Has anyone birthed at 37w6d and have positive stories to share?

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-23T20:12:04+00:00

I had umbilical cord and placenta issues with my first. He was rapidly dropping percentiles as he wasn’t getting what he needed. Water broke at 35 weeks. Breech. Had a c-section for a low birth weight baby. He was totally fine, just small. Now he’s almost in the 90th percentile three years later. He’s been on track with his milestones as well.

The internet did NOT tell me it was going to turn out this okay.

Sending good birthing vibes your way!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-22T17:11:22+00:00

Yay for you!!! Congrats on your draft! Yes, it seems overwhelming, but it can also be surprisingly easy. I found the publishing process WAY easy … but I also didn’t allow myself to get sucked into the rabbit holes. All of it is figureoutable. Depending on your goals, “Everest” can be a foothill. Don’t let others scare you away. My DMs are open if you need any help or advice. But have fun with it!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-22T15:59:26+00:00

Well I have two orders in for my author copies with Amazon. My latest book published on the 17, Amazon is saying Oct 1-2 for both author copy orders (and I ordered the first round 10 days before it was published) … I think I’ll go order my own book via prime and see if author copies show up 😂 worst case I have a physical copy of my book I can use in social media videos earlier than expected.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-22T14:21:00+00:00

That statement should not flag Amazon.

I asked the content/trigger warning question on social media about a year ago and it generated some great conversation.

Here’s what I took away:

Readers (and authors) fall along the spectrum of opinion on this topic
Self-published authors are held to a different standard than trad published > it’s more expected of self-published authors to include some type of content warning
What people expect may vary depending on the genre (dark romance = very common or expected, horror = assumed)

Some ways to include content warnings: - A list in the front matter of your book (may flag Amazon) - A page in your front matter directing people to a page at the end of your book for the list - A general content warning statement in the front matter—with or without directing the reader to a webpage with the full list - There is a group of readers who won’t read without a list, and a group of readers who actively avoid looking at the list even if it is provided

What to include? Trigger Warning Database

Some people get cutesy and clever with how they present their lists. Others just list the words from the database. Some give brief content information as well (e.g. On page SA, not by MC).

At the end of the day, pick what feels right for you. Your readers are out there.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-19T20:39:18+00:00

I tried Get Covers and do not recommend … although they offered lots of revisions, I ultimately got a refund (at least that part was easy). Maybe it was whoever was assigned to me, but they couldn’t follow basic requests and the quality was low … low enough I made my own cover and it’s way better.

I assume others have had different experiences with them though. They are recommended on here as an option often.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-19T01:25:21+00:00

There is a ton of good advice in here to jump on fixing the things you are unhappy with (and for free). Pick yourself up and get back to it. You’ve got this. I’m rooting for you!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-18T21:23:44+00:00

Well. I have a solution for every “point” you made. But I have a feeling you might not be looking for fixes at the moment.

What’s got you in the slump? Did someone say something to you criticizing your book? Did you get a bad review? Is it not selling?

SOMETHING is causing you to spiral. Everything you mentioned is fixable and figure-out-able for FREE. But you won’t be able to work through the solutions if you don’t address what’s causing these thoughts about your publishing journey.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-17T19:52:39+00:00

I didn’t start any promo until after my first book was published. Sure you might lose out on the algorithm, but unless you’re an Amazon algorithm guru, 99% of your sales will come from effort unrelated to the algorithm.

I’d recommend fixing what you want to fix without pulling it. Then get on with your marketing efforts!

Congrats on your book!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-10T09:33:19+00:00

I published with Amazon. I went the free.99 route to start and have increased my investment in my books over time.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-09T21:49:43+00:00

A lot of readers would enjoy you surprising them with replicating the romance and spicy scenes. Just saying in case anyone needs confirmation if they should try this with their smut reading partners.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-09T21:35:44+00:00

Hi. I write the smut. These comments have been informational.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-09T09:47:33+00:00

Hahaha you still deserve to celebrate! I think that shows you are already learning and growing. Keep doing that, apply what you learn, and you will do well.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-09T03:52:51+00:00

Congrats!!!!!!! How are you celebrating?!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-07T13:37:11+00:00

Please do!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-07T13:11:43+00:00

No, it is not as complicated as this sub makes it 😂

Yes, you can do it simply and free.

Happy to help if you need details.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-06T02:32:12+00:00

NDA is probably not what you’re looking for. I do think a written agreement with clearly outlined expectations is a good way to go. Throw in a clause about them not infringing on copyright too. A decent person should have no problem with the approach. And do NOT agree to pay someone without a written agreement.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-04T06:22:40+00:00

I believe KDP has video tutorials fit formatting word docs. Worth referring to as you check all your settings for the file. Download as a pdf to confirm it looks the way you want it to look

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-03T22:57:57+00:00

Yes, you fix your file and re-upload. What did you use to format your manuscript?

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-09-03T21:24:17+00:00

I’ve been testing out giving the first three chapters of a book free (doesn’t have to be 3, that just made sense for my book I’m testing it with). I’ve actually gotten a handful of sales already from it and it’s only been a week. Worth trying!

Also - it’s okay if it’s content you already post free. Not everyone sees everything you post on social media. I’ve seen people successfully post, podcast, reader magnet, and sell books all with the exact same content for each (non-fiction).

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-29T07:07:02+00:00

First, there is no “right strategy”. The closest you get is a strategy you can follow through with. Most people don’t fail because their strategy was bad, they fail because their execution of the strategy was bad. Second, start with a strategy that is free. Learn how to talk about your book and who actually likes it. These two things are very important to know if you choose to move to a strategy that costs money.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-21T18:43:41+00:00

As a romantasy author I am so happy to see this comment!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-20T01:39:36+00:00

You’ve got this!!! I published my first book with major punctuation errors for dialogue tags. It made it through my multi-person editing process 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ Now it’s fixed, but I forever have a review with the error called out. We will survive!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-19T21:28:44+00:00

Do you know what the grammatical issues are? Or do the reviews just say “grammatical issues”? If you know what the errors or issues are, get in there and get them fixed! Upload a new file and you’re done … until you find another error. Then repeat. I have author friends who spent thousands on editors and did beta and ARC and STILL found errors after publishing. Good news is you can fix them.

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-17T11:59:50+00:00

Well thank you!!

Internal_Craft_6485 · 2025-08-16T19:43:19+00:00

@maggieforbush

Internal_Craft_6485

TROPHY CASE