I wanted to share something a little different that I’ve been working on. I’m currently putting together my very first children’s book, and this one is extra special to me because it was inspired by my son. A few weeks ago at bedtime I randomly made up a story on the fly about “Billy the Horse.” It was one of those completely improvised parent moments where you just start talking and hope it turns into a story 😄 A few nights later my son asked me… "Billy the Horse story?" And then he kept asking for it. That’s when I realized… this might actually be a real book. So now Billy the Horse is officially becoming a children’s book. Yes, I used AI to help bring the story and illustrations together. Yes, it’s not perfect. But this one is coming straight from the heart 💖 for my four-year-old. It’s been a really fun creative process and also a great reminder that sometimes the best book ideas come from real life moments. I’m still putting the final touches on it, but I wanted to give you all a first look preview before it becomes official 👀 Attaching the cover concept ... what do you think?

Hey Authors! I’m a KDP low content “author”.I only started about a year or so ago. And until I found @Krista Brea I never really thought much about self-publishing a real book. I’ve been watching Krista’s YouTube videos and have become very interested in writing a book as a lead magnet. I have no ideas. I’m just putting this out there to get my thoughts going and be held accountable. Anyway, glad to be here and learn from Krista and get inspired by all of the authors here. Here are my KDP journals and notebooks if you want to check them out.

This is my book cover, KDP community let me know your thoughts. Since this is a book for moms and their unborn babies (girl or boy) I wanted it to be as neutral as possible.

This is my Book Cover (1st Attempt). I am not a graphic designer at all. I can make you a beautiful quilt, but I have no design sense for anything else!

I’ve published over 17 books to date, and this year my primary focus is a professionally written cyber-crime trilogy that I’m treating as a long-term flagship project. I’m currently reviewing my backlist and would value some experienced perspectives. A few of my earlier Kindle titles were written in fast-moving spaces (for example, a book on growing a business through social media). While the core principles still hold, parts of the platform-specific strategy are understandably dated given how fluid social media ecosystems are. From a KDP and brand-positioning perspective: - Do you see more value in retiring or unpublishing certain older titles to tighten overall catalogue quality and thematic coherence? - Or is it generally better to leave them live, possibly with updated descriptions, disclaimers, or revised editions, while focusing forward momentum on flagship projects? - How much weight do you place on catalogue consistency vs. historical breadth when building long-term author credibility? I’m less concerned with short-term sales and more interested in reputation, discoverability, and aligning my catalogue with where I’m going — not just where I’ve been. Appreciate any insights from those who’ve navigated similar backlist decisions.