#WriterThreads
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Falling for Your Book All Over Again: All Treats, No Tricks
Halloween is here, which means it’s time for costumes, candy, and pretending we aren’t going to eat the Reese’s Cups before the trick-or-treaters arrive. I’m particularly good at that last one, although my credibility tends to disappear somewhere around the third peanut butter cup. This year, we’ve decided to hand out something a little different…
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Surprisingly Useful Things I Learned from Incredibly Dodgy Spam (So You Don’t Have To)No. 2
Is Amazon Hiding Your Book? No. But Can Readers Find It? I’m opening the bombs so you don’t have to. Surprisingly Useful Things I Learned (we can learn) from Incredibly Dodgy Spam. The Incredibly Dodgy Email Apparently, Amazon has a secret department devoted to finding problems with my books, and its employees are terribly concerned…
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It’s Lit Mag Week!
This week, we’re celebrating #LitMagWeek and the independent literary magazines that make room for new voices, strange ideas, experiments, risks, and work that might not fit neatly anywhere else. Current Words Publishing is proud to sponsor Instant Noodles Literary Magazine, curated by the Old Scratch Press Collective. And because we believe that literary magazines should create…
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Current Words Publishing and Old Scratch Press Congratulate 2026 Best of the Net Nominees
by Robert Fleming Best of the Net 2026 Nominees Visual Art selections by Robert Fleming and Alan Bern Andy Gordon, Car Side View Mirrors Joseph Barbella, Horse Power Robert Fleming, Frozen Sanctuary Creative Non-Fiction selections by Nadja Maril Tamara-Lee Brereton-Karabetsos, From Cage to Street Patty Perreault Bennett, Our Christmas Surprise Fiction / Flash Fiction selections by…
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Surprisingly Useful Things I Learned from Incredibly Dodgy Spam (So You Don’t Have To)
#1: Readers Aren’t Searching Your Book Title. Why I’m Opening the Bombs…. I get a lot of spam. Some of it is ordinary spam. Some of it is publishing spam, which is its own peculiar species. These emails tend to begin with flattering observations about a book, an author, or my company and end, eventually,…
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ARC Readers: We Have Something Special for You!
Dr. Bertina M. Hooks has lived more than one life. She’s a physician, healthcare executive, entrepreneur, mother, and disability advocate. In 2022, a life-threatening medical crisis put her on the other side of the physician-patient relationship and resulted in the loss of her right leg below the knee. Now she’s telling the story in From Fire…
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Have a Writing Question? Bring It to the Chat.
One of the reasons we created the Current Words Publishing Subscriber Chat is simple: writers have questions, and those questions don’t always need to wait for the next blog post. Maybe you’re wondering whether you should self-publish or pursue traditional publishing. Perhaps you’re trying to figure out Amazon keywords, book reviews, editing, cover design, ISBNs,…
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What’s New On Substack?
The final installment of our Can I Do That? copyright series is now available. In Part Four, we look at a question every author should understand: How do you protect your own copyright? We’ll cover when copyright begins, why registration matters, when it makes sense to register, and why understanding your rights is an important part of…
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A New Series for Poets at Old Scratch Press
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Celebrating the Release of The Valley of the Blue Moon
Today is one of the reasons we love what we do. At Current Words Publishing, every publication day is a celebration—not just of a finished book, but of the months (and often years) of dedication that brought it to life. Today we’re delighted to celebrate the release of C.K. Bougae’s debut novel, The Valley of the Blue Moon.…
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Creatures of Habit Receives a California Book Watch Recommendation
One of the greatest pleasures of independent publishing is watching a book continue to find new readers long after launch. We’re delighted to share that Creatures of Habit by Alexander Brito has been featured in the July 2026 issue of California Book Watch, where it received a thoughtful and generous recommendation from the reviewers at the Midwest Book Review. Rather…
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Your Work Has Value Before It’s Published
Protect Your Own Copyright, Too Most writers spend a lot of time worrying about accidentally infringing someone else’s copyright. Far fewer spend time understanding their own. The final installment of our “Can I Do That?” series turns the conversation around. We’ll look at when copyright begins, why your first draft already matters, what registration does (and doesn’t)…
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Please Stop Quoting….
Every writer has experienced it. You’re working on a scene when the perfect song lyric pops into your head. It says exactly what your character is feeling, and suddenly you’re wondering whether you can borrow just a line or two. Unfortunately, copyright law isn’t quite that simple. In Part Three of our “Can I Do That?”…
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Today is the Last Chance to Join the Avengers of the Sun Advance Reader Team!
There’s still time to request a complimentary Advance Reader Copy of Avengers of the Sun, Ken Davis’ historical novel of espionage, betrayal, and romance during the Roman civil war between Constantine and Maxentius. If you enjoy historical fiction, military history, political intrigue, and unforgettable characters, we’d love to have you join the advance reader team. Advance…
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✨ Author Spotlight: C.K. Bougae ✨
We’re excited to introduce C.K. Bougae and celebrate the launch of her new author website! C.K. is the author of The Valley of the Blue Moon, a fantasy novel filled with mystery, magic, and unforgettable choices. As she prepares for publication, we invite you to get to know her, learn more about her upcoming novel, and…
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There Is Something Different About Reading in the Summer.
Why do we love a good beach read? Perhaps it’s the slower pace of a vacation, a quiet afternoon on the porch, or the sound of waves in the background. Whatever the setting, summer often gives us permission to read for pure enjoyment. We aren’t studying for a class or researching a project. We’re simply…
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The Indie Author Companion, Episode 3: Fair Use Isn’t a Magic Phrase
James: Copyright law: the one area where writers confidently say “I looked it up” and then get it completely wrong. DianneP is here to help with that. Claire: This episode follows a single thread — what writers actually get wrong about fair use, and why the answers are almost never as simple as the questions.…
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A Fantasy With Heart, a World Built on Loss, Hope, and Discovery
One of the pleasures of fantasy is discovering worlds that feel both extraordinary and emotionally familiar. The best fantasy novels don’t simply transport us somewhere new. They remind us that courage, loss, hope, and love exist no matter the world in which a story unfolds. That balance is one of the strengths of Shattered Energy: A…
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What If the Detectives Hunting Supernatural Villains Weren’t Entirely… Human?
Some mysteries require more than a sharp eye and a magnifying glass. In Terror by Night: The Supernatural Affairs of Madison Cavendish and Sue SunMountain, James Goodridge introduces readers to an unforgettable investigative duo: Madison Cavendish, a vampire detective, and Sue SunMountain, his Lycan partner and romantic interest. Together, they tackle strange cases that exist where…
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Why Advance Reader Copies Matter (and How You Can Help an Indie Author)
Every book begins with a single reader. Long before a novel appears on bookstore shelves or starts climbing online bestseller lists, it often finds its first audience through Advance Reader Copies, commonly known as ARCs. An ARC is simply a complimentary pre-publication copy of a book shared with readers before or shortly after release. In…