Spent part of today going through an author's launch plan with them, line by line, what to post, when, and why. What struck me most wasn't the plan itself, it was realizing how many talented authors never get this far. They finish the book, hit publish, and then try to figure out visibility on the fly, which almost always leads to burnout or silence instead of real traction. A clear plan changes that completely. It's not about doing more, it's about knowing exactly what to focus on and when, so effort actually turns into results instead of guesswork. Curious, when you published, did you go in with an actual plan for after launch day, or did you figure it out as you went?

One of the biggest mistakes I see authors make is waiting until their book is published before thinking about marketing. In my experience, the real growth starts before launch. What helped me the most was building visibility early, creating a launch plan, staying consistent with promotion, and making sure readers knew my book existed before release day. That's the approach I used with In Her Own League, and it completely changed how I looked at publishing. A great book is important, but readers can't buy a book they've never discovered. If you're writing your next book, don't wait until it's published to think about marketing. Start building your audience now, connect with readers in your genre, and create a simple roadmap for your launch. Even small, consistent steps can make a huge difference over time. Question: At what stage do you usually start thinking about marketing your book before you publish, after you publish, or only when sales begin to slow down?

I’ve been working towards the goal of becoming a stronger self-publisher, and one thing I’ve learned is that progress becomes much easier when you stop trying to figure everything out alone. I’ve faced plenty of challenges around understanding the publishing process, making the right decisions, and knowing which strategies are worth focusing on. Getting guidance from people with more experience has helped me avoid mistakes and move with much more clarity. Since many of us here are working towards similar goals, I’d love to learn from those further along the journey. What’s one self-publishing strategy, tool, or lesson that has made the biggest difference for you? And if you’re currently stuck on something, share it below. Someone in this community may have already faced the same challenge and can point you in the right direction.

Hi! I am trying to relaunch my children's book and creating my own imprint. The problem is this: I found a name I absolutely love. In the US, it is completely open so far as book publishers go. There is, however, an independent publisher in the UK that uses that name. I want to have wide distribution on KDP and Ingramspark. This would mean distribution to the UK. I understand that they are publishing novels while I would be using my imprint of the same name for children's books. I also understand that when people search for the name could get either my imprint or that of the UK publisher and that this could be good and bad. I also have a second possibility for my imprint name that, while I don't like it as much, I haven't been able to find any competition for it in the publishing world. Do you think I should go with the name that I like best, or will it cause more trouble than it's worth?