IWSG Story Ideas and Stuff

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Victoria Marie Lees, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and C. Lee McKenzie!

June 3 question -

Do most of your story ideas come from one place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?

The Existence series is based on an ancient myth/legend that was passed down to me. Here's a look at some others:

Lumber Of The Kuweakunks — Mystery, Novella, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
I was working on a mystery story for the IWSG anthology, and it turned into this. Not your typical whodoneit story, this is the lore of a fictional Native American tribe mixed with a current-time story of missing children. 


Jewels of Darterra — Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Portal Fantasy, Novelette

This exists because of the A to Z Challenge. I wondered what would happen if friends grew up to become enemies. Takes place on a non-human world.



Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier — Writing Reference, Literary Criticism

Again, this exists because of the A to Z challenge. I created a formula, more or less, to quickly and easily write decent book reviews.     


Preparing to Write Settings That Feel Like Characters — Writing Reference
This actually exists because of a tweet. I did end up making A to Z challenge posts. But, initially, an agent posted that they were looking for books where the setting was a character, and a dozen writers asked what and how to do that. I knew! So I wrote a book to share the knowledge. 

Unfinished... there's also a book with a character named Anah. It was an A to Z Challenge story. I combined common misused expressions with news, but tossed in a supernatural twist. So, it isn't political. It would be impossible to publish it in the United States right now without it being the most thinly veiled metaphor of all time. 🧊 May as well paint a target on my Native-American skin, which already is a target... HEY, let's not talk about that book. Maybe after January 2029. 

Onto another writing topic:

June is 🌈RAINBOW BOOK MONTH 🏳️‍🌈

https://www.instagram.com/patatgiovannisroom/ Check out the oldest continuously running LGBTQ+ and feminist bookstore in the United States. It's in my area! 😎

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May was a good month for Fractions of Existence purchases. Many were from the "Stuff Your Kindle" event, but not all. Hopefully, the 11 ratings on Amazon will increase to 20 (and the 9 reviews on Goodreads will increase as well). 🤞🏽

https://www.bookbelow.com/author/BB920661109/j-lenni-dorner

Book Below was one site I used for the "stuff your Kindle" event. It was easy to use. I could see my book on the site during the event. I feel comfortable recommending them to fellow authors.

https://www.theindieauthorhive.com/

I also used the hive. It was recommended by BookBub and some other noteworthy sites. It was difficult for me to navigate. I could not see my book, or any other book, during the event. The admin team said the site sometimes doesn't work on certain devices or browsers. So, I just have to trust that it was there, I guess. I had no way to promote links to the event, because I could never access it. I would absolutely suggest that anyone planning to use this FIRST checks an ongoing event to be sure they can see books. I'd post a screenshot, but I couldn't see any books during the event. I paid for a Gold membership. My books are listed in the hive "library" at least. Which I can find via Google search:

https://www.theindieauthorhive.com/library

The hive does require authors to check book links and information is displayed correctly on the event page prior to any events. So, again, use this ONLY after verifying you can see event books! (Which I could not.) They have a zero tolerance for AI writing and book covers, so be aware of that before signing up, too. 

Have you heard of "Stuff Your Kindle" events?

 https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1420604596768551&id=100064570726848&rdid=BCgowPNGVcPNNxGy#

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Native American news:

A 60 to 70-foot swath through the Las Playas Intaglio, a 1,000-year-old, 272-foot-long fish-shaped geoglyph located west of Ajo, Arizona, within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge has been destroyed by the US government. Las Playas Intaglio is a sacred site for the Tohono O’odham and Hia-Ced O’odham people.

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  I'm grateful for follows!  https://www.goodreads.com/j_lenni_dorner
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features!

https://www.myrandommusings.co.uk/2026/06/anythinggoes-linky-477/ Link up for blogs.

Book Launch Talk #IWSG

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: PJ Colando, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, and Natalie Aguirre!

March 4 question - What elements do you include in your book launch? Or what do you have in mind for your future book launch? Or what advice do you have to offer to others planning to launch a book?

I don't know that I'm as good at launching books as I could be. For Fractions of Existence, I did multiple book blog tours. I did one book blog tour for Proof of Existence (only on blogs of blogger friends). I certainly reached a larger audience with the tours on sites of people I didn't know. 

Neither resulted in many sales. I spent more than I earned. For Proof of Existence, I also used an AllAuthor promotion. This got me a fair amount of exposure on Twitter (yup, back then, before it was sold and changed names). Below is an example of an email promo they sent me. Also, the link to my AllAuthor site. 

 
https://jlennidorner.allauthor.com My AllAuthor profile

Email promo screenshot ^

I recently bought this book. And, as this is the current topic, I read and reviewed it.


https://amzn.to/4qKi2Ws - The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book Kindle Edition by Ray Brehm

The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book by Ray Brehm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did enjoy this book overall, though it feels geared much more toward entrepreneurs who will self-publish a nonfiction book in their field of expertise, rather than toward fiction authors. However, I shall try some of the suggestions that could benefit my own author brand.

This book had been on my Amazon wishlist, and it was at a reasonable price, so I bought it. Book releases are the subject of discussion for the IWSG's March 2026 prompt, so it was the perfect time to read and review this, to my mind.

In the introduction, it talks about a book being the "primary engine of your business," which feels true for all authors, but it speaks more to how this book applies mainly to people who will publish nonfiction primarily. I would absolutely recommend this book to people who want to be an authority on a nonfiction topic. Typically, when I read reference books like this, they're aimed more at fiction authors.

By part III, it becomes fast-paced. The book is slightly complex, it's informative, and has a very strong author’s voice by someone who is clearly an authority on selling and marketing.

"The people who download your book for free are generally not as likely to buy anything from you later." This excerpt is the exact opposite of the advice of nearly every marketing book and program aimed at fiction writers, who are told that a free book gets readers hooked and encourages them to come back to buy your higher-priced fiction books later.

The book has multiple sections discussing what being a "bestseller" means, if anything at all. That such a title is no guarantee that an author will generate an income from writing. It also mentions that the average author sells fewer than 200 books. (The four books I have on Amazon have more sales than that, so I must be above average, and that news makes me feel good about myself. Thanks, Ray!)

I read the entire book because it definitely builds, and you have to get to the end to get all the information! But, in the VIII section, where it talks about "lead magnet is more valuable than your book," that really didn't speak to me as a fiction author. And the major problem solved in my reference book about writing book reviews is, well, how to write a book review, and there's not really a cross-promotion to go with that. (I mean, if a fellow author bought one of my fiction books, and then used my reference guide on writing book reviews to review one of my fiction books, yes, that would be a dream come true. But I'm pretty sure that's not what this Snowball book means.)

The edition of this book I bought came with a link to get another book from the author for free. Part of the marketing plan laid out in the book is to hook customers and keep them coming back for more, so this makes sense. (The catch, of course, is getting that free book means agreeing to daily emails.)

I enjoyed the "Five Interview Questions" the most. The book talks about KDP Rocket, which no longer exists, and is now Publisher Rocket, which is twice the price.

I do like the cover with the snowball and the orange-and-white lettering, and the title makes sense.

Something I question, though it may just have changed, is that my BookBub link is bookbub DOT com/authors/j-lenni-dorner, which does not use the word "partners," which part V suggests it would if I have an author account, which I'm pretty certain that I do.

The section on "Update KDP with new categories" needs some updating, as there have been changes. However, I have attempted to follow the instructions for my reference book about writing book reviews, as there is no actual specific category for books on that topic, despite there being several such books for sale.

As a self-published author, I found this book relevant, though it doesn't feel especially aimed at writers focused primarily on selling fiction books. The book mentioned Pixels, but not as a unit of a digital image, there's a whole chapter on Pixel Linking but I still don't understand it. (I did a search and learned there's a plugin, but it slows down websites, so I'm not sure it would help me.)

This book is probably part of a series, as the author mentions some other books, but most books about selling contain mentions intended to sell more books or classes or whatnot.
This book is in the category Kindle eBooks > Computers & Technology > Electronic Publishing -- which feels accurate.

View all my Goodreads reviews

🤔

In following along with the book's instructions, I edited the categories for my book about Book Reviews:

Obviously, those ranks could be better. 😔

Here I learned that Amazon now allows authors to pick THREE categories!

The book suggests picking the "non-classifiable" category and then contacting help. (The exact method has changed since the book came out, but still, I found the general area.)


And then I sent my message with suggestions for other categories my book should be in.
There currently is no category specifically for books (regular or ebooks) about book writing bookreviews. There are, however, many books on the subject. Mine is still the only one I found aimed directly at authors (though really, anyone can use it to write a review). 



BuckBooks is now DigitalBookToday. (A site mentioned in the book.) But promotions have rating restrictions, as shown in the screenshot above.
https://booksends.com/advertise.php BookSends is also mentioned, but for my category, I need to earn one more review and then spend $40. 😧 That's more of an investment than I'm willing to make for this.
But, the next time I put Fractions of Existence on sale, I could see spending the $35 to promote it there.
PLEASE check out part two of this in tomorrow's post! I'll be focusing my efforts on Fractions of Existence. 

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I was emailed by BookBub about their new "author websites." 
A free custom domain for the first year ($15 per year after)
$9.99 per month

https://authorwebsites.bookbub.com/pricing

I didn't sign up, but I thought others might be interested.

And they have this article, which also may interest you this month:

https://insights.bookbub.com/do-bookbub-ads-work-tips-successful-advertisers

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https://diversebooks.networkforgood.com/projects/296556-native-writing-match

"Fewer than two percent of children’s to YA books published in the United States depict Native and Indigenous characters. In part because of this program, that number has increased to nearly three percent."

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
 #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features!


My THEME REVEAL post is coming this Friday!

A lifetime of engaging with language and the written word – including reading books, writing, and learning languages – could be one of the best ways to keep your mind sharp and delay or prevent dementia, according to a new study. -- https://www.sciencealert.com/simple-lifelong-habits-can-cut-your-alzheimers-risk-by-38-study-finds 

#IWSG ReReading Works

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox!

February 4 question -

Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?

I reread my first two existence books before starting on the third. I absolutely love doing that. It's wonderful having the characters in my head. It's also great to remind myself of the little dots that I plan to connect in the next books. 

I shared my latest (pending) cover on my #blog The feedback was a want of a cave opening. The title cave is deep underwater 🤦 (Book 1 cover showed ch3 location Book 2 cover ch 19 location) This, just before they dive. Thoughts? 💭 #booksky #novelwriting #bookcover

[image or embed]

— J Lenni Dorner (@jlennidorner.bsky.social) January 18, 2026 at 12:18 AM

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Recieved this email about Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier Amazon ~ Barnes And Noble

Vickie Boff - Marketing.
I'm sure the email is mostly AI. She probably never read my book. But it said some nice things, even if they are fake.

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Important dates for A-to-Z 2026:

March 9-14 Theme Reveal

March 23- April 4 Sign-up

Writing Life #IWSG and Grammarly AI update

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

November 5 question -

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

I don't know that I did imagine my life as a writer. It was just something I started doing one day, and some people liked it, so I kept doing it. Eventually, an elder told me that writing (or "story keeping") was likely the purpose of my soul. That was part of a ceremony. So I kept at it. 

Definitely experienced some unexpected twists. I was working on a publishing team, making connections and whatnot. One day, the place I had been working at was blown up. I wasn't working there at the time, but most of the connections I made did not survive the tragedy. (Details are possibly political, so I won't go into more about this. But you almost certainly know about the buildings falling down.) Those connections who did survive, most were no longer in the field. I started over from scratch a few years later, after many more major life changes. 

There was a time when I thought being a Native American would actually help me in the publishing world. 😅 I have no idea why I thought that, but it was certainly untrue. 

I did believe, at one time, that I'd be able to traditionally publish, despite various obstacles. Okay, see, that belief was fueled by elders saying this is the "purpose of my soul" and such. I thought it meant the universe would be on my side, that there'd be some help along the way. 

None of these are complaints! Just observations. Actually, I feel liberated by the self-publishing path. I have a fiction series, a few short fiction books, and two writer's reference books. Some on Amazon, some on other sites. (Smashwords connections.) 

Amazon sales graph

Despite the Existence Series discount during the Amazon Prime Days event, my book sales only happened on other days last month. And the big seller was:


Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier — Writing Reference, Literary Criticism

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Grammarly Inc., Coda Project LLC, and Superhuman Labs LLC are now subsidiaries of Superhuman Platform Inc.
Here's how to check if you're training their AI (if you use Grammarly).

Go to your account settings, as per the new privacy notice.
If you move the slider to the left, you aren't PAYING Grammarly to use you to train AI.

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I saw a post on Facebook about this banned books image. I got the sticker for myself, and the shirt for a friend.

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Sad News: Sue of the Elephant's Child blog has passed away. I mostly knew Sue from WEP. The last comment left on this blog was a year ago:

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Nov 5- Gaming - Jayden Nov 19- Dream Destination - J

Dec 3- Books Make Great Gifts month - Ronel  Dec 18- Keith Richards 🎂 - John

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Who is a Book Review for according to #IWSG members

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray!

Dec 6 question -

When you leave a book review do you review for the Reader or the Author? Is it about what you liked and enjoyed about your reading experience, or do you critique the author?


I wrote "Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier" because I feel book reviews are absolutely critical for an author.
In this reference book, I suggest starting reviews with the following:

• Was the book good?
• Include the fundamentals, such as the book title and name of the author (be sure gender terms 🚹🚺🚻🏳‍🌈 are correct).
• How is the book interesting within its genre?
• How did you get this book? You want to write an honest and unbiased review, so it's important to mention if you were given the book for free.
• Would you recommend it, or not, and to who? The review might mention if you feel the book appeals to sci-fi fans, cancer survivors, sporty teens, etc.
• Is this the sort of book you usually enjoy reading? If you don't like horror books, and you're reviewing one, how much you like or dislike the book has a different weight than someone who frequently reads that genre. People who read reviews will appreciate knowing this.
• Including a short excerpt that was especially powerful, funny, moving, or meaningful to you is a great way to hook a reader and boost an author's confidence. Or the excerpt might be an example of why you hated the book, in which case the inclusion gives review readers a chance to see if their feelings would match yours.
• Stimulating. What about the book held your interest? Or why didn't you finish reading it?
• Author Supporter 📣 Would you read something from this author again?

There are many more tips in the book. I've been using this method to write reviews for years and it really streamlines the process for me. I feel that my method creates reviews that help readers and authors alike.

Some authors shy away from writing reviews because they worry about hurting the feelings of fellow authors by giving less than 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Which might be why less than 10% of buyers tend to leave a review. There was a time when it was said that hitting a certain amount of reviews (10, 50, 200...) would result in more promotion from the Amazon algorithm. This has now been denied by the company. However, surveys suggest that book buyers are more inclined to buy a book if it has some reviews. 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/918883 Writing Book Reviews As An Author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43684969-writing-book-reviews-as-an-author

Could you please give me your opinion -- based on the above summary of part of my book about writing reviews, does it seem like I review for readers, authors, or both?

📖

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Happening at the A to Z Challenge
John, on December 25, will present: A'phabet Day or No "L" Day, a day to skip the 'L' in all your correspondences and communications - written or otherwise. 😉