As a (currently) self-published writer, it only makes sense to elevate my peers as best I can. As a rule, any time I see a self-pub or indie press published writer plugging a book that sounds like I’d like it, I check it out.

Self-pub or indie reads can be a mixed bag. I’ve been burned many times in the past by poorly written, unedited narrative messes before. And of course I’m not naming anything, because it’s shitty to knock someone down to elevate yourself. But if you’re brave enough to self-publish, you’re cool as hell. Bottom line. It’s scary and results in very little tangible return.

Thankfully, not all small-time reads are messes. Below, I’ll be discussing some self-published or small press published works that I’ve recently enjoyed. Click on any of the titles to purchase the books for yourself!

Chapel at Ender’s Ridge by Beckett Krane (2025)

Vampire Decker Belmont lives with his wife Safine in Ender’s Ridge, a town in the western frontier occupied by supernatural creatures and protected from ill-meaning humans by a magical force. When a new preacher moves into town, Decker finds himself intrigued in the man in more ways than one.

A M/M slow-burn romance in a western setting with a loveable cast of original characters, Chapel at Ender’s Ridge is a very fun time. I love the concept of an old west town full of supernatural beings- there are fae temptresses, werewolves, of course a vampire, and generally strange beings. The stakes are high, the residents have to survive biblical plagues, and the romance is very tender and handled well.

Krane has mentioned a sequel coming this year, and I plan on buying it when it comes out. Click the link in the title if this sounds like something you’d like!

Publisher: Self-Published

The Black Carnival by Harlequin Grim (2025)

Atherton Graves, undertaker, finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of chaos as he chases a serial killer of children while also facing down a dangerous mob that’s above the law.

Listen, if you tell me that a real-life goth clown wrote a historical horror novel about a carnival, I’m going to read it. No question.

I have one word for you: atmosphere. This baby absolutely felt dark, dreary, and mysterious the whole way through. We see Atherton chasing down a serial killer while Boo, a clown at The Black Carnival, fights against the Cross mobsters to protect his family, the other circus performers. The two narratives come together perfectly, and Atherton has great character development. When I finished it, I immediately found myself missing Atherton and Boo and wishing there was a sequel.

Harley, if you’re out there, I need more, please!

Publisher: Quill & Crow Publishing House

GR3T3L-1 by VM Sawh (2015)

A retelling of Hansel and Gretel with robots on an alien planet.

This story is part of a series called Good Tales for Bad Dreams, a group of fairy tale retellings with fun twists. I highly recommend you give them a lookthrough and see which ones sound the most fun to you- for me, it was, of course, the one in space with robots.

This story is well-written, funny, full of heart, and thought-provoking. It’s a nice bite-sized read, only 135 pages, and I really had a great time with it. If you want something fun and quick, please consider checking out this or any other of Sawh’s Good Tales.

Publisher: Self-Published

The Rotting Room by Viggy Parr Hampton (2025)

A devout nun is moved to a new abbey, but strange practices by the other Sisters there make her begin to fear for all of their souls.

I love a good religious horror, especially Catholic, and this is top-of-the-line. I really like how we spend a lot of the book unsure if Sister Rafaela is a reliable narrator or not. Father Bruno and his story are very memorable and human. The gross factor is really cranked up here- a literal room full of rotting bodies, and buckets set below them to catch their juices. Nasty. I loved it.

This book was incredibly well put-together and written. It looks and reads like a big publishing house release. If you love a high gross factor, definitely check this one out.

Publisher: Self-Published

Suburban Legend: A Memoir by Diana Le (2021)

Diana Le relates the struggles of a traumatic childhood and her experience growing up as a child of a Vietnamese immigrant through self-reflective essays.

This is one of the books I picked up at Get Lit! Fest this year. The cover alone drew me in, and I was quite pleasantly surprised to find a lot to relate to in Diana Le’s story.

By the end of this book, I felt like I knew Diana personally, like she was my friend. I think that’s the perfect hallmark for determining the quality of a memoir. I ignored all my other books for the few days this one took me to read. I was addicted to Diana’s narrative of her childhood and teen years, and it was very refreshing and validating to learn that the way she saw herself and the world during those years was actually very similar to my own experience. We even both liked Green Day and Johnny Got His Gun. Diana, if you ever happen to see this, I think we’d be good friends.

Publisher: Girl Noise Press

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It takes a special kind of resilience and motivation to successfully self-publish a book. With my own experience self-publishing my short story collection, I know that a self-published author wears thirty different hats at once: writer, creative director, marketer, wholesaler, etc. It’s very exhausting and while I absolutely respect those who make the choice to stick with self-publishing, I personally don’t want to pursue it for the rest of my writing career. I’m just not built as tough as those brave souls.

These five reads range in popularity from 21 Goodreads ratings to a repeated presence in Bookstagram recommendation posts. And yet all of them were very enjoyable stories and made me fans of the authors.

I know it can be tricky checking out small-time stuff. There’s not only the stigma of “if it’s self-published that means that no publishers wanted it”, which is absolutely not the case for many of us, but it is unfortunately common to get hit with a dud when giving them a chance. Many self-pub writers don’t have the resources for hiring professional editors and proofreaders, and are more just concerned about putting the story out there. I do believe it is entirely possible to have a mostly error-free and clear, concise novel without employing expensive editors, but regardless, this phenomenon is much more prevalent with self-published novels. That’s why it’s such a delight to find something that a writer has poured their soul, time, and effort into in a way that makes for an effective and enjoyable story.

I will be doing more installments of enjoyable self-pub/indie press reads, so stick around if you want to get more recommendations!

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Monthly Writing Goals Update

3,881 / 20,000 Words

Whew, it’s been a rough start.

I’m having another issue where I’m either bored of or sick of everything I’ve got going right now. All of that word count has been me playing around with new projects. I wrote one short story for The Capital Horror’s submission call for Home Bodies that I feel pretty good about, and I got down the first two or so pages of two more short stories I had floating around in my head. We’ll see how those pan out.

Good news, though! Saige and I have officially finished drafting our secret project! We’ve got a while before that baby is anywhere near the public eye, but just know that it’s really cookin’. Time for revisions and beta reading!

Pending a lack of response from that query letter I sent, I may be spending next week sending Kaja off to some indie/small presses. Cross your fingers that she gets a home one way or the other!

Despite my slow start for May, I’m still optimistic about getting to 20,000 for the month. We’ve got a 5-day vacation in a cabin in Montana planned for the last week of the month, and I can’t imagine I’ll be able to run away from my projects very long while we’re there. Who knows, maybe I’ll come home with a completed novel draft! I’m looking at you, Stasis…

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