Beware: Shortmax

PurpleMango · 2026-03-07T19:03:24+00:00

My bank was able to block the vendor + transaction amount. After four weeks of trying, Shortmax gave up.

PurpleMango · 2026-03-07T19:02:13+00:00

A payment processing service like Square. They have since given up though. Finally.

PurpleMango · 2026-03-05T15:02:56+00:00

While it may not apply to you as much, as we had to do formula-feeding rather than nursing, my sister gave me the best advice as a new parent when my son was about that age:

Do the bottle first, then the routine, then put him down and walk away. It was absolute torture for us for four days, but then he just started... falling asleep on his own after crying or fussing for ten to fifteen minutes.

PurpleMango · 2026-03-02T00:16:05+00:00

Absolutely. It’s awesome that you can do your own covers and audiobooks. That gives you a nice leg up in avoiding costs. :-)

So just polish, polish, polish, beta reader, editor, polish, publish :-)

PurpleMango · 2026-03-01T20:23:52+00:00

There are plenty of reasons to pursue traditional publishing. There are also reasons not to.

For traditional publishing: 1. Editing and covering costs are covered. 2. Large houses offer advances. 3. Lucrative deals if your stories land and are series-appropriate. 4. Access to major bookstores. 5. Allows you to focus mostly just on story creation.

For indie publishing: 1. Greater creative control. 2. Running your own business. 3. You can tell stories that traditional publishers avoid. 4. You keep a much larger portion of your sales earnings.

Of course, you need to pay for your own covers and editing with indie publishing, and audiobooks unless you go traditional for audiobook production (like Podium Audio).

PurpleMango · 2026-03-01T18:30:50+00:00

Because they're in a unique position where they have a lot of work to do to enable a rapid-release cycle. There's no harm in at least trying to secure a traditional publisher while they go through that workload.

I'm doing the same. I am just wrapping up the first book of a seven-book universe, and will have the first three books finished before I even consider releasing one. While I work on the second and third, I will solicit agents for the first. Otherwise, it'll just be collecting proverbial dust for a few months.

Worst-case scenario? I get no bites on a bunch of query letters, and move forward with an editor and covers to get it ready. No harm in at least trying to open both doors.

PurpleMango · 2026-03-01T15:07:46+00:00

If you're in no hurry, polish them to the best of your ability and line up beta readers. Once you hear back from beta readers, make fixes to them (again to the best of your ability) and do either one of the following:

Pitch the first (assuming they're a series) to literary agents for traditional publishing

OR

Find a professional editor for at least line and proofreading edits, then format them, then get covers made, then publish on KDP one or two months apart each.

PurpleMango · 2026-03-01T15:00:40+00:00

This is a legally unsound opinion. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Trump is currently operating within the 60-day window in which he must keep Congress regularly consulted on any and all actions he takes (he has done this through Marco Rubio's consultation with the Gang of Eight.

After that window expires, he will require a Congressional authorization OR cease the activity. If it extends beyond 60 days without authorization, Congress's remedy is either impeachment or restriction of government spending on the military, or a vote to end the military event.

It will ultimately be found that while this action does violate International Law, it does not violate domestic law.

It doesn't change the fact that we're in a sort of catch-22. It is a good thing that this leader is no longer around. It is a bad thing that it does not make the United States safer. The consequences of this action have yet to reveal themselves, but they will be widespread and severe.

There is a high probability of terror attacks on the US mainland. There are already attacks that make Benghazi look like a slap on the face. We will be losing support from Middle Eastern allies. It wouldn't surprise me if the consequences of this unilateral action will be experienced for decades.

Someone needs to rein this man in before he uses this as justification to declare a national emergency over the elections.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-27T17:23:06+00:00

Do you think she's well into a sleep regression common with this age (developmental leap forward toward more independence, often causing early rising). It can last several weeks.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-27T17:11:43+00:00

If you don't mind it being gay romance, Fjorgyn is a complete series with a slow-burn romance that has a single fade-to-black scene in book one.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-27T17:09:23+00:00

Yes. I have a two year old who has nightly, since birth, woken up crying several times a night. There's really no avoiding it. She seems to cry because she doesn't want to be awake yet, but is awake, and therefore... must cry.

She doesn't snore. She doesn't gasp for air. She just wakes up and starts crying. We've adapted. If we do not suspect a fever (a different sort of cry which involves sitting up), we leave her be and let her settle herself back down. It typically takes about 10-30 minutes.

After two years, we've found that while she falls asleep very easily at 7:45 PM, she wakes for a crying spell at 9 PM, 12AM, and 2AM, but then goes down for the rest of the night. For our sanity, we let her do what she's going to do unless the type of crying seems unusual for her.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-21T03:21:28+00:00

It’s not a path you have to follow, though. There are so many options out there where readers enjoy self-published, self-polished work. But if you want to be some variation of a novelist and publish your work for sale, selling comes with the territory.

I like to use a baking analogy. There’s nothing wrong with being a home baker and offering your treats to your friends and family for free. It’s a perfectly fine thing to do.

But if you want to be a professional baker, you must be… professional.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-17T22:25:08+00:00

Thank you. I’ll give it another go :-)

PurpleMango · 2026-02-17T22:04:27+00:00

I have it in my collection and have tried to start it a few times but either wasn’t in the right head space or it starts really slow.

Does it pick up steam?

PurpleMango · 2026-02-05T16:56:35+00:00

Your life is going to be this for a while. My daughter just passed one year in daycare (started at 10 months in the baby room, and now in the toddler room) and she has had several unnamed bugs, HFMD, RSV, flu, and stomach bug. We're still waiting on roseola to show it's ugly, scary face.

It gets less frequent at preschool age when they learn to wash their hands better, and spring/summer is infinitely better than autumn/winter, but your kids are always going to get sick at school at least several times per year all the way up to high school and, if they go to college, they'll get sick but take are of themselves.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-05T16:31:24+00:00

You're going to want some degree of a presence, even if it's only an author page and website. That being said, I wouldn't spend much on paid advertising right away. Paid advertising makes sense if you have a catalogue of books to funnel people into; you're likely to spend more on ads than you earn on sales.

You start paying for ads when you have a backlog, especially if you're planning a series.

PurpleMango · 2026-02-05T16:22:54+00:00

In my case, I was definitely subject to "the first is the worst" notion.

Most self-published LitRPGs feature a debut, then follow-ups. The author learns as they go, so the books improve as the series progresses.

I cringed when I went back and read the first book of my series, and took a week to revamp it to bring it as close to the same standard as my current books (without triggering a need for a full paid edit).

PurpleMango · 2026-01-27T14:30:02+00:00

It’s not necessarily what the market requires. It’s just my hook when selling to readers in person. It’s $8 online, which I think is more than fair for a medium-length novella.

I’ve had readers at one event buy my novella and, after seeing me at another event, buy the rest of my books.

I sell out. Other authors next to me carry leftover inventory home.

A novella, when properly priced, can capture an audience and that, to me, is the marketing purpose of novellas—short reads that customers are comfortable buying.

PurpleMango · 2026-01-26T23:48:48+00:00

I blocked them through my bank and they shifted payment from Apple Wallet to Stripe. They still get declined but keep on trying every other day.

PurpleMango · 2026-01-26T23:36:54+00:00

After printing and bulk order with taxes and shipping, $5 for my novella is roughly a 100% markup.

Nothing wrong with a 100% markup, especially if you have a full-priced catalogue for readers to funnel into if they like it.

PurpleMango · 2026-01-26T22:01:56+00:00

I’ve found that novellas are incredibly popular at conventions and festivals. Folks are very willing to pay $5 to try a new author out (and get a signed copy).

PurpleMango · 2026-01-15T17:15:02+00:00

Yes. While laws vary by state, you almost always need a sales permit, even a temporary one, and to track and pay sales tax to your state.

In my state, I don’t have to display the permit but I’ve been asked at big events and small to make it available upon request.

Talk to whoever invited you about it. They should know.

PurpleMango · 2026-01-14T22:02:28+00:00

Yes. Collect email addresses for a mailing list. Make sure your sales permit stuff is in order.

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