Is creating an author Good Reads page/account worth it? I'm curious about your reactions. Searching the web pretty much reveals the answer as... "yes" do it.

I’ve been reflecting on some recent reviews for my children’s book, Our Family Tree, and I’d love to hear how other authors navigate this. Overall, I’ve received thoughtful and encouraging feedback around the messaging, especially in terms of inclusion, belonging, and creating space for children to feel seen in different family structures. But I’ve also received a few reviews that seem to interpret the message through a very different lens, particularly around what “family” and “love” should look like. It made me pause and ask: How much of a reader’s response is about the book itself, and how much is about their personal beliefs and lived experiences? As authors, especially those of us writing in the SEL and children’s space, we’re often simplifying complex ideas in age-appropriate ways. I intentionally did not go deep into the complexities of adult relationships because the goal was to create something accessible and affirming for children. But I am realizing that even simple, gentle messaging can strike deeper chords depending on the reader. So, I’m curious: - Have you experienced reviews where the feedback felt more rooted in personal worldview than the actual execution of your book? - How do you process that without second guessing your message? - And how do you stay grounded in your “why” when your work is meant to serve a specific audience? Would love to hear your experiences and perspectives 🤍

I did my first book fair yesterday. When I signed up to do it, I had not yet joined Kidlit Author Growth Academy, and therefore I didn't know a lot about what to look for to find the best ones. The book fair was small and the location was unaccessible to some individuals because of the stairs and no elevator. (at least none that I could see). There were only twelve book sellers there, mostly adult romantasy and only two of us selling children's books. And the other person only came because I told her about it and brought her to it. She did quite well, sold all of her books except two. So I was relieved. I would have felt bad if she'd not sold anything. I sold three books, and though I did not make my money back, it was a learning experience. These are three things I learned, all things that Harleigh speaks about in her videos where she talks about Book Fairs and other such events. 1. Location, location, location is a real thing. If you're not visible to people and some do not have access, do not expect a good turn out. (now in fairness, the person who put this thing together did not have a lot of experience and this was their first Book Fair) But I wish I'd known that before hand. 2. Which leads me to - check them out first and visit all book fairs before signing up for them or check them out thoroughly before signing up with them. Even if it means I don't do an event until the next year. 3. Try to find ones that have a lot of similar types of authors. They don't all have to be the same, I think, but it would have been nice if there had been more than two of us selling children's books. I have another one coming up in June. It's in a larger city and this one has been going on for quite some time. And a great thing is that my illustrator is going to be there with me. Here is a picture. If any of you have any advice, feel free to give it to me.

Has anyone else noticed how Amazon’s “A10” algorithm updates seem to be shifting the game? There’s growing discussion that Amazon’s newer ranking system has moved away from heavy keyword matching and is now prioritizing performance-based signals — especially things like conversion rate, sales velocity, click-through rate, and overall engagement. This seems to be particularly impactful during a book’s critical first 30 days on the market, where early performance may matter more than traditional keyword optimization alone. If this is accurate, it could mean that visibility is becoming less about stuffing keywords and more about how well a book actually performs once it’s live. Curious to hear what others in the community think: Have you seen changes in rankings or launch performance that support this shift? 🤔

Can someone give me some good examples of the main differences between AI writing and human writing?