After I published my first book, I started to receive a lot of helpful emails from strangers. God knows I need the help, my book is sending out wonky signals to the algorithm and to readers. I was hungry for the assistance.

One woman seemed really intelligent and thoughtful. She looked rather plain and older and I trusted her. We had 25 exchanges but something seemed off. I sent her a copy of my book to read and she read it through and provided a 7 page audit within 10 hrs. Red flag 🚩 when did she sleep?

I asked for credentials and got gibberish, nothing verifiable. I looked on FB and saw only a photo an account created 10 days ago no friends.

I would like help with the positioning of my book and creating an ARC campaign. But boy….is anyone else getting targeted for fraud?

It's called "We'll Always Have August" and I'm both proud and scared to publish it. It went live yesterday on Amazon in both paperback and ebook forms.

Is it limerence or love? That is the question as we often confuse the former for the latter.

The book deals with just that and it contains poems written over the span of almost 15 years.

Trying to figure out a realistic production budget for my debut novel and the numbers I'm seeing online are wildly inconsistent. Some authors say they spent $1,200 total for a professional looking book. Others claim $8,000+ is the realistic floor. I can't tell if I'm reading from cheapskates or perfectionists.

My situation. Literary fiction, around 85,000 words, no images, paperback first. I want it to look professional but I'm not chasing the bestseller list, I just don't want it to look obviously self-published. Comparable budget to a trad-published debut would be the goal aesthetic.

What I'm seeing for service quotes.

Developmental edit: $1,500 to $3,500 depending on editor Line edit: $1,000 to $2,200 Proofreading: $400 to $800 Cover design: $400 to $1,500 Interior layout: $300 to $800 ISBN: $125 if you buy your own Print proof: $40-60 First print run of 100 paperbacks: $400-600

Adds up to $4,165 to $9,525 on the realistic end depending on choices, before any marketing spend.

The question I keep getting stuck on is which line items I can compress without it showing in the finished book. Cover I think you can't compromise on, that one shows immediately. Editing depends on how strong your draft already is. Interior layout for prose only is probably the most compressible item. Proofreading I'm increasingly convinced is non-negotiable based on this sub.

For others who've published debut novels, where did you actually spend and where did you cut. Trying to land somewhere around $4,500 total without producing something embarrassing.

Hi everyone I just finished my newest book and just started putting my books on Kdp and Would like some feedback on them currently only three of my books are on there with Kindle unlimited the rest is on other platforms as I use draft2digital as my main publisher My name is Neo ShadowFall and I would just like some feedback.

As the title says, I'm posting my first fiction on RR next week so I took the placeholder page live today. I do worry the description is more than needed and the What to Expect section may go overboard.

Then again, I may be wrong and overthinking things.

Objective input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for anyone willing to take a peek!

I'm done writing my love story novel. No AI, no nothing, just me and the love of my life like a characters. I would really like someone to read it and give me an honest opinion on it :

If you want it free: DM me privately.

Here is Amazon link also if you want to support me as a writer :

https://www.amazon.com/How-Came-Love-Rain-Novel-ebook/dp/B0HFLZMRV7/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=12L7B1PSB4AWH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LCBxalCu8kvIX8Rv6g4SadkwXg3cs7BFZNr\_h-mErAMfVO-JSGYZWPjGp4LuzZ83thPUrkDFefmGeGmyDhNT7I\_OGf9xNph4RqKfRbDF4Rs.lVrKGBHxwm3PIyjxmTzEz88s3DlFBli6TYNout7LExA&dib\_tag=se&keywords=Hardex+Beletovich&qid=1787062895&sprefix=hardex+beletovich+%2Caps%2C490&sr=8-5

Hi everyone,

I'm an indie developer and author, and over the last few years I've built tools for the self-publishing community. Some of you may have come across KDPStudio.net, which I created to help authors format manuscripts, create covers, and simplify publishing.

Over the past few months, I've also built another platform called BookNami.net, and it's now in beta.

Before I spend more time adding new features, I'd really like to hear what actual authors and readers think.

One thing I want to make clear is that BookNami is not trying to compete with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, or any other retailer. Those platforms are where people buy books, and that's not what I'm trying to replace.

Instead, BookNami focuses on organic discovery. The goal is to give authors another opportunity to be found online through SEO while giving readers an easier way to discover books they'll enjoy.

The platform includes:

SEO-optimized author pages

SEO-optimized book pages

Publisher pages

Series pages

Genre, topic, and theme pages

Reader bookshelves

Follow your favorite authors

Author updates

Personalized recommendations

An ARC (Advance Review Copy) Marketplace, where authors can find readers willing to review their books and readers can apply for review copies.

Direct links to retailers where books are sold

Everything is already built and working. At this point, I'm not looking to sell anything—I honestly want feedback from people who read and write books.

If you have a few minutes, I'd really appreciate it if you'd take a look and tell me what you honestly think.

Is the concept useful?

Is there anything that immediately confuses you?

Would you use it as an author or a reader?

What's missing?

What would make you come back instead of visiting just once?

You can check it out here:

https://booknami.net⁠

I genuinely appreciate honest feedback—good or bad. If something doesn't make sense or could be improved, I'd much rather hear it now than after launch.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.

​

Today I opened my KDP dashboard and saw something I’ve been waiting a long time for:

My first sale of Blood and Silence: The Red Thread… and a sale of Book II, Broken Crowns, too.

I originally wrote Blood and Silence as one huge dark epic fantasy novel, but it became too long, so I eventually split it into two books. Since then, I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time rewriting, editing, rebuilding parts of the world, changing covers, and wondering whether anyone outside my own head would ever care about Valeria and this story.

Today, someone did.

It’s only the beginning, but seeing both books there honestly meant a lot to me.

For anyone else publishing their first book and refreshing KDP way too often: keep going. Sometimes the first little number on that dashboard feels bigger than it probably should. 😂❤️

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G67GB51F?dplnkId=d7af805d-7070-41a4-b596-df4562f8093a

I did it, ladies and gents. My first book is published on Amazon. It's a trilogy and I'll be honest; it wasn't meant to be saga because I know how some people feel about sagas. Like they are never ending lol. But I had to split the book up because it got long. But I'm hoping to create more standalone novels and I do have two sagas that I may produce; it will only be two or three books max.

But I'm so proud of myself because this journey has been eventful. Many stops along the way and also life takes over as well.

More about me; I am Caribbean-American author who enjoys dark tropes as topics, urban or street lit but more urban/contemporary. I'm a hobbyist writer; I write for fun and love to share my stories.

My book is free on KU if you're interested. As I always say, no pressure! I'm just happy to share and to all the readers out there (I'm a reader as well), all you are the reason why I write. Thank you!

Hello everyone, I'm currently looking for ARC readers for my upcoming horror novel, Where Fear Smiles, which means that if this is a fit for you, you'll get a free ebook! Details below:

Would you forgive your best friend if she was responsible for ruining your life?

A whispered rumour draws a group of students into the dense forests of coastal Brazil: a lost Indigenous artifact, hidden for centuries and promising academic glory.

While Leah’s colleagues are determined to claim it, she only agrees to the trek because she can’t bear the thought of being left behind, and forces her best friend Charlotte to go with her for support against her dark thoughts.

What was meant to be an escape from the weight of the academic semester, quickly it turns into a test of endurance. The deeper they push into the forest, the darker Leah begins to dream. When they finally uncover what they came for, the discovery reveals something far more terrifying than any of them imagined.

A demon born of nightmares is unleashed, and with it, carnage.

Now the survivors must find a way to drive the nightmare back to its realm before society is doomed to never dream again. But as the forest closes in, the greatest horror isn't the ancient evil — it's watching a lifelong trust begin to rot.

-

Triggers: Gore, graphic violence, blood, anxiety

Publication date: October 13th, 2026

ARCs will be sent from September 15th-20th

Reviews expected to be submitted up to three weeks from publication date

ARC Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIJDUEFCSVjgVh_AxhMpdOHyTszWL-knkGErWLk3U73PD4AQ/viewform?usp=header

Thank you to everyone interested in being a part of the team! :)

Hi!! I'm new to the publishing world. Always been a writer, but to me, you gotta be published to call yourself an author! (I dunno if anyone else has this distinction in their mind!) Well, my memoir is coming out in Sept and I am getting nervous.

I just had a random instagram biz celebrity with a big following tell me, essentially, "You're 40 years old and not even famous....you have no business writing a memoir." Feeling a little deflated and also gassed up!!!

It's called "Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows?" and shares my story of growing up with compulsive hair pulling disorder (trichotillomania) and my recovery, starting a business to help others and my journey with cancer.

I know I wrote it to help others feel seen and yet, the fear of being seen myself!!!
Anyone else get nervous like this? Of "What will people think?" once the book is out!?

I'm an indie author myself, and I'm looking for some indie author books to read and review since we all need that help. Pitch me your books if you write in SciFi/Horror.

I'm not into fantasy/romance/literature so much. I have enjoyed some absolute bangers outside of those genres like Lonesome Dove, Alive(nonfiction book about plane crash survivors), The Gray Man series.

I feel like we need more of this kind of help to get noticed since we all read.. or most of us I'd assume.

EDIT: I'm blown away from the positive response and messages I've received over this post. you all rock. I've got some reading to do now. don't forget to support your fellow indie authors since we could all use a little help

The Long Trade

Do you like hard science-fiction with intelligent dialogue and an irreverent sense of humor? This may be the book for you.

In the far future, humanity has colonized the stars, cured disease, and possibly even defeated mortality itself... if you have access to medical care, which has become the primary concern of most people.

Arlo Svengal joins The Service, an anarcho-syndicalist collective that operates an interstellar trade network trying desperately to allocate scarce resources to tens of billions of people scattered across hundreds of light-years while trying to prevent them from devolving into chaos and self-destruction, on the promise of endless life... as long as he can stay alive.

Combining theoretical physics and astronomy with political Realism and moral philosophy, there is something to delight (and perhaps infuriate) everyone.

Hi everyone!

I'd love to share my debut novel, Lonely Moon:
Volume 1, which is avallable on Kindle Unlimited!
Logline / Blurb:
In a military dystopia strictly divided by law—where men and women live completely segregated under the watchful eye of a masked Chancellor-Boon-Hwa lives by the rules. But in a society where even a glance across boundaries is punishable by death, a forbidden encounter shatters her controlled existence.
As political assassinations, white-masked tyrants, and hidden weapons unravel the truth behind "salvation,"
she must choose between total surrender... or a love that labels her a traitor.
Key Tropes & Highlights:
🎭 Masked Tyrant / Cold Political Intrigues
🚫 Gender-Segregated World
🔥 High-Stakes Forbidden Romance
🗡️ Suspense, Secret Weapons & Betrayal

📖 Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZF798C9

I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear your thoughts if you check it out!🙏

In the 1960s, while the US and Soviet Union were racing to the Moon, a Zambian schoolteacher named Edward Nkoloso announced that Zambia would beat them both — and send the first African astronauts into space.

That wonderfully improbable piece of history became the starting point for Afronauts.

It’s a fictionalised, humorous retelling inspired by the real Zambian space programme: homemade rockets, enormous ambition, questionable engineering, Cold War observers, journalists, cats, and a country that has only just become independent deciding that the obvious next step is… Mars.

📖 Read Afronauts free on Librida:
https://librida.com/book/b9494045-1c3a-4ee2-a0da-baba49d3d2bd

I’d genuinely love to hear what people think — particularly whether the mix of historical absurdity and fiction works for you.

I'm looking for ARC readers for my next book. It’s a witty collection of everyday, painfully relatable things women do.

160 Things Women Can Finally Stop Doing at 60

Although it's written for women turning 60, it's really a witty collection of everyday observations that almost any woman will recognize.

Ladies - If you've ever put everyone else first, parents, a partner, children, friends, or colleagues, I think you'll find yourself smiling more than once.
Men - do you think mom or wife or female friend might resonate?

It's full of things like:

• Stop cleaning before the cleaner arrives.
• Stop saving the dress for the “right occasion.”
• Stop pretending you can't hear your husband eating an apple.

If any of these make you go “Oh God. I do that.”, you may be exactly the reader I'm looking for.

DM me or comment if you'd like the link.

Edit: My book is going live on 25 August. If you enjoy it, I would love an honest review on Amazon (USA).