Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman

How Creativity Survives in an AI Monoculture

Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

Today’s post is excerpted from Quiver, Don’t Quake: How Creativity Can Embrace AI by Nadim Sadek, founder and CEO of Shimmr AI, an AI-powered advertising platform.

I met Sadek in person at NYU’s Publishing Institute in January, and found him a warm, self-aware, and very human founder of an AI startup. His latest book tries to balance an optimistic take on how creative people can use AI, with a lucid assessment of its risks. For my readership, I’ve chosen to excerpt a portion about the risks.

In 2023, Manhattan attorney Steven A. Schwartz filed a federal court brief citing six judicial decisions, each seemingly perfect for his case. But every one of them was fictitious, hallucinated by ChatGPT, complete with plausible names, dates, and legal reasoning. When the deception was uncovered, the court sanctioned Schwartz and fined him $5,000. The incident became a landmark cautionary tale about the dangers of relying on generative AI without verification, particularly in fields where factual integrity is of paramount importance.

The first and most immediate set of dangers we all face regarding AI are practical ones. They’re the gremlins that live inside the current generation of AI models, the bugs in the system that can have serious real-world consequences.

The most famous of these is what’s termed hallucination. It’s what we identify when an AI confidently and articulately invents facts. It spits out nonsense. Because an LLM’s primary function is to generate statistically probable text, not to verify truth, it has no internal concept of what’s real and what isn’t. If it doesn’t have the correct information in its training data, it won’t say “I don’t know.” Instead, it’ll often generate a plausible-sounding answer that’s entirely fictitious. This has moved from a humorous quirk to a serious problem.

When I wrote an earlier book, I remember asking AI to do some research—to find other authors with a similar thesis to mine. Crestfallen, I looked at a long list of titles which seemed to occupy very much the same space I was in. Then I looked at their publication dates—all in the future! For any creator using AI for research—a journalist, a historian, a non-fiction author—the danger is clear. The AI is a brilliant research assistant, but a terrible fact-checker. Every piece of information it provides must be treated with suspicion and verified independently.

The second gremlin is bias amplification. At my company Shimmr AI, where we produce autonomous advertising using AI, I remember reproaching our Chief Product Officer about why our nascent video-forms were always much more convincing when the protagonist was a woman. She chided me. “Where do you think video generators have learned to produce credible renditions of women moving?” Well, the answer is from browsing the internet and capturing all the videos it can find. Pornography accounts for much of that. And it’s mainly women who populate pornography.

AI has learned to render women in videos much more convincingly than men largely because that’s what it’s found to train on. AI reflects the totality of its training data. The problem is that our digital world isn’t an unbiased utopia; it’s a reflection of our flawed, unequal societies. An AI trained on the internet will inevitably learn and reproduce the biases it finds there. If historical data shows that most CEOs are men, an image generator prompted with “a picture of a CEO” will overwhelmingly produce images of men. If online texts more frequently associate certain ethnicities with crime, the AI will learn that toxic correlation.

The danger isn’t just that the AI reflects our biases, but that it amplifies them, laundering them through the seemingly objective voice of a machine and presenting them as neutral fact. This can entrench stereotypes, poison public discourse, and cause real harm. It’s one reason why I advocate for everything we’ve ever created and produced—properly recognized and remunerated—to be included in AI training. We have an active role to play in producing ethical AI.

The next set of dangers are more subtle, but perhaps more corrosive in the long run. They concern what might happen to us, the human creators, as we become more and more reliant on our sophisticated new partner.

A friend recounted to me that she watched her son, 20 years old and bright as a button, working on a university assignment. He’d typed a prompt into ChatGPT: “Write a short essay about how HR can fail a corporation.” The AI delivered five perfectly structured paragraphs. He tweaked a sentence here, added a date there, and submitted it. Time elapsed: twelve minutes. Understanding gained: zero.

Many of us fear the dereliction of committed learning that is an obvious risk in the era of easy-AI.  Every tool that makes a task easier carries with it the risk that we forget how to do the task ourselves. We use calculators and our ability to do mental arithmetic fades. We use GPS and our innate sense of direction withers. The fear is that a generation of creators who grow up with AI as a constant companion won’t develop the foundational skills of their craft. Will a writer who’s always used an AI to structure their arguments ever learn how to build a narrative from the ground up? Will a musician who’s always used an AI to generate chord progressions ever learn the fundamentals of music theory?

This isn’t a Luddite argument against using new tools but a caution about the potential for our intuitive capabilities to atrophy. Creativity is a dance between our intuitive, associative spark and our analytical, structuring work. If we outsource all of the structuring, the editing, the refining to the AI, what happens to our own analytical capabilities? More importantly, what happens to the crucial interplay between the two? The process of wrestling with structure, of hitting a dead end and having to rethink your argument, is often what forces the most interesting intuitive insights to the surface. By taking away the friction, we risk taking away the fire.

This leads to a related fear: the homogenization of culture. What happens when millions of creators, from students writing essays to marketers creating ad campaigns to artists generating images, all start using the same handful of AI models? There’s a real danger that the output begins to converge on a bland, generic, AI-inflected mean. We may see the emergence of a new monoculture, where art, writing, and music all share the same statistically-probable, algorithmically-smoothed-out feel. The unique, the quirky, the truly original voice—the very things we value most in art—could be drowned out in a sea of competent but soulless content.

Bookshop • Amazon

Would a neural net have produced Being John Malkovich, a film about a portal into an actor’s consciousness hidden behind an office filing cabinet? Or Eraserhead, David Lynch’s surreal debut about parenthood, dread, and an oozing mutant baby? Almost certainly not. These works are weird, jagged, and defiantly human. They were born of obsessions, neuroses, and vision that no probability model would prioritize.

My belief is that the antidote to this AI slop (as some have been calling it) is that we’re endlessly eccentric, each human being communicating and manifesting in unique fashions. AIs respond to inputs—prompts—and so long as we each allow our intuitive side full rein, then the interactions produced in collaborating with AI will always result in idiosyncratic, unique outputs. We must continue to be us.

Note from Jane: If you enjoyed this article, check out Nadim Sadek’s new book Quiver, Don’t Quake: How Creativity Can Embrace AI.

What Does It Mean to Have a Compelling Voice in Your Story?

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

Today’s post is by editor Tiffany Yates Martin. Join us on Wednesday, October 8, for the online class Mastering Voice in Fiction.

One of the most frequent pieces of advice authors hear from agents and editors in making their work stand out is that it needs to have voice: strong voice, a unique voice, a compelling voice—or even just be “voicey.”

Voice is arguably among the most important factors in catching the attention of agents, editors, and readers. As literary agent Amy Collins of Talcott Notch says, “Manuscripts may have crisp, engaging dialogue, glorious descriptive scenes, and a great plot… But none of that matters if the tone of the writing is bland or the voice is not unique.”

This is where authors may feel a bit flummoxed. We know voice matters—enormously—in setting our stories apart in a crowded market. But what the hell is it, and what makes it powerful or intriguing or distinct? And if it’s too strong or distinctive, might it not draw attention to itself—like Fergie’s rendition of the National Anthem?

“I understand why authors struggle with it,” Collins admits.

What is voice?

One reason voice is such a tricky concept to grasp is that it’s used to refer to three different elements of storytelling: character voice, narrative voice, and author voice—and they can often overlap.

Character voice is the way your characters express themselves and their personality. In direct-POV stories (first person and deep third), where the character is also the narrator, character and narrator voice are essentially the same.

In indirect POV stories (limited third and omniscient) the narrative voice is distinct from that of the characters and may be neutral and nearly invisible, or distinctive and even specific. Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, for instance, features a narrator who is also a minor character in the story yet takes an omniscient POV with a unique, strong voice, as does Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief, narrated by omniscient, personality-filled Death, also a major player in the tale. [Learn more: Choosing Story Perspective: Direct versus Indirect POV]

And overlaying all of that is author voice—perhaps the most ephemeral and hard-to-define area of voice. Author voice is why, though the characters, setting, genre, and approach may be different in each of an author’s books, they always have a deeply personal stamp on them of the author’s style—and it’s so often why readers repeatedly seek out a favorite author’s work.

Author voice tends to be the trickiest, and the one most authors are grappling with when they feel confused or baffled by what exactly voice is or means or consists of.

Author voice encompasses a wide array of elements: diction and syntax, word choice and language use, rhythm and tone, frame of reference and worldview and themes, and more. In short, it’s the author’s personality and style infusing itself into the work, often subtly or without drawing attention to itself—though not always, as in “metanarrated” stories like William Goldman’s The Princess Bride or Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote de la Mancha, where the conceit is that that the author (or at least a fictionalized version of them) is narrating the story directly.

Confused yet?

Finding your story’s voice

As you’re tackling your stories, much of their voice will be a creative decision you deliberately make in the form of the narrative and character voices. What perspective do you want to tell your story from? What narrative point of view suits your story and intentions and style? What tone, what approach, what level of intimacy are you imagining?

You may know you want a narrative voice that’s separate from the character voice, for instance—the indirect POVs of omniscient or limited third—to allow you a broader narrative vantage point from which to observe and report their actions, thoughts, and the story action rather than the more subjective and limited perspective of the characters themselves.

Or perhaps the story you imagine is firmly planted in the direct perspective of one or more of your main characters—they speak to you, you hear their voice already as the story plays in your head, and you want to give readers direct access to that experience as they live out the events of your story, as if they’re on a ride-along.

It’s okay if you aren’t certain at first about the most effective voice for your story. In writing The Book Thief, set in Nazi Germany during World War II, author Marcus Zusak knew early on what narrative perspective he wanted: “Death is ever-present during war, so here was the perfect choice to narrate The Book Thief,” he says in an interview in the back of the book.

But at first, he says, Death was too mean, supercilious and creepy, and he didn’t feel the narrative/character voice was working for the story. He experimented with other approaches, including changing the POV and narrative perspective, but six months later came back to Death, this time as a character existentially wearied of his morbid job and “telling this story to prove to himself that humans are actually worth it,” with a looser, even humorous tone.

Shelby Van Pelt happened upon a key narrative voice in her first novel as an exercise in a writing class to write from an unusual point of view. When she turned in a brief piece written from the POV of an intelligent, keenly observant, wryly witty octopus, her teacher encouraged her to expand the story, and the result—Remarkably Bright Creatures—grabbed the attention of agents and publishers with Marcellus the octopus’s distinctive opening narrative/character voice, selling for six figures in a multi-house auction and eventually landing on the New York Times bestseller list not once but twice.

Van Pelt has written and spoken of the way Marcellus’s voice came to life in her head, shaping the narrative, yet her multiple-POV story also features two other distinctive narrative/character voices, each in a different POV, broadening her narrative perspective beyond Marcellus’s aquarium tank to allow her more freedom in telling the full story.

How do you see and hear a particular story in your head? Where are you “observing” it from? How do you want your readers to experience it? What tone and perspective feels most natural and comfortable to you?

Alternatively, what might be an intriguing or rewarding narrative voice to try to stretch you beyond that comfort zone?

Your story as you’re imagining it may suggest the kind of strong, specific narrative voice Zusak and Van Pelt settled on, or you might want a more objective perspective, like Laurie Frankel’s This Is How It Always Is, a story told in a more neutral omniscient narrative voice that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but allows readers access to each character’s thoughts, reactions, and emotions and focus on the experiences, individually and collectively, of a family with a transgender child.

Narrative voice helps set a story’s tone, feel, mood. It directs the reader’s experience of the story through creating its scale and scope, how much access the reader has to the character, and what perspective they’re viewing and experiencing it from. It can determine whether your story feels casual or more formal, intimate or more removed, objective or subjective.

Like so many questions in craft, there is no “right” answer to which narrative voice is best for a particular story. It’s purely subjective, based on many personal and stylistic factors. All POVs and perspectives are potentially marketable (even Death, as Zuzak proved). Present tense is as popular as past, and neither one is better nor worse, just different.

The “right” narrative voice is the one that feels right to you for the story you want to tell, the way you want to tell it, and the experience you want the reader to have.

Finding your voice

But where does your author voice come into the mix? If you’ve chosen a particular narrative/character voice for your story for the effect it creates on readers, then isn’t “adding in” your own personal creative voice a distraction?

Like the answer to most creative questions, it depends.

Zusak talks about reconsidering and polishing his prose “dozens of times” in his writing and revision process and over long stretches of time, particularly his distinctive use of figurative language: “I like the idea that every page can have a gem on it,” he says.

Pick up any of his writing and you’ll begin to notice consistencies, even across very different stories: that use of powerful imagery and figurative language, dark themes and the exploration of big philosophical questions with a hopeful bent, and humor often laced throughout. He often addresses the reader as if bringing us into the characters’ confidence, and alternates quick-moving short sentences and paragraphs with longer and more introspective prose in stories of characters seeking meaning.

As with most skilled storytellers, Zusak’s authorial voice is distinctive in all his work, and yet it doesn’t pull focus from or define the story itself. It runs beneath the surface of the story like a bass line: Take it out and you’d notice that the story loses much of its richness and texture and depth, but while it’s playing you may never even notice it.

Which sounds great, but how do you do it?

The tone and style and feel of our stories, however deliberately crafted, isn’t something we fabricate from whole cloth. You’ll never find your own powerful authentic voice by copying other people or imposing a crafted voice onto the writing externally; it comes from inside. Voice is hampered and can feel unnatural when you try to “do it.” Intentionally striving for a voice often results in sounding like an imitation of someone else, or stiff and self-conscious, or even pretentious.

Author voice is something you already possess, as does every human on earth. The trick is to discover, develop, and free it on the page.

See if you can identify the characteristics of your own writing in the same way you would analyze other authors’ voice. Do you have recurring themes in your work? What tone do your stories tend to have—light and humorous? deep and lyrical? casual and intimate or more formal? optimistic or cynical? or any of a spectrum of infinite possibilities. What kind of language do you tend to use: your vocabulary and word choice, the rhythm and length of your sentences, how you shape the prose with syntax? Are your stories more action-focused or introspective and character-driven?

My stories, for instance (written under my pen name, Phoebe Fox), tend to explore the topics of family and forgiveness. They tend to be character-driven, have an accessible and informal tone, and incorporate humor. In both my fiction and nonfiction writing, I often write in complex sentences with compound clauses and plenty of em dashes and semicolons; I love language and am deliberate with word choice, am quite free with imagery and figurative language, and often incorporate alliteration as well as rhythms of three (as in fact this sentence does).

If you can’t pinpoint your own authorial voice, ask others to offer you their objective perspective. Ask beta readers, critique partners, or really anyone willing to read you to characterize the tone and feel of your voice, your style, the personality of your writing.

Write a specific excerpt of another author’s story in your own way—how would you relate that passage? Then write an excerpt from your own stories in the style of another author—a great way to identify exactly how it’s different from what you naturally gravitate to. Try this exercise with another author: Have them write something in what they feel is your voice, while you do the same for their work—it’s a practical, hands-on way to identify the components of voice and see what makes each author’s distinctive.

Your voice may be influenced by other artists’ voices—we’re all shaped by our environment, including who and what we love to read. The trick is to let these influences all marinate and lead to your own unique concoction, as choreographer Camille A. Brown talks about in her TED Talk. Her voice takes inspiration and influence from everything from the Jacksons to Broadway musicals to African American social dance. In choreographing her production of Once on This Island, Brown reached out to an expert in Afro-Haitian dance, but then used it as a jumping-off point for her own creation. “This is about me understanding the origins for myself. So then I can use my choreographic voice and riff on that,” she says. “And then when it comes out, it’s something that is Camille and not someone else’s.”

Each of us contains multitudes, and you can tap into different aspects of your author voice from story to story, just as we access different aspects of our personality in various social groups. And your author voice may evolve as you deepen your understanding of craft and as you grow as a person.

Final thoughts

As Amy Collins says, “Authors need to identify and lean into their voice so that their scenes and chapters are not neutral and beige. The authors may have unique backstory or twists, but if the voice is null or bland, then I am out.”

Voice takes courage and confidence and practice. Trust that you are enough—your authentic self. It may not be Hemingway or King or Saunders or whoever you admire, but we already have that. What the world doesn’t have is you and your distinctive, singular, unique voice.

Note from Jane: If you enjoyed this post, be sure to join us on Wednesday, October 8, for the online class Mastering Voice in Fiction.

Webtoon and Disney partner on comics platform

The new partnership acts as an expansion upon Disney-owned Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s current digital comics subscription service.

This premium article is available to paid subscribers of Jane's newsletter. Here's what subscribers get:

Publishing industry news that includes Jane’s reporting and analysis (weekly)Access to more than 3,000 premium articles on this site, all searchableAccess to Jane’s private resource guides, continually updated Subscribe today.

Or login below if you're already a subscriber.

Wondering why some content isn't free? Did something change? Here's an explanation.

Penguin Random House UK launches first Christian imprint, Ebury Vine

The publisher says the launch is in response to a “clear market need,” especially for young readers.

This premium article is available to paid subscribers of Jane's newsletter. Here's what subscribers get:

Publishing industry news that includes Jane’s reporting and analysis (weekly)Access to more than 3,000 premium articles on this site, all searchableAccess to Jane’s private resource guides, continually updated Subscribe today.

Or login below if you're already a subscriber.

Wondering why some content isn't free? Did something change? Here's an explanation.

Spotify enters marketing partnership with TikTok

Spotify has launched a “Big on BookTok” landing page offering audiobook playlists based on viral book recommendations on TikTok.

This premium article is available to paid subscribers of Jane's newsletter. Here's what subscribers get:

Publishing industry news that includes Jane’s reporting and analysis (weekly)Access to more than 3,000 premium articles on this site, all searchableAccess to Jane’s private resource guides, continually updated Subscribe today.

Or login below if you're already a subscriber.

Wondering why some content isn't free? Did something change? Here's an explanation.

Former bookstore co-owners launch hybrid publisher

The former owners of Tattered Cover have launched Left Field Publishing, where authors pay half of the upfront costs and share royalties with the company.

This premium article is available to paid subscribers of Jane's newsletter. Here's what subscribers get:

Publishing industry news that includes Jane’s reporting and analysis (weekly)Access to more than 3,000 premium articles on this site, all searchableAccess to Jane’s private resource guides, continually updated Subscribe today.

Or login below if you're already a subscriber.

Wondering why some content isn't free? Did something change? Here's an explanation.

Links of Interest: September 17, 2025

The latest in children's publishing, the Anthropic settlement, media, culture & politics, and AI.

This premium article is available to paid subscribers of Jane's newsletter. Here's what subscribers get:

Publishing industry news that includes Jane’s reporting and analysis (weekly)Access to more than 3,000 premium articles on this site, all searchableAccess to Jane’s private resource guides, continually updated Subscribe today.

Or login below if you're already a subscriber.

Wondering why some content isn't free? Did something change? Here's an explanation.

Username or E-mail Password * function mepr_base64_decode(encodedData) { var decodeUTF8string = function(str) { // Going backwards: from bytestream, to percent-encoding, to original string. return decodeURIComponent(str.split('').map( function(c) { return '%' + ('00' + c.charCodeAt(0).toString(16)).slice(-2) }) .join('') ) } if (typeof window !== 'undefined') { if (typeof window.atob !== 'undefined') { return decodeUTF8string(window.atob(encodedData)) } } else { return new Buffer(encodedData, 'base64').toString('utf-8') } var b64 = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=' var o1 var o2 var o3 var h1 var h2 var h3 var h4 var bits var i = 0 var ac = 0 var dec = '' var tmpArr = [] if (!encodedData) { return encodedData } encodedData += '' do { // unpack four hexets into three octets using index points in b64 h1 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h2 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h3 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) h4 = b64.indexOf(encodedData.charAt(i++)) bits = h1 << 18 | h2 << 12 | h3 << 6 | h4 o1 = bits >> 16 & 0xff o2 = bits >> 8 & 0xff o3 = bits & 0xff if (h3 === 64) { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1) } else if (h4 === 64) { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1, o2) } else { tmpArr[ac++] = String.fromCharCode(o1, o2, o3) } } while (i < encodedData.length) dec = tmpArr.join('') return decodeUTF8string(dec.replace(/\0+$/, '')) } jQuery(document).ready(function() { var el = document.getElementById("mepr_math_captcha-68cbb2ef4725d") el.innerHTML = mepr_base64_decode("MTQgKyAxIGVxdWFscz8="); }); Remember Me     Forgot Password

If Book Marketing Feels Miserable, Read This Now

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Today’s post is by Colleen M. Story, author of the new book Escape the Writer’s Web.

“I’m just bad at marketing.” Writers tell me that all the time. I’ve thought that myself more times than I can count, and honestly, I probably am. I’m not wired to be naturally good at selling. But after digging into the research and looking closely at my own patterns, I’ve realized there’s something else going on.

Book marketing feels much harder than writing.

For most of us, book marketing feels harder than writing.

When I sit down to write, even if it’s challenging, I still feel a sense of control. I know the process. I’ve built habits around it. I trust myself to get to the end, even when it’s messy, because … well, when I’m writing, it feels right.

But when I’m trying to market my work? It feels uncomfortable and difficult, and I often come away from it frustrated and discouraged.

There are a lot of reasons we struggle with this part of the process. We know how to create worlds, shape characters, and evoke feeling. But writing an Instagram caption, setting up a newsletter funnel, or figuring out how to “promote ourselves?” That’s not what we trained for.

When marketing, we’re not just creating anymore. We’re putting ourselves in front of people and asking them to care, respond, and then buy. That stirs up a lot of fears, like:

What if what I put out there looks silly or stupid?What if people see it and still don’t care—or worse, don’t like it?What if I try something and it doesn’t work—again?

We feel these emotions, but we don’t always realize how much they’re driving our choices. This is the crux of the problem: resistance to marketing isn’t only about talent or skill. It’s often about emotional risk. And the more we care about our books, the heavier that risk can feel.

So yes—some of the struggle comes from a lack of talent and/or skill. But from what I’ve seen in my own process and in working with other writers, that’s not the whole story, or even the most important part.

Because even when we learn the basics of promotion and begin to figure out our next steps, we still put it off. We tell ourselves we’ll “get to it later.”

In other words, we procrastinate.

Yep. Even those of us who pride ourselves on being productive. We do the thing we don’t usually do—we delay.

Why? That’s the hundred-million-dollar question I’ve spent the last year researching.

Why we procrastinate, and why it looks different for all of us

For the past year, I’ve been working on a new book about procrastination. A big part of that work was delving into the science, psychology, and emotional roots of why we delay the work we say matters to us. Somewhere along the way, I realized something uncomfortable: I was procrastinating, too. Not on writing—I’ve always been able to sit down and get the words in. But with marketing? That’s where I regularly stall out.

I don’t think of myself as someone who procrastinates, but once I started watching for it, I could see the more hidden and devious forms of it—studying and learning (over and over), planning, thinking, and waiting for the “perfect” timing. The research gave me the missing piece: procrastination is an emotional coping technique. However it shows up, it’s trying to keep us safe.

I don’t delay marketing because I’m not productive or disciplined. I delay because I’m looking for emotional protection.

Protection from what? That’s where writers differ.

Some of us brace against judgment or silence. Others tense up around uncertainty, the mess of choosing a plan, or the energy cost of being visible. Some carry burnout and dread, while others feel cornered by expectations and rules: same protective instinct, different pressure points.

For this and other reasons connected to the scope of my book, I mapped out 13 procrastination types that affect writers. Broadly, they cluster around four kinds of inner friction I see over and over again:

Inner Critic Conflict: fear-driven loopsIdea–Action Gap: structure and decision frictionEnergy–Momentum Disconnect: depletion and burnoutAutonomy Tension: control and rebellion dynamics

Most of us have a primary pattern or type, with one or more additional ones that may flare up under stress.

Once I mapped this out, it became clear how I can help writers outsmart procrastination wherever it shows up, on the page or in their book marketing. So let’s talk about what that might look like for you.

Spotting your procrastination pattern

If you’ve been avoiding book promotion but you’re not sure why, watch for the emotional reflex behind the delay. Procrastination wears different masks, but it always has a message.

Do you constantly tweak your sales page or social post, but never hit publish? You may be protecting yourself from judgment, rejection, or being misunderstood.Do you wait to market “when I’m more confident,” but that day never comes? You may be protecting your self-image, avoiding being seen before you feel “ready” (even if “ready” never comes).Do you put off marketing because you resent having to do it? That may be a form of rebellion—pushing back on rules you never agreed to.

These are just a few ways the 13 different types can show up. That’s why there’s no one‑size‑fits‑all fix. If you don’t know what kind of resistance you’re facing, you’ll either push in the wrong way or pull back and assume something’s wrong with you.

Name the pattern, and you can build a system that meets your emotional needs while still moving your book forward.

Final thoughts

If you’ve been telling yourself you’re bad at marketing, join the club. Most of us are far from experts at it!

But focusing only on skill can keep us stuck. The deeper issue is emotional: a protective pattern that steps in when visibility feels risky. The good news is, once you know your pattern, you can build a rhythm that’s sustainable on the page and in your outreach.

So today, try this: notice the next moment you feel the urge to delay a marketing task, then instead of pushing it away, ask yourself: “What emotion is my brain trying to protect me from?” That small moment of awareness is where real change begins.

Note from Jane: Want a quick way to find your procrastination pattern? Take Colleen’s abbreviated quiz—it only takes a minute, and it’ll point you in the right direction.

3 Publicity Mistakes Debut Authors Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Photo by RDNE Stock project

Today’s post is by Shanetta McDonald, founder of The Giselle Agency.

“After this press event, I’m pretty much done.”

The words reverberated throughout my body, causing my eyes to bulge and my breath to slow. Why? Because the statement came from a debut author at their launch event, in response to me asking about her remaining plans and activities to promote her book.

I didn’t know the author well, but I knew enough to understand that her minimal publicity plans as a new author were a big mistake. But I don’t blame her. Publicity is a mystery to most people, but especially debut authors whose main job has been writing a 60,000+ word manuscript.

Publicity matters because it supports sales, builds credibility and creates visibility. While publicity is not sales, it does get your book visible where your ideal customer is reading, watching and listening.

As a publicist for more than 16 years, first for Fortune 500 companies and now for women, BIPOC and queer authors, I know that some authors totally get the value, some need guidance, and some misunderstand publicity entirely.

Most debut authors fall somewhere in the middle. They think they need it, but have no clue how it works.

It’s like the old saying, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” As an author, you can have the most beautifully crafted, strong story, but if no one knows your book exists, then how can your gifts be seen?

Both traditional media (magazines, blogs and podcasts) as well as non-traditional media (Booktok and Substack spaces) are incredibly useful avenues to plug your new book. And unfortunately, I see too many authors failing to tap into some key areas of publicity that they should be ramping up on.

Here are three mistakes I see debut authors making, and how you can avoid them.

Mistake #1: Relying too much on your publisher

Publishers have some great in-house teams, but I tell every author I work with: you are not the only author your publisher is doing publicity for. In fact, depending on the size of your imprint, you could be one of dozens of authors launching a project in the same window. Because they can be stretched thin, they’re often only focused on the book versus you as the author, the brand and the thought leader.

So, what can you do? If you have the budget, hire an outside public relations agency (or freelance publicist, which is likely to be more cost effective). They’ll build custom strategies designed around your unique story, focus on you as an author and thought leader in your niche, and they’ll pitch you beyond launch week to keep your name in conversations long after release day. And if you don’t have the budget (an extra $2,000 to $3,000/per month on the low end), don’t panic. There are lots of publicity levers you tap into on your own, which brings me to my next point.

Mistake #2: Overlooking local media opportunities

Most authors get hung up on landing big national media placements. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be featured on the TODAY Show’s #ReadWithJenna list? While that may be a high-profile media hit, it’s also really competitive. According to PR Daily, journalists only open 45% of pitch emails they receive, and that number drops drastically when you’re pitching national websites, book clubs, blogs and morning news shows.

You know who is waiting to hear from you? Your local TV station and community newspaper. Get familiar with the ABC, NBC, and other affiliates in your town or region, or your XYZ-Times newspaper. Draft a simple introductory pitch and email them. They prioritize local news from local residents. It’s literally their job. Unlike national news outlets, local media are waiting for your pitch, your news and insight on how it’s in service to the community. A quick Google search or look at their website will give you the best person to contact. You have a better chance at getting their attention than an outlet where thousands of people are vying for the same mention.

Local media helps you get bigger media. In fact, one client I had was turned down by national broadcast because she didn’t have any local media market live recordings.

Mistake #3: Stopping publicity too soon

The marketing rule of 7 is a principle that states a potential customer must see a message at least 7 times before they’ll be provoked to take an action or, in this case, make a purchase. Book sales are no different. Promoting beyond launch week is vital and many debut authors who are new to the industry may not know this.

Instead of stopping at launch week, make a list of all the outlets you’d still like to be featured in and go after them, at least for the first 90 days, then periodically. I wish the author I mentioned earlier would’ve known that her audience, or new audiences, needed to be repeatedly exposed to her book before considering a purchase. I just signed a debut author to support them six months pre-launch and six months post-launch because of this. In my mind, ending press outreach and events the week a book launches leaves book sales on the table. Sustain your momentum for as long as you can.

It’s impossible to execute book publicity perfectly the first time around. But there’s a lot you can do to give your project the best shot at visibility. Focus on what you can control, stay consistent, and your book will continue reaching new readers long after launch.

Bottom Line August 2025 Bestseller Lists

The bestseller lists I compile each month using Bookstat data offer a view of self-publishing bestsellers as well as what’s performing well outside of the biggest publishers through online retail.

The Hidden Gems list—which looks for titles performing well outside of the Big Five—includes the following new releases:

At number three: the self-help book I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me Happy by Kate Strickler, published by Bethany House. The author has a significant online platform, and the book made the NY Times bestseller list.At number four: The Protein Advantage Cookbook by Carolyn Ketchum, from Fair Winds Press, an imprint of Quarto, a UK publisher. The author has run a popular recipe website and blog since 2010 that focuses on keto and low-carb recipes.At number five: Standing on the Edge of Eternity: The End Times according to Revelation by Gary Hamrick, published by Harvest House. The author is a well-known pastor in Leesburg, Virginia.

Notably, on the self-published bestsellers in print format, you’ll find Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie, which he self-published in the US market. The UK publisher is HarperCollins, which does not hold rights to publish and distribute in the US.

Top 50 Hidden Gems (print)

The Hidden Gems list excludes Big Five publishers (including acquired properties like Rodale and Hay House), as well as other publishers of significant size, like Norton and Scholastic. We let you know every month what we’ve excluded, or how we’ve changed list compilation. For August 2025, we’ve excluded maps and atlases, Bibles and Bible studies, compilations and box sets, kids’ school workbooks, and test prep guides.

In cases where the publisher name matches the author name, the book is listed as self-published. Keep in mind that even if a publisher name is listed, the publisher might be owned and run by the author(s).

RankTitleAuthorPublisherRelease Date1Forgotten Home Apothecary: 250 Powerful Remedies at Your FingertipsNicole Apelian, PhDGlobal BrotherOct. 8, 20242The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding a CivilizationHUNGRY MINDSSelf-publishedJan. 1, 20223I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen: And Other Lies I Think Will Make Me HappyKate StricklerBethany HouseAug. 26, 20254The Protein Advantage Cookbook: High-Protein, Low-Carb Recipes That Burn Fat, Build Muscle, and Restore MetabolismCarolyn KetchumFair Winds PressAug. 12, 20255Standing on the Edge of Eternity: The End Times according to RevelationGary HamrickHarvest House PublishersAug. 5, 20256A Navy SEAL’s Bug-In Guide: How to Turn Your House into the Safest Place on EarthJoel LambertGlobal BrotherJan. 1, 20247World of Eric Carle: Around the Farm 30-Button Animal Sound BookPI KidsPI KidsJan. 31, 20138Our Class Is a FamilyShannon OlsenShannon OlsenMay 5, 20209The Surrogate MotherFreida McFaddenSourcebooks/Poisoned Penn PressAug. 19, 202510A Beautiful Year in the Bible: The 52-Week Bible Study for WomenAlabaster Co.Alabaster CoSept. 24, 202411Don’t Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition): Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of SufferingJoseph NguyenAuthors EquityOct. 29, 202412Theo of GoldenAllen LeviAllen LeviOct. 11, 202313Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires 3)Lauren AsherSourcebooks/Bloom BooksAug. 19, 202514Absolute Batman, Vol. 1: The ZooScott SnyderDC ComicsAug. 5, 202515The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and HappinessMorgan HouselHarriman HouseSept. 8, 202016How to Draw Everything: 300 Drawings of Cute Stuff, Animals, Food, Gifts, and Other Amazing ThingsEmma GreeneSelf-publishedNov. 18, 202317Spooky Cutie: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Adorable Creepy Creatures in Cozy Hygge Moments for RelaxationCoco WyoSelf-publishedJuly 9, 202418Moms on Call: Basic Baby Care 0–6 MonthsLaura Hunter, LPNSelf-publishedJan. 1, 200619First Day JittersJulie DannebergCharlesbridgeFeb. 1, 200020The Only Living Trusts Book You’ll Ever Need: How to Make Your Own Living Trust, Avoid Probate & Protect Your HeirsGarrett MonroeSelf-publishedJune 25, 202421Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless SkyCaroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiKing’s HollowAug. 5, 202522A Letter from Your Teacher: On the First Day of SchoolShannon OlsenSelf-publishedMay 19, 202123Handsome Devil (Deluxe Edition) (Forbidden Love 3)L.J. ShenSourcebooks/Bloom BooksAug. 12, 202524The Amish WaysEddie SwartzentruberGlobal BrotherOct. 8, 202425The Simple Path to Wealth (Revised & Expanded 2025 Edition): Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free LifeJL CollinsAuthors EquityMay 20, 202526Absolute Superman, Vol. 1: Last Dust of KryptonJason AaronDC ComicsAug. 19, 202527Stress Relief: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids, Bold and Easy, Simple and Big Designs for Relaxation Featuring Animals, Landscape, Flowers, Patterns, Cute Things and Many MoreCoco WyoSelf-publishedMay 4, 202428Cozy Friends: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Super Cute Animal Characters with Easy and Simple Designs for RelaxationCoco WyoSelf-publishedMay 22, 202429AI Engineering: Building Applications with Foundation ModelsChip HuyenO’Reilly MediaJan. 7, 202530Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 27Gege AkutamiVIZ MediaAug. 19, 202531The Cruel Dawn (Vallendor 2)Rachel Howzell HallEntangled: Red Tower BooksAug. 19, 202532Little Corner: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens, Super Cute Designs of Cozy, Hygge Spaces for RelaxationCoco WyoSelf-publishedMay 29, 202433Fantasy Football Index Book 2025: Full Player and Team Reviews, Cheat Sheets, Experts’ Guide, Best of the Rookies, Advice & Analysis MagazineIan AllanFantasy Index MagazinesJune 10, 202534See You Later, AlligatorSally HopgoodSky Pony PressSept. 20, 201635Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You DieMessie CondoSkyhorse PublishingMarch 7, 202336The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Vol. I: The Ancient World and ChristendomJames HankinsEncounter BooksAug. 26, 202537Man’s Search for MeaningViktor E. FranklBeacon PressJune 1, 200638The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-MasteryBrianna WiestThought Catalog BooksMay 29, 202039Livingood Daily: Your 21-Day Guide to Experience Real HealthDr. LivingoodSelf-publishedDec. 24, 201740Would You Rather Book For Kids: 300+ Hilarious, Silly, and Challenging Questions to Make You LaughStephen J. EllisSelf-publishedSept. 22, 202141Absolute Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: The Last AmazonKelly ThompsonDC ComicsAug. 12, 202542Invincible Compendium, Vol. 1Robert KirkmanImage ComicsAug. 30, 201143The Natural Healing Handbook: Spiral-Bound Guide for Herbal Remedies and Natural RecipesAncient RemediesAncient RemediesJan. 1, 202344Murphy’s Law Life Principles for Children：A Comprehensive Guide to Benefit a LifetimeDoris WaltonTIKBOOKSFeb. 3, 202445The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire BibleTara-Leigh CobbleBethany HouseNov. 3, 202046Stop Letting Everything Affect You: How to Break Free from Overthinking, Emotional Chaos, and Self-SabotageDaniel ChidiacUndercover Publishing House Pty LtdJuly 4, 202547I Love You to the Moon and BackAmelia HepworthTiger TalesMarch 3, 201548Berserk Deluxe, Vol. 1Kentaro MiuraDark Horse MangaMarch 26, 201949Shield of SparrowsDevney PerryEntangled: Red Tower BooksMay 6, 202550Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming GreatJoshua MedcalfSelf-publishedDec. 2, 2015Top 50 Self-Published EbooksRankTitleAuthorRelease Date1The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk (Crowns of Nyaxia 4)Carissa BroadbentAug. 5, 20252Till Summer Do Us PartMeghan QuinnJune 3, 20253Handsome Devil: A Dark Mafia Romance (Forbidden Love 3)L.J. ShenAug. 12, 20254The TenantFreida McFaddenMay 6, 20255Vows We Never Made: A Grumpy Sunshine RomanceNicole SnowJuly 29, 20256Forever Country (Forever Bluegrass 24)Kathleen BrooksAug. 22, 20257Haunting Adeline (Cat and Mouse Duet 1)H.D. CarltonAug. 12, 20218Mountain Daddy (Mountain Men 2)S.J. TillyJuly 31, 20259Down Island: A Jesse McDermitt Novel (Caribbean Adventure 30)Wayne StinnettAug. 1, 202510Ward DFreida McFaddenMay 8, 202311Dust Devil (Dalton Savage Mystery 6)L.T. RyanAug. 5, 202512Precious Hazard: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance (Perfectly Imperfect 11)Neva AltajJuly 31, 202513Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires 3)Lauren AsherAug. 19, 202514Flirting with Trouble: Wells Silver (Silvers at Silver Island 1)Melissa FosterAug. 6, 202515Zodiac Academy: The AwakeningCaroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiAug. 2, 201916The Empress (Mafia Empire 4)Michelle HeardAug. 4, 202517The Wrong Husband: Brother’s Best Friend Marriage of Convenience Romance (Davenports 6)L. SteeleAug. 19, 202518Gild (Plated Prisoner 1)Raven KennedyOct. 16, 202019Over the Moon: A Small Town, Hockey Romance (Rosewood River 3)Laura PavlovJuly 29, 202520Theo of GoldenAllen LeviOct. 11, 202321The Deal (Off-Campus 1)Elle KennedyFeb. 24, 201522The Boyfriend: A Psychological ThrillerFreida McFaddenOct. 1, 202423Unbound: A Fantasy Romance (Confluence Academy 1)Penelope BloomMay 27, 202524Goal Line (Boston Rebels 4)Julia ConnorsAug. 15, 202525Pucking Strong: An MM Workplace Hockey Romance (Jacksonville Rays 4)Emily RathAug. 26, 202526The Summer We Kept Secrets (Destin Diaries 4)Hope HollowayAug. 15, 202527Chasing Shelter (Sparrow Falls 5)Catherine CowlesJuly 22, 202528Make Me Yours: A Friends-to-Lovers Close Proximity Sports Romance (Chicago Railers Hockey 1)Jennifer SucevicAug. 1, 202529Gleam (Plated Prisoner 3)Raven KennedyMay 31, 202130Never Dance with the Devils (Never Say Never 6)Lauren LandishAug. 8, 202531Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl 1)Matt DinnimanOct. 2, 202032Other Woman Drama (Content Advisory 4)Lani Lynn ValeAug. 12, 202533The Surrogate Mother: An Addictive Psychological ThrillerFreida McFaddenOct. 10, 201834The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia 1)Carissa BroadbentAug. 30, 202235Isles of the Emberdark: A Cosmere Novel (Secret Projects 5)Brandon SandersonJuly 10, 202536God of Malice: A Dark College Romance (Legacy of Gods 1)Rina KentDec. 1, 202237Freaky Festivals (Mystic Caravan Mysteries 20)Amanda M. LeeAug. 5, 202538Rewind It Back (Windy City Series 5)Liz TomfordeMay 20, 202539Flawless: A Small Town Enemies to Lovers RomanceElsie SilverJune 24, 202240Dance of Devils: A Dark Age Gap Bratva RomanceJagger ColeJuly 31, 202541Flirting with TroubleMelissa FosterAug. 6, 202542Dirty Boss (Manhattan Billionaires 7)Lilian MonroeAug. 4, 202543Luck of the Devil (Harper Adams Mystery 3)Denise Grover SwankAug. 11, 202544My Haven (Bewitched and Bewildered 16)Alanea AlderAug. 26, 202545Mile High (Windy City 1)Liz TomfordeJune 7, 202246Glow (Plated Prisoner 4)Raven KennedyJune 18, 202247Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed FatesCaroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiMay 20, 202048A Little Crush (Little Things 6)Kelsie RaeAug. 7, 202549The Female: A Dark Demon RomanceInvi WrightJan. 27, 202350Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow PrincessCaroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiJan. 13, 2020Top 50 Self-Published Print Books

Box sets are excluded from this list.

RankTitleAuthorRelease Date1Forgotten Home Apothecary: 250 Powerful Remedies at Your FingertipsNicole Apelian, PhDOct. 8, 20242The Book: The Ultimate Guide to Rebuilding a CivilizationHUNGRY MINDSJan. 1, 20223A Navy SEAL’s Bug-In Guide: How to Turn Your House into the Safest Place on EarthJoel LambertJan. 1, 20244Our Class Is a FamilyShannon OlsenMay 5, 20205Theo of GoldenAllen LeviOct. 11, 20236How to Draw Everything: 300 Drawings of Cute Stuff, Animals, Food, Gifts, and Other Amazing ThingsEmma GreeneNov. 18, 20237Spooky Cutie: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Adorable Creepy Creatures in Cozy Hygge Moments for RelaxationCoco WyoJuly 9, 20248Moms on Call: Basic Baby Care 0–6 MonthsLaura Hunter, LPNJan. 1, 20069The Only Living Trusts Book You’ll Ever Need: How to Make Your Own Living Trust, Avoid Probate & Protect Your HeirsGarrett MonroeJune 25, 202410Spanish in 60 Days: The Language Learning Workbook to Help You Speak Just Like the Locals with Common Slang Words and Phrases, Conversation Starters, and Grammar Rules to Live By!La Cucaracha SaraFeb. 6, 202311Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless SkyCaroline Peckham, Susanne ValentiAug. 5, 202512A Letter from Your Teacher: On the First Day of SchoolShannon OlsenMay 19, 202113The Amish WaysEddie SwartzentruberOct. 8, 202414Stress Relief: Coloring Book for Adults and Kids, Bold and Easy, Simple and Big Designs for Relaxation Featuring Animals, Landscape, Flowers, Patterns, Cute Things and Many MoreCoco WyoMay 4, 202415Cozy Friends: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Super Cute Animal Characters with Easy and Simple Designs for RelaxationCoco WyoMay 22, 202416Little Corner: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens, Super Cute Designs of Cozy, Hygge Spaces for RelaxationCoco WyoMay 29, 202417Livingood Daily: Your 21-Day Guide to Experience Real HealthDr. LivingoodDec. 24, 201718Would You Rather Book For Kids: 300+ Hilarious, Silly, and Challenging Questions to Make You LaughStephen J. EllisSept. 22, 202119Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming GreatJoshua MedcalfDec. 2, 201520Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of SufferingJoseph NguyenMarch 28, 202221The Lost Book of Herbal RemediesClaude DavisJan. 1, 201922NO GRID Survival ProjectsClaude DavisDec. 1, 202123My Magical Choices: Teach Kids to Choose a Great Day with their Choices!Becky CummingsOct. 30, 201924Our Little Library: A Foundational Language Vocabulary Board Book Set for Babies, Including Farm Animals, Forest Animals, Fruits and Veggies, ToysTabitha PaigeNov. 7, 202325The Holistic Guide to Wellness: Herbal Protocols for Common AilmentsNicole Apelian, PhDMarch 20, 202326Girl Moments: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Cute Cozy Daily Activities for RelaxationCoco WyoOct. 26, 202427Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story: A Father’s Guided Journal to Share His Life & His LoveJeffrey MasonMay 27, 201928Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of YorkAndrew LownieAug. 14, 202529$100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying NoAlex HormoziJuly 13, 202130How to Draw Anything for Kids: 300 Cute Step-by-Step Drawing Stuff: Amazing Food, Animals, Kawaii, Gifts and OtherPatricia RogersApril 12, 202431What I Love about You: 30 Things I Love about You and the Reasons Why I Love You Fill-in-the-Blank Gift BookQuestions about MeJuly 7, 202232The Mindf*ck SeriesS.T. AbbyApril 3, 201933Emotional Intelligence 2.0Dr. Travis BradberryJune 16, 200934Mom, I Want to Hear Your Story: A Mother’s Guided Journal to Share Her Life & Her LoveJeffrey MasonJuly 19, 201935The Girl Who Makes a Million Mistakes: A Growth Mindset Book for Kids to Boost Confidence, Self-Esteem, and ResilienceBrenda LiOct. 17, 202336Setting the Captives Free: Deliverance ManualBev TuckerFeb. 11, 201937Self-Love: Girl Therapy Coloring Book to Inspire Yourself and Love Who You AreHikaru KotzNov. 23, 202438Fuzzy Hygge: Cute and Cozy Coloring Book for Adults & Teens Featuring Adorable Animals Characters for Stress ReliefVivi TintaMay 24, 202439Memento Mori: Recuerda Tu Muerte (Spanish Edition)Humberto MontesinosMarch 26, 202540Our Little Adventures: Stories Featuring Foundational Language Concepts for Growing MindsTabitha PaigeOct. 20, 202041SOG Codename Dynamite: A MACV-SOG 1-0’s Personal JournalHenry L. Thompson, PhDJuly 5, 202342How to Draw Patterns: Easy and Fun Step-by-Step Guide for Unique CreationsCoco WyoMarch 27, 202543The Books of Enoch: Complete Collection, Featuring 1 Enoch, 2 Enoch, 3 Enoch, Original Illustrations, and Bonus Apocryphal Texts (Illustrated)Divine PressSept. 4, 202444Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary ReaderMarcus AureliusNov. 7, 201645Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!Robert T. KiyosakiApril 5, 202246Our Big Book of First Words: A Collection of 100+ Foundational Words for Language DevelopmentTabitha PaigeSept. 24, 202447Adult Swear Words Coloring Book: Live, Laugh, Fuck OffPink Stylish PressJune 22, 202148The Simplest Baby Book in the World: The Illustrated, Grab-and-Do Guide for a Healthy, Happy BabyS.M. GrossNov. 16, 202149The Lost WaysClaude DavisJan. 1, 201650Little Spooky: Coloring Book for Adults and Teens Featuring Cute Creepy Creatures in Cozy Hygge Moments for RelaxationCoco WyoAug. 21, 2024