We live in a time when information moves faster than discernment. With the explosion of AI-generated content and online “facts” that spread without verification, writers have a sacred responsibility to be truth-tellers, not just storytellers. As Christian communicators and independent publishers, our credibility depends on more than eloquence. It depends on integrity. When we fail […]
Self-publishing gives you freedom, but it also gives you… everything else. You’re the writer, the editor, the marketing strategist, the social media intern, the customer service rep, and sometimes the book cover and interior layout designer. You’re also the one refreshing your royalty dashboard at 3am, wondering if any of this is working. At first, […]
As the British Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo first embarked on writing novels instead of poems, she soon realised that, unlike with poetry, she needed to think about story structure to give her books a sense of direction (Evaristo, 2021). Indeed, for a novel to work well and to keep readers’ attention, narrative structure is […]
Self-published authors are responsible for every aspect of their finished books, including the cover. Whether you work with a designer or create one yourself, having an idea of the color scheme can ensure you wind up with something that grabs readers’ attention and fits within the genre. Standing out amid the millions of books in […]
Fictional, literary characters only exist as words on a page. Compiled out of dots, curved and straight lines in ink, they are textual inventions. Even if inspired by actual persons, written characters are not the same as real human beings. And yet, as readers, we can feel deeply connected to and moved by literary characters. […]
IndependentPublishing.com’s Ask a Self-Publishing Expert column provides answers to reader questions. This month, our self-publishing expert, Sarah Kolb-Williams, answers a question from Khalid, who is trying to become the authorized representative of his deceased mother’s KDP account. Here’s the email (lightly edited for length, clarity, and privacy): To whom it may concern, My name is […]
A debate rages in literary circles about using artificial intelligence (AI) art in cover design. Is it ethical? How much AI should you use? Some people call it stealing from artists whose work trained AI models. Others feel you have to come up with creative and specific prompts to develop the art, and thus, it […]
The Question That Keeps Coming Up Since I write emotionally intense fiction that touches on topics like mental illness, queerness, obsession, and trauma, and because I’m actively involved in communities like StoryForge, people often come to me with questions about sensitivity readers. They want to know if they need one, when it makes sense to […]
Today’s book marketplace is full of other people trying to sell their work. You’re competing with traditionally published books, vanity presses and independently published tomes. If you want to rise above the noise, you must develop a personal brand that speaks to the target audience for your stories. Why Consistency Matters in Author Branding Creating […]
One of my biggest struggles as a beginning writer was navigating the publishing world. With so many literary magazines and contests around, I was overwhelmed by the options and would take a shot at anything that came my way, unsure of where to submit my stories. My creative writing students often face the same dilemma, […]
