Self Publish, Be Happy Puns

the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '." ― Stephen Fry

TL; DR: I want to write a book with a self-harming main character, and although it has a happy ending the journey there is probably extremely triggering and maybe glorifies self-harm unintentionally.

I've had an idea for a plot for a long time now, and I wanted to write the book for two reasons, 1. because writing those scenes helps me cope and I write (but don't publish) short stories like that a lot 2. because the book ultimately sees the main character find a wonderful chosen family and see that he can be okay, and I think we need more books like that in the world. However, I've written up some very preliminary drafts of specific chapters and scenes, and I know it could be, and probably would be, very triggering. I don't really know how else to write it, because the only way to make it not triggering would be to not use any detail/description and then nobody could understand what was even going on. I also think a lot of it could be interpreted as glorifying self-harm, but I don't want to make my character feel disgusted or guilty all the time because the way I actually feel is a sense of relief, or like I've escaped into a different world, or strangely, pride. I think if I wrote a character that didn't feel the same way about it I did, it wouldn't be relatable, because I couldn't really understand other ways of thinking enough to write it effectively. To be honest, I hate it when shows make it seem "tragically beautiful" or "aesthetic" because it's not, but at the same time, there's some of that in the scenes too... like I tend to see my tools as friends so I have the character think that as well, and I like the shade of red in a weird way so I have the character obsess about that the same way I would. I really don't want to encourage people, but I want my character to be real and relatable. Do you think it would be fine if I published it with a trigger warning in the front, or would it not matter because a lot of people will just skip over it and read the book anyway? Do you think it's fine because the character find happiness and relief from other things (like healthy relationships) by the end, or is it probably going to be so triggering the whole way there that the ending doesn't really matter at that point?

The first line in the book is "So you see how pencils are sharp?" The whole book is filled with things that seem like common sense for any human but apparently is extremely new to alien species. Examples could be:

●A whole chapter is dedicated to how to make different kinds of weapons with pencils and other school items, like elastic bands erasers and so on transformed on bows and crossbows or just small stab weapons.

●Bealearic slingers, literally just a rock and a piece of sling or rope, is presented as an extremely brute and powelful weapon, it became the weeb katana of alien species.

●As every human in space knows, gravel hurts if pressed into the skin, gravel is now considered an improvised weapon and is illegal to carry it unless given permission by the local law applying forces.

I want to self publish my own works as a sole proprietor using a DBA but I'm still lost as to what licenses I need to be compliant with the government in Texas.

I'm not aiming for profits but can't really say how profitable this will be. I expect barely anything so the costs of an LLC don't make sense to me in this situation. It's $300 just to file in TX. I know I need a business tax EIN even if I'm the only "employee" and won't hire anyone in the future. This helps with a business bank account, etc.

But do I need a home based business license? Are there different licenses that I need on the county, city, state, and federal level? If so, what are they? Do I apply for a DBA first and then go for the business license(s), or the other way around?

I've posted in r/legaladvice but no responses yet

Self-explanatory. I want to self-pub my science fiction novels, but I don't want to charge for them. I know Amazon forces you to charge something for your book, which is why I will not be going through them. Any tips on where/how I can promo a free* (well, it'll be more of a "buy me a beer with this tip jar if you like it" thing) book? Thanks!

Very new to this, and am a bit overwhelmed when reading through different threads or websites. So many things are suggested, covering development, editing, cover design, registering copyrights, ISBN numbers, marketing, etc. I get that you have to spend sometimes to earn, but we all have our own personal budgets and circumstances that put limitations on much we're willing to invest. Some real-life, personal examples would be so valuable.

So, just curious what dollar amount most of you generally budget for heading into your self-published works, and what items you're budgeting for.

Any responses are very much appreciated, and any advice on how to not squander away money needlessly on this is great! Thanks.

Hello all! This is my first time posting here, I looked through the rules and faqs, especially the licensing stuff, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so I hope you don't mind the query.

I'm looking for advice on whether I should self-publish the game I'm currently writing (via drivethrurpg or something) or if instead I should seek out a small press to publish through.

For reference: this is my first time writing a ttrpg or getting anything published, I'm an undergraduate who will be finishing my degree this May, and have received a small grant from my school to help get this game playtested and published.

The game is called Loaded for Bear, and is a loosely PBtA game about anthropology and wilderness survival. You can find more info about it via my linktree.

I have absolutely no publishing skills or content creation base, I've started poking around in Scribus and watching youtube layout/design tutorials. My partner is an illustration major and is willing to help with some artwork, design, etc.

I am also getting a senior project credit for this assignment, which combined with the grant means that the playtesting process for this game is officially considered an NYU affiliated human trial study by the NYU internal review board. The playtesting so far is being conducted on a discord server you can find in my linktree.

My resume is probably most graciously described as "modest," some minimum wage food service jobs, the aforementioned grant, great hs record and extracurriculars/community involvement, and 3.8 gpa so far in undergrad. I'm in school for what amounts to anthropology, not game design.

A friend of mine is a critical theory/fiction writer and introduced me to the small press world, but isn't involved with gaming or game publishing of any kind.

What do y'all think? Thank you in advance for your input <3

I've seen a few of popular kindle authors get their books published through small and unknown indie publishers, even though their books were doing well prior to the indie publishers. Is it for tax reasons, i.e. its much easier to say you're working for a publishing firm than it is to file for freelance?

So, besides the usual task like creating store page/optimizing store page, marketing ... what are the stuffs that needs to be done but people usually don't talk about a lot? For example:

• Setting up a company for your game so it's easier to do tax/business expense, ...

• Register a patent or trade-mark or something so later on, if your game become popular, no one would go and claim it as theirs because they see your game is popular, and they register the name as their and sue you for it ...

Thanks a lot.

I have sold about 4 NSFW comics directly to various web based distributors, but hardly made any money and it was a ton of work. However, I feel that I am now ready to move on to mainstream comics, but hear there is also hardly any money in it. In fact, it seems trying to get a Kickstarter campaign going can net you more money in the long run. I have submitted a comic to Dark Horse and Image and I am about 60% convinced I should get some kind of reply from one of them. I know everyone thinks that, but what I have written is a 3 issue comic series I think would sell fairly well. Does anyone have any rough idea of the deals you get from Dark Horse/Image vs Kickstarter. It is amazing you can n ever find anyone talking money. I would be happy with a $15K net per issue. Is that realistic for an unknown?

Hi everyone.

So i've recently finished an adventure/fantasy story I've been working on and I want to self publish , particularly in the UK. (haven't entirely ruled out traditional publishing but it doesn't look likely). for context the ideal book size for me is 7in x 10in, which leads to my book being about 430 pages. I had heard a lot of good things about ingramsparks and wanted to check it out. unfortunately the base printing cost appears to be £8.39, which would mean i would have to RRP at £14.50 at the lowest wholesale discount of 35% (which apparently drastically reduces chances of stores picking it up) to make a reasonable profit. this number seems too high and I was wondering if anyone knew what is the best self publishing service for me to publish my book

I'm new to the idea of self-publishing and am seriously considering it for my future work. However, I've seen a lot of successful self-published authors who have a thriving YouTube account or an IG with a ton of followers or promote on TikTok.

I would like to live a life where I don't have to do any of those things. But they are arguably the best and most wide reaching platforms to build an audience while writing/formatting. It helps ensure pre-sales or even guaranteed sales at launch.

Is it have a thriving social media presence or bust for successful self-publishing?

Ten years ago, I did an AMA on Reddit to talk about how I had decided to jump on the self-publishing train. Since then, I've learned a lot, made some mistakes, picked myself up and dusted myself off, and I just recently published my eighteenth book.

To get started, I'll tell you a little about me. My books are the Tellest series of fantasy books. What started as just me ended up becoming a fantasy universe that currently includes four other writers who have supplemented the world with short stories. Of the eighteen books that have been published, five have had audiobooks made for them. I've also released an art book and a spinoff tabletop card game with my brother, with a standalone expansion just about ready to hit shelves next year.

I've still got a lot to discover and a lot to tell. Luckily, I'm making awesome friends along the way. I've partnered with dozens of artists to bring Tellest to life, and have weekly art content that goes live on my site.

One of the other things that Tellest has done, and really ramped up in 2021, is promote other fantasy and science fiction writers. We've promoted the works of roughly 75 authors this year, with more still to come.

A lot can happen in a decade, so if there are any questions you have, I hope I can answer them!

If people want to stay and be a part of my life, they better work their way inside. If people want to walk away from me, I’d gladly lay down the red carpet for them.

To 2022 and beyond, where I value myself and my peace above anything else. 😌

I make abstract art pages to deal with my stress and they're piling up very quickly. They have a good flow and some of my friends ave even asked for copies to color. A friend suggested I turn it all into a coloring book but it looks like most publishers either arent acccepting new submissions or I have to get a literary agent to be the middle man. Is there a publisher that does coloring books or would self publishing be the best way to go?

I am currently in the process of writing a story and am wondering if there are any websites I can self-publish it on. I've tried wattpad, but it hasn't gotten me anywhere. Is there a similar site I should look into?

delete if not allowed

Hey everyone. So I’ve been an aspiring writer for some time. I’ve had my ups and downs with writing for years now. I wrote a novel, computer broke and I lost it. Took a break. Wrote another, dumbly deleted the file, took a break. I haven’t stopped writing. I just haven’t written anything “long” in a while. I read a lot of WEBTOON but I’m not certain that’s the route I want to take. I’d rather write some chapters weekly and try to gain an audience… something like that. Are there any websites that are better than others to do that? Do any of you do that? If so any advice?

Writing is about discipline and I think a chapter a week could be a good start. Is that consistency good enough to start building an audience or should it be something like 2x a week or so?

Thanks for reading.

Feel free to DM me here or email me at Alexander.nakashima@gmail.com thanks for all your help!

Some fans of my audiobook productions on YouTube have asked for physical copies of my book. If I go to a Book Baby or something like that to print up a batch, for promo and give-away, or to sell online, that doesn't necessarily entail all of the headaches of registering a published book, or does it? Part of me wants to just have a physical demo, but not be a self-published author. Does anyone understand what I mean by that? What am I missing here? Thanks!

My Author name is B.T. Frost (just like my reddit name, fancy that)

My website can be found here: www.author-btfrost.com

I'm an all around geek and am a fan of multiple genres and established content (Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, One Punch Man, Martial Arts,) and I have an Applied Bachelors Degree in Communications in Professional Writing, with 2 self-published titles and a 3rd on the way.

I have appeared as a guest on 2 podcasts and made 2 appearances on a UK-Based internet Radio.

I'm patient, articulated, have a brain full of useless (interesting?) facts, and do my best to prepare some talking points before recording for my guest appearances.