Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 54 self-published titles below. Each appears with a list of retailers that are selling the book and a description provided by its author. Some of these writers are waiting to be discovered; others have track records and followings and are doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.
Fiction
Adventures in the Coil Galaxy
Buch-Lay Alt. Toplink Publishing. $19.99 paper (596p), ISBN 978-1-950540-36-5
Amazon, BN.com
The ancient sphinx ancestors from different planets in the Coil Galaxy send their children to three young planets to be educated in different technical colleges in Fiesta, Libra, and Futura.
Banging the Monkey
Tod A. Flagrante Delicto Press. $17 paper (234p), ISBN 978-1-5439-6772-2
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Books-a-Million, Indiebound
When a down-and-out writer lands a job on a tropical island, it could be his salvation. But paradise comes with a price in this darkly comic tale of life at the end of the American century.
Circus Planetaria
Robert Tyler. Robert Tyler. $8.99 paper (172p), ISBN 978-1-73453-110-7
Amazon
A dark faction of the Global Information Bureau (GIB) keeps climate information very close. In somewhat of a circus show, Global Awareness in Action (GAIA) works to liberate this information.
Freydis (Daughters of Freya #1)
Gunhild Haugnes. Vikinga Media. $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-82-999282-6-7
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo
A saga about the Viking woman Freydis Eiriksdatter, who follows in the footsteps of her brother, Leif Eriksson, and leads two voyages to Vinland—today known as Newfoundland.
Heather and the Jabberwocky: An Amorous Journey into the Mythical Antiquity of Now
Peter Kelton. Peter Kelton. $16.95 paper (288p), ISBN 978-0-578-55506-5; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-578-55991-9
Amazon, BN.com
A vengeful stalker tracks lovely Heather as her artist husband fends off a Mexican drug cartel’s attempts to disrupt their tranquil academic lives.
How Long Is Exile? (The Long Road Home #3)
Astrida Barbins-Stahnke. Xlibris. $18.99 paper (504p), ISBN 978-1-5144-2629-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5144-2628-9
Amazon
The story of a bittersweet reunion between two WWII-separated Latvian sisters at the end of the 50-year cold war. Zelda was exiled to Siberia, while Milda lived her “exile” in Germany and the U.S.
A Limey at Gettysburg: The Adventures of an Englishman During the American Civil War
Eric B. Dennison and Robert T. Mitchell. AuthorHouse. $18.67 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-72838-909-7; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72838-908-0
Amazon
Drawing on true events during the American Civil War, Dennison and Mitchell tell a tale of intrigue, mistrust, and love, where Firth Brown sees the conflict from both sides.
Then Sings My Soul
Doreen L. Hatton, with Leslie and Hal Briggs. Christian Faith Publishing. $13.95 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-64140-941-4
Amazon
Readers will watch how Lily and her kids forgive Aaron, despite him being responsible for the kids’ father’s death, and will hopefully be inspired to think about acceptance and forgiveness.
We of the Forsaken World...
Kiran Bhat. Iguana Books. $17.99 paper (216p), ISBN 978-1-77180-366-3
Amazon, BN.com
The stories of 16 lives in four imagined lands, interconnected through the power of poetry and language.
Poetry
And the Eyes Are Brilliant Is Your Army! Threads, Spinning Wheels, the Rock of Fate!
Iliyan Yurukov. PartridgeSingapore. $13.27 paper (106p), ISBN 978-1-5437-5109-3; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5437-5110-9
Amazon
This book illustrates the efforts of the progressive people in the struggle for world peace. It reveals the patterns of formation of the stages of civilizations and their efforts for survival.
An Angel in My Garden
Mart Grams. Xlibris. $15.99 paper (96p), ISBN 978-1-79601-214-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-79601-213-2
Amazon
This book contains poetry of a love affair spanning three decades of knowing, dating, falling in love, a life together, and helping her pass away in peace and completion.
Intuitions: Book of Poems
Karl Kevin Smith. AuthorHouse. $14.95 paper (124p), ISBN 978-1-4969-5851-8; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4969-5850-1
Amazon
Smith shares a selection of his poems that resonate with strong feelings born of deep thought and an open heart.
Poetry of Aloha: Verses of Hawaiian Island Spirit
Stephen Carbon. AuthorHouse. $33.99 paper (110p), ISBN 978-1-72830-571-4; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72830-570-7
Amazon
Journey into a paradise of natural beauty and the spirit of aloha. An anthology of Polynesian-inspired poetry and photography from the island of Hawaii.
Mystery/Thriller
Escape into Revenge
Cynthia Hoosier. Dorrance Publishing. $21 paper (334p), ISBN 978-1-64530-157-8
Amazon, BN.com, Dorrancepublishing.com
This is an intricate story of a young man’s quest for revenge against the bullies of his past.
Hate’s Recompense
Joseph H. Gibson. Amazon. $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-578-58464-5
Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords
In a nation on the verge of civil war, the president will stop at nothing to be reelected, even if it costs millions of American lives.
Ms. Dee Ann Meets Murder
Patsy Pridgen. Gatekeeper Press. $14.99 paper (265p), ISBN 978-1-64237-689-0; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-64237-824-5
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor, BN.com, Indiebound, Ingram
While searching for the murderer of Narrow Creek’s drug-dealing playboy, Dee Ann Bulluck finds more than she expects, including a niche in her new hometown.
Past Deeds (Brandon Fisher FBI series #8)
Carolyn Arnold. Hibbert & Stiles Publishing. $24.99 hardcover (378p), ISBN 978-1-989706-13-8; $16.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-988353-98-2
Amazon
FBI agent Brandon Fisher and his team hunt a serial sniper, determined to put an end to her killing spree.
Undetected
Jeffrey Marshall. Dog Ear Publishing. $12.95 paper (232p), ISBN 978-1-4575-7045-2
Amazon
Suzy Perry is a lovely, sophisticated older woman who marries into a new family. Little do they suspect that she has murdered two husbands.
SF/Fantasy/Horror
Asking the Moon to Leave
Johnny Randolph Hunt. Outskirts Press. $23.95 paper (447p), ISBN 978-1-977206-89-3
Amazon, BN.com, Outskirtspress.com
RC and Anna unravel a dark mystery and pursue an ancient romance.
The Cassendre Decree: Love—Madness & the Afterlife
Sheryl Lynn Rosenstock Marcus. Sheryl Lynn Rosenstock Marcus. $14.97 paper (331p), ISBN 978-0-692-82491-7
Amazon
Two women, one soul. Cassidy lives on earth, but her life stems from her other self, Cassendre, who was born in the afterlife. Both live out their adventures involving a deal, a contract, yearning, and fulfillment.
Sorcerous Rivalry (Mage-Born Chronicles #1)
Kayleigh Nicol. Blue Feather Publishing. $9.99 paper (292p), ISBN 978-1-73213-171-2; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-73213-170-5
Amazon
In a world where magic is outlawed by his royal father, Reshi hides as the youngest of the seven mage-born bastards. When a new mage hunter arrives, does Reshi run, hide, or fight?
Transference
B.T. Keaton. Ingleside Avenue Press. $14.95 paper (392p), ISBN 978-1-64570-150-7
Amazon
Technology clashes with the soul’s search for identity in this gritty debut tale of revenge, self-sacrifice, and real emotional pain where souls can be moved from one body to another.
Nonfiction
Acid Test: LSD vs. LDS
Christopher Kimball Bigelow. Zarahemla Books. $24.95 hardcover (298p), ISBN 978-0-9993472-4-9; $16.95 paper, ISBN 978-0-9993472-3-2
Amazon, BN.com
Bigelow’s memoir details his escape from Mormonism’s blandness via D&D, punk, sex, and drugs. On LSD, he senses an unseen dimension. After an alarming attack, he must find spiritual protection.
Adesso Father of Cure: I Have a Cure to Divorce, Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Problems, Epilepsy, Hypoglycemia, Etc.
Gene Adesso. Gene Adesso. $19.98 paper (49p), ISBN 978-0-578-57291-8
Amazon, BN.com
This book is full of Adesso’s health knowledge as well as his personal journey with his wife. Adesso shares words and wisdom, pictures and postcards, and much more.
Bridging the Gap: A Spiritual Journey to Heaven and Back
Calvin Cassady. Inspiring Voices. $14.99 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-4624-0495-7
Amazon, BN.com, Inspiringvoices.com
In 1971, Cassady was in an automobile accident. This book details his walk through the valley of the shadow of death, leaving him on the threshold of eternal life, and his certainty in heaven as well as the life of fulfillment that followed.
By the Tale of the Dragonfly
Vincent Hancock. AuthorHouse. $23 paper (388p), ISBN 978-1-72839-058-1; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72839-064-2
Amazon
Hancock draws on the journals of his late father, Rex, to share memories from a bygone era, focusing on the end of the British Empire in Malaya.
Come on Along & Listen to My Life in Theatre
Martin Markinson. Archway Publishing. $17.99 paper (260p), ISBN 978-1-4808-7631-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4808-7630-9
Amazon
Markinson looks back at how working hard and daring to be different helped him become a rags-to-riches Broadway producer, owner of the Helen Hayes Theatre, and movie producer.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, the Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel
Mark Paul. Authority Publishing. $24.99 hardcover (169p), ISBN 978-1-949642-29-2; $14.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-949642-28-5
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Smashwords
A female racehorse battles the males in a historic Kentucky Derby as three daring gamblers risk their lives in Tijuana, betting with the Mexican cartel to win millions.
Honors of Inequality: How Colleges Work for Some
Joseph H. Wycoff. Historia/Research Press. $24.99 paper (279p), ISBN 978-0-9996788-8-6; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-9996788-9-3
Amazon
A critical history of higher education policy analysis with significant insights into why colleges remain powerful agents of social and economic inequality today.
How a Nursing Home Works
Peter D. Busacca. AuthorHouse. $13.99 paper (110p), ISBN 978-1-5462-7631-9; $7.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5462-7629-6
Amazon
This book takes readers through each department of a nursing home to show the complexities of what goes on there to deliver quality care to the patient-resident.
How to Be a Legendary Teacher
Adam Prociv. Balboa Press. $14.99 paper (208p), ISBN 978-1-5043-1720-7; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5043-1721-4
Amazon
Prociv explores how educators can inspire students and help them learn, starting with the way they approach each day.
In My Son’s Corner: A Father’s Inside Story
Chris Chinaire. Pepukai Press. $7.99 paper (104p), ISBN 978-1-916196-70-4
Amazon, BN.com, Indiebound
The book offers a father’s perspective on the terrain a typical black boy navigates in London, providing a glimpse into the dynamics at play in black fatherhood in present-day London.
Is Anyone Out There? Comments on 100 Letters to Key People in My Life Not Answered
The Major. Xlibris. $20.17 paper (380p), ISBN 978-1-5434-9372-6; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5434-9371-9
Amazon
In letters and photographs, the Major refers back to some of his more desperate moments, which are recorded in 100 letters to key people.
It’s Just the Way It Was: Inside the War on the New England Mob and Other Stories
Joe Broadmeadow and Brendan Doherty. Jebwizard Publishing. $21.95 paper (406p), ISBN 978-1-73352-640-1
Amazon, BN.com
A former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and a retired East Providence police detective captain take you inside the war against organized crime.
Joy Came in the Dawn of a New Day
Jacinta da Cruz Rodgers. Westbow Press. $19.99 paper (246p), ISBN 978-1-973654-93-3
Amazon, BN.com, Westbow.com
Rodgers’s memoir explores the challenges of growing up in an orphanage, where the word love was never heard and discipline was the guide and terror of an orphan.
The Origin of Disease: The War Within
Carolyn Merchant & Christopher Merchant. AuthorHouse. $28.99 paper (614p), ISBN 978-1-5462-5981-7; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5462-5979-4
Amazon
This book aims to provide a new vision for understanding chronic disease, assembling medical knowledge in an original way and challenging readers to think of chronic disease based on the root causes.
Puppy Love: Potty Training My Puppy Pal
David Doogle. David Doogle. 99¢ e-book, ASIN B083TMJ2FN
Amazon
Potty training a puppy pal can be quick and easy. Doogle has simplified the process so readers can learn and bond with their new puppy through potty training.
Ramblings of a Baby Boomer Wannabe
Tom Golden. Covenant Books. $16.95 paper (230p), ISBN 978-1-64559-319-5
Amazon, BN.com
This memoir contains 135 short stories ranging from laugh-out-loud funny to shed-a-tear sad.
Reverent Whisper
Chetna Asmi. Balboa Press. $16.99 paper (234p), ISBN 978-1-5043-1727-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5043-1728-3
Amazon
Asmi reveals the story of a young man as he reflects on his life in order to find the truth about himself and the world around him.
Runaways
Powell Kimbell. AuthorHouse. $10.99 paper (74p), ISBN 978-1-72831-369-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72831-368-9
Amazon
This memoir follows the story of Kimbell and his brother, two orphans who become runaways, as they attempt to escape the real dangers of their new adoptive home.
Things I Wanted My Grandsons to Know Before I Leave
Kenn Stobbe. Book Vine Press. $8.99 paper (88p), ISBN 978-1-949574-88-3
Amazon, BN.com
This book offers a glimpse into the life of a grandfather who hopes that his grandsons will learn from his observations to live a successful and God-centered life.
This Is B1G: How the Big Ten Set the Standard in College Sports
Ed Sherman. Big Ten Conference. $49.95 hardcover (352p), ISBN 978-0-578-53893-8
Bigtenbook.com
The official history of the Big Ten. This lavishly designed coffee-table book tells the compelling story of the most successful conference in college sports.
Un-adoptable? Faith Beyond Foster Care
Janelle Molony. Janelle Molony. $16.95 paper (194p), ISBN 978-1-73446-381-1
Amazon, Ingram
A family becomes equipped to parent with grit, quick thinking, and leaps of faith. Dark humor accompanies Molony as she asks, “Do I have what it takes to raise a child with a harrowing past?”
Walking the Land: How to Connect with the Magic of Where You Live
Eileen Nauman. Blue Turtle Publishing. $15.99 paper (230p), ISBN 978-1-951236-18-2; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B083Y1D4C1
Walkingtheland.net, Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
Nauman’s work aims to teach young children and adults how to reconnect with nature.
We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships
Kat Vellos. IngramSpark. $24.99 hardcover (310p), ISBN 978-1-73437-970-9
Weshouldget-together.com, Amazon, BN.com
This modern guide to adult friendship offers solutions for the four biggest friendship challenges—providing a handbook for anyone who’s ready for better friendships now.
Who Am I? This Is Who I Am: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Julie Marshall. Balboa Press. $8.99 paper (104p), ISBN 978-1-5043-1514-2; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5043-1515-9
Amazon
Offering an opportunity for self-exploration and personal reflection, this self-improvement book is designed to help readers either rediscover who they are or find themselves for the first time.
Winter in the City of Light: A Search for Self in Retirement
Sue Harper. Senior Nomad Publications. $6.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-9995652-0-6
Amazon, BN.com, Apple iBooks, Kobo
Harper’s memoir follows her wanderings through Paris as she attempts to answer this question after the sugar rush of retirement crashed: “Oh, oh, what now?”
Children’s/YA
Blossom—The Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury: The True Tale of an Amazing Deer
Anna Carner. Unicorn Editions Publishing. $17.95 paper (274p), ISBN 978-1-73265-363-4; $12.50 audio, ISBN 978-1-73265-364-1
Deerblossom.com, Amazon
The adventures of a wild deer and the woman who rescued her. Full of fun, at times terrifying as awareness blurs nature’s wildlife boundaries and love grows.
Did You Know? Love-Light
Lisa White, illus. by Stephanie Rosas. BookBaby. $12.95 paper (32p), ISBN 978-1-5439-8507-8
Amazon, BN.com, BookBaby, Books-a-Million
This book’s rhyme scheme and illustrations invite readers of all ages to discover how to flow their love-light energy.
The Illusion of a Girl: Based on a True Story
LeeAnn Werner. L Werner Marketing. $14.99 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-73300-625-5
Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
Jessie Taylor seems like a normal 15-year-old girl, but she’s an illusion of what people expect her to be. No one foresees the girl Jessie becomes or the dark abilities she possesses.
Let’s Make a Cake
Heidi Schrack. Incognito Publishing. $17.99 hardcover (52p), ISBN 978-0-578-49462-3
Buggiemug-gies.com, Amazon
Meet the Buggie-Muggies—friends who are always up to something exciting. Find out what happens when Sally wants to make a cake, but Gary has other plans.
Soldiers Unknown
Chag Lowry. Great Oak Press. $29.95 paper (120p), ISBN 978-1-942279-28-0
Amazon, Pathway Books
In this graphic novel, Native American Yurok soldiers enlist and serve in the U.S. Army during WWI. Some return home and use their cultural beliefs to heal from the conflict.
Towers: A Rapunzel Retelling
Chelli Larsen. Chelli Larsen. $9.48 paper (185p), ISBN 978-1-65509-451-4; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B08461VX7C
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor, Bibliotheca, BN.com, Hoopla, Kobo, Overdrive
Childhood best friends Romy and Frieda forge a secret when Frieda’s unborn child is cursed. For 18 years, Rapunzel has been hidden away. It takes Romy’s disappearance to bring Rapunzel’s deadly secret out into the open.
Wallace the Balloon Boy
Paul Blackman, illus. by Miguel E. Carvajal. Xlibris. $7 paper (26p), ISBN 978-1-73430-226-4; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-73430-227-1
Amazon, BN.com
When Wallace Watkins is mucking around in Granddad’s shed, a chance encounter with a friendly sparrow leads to an amazing adventure, with Sparrow saving the day.
