Behind the Books

How I Store My Books Between Print Runs “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.” — Henry David Thoreau As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week I have been doing one of the parts of publishing that isn't talked about much, taking care of the physical books that already exist. When books arrive from the printer, they are not always heading straight out the door. Some are held back for future orders, libraries, events, or simply because I am building a catalogue slowly over time to keep for myself. I wanted a storage setup that keeps them safe without overthinking it and wasn't quite sure the proper method for storing books. These boxes are not meant to be filled all at once. I will be adding to them gradually as new books are published, keeping one copy of each title for myself. A separate box using the same techniques is used for gifting, events, or mailing, so the stored copies can stay undistu...

“To travel far, there is no better ship than a book.” — Emily Dickinson These days, many writers find their first sense of community online. Forums, group chats, and social media make it easier than ever to connect with others who are working on similar projects, often across countries and time zones. Yet, at the same time, with 24/7 access to these communities, writing can feel surprisingly isolating. Even with constant online interaction, there’s something different about being in the same room as other people who are also quietly working, editing, or thinking through ideas. Types of in-person writing groups There are basically two types of in-person writing groups, paid and free.  Paid Membership Writers Groups These are structured for profit or not for profit groups with paid memberships, regular programming, often will have their own membership website that lists their members as well as their works. These groups provide free and paid resources to help writers and most of the ...

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” -  Seth Godin  I spend a lot of time reading about what self-published and even traditionally published authors are doing for their marketing of their books, ads mostly paid ads and rapid release schedules of series of novels seems to be the most profitable which is nothing like we're building here. Plus there's the standard add a review my book pitch at the back of the book or sig up for our newsletter, also not something I want to put into kids books that are being used in schools and found in libraries or being given as gifts. In fact, so far, I haven't found a lot of people doing what we're doing here at Little Goodbyes Press. I'm sure they're out there, just have to keep searching.  For now 5 months into this adventure, any profits are being collected and applied to the basics, copies of the books for the LAC deposits, shipping costs, additional copies to have on hand fo...

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —  Lao Tzu This is not a post about profit. It’s about proof. This is the first of several posts documenting how different publishing platforms actually pay out over time, with Amazon KDP and Draft2Digital to follow in the future. When you publish independently, especially through systems that move slowly and quietly, there’s a long stretch where everything feels theoretical. Files uploaded. Buttons clicked. Statuses updated. But no real-world confirmation yet. This was the moment when the system stopped being abstract. Uploading the book I uploaded the book, Bye-Bye, Boobies , to IngramSpark and moved through the usual stages: file checks, approvals, and then waiting for the proof copy to be printed and shipped. That part alone took time, and it’s something I talked about in more detail in this how it felt to hold my first proof copy . After fixing the mistake in the book, the book existed, but only technically. No sales. No ...

"Google can bring you back 100,000 answers.  A librarian can bring you back the right one." - Neil Gaiman Want to know a secret? I haven't actually formally submitted any of our books to libraries yet. This is something that I am doing starting this year as I have received the confirmation of the last book that I sent a while ago in the box for the legal deposit from the LAC and had been waiting for that final email to come - this week it came! It turns out they are finding their way through the various systems on their own thanks to different distribution channels for ebooks and personal patron requests.  Thank you so much to everyone who has checked out our books or requested them from your libraries your support means the world! The Library Book is Different Once I knew that my book was in a library close to me, I had to see it for myself. Today, I am holding a library copy of my book, Bye-Bye, Boobies , in my hands right now, and it feels very different from every ot...

  “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” — Ursula K. Le Guin Unlike a traditional business, the start of the year doesn’t bring a reset for publishers and authors. In Canada it does bring a few new areas of focus that are administrative like PLR registration while continuing to produce new content. Registering Books for the First Time Our books that were published in 2025, that we sent to the LAC, will be eligible for registration with Public Lending Right and Access Copyright when those portals open over the next few months. This will be the first year titles from the press are registered through these programs and we'll be sharing that process when it happens in future blog posts. While largely administrative, this work supports long-term library presence and reflects a continued emphasis on accessibility and sustainability rather than short-term visibility. You can read about why libraries are important to authors and t...