I've come across another scam. This one involves Goodreads groups. You'll get a lengthy email (a sure sign that it was written by an AI app). The sender will identify themselves as a member of a group with a large membership and the sender promises to get the members to rave about your book and write many, many reviews. I checked on the group mentioned in the latest email to me and there was a thread about members getting a scammer email using the group to entice authors to spend money. Be vigilant!

I’ve been thinking about how much of self-publishing happens after the book is finished. Writing the book is one thing, but getting the right people to actually discover it is a completely different challenge. For those of you who have already published, what’s one thing you learned about marketing, visibility, reviews, Amazon, social media, or getting readers that you wish you had known before launching? I’d be interested to hear what actually worked for you and what turned out to be a waste of time or money.

Books arrived yesterday. So, I went to Barnes & Noble today to give them hard copies in anticipation of doing a signing on Oct 17th. But, today's author had canceled. So they offered today to me rather than my waiting 3 weeks. Was there 5 hours. Sold 9 books. Talked to about 20 people. With some promotion (hook-based signage to attract buyers), flyers and business cards, I could have done better. It was fun. Learned a lot. Apparently, getting into B&N is not as hard as folks had been claiming. I just walked in and asked to do a signing. My grand tour of bookstores and libraries has begun.

Another Beginner's Guide is now available. Today, The Beginner's Guide to Productivity for Messy Thinkers is available. https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Productivity-Thinkers-Guides-ebook/dp/B0HKG4CKVP/? Its audience is anyone who gets frustrated trying to use the all-in-one productivity apps like Notion, Monday and many others, but still needs a way to manage projects.

We’re pleased to inform you that your book has been selected for the upcoming Sharjah International Book Fair 2026. The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is the 3rd largest fair in the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors annually. The fair brings together authors, readers, publishers, and industry professionals through exhibitions, author appearances, workshops, talks, and professional networking. It provides authors with an opportunity to showcase their work within a major international literary environment and reach audiences beyond their existing readership. Registration Deadline: 5th October To confirm your participation, simply reply to this email with “YES.” We’ll then send you the next steps and registration details. We’re excited about the opportunity to showcase your work at Sharjah International Book Fair 2026 and look forward to hearing from you. Warm regards, Christian Garcia Senior Book Consultant Kindle Publishing Professionals 📧 [email protected] Ph: (888) 825-0190 🌐 https://kindlepublishingprofessionals.com This is what I got when I put the email address into Google. [email protected] appears to be a direct email address associated with Kindle Publishing Professionals, an independent book production and ghostwriting agency. [1] The company provides formatting, cover design, marketing, and self-publishing assistance. They notably published the workbook version of "God's Masterpiece and the Devil's Hues" in early 2026. (Note: Despite their name, they explicitly state they are not affiliated with Amazon or Amazon KDP). [1, 2, 3, 4]