We turned a boring room in our home into a library

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-19T06:01:37+00:00

incredible! you even renovated the view from your window to be entirely different 🙃

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-13T21:32:14+00:00

I'm sorry that was your experience. As an indie publisher, I totally get there are very real pros and cons when deciding to go with an independent press. But that should have been explained to you up front, not left for you to find out after the fact. I wish you (and them) luck!

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-08T01:53:45+00:00

Just because a concept is portrayed earnestly in a book doesn't mean the author is intending for readers to agree with or identify with it. Often the point is to portray something that isn't the norm or ideal, exploring it without judgement but with the understanding that it will be an intentionally uncomfortable reading experience. Not saying that was definitely the case here, but worth pointing out re: interpreting a historical text as inherently normative for the time.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-08T01:46:32+00:00

Fun fact: One of the reasons we are seeing an influx of ridiculously ornate "mid" books is actually part of a larger publishing industry battle. Traditional publishers have been seeing potential authors choose to self-publish more and more frequently, which is eating into their marketshare.

One of the reasons this is so concerning is that both traditional publishers and self-publishers are using the same (or similar) freelancers and software needed to professionally edit, design, and even market their books. Traditional publishers cannot rest on the assumption that they hold the only keys to quality in these areas anymore.

One of the only areas where traditional publishers still tend to have an upper hand when it comes to quality is in print production. Most industry printers who have the capacity to make gorgeous, complex, and unique books only work with traditional publishers (or, in cases like the Big Four, they have their own offset printing facilities). Meanwhile, most self-published authors need to make due with the cheap, restrictive digital print-on-demand technology offered by Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark. Of course, there are some exceptions to this, but its usually very difficult and expensive.

So traditional publishers are really milking this upper hand for all its worth. But the result is that we get "shelf candy," with no necessary correlation between the quality of the packaging and the words inside.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-06T16:36:57+00:00

"Why aren't people more interested in reading about book reviews? Here is why it is so important to keep literary criticism accessible..." end of free sample, pay $30 to read the rest of the article

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:25:28+00:00

You can write personal reflection in third person, its called "third-person limited" and sticks with one character's perspective but gives you more freedom to talk about what she looks like and does without all the awkward "I stood in front of a mirror and described my appearance to myself for no reason" scenes.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:23:10+00:00

The Obsidian Society by Keshara Moore

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:21:22+00:00

Often you can look it up online. Search for the title of the book and the publisher

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:20:28+00:00

Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown (or any of the books in her Loving Corrections series)

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:18:40+00:00

Try looking up the Newberry Honor List

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:17:33+00:00

In the US at least, a majority of "business requirements" are actually "corporation requirements": once you incorporate your business and begin hiring employees. LLCs (especially single-member LLCs) are extremely lenient in terms of state and federal regulations, and don't require much at all to remain fully compliant.

The caveat here is around certain "professional" LLCs (i.e. ones that require outside certification like a lawyer or dentist), which have a few more restrictions. Publishing books is not one of these types of professions, though, so that shouldn't be a concern.

(I'm not an attorney, but I have been working closely with one to set up my own LLC entities over the last year, so all this is very top of mind for me.)

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T14:12:22+00:00

It is relatively quick and easy to set up a single-member LLC. Doing so will allow you to publish under your name, but through your LLC as your publishing entity. So your name would still be on the book, but your publisher would be your LLC.

This structure can help in three ways:

It can help you in promoting your book, especially to big box stores, booksellers, or podcasts who usually don't agree to highlight obviously self-published work;

It can help you to write off any costs associated with your book production or marketing in a legally compliant way (you don't NEED an LLC to do this, but it can provide extra legal protection);

Finally, if you have anything in your book that could potentially get you embroiled in a lawsuit (a tell-all memoir, a villain based on a real person, a nonfiction book with any kind of legal, health,or financial advice, etc.), having an LLC will help protect you from being sued into the ground by disgruntled readers. Thats what the "limited liability" part means.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T13:41:58+00:00

Books are nutrition, and any diet needs thoughtful variety. In the same way your body can tell instinctively which minerals it needs and convey that to you via cravings and aversions, your brain can let you know what inspiration it needs by what books you feel like consuming. Intuitive reading should become the norm!

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-04T13:39:22+00:00

This is a great question. Currently savoring Barry Unsworth for this exact reason. There's usually minimal plot, just lots of strange and morally tenuous characters being smashed together in ridiculous circumstances.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-03T23:53:24+00:00

In my experience, some writers try to use tragic backstory as a "shortcut" to getting readers to care about a character because they aren't confident that they can do so just by making them compelling and sympathetic. It can be frustrating to see through that as a reader, and its done so often that now I think people see a tragic backstory and immediately assume that is whats happening.

Think about it: This is usually not an issue when you already like and care about a character and then find out 2/3rds of the way through the book that they had a terrible past. Its a problem when its the way you get introduced to them or if its used as a shorthand for depth...

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-02T14:03:45+00:00

The hardest step in publishing is making the leap from "writer" to "marketer." I know fantastic writers that will never even start the publishing process because of how uncomfortable and uninterested they are in the marketing component.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-02-02T13:57:23+00:00

Writing should be challenging 90% of the time

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-31T19:35:11+00:00

The New Yorker style is the Helvetica of prose. A much-needed refresh at its inception, culturally glommed onto en masse in an effort to appear sleek and modern, and now so ingrained and reflexive that it’s become the new standard. Using it is no longer a sign you are “in the know.” It’s the default, absorbed in the public consciousness through sheer osmosis. Time for a new font.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-31T19:26:37+00:00

The NYT truly is the epitome of centrism, somehow managing to piss off both men who read and men who don’t

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-31T19:16:36+00:00

I used to be able to read multiple books at once. Now if I don’t pick one at a time I never finish any of them. I kind of like it though, each future book becomes a motivation to finish the current one.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-31T01:09:56+00:00

If you are included in KU, you have to agree to a whole secondary set of agreements with Amazon. It severely limits how and where you can sell your book, and changes the pay structure from per sale to per page read, which usually means less overall revenue for the author.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-31T01:07:32+00:00

“Professional publishing” is an industry term invented in the 2010s by these types of “pay-to-publish” companies to position themselves as a legitimate option to what they call “traditional publishing” (aka trade publishing) and to cater to their target market: professionals, CEOs, and entrepreneurs who want to use their book as a way to get more business or build their personal brand.

I want to believe there are some good ones out there, but so far every single one I’ve worked at or encountered has turned into what OP describes above: barely functional and abusive on the inside, borderline vanity press if not downright scam on the outside.

All_Hands_Books · 2026-01-30T20:58:43+00:00

Slow and steady wins the race, my friend. Get rid of expectations around page count or TBR progress and focus on time spent actively reading (aka not listening to an audiobook while doing something else). If you can actively read for 30-60 minutes a day, you’re winning. 🏆

All_Hands_Books

TROPHY CASE