HC sat down with author, bon vivant, and all-around hoopy frood, JCM Berne, to talk about the business side of Self-Publishing.
You can (and should) learn more about JCM and check out his books, YouTube Channel and more at:
Website
Bluesky
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Also, be sure to see his contribution to Spreading the Self-Pub Love in 2025!
(updated 7/22/25)
From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.
As part of this week-long celebration, I’m continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years (or meant to blog about, but at least read)—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.
Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Steampunk. This list doubled this year. Okay, sure, that’s still not a lot. It hardly seems to justify a separate list. But I kept these on their own so they wouldn’t get lost in the SF mix. Consider this an open invitation for people to fill up my comment section with recommendations so I can post a longer version of this list next time I run this.
The Curse of the Silver Pharaoh by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris—set in the same world as their Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, this puts the adventurous group of homeless kids the Ministry uses in a private school to find an Egyptian artifact. I still need to write my post on it, but it’s worth your time.
Bartleby and James: Edwardian Steampunk Chronicle by Michael Coorlim—these short stories are a nice little dose of Steampunk with a thin coating of Victorian P.I. Light fun. (my post about it)
Bodacious Creed: A Steampunk Zombie Western by Jonathan Fesmire—the reanimated corpse of one of the most-feared lawmen in the West roots out a criminal organization set to rule California. (my post about it)
Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed heads to SF and tangles with a human trafficking ring. (my post about it)
Bodacious Creed and the San Francisco Syndicate by Jonathan Fesmire—Creed has settled into San Francisco and is on the hunt for an outlaw who uses machines to alter the bodies and minds of his victims. I haven’t read this yet, but I can’t pass up the chance to talk about it. Really looking forward to diving in.
Aether Powered by James T. Lambert—A UW Engineering student inherits a trunkful of steampunk goodies from a distant relative. Action ensues. (my post about it)
Steam Opera by James T. Lambert—An imaginative engineer/inventor and a gutsy investor attempt to land on the moon pre-1900. (my post about it)
The Silk Empress by Josef Matulich—a brilliant and reckless British orphan finds himself on an airship on the Silk Road (well, technically, above it). It’s a rollicking adventure. (my post about it)
The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick—a steamy Kraken-filled Steampunk story, lots of good action, and great inter-personal moments. (my post about it)
If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
(updated 7/22/25)
From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.
As part of this week-long celebration, I’m continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years (or meant to blog about, but at least read)—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.
Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Non-Fiction—which are primarily memoirs at their core, it’s what the authors do with the memoirs that makes these really stand out. But there are a few other things, too.
Life and Death Behind the Brick and Razor: Code Red Diamond by Isaac Alexis, MD—A prison doctor uses his experiences to give suggestions for a healthy/healthier life. (my post about it)
How Not to Be an *SS: Essays on Becoming a Good & Safe Man by Andrew J. Bauman—Bauman calls men to an authentic, Biblical masculinity—one built on humility, kindness, and service. While offering concrete ways to set aside patterns of abuse and neglect. (my post about it)
Kneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news by Tony Ganzer—This is a collection of essays about the state of journalism, how people relate to and view the media we consume, and what the future may hold. Oh, and bread recipes, of course. It makes sense in context (and is a really great idea). (my post about it)
Grammar Sex and Other Stuff by Robert Germaux — quick essays with humor and heart (my post about it)
No Problem, Mr. Walt: Building a Boat, Rebuilding a Life, & Discovering China by Walt Hackman—Hackman was one of the first self-published authors to reach out to me, and I’m so glad he did. A fascinating read about a man deciding to have an authentic Chinese junk built for him to use as a houseboat in California. (my post about it)
Fifth Sparrow Rising by Cindi Hartley—A little bit a bit of Hartley’s personal story and faith, a little bit of the experiences through some of the hardest parts of her life, and things she;s learned through it all. All told in the hope that she can show others they are “not alone and that there is a way to find light again, as well as be a light, even when one has lived through darkness.”
Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—The central premise is that God uses the “hard things” in life to shape us into the people he wants us to be, and uses some of the hard things in his life as case studies to demonstrate how they were used so the reader is equipped to look at their own lives and see the purpose in their suffering. (my post about it)
The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Paired with Hibbs’ characteristic clear prose and gift with language and illustrations, Hibbs reminds the reader that God is always speaking to us, through both the Creation and His Word. (my post about it)
In Divine Company by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Pierce’s treatment of prayer focuses on the communicative nature of God and His image bearers and then nurturing that in our lives to improve our prayer. (my post about it)
Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Drawing on what he’s learned from over 12 years of anxiety, Hibbs talks about learning to see what God’s purpose in the suffering is (anxiety disorders specifically, but easily transferable to other types), understanding that His hand is guiding all things—including our problems—so how do we in faith (without denying the suffering) rest in faith. (my post about it)
And Drink I Did: One Man’s Story of Growing Through Recovery by Jay Keefe—It’s all there in the subtitle, Keefe tells about his OCD, his alcoholic days, his getting sober, and how he’s trying to help others since then. Powerful stuff. (my post about it)
If You Give A Mouse Metformin by Nikhil Krishnan, i Cenizal (Illustrator) — 1 part picture book parody, 1 part satire, 1 part good look at the pharmecutical process (the good and the bad) (my post about it)
How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North—A tongue-in-cheek way to talk about some of the most advanced science around and how it can (and in some ways is) be used to destroy the world. (my post about it)
The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez—A guide for the writer who is tired of success and wants to reclaim their lives from answering the siren call of fortune and fame that comes to every author. Slaywood and Martinez have a 10-Step program guaranteed to ruin a novel or two and stop a career dead in its spot. (my post about it)
Uber Diva by Charles St. Anthony—a humorist writes a memoir of a Lyft/Uber driver mixed with a guide to starting/surviving/thriving as one in a tough market. St. Anthony also has a few other books out now that are probably worth a read. (my post about it)
Flying Alone: A Memoir by Beth Ruggiero York—A female pilot’s memoir of her path from flight school to flying for TWA (now that I have a son learning to fly, some of her more harrowing experiences keep flashing through the back of my mind). (my post about it)
If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
I had so much fun with this last year (and grew my TBR–plus a few others’), that I’m bringing it back. In the spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week I wanted to give some Self-Published authors a chance to spread some love.
(They also get to do a bit of self-promotion, I mean, c’mon, it’s hard out here…)
(A returning guest!)
An Elevator Pitch for Something You Love
Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall
A warlock can create his own Groundhog Day. What will he do when, for him, time is no object? Solve murders, heal souls, and take as many runs as he needs to craft a perfect day. Bill Murray not included.
My Elevator Pitch by JCM Berne
After waking up from a dreamless death with a knife in his eye and no memory of his previous life, a cursed dwarf, a water witch, and his very good dog Blink fight anyone they come across. She’s seeking vengeance and he’s just hoping one of their enemies finds a way to kill him for good.
About this Author
Joe (JCM) Berne writes in a vain attempt to retrocon the tens thousands of hours and dollars he’s spent on comic books, genre fiction, and B movies into job training instead of ‘just a useless hobby.’ And to make his mother proud: results forthcoming.
Website ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ YouTube
Be sure to check out Time-Marked Warlock and Grimdwarf, Vol 1: Cursed (admittedly difficult since he hasn’t released it yet, but keep looking!), let’s show them both some love!
Image by Dawn Hudson/Prawny from PublicDomainPictures.net
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
I had so much fun with this last year (and grew my TBR–plus a few others’), that I’m bringing it back. In the spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week I wanted to give some Self-Published authors a chance to spread some love.
(They also get to do a bit of self-promotion, I mean, c’mon, it’s hard out here…)
An Elevator Pitch for Something You Love
The Scroungers by Thomas J. Devens
The Lords have fallen. It was the war to end all wars. Violence had plagued the Fractured Kingdoms since the fall of the Old Empire. But as the generals and the lords died in the Valley of Torglen, the folk looked beyond their allegiances. Beyond their nations.
Dark, grim, and written in a concise, no-nonsense prose that’s both moody and mood-setting. Perfect for fans of Abercrombie.
My Elevator Pitches by Livia J. Elliot
The Genesis of Change: Two alchemists, each sent on a mission by the leader of The Orders—The Rector. Élan must shatter their mentee’s humanity to train her as an alchemist, while Verve must define the unexplainable existing within a respected healer. When their missions reveal clues that could reformulate alchemy, they’ll edge closer to fathom The Rector’s goal while facing an endless conundrum—to remain as is, or to learn and adapt. The genesis of change is near.
Dance With Me: In a world of beauty, a ceramic-made ballerina awakens atop her music box. She must dance for her elven owners, and so her ballet goes on and on. They praise her elegance, her poise and balance, until one day she falls and her ceramic fractures—but the ballerina dances again, ignoring her ever-increasing fissures. The music plays, captivating and demanding… but should she dance? Even when what she once loved becomes a trap?
About this Author
Livia J. Elliot writes dark fantasy with themes centred around struggle, control, identity, and bias. She’s the lead writer of Unearthed Stories, an app publishing interactive fantasy and sci-fi for adult readers. Livia also hosts the podcast Books Undone, featuring literary analyses of speculative fiction. She’s based in Australia, and currently releasing two series: Records of the Order (philosophical dark fantasy) and Tales of the Bookshelves (literary fantasy).
Be sure to check out The Scroungers, The Genesis of Change and Dance with Me, let’s show them all some love!
Image by Dawn Hudson/Prawny from PublicDomainPictures.net
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
HC sat down with podcaster and almost-debut author Tom Bookbeard to talk about the business side of Self-Publishing.
You can (and should) learn more about Tom and check out his reviews, podcast, etc. at:
Secret Scribes
Tom Bookbeard | FanFiAddict
The Four Beardsmen of the Bookpocalypse
Also, be sure to see his contribution to Spreading the Self-Pub Love in 2025!
I had so much fun with this last year (and grew my TBR–plus a few others’), that I’m bringing it back. In the spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week I wanted to give some Self-Published authors a chance to spread some love.
(They also get to do a bit of self-promotion, I mean, c’mon, it’s hard out here…)
(A returning guest!)
An Elevator Pitch for Something You Love
Where Blood Runs Gold by A.C. Cross
Red Dead Redemption meets Bone Tomahawk, starring the Punisher.
A.C. Cross always takes me on a wild ride no matter what genre he’s writing in. But Where Blood Runs Gold feels like his highlight reel book. I reviewed this book for FanFiAddict in January this year after criminally allowing it to sit on my TBR for ages. Reviewing the Weird Western “Where Blood Runs Gold” by A.C. Cross.
My Elevator Pitch by Tom Bookbeard
The Corsair: Jim Hawkins sides with the pirates instead. And the ships can fly.
My debut novel is coming soon …
About this Author
I like books, I have a beard; I’m Tom Bookbeard. Former chef, now a podcast host, a writer of fantasy stories about sky pirates and TTRPG nerd.
Secret Scribes ~ Tom Bookbeard | FanFiAddict ~ The Four Beardsmen of the Bookpocalypse
Be sure to check out Tom Bookbeard’s activities and Where Blood Runs Gold, let’s show them both some love!
Image by Dawn Hudson/Prawny from PublicDomainPictures.net
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
I had so much fun with this last year (and grew my TBR–plus a few others’), that I’m bringing it back. In the spirit of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week I wanted to give some Self-Published authors a chance to spread some love.
(They also get to do a bit of self-promotion, I mean, c’mon, it’s hard out here…)
I’m bending the rules a little bit here, Watson describes herself as “unfamiliar with other self published works.” Which makes her a great person to start the week with–Self-Published Author Appreciation Week’s purpose is to celebrate and spread the word about self-published authors, right? So here’s a chance to get her familiar with some–either from her inclusion in this series (and I hope she checks out later installments) or through comments here.
My Elevator Pitch by K. Q. Watson
Clipped is the story of Zak, an engineer up in the Heavens, where the Exalted reign over Earth. After his son is born without wings, and cast from the Heavens, Zak chooses to sacrifice his own wings and fall to earth.
There, he must live as a mortal among mortals in a world ruined by corruption and sin. As he fights to find his place in this new existence, he is confronted by deadly angel hunters, false prophets, and cities of hedonism and blasphemy.
In his travels he comes across a conspiracy that could bring down the Heavens and make every exalted Angel above fall to the hell on earth below.
About this Author
K. Q. Watson is the cyborg that you don’t take home to meet your parents. She looks innocuous and gentle, but there are oodles of satanic death metal songs continually playing in her head. Sometimes, when she’s all alone, she thinks back to some of her favourite episodes of Intervention and the best scenes from The People Under the Stairs.
She writes because what else is she going to do, let’s be real here.
One legged Canadian who likes The Dark Crystal more than she will ever like you.
The characters in her head keep her sane.
Website ~ Kit.com ~ Bluesky ~ TikTok
Be sure to check out Clipped and show it some love!
Image by Dawn Hudson/Prawny from PublicDomainPictures.net
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
(updated and modified 7/21/25)
Once again, it’s Self-Published Author Appreciation Week. This year, I’m all about spreading the love for self-published works…
This is our annual tribute to those authors who take it all on themselves–all the work, all the risks, all the costs, and all the (too small) rewards. They’re the independents, the mavericks, the risk-takers, those who won’t let their creative vision be reined in by others, they’re out there doing things on their own (with a small group of others they’ve teamed up with on their own). These are the Mal Reynoldses of the Literary World.
Really, every week on this blog is Author Appreciation Week, but you can see why we’re eager to take one week to focus on the Self-Pub warriors among them, right? I want to throw out my appreciation as well to Jodie of Witty & Sarcastic Book Club who started this some time back, and keeps it going.
How am I going to show my appreciation/love this year? Well, hopefully, I’ll be able to find the time to write posts about some recent self-published reads of mine and some great lists of Self-Published books I’ve read already for you to check out (this honestly doesn’t seem likely, but here’s hoping!). I will, of course, have my annually updated lists of Self-Published works by Genre that I’ve talked about on this site. I will also have four quick(ish) videos talking with some Self-Published Authors about the Business-side of Self-Publishing (more on that later today)
But the big focus this year is on Spreading the Self-Pub Love (see the title of this post). I enjoyed doing it last year, and wanted to do it again. The Number One thing that Self-Published Authors need are readers to appreciate them–and who better to recommend some than other self-published authors? So I’ve asked some to drop by and recommend a self-published book that deserves more eyeballs. (you’ll note that some of these authors couldn’t/wouldn’t limit themselves to one…such mavericks).
The featured posts this week will come from some names familiar to readers of this blog, and a good number of new names (hopefully they’ll pop up enough to be familiar to you soon):
| JCM Berne Tom Bookbeard A.J. Calvin Thomas J Devens Livia J. Elliot Shannon Knight James T. Lambert |
David T. List Vanessa Ricci-Thode Michael Michel DB Rook Ben Schenkman K. Q. Watson |
Stick around and see what they recommend, and have to offer themselves!
The 2025 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club
I somehow deleted my list of new releases for the week–I’m pretty sure I reconstructed it all, but the haunting feeling that I missed one is going to eat at me for a day or two.
A shorter post this week, but…you have no idea how busy this site is going to be next week. I gave myself “plenty” of advance time to get things done–and promptly filled it with other stuff. So, I’m scurrying around a little today. Anyway, be sure to check out the Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week posts here and around the book blogosphere next week!
But for now:
Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
New ‘Dresden Files’ book is coming: See the cover reveal for ‘Twelve Months’—98% of those who care have likely seen this already—what do I care? I’m excited about the cover and the brief synopsis. January can’t get here fast enough! (although there’s plenty that I want to accomplish before then, so…maybe it can)
Who Gets a POV In Your Story? It’s a Political Decision: Everyone in a story is a person, and nobody is an NPC.—Yes, this is primarily for writers, but there’s something for we readers to chew on here, too.
Even Better the Second (or Third, or Fourth…) Time: In Praise of Re-Reading
Where authors gossip, geek out and let off steam: 15 of the best literary Substacks
The Thing You Want to Read Is Out There (Probably): On reading—and looking—outside your comfort zone
Book Blogging in 2025 Survey Results—I look forward every year to see what Jo Linsdell’s survey brings
Monthly Manga Mania Featuring First Duelist: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s by Masahiro Hikokubo
I Made a Massive 14,000 Page Book—This is disturbing, impressive, mind-boggling, and cool.
The Five Book Lover Languages
To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
Murder Boy by Bryon Quertermous—I’ve often thought about revisiting this one to see if it was just the wrong time for me.
Armada by Ernest Cline
And I talked about the releases of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS ALREADY??); Armada by Ernest Cline; Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn; Hostile Takeover by Shane Kuhn (I miss this writer); Last First Snow by Max Gladstone; Cold Iron by Stina Leicht; Alive by Scott Sigler; Once Upon a Crime by P. J. Brackston; Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
Three Shattered Souls by Mai Cortland—I just finished book one of this trilogy last weekend, I haven’t even picked up my copy of book two (and won’t be able to read it until September), but am more excited about this release than anything else this week. And no, I won’t give a synopsis of it, because I’m hiding from any discussion of it.
Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn—The widow is back in action (thankfully, no international travel is called for this time). I’ve been trying to write something since Monday…you’ll see me blather on about it soon.
American Mythology by Giano Cromley—Who doesn’t like a Bigfoot story? Moreso when it’s described as: “A spooky adventure story and a wry and heartwarming tale of friendship, American Mythology is a fabulous debut about the power of belief and our sacred bond to nature.”
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna—This sounds like a bit of breezy niceness. “A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track.”
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