SPR | Self-Publishing Review

5 Reasons Authors MUST Read In Their Genre

Sometimes authors spend so much time writing their books that they forget about the other side of the coin. As the great Stephen King once said, good writers need to do two things: read a lot and write a lot. Don’t get so lost in the second half that you neglect the first! While it might seem like a simple pastime, reading is one of the best things you can do to improve your writing. Here’s the top 5 reasons authors absolutely must read in their genre (and sometimes outside it!) if they want to create the best novel […]

SPR2025-10-28T19:48:57+02:00October 28th, 2025|Categories: Member Blog|

Who Are You Really Writing For? Why Defining Your Reader Can Make or Break Your Book Sales

As a self-published author, completing a project is exciting. The world can read the book that you poured your heart into, but do you know who your readers are? Understanding your audience is essential to selling your work.

Readers are more likely to engage with you when your marketing resonates with them. They may also share your most recent release with others. Shape your promotional strategies for your target reader, and your voice will reach the right people. Here is how to define your audience and engage them.

Identify Your Reader Persona

Identifying your target audience is the first step. […]

SPR2025-10-27T19:42:53+02:00October 27th, 2025|Categories: Member Blog|

An Interview with Gary Rivera: Author of The Reluctant Bully

Gary was born in Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Orlando, Florida. A widower with two grown children, loves going to theme parks, playing pickleball, watching movies, and reading. He enjoys traveling and hopes to visit every major league baseball stadium to watch a game.

Tell us about your book.

The Reluctant Bully is the second book in the Lunch Money Trilogy. I wanted to tell a different story from The Lunch Money Treasure, while further advancing the narrative of the first book, and I wanted to provide additional backstory for several characters, who will be featured […]

SPR2025-09-30T15:18:26+02:00September 30th, 2025|Categories: Interviews|

Sad Evil by Shane Drift

An ominous fantasy that summons ancient beliefs and tangles with indigenous traditions, Sad Evil by Shane Drift is a haunting thriller with epic stakes for the fate of the world. Sent through a portal from a far darker realm, Sad Evil descends upon the human world with a shadowy horde of dark spirits at his command. To defeat this looming storm of spiritual darkness, Darby must learn to harness her own ancestral powers, trust her ragtag companions, and embrace the hardest lessons of her past. Blurring the line between ancient folklore and contemporary fiction, the plot is a collision of […]

SPR2025-09-16T19:03:47+02:00September 16th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

An Interview with Dave Bruno: Author of Oh F*ck! Dinosaurs!

Dave Bruno grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and was scared of everything. Eventually, he overcame his fears thanks to horror video games and has been in love with the genre ever since. He has worked on several horror-themed projects, like an animated YouTube show called Scaredy Dave, animations for Puppet Combo video games, and becoming a game master for his Cosmic Horror-centric YouTube show, The Mythos Mystery Society.

He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011 to pursue a career in game animation. He currently works as an animator for the mobile game industry and […]

SPR2025-09-16T18:58:15+02:00September 16th, 2025|Categories: Interviews|

Deceitful Intentions by Carlo Armenise

A memory loss mystery with a sinister underbelly, Deceitful Intentions by Carlo Armenise is a dramatic thriller featuring a series of small-town twists. Raven Redman’s life was shattered by a car accident that resulted in the loss of her mother and the entirety of her memory. The details of that tragic day simply don’t add up, and when one of the key figures in the suspected cover-up is brazenly murdered, Raven becomes the next target of a killer with the perfect recipe for revenge. The layered complexity of covert affairs, emotional betrayals, and painful explorations of Raven’s past gives the […]

SPR2025-09-08T11:04:34+02:00September 8th, 2025|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

An Interview with Chris Bennett: Author of Windslash: The Last Elemental

Born and raised in the small town of Fakenham, Chris Bennett has always had an imagination and passion for storytelling. Now, as a published author, he creates tales of fantasy, drawing inspiration from his childhood memories and from everyone and everything around him. When not writing, he enjoys training, TV, video games, and spending time with others. Whilst looking for new sources of inspiration.

Tell us about your book.

It’s a Fantasy novel set 10,000 years ago in Atlantis, where an Atlantean Battle Mage discovers he can use forms of magic that the other inhabitants can’t. This marks the start […]

SPR2025-08-26T10:40:30+02:00August 26th, 2025|Categories: Interviews|

How to Establish a Writing Schedule to Improve Your Focus as an Independent Author

Whether you’re a full-time author or you juggle a day job and write in your spare time, creating a consistent writing schedule is challenging. Independent authors may not have the traditional deadlines or editor hovering over them waiting for their latest masterpiece. You must become your own accountability partner and establish regular writing times.

Establishing time frames may be the most powerful tool in your writing box, but it must include more than time spent typing. Committing time to focus, creative input, brainstorming, writing, and editing all contribute toward an excellent end product.