Tag: authors

Are People Still Surprised that Self-Published Books Have Value?

*This post has spoilers.*

The Polygamist, Netflix’s new series about a South African man with three wives and a side chick, is snatching everybody’s edges. Social media can’t stop talking about the drama.

The story follows wealthy businessman Jonasi Gomora and the drama between his wives and his mistress.

Jonasi is a hot mess. As one reviewer put it: “He’s misogynistic, and abusive and every terrible stereotype of badly behaved men you can think of.”

And the women are just as foolish as they are glamorous.

Joyce is the first wife. Together, they have three children.

Essie is the second wife Jonasi kept hidden from Joyce and everybody else. They also have a daughter together. While he has known Essie the longest (since they were kids), he visits them in secret, and the daughter cannot openly be loved by her father.

To keep Essie hidden, Jonasi’s brother pretends to be her husband the entire time. He basically puts his life on hold to keep up the facade.

Matipa is the side chick, turned third wife, who thought she was the second wife (cause remember, nobody knows Jonasi is married to Essie). Together, they have twin girls.

Also, it was Joyce who recommended Matipa’s upgrade to the status of a wife, hoping it would stop Jonasi from cheating.

Jonasi is not done. He eventually starts dating and having sex with his daughter’s friend, Lindani. It’s the same girl his son has a crush on.

And this is just a basic overview of the story that’s got everybody’s attention.

It’s like an African, more toxic version of Waiting to Exhale.

Author Sue Nyathi (left) wrote The Polygamist, which was adapted into a Netflix supernovela. Jonasi Gomora (right) is the lead character. © Collage/TAR

What people aren’t talking much about is that the book from which The Polygamist was adapted was first self-published.

Sukoluhle “Sue” Nyathi was born in Bulawayo, a city in southwest Zimbabwe, and self-published her debut novel in 2012 after being rejected by mainstream publishers.

While it took many years to reach your screen, the idea to turn it into a film came as early as 2013, just one year after the book was in print.

It was republished by Pan Macmillan South Africa in 2020, produced by Stained Glass Productions, and acquired by Netflix.

It became one of Netflix’s most-watched non-English series within weeks of its June release, trending across Africa, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. The story has also started online debates about poly relationships, multiple wives in the Bible, and whether or not Jonasi Gomora was a victim or villain. The author says:

“I just wanted to write a story that would get people talking about the uncomfortable things that, as a society, we tend to shove under the rug,” she said. “People are saying their fathers are like Jonasi, or they could see their moms in some of the women in the story. It just goes to show that, as a society, there is a lot of brokenness and we need healing.”

-Nyathi

Are People Still Surprised Self-Published Books Have Value?

Whenever a self-published book has a breakout moment, people act like it’s an animal they’ve never seen before, and major publishers rush in to claim the title as their own.

That a self-published book (messy as the storyline is) can do so well that it becomes a TV show is not surprising to those of us who already read, write, and enjoy independently published books.

I hope that self-published and Independent authors are encouraged to know that their work is valuable, with or without the validation of larger, mainstream publishers and platforms.

I am interested in reading the book to understand what the original storyline was like and how much, or how little, the adaptation drew from it.

The author notes that the changes didn’t take away from the original storyline.

We shall see…

1 Million Black Readers

I’ve always loved to read, and it was magnified in High School, when my auntie would make us check out no less than two books from the local library every two weeks, or however long we had before we had to return them.

And she wasn’t done there.

She also brought ALDI bags to fill with books, checking out tens of books at a time.

We were the only kids who looked like we had just gone grocery shopping as we came out of the library.

This is why I will always be an advocate for reading. In the words of Malcolm X:

“My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”

Which is why I teamed up for an amazing challenge.


The 1 Million Reading Black Books Summer Reading Club aims to encourage a million people to read at least one book written by a Black author this summer!

Joining is easy.

Pledge to read and finish reading a book by a Black author by the end of the summer.

Repost the graphic and tag a friend.

Follow the host @melanatedreader on Instagram for the next steps.

If you are not on Instagram, I still encourage you to participate just by reading at least one book by a Black author this summer.

Let’s read something other than captions and comments!


What I’m currently reading: 
Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire by Carol Jenkins and Elizabeth Gardner Hines.

Born Worthy

You do not always have to be doing something. You were born worthy.

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, I turned 39.

And unlike previous years, I didn’t post much about it.

Aside from my stories, I didn’t post the usual cute pic.

It wasn’t because I was sad or ungrateful. I just didn’t feel like it this year.

Where I am usually super excited and bubbly, my mood on my birthday this year was that of Proverbs 27:2, “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth–a stranger and not your own lips.”

This year, I didn’t feel like broadcasting the day of my birth. As much as I want people to remember me, I also want to let go of the need to control it.

If I were to be remembered, I want it to be a natural, organic occurrence, not a social media notification.

Strangely, I’ve had people say, “I didn’t get a notification.”

I thought it was weird their need to tell me they didn’t know because Facebook didn’t remind them. Just say you forgot, lol.

This further solidified for me why I was not motivated to post about it.

I like surprises and random acts of kindness I didn’t see coming. I don’t want to have to keep repeating the basics.

It reminded me of the quote floating around somewhere that says, “let people do what they want to do, so you can see what they’d rather do,” or some variation.

I prolly butchered that, but the overall point is to let people be themselves and allow their actions, not just their words, to reveal their true character.

I chose to let go of the need to control people’s remembering me, without holding it against those who did not.

In whatever circumstance, I have learned to be content.

These are the thoughts I am still mulling over, praying over, and meditating on in this final year of my 30s.

My key takeaway during these musings was to remember that whether I hosted a grand gesture or sat home in my pajamas eating my favorite snacks (and did), I am worthy regardless.

And so are you.

We do not have to be doing something to earn the title. We have inherit value and inherit dignity.

The 30s have been especially challenging, but I look forward to seeing what this year has to offer as I prepare for my ascension into the next phase of my life.

I cannot believe I will be 40 next year.

Do it hurt, ya’ll?

Writers Who Shrink

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-red-pencil-writing-on-notebook-6860850/

There comes a time when fear doesn’t just paralyze, but acts as its own form of superiority. How dare we grace the world with our brilliance? Someone might come and take what is ours. How dare we venture to use our words to save a soul? Isn’t healing ourselves enough? Why, then, must we risk pouring poetry onto the concrete for the world to see? Wouldn’t someone come and take it? Won’t it get soaked into the soil? Won’t the birds eat it? What will happen to our brilliance once it’s exposed? Will it wither up and die like Langston’s dream deferred? We are much too wise to let these words go out into the world.

This is not enlightenment. We shrink to keep from shining, so we avoid the light. We avoid the truth: Fear is not growth, and hiding behind the superiority of the pen is not salvation.

In Joseph’s Shadow Part Two

People knew his father and what he had contributed to the movement. They still spoke Joseph’s name with a kind of reverence, as though saying it might conjure the courage of another time. His photograph—creased at the corners, and yellowed with time, hung in barbershops and church foyers, beside posters for fish fries and gospel concerts.

Every February, Joseph’s face reappeared on classroom walls, a reminder of marches and megaphones, of a generation that refused to bow. For the community, Joseph was history come to life.

For Michael, he was just Dad.

Michael and his friends walked past the bulletin board in the school hallway. There it was again: his father’s face, eyes sharp, mouth set like a promise. Michael paused, thinking about his first days at Lindbloom.

“Ey, Mike! Mike!” a classmate had called. “Yo man, so how is it being famous? What was it like?”

Today, he would tell the person to go to hell, but back then, he just shook his head, a small, polite refusal that spoke louder than words.

Michael kept walking, shoulders tight, mind elsewhere, like the chess match he had lost last night. If he had not been hungover, his opponent would not have stood a chance. He didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of liquor, but it got his mind off thinking about walking in a legend’s shadow.

Tanya carried the legacy easily, quoting speeches and smiling at cameras as if born for the stage. But Michael kept to the edges. He wanted to be noticed for his own quiet triumphs—for the way his mind worked over a chessboard, or how the basketball arced perfectly from his fingertips.

Instead, people only ever asked about “The Movement,” their eyes expectant, as if he held some sacred story he refused to tell.

His father’s name was everywhere, in every conversation, every display, every “remember when” retold by people who seemed to think history lived only in him. Not in Michael. Not in the quiet hours he spent imagining, planning, thinking. They acted like he was Martin Luther King’s son.

So what, his father took part in the Freedom Rides? What did that have to do with him? Michael didn’t care about no Barack Obama either. He wasn’t his Savior. He was just another politician. He swallowed hard, tasting the bitterness of being overlooked for the wrong reasons.

History had chosen him without asking, which is why he couldn’t admit to his friends or himself that he had a crush on a white girl.

In Joseph’s Shadow: Part One

Tanya McNair, dressed in her favorite navy-blue blouse, which bore a faint trace of glitter from the campaign rally a month ago, moved from group to group of the crowded apartment. Her living room was alive with chatter, laughter, and the occasional burst of applause from friends and neighbors whenever a commentator announced another state leaning toward Obama. Tanya looked fondly at the old TV set sitting on the floor beneath the big, flat-screen they were all watching.

The floor model television belonged to her grandmother, Sidney McNair—Mama Sidney to everyone who knew her. Uncle Eddy had bought it after great-grandma Judith passed, back when he and his sisters decided to remain in Chicago a while longer. That was also around the time her father, Joseph, disappeared into what he later called a revolution of self-discovery, also known as abandoning the family until he found himself.

The television had been there through it all.

It was the same set where great-grandma Judith—daughter of the great Solomon, son of the first Stella—watched the Black Panthers march down the street in their berets and rifles, demanding the freedom of Huey Newton.

The same screen that flickered quietly in the corner the day Aunt Karen’s boyfriend, Noah, stormed into their lives. Years later, she would name their first and only son after him.

For Tanya, it wasn’t just a piece of furniture but a sacred repository for memories, a portal to her family’s history.

Tanya frowned at the stacks of books on top of it, wondering if she was disrespecting her grandmother by using her TV as a table.

A cheer erupted from the room as the phone rang. Tanya’s heart raced as she ran to answer it without taking her eyes off the flatscreen. So far, Obama was winning.

“Sisss,” sang her little brother.

Tanya raised her eyebrows, “Are you drunk already, Mike?”

“Nah. I’m good. What’s the word?”

Tanya sighed, “Michael, you are not good. I can smell the Hennessy through the phone.”

Mike burst into laughter, and Tanya pulled the phone from her ear. That boy was gonna make her go deaf. “Where are you anyway?”

“I’m handling some business. Why, what’s good?”

“The business you were supposed to be handling is here. What happened to you helping me with the party?”

“The election party? You know I don’t get into alla that,” he said, slurring his words.

“Well, you need to get into it. History is being made. Have you talked with Dad?”

“History? Yea okay. Nah. I ain’t spoke to him today.”

“He was supposed to be coming over.”

“Coming over where?”

“Over here, to the apartment.”

“Not today, he ain’t. He told me he was working on the Malibu.”

“That beat-up old thing?” Tanya sighed. “And I thought you ain’t talk to him?”

“Look, pops don’t wanna hurt yo feelings, but you know the old man don’t vote.”

It didn’t make sense to her. Joseph McNair was born in 1945 and grew up in the ’60s at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. He had heard Dr. King speak, fought segregation with his friends through protest, and was even beaten for trying to integrate at a bus station during the Freedom Rides.

Finding out he really was a mixed Black man and not the white boy he grew up believing himself to be is a history lesson all its own.

And now, as the country waited with bated breath to see if the United States really would elect its first Black President, her father, the revolutionary of the family, didn’t participate in politics?

Joseph McNair was politics!

“Yo T, you there?”

Michael’s voice startled Tanya back to the present, her heart beating a million miles per minute as her guests sat on their hands, quietly waiting on the biggest announcement of their time, the walls echoing with hope.

“Okay, well. I’ll call you back.”

Yep. It’s another Stella book in the works!

Avoiding Bad Publishing Advice

Self-publishing can be overwhelming for various reasons, including the limitless number of people who offer advice. The problem is that counsel is not universally applicable. Even the word “Bad” in the title is subjective. Who determines what is bad? Is there any advice that works for us but not for others?

Here is a quick list of things to remember as you continue your publishing journey.

Experience Levels Vary—Resist the urge to follow the advice of people who have not been where you want to go. Some advice may come from beginners who haven’t seen long-term results. For example, some people have self-published several books but have never worked with professionals.

This leads to the next point.

Beware of Personal Bias—People tend to recommend what worked for them, even if it’s not objectively the best method. Someone might tell you to publish a first draft or not to worry about editing because it is what worked for them. But one size does not fit all. What succeeded for one author may not suit your genre, audience, or goals. Remember to apply sound advice that suits you and not make emotional business decisions.

Different Goals Need Different Strategies—Be careful with advice that applies the same strategies to different goals. Your publishing route and the kind of book you write require a different publishing approach. Writing a memoir, a children’s book, or a business book each requires something different.

Outdated Strategies Circulate Often—The publishing landscape changes quickly, so not all tips stay relevant. (Even the articles I have on this website, which date back to 2016, need an upgrade.) Stick to current guidance as much as possible.

Paid Services May Drive Certain Advice—Some give advice to upsell you on courses, editing, or marketing packages. When working with service providers, discern whether a suggestion suits your goals or if it is to persuade you to buy into the service. Many vanity publishers will not care if your story makes sense or if you wrote it in two days. They will encourage you to publish that book as long as you have the money to pay, even if the manuscript is not ready.

You Can Waste Time and Money—Make sure people can show you receipts for their claims. What social proof do they have to support their advice? Remember, reading a book about swimming will not teach you how to swim. Accept advice from people who have been in the water and have done the work. Bad advice can lead to wasted money and, perhaps most importantly, time.

There are many more things to watch out for, such as advice that leads to confusion and second-guessing your decisions. Ultimately, remember that this journey is yours, and you should do what aligns best with your identity and goals. Watch out for conflicting advice that can cause your voice to get lost. Trying to mimic others too closely may make your work less authentic or original.

Need More Help? Register for Indie Korner!

Part I: WRITING WITH KE GARLAND
6/22/2025 | 2-3:00 PM (EST)

Part one is led by KE Garland, who will detail the first step to self-publishing: writing a fantastic book! In our excitement, we tend to skip this step, but no matter how you publish, you still must write something people want to read. Garland will walk us through the first draft, revisions, professional editing, choosing a genre, and everything you need to prepare your manuscript for a publisher, even if that publisher is you!

Part 2: PUBLISHING WITH YECHEILYAH
6/23/2025 | 7-8:00PM (EST)

Yecheilyah leads part two. She will explain the different forms of publishing, from traditional to vanity to hybrid to self-publishing, and why a basic understanding of them matters. She will also discuss how to avoid publishing scams and walk us through the foundational steps to get that amazing manuscript you learned how to write on day one, published at the highest professional level.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!

To take advantage of this EXCLUSIVE, limited-seating virtual masterclass, click the buttons below to register for one or both courses. Because they are connected, it is highly recommended that you register for both!

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See you in June!

https://www.kegarland.com/indiekorner.html

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