Just wanted to warn you about scams going on in the publishing community. For instance, yesterday I received a dm from someone wanting to kindly gift me with his book bounty points because he was leaving KDP - of course, this smells scam all around, so I didn't even bother replying. However, I just wanted to make you aware of things like this. As always, there will be someone out there trying to get advantage, so use good judgement. And if you are aware of other kinds of scams going, please share, so we are all well aware.

I had no plans to publish my 2025 results not to create unproductive comparisons. On one hand, we have members with results in tens of thousands of dollars a month. On the other hand, nine out of ten publishers' earnings are measured in tens or hundreds of dollars a month. After much thought, I decided most of the Guild members are adult enough to understand that the only productive comparison is the comparison with your previous self. And example of the possible trend, not exact numbers, would be inspiring for publishers, struggling to break the plateau. So, in late April 2025 I had catalog of about 50 low-content journals which generated a total $50 a month in average, zero ads spent. At the time I was bored and searched for an idea for productive daily activity. KDP seemed like an decent candidate for it and I started process of re-train myself to modern day publishing in May 2025. Now, eight month later, royalties are increased 22 times with healthy 15 times increased profit. On the way I learned a few things: 1. All necessary information is freely available on the internet: you do not need to spend money on gurus, magical recipes for success, or expensive software. At the same time, a good mentor (not necessarily a human; an LLM works well in this role too) and useful tools can save you a lot of time and effort. And the time saved usually means money earned. 2. As in any business, in KDP there are no magic tricks; instead, feedback loops and effective processes win the game. 3. No matter how low your results are now, if you are ready to grow, you can increase your earnings rather fast. The only limit to the results is your own mindset. What's next? I have a book of my own that has been sitting at "half-finished" for weeks because I've been so focused on our community. To be the best host I can be, I need to finish what I start. I'll be a little quieter here for a short bit while I finish this manuscript. I'm handing the "microphone" to you guys: keep the discussions going, help the newcomers, and let's see who can post the next big growth story!

To be honest, for a moment I felt uneasy. I opened my account with some tension... Fortunately, everything is fine; the account is okay. In regional markets, everything is OK, but in the U.S., it's dogs.

Thank you so much to @Thomas Juuls and @Ljubitza Kouris - it was a great meeting. @Suzanne Smith was with us at start, unfortunately, she left the meeting soon. It's sad that due to technical imperfections caused by moving the meeting to Friday, we were deprived of the opportunity to see @Yannick Di Mondo at the meeting. We discussed Guided Publishing System in deep. Premium tier members can watch the recording 🎦 in the Classroom. The main topics we discussed was: Core Philosophy & System Design - User-Centric Flexibility: Unlike many AI publishing tools that hide their processes, the GPS is designed to give users control over the specific Large Language Model (LLM) they use, such as Gemini Pro, ChatGPT, or Claude Opus. - The "Recipe" Framework: The system operates on a "recipe" model, where data files (market data, Book DNA, Reader Avatars) serve as ingredients and prompts as instructions. High-quality results depend on the precision of both. - Human-Led Creativity: Following the Pareto (80/20) principle, the system delegates "boring" heavy lifting to the AI while keeping the user in charge of creative taste and strategic decision-making. Quality vs. "AI Slop" - The Problem with Generic AI: "One-button" AI solutions often produce "AI slop" – low-quality content that consumers can easily distinguish from professional work. - Data Integrity: "Garbage In, Garbage Out." Generic data leads to generic results; it's important to upload their own specific research (e.g., from tools like KDP Scout) to get actionable insights. Key Tools & Functionality - Avatar Distiller: This tool generates highly detailed Reader Avatars based on a Book’s DNA. This allows publishers to "test" covers and marketing copy against an AI model that simulates their target audience’s specific demographics and habits. - Niche Finder: We discussed how using specific, user-collected niche data (rather than generic best-seller lists) dramatically improves the AI's ability to find profitable publishing opportunities. - KDP Ads Scenario Calculator: A tool designed to help publishers simulate different advertising outcomes to decide whether to continue or stop specific Amazon ad campaigns.

I know it's hard to believe I didn't plan yesterday's post in advance, and I didn't plan to publish this one after it. But yesterday I understood that burying our heads in the sand is not sustainable, and we need to accept changes and move forward with eyes wide open. I started writing "Our Skool" last year as a way to address the shift from social media to interested media. There were already early signs that KDP self-publishing would be disrupted too, but it wasn't obvious to me yet. Now the puzzle is solved. So, if you're asking yourself what to do in a time when books become a commodity, one of the answers is already published. Actually, after publication, I was not completely sure whether I had written it at the right time or if I had been a little rushed. And the first feedback from @Pamela Henkels dispelled doubts. The time is right. If you want answers now, you can read the book. If you do not want to spend money and are ready to wait, I will share my vision on the transformation and ways forward here, in the Guild. As for the book, it's a paperback-only for now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GLF1JTP5. Ebook become available later.