Writers in the Storm

by Lisa Norman

I started my publishing company in 2011, when the general instructions I read started with, “Don’t even try.” In 2016, after five hard years of learning, I published a series of books about indie publishing. Everything I knew at the time, five volumes of it, written for others so they could avoid the headaches I’d had.

This year I finally had time to bring them all up to date.

I expected to need to change a ton of things, and I did, but what surprised me was how much I deleted. Publishing is a lot easier now than it was before.

After I cleared out all of the obsolete information, I had time to think more about the new gold rush that we're in the midst of.

Alex Newton of K-lytics, who has been tracking the Kindle marketplace since 2014, calls it Gold Rush 3.0. According to Alex, the first rush was the Kindle launch. The second rush lasted through the pandemic. This rush arrived with generative AI, and you can measure it in supply: the number of new thrillers published on Kindle each month has gone from around a thousand to over seven thousand. (I read this in Jane Friedman’s newsletter, where Newton talks through his numbers every summer. If you aren't subscribed, you may want to! Jane's newsletter is brilliant.)

Have you seen the get-rich-quick ads posted on your social media feeds? Build your cozy mystery empire. Write an entire book from one keyword. And they’re about as accurate as those original gold-rush ads were.

Those ads brought a lot of starry-eyed miners west with a pick and no plan. Many of them died of pneumonia because nobody had told them that after a day working in a stream, they should dry off before going to bed at night.

What I Cut from my Publishing Plan

One of those books had a worksheet walking you through installing Joomla so you could have an author website. Yes, it was THAT old. Step by step, patient, thorough, and long. In 2016, an author who wanted a website had to become a practicing geek first. Then we moved to WordPress, and there were still a lot of technical bits to learn.

Today? Gone. Most of that technical website time wasting geekiness is no longer needed. We have much better tools. Friendlier tools.

I had worksheets for uploading and publishing to six different stores, each with its own click-path. Every one of those paths has since changed, and most of them don’t exist anymore. Now I can skip the click-paths entirely, because they go out of date before anyone has time to take a screenshot. The steps have changed and they're so much simpler.

We no longer have to format for mobi, because Amazon retired the format.

The social media chapter walked you through Google+, which Google shut down. The print worksheet walked you through CreateSpace, which folded into Amazon’s own program. Whole platforms are gone while others have grown, and the way we interact online has changed fundamentally in those ten years.

Two of the five books lost about forty percent of their length.

What Didn’t Change

I opened the technical volume, the HTML and CSS tutorial, and braced myself. Ten years of web technology. Surely that one was rubble. Maybe I'd delete the whole thing.

I changed some tool names, but that was mostly it.

HTML (the language of the web) is still HTML. An ebook is still a zipped-up little website in a trench coat, and knowing how to look inside is still the difference between waiting three days for a support ticket and fixing it yourself before lunch.

The chapter on telling gold from iron pyrite came through nearly whole. So did the one on pricing, and the one on where your money sits between the sale and your bank account.

The Publishing Geology Is the Same. The Equipment Changed.

The basic things we need to do haven't changed in a decade. You still have to know who you are and what you write. You still have to stake a claim somewhere you own, make the book, price it, and watch where the money goes.

The tedious middle processes, though, those are now often done for you.

The formatting you used to do by hand is just a button press now. The website that needed a weekend and a database now takes an afternoon. The distribution maze used to need a map to find your way through. We have fewer choices now, and they aren’t nearly as complicated.

Every one of those worksheets gave instructions for a chore. The chores are gone, simplified, automated. The craft of storytelling is right where it always was. In some ways, craft is becoming more critical and fascinating, but that’s for another post.

Why The Publishing Industry Isn’t Get-Rich-Quick

So the wall got lower. It’s easier to write and publish a book than ever before. And no, that statement doesn’t sell a lot of classes.

Because a lower wall lets everybody over it.

That’s what Alex Newton’s supply numbers are. Not readers appearing. Writers arriving to what they expect to be a publishing gold rush, and a great many of them showing up with a tool that writes fast and a course that promises an empire.

Making a book got easier. Being found got harder.

Somebody Already Wrote This Down in 1849

I’ve been quoting a miner’s handbook in my classes for years. It’s 177 years old and still wise. Here’s what it says about a rush:

Much time is lost by miners because they listen to every rumor of exaggerated success. They leave a passable claim to seek a better spot… These stories are often made up by traders in the new place trying to lure customers to their stores. I have noticed that those who remain in one spot are most successful.

Read that again: Traders in the new place, trying to lure customers to their stores.

Think about that the next time you see an advertisement stuck to your social media saloon wall.

The people shouting loudest about the new gold field are, with remarkable consistency, the people selling passage to it. That was true in 1849. It was true in the Kindle boom and it is extra true this year.

Your existing claim is still valuable. It may be the most valuable thing you own right now, precisely because everyone else keeps abandoning theirs to chase the shiny bits downstream.

Putting Things Down

In July, I wrote about not picking up every skill that gets waved at you. You only need the next small step rather than the entire collection of skills.

This is the second part of that concept.

Some of what you’re carrying was necessary once. You learned it because it was genuinely required. You were right. But it may have stopped being required while you weren’t looking.

It's okay to put that load down.

Those of you who always meant to get to those things “someday” can also put down the guilt about never getting to them. You can even quietly consider yourself efficient for not wasting that time.

I wrote those worksheets. Taught those processes for years. Watched many authors succeed following them. Deleting them meant admitting that a great deal of careful work was simply no longer required. That felt weird. And yet good, too.

Let it go.

Hope on, hope ever

There’s another story from that handbook: A man dug part of his claim, hit water, got discouraged, and walked away. Three others went in behind him and pulled out nearly twenty ounces in a few hours.

The advice that follows is “Hope on, hope ever.”

Your writing claim is still good. It’s the same claim it was ten years ago, still with the same gold buried within it. You just don’t have to dig it out with a spoon anymore.

Now, go bank some gold.

The class those books came from is open again, updated for 2026, rebuilt with the same goal in mind, but showing you a much easier path to get there. The books are back too, wherever you buy your ebooks, shorter than they were and priced accordingly. I even have the entire set out in one print book.

About Lisa:

Lisa Norman has been working this claim through two of these rushes now. She writes fiction as Deleyna Marr, owns Heart Ally Books, LLC, and teaches writers the technical side of publishing at her school, NoStressWriting.com.

Her book, The Work of Joy, is for when you need a little joy in your life. She's also at deleyna.com. And on Substack.

Images from Deleyna via Midjourney.

By Jaime Buckley

There is a difference between someone enjoying your story...and someone falling in love with your world.

That difference matters.

A reader can finish a good book, smile, put it down and move on with their life.

But when they fall in love with the WORLD?

Oh, that's different.

Now they want to know where the characters came from.

They want maps. History. Languages. Weapons. Legends. Old wars. Family connections. That weird tavern mentioned for three sentences in chapter fourteen. They want to know what happened to the guy standing behind the king during the coronation. They want to know whether that symbol carved into the doorway actually MEANS something. And if you're clever...

...it does.

This is one of the reasons I've used World Anvil since 2019.

World Anvil currently reports more than 7.35 MILLION fictional worlds on its platform.

That's an absurd amount of imagination in one place.

And somehow, among those millions of worlds, my own Wanted Hero universe at WantedHero.com has grown to receive more traffic than any other world on the platform.

I don't say that to brag.

Okay.

Maybe 4%.

But the other 96% is because I want writers to understand something important:

I don't use World Anvil the way most writers think they're supposed to use World Anvil, and that matters. Just FYI, I'm not an affiliate, I don't gain anything from telling you this…I have just benefited in HUGE ways by using the platform.

If you've read any of my articles here, you know writers are my PEOPLE.

…and I want MY people to WIN.

So listen up, cupcake…cause I'm gonna give you the secret sauce of my online success right here, right now.

My World Bible Isn't Really for Me

World Anvil is usually introduced as a worldbuilding platform.

And it absolutely is.

You can build character profiles, cultures, nations, organizations, histories, timelines, family trees, maps, locations, religions, technologies, magic systems and just about anything else your wonderfully overactive writer brain can invent.

That's useful.

World Anvil itself describes the platform as a way to build an interactive world bible and showcase that material to readers through things like articles, maps, timelines and character profiles.

But that's not the part that excites me most.

I don't primarily look at World Anvil as a place to store information. I see it as a place to create experiences.

That's a very different mindset.

I already have notes. Lots of notes. Probably enough notes to make an archaeologist question my mental stability.

What I want is somewhere my READERS can go.

Somewhere they can wander. Explore. Click on things. Follow characters. Discover connections. Find things they weren't necessarily looking for.

In other words...

I want a candy store.

Life of Fiction Is My Flagship. World Anvil Is My Candy Store.

My flagship online is Life of Fiction, through Substack (my SECOND favorite platform).

That's where the relationship happens. Substack is where I write to readers, publish stories, share ideas, release chapters, talk about creativity and invite people into the larger experience I'm building.

Life of Fiction is the center.

But WantedHero.com, built on World Anvil, serves a completely different purpose.

When readers become curious about something inside one of my stories, I want them to have somewhere to GO with that curiosity.

Maybe they love Dax.

Wonderful.

Go learn about Dax.

Read about his history. Follow his relationships. Discover the places he's been. See artwork. Find quotes. Read comments from other characters. Stumble across a piece of information that suddenly changes the meaning of something you read three chapters ago.

And perhaps, if I've done my job correctly, notice something that makes you think:

"Wait...what does THAT mean?"

Now I've got you.

And it's not because I tricked you. It's because curiosity is one of the most powerful forces in storytelling.

World Anvil is the candy store.

Don't Build an Encyclopedia. Build Rabbit Holes.

This is where I think writers can get World Anvil so very wrong.

They create encyclopedia entries.

Name.

Birthplace.

Height.

Weight.

Occupation.

History.

Relatives.

Favorite breakfast cereal.

Done.

Okay, fine. Technically, that's worldbuilding. Nothing wrong with that. But nobody falls in love with a fictional universe because your character database is extremely organized.

Readers fall in love because the information makes them FEEL something.

So give them rabbit holes.

One article should lead naturally into another. A character leads to an organization. The organization leads to an ancient war. The war leads to a legendary weapon. The weapon leads to the person who created it. That person leads to a civilization everyone believes vanished 800 years ago.

Except...

...there's another article suggesting they didn't.

See what just happened?

You're telling stories between the stories.

That's what makes this powerful, AND crazy fun for you.

Let Your Characters Into the Room

Another thing I do differently on Wanted Hero is avoid making everything sound like it came from a sterile reference manual.

My characters participate.

'The boys' comment.

They argue.

They contradict the historian.

They get offended.

Sometimes they reveal things they probably shouldn't.

…they've even showed up on WITS in force to cause a bit of mayhem.

Höbin Luckyfeller, one of my best friends and award-winning gnome historian, is particularly useful for this. He gives me an in-world reason for why so much information exists in the first place.

Then Chuck can (and often does) interrupt him.

Dax can disagree with him.

Other characters can add observations.

Suddenly you're not reading a database entry anymore. You're spending another few minutes with characters you already love.

That's powerful.

The reader came looking for information.

I gave them personality.

And personality creates attachment.

You can see this approach right on the Wanted Hero introduction, where characters such as Chuck and Dax intrude into what should otherwise be straightforward world information.

That's intentional.

My characters don't know they're supposed to behave inside an encyclopedia.

Apparently nobody told them.

(Not like they'd listen anyway.)

Easter Eggs Are Reader Rewards

I LOVE hiding things.

Seriously.

Give me an opportunity to hide a clue six years before someone understands what it means and I become ridiculously happy.

World Anvil is perfect for this.

A strange reference. A symbol. An apparently meaningless quote. Perhaps a contradiction between two historical accounts, or a character saying something they shouldn't know. Maybe a line buried halfway down an article that suddenly becomes important two books later.

These aren't meaningless gimmicks. They're rewards for paying attention.

Readers who casually enjoy the story aren't penalized because they missed them.

But your dedicated readers?

Your superfans?

They get MORE.

That's exactly how it should work.

The deeper they travel into your world, the more the world rewards them for exploring it.

World Anvil even supports secrets, spoiler controls, private material and subscriber-restricted content, allowing creators to decide exactly how much different readers can see.

Now you've turned passive reading into exploration.

This Also Happens to Be Good Business

We writers occasionally have to discuss that horrible four-letter word…

[Jaime casually locks the door…]

SELL.

You good? We good? No freaking out?

Writers need to make money. If we want the time and resources required to keep creating stories, worlds, art, games, podcasts and whatever else we're building, readers eventually have to be able to purchase something.

World Anvil helps me do that without making the whole experience feel like a sales page.

Someone might arrive because they're fascinated with a character. That character appears in a novel. Guess what they can find, often in the sidebar of the page, casually sitting in the readers peripheral vision?

The novel.

Another reader discovers a location.

There's a story connected to it.

Another discovers one of my books, guides or other products while exploring the world.

World Anvil explicitly supports monetizing worldbuilding, linking to storefronts and giving customers or supporters access to additional material.

That's the way I prefer selling.

Don't interrupt people. Give them something worth wanting.

Then make it ridiculously easy to obtain.

And Now There's Another Reason This Matters: AI

This is becoming increasingly important to me. AI is changing how people discover information online. Like it or hate it, that's happening.

So as a creator, I have a choice.

I can leave machines to figure out who Jaime Buckley is, what Wanted Hero is and what my stories are about from random scraps scattered across the internet...

...or I can create a massive, organized, interconnected body of canonical information myself.

Guess which one I prefer?

World Anvil gives me the greatest degree of control I currently have over what the AI Librarian can use when representing and promoting my work to potential new readers on the web.

That's enormously valuable to me.

Because this isn't random content scraped from somebody else's description of Wanted Hero.

It's MY material.

My character descriptions. My history. My terminology. My lore. My explanations. My links. My books. My universe.

The best part of all of this?

I decide what gets published.

I decide what stays secret.

I decide what information represents the world.

This isn't just worldbuilding anymore.

It's positioning your intellectual property for discovery.

And I believe writers should start thinking seriously about that.

PLEASE start thinking seriously about that.

But There's One Rule You Cannot Ignore

World Anvil will not make readers care about a world they don't already have a reason to care about.

Don't spend four years documenting the monetary policies of seventeen imaginary kingdoms because you think readers are going to stumble across your wiki and demand a seven-book publishing contract.

Story comes first.

Characters come first.

Emotion comes first.

Always.

The story creates hunger.

World Anvil feeds it.

That's the relationship.

My novels introduce you to Wendell, Dax, Chuck and the world they're struggling through.

Life of Fiction lets you experience those stories with me.

Then WantedHero.com says:

"Oh...you liked that?"

Come over here.

I've got something else to show you.

That's the candy store.

Build for the Reader, Not Just the Writer

If you're going to use World Anvil as an author, start changing the questions you ask.

Don't simply ask:

"What information should I document?"

Ask:

"What would someone who LOVES this character desperately want to know?"

Ask:

"Where could I send them next?"

Ask:

"What could they discover here that makes the novel more meaningful?"

Ask:

"What could I hide today that will make a reader scream three years from now?"

THOSE are interesting questions.

You don't need 4,000 articles either.

Start with the characters readers love most.

Build the locations central to your stories.

Document the conflicts, cultures, artifacts and mysteries people encounter in the books.

Connect them.

Then leave doors open.

Never answer everything.

Mystery is oxygen for fictional worlds.

Your Book Is the Invitation

I've been building Wanted Hero for decades.

I've published comics, novels, short stories, artwork, podcasts and more, and I'm still expanding the universe.

But I've learned that a fictional universe becomes something very different when readers have somewhere to explore it on their own.

A novel says:

• Come with me.

A platform like World Anvil lets you say:

• Stay as long as you like.
• Explore.
• Meet people.
• Look around.
• Open doors you're probably not supposed to open.
• Read the old books.
• Study the maps.
• Argue with the historian.
• Find the hidden clues.
• And when you're ready...
• there's another story waiting for you.

That is where World Anvil becomes more than a worldbuilding tool.

It becomes part of the storytelling.

And when you're surrounded more than 7 million other fictional worlds, that's the opportunity I think matters most.

Don't merely create a world readers can read about.

Create one they don't want to leave.

Want to see what I mean? Wander through mine at WantedHero.com.

Just don't blame me when you find a rabbit hole.

I put those there on purpose.

What is your favorite way to pull readers deeper into your story world?

About Jaime

Jaime Buckley is the author of the Chronicles of a Hero series and the founder of LifeofFiction.com on Substack. He teaches writers how to build a sustainable publishing practice at JaimeBuckley.com and through the online course Substack for Authors.

Featured image by Jaime Buckley.

By Kris Maze

If you've published more than one book, you've probably heard every piece of launch strategy imaginable. Build your newsletter. Master social media. Run ads. Create a street team. Make videos. Find influencers. It can feel like launching a book requires becoming a full-time marketer before you're allowed to be a writer.

After several launches, I've learned that I don't need to do everything. I need to do the right things, things that improve my author brand exposure, that increase my reviews and ratings, and amplify my bottom-line.

For the launch of Parallel Lives – The Paths Not Taken, released on October 21, 2025, I decided to focus on one strategy that fit both my budget and my launch goals for book exposure: a Goodreads Giveaway.

Goodreads Pros Versus Cons

Love it or hate it, Goodreads has earned a mixed reputation among authors. Some dislike its review culture, limited author control, or question its marketing value, but for many indie authors it remains one of the few places to introduce a new book directly to dedicated readers. It put my book in front of thousands of readers who were already looking for their next great read. More importantly, it created momentum before release day without requiring me to be everywhere online at once.

If you're a seasoned indie author who's feeling overwhelmed by the endless marketing advice, I hope my experience reminds you that sometimes one well-executed strategy is enough.

Why Goodreads?

I wanted my launch to reach readers beyond my newsletter subscribers and social media followers. Those readers already knew about my book. What I needed was visibility with people who had never heard my name and a Goodreads Giveaway offered exactly that.

Another perk for using a Goodreads Giveaway is the price. It is relatively inexpensive compared to many packages and promo services I have tried in the past. For me the standard package gave me the visibility and quantifiable evidence of book exposure that I wanted.

Goodreads Giveaway Packages

Goodreads currently offers two giveaway packages for indie authors. The Standard Giveaway costs $119 and includes placement in the Goodreads Giveaways section and on your book page, automatic Want to Read adds for entrants, notifications to your followers, and reminder emails encouraging winners to leave a review. For most self-published authors, this is the most practical and cost-effective option.

The Premium Giveaway costs $599 and includes everything in the Standard package, plus premium placement in the Giveaways section and the ability to send a personalized follow-up email to everyone who entered but didn't win. While Premium offers greater visibility and an additional marketing touchpoint, many indie authors find the Standard package provides the best return on investment for building awareness before a book launch.

Every person who entered was someone actively interested in books like mine. Many entrants also added my novel to their Want to Read shelves, creating a ripple effect of visibility across the Goodreads platform.

Instead of trying to interrupt people on social media, Goodreads placed my book directly in front of readers already searching for something new.

My Giveaway

For my launch, I used the giveaway as part of a presale strategy. It helped drive traffic to my Amazon page, which boosted my rankings with a modest amount of sales. After a month of promotion for the giveaway, it was time to send out my paperback copies.

I offered 10 paperbacks through Goodreads during the weeks leading up to publication. Readers only needed to click Enter Giveaway, making participation incredibly easy.

Book Fulfillment for Winners

One caveat to consider is the fulfillment to winners. In order to give away an ebook, being Kindle Unlimited is required. My book is not in the Kindle Unlimited program, so I used the option to send physical copies which is an additional cost. 

Mailing books has become expensive, so my work around was to use Amazon Prime to mail copies. This means I purchased a few of my own books at retail prices but saved on the shipping. Shipping that only took a couple days.

Depending on your shipping options and book cost it could be more cost effective to mail author copies to your winners. Either way the books are in readers hands. And who isn’t excited about getting a new gift book in the mail? 

My Goodreads Results

How one considers themselves a success varies by what each author values. My main goals where to obtain more buzz and exposure for this new book. Ratings and reviews add intrigue and value as other readers get a raw review. Here are my Goodreads numbers that made me pay attention: 

• Average rating  4.0
• Ratings 11
• Reviews 7
• Want to read 4,299
• Added to shelves 4,341

Watching those numbers grow each day was surprisingly encouraging. Every new "Want to Read" addition represented another potential reader discovering my book. Those small actions add up over time.

Why I Think It Worked (And Why I’ll Do It Again)

I've experimented with plenty of marketing approaches over the years, and one lesson keeps repeating itself. Readers trust other readers and Goodreads is built around that idea.

When readers see a book accumulating interest before publication, it creates social proof that's difficult to manufacture elsewhere. A giveaway doesn't guarantee bestseller status, but it signals that readers are paying attention.While I can't say every sale came directly from Goodreads, I can say the giveaway became one of the strongest awareness-building tools in my launch plan.

Just as importantly, it gave me confidence.

As indie authors, we spend so much time wondering whether anyone will notice our books. Watching readers discover Parallel Lives – The Paths Not Taken  before it was even released reminded me that people really are looking for stories like ours.

Sometimes they simply need help finding them.

A Word to Authors Who Feel Worn Out

Marketing fatigue is real.

Many of us became writers because we love telling stories—not because we wanted to become experts in algorithms, advertising dashboards, and content calendars. That's why this experience mattered so much to me.

Instead of trying to master every new marketing trend, I committed to one strategy that aligned with my goals and let it do its job. One thoughtful campaign executed well is often more effective than ten rushed marketing ideas that leave you exhausted.

If your last launch didn't meet your expectations, don't assume you have to work twice as hard next time.You may simply need to work more intentionally.For me, Goodreads became one of those intentional choices.

It introduced my book to new readers, built anticipation before launch day, and reminded me that book discovery still happens—sometimes quietly, steadily, and one reader at a time.

I'd Love to Hear From You

Have you run a book giveaway? Did your results surprise you?

Share your experience in the comments. We're all learning from one another, and I'd love to hear what worked for you. If you're preparing for your next release, I hope this encourages you to give Goodreads a closer look. One focused strategy may be exactly what your launch needs.

About Kris

Kris Maze, an education enthusiast with a knack for the written word, has dedicated several years to the world of academia. She writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and award-winning blog Writers in the Storm.

She published a YA dystopian novel, IMPACT, with a small press in the summer of 2020. Kris has placing in writing competitions, such as NYC Midnight’s Short Story and Micro fiction contests.

You can find her YA fiction, new releases, and keep up with her author events at KrisMaze.com. Find her darker, scarier, but cozy gothic fiction under her pen name Krissy Knoxx.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, learning languages, and spending time outdoors where she ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.

A Thank You Just for You

Thanks for reading! As a small thank-you, I'd love to offer you an exclusive WITS discount on my website.

Use code WITSROCKS50 at checkout to save 50% on your total order from my shop.

Just visit KrisMaze.com enter the code at checkout and enjoy!

Thank you for supporting my writing. I hope you enjoy a new story and I'd love it if you'd leave a review wherever you buy books, and perhaps also on Goodreads. :)

Happy reading!

Kris Maze