"I read my eyes out and can't read half enough ..." - John Adams. (Me too, John. Me too.)

Oct 22, 2022 6:25 am

Hello again!

I've been reading through SPFBO finalist Tethered Spirits by T.A. Hernandez, and I'm loving it!

The SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) is a special thing.

I don't really see it as a competition. Or, at least, the competition part is secondary. I personally find that SPFBO is more like a chance to gather all the best and most interesting self-published books in one place. It's a chance to go searching for something that, otherwise, might be very hard to find.

I write books and self-publish them. With self-publishing comes self-consciousness. It's easy to think, "Well, no big publishing houses took me on. No agents or editors paid me a big advance for my book. Who am I to say that my books are worth reading?"

Events like the SPFBO remind me that there are really good self-published books out there, which are easily on the same plane as their traditionally published counterparts.

And as for that question about which books are more 'worth reading' — I think the way a book was published has very little to do with it. I've read self-published books that have taken my breath away, and traditionally published books that have bored me to tears.

Here's to the era of reading the books that interest us, move us, thrill us, engage us—with or without the logo of a big-time publishing company on the spine.

To that end, here are a few books that you might like, from self-published authors like me!