It’s Business, Not Personal: What One Publishing Decision Revealed About Author Success in 2026

While I was speaking at the Women in Publishing Summit on Beyond the Book: Building Recession-Proof Income Streams AI Can’t Replace, I found myself reflecting on a recent publishing decision…

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Broken Releases Tonight: Why This Story Matters Now—Not Just for Valentine’s Day

It’s Thursday, February 12th, 2026—just a few hours before Broken by Toni Jackson Lampley officially releases.And I need to say this plainly:This is not a “love season” book.This is a…

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Publishing Is Creative—Profitability Is the Grown-Up Part

This past week, I had the honor of presenting Business Model Basics for IBPA + BookLife’s Boot Camp for Author-Publishers (Self-Published & Hybrid-Published Authors). It was one of those sessions…

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The Truth About Bookstore Dreams: What First-Time Authors Need to Know About Big-Box Shelf Space

“If you're a new author, chasing shelf placement at a big-box store was never the path to true success—and it certainly isn’t now.”(Featured in Published! Magazine, July 2025 Issue, Page…

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What This Means for You: The Truth Behind Breaking Through as a New Author in a Gatekept Industry

If the recent Publishers Weekly article on Barnes & Noble’s evolving relationship with independent publishers seemed like high-level industry noise to you, I want to reframe that conversation, because what’s…

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Barnes & Noble’s Indie Dilemma: Why Diverse Voices Still Need Allies

The recent Publishers Weekly piece titled “Independent Publishers Are Fed Up with Barnes & Noble’s Buying Practices” pulls a curtain back on what I, as a former Barnes & Noble…

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