When I began building my online business, I believed success came from figuring everything out on my own. I spent countless hours learning, making mistakes, and second-guessing every decision. Looking back, I wasn't lacking effort; I was lacking the right guidance. Everything started to change when I learned from someone who had already achieved the results I wanted. That guidance saved me from unnecessary mistakes, gave me a clearer direction, and helped me make better decisions with confidence. I think self-publishing is very similar. Writing the book is only one part of the journey. Publishing, positioning, marketing, and reaching the right readers all come with their own challenges. The good news is that no one has to figure it all out alone. That's one of the reasons I joined Lessons in Self Publishing. This community is full of people with different experiences, and one shared lesson can save someone else weeks or even months of frustration. So I'd love to hear from everyone here: Where are you in your self-publishing journey? What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now? If you could get guidance in one area, writing, publishing, marketing, or getting reviews- what would it be? Don't keep your struggles to yourself. Sharing them might be the first step toward finding the answer you're looking for, and your experience could help another author move forward. Let's learn from each other. What's the one thing you need help with today?

I've noticed something odd. The authors who eventually get the most readers are rarely the ones who write the "best" book. There's a specific reason for that, and most people never figure it out until years in. Anyone else notice this pattern?

The Indie Book Review just banned my book because it has an AI-generated cover art. Their policy is that any use of generative AI is "unethical" because it hurts the employment of writers, artists and translators. Thus they ban books that make "any use of generative AI". This luddite viewpoint overlooks the fact that any tool can make a talented writer, artist, or translator better and more productive. What's next, banning artwork that an artists creates using Photoshop instead of crayons? What about writers employing ghostwriters from countries with lower labor costs than in North America or Europe? They cite that both of these reduce employment opportunities for those who service this industry. My decision, as an emerging author with a shoestring budget to use AI to reduce cost for both my book cover and subsequent marketing is a creative decision to rely on my own creativity to guide generative AI, instead of hiring someone else's. Ethics does not extend to guaranteed employment of others. This confounds politics with ethics. Should not the reader be the sole decision maker of quality? Book banning based on the creative process, or many other reasons, is unethical.

You can write an excellent book and still struggle if nobody knows it exists. Do you agree, or do you think a genuinely great book will eventually find its audience?

Before looking for another solution, I think it’s useful to understand what you've already tried. What worked? What didn't? What did you learn? That can tell you a lot about what needs to change next. What have you tried so far?