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Author-written articles on reading habits, book culture, writing life, and indie publishing. Fresh perspectives from the community, every week.

What Is Literary Fiction? A Beginner’s Guide

Genre Deep Dives

What Is Literary Fiction? A Beginner’s Guide

Literary fiction is a type of fiction that focuses on character, language, emotion, and deeper meaning. Instead of only following plot, it often explores the inner lives of people and the complexity of human experience. This beginner’s guide explains literary fiction in simple language with clear examples.

#reading habits #literary fiction #fiction writing

7 min read

40

What Is a Book Genre? A Beginner’s Guide

Genre Deep Dives

What Is a Book Genre? A Beginner’s Guide

A book genre is a category that helps readers understand what kind of story or information a book offers. Genres make it easier to choose, describe, and market books. This beginner’s guide explains book genres in simple language with clear examples.

8 min read

36

Why Some Authors Are Self-Publishing Short Fiction Between Novels

Indie Publishing

Why Some Authors Are Self-Publishing Short Fiction Between Novels

The space between novels used to sit empty. Here's why more indie authors are filling it with short fiction instead, and what they're getting out of it.

#self publishing

5 min read

27

Audiobooks on a Budget: Realistic Options for Self-Published Authors

Indie Publishing

Audiobooks on a Budget: Realistic Options for Self-Published Authors

A full-scale audiobook production isn't the only path available. Here are realistic, lower-cost options for self-published authors actually getting one made.

#self publishing

6 min read

34

What Traditional Publishing Still Gets Right (and How Indies Can Borrow It)

Indie Publishing

What Traditional Publishing Still Gets Right (and How Indies Can Borrow It)

Indie publishing has good reason to reject a lot of traditional practice, but not all of it. Here's what's still worth borrowing, and how to adapt it.

#self publishing

5 min read

27

The Pricing Mistake Most First-Time Self-Published Authors Make

Indie Publishing

The Pricing Mistake Most First-Time Self-Published Authors Make

Pricing feels like a small decision, but most first-time self-published authors make the same costly mistake with it. Here's what to do instead.

#self publishing

5 min read

24

Self-Publishing in Translation: An Underused Growth Strategy

Indie Publishing

Self-Publishing in Translation: An Underused Growth Strategy

Translation tends to get treated as a traditional publishing milestone. Here's why it's also a realistic, underused growth strategy for self-published authors.

#self publishing

5 min read

37

Why Print-on-Demand Quality Varies More Than You'd Expect

Indie Publishing

Why Print-on-Demand Quality Varies More Than You'd Expect

Two copies of the same print-on-demand book can look noticeably different. Here's why print-on-demand quality varies more than most authors expect.

#self publishing

5 min read

29

Rights Reversion: What Happens When a Self-Published Book Gets a Second Life

Indie Publishing

Rights Reversion: What Happens When a Self-Published Book Gets a Second Life

Rights reversion usually comes up in traditional publishing, but self-published authors deal with their own version of it. Here's what a second life can look like.

#self publishing

5 min read

30

The Hidden Costs of Self-Publishing Nobody Mentions Upfront

Indie Publishing

The Hidden Costs of Self-Publishing Nobody Mentions Upfront

Self-publishing is often pitched as low-cost, but several real expenses rarely get mentioned upfront. Here's what new indie authors actually end up paying for.

#self publishing

5 min read

25

Free Tools for Tracking Subplots Across a Series

Free Tools for Tracking Subplots Across a Series

Subplots tend to get lost somewhere between book two and book four of a series. Here are free tools that make tracking them genuinely manageable.

6 min read

69

The Art of the Unsaid: Weaponizing Subtext and Strategic Silence in Dialogue

behind-the-book

The Art of the Unsaid: Weaponizing Subtext and Strategic Silence in Dialogue

The most powerful line in a scene is often the one nobody says. A character who almost confesses something and changes the subject. A silence that stretches one beat too long. Subtext and strategic silence are not decoration on top of dialogue. They are often the actual content of the scene.

#fiction writing

15 min read

94

Don’t Let the Stories Die

writing insights

Don’t Let the Stories Die

Real Stories come from the REFLECTIONS of Real People

#writing tips #historical fiction #collecting stories

Jodi Lea Stewart

6 min read

42

A Skunk in Stilettos and False Eyelashes is Still a Skunk

writing insights

A Skunk in Stilettos and False Eyelashes is Still a Skunk

Being Correct While Bypassing Stinky Grammar/Punctuation Jargon

#writing tips #fiction writing #grammar and punctuation

Jodi Lea Stewart

2 min read

33

Don’t be a (Writer) “Rebel Without a Cause”

writing insights

Don’t be a (Writer) “Rebel Without a Cause”

These days, it’s fun and exciting to think of oneself as an outlier… a rebel. That’s okay, but when it comes to our writing, where do we draw the line between rebelling with style and doggedly following all the rules? Here’s my take on it…

#writing tips #grammar #punctuation

Jodi Lea Stewart

5 min read

31

What Book Discovery Sites Get Wrong About Genre Filtering

Community Voices

What Book Discovery Sites Get Wrong About Genre Filtering

Most discovery sites organise books by broad genre labels, but that's rarely how readers actually search. Here's where genre filtering tends to go wrong.

#self publishing #book discovery #author life

5 min read

73

Podcast Guesting for Authors Who Hate Self-Promotion

Books & Culture

Podcast Guesting for Authors Who Hate Self-Promotion

Self-promotion doesn't come naturally to every author. Here's how to approach podcast guesting in a way that feels genuine instead of forced.

6 min read

33

The Quiet Power of Backlist Promotion: Reviving Old Titles Without a Relaunch

Community Voices

The Quiet Power of Backlist Promotion: Reviving Old Titles Without a Relaunch

Old titles don't need a dramatic relaunch to find new readers. Here's how steady, low-key backlist promotion can quietly outperform a one-time event.

#book discovery

5 min read

27