16 May 2026
Short-run printing for indie authors: when does bulk printing beat POD?
Print on demand is the default for indie authors, but short-run printing can be cheaper per copy if you can shift the stock. Here is the maths and the trade-offs.
No fluff. No upsells. Just what works.
Print on demand is the default for indie authors, but short-run printing can be cheaper per copy if you can shift the stock. Here is the maths and the trade-offs.
Goodreads has a reputation for harsh reviews and confusing rules. Here's what indie authors should actually do with it, what to avoid, and what to expect back.
NetGalley puts your book in front of librarians, booksellers and reviewers. Here's how the co-op programmes work for indie authors, what they cost, and what to realistically expect.
Vanity presses, fake agents and predatory awards all chase indie authors. Here's how to spot them, the names to know, and the one rule that keeps you safe.
KDP author copies let you order your own book at print cost plus shipping. Here's how the system works, what it costs, the 999-copy limit, and what to actually do with the box.
When a series box set works as a sales lever, when it cannibalises your back catalogue, and how to avoid Amazon's 70 per cent royalty trap.
An honest look at the major book fairs from an indie author's perspective — London, Frankfurt, NINC, 20Books — and which ones earn their keep.
Book trailers look professional and feel like proper marketing. The awkward bit is there's almost no evidence they sell books. An honest look at when they're worth it.
Most indie author awards charge an entry fee. Some are reputable, some aren't, and a few are free. Here's which are actually worth your money.
Most indie authors live and die on KDP. Going wide via Draft2Digital opens up Apple Books, Kobo and a dozen other retailers — here's how it actually works.
Foreign-language editions sound like easy passive income, but the maths is brutal. Here's what translation really costs indie authors and when it's worth doing.
UK law requires a free copy of every published book to be sent to the British Library. Here's how legal deposit actually works, who it applies to, and what indie authors need to do.
KDP Hardcover gives indies a casebound option without a separate printer. Here's how it works, where it sells, and the limitation nobody mentions until it's too late.
Should you publish under a pen name? Here's how indie authors actually use them — the legal bits, the KDP setup, and the moment Robert Galbraith got rumbled.
Self-publishing isn't a 21st-century Amazon invention. From Walt Whitman to Beatrix Potter, here are the famous authors who did it first.
How indie authors can get their ebooks into public libraries via Libby, OverDrive and Hoopla — the aggregators, the royalty maths, and the KDP Select rule change you might have missed.
Brandon Sanderson made $41m on Kickstarter. Here's what works, what doesn't, and when crowdfunding actually makes sense for the rest of us.
UK Public Lending Right pays authors every time their book is borrowed from a library — and yes, indies qualify. Here's how to register, and the Kindle-shaped catch no one warns you about.
Four patterns the best novel opening lines use to hook readers from the first sentence — and a quick way to pressure-test your own.
After a hundred-plus manuscripts, one editor boiled the invisible habits that make novels feel amateur down to seven fixable mistakes. Here is the list.
KDP's DRM tick-box is permanent once you publish — and it rarely does the job indie authors assume it does. Here's what it actually locks down, and what it doesn't.
KDP's reports dashboard shows more than new indie authors think — if you know which tab to open, what the numbers mean, and which bits Amazon quietly hides.
Linking to your own book via Amazon Associates earns extra commission on top of royalties — and, more usefully, gives you the click and conversion data KDP refuses to show you.
KDP pre-orders sound like guaranteed launch-day momentum. The reality is more complicated — and there's a strong case they actively hurt your launch rank on Amazon.
Amazon's +Follow button emails your readers every time you release a new book. It's free, takes one click, and most indies never mention it. Here's how to fix that.
Amazon Attribution is a free tool that finally shows whether your Facebook, BookBub, and newsletter traffic actually turns into Amazon sales. Here's how it works.
BookBub featured deals can shift thousands of copies in a single day — but getting accepted is harder than getting into Oxbridge. Here's what you need to know.
Amazon's pay-per-click ad platform can sell books — or quietly drain your budget with nothing to show for it. Here's what you actually need to know before you spend a penny.
Copyright law sounds intimidating but the basics are simpler than you think. Here's what indie authors actually need to know to protect their work.
Some of the most successful books in history were rejected dozens of times. Here are the publishing industry's most spectacular misjudgements.
Ever wondered what happens after someone clicks "buy" on your paperback? Here's how print on demand actually works, from order to doorstep.
KDP ebook formatting doesn't have to be painful. Here's what file types Amazon actually accepts, which tools are worth the money, and the mistakes that trip up every new indie author.
ISBNs confuse most first-time self-publishers. Here's what they are, when you need one, and whether Amazon's free option is good enough.
Every great author has one-star reviews. Here's why yours don't matter as much as you think, and what you absolutely must not do about them.
Your book cover is your most powerful marketing tool. Here's what genre conventions demand, what professional design costs, and how to brief a designer properly.
At some point in every indie author's journey, Amazon makes you an offer. You can put your ebook into Kindle Unlimited — their subscription service — but only if you promise not to sell it anywhere else. No Kobo. No Apple Books. No Google Play.
There's a persistent myth in indie publishing circles that self-publishing a book is free. And technically, if you squint hard enough and ignore a few inconvenient truths, it's not entirely wrong.
Editing costs money you might not have. But skipping it costs something worse — your reputation. Here's what you actually need and what you can skip.
I've made every one of these. Learn from my expensive mistakes so your first self-published book has the best possible chance.
A straightforward walkthrough of publishing your first ebook on Amazon KDP — from manuscript to live listing, without the waffle.
Amazon gives you seven keyword slots. Most indie authors waste them. Here's how to choose keywords that actually drive discovery.
Reviews sell books. But how do you get them when you're starting from zero? Here are the methods that actually work for indie authors.
Should you go exclusive with Amazon or publish wide? There's no perfect answer — but there is a right answer for your situation.
Choosing the right Amazon categories can be the difference between page one and page oblivion. Here's how to pick them properly.
Price too high and nobody buys. Price too low and you look desperate. Here's how to find the sweet spot for your self-published ebook.
Your cover is the first thing readers see — and the last thing most indie authors get right. Here are the five mistakes I see over and over again.
Your blurb isn't a synopsis. It's a 150-word sales pitch — and most indie authors get it catastrophically wrong. Here's how to fix yours.
Most self-published books don't fail because of bad writing. They fail because of bad packaging. Here's how to diagnose the real problem.