Indie Publisher Goals for Q1-2026
Trying new things!
Quick Ask
I’m coming now to ask for reviews. You know—more than the normal person—the importance of reviews. So far, PUBLISH only has two reviews! I was hoping for 10+.
Could you leave a review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble of the books? It never needs to be a long review. Just a single word will help. Of course, it you want to leave a long review, I won’t stop you!
But just a single-word review will help!
WEBINAR: KidLit Self-Publishing 101
I’ll be teaching a webinar for the newly renamed Boyds Mills (formerly the Highlights Foundation) on January 26 and January 28. It’s a two-night mini-webinar and covers the basics. It’s a great time to review what it takes to get started in self-publishing, as well as get some questions answered. Come join me. Or send your friend who is bugging you for more information on the process.
Accounting, My Kryptonite
I’m still working on my 2025 end-of-year accounting. As you know, accounting is my kryptonite, and the accounting books are a mess. Fortunately, the Amazing Accountant is on the job and things will get straightened out. But here’s what I already know.
My sales were down in 2025, probably the lowest in five years. This can be attributed to a couple things:
A Little Bit of Dinosaur series is now coming on five years old for Book 1. Incredibly, on the EPIC! reading app, the series has 6.7 million reads. But the last two quarters, the reading has been tapering off—the natural life cycle of a book. Since this has been a huge income, it’s affecting my bottom line.
The federal government has gutted the Education Department, which has to be taking a toll on state education programs. No, they didn’t buy books directly, but their grants, programs, and requirements did buy books. I think this has affected the overall sales of children’s books. Economic woes from other government changes hasn’t helped either. Children’s books are important, but can be set aside for more basic needs.
When the Baker & Taylor distributor closed this year, many orders were backlogged and publisher’s left in the lurch. For example, Harpercollins wrote off $13 million. It may take a couple months to straighten out the orders. Meanwhile, everyone else is scrambling to pick up the library and school market customers. Read this interesting article. There’s lots of juggling going on and it’ll just take time to straighten out.
For paid subscribers, here’s what I’m planning for Q1, 2026. A lot! Starting with local strategies, I’ll strive for a national reach when possible. Will any of this work? I don’t know. But 2026, here I come!