Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 56 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
2023: World War III
Carl Berryman. Authors’ Tranquility Press. $17.99 paper (624p), ISBN 978-1-959197-09-6
Amazon
This book presents China’s political, social, and economic rationale, military preparations, and grand strategy for a disaster.
Aila’s Journal: A Tale of Reconstruction
Charles M. Clemmons. Wiltonwood Productions. $32.99 (308p), ISBN 979-89-87634-90-5; $18.99 paper (308p), ISBN 979-89-87634-91-2
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
In 1863, a white indentured servant and a Black slave suffer hardship and abuse that spawn empathy and friendship as they struggle against the hateful era following the Civil War.
Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation
Alice McVeigh. Warleigh Hall Press. $14 paper (310p), ISBN 978-1-916882-37-9; 99¢ e-book, ASIN B0C96CN716
Amazon
This book retells the story of Pride and Prejudice (mostly) from Darcy’s POV, with flashbacks including a soprano in Rome and an important subplot involving Mary Bennet’s character arc and feeling for new character Timothy Lucas.
Mushroom Cloud (First Strike #1)
Thomas Joseph Yeggy. Parallax Publishing. $14.99 paper (365p), ISBN 979-89-87888-40-7; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-87888-41-4
Amazon
Caleb Young, the chief scientist for the newly minted CIA, must convince the Soviets of the B-36’s ability to drop nuclear weapons deep into the heart of Russia.
No Entry Zone
Romuald Roman. Chestnut Hill Press. $22.99 (280p), ISBN 979-88-88550-03-8
This humorous satire of Communist Poland in the 1970s takes place in an imaginary hotel deep in the Tatra mountains.
The Private Misadventures of Nell Nobody
Jennifer Newbold. Luminare Press. $16.95 paper (420p), ISBN 978-1-64388-969-6; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B0B4Y4FMY8
Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Blackwell, Kobo, Target, Waterstones, Walmart
A young woman in the British Army encounters naval legend Horatio Nelson, under whose mentorship she learns that a person is not defined by what others tell them about themselves.
Secrets & Truths: A Novel of Unexpected Consequences
Marlene Cheng. Marlene F. Cheng. $14.99 paper (318p), ISBN 979-83-67648-55-3; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BSMXRXPF
Amazon
Secrets & Truths is the emotional first book in the women’s fiction series Their Hearts’ Desires.
The Sum of All Parts
Sara Sheeran. Austin Macauley Publishers. $9.99 paper (200p), ISBN 978-1-398-48515-0; $3.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-398-48516-7
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
This book explores the complexities of relationships, giving readers an intimate look into six female protagonists’ lives.
Poetry
The Valley of Sorrows
Lief Ericson. Outskirts Press. $19.95 paper (98p), ISBN 978-1-9772-6263-9
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Outskirts Press
A war once fought in the hollows and glens has no end.
Mystery/Thriller
Against Her Will
Cynthia Kumanchik. BookBaby. $14.99 paper (296p), ISBN 979-83-509-0161-0; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0C8CBZMNN
Amazon
All she wants is her life back. Bestselling author Mona Mason fights to escape from a resort where she’s been held captive, only to be kidnapped by a crazed fan.
The Axe
Linda Griffin. The Wild Rose Press. $1.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5092-5198-8
Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play
Her assailants are dead, murdered with an axe, and her fingerprints are on it. She confesses—but is she really guilty? What really happened in the cabin?
Blood & Water
Linda Armstrong-Miller. Dorrance Publishing. $20 paper (266p), ISBN 979-88-86835-11-3; $15 e-book, ISBN 979-88-86835-99-1
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Dorrance Bookstore
Lisa Rivers has a photographic memory and works for the Department of Defense. One fateful day, Lisa is kidnapped, raising the question: how was her identity discovered? And will she be rescued before it’s too late?
Down the Well
Joseph Blackhurst. Joseph Blackhurst. $9.99 paper (300p), ISBN 979-89-88484-31-8; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0C7PN8D55
Amazon, Barnes & Noble
A lawyer sent to investigate a 2017 American genocide unearths madness.
The Loneliest Places
Keith Edward Vaughn. Blondie Street Publishing. $16.99 paper (280p), ISBN 979-89-86531-90-8; $1.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-86531-91-5
Amazon
To save his business, L.A. private investigator Ellis Dunaway searches for a missing smuggler. The case leads Ellis to confront his inner demons and secrets of his unresolved past.
Social Murder
Wayne Michael Dunwell. Austin Macauley Publishers. $12.99 (142p), ISBN 978-1-5289-8881-0; $7.99 paper (142p), ISBN 978-1-5289-8880-3
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
A young law graduate must follow online clues to find what happened to her missing best friend, then undertake a dangerous chase across Metro Manila to save her from a terrible fate.
Unaware
Dee Shaffer. Dee Shaffer. $21.99 (280p), ISBN 979-89-88280-23-1; $18.99 paper (280p), ISBN 979-89-88280-22-4
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu
A mother enters a horrific and beautiful realm after committing suicide. It is revealed that she ultimately fulfills her purpose despite falling into the evil trap set for her.
SF/Fantasy/Horror
All Hope of Becoming Human
Lonnie Busch. Ubiq Press. $16.95 paper (394p), ISBN 979-89-87182-87-1; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-87182-88-8
Amazon
Earthquakes reveal huge metal objects and vast subterranean graveyards, but this incredible discovery soon turns savage when creatures appear with only one goal: killing humans.
Bisentient
Patrick O’Connor. Blackbeard Independent Press. $19.99 paper (520p), ISBN 978-1-73911-361-2; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0C5RGN3R7
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Thriftbooks
Aliens are influencing world events. Mason Plater discovers this; helped by some odd allies, he must fight to thwart the aliens.
Find Them
Julia Ash. Julia Ash. $13.99 paper (312p), ISBN 978-1-73487-136-4; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0CC6TC7WF
Amazon
A troubled spirit forces Nora to find clues to an unsolved mystery on Boulder Lake. Failing to find them will cost lives.
Jack the Ripper?
Philip Jones. Austin Macauley Publishers. $11.95 paper (150p), ISBN 978-1-398-48271-5; $5.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-398-48272-2
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
Jack the Ripper? tells the story of a time-traveling detective who returns to 1888 in an attempt to prove his innocence after being wrongly identified as the Victorian serial killer.
The Tattoo
Hawraa Albahrani. Austin Macauley Publishers. $10.99 paper (136p), ISBN 978-1-78878-656-0; $5.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-78878-885-4
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
The book probes the human experience of discovering oneself amid hardship and misfortune.
The Team
Chris Morris. Tamara Blodgett. $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0C8DYCK55
Amazon
God sends Angel Mara out to hunt down and kill a Level 5 demon named Arual. This will not be easy. God gives Mara a team to help her complete the task.
A Thousand Li: The Third Cut
Tao Wong. Starlit Publishing. $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-77855-095-9; $24.95 audio, ISBN 978-1-77855-138-3
Amazon
As corruption seeps from the southern kingdom of Nanyue, Wu Ying sets out on a dangerous journey to uncover its source in the ninth book of this Asian-inspired epic fantasy series.
Romance/Erotica
North to Home
Crissi McDonald. Lilith House Press. $17.99 paper (304p), ISBN 978-1-73696-737-9; $5.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-73696-738-6
Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Kobo, Scribd, Smashwords
Divorcée and Texas native Nolee Burnett moves to an island in the Pacific Northwest to begin anew. After meeting her mysterious neighbor Keet Noland, her life and her reality change.
Ruthless: The Legacy Continues (Death Dwellers MC Legacy Generation #2)
Kathryn C. Kelly. Makin Groceries Media. $20 paper (600p), ISBN 979-88-86306-16-3; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 979-88-86300-11-6
Amazon
The next generation of the notorious Death Dwellers MC face their own trials and tribulations as they navigate their way through a world of violence and betrayal.
The Silent Woodsman
Cat Treadgold. Cat Treadgold. $15.99 paper (276p), ISBN 979-89-87736-30-2; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0C44GVDW3
Amazon
Holed up in a remote cabin in the forest, a popular singer on vocal rest nurses a lost hiker back to health. Back in civilization, neither can forget those two magical days.
Comics
Gamers Guide to the Tidalwave Universe: Nomads of the Timestream
Jonathan Nolan. Lulu.com. $14.95 paper (54p), ISBN 978-1-4475-0218-0
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart
This wild and exciting guidebook contains TidalWave’s time-traveling heroes and villains.
Nonfiction
The Apapa Six: West Africa from a 60s Perspective
John Berryman. BalboaPressUK. $35.08 paper (106p), ISBN 978-1-982283-15-5; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-982283-16-2
Amazon
John Berryman juxtaposes the personal and intercommunal dynamics of the West African experience during the 1960s with an analysis of the challenges the new entities have faced.
Daughters of Dunn House 1953: Stories of Fisk Early Entrants
Hildred Roach. Dorrance Publishing. $18 paper (214p), ISBN 979-88-86836-39-4; $13 e-book, ISBN 979-88-86836-40-0
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Dorrance Bookstore
Seven octogenarians reflect on their lives from 1953 to the present, including attending university without completing a high school education and the exciting careers that followed.
How We Go On: Self-Compassion, Courage, and Gratitude on the Path Forward
Ken Druck. DEI Druck Enterprises. $25.95 (214p), ISBN 979-89-88284-70-3
How We Go On aims to teach readers to become the stronger, better versions of themselves by making peace with life’s terms, paying the good forward, and leaving a legacy of love.
Life-Long Effects of Child Sexual Trauma
Viola B. Mecke. CreateSpace. $8.90 paper (54p), ISBN 978-1-5153-3126-1; free e-book, ASIN B0161YV610
Amazon
Seldom have the long-term effects of sexual or other trauma been traced throughout the life of a traumatized person. This article presents the drawings of a sexually abused child.
Meet Dave Lassam, the Man for the Job: My 39 Years Service in the Royal Australian Navy
Dave Lassam. XlibrisAU. $16.12 paper (300p), ISBN 978-1-66988-906-9; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66988-907-6
Amazon
Lieutenant Commander Dave Lassam shares memories of his 39 years of service as a medic and a medical administration officer in the Royal Australian Navy.
Radical Reinvention: Reimagine, Reset, Reinvent in a Disruptive World
Maureen Lippe. Blue Moon Press. $16.99 paper (224p), ISBN 979-89-88496-80-9; 99¢ e-book, ASIN B0C9SJSVWJ
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Waterstones
Former Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar editor Lippe introduces radical re-inventors and outlines eight steps to help readers reimagine, reset, and reinvent.
Sales Toolkit
J.A. Benedict. J.A. Benedict. $15.69 paper (268p), ISBN 979-83-945879-2-4; $13.08 audio, ASIN B0C9N2FFBC
Amazon
Benedict presents tools, tricks, and strategies to close any deal.
Skating on Thin Ice: A Zen Path of Self-Realization
Ezra Bayda. Konstellation Press. $16 paper (298p), ISBN 979-89-86843-21-6; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B0CB78NQC1
Amazon, Konstellation Press
As we feel the vulnerability and uncertainty that we all share as human beings, how do we overcome the anxiety and confusion that results?
Solo Passage: 13 Quests, 13 Questions
Glenda Goodrich. She Writes Press. $17.95 paper (244p), ISBN 978-1-64742-551-7; $8.99 e-book, ASIN B0BQBQ268D
Amazon
Glenda Goodrich chronicles her healing journey through Oregon, Washington, and California that connected her with nature and transformed her into a woman who forged her own path.
They Never Reigned: Heirs to the British Throne Who Never Became the Monarch
Blair Hoffman. Austin Macauley Publishers. $10.99 paper (250p), ISBN 978-1-398-41947-6; $3.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-398-41948-3
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
Many heirs to the British throne failed to become the monarch due to quirks of fate, with profound consequences for subsequent British history.
Thomas’s America
Earl Ofari Hutchinson. Middle Passage Press. $12.95 paper (100p), ISBN 979-88-912-1173-5
Amazon
Thomas’s America assesses Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s impact on law,
public policy, and race in America.
Trauma and Uprooting
Diana Miserez. Great Writers Media. $17.99 paper (486p), ISBN 978-1-960939-90-6
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones
Trauma and Uprooting explores the traumatic experiences of disaster victims and considers research into treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Writer’s Voice: Techniques for Tuning Your Tone and Style
Anne Janzer. Cuesta Park Consulting. $18.95 paper (148p), ISBN 978-1-952284-10-6; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B0C8BZZ3G3
Amazon
The Writer’s Voice is a comprehensive, hands-on guide to this little-understood aspect of writing.
Religion/Spirituality
Denominationalism of God... or...of Man, Vol. 1
John F. Lugger. AuthorHouse. $20.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-66557-772-4; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66557-773-1
Amazon
Does God approve of denominations? This book dares to challenge the validity of the first denomination to emerge following the establishment of Christ’s church in the first century.
A New Introduction to the Bible
Ken Hathaway. Austin Macauley Publishers. $18.99 (290p), ISBN 978-1-398-41943-8; $11.99 paper (290p), ISBN 978-1-398-41942-1
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
This book covers the narrative and the major themes of the whole Bible, all set in their context.
Children’s/YA
Beyond the Yellow Door
Jane E. Ruth. Jane’s Books. $10.95 paper (44p), ISBN 978-9962-17-591-9; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0C5MZ2H8H
Amazon
Yihana visits relatives, and curiosity leads her to investigate creepy noises in a nearby empty farmhouse.
The Big Ranch in the Ozarks: A Journey of the Greatest Generation
Robin Bunton Morris. Robin Bunton Morris. $13.99 paper (230p), ISBN 979-8-3901-5551-6; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0CCJZW818
Amazon
This memoir filled with adventure, history, and family stories from the Missouri Ozarks heartland delves into the Great Depression, WWII, and Robin’s memories of living on a ranch.
Bull and Bear Race at the Big Board
Craig A. Robinson, illus. by Carolina Buzio. Nolyne Publishing. $18.99 (30p), ISBN 978-0-578-38388-0
Nolyne.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Bull and Bear Race at the Big Board is a children’s picture book that follows the two main characters, Bull and Bear, who race at the stock exchange.
Cinderella Timkins
Sylvia Hawk’sbee. Austin Macauley Publishers. $9.99 paper (216p), ISBN 978-1-398-43423-3; $3.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-398-43424-0
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
This version of the Cinderella story shows a more profound change: Arthur is not just better dressed and of higher status than he was before, but transformed mentally into a genius.
Dealing with a Head Injury at Nine Years Old
Henry More. Austin Macauley Publishers. $10.99 (56p), ISBN 978-1-398-47668-4; $6.99 paper (56p), ISBN 978-1-398-47667-7
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
The author shares a first-person experience of transitioning through high school and university with a brain injury and learning disabilities.
Home, Casa
Janette Lart. Youcanprint. $31.05 paper (148p), ISBN 979-1-221-48592-9; $1.99 e-book, ASIN B0CB4GHCZ3
Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Mondadori
This fantasy book is written in two languages: English and Italian. It is suggested for teens aged 10–14 who can read in their native language and learn a foreign one.
I Am Not an Owl or Am I? A Fluffy Fowl Quests for an Ideal Identity
Sherri Eri, illus. by Nuratiqah Sabrin. Picture the Book. $8.90 paper (42p), ISBN 979-83-975171-1-9; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 979-83-975171-1-9
Amazon
Hoot the Owl goes on a quest to become someone else. He doesn’t get what he sets out to do, but what he does get are friends and something even better.
Jungle Party: A Read and Grow Book
Janine Ann Bower. Austin Macauley Publishers. $14.99 (34p), ISBN 978-1-03-581182-3; $9.99 paper (34p), ISBN 978-1-03-580096-4
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
Jungle Party is the first in a series of books designed to make book sharing fun while targeting a child’s language, fine motor, and social development. Humor, rhythm, rhyme, and colorful illustrations are used to capture a child’s imagination and attention.
The Lighter Side
Susanna Elliott-Newth. Austin Macauley Publishers. $10.99 paper (228p), ISBN 978-1-398-40437-3; $3.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-398-40438-0
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
These 32 humorous sagas and poems give accounts of common experiences.
Night Highway
Allen Coskerie. Austin Macauley Publishers. $16.99 (232p), ISBN 978-1-398-49767-2; $10.99 paper (232p), ISBN 978-1-398-49661-3
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
In a remote part of the Australian bush, a disgraced doctor and his evil assistants are conducting surgical experiments. Victims are selected from the isolated road bordering the property.
Not My Fault
S.B. Frasca. Book Baby. $14.99 paper (272p), ISBN 978-1-66789-677-9; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66789-678-6
Amazon, BookBaby, Barnes & Noble, Kobo
Loser. Vandal. Hero. Who is Hy? You decide. Protest art, Hy’ssecret way of dealing with being bullied, becomes addictive, and Hy has to navigate new messy feelings about identity.
Our Future Selves
Graham Dix. Austin Macauley Publishers. $17.99 (250p), ISBN 978-1-398-48020-9; $10.99 paper (250p), ISBN 978-1-398-48019-3
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, WH Smith
Our Future Selves is the story of Zak and Sarah, connected across spacetime by a shared soul. The connection so strong that they swap bodies and become each other.
Rainbow Soup
Laura Hanks Stevens, illus. by Haley Grunloh. Von Hatten Publications. $25.99 (215p), ISBN 978-1-73453-860-1; $8.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-73453-861-8
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Walmart
In this fantastical journey of love, friendship and self-discovery, rainbow fairies and various personifications of the elements of weather share important life lessons.
Tommy’s Special Present
Christine Triffitt. Christine Triffitt. $11.54 paper (54p), ISBN 979-88-508-8861-9
Amazon
Tommy is chosen to sing in his school’s Christmas concert, but after the initial excitement of being chosen he starts feeling ill at the thought of performing in front of an audience.
