Let’s build a story together 👀 I’ll start with one sentence…and each person adds the NEXT sentence in the comments. Build on to the story by creating the next sentence. If you see someone typing, wait for their sentence and then type yours out, building on theirs Let’s see where this goes 😂 Here's the first sentence: 👉 Ashley was walking through the grocery store when all of a sudden, everything got quiet, and the lights started to flicker. Your turn 👇 (Only ONE sentence per comment—no overthinking it, just keep it going)

Atticus vs. Affinity: Which Book Formatting Tool Should You Use? One question that comes up a lot with self-publishing is: What tool should I use to format my book? Two options worth looking at are Atticus and Affinity, and they both have their place depending on the type of book you’re creating. Atticus is a one-time investment, but it’s very beginner-friendly. If you’re creating a text-heavy book like a nonfiction book, workbook, journal with written sections, or even a novel, Atticus is probably going to feel much easier to use. Here’s where Atticus really shines: - Beginner-friendly with a low learning curve - Great for text-heavy books - Helpful for nonfiction, workbooks, journals, and novels - Pretty self-explanatory once you get inside the tool - Lets you create both print and ebook files - Allows you to include full-page images when needed - Saves time if you don’t want to design every page from scratch Affinity, on the other hand, is better if you want a more custom, design-heavy book. Think: highly visual workbooks, planners, full-color interiors, activity books, coffee table-style books, or books where you want more control over the layout. Here’s where Affinity stands out: - Free to use - Better for custom, design-oriented books - Gives you more control over page layouts - Helpful for books with lots of images, graphics, or visual elements - Better for full-color interiors or highly styled pages - More flexible if you want every page to look different - Great option if you’re willing to learn a more advanced design tool But here’s the tradeoff: Affinity has a steeper learning curve. It gives you more design freedom, but that also means you’ll need to understand more about layouts, margins, bleeds, image placement, exports, and print setup. So my simple recommendation is this: If you want easy, fast, beginner-friendly formatting, go with Atticus. If you want custom design control and you’re willing to learn the tool, try Affinity.

Let's all say congratulations to @Pat Terrell she officially became a published author this week and now has her paperback book How to Be Sure of Heaven for sale on Amazon. This book explores how a person can have true certainty about going to heaven, not just hope or assumption. Using 2 Peter 1 as its foundation, it presents a clear, practical guide to salvation, spiritual growth, and living in a way that confirms one’s faith. This book is on sale today for $10.99 ➡️ GO GET IT ON AMAZON

💰 Did You Know You Can Sell Your Author Copies on TikTok Shop? Yes… and it’s a BIG opportunity 👀 Last year, I personally generated about $14K in book sales just by selling my Amazon author copies through TikTok Shop. Here’s how it works in a simple, real-world way… First, you’ll need to set up your TikTok Shop account. I’ll be honest, this part can feel a little frustrating. The setup process hasn’t always been the smoothest, but once you’re approved, you’re good to go. If you haven’t done this yet, I’d start here. Next, you’ll want to order your author copies from Amazon. I usually recommend starting with around 50 copies so you have inventory ready to fulfill orders. Once your books arrive, you can list your product directly inside TikTok Shop and officially start selling. From there, the real work begins...and that’s content. You need to be consistently posting videos about your book. This doesn’t have to be complicated. You can do talking head videos, faceless clips, voiceovers while flipping through the pages—whatever feels easiest for you. What matters most is consistency. The more you show up, the more opportunities you give your book to get discovered. When it comes to shipping, I personally handled everything myself. I bought envelopes and labels, printed out customer information, and shipped each order manually. It’s not glamorous, but it works. There are third-party fulfillment options out there, but I wouldn’t recommend jumping into that until you’re seeing consistent sales, since it can become a bigger upfront investment. I got so busy with engaging the community I paused on TikTok Shop this year, but I’m planning to bring it back into my Q2 strategy because the opportunity is still there. Curious… does this inspire you to open a TikTok Shop and try it for your books?

What’s actually stopping you from publishing your first book? 🤔 If you don’t have a book out yet… what’s the real reason? Are you too busy? Running another business? Working full-time with kids at home? Yeah… same. That’s exactly why most of my books—I didn’t even write myself. I’ve always been more of an ideas person. I love coming up with concepts, doing the market research, and building out strong outlines. That’s my zone of genius. But the actual writing? Not my strength—and I’m okay with that. That’s where outsourcing changed everything for me. I personally love working with The Urban Writers The experience has been night and day compared to hiring random freelancers. Let me be real with you… The first time I hired someone on Upwork, it started off great… until it didn’t. Excuses started rolling in. Delays kept happening. At one point, the guy told me his laptop broke, and he was trying to complete my book… on his cellphone 😳 I ended up canceling the project 3 chapters in. Total headache. That’s when I switched to The Urban Writers, and I haven’t looked back. Yes, it’s more of an investment upfront, but the quality, structure, and reliability are on a completely different level. My favorite is their premium package: ✔️ Access to top-tier writers ✔️ Up to 20 images included ✔️ Built-in proofreading + editing (huge win) If you’re serious about getting your book DONE—not just thinking about it—this is the move. At some point, you have to decide… 👉 Are you going to keep making excuses? 👉 Or are you ready to start making progress? Let’s go 💪