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End of July 2023: New Titles from Self-Publishers


Table of Contents

    Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 52 self-published titles below. Each appears with a list of retailers that are selling the book and a description provided by its author. Some of these writers are waiting to be discovered; others have track records and followings and are doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.

    Fiction

    East of Midnight (The Chalmers Trilogy #1)

    Karen Humeniuk. Karen Humeniuk. $17.99 paper (420p), ISBN 978-1-953839-62-6; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0BKLQPTPW

    Amazon, BN.com

    This is a faith-driven story of two families connected by past tragedy and hope for a better future.

    Great Big Smile

    Jeremy Dorfman. Jeremy Dorfman. $14.98 paper (426p), ISBN 979-89-85579-11-6; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BNFBCKKX

    Amazon, BN.com, Bookshop.org

    The photographers of SmilePosts, a motley group struggling with adulthood and unfulfilled dreams, invade schools in the cities and suburbs for the rite of passage known as picture day.

    Hieronymus

    Nic Ularu. Austin Macauley. $15.95 paper (236p), ISBN 978-1-68562-241-1; $4.50 e-book, ISBN 978-1-68562-242-8

    Amazon, BN.com

    This is a novel about the life and work of Hieronymus Bosch that preserves the historical context of the dark end of the Middle Ages in Northern Europe.

    Justice?

    J.D. Henington. XlibrisAU. $11.99 paper (182p), ISBN 978-1-66983-121-1; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66983-120-4

    Amazon

    This novel scrutinizes the shadowy lives, scandalous history, and suppressed secrets and emotions of two Italian post–World War II families coincidentally seeking asylum in Australia’s South Coast village of Cringilla.

    Late Winter

    Michael P. Charlton. Faded Ink Publishing. $12.49 paper (194p), ISBN 978-1-399-95057-2; $7.99 e-book, ASIN B0BXZL2JBM

    Michaelpcharlton.com, Amazon

    Explore how the degenerate land folk survive within a tracked and traced society.

    Never Has a Rain Storm Not Cleared

    Robert E. Barrera. Reading Glass Books. $9.99 paper (208p), ISBN 978-1-959151-44-9; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-959151-45-6

    Ingram

    A successful businessman is presented with severe challenges. Mysterious happenings begin. Occult forces are pushing through. Can he fight them? Can he win? But he has help.

    Promise to a Guardian Angel

    Ronald Freed and Karin A. Todd. Vantage Press. $23.75 paper (243p), ISBN 978-0-533-14390-0

    Amazon

    This novel features angels, with action, mystery, love, moderate violence, despair, contentment, and a surprise ending.

    Sins of the Father (Justice? #2)

    J.D. Henington. XlibrisAU. $14.99 paper (226p), ISBN 978-1-66983-123-5; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66983-128-0

    Amazon

    In this sequel, suppressed family secrets, deep relationships, and family ties of three Neapolitan families are revealed, setting the scene for revenge, justice, power, and immense wealth.

    Sortilege: The Gothic Hybrid

    Linda Gibson. Linda Gibson. $6.99 e-book, ASIN B09BLLS6XD

    Amazon

    The past and present intertwine in this debut novel of everyday wonders, gothic adventures, dark enchantments, and forbidden love.

    This Time Could Be Different

    Khristin Wierman. SparkPress. $17.95 paper (400p), ISBN 978-1-68463-216-9; $9.49 e-book, ASIN B0BQBMW5VY

    Amazon, BN.com

    Seeking purpose and change in her life, compulsive overachiever Madeline risks everything to leave her comfort zone and unlock a world more fulfilling than she could have imagined.

    Poetry

    Healing Grace: Inspirational Poetry for Coping & Closure

    Michelle G. Stradford. Sunurchin. $20.99 (213p), ISBN 978-1-957087-06-1; $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-957087-05-4

    Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Books-a-Million, Bookshop.org, Kobo

    This is a self-forgiving embrace providing the strength to reclaim the inner parts that have been erased. Readers may feel comforted by the poems, affirmations, and meditations.

    In Doubtful Taste: New and Selected Poems

    Don Behrend. Don Behrend. $9.19 paper (100p), ISBN 978-0-646-86784-7

    Amazon, BN.com

    An entertainment in light verse for the present day.

    Sivateja Mukkamala Poetry: Love, Life and Liberation

    Sivateja Mukkamala. XlibrisAU. $8.99 paper (100p), ISBN 978-1-66983-111-2; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66983-110-5

    Amazon

    This debut author shares his reflections about love, life, liberation, and conditioning of the human mind in poems and verses.

    Mystery/Thriller

    Betrayal in the Casbah

    Ted Kissel. Koehler Books. $32.95 (316p), ISBN 978-1-64663-567-2; $19.95 paper, ISBN 978-1-64663-565-8

    Amazon, BN.com

    It’s the early 2000s in the U.S. embassy in Algiers. U.S. military attaché Colonel Mitch Ross is approached by the CIA with a mission: rescue a downed American pilot held by terrorists.

    Deepfake (Terry Luvello, PI #2)

    Joe Rielinger. NineStar Press. $17.99 paper (369p), ISBN 978-1-64890-666-4; $6.49 e-book, ASIN B0C7JW3Y9N

    Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com

    A young girl with a father accused of murder. A detective awakened by a 3:00 a.m. knock. One murder, two damning videos. What if the devil’s greatest trick was somehow the next case?

    Digital Assassins: Surviving Cyberterrorism and a Digital Assassination Attempt

    Danielle Spencer. Ingram. $12.99 paper (208p), ISBN 979-88-88107-70-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 979-88-88107-72-0

    Amazon, BN.com

    A government whistleblower exposes retaliation efforts from the most powerful debt collection agency in the world. This book uses fictional characters to expose actual events.

    The Empty Kayak

    Jodé Millman. Level Best Books. $16.99 paper (366p), ISBN 978-1-68512-287-4; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B0C1PT8484

    Amazon, BN.com, Bookshop.org, Kobo

    Detective Ebony Jones and attorney Jessie Martin uncover secrets and deceptions when a close friend suspiciously drowns in the Hudson River. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder?

    Naked Came the Detective

    Glendall C. Jackson III. GCJ3 Enterprises. $8.99 paper (100p), ISBN 979-89-88391-60-9; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0C6YQGTZM

    Amazon, BN.com, Ingram

    This novella turns the tired trope of a murdered call girl on its head. A skilled sex worker investigates the murder of one of her clients and encounters a shocking discovery.

    SF/Fantasy/Horror

    Blood Fortune

    Brock Rivers. Bad Wolf Publishing. $14.99 paper (326p), ISBN 979-89-88341-01-7; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-88341-02-4

    Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Google Play

    This historical sci-fi thriller travels from the golden treasure of the Aztecs, to a shadow government facility underneath the New Mexico desert, to the frozen moon of Enceladus.

    Changing Tide

    Robert Joncas. Cougar Productions. $16.99 paper (260p), ISBN 979-89-87150-10-8; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-87150-11-5

    Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Ingram, Kobo

    This novel melds romance, action, horror, and a battle in the depths of the Grand Canyon to save humanity.

    Thomas Owais Campbell. Dorrance Publishing. $21 paper (272p), ISBN 979-88-88123-56-0; $16 e-book, ISBN 979-88-88128-56-5

    Amazon, BN.com

    Orphaned and alone, Eros Wolf is a gifted but socially awkward student. Determined to succeed, he must learn to control his dangerous potent abilities before they consume him.

    Kael: Dawn of a New North

    Tyson W. Simmons. Tyson W. Simmons. $13.99 paper (313p), ISBN 979-83-984801-2-2; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0C874YQJT

    Amazon

    Kael has a blissful life, but war brings an end to all things. Visions and dreams abound, and Kael will discover that his talents are not only a gift from the gods but also a curse.

    The Light Within Darkness

    David C. Jeffrey. Sylvanus Books. $12.99 paper (422p), ISBN 978-0-9986742-6-1; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-9986742-7-8

    Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo

    Year 2218. Aiden Macallan and the crew of Sun Wolf search uncharted star systems and exotic exoplanets to hunt down a sinister mastermind who is on a crusade to exterminate humanity.

    Nightstalkers: The Extinction Event

    Jasper T. Scott. Anthem Press. $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0C5K175RZ

    Amazon

    This is a post-apocalyptic invasion story.

    Romance/Erotica

    The Legacy Soars!

    Cheryl Devenney. Cheryl Devenney. $10.99 paper (251p), ISBN 979-82-18-06656-7; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0BNP4BHJ6

    Amazon, BN.com

    The sky’s the limit on the WWII home front.

    Let It Love

    Emma Aiseman. Emma Aiseman. $12.99 paper (276p), ISBN 979-82-18-21064-9; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0C57QW4CR

    Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million

    One easy-to-cheer-for heroine who doesn’t think she deserves her Happily Ever After, one annoying boyfriend, and one irresistible Prince Charming. Will she give love a chance?

    The Man in the Dark Suit

    Janet G. Sims. Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency. $15.95 paper (256p), ISBN 978-1-62857-782-2

    Amazon

    A young woman wakes up with amnesia. Her mind keeps trying to regain her memory, but are her dreams real or just her imagination?

    Stuck with Me

    Leslie McElroy. Leslie McElroy. $16.99 paper (315p), ISBN 979-837411018-0; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B0BSKN25NQ

    Amazon

    Hopeless romantic Lucy Gilbert still hasn’t found her own epic romance. After moving back home, she runs into the one person she truly ever loved: Jamie Gallagher.

    Comics

    Nick Pope

    Christopher Stanton, illus. by Christopher Darling. Christopher Stanton. $19.03 paper (142p), ISBN 979-83-931393-4-6

    Amazon

    Born with facial birthmarks, Nick faces constant teasing, as well as depression and confusion about his sexuality. This diary tracks three chaotic months of his life in 1987.

    Nonfiction

    The Aerospace Professor: The Man and the Brand

    Jeffery Battle. Battle Enterprises. $13.99 paper (152p), ISBN 979-88-497-2483-6; $13.99 e-book, ASIN B0BD55T4RR

    Amazon, BN.com, Google Play, Kobo, Scribd

    The aerospace professor’s autobiography is a compilation of dramatic and emotional journeys from the author’s early childhood through maturity.

    AlieNation: The Imitated Life

    Jayma Anne Montgomery. Write My Wrongs. $15.99 paper (202p), ISBN 978-1-956932-47-8; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0C34HFFT2

    Amazon, BN.com

    This is a memoir in a series of narrative vignettes. It details the author’s immigration story, assimilation process, blended family dynamics, and harrowing journey into womanhood.

    The Apapa Six: West Africa from a 60s Perspective

    John Berryman. BalboaPressUK. $35.08 paper (106p), ISBN 978-1-982283-15-5; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-982283-16-2

    Amazon

    The author juxtaposes the personal and intercommunal dynamics of the West African experience during the 1960s with an analysis of the challenges the new entities have faced.

    Comfortable Falsehoods and Uncomfortable Truths

    Jerry Kotsovos. Jerry Kotsovos. $25 (340p), ISBN 979-8-771340-27-7

    Amazon

    Comfortable falsehoods regarding tens of social issues (for example, obscenity, sports, war, politics, religion, sexuality) and uncomfortable truths contradicting them.

    Education and Science: The Brain’s Body; Help to Improve Brain, Body, and Sense Events

    Christopher K. Slaton. XlibrisUS. $17.99 paper (258p), ISBN 978-1-66981-541-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66981-543-3

    Amazon

    The purpose of this work is to learn about the brain from a human systems science perspective and develop processing skill through self-research.

    The Feeling: Suburban Secrets; Behind Closed Doors

    Carol-Rose Marshall. BookBaby. $17.99 paper (194p), ISBN 978-1-66783-963-9; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B0B1GGSBS6

    Amazon

    The true story of Rachel, who has a feeling about her husband. She tolerated his flaws until she could no longer ignore the feeling and discovered the truth.

    Foxbook: Medieval & Contemporary Fables from Armenia

    Trans. from the Armenian and edited by Sar Kamler. Dudukhouse. $38.46 (311p), ISBN 978-1-73883-524-9; $25.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-73883-523-2

    Amazon, BN.com

    This 335th anniversary tribute brings over 200 Armenian medieval fables to English readers for the first time.

    A Generation of Leaves: A Ukrainian Journey 1923–1948

    Ivan Kochan, edited by Christine Foster Kochan and Mark Collins Jenkins. Christine Foster. $14.99 paper (255p), ISBN 979-83-7808-816-4; $9.99 e-book, ASIN B0BYWDRSY6

    Amazon

    A coming-of-age story, a war story, and a love story that features how life was lived in an overlooked part of the world.

    It Was a Privilege to Care for Her

    Keith Klafehn. Stonehenge Literary and Media. $11.99 paper (318p), ISBN 978-1-08-809817-2; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-08-809828-8

    Amazon

    The author and those who knew his wife are made greater by her memory and gain solace in knowing that they will always bear the calm, irreplaceable stamp of her adventurous life.

    A Life’s Work: Learning to Overrule My Mindless Brain

    Shep McKenney. Transcendent Publishing. $17.99 paper (182p), ISBN 979-89-85770-48-3; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0BBS61N45

    Amazon

    Exploring the paths of religion, philosophy, and science through the lens of his life experiences, the author reveals lessons readers may find useful to find happiness.

    Loneliness Dissolved: Activating the Extraordinary Within

    Alec Alpert. Alec Alpert. $3.99 e-book, ASIN B0C2W2WL5C

    Amazon

    This book explores loneliness’s complex nature and provides practical advice to achieve emotional independence.

    The Lucky Seven

    Norman W. Holden. NWH Holdings. $29.99 (380p), ISBN 978-1-73622-035-1; $19.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-73622-034-4

    Amazon, Ingram

    This is a true story of one airman’s remarkable escape and evasion from German-occupied Europe and the brave resistance fighters who delivered him to freedom.

    Ride or Die: Loving Through Tragedy, A Husband’s Memoir

    Jarie Bolander. SparkPress. $17.95 paper (208p), ISBN 978-1-68463-210-7; $8.99 e-book, ASIN B0BQBPBDJ3

    Amazon

    In this heartfelt tribute to his wife, the author explores how her illness changed their relationship, his journey through loss and grief, and the stigma around male caretakers.

    A Steamy Affair with a Pressure Cooker

    Virginia Baltay. Long Cove Press. $17.99 paper (242p), ISBN 979-82-18-07747-1

    Amazon

    This light-hearted approach combines history, instruction, and coaching with simple recipes designed to make any cook fall in love with an InstantPot.

    A Texas Education: Learning (and Unlearning) in a Strangely Familiar Land

    Tom Segady. iUniverse. $13.99 paper (180p), ISBN 978-1-66323-546-6; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66323-545-9

    Amazon

    Learning—and unlearning—can come from anyone at any time. The stories in this book range from encounters that reveal the social world of academe, to a transforming encounter with a Black man who as a child worked as a chicken catcher at night to support his family and became wealthy enough to buy the movie theater that forced him to sit in the balcony when he was young.

    This Too Shall Pass

    David Yuen. Upward Bound Press. $15 paper (178p), ISBN 979-82-18-18621-0

    Amazon

    This is an exploration of life through a collection of poems, prose, memoir, and commentary written from a mostly Christian perspective.

    Tinderbox: One Family’s Story of Adoption, Neurodiversity, and Fierce Love

    Lynn Alsup. She Writes Press. $17.95 paper (296p), ISBN 978-1-64742-541-8; $8.99 e-book, ASIN B0BQBNHVW9

    Amazon

    After a harrowing but joyous journey through adoption, Lynn Alsup’s life with her adoptive daughter, Clare, transformed when they discovered FASD and the FASCETS Neurobehavioral Model.

    Unhunched: Discover Wellness Through Posture

    Aesha Tahir, illus. by Shawn Lin. Manuscripts. $16.99 paper (240p), ASIN B0C7GN2FWF; 99¢ e-book, ASIN B0C5HBVG8C

    aeshatahir.com, Amazon

    Readers may find many practical posture tips to live a long and healthy life while working with technology. The BRACE posture framework may empower readers beyond a pain-free life.

    Children’s/YA

    Follow the Shadows (The Tales of Moerden #1)

    Rosemary Drisdelle. SparkPress. $17.95 paper (320p), ISBN 978-1-68463-218-3; $9.95 e-book, ASIN B0BQBN8LD9

    Amazon, BN.com

    Thrown into an alternate world, Marise Leeson is desperate to get home, but when she discovers she is the key to saving the dragons of Moerden, she embarks on a life-altering journey.

    I Miss My Friend and That’s Okay

    Shermaine Perry-Knights, illus. by Olga Shelkunova. Innovation Consultants of Dekalb. $20.99 (36p), ISBN 978-1-953518-47-7; $13.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-953518-46-0

    BN.com, Books-a-Million

    Two best friends who live far apart share their lives through letters. Readers will discover the magic of true friendship that comforts and strengthens during life’s obstacles.

    Masterpiece: An Inclusive Kids Book Celebrating a Child on the Autism Spectrum

    Alexandra Hoffman, illus. by Beatriz Mello. Wishing Star Publishing. $19.99 (32p), ISBN 978-1-77807-105-8; $12.99 paper, ISBN 978-1-77807-104-1

    Amazon

    An inclusive story featuring an autistic child who sees the world differently. When Samuel creates art, his beautiful way of looking at the world shows that he is a true masterpiece.

    The Source of Death

    Jay Michael Night. Synedrium Publishing. $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0BDCH74PJ

    Amazon, BN.com, Ingram

    This young adult coming-of-age fantasy is about Mikey Black, a teen who makes everyone around him deathly sick.

    Willie the Worrying Dog

    David Yuen, illus. by Micah Zhang. Upward Bound Press. $20 (36p), ISBN 979-82-18-17619-8

    Amazon

    Willie can’t help but worry. And now his owner wants to take him to a new park where everything’s different. Oh no—Willie feels doomed. Will Willie’s worry get the better of him?


    A version of this article appeared in the 07/24/2023 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: PW Select listings

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