Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 52 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
Angelica’s Discoveries: Romance and Journey to the New World
Otilia Greco. Westwood Books Publishing. $7.99 paper (178p), ISBN 978-1-64361-544-8
Amazon, BN.com
When Angelica’s heart leads her in a new direction, she must bravely face her fear once again as she embarks on a challenging adventure to the New World, where her true destiny awaits.
Arnold Falls
Charlie Suisman. Bowker. $5.99 e-book, ASIN B084HHSCSW
Amazon
Spend time in the oddball village of Arnold Falls, where larger-than-life characters deal with the smallest of problems. Somehow it all comes out right in the end.
Besotted Boy!
Ernest Pick. iUniverse. $13.99 paper (218p), ISBN 978-1-5320-8019-7; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5320-8020-3
Amazon
Lacking a personality of his own, Freddie attempts to siphon off that of his idol, film director Cephas Varte. Varte’s wife, protective of her man, intervenes. Their conflict leads to a totally unexpected conclusion.
Brother Eduardo’s Mortal Crime (The Santore Story #2)
Rudy Leeman. Book Vine Press. $8.99 paper (252p), ISBN 978-1-951886-94-3
Amazon, BN.com
From the discovery of mutilated children’s bodies in a farmer’s field to chasing smugglers in the Crimean War arena, Inspector Eduardo and his partner, Rai, face terror in a race to save stolen children delivered to Italy and their capital of Florence.
Brother Eduardo’s Mortal Sin (The Santore Story #1)
Rudy Leeman. Book Vine Press. $8.99 paper (213p), ISBN 978-1-951886-91-2
Amazon, BN.com
Readers follow Eduardo Santore’s life as they’re drawn into the patriarchal culture of 19th-century Italy as it struggles to become one nation.
Cascadia: An Epic Journey of Survival
Darlene Weir. Xlibris. $19.99 paper (288p), ISBN 978-1-5434-6763-5; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5434-6764-2
Amazon
Set in British Columbia, this is a fictional account of a serious earthquake that is predicted for some point in the future.
The Noble Brute: Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus
Martin Tessmer. Dancing in Chains. $4.99 e-book, ASIN B083XVDP31
Amazon
Two hundred years before Caesar, the Brute ruled Rome. Quintus Fabius battles the dread Samnites, developing the weaponry and tactics that make Rome the ruler of the world.
The Old Stories
David Selcer. Biblio Publishing. $13.95 paper (234p), ISBN 978-1-62249-479-8
Amazon
A Jew deserts the Russian navy during war with Japan and later leaves America to help Holocaust survivors get to Palestine for moral reasons he’s learned from the kabbalah.
Point Zero
Simon JB. Simon Bennett. $5.24 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66156-247-2
Amazon
Some youthful professors and bohemian types challenge the existence of dark energy and the big bang theory, while taking the reader on a lighthearted excursion into their world of gaiety and mayhem.
Sycophants
Linda Gould. Linda Gould. $10.65 paper (284p), ISBN 978-1-79087-417-0
Amazon
Imogene, a country girl with stars in her eyes, moves to New York City after college to work for her former roommate, Sara, who has established a film production company.
Veil of Secrecy
Margaret Franceschini. Page Publishing. $15.87 paper (166p), ISBN 978-1-64544-080-2
Amazon
Julie is an ambitious young woman who follows her dreams in becoming a journalist while trying to avoid past mistakes in love that haunt her and her daughter.
Weapons of Mass Disablement
Ionah Arbuthnott. Xlibris. $30 paper (241p), ISBN 978-1-79600-212-6
Amazon, BN.com, Xlibris.com
A heroic woman is involved in an urgent secret mission to save Israel from imminent destruction and genocide by Iran’s huge arsenal of guided missiles.
Where Love Ends... Grace Abounds
Michelle Lucas. Xlibris. $19.99 paper (326p), ISBN 978-1-984568-03-8; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-984568-02-1
Amazon
A preacher’s kid finds love in all the wrong places. Can she be saved? Can love win in this spiritual warfare? Or is it too late?
Poetry
Inner Butterflies
Nicolette L. Toth. AuthorHouse. $13.99 paper (126p), ISBN 978-1-72832-254-4; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72832-253-7
Amazon
Toth’s collection contains poetry about the sour, the savory, and the sweet things in her life.
Moments in Time: A Collection of Poems
Fred Lewis. Fred T. Lewis Publisher. $19.99 paper (216p), ISBN 978-1-948828-86-4
Amazon, BN.com
Many of Lewis’s poems were based on life experiences and others were drawn from inspiration.
Mystery/Thriller
Ballast Point Breakdown: A Rolly Waters Mystery
Corey Lynn Fayman. Konstellation Press. $14.95 paper (352p), ISBN 978-0-9991989-8-8; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B084P4JT47
Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million
Guitar-playing gumshoe Rolly Waters links a friend’s death to surf punks, Navy SEALs, animal rights activists, a secret dolphin-training program, and one seriously dysfunctional family.
The Friends of Eddy Relish
Paul Dalzell and Gerard Radley. AuthorHouse. $20.99 paper (284p), ISBN 978-1-72830-793-0; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72830-792-3
Amazon
Failed Hollywood actor Eddy Relish falls into the hands of Bible-quoting gangster Bill Blake and must become a drug mule. Eddy is also menaced by a superspy turned Islamic terrorist.
The Girl in Cabin 13 (Emma Griffin FBI Mystery #1)
A.J. Rivers. A.J. Rivers. $12.99 paper (268p), ISBN 978-1-65830-685-0; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0833JCPH5
Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million
When Emma finds a dead body on her porch with her name written on the man’s hand, she uncovers a sinister clue to the mystery that has haunted her since childhood.
Johnny Set Go
Rob Edwards. Kobo. $9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-648-78880-5
Kobo
Johnny is born in an idyllic saltwater bay, though the city life coaxes him out. Exposed, he seeks to protect his father, support his mother, and create his own life.
The Munich Recruit: A Novel of Espionage
J.M. Ammo. KDP. $7.99 paper (181p), ISBN 978-1-08-599343-2
Jmammo.com, Amazon
A former MI6 agent attempts to deliver a dossier to NATO about Russia’s attempts to destabilize Western democracy, and a former U.S. biathlete gets tied up in the action.
Toxic Deception: A Jordan Reed Mystery
K.C. Gillis. Chesterfield Press. 99¢ e-book, ASIN B083BK4JB2
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo
While investigating a strange death, a young journalist is forced to face off against a corrupt biotech company.
SF/Fantasy/Horror
Demon from the Stars and Other Stories
Craig Pittman. Ashram-Uriah. $10.99 paper (200p), ISBN 978-1-79867-163-4; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B084Z78B1T
Amazon
Three very different stories—a sci-fi horror story, a fantasy adventure, and a zombie apocalypse drama—all in one book.
RNWY: A Space Adventure
P.A. Lopez. RNWY. $16.99 paper (492p), ISBN 978-1-69339-739-4
Amazon
In the year 2399, an antisocial fashion editor and a frustrated supermodel/reality star must save the solar system from an alien invasion. Alien invasion? Worst Fashion Week ever.
The Sigil: A Novel
Shakeil Kanish and Larissa Mandeville. Shakeil Kanish. $9.99 paper (342p), ISBN 978-1-73446-060-5; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0849SR7M2
Amazon
After losing the person most important to him, Lake Smithson stumbles across a letter that thrusts him into a world that threatens to destroy all he has left.
Romance/Erotica
Aurora’s Gold
K.J. Gillenwater. K.J. Gillenwater. $5.99 e-book, ASIN B07YL6X9RG
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Baker & Taylor, BN.com, Google Play, Kobo
A female underwater dredge miner in Nome, Alaska, must hire a possible murderer to save her family business.
It’s Not PMS, It’s You
Rich Amooi. Rich Amooi. $2.99 e-book, ASIN B07YQ7WZTJ
Amazon
Ruth “Ruthless” Harper is on track to be managing partner at her all-male consulting firm. Nothing will stand in her way. A near-death experience and a public wedgie change everything.
Talisman
Tam DeRudder Jackson. Warrior Romance Press. $14.99 paper (338p), ISBN 978-1-73426-660-3; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-73426-661-0
Amazon
With time running out, a modern-day Celtic warrior must convince a skeptical woman that she’s his talisman and that their union is the key to ending a centuries-old curse on warriors.
Nonfiction
Ally
Madison Scott-Clary. Madison Scott-Clary. $35 paper (474p), ISBN 978-1-948743-15-0
Ally.id/book
An ergodic, arborescent, semiautobiographical work about identity, mental health, spirituality, and the mutability of the past.
Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen! Fall, Awakening, and Rise of a Young Anorexic Male
Alberto Vezendi. Vezendi Books. $9.95 paper (124p), ISBN 978-2-88961-003-7; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-2-88961-006-8
Amazon, Google Play, IngramSpark, Kobo
Filled with hope and inspiration, this is an account of the trials and tribulations of a young anorexic male in his journey from self destruction to self-actualization.
The Boats of Cherbourg: The Navy that Stole Its Own Boats and Revolutionized Naval Warfare
Abraham Rabinovich. Primary Publishing. $16.99 paper (354p), ISBN 978-1-71020-421-6
Amazon
Israeli sailors infiltrate a French port and escape with embargoed missile boats. The creation of the first-ever missile boat revolutionized naval warfare, and Rabinovich explores it here.
Building a Better World in Your Backyard—Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys
Paul Wheaton and Shawn Klassen-Koop. Paul Wheaton. $18 paper (165p), ISBN 978-1-9991714-0-7
Permies.com/bwb
The authors give lessons on the luxuriant environmentalism that readers can do from their own homes, allowing them to prioritize comfort over sacrifice while potentially saving thousands of dollars.
Collapse of 2020
Kirkpatrick Sale. Outskirts Press. $9.95 paper (57p), ISBN 978-1-977221-77-3
Amazon, BN.com, Outskirtspress.com
Sale gives his case for the dangers that this world faces now and the real possibility of the imminent collapse of civilization.
Educators’ Blueprint: Unlocking Students’ Potential
J.K. Jones. Fascinare. $16.95 paper (276p), ISBN 978-0-9828946-7-5; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B0842B1PJN
Amazon
Jones presents a plan to dispel flawed educational practices and enlighten educators’ thoughts, ideas, and approach to teaching.
First Survivor
Mark Unger. Mark Unger. $4.99 e-book, ASIN B078YXXTMC
Amazon
One family’s tireless search for answers saved their son and others from a rare form of pediatric cancer.
The Girl from Copenhagen: A Memoir Revisited
Glenn Peterson. Xlibris. $19.99 paper (134p), ISBN 978-1-79606-636-4; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-79606-634-0
Amazon
This sequel to The Girl from Copenhagen shares more memories Peterson had of his mother, Inge Buus, and her well-lived life.
Jiffy Body: The 10-Minute System to Avoid Joint and Muscle Pain
Bart Potter, illus. by Greg Houston. Blue River Publishing. $20 paper (146p), ISBN 978-1-73398-430-0
Book.jiffybody.com, Amazon, BN.com
Potter provides an alternative way to avoid aches, pains, stiffness, swelling, nerve impingement, and joint problems with this 10-minute daily system.
Krishnamurti in America: New Perspectives on the Man and His Message
David Edmund Moody. Alpha Centauri Press. $24.95 paper (354p), ISBN 978-1-73422-782-6
Amazon
The first biography that tells the complete story of Krishnamurti’s life in America—a story of love and betrayal, lawsuits and enlightenment, passion and transcendence.
The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens
Chrysta Castañeda and Loren C. Steffy. Stoney Creek Publishing Group. $34.95 hardcover (300p), ISBN 978-1-73408-220-3
Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million, Tamupress.com
A high-stakes courtroom drama involving the legendary oil tycoon, told through the eyes of the attorney who represented him.
Leeds, Money, and Misery Me: Twenty Years of Hurt, 23 Mistakes and the Tale of Toma
Dave Tomlinson. AuthorHouse. $27.32 paper (596p), ISBN 978-1-72839-393-3; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72839-392-6
Amazon
Blind ambition and financial blunders drove the Leeds United Football Club to the brink of extinction. Tomlinson explores how the most committed fans in Europe were let down by the powerful men who abused their trust.
Legendary Trials
Daniel J. Lanahan. AuthorHouse. $13.99 paper (222p), ISBN 978-1-72830-224-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-72830-223-2
Amazon
Lanahan captures the essence of certain trials in American history, including the previous presidential impeachment trials.
Looking for Happiness? Look Inside! A Farewell to Anxiety
Alberto Vezendi. Vezendi Books. $9.97 paper (146p), ISBN 978-2-88961-011-2; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-2-88961-014-3
Amazon, Google Play, IngramSpark, Kobo
In this self-help work, Vezendi argues that readers already have the ability to overcome the two main obstacles to happiness: attachment and anxiety. They just need to look inside themselves.
The Meaning of Life: A Guide to Finding Your Life’s Purpose
Nathanael Garrett Novosel. Nathanael Garrett Novosel. $29.95 hardcover (358p), ISBN 978-1-948220-00-2; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B082RHWM63
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Books-a-Million
How to think about life, not how to live it. Garrett dissects how humans derive meaning into components that can help readers make their own life meaningful.
Modern Catholic Concerns
Peter Mazurek. Xlibris. $27.59 paper (620p), ISBN 978-1-79600-576-9; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-79600-577-6
Amazon
Mazurek reviews selected evidence for and against the proposition of God’s existence and the divinity of Jesus with an assessment of the persuasive value of this evidence.
Morpheus Speaks: The Encyclopedia of Dream Interpreting
R.J. Cole. iUniverse. $39.99 paper (602p), ISBN 978-1-5320-7006-8; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5320-7007-5
Amazon
Dreams represent the truth of who people are, their best self, and truths they don’t always want to face. With this dream decoder, readers will have a chance to understand the truths of themselves.
New Yorkers: A Feisty People Who Will Unsettle, Madden, Amuse and Astonish You
Clifford Browder. Browder Books. $19.95 paper (352p), ISBN 978-1-73337-820-8
Amazon
A quirky memoir by a longtime resident with glances at New York City’s history and weird facts that will surprise visitors and residents alike.
Opiate Nation: A Memoir of Love, Loss & Acceptance
Jude DiMeglio Trang, with John M. Trang. Gowor International Publishing. $29.99 hardcover (305p), ISBN 978-0-648-58853-5
Amazon, IngramSpark
A memoir of the devastating effects of drug abuse on a family and of a child’s death from overdose. A clear, honest, and vivid account of the perilous world of addiction.
Our Inherited Wisdom: 54 Inspirations from Nature and Poetry
Kate Vogt. IngramSpark. $29 paper (356p), ISBN 978-1-73318-192-1
Amazon
Vogt invites readers to find divine intelligence in their most ordinary moments and encounters, to slow down and reset their hearts.
Peace, Love, Happiness, and Joy for the Universe
Glenn Simpson. AuthorHouse. $13.99 paper (120p), ISBN 978-1-5462-7491-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5462-7492-6
Amazon
Simpson aims to achieve world peace by preaching nonviolence (except in self-defense) by way of a new world government (prophesied in many religions).
Toward Self-Sufficiency from Chaos: Using Unique Sustainable Community Planning Concepts
George Hunt. Fresh Pages Media & Advertising. $20.99 paper (306p), ISBN 978-1-951933-19-7
Amazon
This book is intended to educate readers on understanding the dynamics that hold society back from achieving self-sufficiency.
Whatever Comes My Way: Travels in the Netherlands
Roger Gaess. Aurora Editions. $14.99 paper (238p), ISBN 978-1-70071-447-3
Amazon
Gaess’s offbeat travels around the Netherlands introduce him to oddities, strangeness, the absurd, and seeing what the people there were all about, but Gaess is always open to chance.
Children’s/YA
The Dance Centre Presents Giselle
Chi Varnado. GnomeWood Press. $12.99 paper (231p), ISBN 978-1-73414-230-3
Amazon, BN.com, IngramSpark
When the prima ballerina mysteriously vanishes, Randi unexpectedly lands the lead and learns that the world of ballet is not always as glamorous as it appears onstage.
Yahyah and Mister Caterpillar
Malik Osaze, illus. by Laura Smerdele. Ascension PFA. $9.49 paper (27p), ISBN 978-1-65828-239-0
Amazon
A young girl’s journey as she learns new things in her environment.