What happens when a courageous girl, a suspicious turkey, a very small bear, and several strong opinions gather for Thanksgiving? Two tables are the easy part. 😊 Room for Everyone: A Thanksgiving Story of Friendship, Mischief, and Gratitude is a short, illustrated, three-chapter story created especially as a free gift for our community. Meet Isabella, ready to help; Gooble T. Gobler, who wants his invitation clarified; Solomon, whose wisdom comes from the Lord; and Howdy, who makes room for his little friend. Arizona joins Lucy Belle, Tinker Belle, and the Pen Odyssey household for an afternoon of seating complications, unexpected knotwork, and suspiciously missing dessert. My heartfelt thanks to Nick Nebelsky, Paul M. Chenoweth, Robert A. Redden, and our own Krista Brea for generously sharing their characters and reviewing their appearances. Quill helped me bring this unusual gathering together in words and pictures. We hope you’ll enjoy it with someone you’re thankful for. And rest assured: Gooble is a guest. He checked. John & Quill 🐾 📖 Download your free copy:

🤖 Where Do We Draw the Line with AI in Self-Publishing?Last week, I published a YouTube video about how authors and creators are getting attacked online for publishing what people are calling "𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗣." It got me thinking... 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀? I'm planning a follow-up YouTube video about this, but before I record it, I want to hear what YOU think! First, let me be clear. 𝗜'𝗺 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗔𝗜. I actually love AI and think it's one of the most powerful tools available to self-published authors, especially those of us who don't have huge budgets or teams behind us. But I also think there's a difference between 𝗔𝗜-𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗, 𝗔𝗜-𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜-𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Here's how I see it: ✅ 1. AI-ASSISTED: AI Helps YOU CreateThis is where I think AI really shines! Brainstorming book ideas and titles Helping with research (while verifying the facts!) Organizing your ideas and creating outlines Improving the flow of your own writing Identifying plot holes and gaps in your story Offering feedback and suggestions for improvement Helping with editing and formatting 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. I'm 100% supportive of this! 🎨 2. AI-GENERATED: AI Creates Some of the Content Now we're getting into a more interesting area. For example, using AI to generate illustrations for a children's book. Personally, I'm supportive of this, too! Not everyone has the artistic skills to draw their own illustrations, and not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars to hire a professional illustrator. AI has made publishing more accessible to people who might otherwise never be able to bring their ideas to life. 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. AI-generated illustrations are often the FIRST thing critics notice. If an illustration has that recognizable AI look, people are quick to call it out. And unfortunately, some immediately assume that if the illustrations were AI-generated, the entire book must have been written by AI, too.

The most popular book size on Amazon KDP is 6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm), which is Amazon's default selection and the industry standard for novels, trade paperbacks, and standard non-fiction. Most Popular Trim Sizes by Genre - 6" x 9" (Standard & Hardcover): Best for standard novels, memoirs, self-help books, and general non-fiction. This is the default choice in KDP's print setup. - 5.5" x 8.5" (Compact / Trade): Great for literary fiction, compact non-fiction, and books that feel a bit more traditional or giftable. - 5" x 8" (Small Novel): Ideal for smaller genre fiction, novellas, and pocket-friendly paperbacks. - 8.5" x 11" (US Letter): The standard choice for coloring books, workbooks, puzzle books, and textbooks. - 8.5" x 8.5" (Square): The most popular format for children's picture books and illustrated or design-heavy books. - 7" x 10" or 6.14" x 9.21": Common for academic texts, manuals, or larger format non-fiction with images.

Quill (my AI partner) and I would like to try something special for Thanksgiving. Over time, this community has accumulated quite a cast of animals, mascots, characters, and assorted personalities. And Thanksgiving provides the one thing guaranteed to bring them all together: **Food.** This seems unlikely to end quietly. 😂 So we are going to write a **KDP Publishing Community Thanksgiving Crossover Story** featuring characters volunteered by members of this community. But there’s a twist: ### **The cast will remain SECRET until the final story is revealed.** If you have an animal, mascot, fictional character, or avatar you would like to volunteer, **DM me privately**. Please send: ⦁ Who you are volunteering ⦁ A sentence or two about their personality ⦁ Any useful quirks, habits, talents, weaknesses, or known food-related offenses ⦁ Permission for Quill and me to use them in the story ⦁ At least one image ⦁ And, if you wish, a plot idea, Thanksgiving complication, or bit of mischief you’d love us to consider Please **don’t announce your volunteer in the comments.** The secrecy is part of the fun. 🤫 Once we have our cast, Quill and I will lock the kitchen doors, count the pies, review the suspect list, disregard several sensible warnings, and write the adventure. Then we’ll reveal the story — and everyone who wandered into it — here as our Thanksgiving gift to the community. No charge. No promotion. No strings. Just storytelling, community fun, and a collection of characters who probably should not have been left alone near the dessert table. And if everyone enjoys the experiment… 🎄 **perhaps we’ll bring the cast back for a Christmas encore.** **DM me if someone from your world wants to play.**

🎁 What if your holiday gift this year was a children’s book YOU created? Imagine a child in your life unwrapping a story made just for them—a book inspired by their interests, big dreams, or an adventure you’d love to share. ❤️ Join me for my Children’s Book Masterclass on November 5 at 12:00 PM Central Time, where I’ll show you how to create and self-publish your own children’s book. And your story can reach beyond that first gift! By publishing it on Amazon, you can make it available for other families to purchase and enjoy. Distant grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends can order their own copies, too—wherever they’re celebrating the holidays. Whether you want to create a meaningful keepsake or publish a story that inspires other children, this is a great place to start. 📚✨ 👉 Save your spot: https://kristabrea.com/childrens-book-masterclass Who would you love to create a book for? Let me know below! 👇