The seeds of dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world. ~ Dolly Parton
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Welcome to Fall, Y’all!
Fall is an art lover’s paradise. A kaleidoscope of colors blanket the landscape. We breathe easier as cooler weather brings welcome relief from the El Niño summer. And pumpkin spice enters the scene to excite our senses!
Life is like the seasons.
When we are young, it is spring. We long to discover everything that makes us feel alive. Hello, world!
Then summer, when adventure takes over our lives. Experience expands as we are one with the sun. Bright. Brilliant. Invincible!
Fall is a season of change. Leaves turn before our eyes, blending with the earth to make compost; that we defiantly step on as we journey to understand our purpose and place in life. Determined.
Then winter. Brain-numbing cold. Our breath hangs in the air like forgotten dreams. Aches settle into our bones. And yet, there is beauty to behold as distractions fall away and we begin to see what truly matters. Reflection. Clarity. Ascension.
And when winter seems as though it may never end, something stirs beneath the surface. Longing.
Eventually, the people we loved, chances we took, things we created, and lives we touched become stories. And those stories become the seeds we plant for future generations to discover. Legacy.
Dolly Parton’s Legacy
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a country music singer. Not just any singer, but a storyteller singer like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. I memorized most of their songs and sang them into a box fan—a.k.a. our old school auto tune!
My favorite Dolly Parton songs were Coat of Many Colors and Me and Little Andy. I loved the stories. The heartbreak of Me and Little Andy would sometimes make me cry.
With Dolly Parton’s recent passing, I’ve reflected on how she influenced me more than I realized. I admired not only her gift as a musician and business brain as an entrepreneur, but her optimistic outlook, her ability to avoid gossip and controversial subjects, and most of all her philanthropy—especially in the literary world with Imagination Library!
Dolly walked her talk, and her talk was uplifting, empowering, forward motion. That’s the type of life I aspire to lead.
May Dolly rest in peace and her legacy live on!
Guerrilla Book Marketing Tips
Guerrilla Marketing is a free or low-cost way to promote your product or service. While unconventional and creative methods are used, it is not “shock” marketing that is commonly associated with the term. ~ Kathy Gerstorff, Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach
I recently attended the Anderson Gaslight Festival with fellow authors Jessica Miller and Sheri Ann Richerson. Both of them used some great Guerrilla Marketing strategies.
Sheri Ann Richerson brought her husband with her who isn’t shy, like a lot of us introverted authors. He stood in front of our booth holding Sheri Ann’s book, The Chocolate Lovers Garden, which made several people curious enough to stop and engage in conversation.
Jessica Miller took a stack of her bookmarks and stood in front of the booth giving them to people passing by. Nearly everyone she asked if they wanted a bookmark said yes. People love free things. Jessica said she gave away nearly 300 bookmarks. That’s a lot of people who were introduced to Jessica and her books!
September-December 2026 Calendar of Events
Poetry & Prose Open Mic, Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 6-8 PM, at Los Amores Cantina, 428 S Washington St, Marion, Indiana. Perfect opportunity to share your poetry, book excerpts, and related events with a captive audience!
Indie Author Insights (IAI) Live Update on Substack, Monday, September 7, 2026, 12-1 PM. Paid subscribers will receive the video recording.
Bookworm Orchard Book Club Meeting, Friday, September 18, 2026, 6-8 PM, at Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite #101, Marion, Indiana. The Book Club selected crime novel Damage Done by Jessica Miller who will be at the meeting for the discussion and give us behind the book insights!
Gathering of Writers, Saturday, September 19, 2026, Indiana State Library, 315 W Ohio St, Indianapolis, Indiana. This is my second favorite writers event. I love learning the writing craft from a variety of creative artists and supporting the Indiana Writers Center. If you are in the area, this event is well worth the investment. For many years, this was a free event. I never understood why they didn’t charge. There’s something about paying that adds credibility and value. I’m not sure about the psychology behind it, but I’ve been around long enough to know it’s true!
Indie Author Group Meeting, Saturday, October 3, 2026, 10-11 AM, in the Event Room located across the hall from Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite 121, Marion, Indiana.
Indie Author Workshops! Saturday, October 3rd, 2026, Self-Editing with Joye Konig (11-12 PM), Final Draft with Eric Bumpus (12:30-1:30 PM), and Publishing with Teresa Keefer (2-3 PM). Workshops will be in the Event Room located across the hall from Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite 121, Marion, Indiana.
Poetry & Prose Open Mic, Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 6-8 PM, at Los Amores Cantina, 428 S Washington St, Marion, Indiana. Come enjoy good food and fun with other poets, musicians, and book lovers!
Meet The Author & Book Signing with Jacqueline Fieck, Saturday, October 10, 2026, 2-4 PM at Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite 101, Marion, Indiana.
Mysteries of the Mississinewa anthology launches at the 8th Annual ParaUnity Event, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 10 AM - 5 PM. There are several contributors to the anthology including, Teresa Keefer, Bob Freeman (OccultDetective), Sheri Ann Richerson, Amanda Kindley, Johnson Brewer, Amethyst Lane, Jessica Miller, Derek Stepler, Jeremy York, Ryan Mendenhall, Russell Ridgeway, Chris McWhirt, and me!
Books & Brews, Marion Public Library Local Author Fair, Saturday, October 24, 2026, 1-3:30 PM, 600 S Washington St, Marion, Indiana.
Bookworm Orchard Halloween Party, Paranormal Investigator’s Panel, & Book Signing, Saturday, October 31, 2026, 1-8 PM at Los Amores Cantina and the Event Room across the hall from Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite 121, Marion, Indiana. The Paranormal Investigator’s Panel is a ticketed event from 1-3 PM, which also includes early access to the authors, and a treat bag! From 3-8 PM is a free event open to the public.
Poetry & Prose Open Mic, Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 6-8 PM, at Los Amores Cantina, 428 S Washington St, Marion, Indiana. Perfect opportunity to network with poets, authors, and other creative artists in a relaxed environment!
Holiday Missions Bazaar, Saturday, November 7, 2026, 10 AM - 3 PM, Chapel Pike Wesleyan Church, 2171 W. Chapel Pike, Marion, Indiana. Bookworm Orchard will have a room at this event filled with books and gifts!
Midnight Black Friday Sale at Bookworm Orchard, Friday, November 27, 2026. We will be making gift boxes with the books in our store! Bookworm Orchard is located in the lower level of the Boston Hill Center, 428 S Washington St, Suite 101, Marion, Indiana.
Small Business Saturday, November 28, 2026, 10 AM - 6 PM, Bookworm Orchard, 428 S Washington St, Suite 101, Marion, Indiana. Special gift for shoppers who support our independent bookstore on Small Business Saturday. Plus, enter a drawing to win a book box filled with goodies!
Poetry & Prose Open Mic, Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 6-8 PM, at Los Amores Cantina, 428 S Washington St, Marion, Indiana. This will be the last opportunity to participate in this event until April 2027. Come join us and let your literary light shine!
Author Feature - Roie Oknin
Roie Oknin is a writer, artist and medical student. He studied neuroscience and psychology, and currently works in ophthalmology research. Roie just published his first book, Ramen, Existential Crises and is working on his second novel.
Ramen, Existential Crises follows Koji, 27, who has spent six years working in a tiny ramen shop where the noodles cook for exactly 85 seconds, the menu never changes, and routine keeps everything safely in place. Then the timer fails, a stranger leaves him a business card, and someone from his past reappears.
Read on to learn more about Roie Oknin…
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I actually try not to decide that for readers. I love that two people can read the same book and come away with completely different ideas about what mattered. Once the book is out in the world, I think some of its meaning belongs to the reader.
What was the most challenging aspect of getting your book published?
Knowing when to stop changing it. There is always another sentence you could adjust or another tiny thing you could reconsider. At some point, you have to accept that this is the version and let it go.
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
It started with the ramen shop. I liked the idea of a very small world governed by precise rules and repetition, and then I wondered what kind of person would feel comfortable living inside that routine, and what would happen when those rules began to break.
What is your favorite genre?
Literary fiction, especially slice-of-life and slightly absurd fiction. I love books where ordinary lives and seemingly small moments can carry enormous emotional or philosophical weight.
What is your writing routine?
I don’t really have one. I write whenever I can around medical school and research, even if I only have half an hour. I’ve learned not to wait for the perfect mood or the perfect amount of free time.
How do you handle writer’s block?
I usually move somewhere else in the story. I might write a later scene, some dialogue, or start deleting. Sometimes being stuck is also a useful sign that I may have taken the story in the wrong direction.
If you could do a book signing anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Japan. I visit regularly, study Japanese, and because Ramen, Existential Crises is set there, it would be especially meaningful. A signing in a small bookshop in Jimbocho would be quite surreal.
Where is the most exciting or unusual place you have promoted your book?
Probably Japan. I’ve been able to speak directly with readers there about the book, and having something I wrote elsewhere reach someone thousands of kilometres away has been one of the nicest parts of publishing it.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Finish things. Starting is exciting, but finishing a manuscript teaches you something completely different. And don’t edit all the strange or very specific parts out of your writing. They may be exactly what makes it yours.
What do you love about being an author?
When a reader notices something I thought nobody would notice. Writing is so private for such a long time, and then suddenly another person knows these characters and tiny details that previously existed only in your head. I still find that quite amazing.
What do you dislike about being an author?
It can be very difficult to stop thinking about the book. There is always one more sentence you could change or another idea you could reconsider. Letting go is probably the hardest part for me.
What has helped you sell the most books?
It’s still very early for my debut, so I’m definitely still learning. So far, genuine word of mouth seems to matter most. A reader recommending the book to another reader means far more than anything I can say about it myself.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
That writing and publishing are very different things. Writing is private and completely under your control. Publishing means letting go, showing the work to strangers, and allowing other people to decide what the book means to them.
Where can we find you?
Website: roieoknin.com
Instagram: instagram.com/roie_oknin
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/71654564.Roie_Oknin
Amazon: amazon.co.uk/Ramen-Existential-Crises-Roie-Oknin/dp/B0HDFG28SF
Thank you to anyone willing to take a chance on a debut novel from an independent writer. Seeing Ramen, Existential Crises gradually find readers in different places has been one of the best parts of publishing it.
Would you like to be a featured author? If so, write something up or answer the author interview questions at writerkat.com, and I will take it from there!
Bookworm Orchard September Featured Author: J.J. Devine
Check out these books by Bookworm Orchard September Featured Author, J.J. Devine!
J.J. Devine is an adventurer who writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance:
J.J. has selected St. Jude as her charity pick of the month which means proceeds from the Bookworm Orchard used books and the free-will donation table will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You can also donate directly to support this not-for-profit, section 501(c)(3), charity organization that helps children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
If you are an independent author interested in adding your books to Bookworm Orchard bookstore, email bookwormorchard2026@gmail.com and we will send you an author/vendor information packet.
Scribe Bytes
It’s been a while since I’ve done an AI update, and wow has the landscape changed from last year to this year! AI seems to have gone fully mainstream this year and the controversy along with it.
Entrepreneur, author, social media expert, and marketing trendspotter, Gary Vaynerchuk (a.k.a. Gary Vee) described it best as a barbell, with pro-AI at one end, anti-AI at the other end, and a fading middle.
“We’re moving toward a barbell strategy in marketing: extremely digital on one side and extremely analog on the other.” ~ Gary Vee
I witnessed this barbell analogy in action at our last indie author group meeting. I am a technophile. I love technology and see it as a tool. I started playing with AI the moment I heard about it.
In 2023, I created the Bookends podcast using emerging Wondercraft AI technology that converted text to audio.
I almost cried when I broke through writers block on a writing project I’ve been working on for two decades just from putting a prompt in ChatGPT and seeing my story from a different angle.
I’ve saved thousands of dollars and countless hours using AI.
AI has even saved my life! I input my symptoms and AI told me what tests I needed to confirm what it suspected was congestive heart failure. I requested the tests from my NP. Upon seeing the results, she immediately called wanting me to go to the hospital and referred me to a cardiologist. On my first visit, the doctor asked me how I knew what tests to request. “AI” was my answer. I had gone years with untreated heart disease, thinking it was all sorts of other health issues.
I know the arguments on the analog side. I remember hearing the same thing when the internet came on the scene and again when social media exploded. There are legitimate concerns, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
So, what do we do? Do we divide like with politics and religion? Unfortunately, it looks like it’s headed that direction; at least until the AI dust settles.
In the meantime, readers will choose the books they want to read based on their convictions. I aim to be like Dolly Parton—kind and graceful, while doing my best to help others and lifting that barbell.
Welcome New Subscribers!
Bimal Devkota, Booklord, Christijan, Jenna Gallarzo, Lorna Hollifield, Orion Davis, Quiet Millionaire Studio, Sabine Spencer, Sandra de Sousa, and Vincent S. Gehring.
Welcome! We are looking forward to getting to know you and learning more about your writing journey.
Thank You!
Thank you for reading and sharing! Let us know what you’re up to with your books, events, etc. and what you want to see in future editions by commenting, direct messaging, or emailing kathy@indieauthorsassociation.com.
Thanks also to the Substack Publications recommending Indie Author Insights! Here are the top three:
Thank you for supporting independent authors. Write on!
Kathy Gerstorff
WriterKat
Indie Authors Association
Bookworm Orchard
Special thanks to Indie Author Insights patrons and Indie Author Association members for supporting this newsletter and indie authors. We appreciate you! Ashley Gary Johnson of Vita Continuat, Bess Sturgis Chris McWhirt, Christopher Stolle, Fleur Hull, Jan Wisher Reinhart, Jill Ebstein, J.J. Devine, Karen Smiley, Leland P. Gamson, Lloyd Mullins, Morgana Shea, Mike Nelson (Michael Deeze), Nancy Nau Sullivan, Paul Cobbin, Sarah Styf, Shae Smith, Teresa Keefer, Tina Susedik, and Wendy Mayhew.
Go indies! 💚