The indie publishing world has fractured into a thousand niche markets, and the old one-size-fits-all advice just doesn’t cut it anymore. To thrive now, you need two things: a platform that keeps your readers close, and an experimental mindset that helps you navigate the mountain of conflicting advice. These aren’t just tactics—they’re survival strategies for the modern indie author.
A novel isn’t a pile of words—it’s a chain of well-built scenes. This post breaks down the five parts of a powerful scene (from Inciting Incident to Resolution) and why scene craft is the difference between a draft and a publishable book.
Mark Posey shares the five thrillers that rewired his brain — from First Blood to Cujo, these are the books that taught him how to build tension, twist morality, and keep readers one heartbeat away from panic.
If it feels like publishing is tougher than ever — it’s not your imagination. The market is saturated, algorithms are pay-to-play, and readers are trained to expect endless content for pennies. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It means the game has changed. And smart indie authors are adapting by building direct reader platforms, redefining success on their own terms, and learning to market without selling their souls. The old paths are gone — time to blaze your own.
SRP author Taylen Carver today released the next book in their dystopian fantasy series, The Scorched Lands Saga.
Great fiction doesn’t come from easy wins—it comes from impossible choices. When your protagonist is forced to pick between two equally awful options, the story stops being about “victory” and starts being about what they’re willing to lose. That’s when stakes rise, true character is revealed, and readers stay glued to the page.
Why do authors put their characters through hell? Because without conflict, there’s no story. In Confessions of a Sadistic Author, Mark explains why Jacobine, Billings, and the rest of his cast are constantly battered and bruised — and why their scars make them unforgettable.
Mary Anning didn’t just “sell sea shells by the seashore.” She dug ancient sea monsters out of English cliffs, rewrote what we knew about life on Earth, and got zero credit for any of it while she was alive. Why? She was poor, female, and brilliant — the historical trifecta for being completely ignored. This week, let’s talk about the fossil hunter who changed science… and got buried by it.
With rumors swirling about The Rings of Power’s potential cancellation, I’m wondering if it’s not a quality issue—but a saturation one. Are lush, expensive fantasy series struggling simply because there’s too much content and too little attention to go around?
October might be here, but it’s not too late to jump into holiday book promotions. If you’re short on time but still want to take advantage of the busiest buying season of the year, here are nine creative, effective ways to promote your books—and get them into readers’ hands before the new year.
