to write your blurb, ask yourself:

1. What blurbs in my genre have made me immediately want to buy?

2. What’s the core emotional promise of my book?

3. What makes my story different from others in my genre?

4. Am I summarizing too much or not enough?

These, along with the tips we listed before, may give you an idea of what story elements to highlight as you’re drafting.

Reality Check-In

Even though I know all the above, writing my book’s blurb was humbling.

I thought I knew my book. I’ve lived with these characters for six months. But distilling their story into one hundred fifty words revealed how fuzzy my pitch actually was.

My first attempt was three hundred words of meandering plot summary. My second was so vague it could describe any Romance novel. My third finally found the hook: A bookshop owner who swore off love meets the one man who could change her mind, except he’s only in town temporarily.

It’s getting there, but it’s hardly snappy, is it? Still, I can tell I’m getting closer. I’ve shared it with my beta readers for feedback, and their responses are helping me refine the emotional promise.

The cover is nearly finalized. The blurb is taking shape. This book is starting to feel real in a way it didn’t before. I can’t wait to get it out there.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

Special editions have become one of the fastest-growing revenue channels in indie publishing. According to the 2025 Written Word Media Indie Author Survey, only 8 percent of indie authors currently offer collector’s editions—but those who do are selling them at significantly higher margins, particularly through direct sales and at live events. Fantasy author Sacha Black priced her standard hardcovers at approximately £20; her special editions through Kickstarter sold at £60 each, with profit margins between 45 percent and 55 percent before tax, according to an Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) feature on special editions.

The production barriers that once limited premium formats to traditional publishers have largely disappeared. Some print-on-demand services now offer foil stamping, sprayed edges, custom endpapers, ribbon bookmarks, and slipcases on orders as low as a single copy. That means authors can offer collector-grade books without committing to warehouse-scale print runs or upfront inventory costs.

The following ten tips cover what’s working, what’s worth the investment, and where to start, whether an author is testing the waters with a single title or building special editions into an ongoing product line.

1. Start with the Readers, Not the Features.

The most successful special editions are built around what a specific readership values, not around whichever production feature looks most impressive in a printer’s catalog. Romance readers may respond to signed copies with custom endpapers and a letter from the author. Fantasy readers tend to gravitate toward illustrated maps, sprayed edges, and foil-stamped covers. Historical Fiction readers might prefer annotated editions with behind-the-scenes notes on the research incorporated into the novel.

A quick reader poll—through an email list, social media, or a reader community like a Facebook Group or Discord channel—can surface what would make a specific audience pay a premium price before an author commits to production costs.

Pro Tip: Beyond what your readers want from a special edition, think through the “why” before the “what” for your own business, according to Written Word Media. Special editions take a significant amount of marketing, time, and effort to be successful—so make sure you know the purpose behind your special editions in order to get the most benefit, whether that’s celebrating a series milestone, rewarding loyal readers, or generating buzz for a new release.

2. Know What ‘Special’ Actually Means to Collectors.

A special edition is any version of a book that offers something beyond the standard print format. In practice, the features that command the highest premiums in 2026 include sprayed or stenciled page edges—custom artwork or solid color applied to the book’s fore-edge, top, or bottom; foil stamping on covers or spines; custom-printed endpapers, ribbon bookmarks, headbands and tailbands, dust jackets on hardcovers, slipcases for box sets, and bonus interior content such as deleted scenes, author annotations, character art, or maps.

Not every edition needs all these features, and some may not make sense for your genre. Some of the most effective special editions use just one or two well-chosen upgrades paired with exclusive bonus content. Be strategic with the elements you include, and be sure to consider cost, value to the story, and your readers’ interests when making the decision. The goal is to create something that feels meaningfully different from the standard edition, not to check every production box available.

3. Use Print-on-Demand to Eliminate Inventory Risk.

BookVault, based in the UK but with global shipping, is currently the leading print-on-demand option for special edition features. The BookVault Bespoke line offers foil accents, sprayed edges, custom endpapers, ribbon bookmarks, headbands and tailbands, and custom slipcases on orders as small as a single copy. BookVault integrates directly with Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and Payhip, meaning an author can list a special edition in a direct sales storefront and have BookVault handle printing and fulfillment automatically.

BookVault isn’t the only option for print-on-demand special editions. IngramSpark offers hardcovers with dust jackets and foil stamping as well, though with fewer specialty options, and Lulu provides linen-wrap hardcovers but currently limits foil to spine text only. Lulu also does not offer sprayed edges. Print-on-demand options for special editions can be more costly than a limited print run but may be worth considering depending on the number of special editions you expect to sell, your ability to store and distribute extra copies, and the features you hope to include.

4. Price for the Product, Not Just the Cost.

Special editions occupy a different market category than standard paperbacks or ebooks. Readers who buy them are purchasing a collectible, an experience, and a way to express their connection to an author’s work. Pricing should reflect that value. Sacha Black’s experience—tripling her standard hardcover price for special editions while maintaining 45 percent to 55 percent profit margins—is consistent with what other indie authors report in the space.

Pro Tip: Calculate the per-unit production cost for your special edition, including printing, any add-on features, and shipping to the customer, then price the edition at 2.5 to 3 times that cost for direct sales. This accounts for platform fees, payment processing, and leaves room for a meaningful margin. Authors selling exclusively through Kickstarter or their own storefronts retain more per sale than those selling through third-party retailers, which is part of why special editions and direct sales pair so naturally.

5. Use Kickstarter to Test Demand Before You Produce.

Crowdfunding platforms, particularly Kickstarter, have become the primary launchpad for indie special editions. The model is a natural fit: Authors can gauge interest and collect funding upfront, and they only produce what’s been ordered, so there’s no inventory gamble. BookVault also accepts bulk orders directly from Kickstarter backer spreadsheets, streamlining fulfillment for authors who use both platforms.

Kickstarter’s head of publishing, Oriana Leckert, has noted that special edition campaigns offer a blend of exclusivity and enhanced value that appeals to engaged readers, according to ALLi. Crowdfunding also lets authors assess demand at a specific price point before committing to production.

The approach works at every scale. Brandon Sanderson’s record-breaking $41 million Kickstarter campaign is the most visible example, but indie authors regularly run successful campaigns that raise hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Be sure to set a realistic funding goal, structure reward tiers clearly, and build excitement with your existing audience before the campaign launches for the best chance of success.

Pro Tip: For more advice on structuring a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2026, read IAM’s feature on trends on the platform at https://indieauthormagazine.com/how-authors-are-succeeding-on-kickstarter-in-2026.

6. Plan Bonus Content that Adds Value.

Physical upgrades in a special edition draw the eye, but the content extras authors include often close the sale. Bonus material such as bonus scenes, alternate endings or extended epilogues, annotated editions, author letters, or behind-the-scenes interviews perform best in special editions, according to Written Word Media. If your story world is more complex, you may also consider commissioned character art or interior illustrations, maps, timelines, or world-building appendices.

Whatever bonus content you decide to include should feel purposeful, not recycled from a blog post or newsletter. Exclusive content is best; readers paying a premium expect material they cannot get anywhere else, and your most devoted readers may have already encountered extra notes and scenes you published previously in your newsletter or shared on social media. That said, a roughly written bonus scene that is revised and re-formatted for a special edition can still be made to feel special, and even a handwritten author’s note can create the sense of personal connection and care that drives collector purchases.

7. Get Your ISBNs Right.

Every distinct product format for a book requires its own ISBN. An ISBN identifies a specific format and binding, so a special edition with different physical specifications needs its own number—as AI Fiction Lab notes in its guide to indie special editions, authors cannot reuse a KDP ISBN for a special edition.

Before publishing a special edition, you’ll need to ensure you have a new ISBN for the book. Authors in the US can purchase ISBNs through Bowker, and UK-based authors can obtain them through Nielsen. For authors in other countries, the International ISBN Agency has a complete list of official ISBN agencies at https://www.isbn-international.org.

8. Time Special Editions Accordingly.

Special editions perform best when they’re tied to a specific event or milestone in the author’s publishing calendar. Consider using a special edition to celebrate a series completions; book birthdays or anniversary editions; holiday gifting windows; new series launches, such as a premium first edition for early supporters; or special editions exclusive to live events, where you can sign copies in person.

Pairing a special edition with an event of some sort—whether it be a Kickstarter campaign, a live signing, or a milestone in your book’s lifetime—draws readers’ interest and encourages them to join in on the celebration by purchasing their own copy.

9. Pair Special Editions with a Direct Sales Channel.

Special editions and direct sales are complementary strategies. Written Word Media’s 2025 author survey found that 30 percent of indie authors are already selling books directly to readers through their website, with another 30 percent planning to start in 2026. Among authors earning more than $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. Special editions are a natural entry point into direct sales because they offer something readers cannot find on Amazon or other retailers—a reason to visit the author’s own storefront.

Platforms that integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Payhip, such as BookVault and Lulu, make the direct sale of special editions relatively straightforward. The author lists the special edition on their site, a reader places an order, and the printer prints and ships it automatically. Meanwhile, the author collects customer data, such as emails and purchase history, that would otherwise belong to the retailer—data that supports future marketing, reader relationships, and launch planning.

Authors who order limited print runs of their special editions rather than using a print-on-demand service can also benefit from selling their books directly; the only difference to factor in is how to store inventory and the time and cost of shipping the books once an order is placed.

10. Treat Special Editions as a Product Line, Not a One-Off.

The authors who generate the most consistent revenue from special editions approach them as an ongoing product category within their publishing business, not as a single experiment. Mark Leslie Lefebvre has observed that special editions and direct sales allow authors to stand out from the digital crowd and build deeper connections with their fans, according to Written Word Media. That works best when readers know to expect premium options as part of an author’s catalog.

Whatever strategy you use, ensure it’s sustainable. Start with one title—ideally a series starter or a fan-favorite stand-alone—and test the market through a Kickstarter or direct sales listing. Evaluate what sells and what doesn’t, and apply those lessons to the next edition. Over time, special editions become a predictable revenue stream and a way to deepen reader loyalty.

The collector’s edition market is still wide open for indie authors. With print-on-demand eliminating inventory risk, crowdfunding providing upfront capital, and direct sales channels putting customer data back into the author’s hands, the infrastructure is in place for authors at every scale. The 92 percent of indie authors who haven’t yet offered a special edition have an opportunity in front of them—one that starts with understanding what their readers value enough to put on a shelf.

Kat Singleton, a Romance author, created a candle exclusive to her series. Penny Reid designed a custom yarn color to commemorate her series’s main character, who runs a yarn store. Other authors have offered handwritten notes, personalized scenes, or a Q&A with the author. Best-selling LitRPG author Matt Dinniman offered contradictory rewards in the Kickstarter campaign to produce hardcovers of the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book: For $666, he would write you into the series and kill you off. For $777, however, he would let your character live. “We’ve long seen naming rights in campaigns—we’ll name the dragon after your dog, we’ll name the villain after your mother-in-law, we’ll name the hero after your son—but Matt took it a step further,” Leckert says.

Since Kickstarter launched in 2009, the platform’s publishing category has seen more than $380 million pledged and more than 69,000 projects launched, according to Leckert in an April interview for The Creative Penn podcast. By every metric, Leckert says—whether it be the number of projects launched, the number of first-time creators on the site, the number of dollars raised, or the percent success rate of campaigns—the publishing category has seen year-over-year growth since before 2020.

Indie authors and publishers have been a significant part of that. As another form of direct sales, Leckert says the platform’s popularity reflects shifts in the industry toward connecting with audiences directly—something traditional publishers are starting to recognize.

“I think we’re in a really fascinating moment in the sort of broader publishing ecosystem, where not just Kickstarter but many of the things that indie authors have been doing and finding great success in are becoming un-ignorable by the traditional gatekeepers and the more sort of conservative folks in the industry,” she says. “[That success is] forcing major publishers to take notice and shift their thinking and maybe eventually … begin to innovate.”

Just as hard to ignore is Kickstarter’s impact on individual indie authors’ careers. In recent years, crowdfunding campaigns have become a key part of many authors’ business models, shaping how they connect with superfans, reach new audiences, and launch and market new titles. Indie authors have long valued the creative freedom that comes with writing and publishing their own stories without a middleman. Today, trends on Kickstarter reflect how that idea is expanding within the industry to every other part of a publishing business as well, from the design of physical products to the choice of printers and suppliers and even management of final distribution.

Kickstarter and the Industry

As the success of any crowdfunded campaign is influenced directly by audience interest and engagement, it’s no surprise that successful projects on Kickstarter often mirror current trends in the larger publishing industry. Genre fiction—and particularly popular genres with large audiences, such as Romance, Romantasy, and Sci-Fi/Fantasy—tend to perform strongly, Leckert says. “I had a particular focus on Romance over the last three to four years, and so we’ve really seen that exploding,” she says.

Campaigns to create special editions are also popular, the reason for which is twofold. On the reader side, interest in special editions has been growing in recent years, a trend publishers theorize in part may stem from reader communities on social media and the growth of bookbox subscription companies, according to an article in Publishers Weekly. In Written Word Media’s 2026 reader survey, at least 30 percent of respondees said they had purchased a special edition, and 23 percent of respondees said they’d be willing to spend more on an enhanced edition of a book that includes features like “bonus content, author commentary, or early access.”

On the author side, crowdfunding offers an opportunity for authors and publishers to gauge audience interest in special editions or certain aspects of the design before spending money or ordering copies. “Kickstarter is a really, really strong place to do special editions, again, because you get the money first,” Leckert says. “You can start by saying, ‘If we raise ten grand, we’re going to do French flaps and sprayed edges,’ and then if you hit that goal, you can say, ‘Well, now, if we raise another two grand, we’re doing ribbon bookmarks,’ [and] another couple grand beyond that, ‘We’re going to make a full color or vellum art inserts.’ You can really create it in collaboration with your audience as you go.”

Several standout Kickstarter campaigns from 2026 were created to fund special editions of new or existing books, including Jacquelyn Benson’s “1898 edition” clothbound and foiled hardcover of her Historical Fiction novel, Willow Winters’s Kickstarter-exclusive “blacklight collection” of special editions, and Dakota Krout’s campaign to create special editions for books 2 and 3 in his series after the success of a previous campaign for book 1. In May of this year, Kickstarter Publishing also added new subcategories for audiobooks and tabletop role-playing games, suggesting creators are frequently turning to the platform to fund projects in those categories.

Although projects related to popular fiction genres often perform well on the platform, they are far from the only success stories. Leckert says plenty of projects from other genres have drawn just as much attention and support, such as memoir and self-help books, business books, and children’s books. Even those targeting niche audiences can find tremendous success when marketed well. “I think three years ago, our top-funded nonfiction project was an eight-hundred-page oversized coffee table book on the history of computer keyboards,” she says.

“The ceiling is really, really high. There’s a lot of space,” Leckert says. “Anybody who’s got a strong platform, an ability to reach their audience, can really find a lot of success here.”

Kickstarter and the Individual Author

The keyboard book campaign Leckert mentioned, created by designer and typographer Marcin Wichary, ultimately earned $753,291 from 4,278 backers. Much of the support he received in his campaign came from the audience he’d built over years in the industry and funneled toward the site—something Leckert says anyone who creates a project on Kickstarter should be prepared to do.

“Generally, for an early career publishing campaign, we see maybe 20 to 30 percent of your audience will come from the larger Kickstarter ecosystem, so that’s not nothing,” she says. “You will certainly be growing your audience by being on the platform, but … you definitely need to bring your people to bear first.”

Leckert reminds authors that setting realistic expectations for their campaigns will lead to greater chances of successfully funding their projects. “You have to make sure that your ambition matches your reach,” she says. If you’re an emerging author or starting with a smaller audience, focusing on smaller projects and funding goals initially will allow you to learn the platform and grow your audience before attempting larger-scale campaigns.

Just as authors should set realistic goals for their campaigns, they can also feel comfortable offering rewards that feel manageable to them. With more campaigns focused on creating artistic special editions of books, many campaigns are also leaning into eye-catching and artistic rewards, such as custom bookmarks, character artwork, or stickers. But Leckert says that isn’t a requirement.

“Anybody who’s got a strong platform, an ability to reach their audience, can really find a lot of success here.”
—Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter

“There’s a persistent misapprehension that in order to run a Kickstarter, you have to turn yourself into a swag production facility, and that is not true,” Leckert says. Although plenty of Kickstarter backers enjoy physical merchandise, it may not always be the most beneficial or cost-efficient way to attract support. Leckert encourages authors to think about offering rewards that are unique to their project and story worlds, as well as to explore non-tangible reward options, such as the opportunity to create a character later in a series or have their name printed in the final book.

Projects and rewards that have been created using AI are allowed on the site, as long as creators are clear about how and where they’ve used AI tools in the process. Leckert describes Kickstarter’s policy as one of “radical transparency,” so that backers have the opportunity to fully understand a project and how it will be created before they choose whether to support it. Even with this transparency, however, Leckert says she hasn’t noticed trends toward or away from AI-assisted projects on the platform.

Backers on Kickstarter tend to be open-minded about different genres and willing to support unique projects, Leckert says. Whether they’re supporting a grand series of special editions with an array of merch or an emerging author’s book launch with only a few reward tiers, authors can generally find an audience on the platform.

“I think a really notable thing about Kickstarter Publishing—first of all, the average backing amount last year in publishing was $72. So this is really different behavior than your standard internet book buyer who’s trying to spend 99 cents on an e-book,” she says. “People are willing to really invest here, and … there’s a real appetite for different tropes, different genres, taking a chance on just supporting the act of creativity wherever it is.”

What to Know Before You Start

Authors new to the platform or curious about creating their first Kickstarter campaign can find a range of resources and advice for the platform on the Kickstarter website. The creator tips page for Kickstarter’s publishing category includes basic how-to guides, marketing and budgeting advice, and more. Additionally, the Kickstarter for Authors Facebook Group, run by Anthea Sharp and Thorn Coyle, provides authors a place to ask questions and learn from other authors’ and publishers’ experiences with the platform.

One of the best ways to learn how to manage a successful Kickstarter campaign, however, is to look at—and back—other campaigns on the site, Leckert says.

“I am not suggesting that you spend all of your money on Kickstarter the way that I do, but pick five projects, back them for a few bucks, and begin to understand the Kickstarter experience from the backer perspective,” she says. “That will help you know what things you will want to do or avoid as a creator.”

From the initial planning to fulfillment, authors new to Kickstarter should be prepared for a significant time investment when hosting a campaign on the platform. But the more time a creator can dedicate to researching and strategizing before managing a campaign, the more their efforts can pay off—literally. During the fundraising window, Leckert also recommends cross-promoting with other live campaigns to reach a wider audience of potential backers who are already familiar with Kickstarter.

As time goes on, Leckert believes the success of independent creators on Kickstarter will encourage more readers, as well as the wider publishing industry, to explore crowdfunding. Already, traditional publishers are taking note of the success independent creatives have had with the platform, and traditionally published authors are using the platform to build excitement and interest for their new titles. Earlier this year, a collection of traditional and indie Romance authors managed a campaign for a collection of Dystopian Romance novellas, raising more than $1.4 million in total, and another campaign by Fantasy author Charles Soule allowed him to market a companion volume to his upcoming book before its release with Harper Perennial. “I think the savvier publishers will take note soon that any work done on Kickstarter is also going to augment all of the trad work that they and their authors are doing,” Leckert says. “This is a real rising-tide, lifting-all-the-boats scenario.”

She also hopes the publishing industry’s growing familiarity with crowdfunding and the number of success stories authors have shared will encourage more creators to explore the platform themselves.

“Somebody recently said that doing their first Kickstarter was like getting their first tattoo,” Leckert says. “It seemed like it was gonna be really scary, and it was kind of painful while it was happening, and then as soon as it was done, they were like, ‘Okay, that was so much easier than I thought. Let’s do this again. I can’t wait.’”

Hello, my pretties!

One thing terrifies many new authors more than bad reviews: designing their book covers.

Your cover is your book’s handshake with the world. That all-important greeting happens in a fraction of a second, usually as a thumbnail on a screen. In that moment, a potential reader decides whether to click or scroll past.

No pressure, then. Right?

Your cover sells the book before the story gets a chance. You can write the most beautiful prose, craft the most compelling characters, and nail every emotional beat, yet none of it matters if your cover can’t convince readers to click.

This is why covers always deserve serious attention and, in most cases, professional help.

Genre Signals Matter Most

A good cover is not about being beautiful. It’s about being accurate.

Covers communicate genre instantly. Romance covers look different from Thriller covers. Cozy Mysteries have a distinct visual language. Literary fiction signals differently than commercial fiction.

Readers have trained themselves to recognize these signals, even if they don’t realize it. When a cover doesn’t match genre expectations, readers feel confused. Confused readers don’t buy.

As we have discussed before, the key to your success is always to research, research, research. Before you design anything, study covers in your genre. Look at the top 100 bestsellers. Notice color palettes, typography, and imagery choices. These patterns exist because they work.

I’ve spent weeks studying Romance covers. Contemporary Romance trends toward illustrated covers with bold colors and playful typography. But Small-Town Romance often uses photographic covers with softer, warmer tones. The subgenre matters enormously here, so take yours into account.

Professional Design Is Worth It

Unless you have genuine graphic design skills, I would suggest you hire a professional cover designer for your book. Your cover is not the place to save money. A cheap cover looks cheap, and readers notice. They may not consciously think “that typography is amateur,” but they’ll feel something is off and keep scrolling.

Good cover designers know genre conventions. They understand how covers read at thumbnail size. They have access to professional stock images and fonts. They bring expertise you may not have.

Expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for a quality premade cover, or $300 to $1,000 for custom design. This may feel like a big investment, but it will pay for itself in sales you won’t lose to a bad first impression.

Finding the Right Designer

Like deciding on a cover design, finding a designer takes research. To start, look at covers you love in your genre, and find out who designed them. Many designers are credited in the front matter of the books they’ve worked on.

Browse designer portfolios. Whose covers feel right for your genre? Do they understand the visual language your readers expect? You may also want to note whether a designer offers a certain number of revisions to the cover or promises a specific turnaround time.

Ask for recommendations in writing communities, particularly those associated with your genre. Other authors know which designers deliver quality work and which ones are nightmares to work with.

Finally, when you find potential designers, communicate clearly. Share comparison covers that capture the feel you want. Explain your book’s tone and themes. Good designers will ask questions because they want to get it right.

What Makes a Cover Work

When you approach a designer, it helps if you have already done your homework. A quality designer should ask you questions when taking your commission to help them understand what you need. That can be daunting, but it will become a lot easier if you have done some thinking in advance.

Effective covers share certain qualities.

• They’re readable at thumbnail size. If readers can’t see your title or understand your cover image when scrolling through Amazon or glancing at your social media post, they’ll be less likely to click.

• They communicate genre immediately. A reader should know what kind of book they are looking at within seconds.

• They create an emotional response. The best covers make readers feel something, be it intrigued, charmed, excited, or curious.

• They look professional, with a clean design, quality imagery, and polished typography.

• They include your book’s title, your author name, and often a tagline that communicates a little more about the book’s genre or its themes.

Your cover doesn’t need to be clever or artistic. It needs to be clear and compelling. With that said, one of the hardest parts of cover design is trusting the professional you’ve hired.

You’ll have opinions. Some will be good. Some will be based on personal taste rather than market knowledge. Learning to tell the difference takes practice.

Listen to your designer when they push back on choices. They know what works. Your job is to communicate your vision clearly and then let them execute it professionally.

The cover is not about what you like. It’s about what your readers expect. With that said, don’t be too precious about how you want your main character to look or get caught up on wanting the dog on the cover to look like the one you had in tenth grade. There may be a dog in your story, but is that the essence of the tale you want to convey?

Creating a cover that sells the story inside is more important. That doesn’t mean you can’t push back if your designer is failing to hit the mark, but you may need to be more flexible with your design ideas in order to match the expectations of the market.

Reflection Exercise

Before diving into your book’s cover design, take a few minutes to answer the following questions. In many cases, designing your book’s cover is the most collaborative part of the publishing process so far, and your answers will put you in a better mindset ahead of it.

1. What covers in my genre do I find most compelling, and why?

2. What is my realistic budget for cover design?

3. Am I prepared to trust a professional’s expertise over my personal preferences?

4. How will I evaluate whether a cover is working for my genre?

Reality Check-In

When I first self-published, I invested in a series of beautiful covers for my Cozy Mysteries. But they widely missed the mark. Yes, they were mysterious, but they weren’t cozy. With a graveyard and a misty church in the background, they screamed “horror story” instead of “pretty English village.”

That was an expensive lesson to learn, but I am prepared this time.

As I work through my final edits on my manuscript, I’ve hired a designer who specializes in Contemporary Romance to design my covers. We had a detailed consultation where I shared comparison covers, explained my series concept, and described the tone of the book.

She sent three initial concepts last week. One was too dark. One was too cute. But the third captured something that made me gasp. It has warm colors, the genre’s illustrated style, and the suggestion of a bookshop. It feels like my book.

We’re refining the typography now. I’m practicing the art of giving useful feedback without micromanaging. It’s harder than it sounds.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

Ask any group of authors about what their writing means to them, and many will share how stories have shaped their lives, often from early childhood, when they fell in love with reading or found comfort in books.

Some will share how stories have changed their lives—how writing has helped them step away from an old career or altered their daily routine for the better.

For Theresa Goodrich, writing has done both of these things. And in one of the most challenging parts of her story—which came amid a difficult period for people across the world—though writing didn’t save her life directly, it gave her hope in the midst of it.

She hadn’t expected it would become such a source of hope for other people too.

Today, Theresa writes nonfiction travel books under the name Theresa L. Goodrich and fictional Cozy Travel Mysteries under the pen name Theresa L. Carter. Before that, she studied journalism, though she opted for a less traditional route with her career once she graduated.

“My dad’s an artist, so I grew up with him creating. He created his own schedule, and he created what he wanted to create, and that was the kind of lifestyle that I wanted, and I just couldn’t see going through the obits and city beats and all that,” Theresa says.

Rather than working for a paper, she instead began waiting tables and writing on the side. After moving to Chicago in 2001, she started sharing the stories of her new home on her blog, The Local Tourist, hoping to expand later into writing about other towns and cities across the Midwest. That opportunity came in 2016, when a cross-country road trip with her husband inspired a memoir about the journey. She published her second book in 2018 and had a launch party planned for her third book in March 2020.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Her book launch event was canceled; Theresa continued writing the book from a new angle.

A few months later, a routine mammogram revealed Theresa had breast cancer.

Finding Joy

Theresa had celebrated her fiftieth birthday in May 2020, and she’d scheduled her first routine mammogram for August of that year.

“It did its job,” she says.

After the mammogram and a follow-up biopsy came back abnormal, Theresa and her husband, Jim, took a weekend camping trip to unplug while they waited for further results. On the final day of the trip, Theresa received the news of her diagnosis.

“I remember all that was left in the campsite was we had this blue tarp that was under our tent, and there was a little baby frog on the tarp, and it was the cutest little thing,” she says. “We were just about to wrap that up, and then I got the call from the doctor.”

After the couple returned home “and had a chance to breathe a little bit,” Theresa says, she and her husband told their parents. Soon after, Theresa posted an update on Facebook.

“It was obviously the toughest time of my life. And it was the hardest time in my husband’s life. And … it’s also one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”
—Theresa Goodrich

“From that point on, I was very public about the entire experience because we were all so isolated,” she says. “And then once I began chemo, we became even more isolated.” At the start of the pandemic, Theresa had started writing about her thoughts and experiences through lockdown on her blog. As she began chemotherapy, she continued writing and posting, detailing everything from the isolation of lockdown to smoking marijuana with a friend for the first time to ease the nausea from the chemotherapy drugs. “There’s not a whole lot that I hid,” she says with a laugh.

When Theresa shaved her head a few days after her first chemotherapy appointment—her husband shaved his, too, in solidarity—a friend porch-dropped a collection of fun wigs she had amassed from her annual New Year’s Eve parties. “I mean, one is, like, this big,” Theresa says, holding her hands up on either side of her head, “and it’s white, and one had blue tips, and there was a red one.” The couple saw an opportunity to turn the wigs into a source of joy around the holidays. Starting on Christmas, the couple would try on a new wig and costume and hold a photoshoot, then post the results on Facebook. They continued for twelve days and called it “The Twelve Wigs of Christmas.”

“People would just—they just loved it,” Theresa says. “I went to a friend’s birthday party, and someone was there I hadn’t seen in probably a decade … and she came up and she just hugged me. And she started crying, and she’s like, ‘I cannot tell you how much that meant to see you and Jim doing this.’”

She continues, “It was obviously the toughest time of my life. And it was the hardest time in my husband’s life. And to be able to do something fun and bring some levity to all of it, and to have people also just having fun with it—yes, it’s hard, and it sucked. And it’s also one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

No More Waiting

As Theresa was sharing her own story online, she was also writing a different story. She continued writing her third nonfiction book, Living Landmarks of Chicago, while undergoing chemotherapy. The book gave her “something to look forward to,” she says.

“I would bring my computer and work on it while I was doing chemo because when you’re undergoing chemo, you’re pretty much there for most of the day. It could be anywhere from four to eight hours, sometimes even longer,” she says. Her nurses became her cheerleaders; at her appointments each week, they would ask about her progress over the past week and the chapter she was working on.

“I was just so thrilled that they have so many patients and they actually wanted to know how I was doing,” she says. “It just was really motivating.”

She finished writing the book April 21, five days before she finished chemo. The book had been a passion project, and it had kept her going. But the end of treatment gave Theresa a new perspective on life, and a new direction for her fourth solo book.

“I realized I’d always wanted to write novels,” she says. “I mean, my grandma would give me her books. I remember reading Clan of the Cave Bear because Grandma had given it to me, and I was like, ‘I want to do this when I grow up.’ And finally, at fifty-one, I finished treatment, and I was just like, ‘I’m not waiting anymore.’”

Theresa finished the book in March 2022 and published it in August. She had to work up the courage to publish it. Although she’d been writing and publishing for years, she had only ever published nonfiction. ”I was terrified,” she says. “It’s a lot more vulnerable and a lot more raw when you’re writing fiction.”

The protagonist of that book, Alex Paige, was a travel writer and breast cancer survivor, just like Theresa. But her story, like her author’s, was only getting started. Today, Theresa has published seven Alex Paige Travel Mysteries, with more still to come. Alongside the Mysteries, Theresa has also continued writing nonfiction travel guides and even branched into Fantasy for a five-book series.

And later this month, she’s launching a Kickstarter for her first memoir. The book, Diary of a Cockeyed Optimist, explores how receiving an unexpected cancer diagnosis changed her outlook on life and inspired her to finally pursue her dream career.

Lessons from the Journey

Theresa is compiling her memoir from the posts and journal entries she wrote during her cancer treatment as well as her reflections from today. The process has been an emotional one—but it was also a chance to reflect on the brighter moments she experienced.

“God, the kindness,” she says. “I’ve always believed that people are kind, and that’s actually why I wrote my first book because it was in 2017 and tensions were really, really high. … I wanted to write that book to show that people are kind and we’re more alike than we are different. And that came back to me in spades when I put myself out there.

“[When writing about my cancer diagnosis] I was definitely not ‘Rah, rah, this is fine. I’m strong. I’m a warrior,’” she continues. “That is not how I approached it. It was like, ‘This sucks. And I also have a lot of hope, and I’m going to be fine, and look at all you amazing people who are lifting me up.’”

“At fifty-one, I finished treatment, and I was just like, ‘I’m not waiting anymore.’”
—Theresa Goodrich

Theresa hopes her writing—whether fiction or nonfiction—offers people a glimpse of the same kindness. She doesn’t always write with that theme in mind, she clarifies; it just comes naturally with the stories she likes to tell. When writing blog posts about places to visit or compiling one of her travel guides, she opts to focus on places she would recommend versus the places she wouldn’t. In her Alex Paige novels, even though there’s drama—“I’m writing Murder Mysteries,” she says. “People die. People commit murder.”—she makes sure each character always gets a satisfying ending.

“When they read ‘The End,’ I want them to feel like I’ve given them a hug,” she says. “I’ve got readers who will say, when the book comes, ‘I’m saving this until Sunday,’ and they just spend the day reading it, and that is the best feeling in the world—to know that I’m their self-care Sunday.”

In her life post-treatment, Theresa has tried to show herself the same kindness. She says no to the projects and opportunities that she isn’t truly excited about—as she puts it, “things that I realize don’t align with my soul.” She gives herself permission to create what fills her, and to decorate her planner with stickers and highlighters rather than saving them. She’s trying to find more outlets for creativity, such as knitting and cooking.

And she’s allowing herself the chance to see herself as more than one thing—at least, she’s working on it.

“I feel like you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself and say, ‘This is what I am. This is what I do,’” she says. “For many, many years, I defined myself. ‘I am the Local Tourist.’ That’s who I was. And that was another transition after going through cancer is realizing, ‘I’m not one thing. I’m not just a travel writer. I am a storyteller, and I’m a creative.’”

The Road Ahead

The lessons Theresa has learned are the same ones she hopes to pass along to others who hear her story. “You don’t have to wait for that gut punch,” she says. “You don’t have to wait for that devastating diagnosis or to look your mortality in the face.”

The leap doesn’t have to happen all at once; she encourages authors—and others—to start small. Instead of learning to travel solo by taking a monthlong adventure through Europe, she says, plan a weekend trip close to home. Instead of clearing your schedule to write for hours each day, block out thirty minutes. “I think anything that calls to you and fills your soul, you just take one step,” she says.

She encourages authors to make writing time “sacrosanct” and to read as much as they can, and to remember, “You are worth being happy,” she says.

“I think we get so caught up in, ‘We should do that, this, and we should do that,’ and doing something that brings you joy feels like an indulgence,” she says. “Something that I’ve learned since diagnosis and treatment is that, no, your life should bring you joy.”

For Theresa, that means dedicating time to her writing. The Kickstarter for her memoir launches July 14, ending August 4—the anniversary of her first mammogram. She has another Kickstarter planned for her Fantasy series after that. In the meantime, she’s still travel writing, still “saying yes more to the things that fill me,” she says.

On the pre-launch page for her Kickstarter, she writes that her latest mammogram was benign; her cancer markers are clear. She also clarifies that her new book is not a cancer memoir. “Cancer is the canvas, not the picture,” it reads. “This is a book about surviving with your whole self intact, about the gifts hidden inside the worst moments, and about the permission we forget to give ourselves: to feel what we feel, to want what we want, and to stop waiting for our lives to begin.”

She hopes she can be an example to those around her of exactly that.

“I’m going to be fifty-six in May, and I plan to live another fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six years,” she says. “I’m not going to wait for something to say, ‘You may not have that much time’ to do what brings me joy and what brings me love.”

Every author has a manuscript they will never publish. Every main character grapples with challenges as they travel through their story. Both in fiction and in the real world, mistakes are unavoidable. But they’re also one of the best ways for us to grow. Mistakes help our characters discover who they need to become by the end of the book, and they help us find our voices, shape our businesses, and perfect the stories we put into the world. In this installment of her guest series, book coach Rona Gofstein reminds authors that success won’t always happen the first time—but even failure can be a good thing, if you look at it the right way.

Most of us have been trained to think of mistakes we make as writers as a bad thing, from starting the book in the wrong spot to not giving our characters enough agency. But the truth is mistakes aren’t only necessary; they can be helpful—both for us and for our characters.

As a book coach, I often hear questions like:

• “What if I choose the wrong point of view?”

• “What if I waste months on a project that doesn’t work?”

• “What if I’m not clear on what is driving my character and what they need?”

These questions come from a vulnerable place every writer has felt, whether they are working on their first book or their tenth. We want to do well. We want to avoid pain, skip the mistakes, and get straight to success.

Unfortunately, that’s not how writing works. In fact, I’d argue that mistakes are not only inevitable; they’re essential. But mistakes are also fixable with time, further writing, or an outside perspective, be it a fellow author, an editor, a beta reader, or yes, a book coach.

As writers, we often view mistakes as evidence that we’re failing. But most of the time, they’re evidence that we’re learning, growing, and improving.

Maybe you started writing a book and realized halfway through that your story isn’t actually about the character you thought it was. Maybe you spent weeks outlining only to lose your inspiration and realize you’re a discovery writer at heart. Maybe you wrote an entire draft, then decided it would never see the light of day. Every writer I know has!

Were these mistakes? Perhaps. But they were also information.

Every writing choice teaches us something. Every wrong turn reveals a new path. Every abandoned draft helps us better understand our voice, our process, our strengths, and the stories we most want to tell.

And mistakes aren’t just important for us. Our characters need to make them too. There needs to be friction in the fiction, or your characters won’t grow, learn, or change.

Think about your favorite novels. Chances are the protagonist doesn’t make perfect decisions from page 1. They stumble. They trust the wrong person. They run away when they should stay. They stay when they should leave. At the midpoint, they still haven’t learned what they needed, and they face a setback on their journey. In the dark moment of Act 3, they must trust what they’ve learned and believe in their goal, despite the mistakes they’ve made along the way, or there will be no victory. And that’s exactly why you kept turning the pages.

Characters who always make the right choice are not only difficult to relate to or root for; they’re also boring. Growth happens when actions have consequences, when a character discovers that their old beliefs no longer serve them, and when they fail, regroup, and try again.

Readers don’t connect with perfection. They connect with humanity. The mistakes your characters make are often the engine that drives the story forward.

Your mistakes can do the same—on and off the page. The course you signed up for that didn’t meet your expectations may help you clarify what kind of learning works best for you. The book you wrote that will never get published may contain lessons that make your next book stronger. And when you take the time to figure out what’s not working in your draft, you’ll learn more about what your story needs. Maybe it just needs your character to make a mistake.

When we stop treating mistakes as proof that we’re doing something wrong and start viewing them as part of the creative process, we become more willing to experiment, take risks, and, hopefully, keep going. So if you’re staring at a writing mistake today, consider a different possibility. Maybe it isn’t a dead end. Maybe it’s a doorway. And maybe the thing you’re learning right now is something you couldn’t have discovered any other way.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for guidance on your specific situation.

Only a few months after ChatGPT emerged in November 2022, as more users were discovering generative AI platforms and exploring their capabilities, authors and other creatives were already posing questions about AI and copyright. Would AI-generated content be copyrightable? What about works created by a mix of human and AI input? Would copyright protection extend to works being used to train AI models?

In IAM’s April 2023 special issue on artificial intelligence, guest author Ash Roberts explored where copyright law stood at the time—but with court cases still pending and without updated rulings from the Copyright Office, many of the answers authors wanted were still hypothetical.

Pro Tip: You can read Roberts’s article, originally published under the title “Humans, Monkeys, and the Muddled Mess of Who Owns Copyright over AI,” here: https://indieauthormagazine.com/humans-monkeys-and-the-muddled-mess-of-who-owns-copyright-over-ai/.

Three years later, appellate court decisions, a three-part report from the U.S. Copyright Office, more than fifty active lawsuits against AI companies, and the $1.5 billion Bartz v. Anthropic settlement have provided authors with many of the answers they were looking for. Some questions remain unanswered, and court precedents and the developments in generative technology have raised new ones. But the legal landscape for creatives today is much clearer than in 2023, offering definitions and distinctions that matter to all authors.

Whether you choose to use AI or simply seek to understand the protections that exist for your work in its midst, here’s where things stand in 2026.

AI Cannot Be an Author. That’s Now Settled (Mostly).

Roberts’s original article detailed one of the standout cases taking place at the time of its publication. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, Stephen Thaler argued he should own the copyright to artwork his AI system, the Creative Machine, generated autonomously. In his original copyright registration application, which was denied, he listed the Creative Machine as the author of the work but claimed a “fruit of the tree” doctrine—if he owned the machine, he owned what it produced. At the time, that case was still pending.

It’s not pending anymore. In March 2025, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the lower court’s ruling: The Copyright Act requires all eligible work to be authored by a human being, and the Creativity Machine doesn’t qualify. Multiple provisions within the Act make clear that authors must be humans, not machines, according to the court’s ruling.

Thaler filed a petition asking the US Supreme Court to take the case in October 2025, so there’s a slim chance the case will get revisited at the highest level. But for now, the legal standard is that AI acting on its own cannot hold copyright.

In the wake of Thaler’s case, it’s important to note that the court has yet to rule definitively on where the line is drawn for copyright protection when a human uses AI as a tool and contributes significant creative input along the way. Although this is likely the question many indie authors care about, the answer is yet to be decided.

The Copyright Office Got Specific.

Between 2024 and 2025, the US Copyright Office released a three-part report on AI and copyright that filled in a lot of gaps. The first part, published in July 2024, covered digital replicas, or “the use of digital technology to realistically replicate an individual’s voice or appearance,” according to the report. The subsequent parts, which were published in January 2025 and May 2025, covered the copyrightability of AI and the programs’ use of copyrighted works in training new AI models, respectively—topics many authors have wondered about. Although the Copyright Office’s report doesn’t have the force of law, it signals where the government thinks the line should be drawn.

On whether your AI-assisted work is copyrightable (Part 2, January 2025): The Copyright Office confirmed that prompts alone—even extraordinarily detailed, multi-step, heavily engineered prompts—do not make you the author of whatever the AI produces. Legally, prompts function as instructions, not creative expression. The prompt author only tells the machine what they want; the machine decides how to execute it.

This doesn’t mean AI-assisted work can never be copyrighted. The report laid out scenarios where copyright protection likely applies: If you input your own copyrighted writing and it’s perceptible in the output, for example, you’re the author of at least that portion. If you creatively select, arrange, or modify AI-generated content, those human contributions can be copyrightable. And hundreds of works incorporating some AI-generated material have been registered successfully since the 2023 guidance, so this isn’t a blanket ban on using AI in your process.

The practical spectrum looks something like this: If you’re brainstorming with AI, using it to check grammar, or letting it help you refine prose you wrote, your copyright is intact. If you’re generating passages with AI and then substantially rewriting them, this is also likely protectable, though a court would need to evaluate eligibility case by case. But if you’re prompting AI to write your entire book and hitting publish, the work is not copyrightable under current standards.

On whether AI companies can train on copyrighted works (Part 3, May 2025): The Copyright Office released a 108-page report examining fair use in AI training and concluded that certain uses of copyrighted material for training cannot be defended as fair use. Where AI-generated outputs are substantially similar to the training data that went in, the Office sees a strong argument for infringement.

Three Courts, Three Cases, Three Different Answers

Outside of the Copyright Office’s reports, several landmark court cases have laid the groundwork for future rulings around copyright and AI. Legal analysts have started calling the first batch of fair use rulings “the Fair Use Triangle” because the three decisions point in different directions depending on the circumstances.

Thomson Reuters v. ROSS Intelligence (February 2025)—The AI company lost. ROSS Intelligence used Westlaw’s copyrighted legal headnotes to train a competing AI-powered legal search engine. The court rejected the fair use defense for two reasons: The copyrighted material was subject to full protection, and the resulting AI product competed directly against the original. When your AI tool is designed to replace the thing it was trained on, fair use is a hard sell.

Bartz v. Anthropic (June 2025)—The AI company won on fair use for purchased books, though it settled with authors whose books were pirated. A group of authors sued Anthropic—the company behind Claude—for using their books to train its AI model. The judge found fair use for legally purchased books, calling training large language models “among the most transformative” uses the court expected to see. The case continued on the separate question of whether Anthropic’s use of pirated copies obtained through BitTorrent for the same purpose was also considered fair use—a distinction the court treated very differently. The case ultimately settled for $1.5 billion, though following a fairness hearing in April, final approval remains pending as of this publication.

Additionally, a set of authors who opted out of the initial Bartz v. Anthropic settlement are suing the AI company for copyright infringement in a separate case. The authors argue they “did not discover, and could not have reasonably discovered, that their specific works were included in Anthropic’s private, internal database” until the direct notice to class members was sent by the original plaintiffs. The case is still in early stages, so no rulings have been made yet.

Kadrey et al. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. (June 2025) — The AI company won, but the court left a roadmap for future plaintiffs. Authors including Sarah Silverman and Richard Kadrey sued Meta for training its collection of AI models, called LLaMA, on pirated copies of their books. Meta prevailed because the plaintiffs didn’t present sufficient evidence that Meta’s use harmed the market for their original works. But the court’s detailed reasoning argued the authors simply made the wrong argument in their motion and told future plaintiffs how to build a stronger case, particularly around the indirect ways AI-generated content can substitute for and devalue original creative work.

The scorecard so far: Three judges have ruled on fair use in AI training. Two of those have sided with AI companies, but one sided with the copyright holder. Yet with more than fifty active lawsuits regarding AI and copyright protections, filed by everyone from The New York Times to Disney to the Authors Guild, there’s a lot more to come.

The Case Indie Authors Should Watch

Roberts’s 2023 article mentioned Jason Allen, the artist who won a Colorado State Fair award with AI-generated artwork after spending eighty hours and nine hundred iterations creating his piece. He’s now suing the Copyright Office in the case of Allen v. Perlmutter after they denied his copyright registration.

Allen argues his case is fundamentally different from Thaler’s. Where Thaler listed the AI as the sole author and himself as merely the owner, Allen is arguing that he exercised significant creative control through more than six hundred prompts and extensive iteration—that the AI was his tool, not his replacement. His filing specifically distinguishes his level of involvement from the autonomous generation at issue in Thaler.

This case tests a scenario many authors navigate daily: using AI with substantial human direction, iteration, and creative decision-making. The outcome will go a long way toward defining where “assisted by AI” ends and “generated by AI” begins. As of June 2026, the case is still pending in federal court in Colorado.

What Hasn’t Changed

Some fundamentals from 2023 remain solid. Copyright still attaches automatically the moment you create something; registration with the Copyright Office is only required if you need to enforce it in court, and a DMCA takedown notice handles most situations indie authors encounter. You still don’t own the copyright to most elements on your book cover—the stock photos, typography, and design elements belong to their respective creators unless rights are explicitly transferred to you. Courts and the Copyright Office maintain that non-human creators can’t hold copyright, citing precedent in Naruto v. Slater that says Congress has not specifically extended copyright law to animals. And the terms of service for whatever AI tool you’re using still govern your right to use its output—most platforms transfer usage rights to you, but it’s always worth checking.

Other countries continue to handle the gray area of protecting creative works in the wake of artificial intelligence differently. Some jurisdictions assign copyright of AI-generated material to the programmer or the person who arranged for the work to be created. If you’re publishing internationally, the rules in each market may vary.

What to Do

If you use AI in your creative process: Use it as a tool within your workflow, not as a substitute for your creativity. Document your human contributions—keep drafts, revision notes, and records that show your creative decision-making. Substantially modify any AI-generated content before it goes into your final manuscript. And when registering work with the Copyright Office, disclose your AI involvement honestly, and describe your human contributions clearly. The Copyright Office has registered hundreds of works with AI components since 2023; transparency works in your favor.

If you’re concerned about your books being used to train AI: You’re in good company; dozens of lawsuits are pursuing exactly this issue. The legal landscape is still developing, with major decisions expected through 2026 and beyond. Monitor opt-out mechanisms offered by AI platforms where they’re available, and keep an eye on the Authors Guild and similar organizations that are actively litigating on behalf of creators.

“Substantial human intervention” is still the standard for copyright, just as it was in 2023. The difference is that we now have court rulings, Copyright Office reports, and billion-dollar settlements that offer additional definition. The law is catching up to the technology—but just like AI, it’s always evolving and likely won’t stay still for long.

This article is a companion to “Humans, Monkeys, and the Muddled Mess of Who Owns Copyright Over AI” published in April 2023. It reflects the legal landscape as of early 2026. Copyright law around AI continues to develop rapidly; check back for updates as new rulings are issued.

Hello, my pretties!

As we close out this quarter focused on drafting, it’s time to look ahead. Your manuscript is revised. Your beta feedback has been incorporated. The story is as strong as you can make it alone.

What comes next?

Professional Editing: A Wise Investment?

Before diving into the debate over publishing paths, there is one final drafting step you may decide to consider. Regardless of which publishing path you choose, professional editing is probably worth the investment, if you can afford it.

There are different types of editing. Developmental editing addresses big-picture issues: structure, pacing, character arcs. Copyediting focuses on sentence-level clarity, consistency, and style. Proofreading catches typos and errors before publication. What you need depends on your manuscript and your budget. At minimum, every book should have a proofread. Ideally, you’d invest in developmental editing for your first few books, at least until you internalize the lessons and can apply them during your own revision process.

A good editor will improve your book without erasing your voice. They’ll explain their suggestions rather than just making changes. They’ll respect your vision while identifying genuine problems. Good editors are not cheap. But a poorly edited book will cost you readers, reviews, and reputation. This is not the place to cut corners.

Ask for recommendations in writing communities. Look at editors who work in your genre. Request sample edits or ask them to explain their process before committing, so you know whether they’ll be a good fit. If an editor’s feedback doesn’t resonate or if their communication style doesn’t work for you, keep looking. This is a significant investment. The relationship matters.

As helpful as they can be, don’t panic if you can’t afford a professional editor. There are a number of online platforms, such as Grammarly and ProWritingAid, that can help you give your manuscript that final polish. Many professional authors use these systems as a final pass even with the services of a professional editor. You could also welcome your beta readers to point out any typos when they provide feedback. Just remember that even professionally edited, traditionally published work has the odd rogue spelling mistake. Those pesky things show up everywhere.

The important thing is to get as many eyes on your work before you move on to the next stage. Professional, experienced eyes are ideal, but don’t get yourself into debt.

Publishing Pathways: What works best for you?

The transition point between editing and publishing is where many writers feel paralyzed. The publishing landscape offers multiple paths, each with trade-offs. Traditional publishing. Small presses. Self-publishing. Hybrid approaches. The options can feel overwhelming.

A word of caution at this point. This is obviously an article in a magazine dedicated to independent publishing. For now, let’s imagine you haven’t decided which way to go, or you are just curious about what options lie before you. The key thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to publish. Many highly successful authors do a mixture of everything, depending on the market their books are targeting or simply how the planets have shifted. The decision is yours, and yours alone. Whatever path you take must work for you. And you can always change paths later on.

Let me simplify things. The right path is the one that matches your goals, your timeline, and your temperament.

Traditional Publishing

Traditional publishing means submitting to agents, who then submit to publishers. If accepted, the publisher handles editing, cover design, distribution, and much of the marketing. You receive an advance against royalties.

The benefits are real. Authors who work with traditional publishers receive professional support, the chance to distribute to bookstores more easily, and the validation of being chosen. For some writers, traditional publishing remains the dream.

The downsides are also real. The process is slow, often taking years from submission to publication. Rejection is common, even for excellent manuscripts. You give up significant control over covers, titles, and timing. Royalty rates are typically lower than self-publishing.

Traditional publishing suits writers with patience, thick skin, and stories that fit established market categories. It’s harder to break into the traditional market with unusual books or niche genres.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing means you are the publisher. You hire editors, designers, and formatters. You handle distribution through platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and others. You keep a larger percentage of each sale. Compared with traditional publishing, you’ll bring your books to market faster, have complete creative control, receive higher royalty rates, and be able to build a backlist quickly.

But downsides exist here, too. Authors who choose self-publishing are responsible for everything. Upfront investment is required for professional editing and covers. Marketing falls entirely on your shoulders. Some readers and industry gatekeepers still look down on self-published work.

Self-publishing suits writers who want control, are willing to learn the business side, and can invest either money or significant time in their careers.

The Hybrid Reality

Many authors today pursue hybrid careers. They self-publish some work and traditionally publish other work. They adapt their approach based on the project, the genre, and the opportunity.

The boundaries between paths are more fluid than they once were. Ultimately, your book’s publishing path is up to you, but what matters most is choosing intentionally rather than defaulting to whatever seems easiest.

Looking Ahead

Take a moment to appreciate how far you’ve come. Six months ago, you were thinking about genre and pen names. Now you have a revised manuscript that’s nearly ready for the world.

That is remarkable. Take a few moments to let that sink in.

Next quarter, we’ll dive into the practical elements of publishing: covers, blurbs, formatting, and launch strategy.

Reflection Exercise

If you find yourself torn over which publishing path is right for your book, consider how you would answer the following:

1. What level of editing investment makes sense for my budget and goals?

2. Which publishing path appeals to me most, and why?

3. What aspects of publishing am I most nervous about?

4. What do I need to learn before making publishing decisions?

Remember, there isn’t one right path to publishing your book. However, your answers to these questions may help you decide where to go next.

Reality Check-In

I’ve decided to self-publish this Romance series. The decision wasn’t difficult. I know the indie landscape. I have the skills from my Cozy Mystery career. And I want the speed and control that self-publishing provides.

But I’m still investing in professional editing. I’ve hired a developmental editor who specializes in Romance. Her feedback is due next month. After that, I’ll do another revision pass. I need her professional input because this is my first Romance, and I want to ensure I get it right. I will probably skip hiring a copy editor and proofreader. I can do those final passes myself to save money.

The timeline I’m working toward is an autumn release for book one. That gives me time to do this right without rushing.

I’m also starting to think about covers, which is both exciting and terrifying. Romance covers are very different from Cozy Mystery covers. I have so much to learn.

But that’s a task to worry about next quarter. For now, I’m celebrating a completed, revised manuscript. The drafting phase is behind me. The publishing phase awaits.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

The Myth of the Sleepless Creative

There is a long-standing myth that great art only comes from sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of sleep. Writers joke about surviving on caffeine, working through the night, and ignoring exhaustion to meet deadlines or capture inspiration before it fades.

Although an occasional late night may be unavoidable, chronic sleep deprivation works against the creative process. According to a 2014 study published by researchers at the University of California–Berkeley, lack of sleep affects concentration, memory, emotional balance, and decision-making. For writers, this can mean struggling to find the right words, losing focus in the middle of a draft, or feeling drained by work that once felt exciting and alive.

Alternatively, sleep may make your next writing session easier, and it won’t necessarily stop your creative flow. Research shows that slumber gives the brain time to continue processing beneath the surface, forming connections we may not reach while exhausted and forcing the work.

One of the most fascinating findings in sleep research is the role REM sleep plays in creative problem-solving. REM sleep allows the brain to make connections that might not seem obvious during our waking hours, writes TIME Magazine’s Jeffrey Kluger in his 2017 article, “How To Wake Up To Your Creativity.” While we sleep, our minds are less focused on logic and routine thinking, giving us the freedom to approach challenges from unexpected angles. Have you ever gone to bed frustrated by a plot problem, only to wake up with the answer? That’s not just a coincidence. During REM sleep, the brain continues working behind the scenes, sorting through ideas, combining memories, and testing new possibilities. For writers and other creative people, a good night’s sleep may be one of the most effective brainstorming tools available.

Many writers have experienced the strange magic of waking up with the answer to a problem that felt impossible the night before. A stubborn plot hole now makes sense. Dialogue flows more naturally. An emotional scene gains clarity. Dreams, memory consolidation, and emotional processing all contribute to creativity in ways science is still exploring, but the takeaway for authors is less mysterious: Sometimes the most productive thing a writer can do for a difficult draft is to step away from it long enough to rest.

Why Writers Struggle with Sleep

Writers face unique challenges with sleep. Creative work does not always stop when the laptop closes. Story ideas linger, dialogue loops through the mind, and unfinished projects can create anxiety long after bedtime.

However, the problem with sleep can extend further. Many authors work and relax on the same devices, making it difficult for the brain to separate creative stimulation from rest. Even the writing space itself can blur boundaries. When we answer emails, edit chapters, or scroll social media in bed, the mind associates that space with activity rather than sleep.

Many writers are also guilty of burning the candle at both ends. Faced with deadlines, day jobs, family responsibilities, and creative ambitions, it can be tempting to sacrifice sleep in order to squeeze in a few more pages before bed. Yet articles suggest that cutting back on sleep may actually work against the creative process. The hours we spend sleeping are not wasted time. During sleep, the brain continues processing information, making new connections, and exploring solutions to problems that may have seemed impossible the night before. By giving ourselves enough time to rest, we may give our creativity the space it needs to do some of its best work.

Practical Sleep Tips for Writers

Protecting sleep health often begins with creating stronger boundaries between creative work and personal rest. Writers may not always control deadlines or inspiration, but small habits can help signal to the brain that it is time to slow down for the evening.

In a Washington Post article called “Does Sleeping on an Idea Work?” researchers explore how sleep functions as a creative tool. The article highlights studies showing that even short naps may help people discover solutions they’ve missed while fully awake. Rather than viewing sleep as time lost from the creative process, the article suggests that sleep can be an active part of it.

The CDC offers several tips and strategies for monitoring and improving your sleep health, but in addition, authors may want to try to

• avoid drafting or editing in bed;

• reduce screen use before sleep, especially intense writing or endless scrolling research;

• leave themselves notes about where to continue writing tomorrow to reduce anxiety about forgetting ideas;

• create a short wind-down ritual, such as reading poetry, journaling, stretching, or listening to calming music;

• dim lights an hour before bed to reduce stimulation; and

• keep a notebook nearby so they can jot down late-night ideas without reopening devices.

Some medications, life events, and health conditions can also contribute to a lack of sleep. If you are concerned about your sleep health or issues with your sleep, it may also be necessary to consult with your medical practitioner for further advice and guidance.

Creative minds do not shut off completely, but consistent routines can help train the body and mind to rest more fully. The blinking cursor will still be there in the morning. Sometimes the kindest thing a writer can do for their craft is to close the laptop, turn out the light, and trust that a rested mind will return to the page ready to create something even better.

Today Deborah—pronounced “Deb-O-rah”—Wilde is the author of twenty-five novels, but before she began building magical worlds and a loyal readership, she was writing for the screen. She described her television work as “a mix of stuff” that included “a lot of Fantasy, especially animation.” But a career shaped by other people’s productions eventually gave way to one built around her own stories, her own audience, and a signature voice.

Frustrated by an industry trend toward reality television, the Canadian screenwriter challenged herself to write five novels in three years. Deborah’s YA Rom-Coms, written under the pen name Tellulah Darling, featured sassy girls and swoony boys drowning in Greek mythology-inspired drama. She succeeded in publishing five of them between 2012 and 2015, and had written and published another by 2018. She loved it. But something was missing.

So she started again. When she reinvented herself a second time, this time as Deborah Wilde, the former screenwriter says she “jumped to Urban Fantasy that was very much for adults and spicy.” Her next four series starred snarky adult heroines solving high-stakes supernatural mysteries with open-door heat and salty language. And this time, she says, her characters could use “my favorite old Hollywood banter.”

The second shift was the answer she’d been looking for. Deborah is now an author of adult Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Women’s Fiction, written in four different series, released in three different formats, and translated into two additional languages, French and German. She has a fifth series debut novel up for preorder. Mad Queens Inc.: Golem For Broke leans into the success of her Magic After Midlife series, following the adventures of a wickedly competent heroine in her forties who runs an unlicensed magical problem-solving agency with her best friends.

But Deborah’s new persona isn’t entirely distinct from the screenwriter who took a risk. In fact, she says, starting over as Deborah Wilde allowed her to develop a persona that felt more authentic to who she really is: “a global wanderer and hopeless romantic” who is “also a total cynic with a broken edit button,” according to her website.

Act One: Setup

Reader interest guided Deborah’s transition from YA to New Adult stories, and the response to her Magic After Midlife series influenced her decision to develop her newest series around an older main character. “I am a Gen Xer, and we want our representation in Fantasy. So having an older heroine, even though she’s not in her fifties, she’s in her forties—the response has been amazing,” she says.

Deborah’s books are sources of representation in other ways, too. As a Jewish woman, she says that growing up, “the only books I ever saw myself in were Holocaust stories and those very important stories. But I wanted the Jewish girl who was going through the wardrobe or going down the rabbit hole, and there wasn’t that.” So she developed her first adult series around Nava Katz, the Unlikeable Demon Hunter—a Jewish main character with a Jewish love interest.

When asked about the skills that transferred over when she transitioned from screen to page, Deborah says, “What transfers over is structure. Writing dialogue is my happy place. I joke that I actually don’t know how to write a book. I just know how to write a very long prose screenplay.” The biggest learning curve, coming from screenwriting, was adding description and character action. “The actors generally hate it if you tell them exactly what they’re doing. And that was really hard for me,” she says.

The former screenwriter says that structure also led to her starting her author career as a plotter—though that’s since shifted. “Because of my screenwriting training, it was all nailed down,” she says. “And then I’ve just gotten really loose, and now I just have this sort of wonky hybrid where I’ll know my first act.”

Although she described her day-to-day process as a mess, the writing system Deborah has developed for her novels now works for her. “I do a lot of thinking,” she says. “I count thinking and consuming other storytelling as part of my writing process.” Because all her series take place in separate universes, she says most of that thinking focuses on building each world: “What’s the magic system? How am I building it? What is their personal problem? What’s their backstory mystery that might follow them into this?”

When she starts to write, Deborah follows Becca Syme’s advice to avoid social media and other distractions. “I try to do it in the morning and really protect that time and not look at other stuff. It’s like … it is my sacred time until I make my word count, and then [I’m] moving on to what else I have to do,” she says.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, she uses Save the Cat, a system that was built on screenwriting techniques, to develop the first drafts of her stories. Once the draft is done, Deborah takes the manuscript through what she calls “a really extensive editing process” with her editor. She’s worked with the same one for all twenty-five Deborah Wilde books. “I do two extensive developmental edits, really full rewrites,” she says. “Because for me, it allows me to get to the theme the way I want to and get to the depth of character development the way I want to. And then I do two line edits. A lot of it is punching up humor at that point, or maybe there’s some pacing issues, and then it goes off to the proofreader.”

With the draft out of her hands, Deborah starts to think about the next book. She doesn’t keep a series bible. But she says, “I have a giant Word file that I just dump stuff in. And then with each book, I go back and go, ‘Oh, yeah, that. Oh, hey, look, I put that in two books ago! How clever of me. I didn’t realize I’d need it.’” The books are published as she finishes them, and each series lasts until the characters “get to the end of their thematic journey,” however long that takes. Deborah says she can’t predict how long a series will go; some take five books and others six or seven. “I think the only series I ever knew for sure was my first one because it was seven books, and it was based around the seven deadly sins.”

Of course, she takes her readers’ interests into account, too. She extended the Jezebel Files series, which she had planned to finish with four books, because of reader interest. But when she felt the main character had “run out of story,” and readers still wanted more, she “created a cousin, who was, like, a nerdy magic scientist, and I put her in that world for two books,” says Deborah.

As her career has gone on, each new series has taken place in “different versions of Vancouver that have no connection to each other, so I am reinventing the magic system every time,” she says. Maintaining the connection to Judaism in her books has been a unique test, too. “In terms of magic mythology in Judaism and Jewish mythology or folklore, it’s not like Greek and Roman, where there’s so much. Or Celtic, where there’s so much. So I sort of got to this fifth series, and I was like, ‘Huh, how am I including it this time?’”

Act Two: Confrontation

As she started writing books tailored to adults, Deborah found that her voice resonated so well with Gen X readers that she quickly built a community through her website, newsletter, and Facebook Group. “I just feel like this is what I can give them,” she says. “I can give them, you know, who I am.”

The peace she found in this community contrasted starkly with the stress of maintaining her Amazon rankings in Kindle Unlimited (KU). “It was not great for my mental health, always worrying about that,” Deborah says. So she left it behind. Deborah has now removed all of her books from KU and has no intention of ever going back, she says, though her books remain available for regular purchase through Amazon.

When she decided to take her books wide and try selling direct, Deborah faced a new set of challenges. “I had no idea how much work it would be,” she says. “I actually convinced my husband to leave his job in the film industry and come run it for me, and it is his full-time job. We have rebuilt the store probably three times.”

Deborah’s husband, Loreto, came from the post-production side of film and television. So while Deborah has had to adjust her writing skills from screenplays to manuscripts, his learning curve has revolved around technical work. “He knows a lot of the editing programs and a lot of things that have come in handy, but he still had to learn, and is still, because it keeps changing,” says Deborah.

Loreto took the lead with the online store, where the most recent revisions have included updating accessibility requirements and addressing generative engine optimization (GEO) to improve the site’s discoverability by chatbots—“because more people are using, say, ChatGPT to say, ‘How do I find a book?’ than necessarily Google,” Deborah says.

The store’s current incarnation is running through Shopify with some help from Bookvault and BookFunnel for distribution. “Shipping from Canada is a nightmare,” says Deborah. “We don’t have media mail—it’s really expensive.” So Bookvault handles her paperbacks in a print-on-demand system that also provides readers with a digitally signed option. Their shop merchandise is also handled by print-on-demand services.

Deborah’s About page on her website includes a blog full of book recommendations, a suggested reading order, and a helpful FAQ. After addressing questions about the genre and reader suitability, Deborah explains to her readers, “Why should I buy direct from your store?” The answer goes into cozy detail about her dream of owning a Victorian house with a bookshop inside before describing the perks of connecting with the author and the economic and logistical benefits to readers. Deborah says she put that entry into the FAQ for “the same reason that I wanted to sell direct. It was just another way to have a connection with my readers,” she says. “That’s what’s so appealing, you know? My readers have kept me going in my reader group, and in my newsletters when they respond to me, and with memes or just funny, snarky things back at me. So for me, direct sales was [a way that] I get to still have more of this one-on-one engagement with people.”

Act Three: Resolution

After testing her options and learning her boundaries, Deborah’s shop now works as part of a larger community. It’s an ecosystem built on wide releases that launch to her store two to three weeks ahead of other distributors. “I don’t look at launches as a short-term thing,” she says. “I know I can make my backlist work for me. I know there can be longevity.” Deborah’s readers find her through Facebook ads that target her Magic After Midlife series and direct traffic to the shop. Back matter sends them to her newsletter, which introduces them to a Facebook reader group, where 1,900 readers discuss her work.

“It’s been an enormous learning curve,” Deborah says, discussing the challenges of direct sales. “I don’t regret any of it. I love being wide, I love having my own store, but I also know I am very fortunate to have somebody who can run it for me, because there’s no way it would exist if it was on me.”

For authors thinking about starting their own direct sales shops, Deborah says it’s important to remember that you can do it in pieces. “You don’t have to do all of it all at once like I did,” she says. “Test it, you know: Start with your paperbacks, or start with your audiobooks if they’re not exclusive to ACX, or try one thing and see how that goes.”

The next act in Deborah’s career will include her first Kickstarter campaign. Although she could have started small, that wouldn’t have matched the energy of her brand. “I didn’t just decide, ‘Oh, it’s my first one, let’s just do a single volume.’ No, no. I did a three-omnibus set,” Deborah says. The set will include all seven of her Nava Katz: The Unlikeable Demon Hunter books. She’s nervous about fulfillment, since this will be the first product she plans to distribute herself from Canada rather than print-on-demand. “I hired a company to help me run it, but … for some reason, there’s something about Kickstarter that I find so daunting,” she says.

If Deborah has learned anything from screenwriting, though, it’s that audiences come back for characters who keep evolving. Nearly thirty books into her publishing career, she’s still rewriting the script in real time. And the snarky voice that started as a screenwriter’s experiment continues to drive readers into the next story she writes—stories that, like her real life, feature strong, witty women over forty who take risks, face challenges, and find their own happily ever after.

Hello, my pretties!

You have drafted your manuscript, done some thorough self-editing, identified possible beta readers, and sent out your beloved book with a carefully crafted series of questions. Now the feedback is in. Your beta readers have done their work. And you’re staring at a collection of comments, suggestions, and observations, wondering what to do with it all.

First, deep breath. This part is overwhelming for everyone.

Beta feedback can feel like you’re being pulled in multiple directions. One reader loved the hero. Another found him distant. One thought the pacing was perfect. Another got bored in the middle. How do you reconcile contradictions? How do you know what to change?

This is where your judgment as the author kicks in. Not all feedback is equal, and not all of it is right for your book.

Let It Settle

Before you change a single word, let the feedback sit for a few days.

Your initial reaction to criticism is rarely your best reaction. The defensive impulse needs time to fade. The useful insights need time to surface. Remember how you had to step away from your book during self-editing in order to see your manuscript clearly? That fresh perspective may help with reading through your beta feedback, too.

I read all my feedback once, feel whatever feelings arise, then close the documents and walk away. When I return a few days later, I can see the comments more clearly. The ones that sting often contain the most important truths. The ones I immediately dismiss sometimes deserve a second look.

Give yourself permission to feel hurt, frustrated, or confused. Then give yourself permission to move past those feelings into productive revision.

Find the Patterns

The first thing to watch for once you’ve compiled your beta feedback: repetition. When multiple readers identify the same problem, pay attention. That’s a signal you can’t ignore.

If three out of four betas mention the middle section dragged, the middle section dragged. If everyone loved your heroine but found her best friend annoying, that best friend needs work. Consensual feedback points to genuine issues with the manuscript.

Individual comments are different. One reader’s confusion might be a “them” problem, not one you necessarily need to address. One reader’s dislike of a plot choice might be personal preference rather than an objective flaw with your writing.

This is why having multiple betas matters. Patterns usually reveal the truth. Outliers often reveal taste. This isn’t to say you should ignore all outliers, especially if their comments are about missing key elements that your particular genre audience is expecting. For example, when I write Cozy Mysteries, most readers expect the mystery to land in the first ten thousand words; others expect it on page one. Both are right, so if a beta comes back and tells me the dead body appeared too late in the story, that is worth a fresh look, even if other betas didn’t mention it.

On that note, sometimes beta readers directly contradict each other. One loves what another hates. When this happens, return to your vision for the book. What were you trying to create? Which feedback moves you closer to that vision?

You can’t please everyone. Make choices. Own them. Your book will be stronger for your clarity.

Sorting Feedback into Categories

As I’m reviewing the notes from my beta readers, I sort their feedback into three categories: “must fix,” “consider fixing,” and “not for this book.”

“Must fix” includes any issue multiple readers identified and anything that undermines the core promise of the genre. If Romance readers didn’t believe in the love story, that’s a must-fix. If Thriller readers say there wasn’t enough tension, that needs revision. I suggest revisiting your research, especially what you found out about tropes, before doing this analysis.

“Consider fixing” includes interesting suggestions from single readers and comments that resonate with your own doubts. Maybe they echo that niggling concern you had about the physical description of a certain character, or their suggestion offers a more interesting way to transition a scene.

“Not for this book” includes feedback that conflicts with your vision and suggestions that would change the fundamental nature of the story. Being able to say “not for this book” is important. You’re the author, and you know the story and your characters best. Even if your beta readers disagree, you always have the final say.

Revision Strategy

Once you’ve sorted your feedback, create a revision plan.

Start with the structural issues. If major scenes need to be added, cut, or rewritten, do that first. Then address the chapter-level feedback—pacing problems, unclear motivations, or scenes that didn’t land emotionally. Work through the book systematically rather than bouncing around the manuscript randomly. Finally, address smaller issues—dialogue that didn’t ring true or descriptions that confused readers. This is the fine-tuning work that will make good scenes better.

Using a layered approach prevents you from getting lost in details before the big picture is right. You don’t want to end up polishing prose that will ultimately end up on the cutting-room floor.

Knowing When You’re Done

Just like when you were self-editing, be warned that revision can become endless. There’s always more tinkering you could do.

This is where having an editor waiting for your manuscript is ideal. They have given you a deadline, and nothing focuses the mind better than an external end date. If you can’t afford a professional editor or have decided not to use one, consider having an accountability partner or, even better, an impending upload date on your pre-sale order page.

If you are writing way ahead of your deadlines, then give yourself a cut-off date to put the work away and a firm rule that you won’t return to it for a month. If, after that month has passed, you still think the work needs further edits, only do the ones that have been nagging at you during that month. If you forgot about them as soon as you closed the document, then they weren’t that important.

Reflection Exercise

Before you open the emails from your beta readers or take a red pen to your work, reflect on the following:

1. How do I typically respond to contradictory feedback?

2. What’s my process for deciding which feedback to act on?

3. Am I more likely to over-revise or under-revise after feedback?

4. What would it look like for me to be done with this round of revisions?

Knowing these answers before you start will help the rest of your revision process flow more smoothly.

Reality Check-In

My beta feedback arrived over the last two weeks. I made myself wait until all three betas had responded before opening any of it. Then I read everything in one sitting.

The consensus was encouraging. All three readers finished the book and wanted to keep reading. That’s the baseline I needed.

The problems they identified were consistent. The middle dragged slightly. My hero’s motivation for his initial resistance to romance wasn’t clear enough. One subplot resolved too quickly.

I’ll spend this month revising. The middle has already lost three thousand words and gained two scenes that increase tension. My hero now has a clearer backstory that explains his reluctance. I still need to give the subplot more air time; this will take more work, but it will be worth it.

The book will be better. Genuinely better. And that’s what beta feedback is for.

Next month, I’ll talk about professional editing and the different options available. But for now, I’m grateful for readers who told me the truth and helped me see what I couldn’t see alone.

Happy writing,

Susan

X

Article by Robyn Sarty

When Charlotte Ashley, owner of Trident Booksellers and Cafe in Halifax, Nova Scotia, learned that Sword and Soul literary genre pioneer and legend Charles Saunders had once lived above her bookstore, she asked, “Why didn’t I know that?”

She’d asked the same question shortly after she moved to the area several years ago, when she met up with a group of Nova Scotian writers and discovered a bevy of hidden talent of multi-published and award-winning authors living in obscurity in her newly adopted province.

As she began work on the Trident Conference for Speculative Fiction, which took place May 15–17, she approached it with the same question: Why didn’t I know that? As authors, what don’t we know? And how can we discover the answers?

The Trident Conference for Speculative Fiction, or TriCon Halifax, blossomed into a space for writers and readers alike to do just that. The conference was the first that Ashley had hosted, taking place in the bookstore itself and in nearby venues, including the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, which features views of Halifax Harbour. Ashley considered the city to be the perfect place to hold the conference, because, as she points out, the Maritimes didn’t have a convention for Science Fiction and Fantasy authors. Stretching over the course of three days, the event comprised a packed schedule of lectures, workshops, and panels. From the Blue Pencil sessions to the book launches, kaffeeklatches, and readings, stories were shared, encouraged, and championed. Two symposiums focusing on aspects of being a writer in Canada also challenged authors to think of the world beyond their writing desks.

The attendees weren’t just Canadians. Authors came from the UK, the US, and beyond to experience the community that Halifax has to offer and to join in the conversations. In all, around two hundred authors, readers, and aspiring writers were part of the celebration. Together with the range of sessions, panels, and sales opportunities for local indie authors, they helped turn what seemed like a small local bookstore event on paper into a hidden gem of an author conference.

A Spotlight on Storytelling

TriCon Halifax’s opening ceremonies kicked off Friday, May 15, with a Landing Welcome from Director of Inclusion & Accessibility Tiffany Morris, an L’nu’skw (Mi’kmaw) writer from Nova Scotia, who reinforced this idea: “[Halifax] is a place of gathering, and we’re gathering here to tell stories.”

Indeed, stories were told the whole weekend. Outside of typical panels and sessions taking place throughout the event, attendees were invited to join a Halifax Ghost Walk through the city, where tour guides recounted some of the legends of its history, including the tragedy of the Halifax Explosion. The storytelling continued through the book readings that took place at the Trident Booksellers and Cafe, where authors were invited to read snippets of their books to other attendees and the public alike.

A major highlight of the weekend was Saturday’s “Amal El-Mohtar in Conversation!”—a chance for readers to hear from the How to Lose the Time War co-author as she read from her newest collection of short stories, Seasons of Glass and Iron. The guest of honour was around throughout the conference as well, sharing her wisdom—“Approach your own work with kindness,” she responded to one question during the Newbie Writers Q&A session—and encouraging authors during several of her panels.

The event also included The Fabulist Fair, a book and craft fair showcasing works from local artists and publishers in a rather unique way. While authors were welcome to book a timeslot for signings, Trident Booksellers and Cafe, in partnership with the King’s Co-op Bookstore, also offered independent authors the ability to have their books sold as part of a pop-up shop. Participating authors’ books were displayed on a bookshelf and available for purchase to attendees throughout the event, with any royalties being distributed afterward, meaning authors didn’t have to miss out on the conference sessions in order to sell to readers.

The setup gave authors more chances for those in-between conversations that are so key for smaller conventions. “Smaller cons are good for meaningful connections,” Nebula Award–winning Fantasy author Vanessa Ricci-Thode says. These connections started even before the first panels as authors gathered for lunch at The Henry House, a British-style pub in a National Historic Site of Canada building. Over local cuisine and pub favorites, authors discussed changes to the publishing industry in recent years, as well as opportunities for Canadian authors to earn more from programs sponsored by the Canadian Council for the Arts.

‘A Place of Gathering’

The idea of conversations and connections came up again and again throughout the weekend as authors caught up with friends over lunch, met in the registration line, or continued discussions after sessions concluded.

El-Mohtar says she loves conventions because of the conversations that take place both on panels and between them. When asked why she attended this conference in particular, the author said that Halifax itself is such a draw, but also, “I’m committed to do anything I can to help get more conventions off the ground.” She also says that she would love more Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions in Canada.

American Game Writer & Narrative Designer Aysha U. Farah says she also jumped at the chance to come to Halifax when El-Mohtar invited her because she loves how welcoming Canadians are.

TriCon Halifax isn’t the only smaller conference to pop up in recent years. Ireland’s Publishing Show, the Toronto Indie Author Conference, and Indie Unconference Europe, as well as past iterations of the 20BooksTo50K® conferences in England, Scotland, Holland, and Spain, are all conferences that started with the idea of offering authors opportunities for smaller events that may be more affordable and accessible, as well as less intimidating, than traveling to the larger conferences in Las Vegas, London, or Frankfurt. These hidden gems are perhaps more valuable in some respects than the inundation of information one experiences at the larger events.

Canadian Horror and Speculative Fiction author Mark Leslie (Lefebvre), who attended TriCon Halifax and moderated a self-publishing symposium during the event, writes that he enjoys the opportunity for more in-depth conversation with attendees at smaller conferences. “You can [have] far more than a passing hallway conversation or quick greeting,” he writes. “Sure, we go to conferences to learn about things from the panels and presentations, but at least 60% to 80% of the value I get from a conference is in the engagement with other authors and with other book industry contacts. A chance to interact in a really human way. And in today’s digital and fickle environment, those in person events and connections become more important now than ever.”

Beyond the immediate benefits of education and sales, local events such as TriCon Halifax can provide opportunities to connect with writers’ groups or professional writers’ organizations. The Writers Federation of Nova Scotia participated in the Fabulist Fair for this very reason. “WFNS is interested in the conference as a way to connect with genre authors in the community as traditionally there hasn’t been that representation,” says Oriana Duinker, executive director of the organization.

Ashley says that the biggest win for her would be to see collaborations between authors coming out of this event. She’s excited to bring TriCon Halifax back next year and is already welcoming ideas for new panels and speakers. Her dream is “to bring the world here, and to introduce the world to us (Nova Scotia).”

Dates have not been set for the next TriCon Halifax, but those interested in learning more about the event and receiving updates can visit https://tricon-halifax.com to sign up for the event’s newsletter. And if you are an author eager to meet up with your fellow wordsmiths, keep an eye out on your own local event pages. You never know until you attend whether bookstore events and conference opportunities near you will turn out to be a treasure trove of connections.

The 2025 Written Word Media Indie Author Survey found 30 percent of authors surveyed are already selling direct and another 30 percent plan to start this year. Among authors earning more than $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct.

The appeal is straightforward: higher per-sale margins—up to 95 percent of the sale price minus processing fees, compared with 70 percent maximum on Amazon; ownership of customer data, such as email addresses, purchase history, and format preferences; and independence from any single retailer’s algorithms or policy changes. The tradeoff is equally straightforward: The author handles what retailers used to handle—storefront setup, file delivery, payment processing, tax compliance, and driving traffic. Kindlepreneur reports 66 percent of authors selling direct have more than five books, and 46 percent have more than ten—which means that many titles to manage in a direct sales storefront while trying to write the next one.

The following ten tips cover how to get a direct sales storefront running without turning the project into a second full-time job. The emphasis is on starting simply, proving the concept, and scaling only after the basics are working.

1. Pick a Platform that Matches Your Comfort Level.

Indie authors have three broad categories of options for selling direct, and the right choice depends on how much infrastructure you want to manage and how you plan to reach readers. Hosted platforms such as Payhip, Curios, and Shopify handle the technical side for you in exchange for a monthly fee, transaction percentage, or both. Self-hosted platforms such as WooCommerce and FluentCart run on your own WordPress site, offering maximum control and customization in exchange for more technical setup. Payment processors such as Stripe and Square skip the storefront entirely, letting you create products and generate direct purchase links—including QR codes—without building a full shop.

Hosted platforms are the lowest-friction entry point for most authors. Payhip is free to start and only takes 5 percent per transaction on the free tier, with no monthly fees, and it handles EU and UK digital VAT automatically. It works well for authors who primarily want to sell ebooks and audiobooks with minimal setup. Shopify sits at the other end of the hosted spectrum, starting at $39 per month for the basic plan, with a massive app ecosystem and deep integrations with print-on-demand services, email platforms, and payment processors. It suits authors planning to sell across multiple formats and scale over time. Curios takes a different approach—it’s an author-focused marketplace where readers can browse across multiple authors’ catalogs, which adds a layer of built-in discoverability that a stand-alone storefront doesn’t offer. Direct2Readers is a sister site of Indie Author Magazine and functions primarily as a discoverability engine, helping readers find indie authors and their work, with direct sales available as a fallback option rather than the central focus.

Self-hosted platforms trade convenience for control. WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that offers maximum customization but requires a self-hosted WordPress site and more technical comfort. FluentCart is a rising option in the same space and a strong contender. Both options suit authors who already have a WordPress site or are comfortable setting one up and who want to keep more of each sale and own their entire sales stack.

Payment processors are the most stripped-down option. Tools like Stripe and Square let you create a product inside the processor and generate a direct purchase link without building a storefront. Those links can be converted into QR codes, which is especially useful for in-person sales at conventions, signings, book fairs, and library events, where a reader can scan the code and complete the purchase from their phone. Both also handle in-person card payments directly, which pairs well with selling physical books at events. Payhip can function this way too—you can use it as a full hosted storefront or just as a way to generate product links, which makes it a flexible bridge between the hosted and payment-processor categories.

If the plan is to sell primarily digital products with minimal overhead, a hosted platform like Payhip is the lowest-friction starting point. If the plan includes print books, merchandise, special editions, or multiple product lines, Shopify provides a more robust foundation. For authors who already have a WordPress site, WooCommerce or FluentCart can be a strong middle-ground option. And for authors who don’t need a storefront at all—or who do most of their selling in person—a payment processor with product links and QR codes may be all they need. Marketplaces like Curios and Direct2Readers can layer on top of any of these choices to extend reach without replacing your main sales channel. Author Jessica S. Taylor’s direct sales guide recommends choosing a platform that integrates with BookFunnel for digital delivery, which Payhip, Shopify, and WooCommerce all support.

2. Start with Digital Products.

Ebooks and audiobooks are the simplest products to sell direct because they require no inventory, no shipping, and no physical fulfillment. The reader pays and receives a download link—usually delivered through platforms like BookFunnel or StoryOrigin—and the transaction is complete. BookFunnel focuses specifically on file delivery and reader support, handling format detection, device-specific delivery, and customer support for download issues. Its First-Time Author plan starts at $30 per year, with Mid-List and Bestseller tiers available for authors who need integrations, higher download volumes, or audiobook delivery. StoryOrigin takes a broader, all-in-one approach, bundling ebook file delivery with newsletter swaps, group promotions, review copy management, universal book links, and goal tracking. Its Standard Plan is $10 per month or $100 per year and includes unlimited file delivery and integrations with most major email service providers. The main functional difference for direct sales is that StoryOrigin doesn’t currently deliver audiobook files—it can distribute audiobook promo codes, but actual audiobook file delivery requires BookFunnel or another solution. Authors selling audiobooks direct generally need BookFunnel; authors selling only ebooks can use either, and many use both for different purposes.

An important caveat: Authors with ebooks enrolled in Amazon’s KDP Select cannot sell those ebooks directly, as KDP Select requires Amazon exclusivity for the ebook format. Authors who are wide—distributing ebooks across multiple retailers—can add direct sales as an additional channel without conflict. Print editions and audiobooks are not affected by KDP Select enrollment, so there are still direct sales opportunities for authors whose books are part of the program.

3. Add Print-on-Demand.

Many who imagine selling print books directly likely picture boxes of their books stacked in a spare room waiting to be packaged and shipped. Print-on-demand services eliminate that entirely. Some print distributors can connect with an author’s storefront so that when a reader orders a physical copy of a book, the title is printed and shipped from the company instead of by the author. Lulu Direct offers plug-and-play integrations for Shopify, Wix, and WooCommerce. When a reader orders a paperback or hardcover from the author’s storefront, Lulu prints and ships the book automatically, and the author never handles inventory. Bookvault offers ready-made plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and Payhip, with TikTok Shop integration on the way, and it provides the same hands-off fulfillment model.

Both Lulu and Bookvault also offer a free open API that authors with custom or bespoke websites can use to connect any platform to their print-on-demand network. The API approach requires technical knowledge or a developer’s help, but it removes the limitation of needing to be on one of the supported ecommerce platforms—if it can talk to an API, it can integrate. Lulu’s API has been publicly available since 2017 and has more extensive third-party documentation and community resources, which can make initial setup smoother, but both services provide their own documentation, sandbox environments, and developer support.

IngramSpark has introduced Share & Sell direct-selling links for US accounts. These don’t plug into storefront platforms the way Lulu and Bookvault’s apps do, but they support QR codes and HTML embeds, so authors can place them on a website, in a newsletter, on social media, or on signage at in-person events. For authors who already publish through IngramSpark, this can serve as a way to offer print titles for direct purchase while using a separate platform for ebook and audiobook sales.

4. Set up Payment Processing Before You List a Product.

Payment processing setup involves connecting a bank account to receive funds and verifying your identity. It’s typically straightforward, but the connection should be tested before the store goes live.

A word of caution: Do not test by placing an order with your own credit card, even on your own store. Card networks, such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, and payment processors, such as Stripe, PayPal, and Square, all prohibit transactions between a cardholder and a merchant account they own or are associated with, even for legitimate testing purposes. Violations can trigger declined charges, lowered spend limits, account holds, or termination of either the card or the merchant account. Instead, use the test mode or sandbox environment that most processors provide—Stripe offers test card numbers, PayPal has a sandbox account system, and Square provides a test dashboard—which simulates a full transaction without moving real money.

5. Understand Your Tax Obligations Early.

Sales tax is the part of direct sales that can make some authors nervous, and understandably so. The rules vary significantly by country, so here’s a high-level overview.

For US-based authors: Sales tax obligations are determined by “nexus”—the state or states where the author has a physical presence, which always includes their home state—or has exceeded an economic threshold for remote sales. The most common economic nexus threshold is $100,000 in sales or two hundred transactions in a given state, but the landscape is shifting: As of January 1, 2026, sixteen states have eliminated the two-hundred-transaction threshold, leaving revenue as the sole trigger, and some states use different numbers entirely—California, Texas, and New York all use a $500,000 threshold. Most indie authors starting out will only have nexus in their home state. Shopify’s built-in tax reporting tracks where you’re approaching thresholds in other states, which is helpful as sales scale.

For US-based authors selling internationally: Different rules apply when you sell to readers in the UK or EU, regardless of where you’re based. The UK has no registration threshold for non-UK sellers of digital products—you must register for UK VAT from your very first sale of an ebook or audiobook to a UK customer. The EU maintains a €10,000 annual threshold for cross-border digital sales; once you exceed that across the EU as a whole, you must collect and remit VAT for all subsequent sales. Payhip handles both EU and UK digital VAT collection and remittance automatically, which is one of its significant advantages for authors selling internationally. Shopify requires a third-party app or manual configuration for VAT compliance.

For UK-based authors: UK ebooks and audiobooks have specific rules. Since May 2020, ebooks in the UK have been zero-rated for VAT, meaning the listed price is exactly what UK readers pay, with no tax added at checkout. Print books have always been zero-rated. Audiobooks, however, are still charged at the standard 20 percent rate—a frequently missed distinction that affects pricing decisions. UK businesses must register for VAT once taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 in any rolling twelve-month period, though zero-rated sales still count toward that threshold. Voluntary registration is available below the threshold and can be beneficial for authors with significant business expenses, since registered businesses can reclaim VAT on purchases.

For EU-based authors: Local VAT registration rules vary by member state, and most countries require VAT registration from the first sale or at very low thresholds for resident businesses, even though the €10,000 cross-border threshold gives some relief for sales to other EU countries. The EU’s One-Stop Shop (OSS) scheme lets you register once in your home country and remit VAT for all EU sales through a single return rather than registering in each country individually.

Pro Tip: For a more in-depth explanation of VAT and related sales tax terms, see IAM‘s article from the April 2025 issue on understanding sales tax as someone who sells direct: https://indieauthormagazine.com/sales-tax-simplified-what-indie-authors-must-know-when-selling-books-direct.

Tax obligations are manageable, but they need to be understood before the first sale, not after. Consider consulting a local accountant familiar with digital and ecommerce sales before launching, especially if you plan to sell across borders.

6. Create Product Pages that Look Professional.

Readers browsing an author’s direct store are making a trust decision: Is this a legitimate place to buy a book, or does it feel sketchy? Professional product pages close that gap. Each product listing on your site should include a high-quality cover mockup, a clear product description with the format specified—ebook, paperback, audiobook, or bundle, for example—the price and what’s included, and a visible buy button that works on mobile.

Designing your product page can be a balancing act. Your page needs to look professional for your readers, but it also needs to be something you can manage long term. Joanna Penn, host of The Creative Penn podcast, spoke about building what she calls a “minimum viable store” in the August 12, 2022, episode of her podcast. The minimum viable store is one that looks professional enough to convert browsers into buyers without requiring weeks of design work. Penn set up 134 products for her Shopify launch, using consistent mockup images created in Canva and organized into Collections—groups of products by series, format, or type. “Keep it simple,” Penn wrote after her experience. “Otherwise, it’s easy to become confused and overwhelmed by all the options, and you might give up.” Consistency creates the professional impression, not complexity.

For authors comfortable using AI, design work that used to require either a paid designer or hours of hands-on layout tinkering is now accessible through AI tools. Claude.ai/design can generate product page mockups, suggest visual hierarchies, and draft layout structures you can adapt for your storefront. Canva has integrated AI features for generating cover mockups, promotional graphics, and product imagery at scale. Finally, Claude Cowork can connect directly to your WooCommerce or Shopify store and help update product page designs, descriptions, and layouts conversationally—you describe what you want changed, and Cowork can make the updates on your behalf rather than requiring you to navigate the platform’s design tools. This is particularly useful for authors managing large catalogs, where consistency across dozens or hundreds of product pages would otherwise be a significant time investment.

Pro Tip: For specific walk-throughs of using these tools for direct sales setup, see the recent AI Summit hosted by Indie Author Training.

7. Connect Your Store to Your Email List from Day 1.

The single biggest strategic advantage of selling direct is gathering customer data. When an author sells through Amazon, the retailer keeps the customer’s email address, purchase history, and browsing behavior. When an author sells through their own store, that data belongs to the author. Connecting the storefront to an email marketing platform—Kit, MailerLite, Mailchimp, or FluentCRM—from the very first sale ensures that every buyer is automatically added to the author’s newsletter list with a purchase tag.

This enables you to set up post-purchase automations you can’t offer through other retailers: a thank-you email, a recommendation for similar items based on what the reader just bought, a review request timed to when the reader has likely finished the book, or a notification when the next book in the series releases. These automations can be set to run in the background and compound over time, turning one-time buyers into repeat customers.

The same purchase data also opens up advertising opportunities that retailer sales simply can’t match. Because you know exactly what each reader bought, you can build highly specific custom audiences for both email campaigns and paid advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. Rather than sending a generic review request to your entire list, you can target only readers who bought book 1 three weeks ago, when they’re statistically most likely to have finished reading and to remember the story clearly enough to write a meaningful review. Rather than promoting book 2 to everyone, you can build a Facebook custom audience of book 1 buyers who haven’t yet purchased the second book and run ads specifically to that group, with copy that references the cliffhanger they just experienced. You can build separate audiences for ebook buyers versus paperback buyers, since they often respond to different upgrade offers like special editions or signed copies, for series completers versus mid-series readers, or for readers who bought a starter book at a discount versus those who paid full price.

These segments also power similar audiences on advertising platforms, where Facebook or Amazon takes your list of confirmed buyers and finds new users who match their patterns. A look-alike audience built from five hundred confirmed direct buyers will almost always outperform a cold-targeted audience built from generic genre interests, because you’re starting from people who have already proven they’ll pay for your work.

8. Give Readers a Reason to Buy from You Instead of Amazon.

Readers are accustomed to Amazon’s one-click checkout, reviews, and shipping speed. An author’s direct store needs to offer something the retailer doesn’t. The most effective incentives authors can offer include exclusive bonus content—a bonus chapter, an alternate ending, or a short story available only through the author’s store; signed bookplates or personalized elements like dedications or character name drops; early access to new releases before they hit retailers; bundle pricing that saves readers money compared to buying titles individually; special edition formats with sprayed edges, foil stamping, character art, or custom endpapers that simply aren’t available on retailer platforms; and coupon codes that reward loyalty or incentivize first-time direct purchases.

The point is not to compete with Amazon on convenience; authors will not win that race. Instead, offer something readers value that Amazon cannot provide—exclusivity, personal connection, collector-quality physical editions, or better pricing on bundles. The rise of special edition collector culture in genres like Romantasy and Romance has shown that readers will pay premium prices—often $50 to $100 or more per book—for editions that feel worth owning rather than just reading.

9. Don’t Abandon Retailers. Add a Channel.

Selling direct does not mean pulling books from Amazon, Kobo, Apple, or any other retailer. Most authors who sell direct treat it as an additional channel rather than a replacement. The retailer storefronts handle discoverability and impulse purchases from new readers. The author’s direct store serves existing fans who want to support the author more directly, and who want the bonuses and exclusives that come with buying direct.

As Joanna Penn noted in her “Selling Books Direct With Shopify: The Minimum Viable Store” podcast episode, selling direct is part of the ethos of publishing wide. An ebook might be in Kindle Unlimited on Amazon while the audiobook and signed hardcover are sold direct. Authors can choose different strategies by format, by series, or by pen name, giving them flexibility to test what works without committing every title to the same channel mix. A common pattern is to keep backlist titles in KU for the borrow income while selling new releases direct first—giving direct buyers a head start—before going wide across retailers a few weeks or months later.

10. Launch Small, Then Build.

The most common mistake with direct sales is trying to build the perfect store before selling a single book. A functional direct sales setup can start with one product, one delivery mechanism, one payment processor, and one way to drive traffic. From there, the author can evaluate what worked, add more products, refine the storefront design, and layer in print-on-demand integration or special editions as demand warrants. Joanna Penn’s approach to building a “minimum viable store” on Shopify followed exactly this philosophy: Start with the basics, prove the concept, and expand based on the data you gather.

A practical first-month roadmap might look like this: In week 1, choose a platform and set up payment processing; in week 2, list one or two products with mockups, descriptions, and delivery configured; in week 3, run a soft launch to your existing newsletter list and place a sandbox test order to confirm everything works end-to-end; in week 4, announce more broadly and watch the data. The store you launch with does not need to be the store you have a year from now—it just needs to function well enough to make the first sale.

Direct sales is not a silver bullet. Joanna Penn notes that it’s harder work than uploading an ebook to Amazon, and it requires business skills not every author has needed before, from understanding payment processing and tax compliance to managing customer support, handling chargebacks and refunds, and driving ongoing traffic generation. The customer support load is the part most authors underestimate—when a reader has trouble downloading their ebook or their package arrives damaged, you’re the one answering the email, not Amazon’s support team.

But for authors who want to own their customer relationships, keep more of each sale, and build a business that doesn’t depend entirely on a retailer’s algorithm, a direct storefront is increasingly the infrastructure that supports everything else. The tools are accessible, the entry costs are low, and the first sale can happen this month.

More Reading

Want to explore direct sales options for your business further? Here are a few additional resources to check out.

• The Creative Penn: 2026 Trends and Predictions

• ScribeCount: How Indie Authors Sell Direct to Readers

• ScribeCount: Payment Portals for Indie Authors

• The Pulp Writer Show: Payhip vs Shopify for Indie Author Direct Sales

• Bookvault: Special Edition Book Printing

Hello, my pretties!

My last article spoke about walking away from your manuscript and self-editing. We discussed how challenging that can be. But prepare yourself; it’s about to get a lot worse.

Now it’s time to let someone else read your book.

This is terrifying. I know. After months of living with these characters, the thought of someone else judging them feels deeply personal. What if they hate the main character? What if they think it’s a complete pile of trash and question how you ever thought you could be a writer? What if they hate … you?

First, remember this is not personal. Here’s the truth: Beta readers will find problems. That’s the point. Better they find them now than readers who paid money for your book.

Beta readers are test audiences. They read your manuscript and provide feedback on how a story works as a reading experience. The right beta readers are not there to praise you. They’re there to help you see what you can’t see yourself.

Good beta feedback tells you where readers got confused, where they got bored, where they stopped believing in the characters or the plot, and where emotional beats fell flat. This is different from professional editing. Beta readers aren’t checking your grammar or line-editing your prose, though some will inevitably try. Their role is to tell you how the story felt to read, so you can decide where and how it can be improved.

Finding the Right Betas

Not everyone makes a good beta reader. Your mom, who thinks everything you write is wonderful, is not a good beta reader. Your friend who reads exclusively Literary Fiction may be helpful for an author who writes in that genre, but she is probably not the right beta for your Romance novel.

The best beta readers share these qualities:

• They read in your genre.

• They can articulate why something does or doesn’t work for them.

• They’re honest but not cruel.

• They respect your vision while identifying problems.

Although you may have friends or family who meet these requirements, it’s sometimes better to find people who aren’t as close to you and are more willing to share their honest feedback. Writing communities, genre-specific Facebook groups, online forums, local writing groups, and newsletter swaps where you exchange beta reads with other authors are all good places to consider.

I’ve built my beta pool over years. Some are writer friends. Some are dedicated readers who volunteered after loving my Cozy Mysteries. Each brings a different perspective, and that diversity is valuable.

How Many Betas Do You Need?

There’s no magic number of beta readers you need to receive useful feedback, but I recommend between three and five beta readers for most projects. Fewer than three, and you might mistake one person’s preference for a universal problem. More than five, and you’ll drown in conflicting feedback.

If all five betas mention the same issue, that’s a problem you need to fix. If only one beta mentions something, it might be personal preference. The patterns in feedback matter more than individual comments, so don’t feel stressed by the need to fix every issue that’s flagged. Focus on the revisions that are most important to readers’ understanding and enjoyment of the story.

Asking the Right Questions

When asking for a beta read, don’t just send your manuscript and ask, “What do you think?” Give your betas specific questions to consider as they’re reading. Ask them things like:

• Did you find the pacing slow anywhere?

• Did you believe in the romance?

• Were there any scenes that confused you?

• Did the ending feel earned?

Specific questions generate useful feedback. Vague requests generate vague responses.

A good tip—which I might try this time around—is to ask your betas to mark anywhere they stopped reading for the day. Those stopping points could reveal pacing problems. If everyone stops at the same chapter, something in that chapter is killing momentum.

Receiving Feedback Gracefully

When feedback arrives, your first instinct will be to become defensive. You’ll want to explain, justify, or argue. You’ll feel misunderstood.

Take a breath. Step away. Let the feedback sit before you respond.

Not all feedback will be useful. Some will be wrong for your book. Some will reflect the reader’s preferences rather than genuine problems. You’re allowed to disagree. But if you find yourself defending the same element against multiple readers, pay attention. As they say, there’s no smoke without fire.

Finally, no matter how much of their feedback you take to heart, thank your betas genuinely. They gave you their time and honesty. Even feedback that stings is a gift.

What Comes Next?

Beta feedback informs your next revision pass. You’ll address the problems that multiple readers identified. You’ll consider feedback that felt right, even if only one person mentioned it.

After that revision, you might send the new draft to another round of betas, or you might be ready for professional editing. But that’s a decision for later. For now, focus on finding your readers and being brave enough to share your story with them.

Reflection Exercise

Before sharing your book with a new set of eyes, take a breath and ask yourself the following questions. They may help you find the right perspective before receiving constructive criticism about your work.

1. What am I most nervous about in sharing my work?

2. Who in my network might make a good beta reader?

3. What specific questions would help me get useful feedback?

4. How do I typically respond to criticism, and how might I manage that?

Reality Check-In

My three weeks away from my manuscript turned into four. Life happened. But when I finally opened the file again, I was amazed at how differently I saw it.

I’ve done one full revision pass, addressing the structural issues that jumped out at me. A subplot that went nowhere was cut. I moved a scene that I loved but that didn’t serve the story to my “darlings” file. The pacing in the middle is tighter now.

This week, I’m sending the new draft to three beta readers. Two are Romance readers from an online group I joined during my genre research. One is a writer friend who doesn’t read much Romance but gives excellent feedback on character and emotion.

I’ve prepared my questions. I’ve warned them I need honest feedback, not gentle praise. Now I wait.

The vulnerability of sharing never gets easier. But I’ve learned to trust the process. Beta feedback has made every book I’ve written better. This one will be no different.

Happy writing,

Susan

X