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Killing The Top Ten Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing 2026
Introduction (I will write and update the older version of this book, KILLING THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING 2026 right here on this blog. See yesterday’s post about the Best and Worst Practices Seminar we are taking sign-ups for. It is also focused on a lot of business, just as this book is. I will not put every chapter of the entire book up here since the book will appear in a StoryBundle as an exclusive in April and I would like you to support that bundle.) Welcome to the second book in the Killing the Sacred Cows series. The first book was called simply, Killing…
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Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Beta Readers Help You
This chapter came from me just hearing over and over about how writers are using multiple beta readers. And I honestly just got tired of shuddering every time I heard that stupidity. Chapter Six Beginning writers have a belief that the more people who read their work, the better their work will be. Of course, that flies in the face of any creation of art by an artist. But the fear is great among young writers, most of who are indie writers these days. Long term pros? What do they do? Maybe have one first reader, maybe not. Most not. Why? Because creating original fiction is not a group effort,…
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Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: Traditional Publishing Takes Less Time
This chapter came from a conversation at a writer’s lunch and hearing this myth from dozens of writers over the last few months. Finally just got fed up with it. And when I am fed up, duck. Chapter Five There is this belief that if a writer could just get a traditional publisher to take care of them, all would be great, they could only write, create great art, eat candy all day, sign books for adoring fans, and roses would grow in the dark out of their asses. Or something like that. This myth comes from traditional publishers because, in this modern world, it’s about the only thing they can…
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Killing Even More Sacred Cows of Publishing: #3… Getting An Advance to Help You Write Your Book
Book three in this series. Book one was KILLING THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF PUBLISHING. Book two was KILLING THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING. Both books are available everywhere in electronic, paper, and audio. What I call a “Sacred Cow” is basically a myth spread around publishing like the truth. Myths such as “rewriting must be done for every story.” Myths such as “you need an agent to sell a book,” or “sell a book to a different country.” And so on. You can either buy the first two books to get all twenty of the Sacred Cows, or just click on the tab above and read them…
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Killing Even More Sacred Cows of Publishing: #2… Getting a Critique is a Good Way to Learn
Book three in this series. Book one was KILLING THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF PUBLISHING. Book two was KILLING THE TOP TEN SACRED COWS OF INDIE PUBLISHING. Both books are available everywhere in electronic, paper, and audio. What I call a “Sacred Cow” is basically a myth spread around publishing like the truth. Myths such as “rewriting must be done for every story.” Myths such as “you need an agent to sell a book,” or “sell a book to a different country.” And so on. You can either buy the first two books to get all twenty of the Sacred Cows, or just click on the tab above and read them…
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Indie Sacred Cow #1… 2026
Killing the Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing 2026 Myth #1… You Can’t Get Your Books into Physical Bookstores Or put more clearly, indie writers can’t get their books into regular brick and mortar bookstores or B&N physical stores. Fact: Of course indie writers/publishers can. And here in 2026 it is stupidly simple. And, of course, there is the question of why bother to even worry about it? In 2026 physical bookstores are few and far between thanks to the pandemic and economic factors, and there are real dangers pushing to B&N because of returns. And we all have our own bookstores in Shopify, and our ability to sell our electronic…
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Challenge, Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing, On Writing, publishing, Topic of the Night, Writing in Public
Another Sacred Cow Treatment
ANOTHER SACRED COW TREATMENT Well, read one too many articles about the stupidity of giving a traditional author an advance so they could be free to write their book. That myth had to be stabbed at with my little sword. Oh, and I got back to work on the novel. —— THE DAY Did an interview for a podcast this afternoon. Great fun and I’ll link to it when it comes out. Then off to walk, then to the mail, the store, and back to WMG offices where I worked on different stuff until 7 p.m. including starting on the Sacred Cow chapter. Home to cook dinner, watch some television,…
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Science Fiction Kickstarter and a Question…
Three Kristine Kathryn Rusch Science Fiction Books Kickstarter… I had planned and partially written another chapter of Killing the Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing 2026. But got into another project that strained my eyes a little too much, so have to cut this short and remind you all of the coming great Kickstarter. Coming up soon, meaning next week, we are doing a new Kickstarter Campaign of three of Kris’s science fiction books. ALIEN INFLUENCES which was a stand-alone and highly-acclaimed sf novel in the 1990s and she is updating it and bringing it forward. BROKEN WINDCHIMES, which is a long novella that won the Asimov’s Readers’ Choice Award. And…
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Top Five Dumbest Business Practices in Traditional Publishing…
The Top Five Dumbest Business Practices in Traditional Publishing I wrote this originally eleven years ago. Thankfully, I know of no indie writer who still believes in all this. But new writers do come in with the “dream” of publishing a book with one of the four big publishers left. Sadly, there is often nothing that can change their mind and they are lost. From the real world perspective, publishing is really, really, really known for its head-shaking stupid business practices. But inside of traditional publishing, these practices have become so common and set in “the way things are done” as to be defended by otherwise sane business people. So…
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First Day of the Challenge…
Publishing Opinions from Yesterday… Interesting that no one agreed or disagreed or said anything about the opinions yesterday of where I think indie in 2025 will go. But I did get a letter from a new writer asking me if my book Killing the Top 10 Sacred Cows of Publishing was still accurate. I told him it was dated and things are much worse now for traditional publishing for fiction writers than they were when I wrote the book ten or so years ago. Much worse. Traditional publishing is a graveyard for young fiction writers and their dreams. No other way to look at it, sadly. But this guy also…