There are so many reasons choosing Amazon is such a great option for self-publishing. There are also so many reasons why you may not want to exclusively distribute through Amazon. This topic can get a little overwhelming. So much, in fact, that I’ve had to navigate into these waters cautiously because I have a tendency to get paralyzed into inaction when inundated. So let me throw out a few disclaimers right off the bat.

1. There are a million and one ways (not literally, though maybe?) to go about selling your books. These are just a few ways I’ve explored and/or have experience with.
2. There is no one right or wrong way, just like when it comes to how you write a book.

How to sell your self-published book outside of Amazon?

As many of you know, the first several years as a published author, I didn’t really embody the role. In fact, Yeah, maybe only existed as an e-book, available on Kindle until 2018. I don’t know what prompted me to finally release the book in paperback, but I did (and it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be). This was my first expedition into the world of selling my own books. How? Well, let’s get into that.

Sell your books on your website

While Amazon is a print-on-demand publisher, they do offer the option to purchase author copies. This, my friends, is your inventory. I opted to do autographed “pre-orders” when I released the paperback. I use quotations because pre-orders for print with Amazon doesn’t actually exist. I basically circumvented the system by “publishing” the book in Amazon, ordering the author copies I needed, reverted the book back to a draft then re-releasing it after all of my pre-orders had been sent out.

How do you sell them on your website? Great question. I have a self-hosted site with a woo-commerce integration (which is free). You may opt to host your site on Squarespace and integrate their payment processor. Shopify is a good option, too. Wix and Weebly also have payment processors. Essentially, no matter which platform you opt for, there’s a way for you to integrate a “shop” within your site.

Pre-orders are an excellent way, too, to generate some income before the book is released to help front the cost associated with launching.

Selling, in general, on your site has its pros and cons. With Amazon, they manage the “inventory” and deal with the shipping but your royalty is considerably less. When you sell from your own site, while you may set your price differently (since it’s an autographed copy), you also have to account for your cost of the production: wholesale, shipping to you and shipping to the buyer.

Sell your books at in-person vendor events and book conventions

This is something I’ve only just recently started doing. And it’s definitely, in my opinion, the most fun way to sell books. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always exciting to see a sale come through. But to be face-to-face with the person choosing to take a chance on you is pretty magical. As authors, we write. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re business minded. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for my time in the creative entrepreneur world to prepare me for this season of my life.

So, how do you sell books in person? It’s not as complicated as we like to make things. There are several options you can employ with little tech knowledge, like printing your Venmo or PayPal QR codes. That’s what I did at my last vendor event. Moving forward, though, I’d like to take things up a notch and be able to take credit card payments straight from my phone.  There are a number of ways to do this and plenty of services that make it easy. The one you’re all probably most familiar with is Square, but there are lots out there, so do your research to find the one that you like the most. You may need to have a little tech knowledge (like understanding api for payment processing), but most providers have simple to understand instructions.

Sell books at indie bookstores or other independent retailers

While it’s not necessarily impossible to get stocked at one of the larger retailers as an Amazon self-published author, it is a little tricky. Understandably, a big retailer isn’t going to be super keen on buying inventory from a competitor, even at wholesale pricing. If you’re looking to get stocked at your Barnes & Nobles and Book-A-Millions of the world, you may want to consider “going wide” through IngramSpark (that’s next on my list).

However, many indie bookstores are happy to work with indie authors. In my experience, this typically operates as consignment. What that means is you offer the agreed number of books, some retailers may charge a shelving fee, but you will be paid for any copies they sell. Not on indie retailers work this way, but that’s been my experience so far.

Don’t limit yourself by thinking as an Amazon self-published author you can only sell on Amazon. That’s simply just not true. While there are plenty of benefits of going wide with IngramSpark, Amazon offers such a great way to start as an author. If you decide to navigate into the world of selling your own books and find you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I love helping others get their start! What else is all this random knowledge and experience good for, after all? 🙃

After the trip to Michigan, I got bitten with the events bug. More, please! I was going on that trip would reveal one of two things: either I’d hate it and never want to do it again or I’d be all in. Well, I’m all in.

With that said, organized book events and conventions plan like a year in advance. I do already have some events booked for 2025. And I booked the Traveling Bookshelf event I’m going to this October in Texas in December. So I knew if I wanted to do any other events in 2024, I’d have to get a little creative.

Enter: local vendor events.

My first local vendor event as an indie author

I’m not going to lie, finding local events to sign up for was a bit tricky. After searching for a while, I ended up searching for “what to do this weekend in ____” (insert city/town/county name here). That brought me to a few calendars of events that were happening in the next like 5-7 days (usually the upcoming weekend). Obviously, that wasn’t going to do me much good, but it was a place to start.

Some of the upcoming events were hyperlinked, which brought me to that specific vendor host’s information. I clicked around and found one that had an event in the timeframe I was thinking. They had a form available to apply right then and there, but I did something a little different.

I understand that vendor events typically feature things like handmade art, jewelry, candles, etc etc. I wasn’t sure if an indie author would be allowed. So I emailed the host. She replied immediately with enthusiasm. Green light.

There ya go. Event booked. Now what?

Setting up at a local vendor event as an indie author | What I learned

Makers are freaking amazing. No, really. There are some seriously talented people out there. Beyond that, though, I found the vibe to be very inclusive. In fact, the host was thrilled I had a smaller set up (humble beginnings, my friend), and asked if I’d be okay being in a particular spot. I agreed, but wanted to make sure my sign wouldn’t interfere with my neighbor’s set up. He was so accommodating that he offered to trade spots so we could each be super visible.

Make it easy to pay. At the book ball, I found myself having to pull up my venmo QR code every time someone wanted to buy a book. I vowed at my next event to have a sign with my payment QR codes easy to access. This time, though, I learned I won’t attend another event without being able to accept payments from my phone (using something like Square. You could also use something like easy invoice generation by Payanywhere).

Be prepared for anything. The first “issue” we ran into (if you could even call it that) was our table was right in front of a fan. Excellent for us. Not so great for the stickers I like to have sprawled on my table for picking. I’ll be thinking up some ideas on how to better display those at future events. (If you have any ideas, I’m all ears.) The next issue? It rained. The whole event. Luckily, we were under a pavilion, so we stayed dry, but the moisture in the air wasn’t great for my inventory. Next time, I’ll bring a plastic tub for extra inventory that I’ll keep under my table cloth to pull from. That way only my display books are exposed to the elements.

Act less surprised. You guys. You guys… A lovely lady came by my table and we were chatting about the books. She shared that she was a former middle school teacher so she knew alllllll about the drama that can infiltrate those young years. Then she says “I’ll give it a try,” picking up a book for me to sign. My response? ARE YOU SURE!? 🫠 Good one, Joey.

Would I do a vendor event as an indie author again?

Yes. Even with the rain and the crummy turnout, I would call the event a success. I can definitely see the value of participating in events like these as an indie author. You might feel a little awkward or out of place at first (I definitely did), but don’t we always? 😅 They’re relatively inexpensive to participate in, and on a nicer day, I can imagine just the exposure alone would be worth it.

Last fall, I was sitting on my back deck hammering through another round of edits on Not so much when an email came through my inbox. The subject: BOOKISH BALL flashed at the top right corner of my screen. Instantly intrigued, I stopped what I was doing to open the email.

I don’t think I’ve ever agreed to something so quickly. I’m pretty sure before I’d finished reading the entire email, I’d submitted the form and payment reserving my spot. I. Was. Jazzed.

That’s the glory of pre-planning, right? It was easy for me to say yes to something in September that wasn’t happening until May of the next year.

I won’t get into here, but I shared some of the pesky self-limiting thoughts that I suffered leading up to the event that had me pretty well convinced I was going to bail in this vlog. Spoiler alert: I didn’t bail. I don’t know how I didn’t bail, because I was going to bail. But alas, the sentiment still rings true: If it’s meant for you, it will not pass you by.

The event did not pass me by. And it was possibly one of the most important experiences of my author career thus far.

How I prepared for my first author signing event

I might have published my first book in 2013, but I’d never even considered doing an author event before. Even with everything that happened early in 2023, it still never really occurred to me that author events could possibly be in my future. Those are for real authors. (Ah, gotta love those limiting beliefs, eh?) So of course I proceeded forward with my head in the sand until it was like oh crap, go time.

What I did to prepare for my first author signing event:

• Purchased inventory — for this particular event, I bought author copies from Amazon and had them shipped to my house. I was traveling via plane which wasn’t necessarily ideal, but it worked just fine. I filled a suitcase with the books and used it as my carryon (no weight limit). It worked, but my back did not love putting it in and pulling it down from the overhead storage bin.
• Ordered a retractable sign — I designed it in Canva and ordered the 78×33″ sign through Build A Sign. They provide all of the specifications, and it arrived so quickly. I checked the sign for the airplane since it didn’t fit the parameters to be my carryon (my initial plan).
• Ordered stickers — For this event, I simply ordered existing stickers that I thought my readers might like. (My theory: Everyone loves stickers — and I wanted to have something for free at my table that could draw people in since I’m a relatively unknown author.) For the big event I’m attending in Texas in October, I plan to order custom stickers.
• Ordered custom bookmarks — I didn’t want business cards. But I did want something that had my information on it in some way. So I created adorable bookmarks using canva (again) that people would actually want to use and just added a very small QR code on the back where people would find my website & socials. I also included my website at the very bottom of the bookmark. I used VistaPrint. These went QUICK at the event, and I’ll definitely be keeping them in stock for future events.
• Created marketing posters —  I used Canva to create a few “posters” for my table and then I printed them at the Walgreens photo center for next to nothing. (Walgreens is always running some type of photo special.) I bought the frames from Michaels.
• Bought book easels — I grabbed some from Walmart for like $3. Are they the fanciest things? No. But they worked just fine and I wasn’t worried about them getting damaged in transit.

My table was relatively simple, but it didn’t look out of place amongst the other authors in attendance even though their displays were more elaborate.

What I learned doing my first author signing event

Readers are super amazing humans. This isn’t necessarily surprising information, but it was really comforting to reconfirm. It’s likely that as a reader/writer, you grew up feeling like you didn’t necessarily belong in most rooms. That feeling  fully evaporates with stuff like this because you’re in a room full of your people. Readers. Writers. These are our people. I was showing up to an event alone where I knew pretty much no one. (I kind of “knew” the host but only from social media and very limited interactions.) These people welcomed me in immediately. And it was just such an awesome experience to meet and connect with everyone.

Connecting with other authors was necessary for my soul. I won’t lie, this was the piece I was most nervous about. Writing is a very isolating career. We interact with designers and editors, but unless we make an effort, we don’t usually connect with other writers. And frankly, I didn’t feel like I belonged in their space. I don’t know where that feeling comes from — but I did learn that I wasn’t alone in that feeling by doing this event. Everything I feel? They feel. Everything I fear? They fear. We spread across genres, and that didn’t matter. At our core, we’re all stitched with the same thread. And that was the most important part of this experience for me — getting the opportunity to connect with other writers.

It’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be. This point kind of piggy backs off the others, but it really wasn’t scary at all. The fears we have only live in our heads. People are lovely. The event was so well organized that I knew where to be and what to do at all times. There were even little fears I had since I was doing the event all alone like “what if I need a drink, what will I eat? etc” Nope. Taken care of. All of it. You guys, I forgot my signing pens up in my hotel room. HOW DID I FORGET MY SIGNING PENS? That’s literally MY ONLY JOB: TO SIGN BOOKS. Was it a problem? No. Because the lovely D.K. Marie (a fellow author) was next to me, and she kindly lent me a pen for the event.

You can absolutely do it alone (even if you don’t want to). I was scared to go alone. I was even more scared to do my first ever event alone. I was especially terrified to have to travel via airplane complicating the entire process alone. But honestly? I’m so thankful this was my first event. That I did it alone. That I had to get there on an airplane alone. Why? Because now I know. Now I know I can do it. Whatever it is, I can do it. And so can you.

The devil will try to stop you. Shortly after I returned home, I saw a TikTok of a girl sharing about ignoring that overwhelming dread that creeps in as an event you previously agreed to approaches. In her story, she explained that there was something so amazing for her at the event she was dreading that the truth was revealed. That dread is the devil trying to thwart what is meant for you. My whole body went still and ice ran through my veins when I watched her video. Because yes. YES! I can’t explain how dang close I came to bailing on this event. I could find so many “reasons” not to go. And I still don’t really know how or why I went. But the event revealed so much to me about my future in this career. It was necessary to attend. And I almost missed it.

Events are the answer to the number one issue I couldn’t seem to solve. I feel a little out of place in the online space as far as my author career goes. I know I should market my books online. I know authors have a lot of success promoting their books on all of their SM platforms over and over. But I just don’t…want to. I want to share real life. I want to connect and share like…what I’m eating, parenting adventures, random tidbits of life others like me can relate to. I want to simply find my people online. I don’t want to be churning out one promotional post after another. But how, then? How does any of this work? Events. Events were the missing piece of my puzzle. I never would have figured this out without having attending the Bookish Ball. 1) I wouldn’t have realized it just in general even though it seems so obvious to me now and 2) Events seemed so far outside of my comfort zone. I never would have guessed how much I loved it. And now, I’ve got the bug. Sign me up for every single possible event. I’m so down.

UPCOMING EVENT:

I have an event coming up on July 7th; Shop Local at the Tap Yard in Raleigh 2-6pm if you’d like to come see me! I’ll have some inventory with me for sale! If you already have a copy of my book(s), feel free to bring them with you to be signed! I’d love to connect! Want to come say hi but can’t buy a book right now? PLEASE SAY HI ANYWAY! I’d still love to meet you!

You can’t live in a state of inaction and expect to live the life you dream of. It’s simply impossible. In order to do the thing you have to do the thing.There were two words placed on my heart at the beginning of this year. DO was one of them. CREATE was the other. So one morning I woke up and said screw it, I’m doing it. I’m just going to create and keep on creating.

I have a somewhat unfortunate but also really exciting secret to share with you. In order to change your life, you have to change your life. I was in a state of waiting. I have no idea what exactly it was I was waiting for, but there I sat, primed and ready. Maybe I was waiting for the right time, a clue from the universe or a publisher to come knocking at my door and beg me to write my next book. Or maybe it was all of the above. The truth is, you’re never going to have what you want unless you take the steps necessary to have what you want.

The sad truth of it all is that change takes work. Change takes change. It’s uncomfortable and scary and chock-full of unknown variables. But if you’re in it for the process instead of the final product or destination, it becomes way less scary.

I like to write. Simple as that. I never feel more like myself than when I’m tapping away at a keyboard. No, I don’t always know what’s going to come in the end. Hell, I wrote Yeah, maybe in 2009/2010 and I’m just now releasing it in paperback. So clearly it wasn’t about the final product in the end. The point was to just do it.

We put way too much pressure on ourselves. We fool ourselves into thinking that everything we do has to be for a greater purpose. What if you just do it because you enjoy it and see what comes of it?

So in an attempt to introduce a much-needed change into my life, I decided to challenge myself into making writing a daily habit again. 1500 words a day for 30 days = a book.

People have been asking for a second book. I’ve been wanting to write a second book. So, writing the book seemed like the most logical next step. This draft doesn’t have to be anything amazing, I just have to do it. Once it’s all down on paper, it’s much easier to develop it into something people might actually want to read. But if kept sitting idle in my state of waiting, nothing was ever going to happen.

So maybe you’re waiting for permission. Maybe you’re waiting for a sign. Maybe you’re waiting for someone to tell you to just do the damn thing. Consider this all of those things.

Just do the thing, friend.

My deadline is May 6th. If you care to join me in your own 30-day project, comment down below. I’d be happy to act as an accountability partner for anyone willing to take the steps necessary to change their lives.

You can do it, I believe in you.

But here’s the deal. Yes, your mortgage is important. If you don’t pay it, you’ll lose your house. Then you’ll have to move in with your mother and she’ll likely try to feed you sandwiches morning, noon and night. But to a teenager, the things they’re going through are their entire world. Luckily, a teenager doesn’t have to worry about a mortgage. But to them, when a friend isn’t speaking to them, or rumors are flying around, their entire world shifts on its axis. And having the adults in their lives minimize or dismiss what feels very real to them is not helpful.

Despite that promise, I forgot. I nannied for a family with older children just as I was approaching my thirtieth birthday. I thought to myself, this will be cake. I was still young enough that I thought that alone made me cool. Wrong. I promised myself on my first day that I would always do my best to see things from the oldest’s perspective; to make her feel heard and understood. She was finishing out middle school, the battleground. But I was busy trying to keep things together. Managing a busy family of 6, one kid needed to get to soccer practice, another was fighting with a friend, and dinner still had to get made. Suddenly, I had much less headspace for middle school drama. Sadly, I soon discovered few adults are immune to this phenomenon.

I wrote the first draft of Yeah, maybe when I was 22; high school and all those emotions still fresh on my mind. But when I started the revision mission nearly five years later, I relied heavily on my faithful journals to capture the heart and mind of a young girl.

I wrote the book for teenagers. But the adult response surprised me.

The reviews that flooded Amazon took me by surprise. Many reviewers, well into their adulthood, claimed it brought them right back to the halls of their high school. A timeless story that’s relatable no matter what decade you attended high school.

I get asked a lot why I want to write Young Adult books. I’ve always just answered that I have a soft spot for teenagers. Like most people, high school was a hard time for me. I felt alone a lot of the time and completely misunderstood. I wish I’d read more books back then that made me feel less alone. It’s especially important to me to write the kinds of characters teenagers can relate to and look up to. I want to offer them role models they can depend on when everything else felt like it it’s going to crap.

But upon further reflection, I discovered another reason I write Young Adult novels.

While simultaneously helping teenagers feel less alone, I could give adults a momentary glimpse back into those four walls of rumor mill and drama. I could reawaken the awareness of how unfair things feel by putting adults back into the mind of a teenager and making them care about that particular character. It’s my hope by continuing to publish Young Adult novels that I can help bridge the gap between parents around the world and their teenagers.

Feeling something is much more effective than knowing or hearing. When the reader feels those familiar pangs of hurt, disappointment, and unfairness they understand on a whole new level.

Adults often feel embarrassed about wanting to read Young Adult books. They’re fun, easy, often fast reads that stir up nostalgia. But maybe now, parents, teachers, caretakers, nannies, big sisters and brothers can feel more empowered to partake in the leisure activity knowing it can help them connect on a deeper level with the teenagers they love.

What Young Adult book have you read recently that’s offered you a new perspective on teenage life?

I’m excited to announce that Yeah, maybe is finally available for pre-order in paperback! All pre-orders will be signed copies!

Get your signed copy here!

It was March of 2014, and I was in the middle of the first round of revisions on the novel I’d written five years earlier.

After a long day buried in my own words, I found retreat on the couch, my nose tucked in a book. I read furiously, lost in the world created by a writer much more talented than I. Hours later, I finished the book and proceeded to have a mental breakdown.

I locked myself in my bedroom, sobbing hysterically, and furiously texting Myra.

I woke up the next morning with a feeling of dread. At a crossroads, I had a big choice to make. The book had been shoved in closets, tucked in drawers and generally ignored for the better part of 5 years, so why did I feel so attached to it?

You see, I got caught in the comparison trap. For days, days I was convinced it was time to let it all go. I couldn’t do it. I’d never be good enough. Quitting, I told myself, would hurt less than failing.

It’s hard, though, to remember the behind-the-scenes work when you’re looking at someone’s finished product. Foolishly, I was convinced all these writers I so admired cranked out pure gold all the time.

It took some time. I filled those days with a lot of tears, wine, and chocolate, contemplating what my life would look like without writing.

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let it go. It was then that I wrestled with the fact that if I couldn’t, in fact, let it all go, that it meant I had to do something about it.

I danced dangerously close to the line of giving it all up in the name of comparison and envy. Instead,  I used it. I let that feeling sink in, fueling me.

We let ourselves confuse admiration with jealousy and comparison. If you let yourself admire someone rather than compare yourself to them, you’ll find a whole different brand of energy there.

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Something you might not know is that I actually went to college for writing. My aunt gave me a journal for my tenth birthday. It was yellow with little blue flowers on it. I don’t know what prompted her to pick that gift for me, but she’s always had an odd all-knowing sense about me. The rest, as they say, is history.

It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that writing was a talent. Because I’ve always done it, and I’ve always wanted to do it, I didn’t realize that not everyone has that urge, that craving to write.

Much like the urge to pee, it can’t be ignored. When it hits, I have to do it. Whether in a notebook, on a scrap of paper, or tapping away on a computer, come hell or high water, I’ve written nearly every day since that day I got my first journal.

One blog, one book, and a million false starts later, I have some thoughts to share with you.

You just have to sit down and start.

It’s not as glamorous as people make it out to be.

Everyone does it differently.

A first draft is just telling yourself the story.

Insecurity doesn’t go away after publishing.

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I didn’t know where to start.  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that to you since, you know, I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing.  But here’s the thing.  I don’t think there’s any right way to start the process.  I think you have to figure out what works best for you.


Before I did anything, I asked for help.  I operate fairly well under self inflicted deadline, but this was too important to me.  I didn’t want to let myself down but that was a possibility.  But I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t let someone else down.

So I asked for an accountability partner.  Zoe, my childhood best friend turned school friend (no, that had no impact on the story line, I promise), volunteered on Facebook.

I made a soft schedule and emailed it to her.  She was to expect a new chapter from me by 11:59pm on Sunday evenings.

A chapter a week.  Seemed fair enough to me.  The way my major operated was we were pretty much responsible for 10+ page short stories weekly on top of our other classes.  I did my best to treat it like that.


The number one question I get in regard to the book is: how did you come up with the story.

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