Self Publishing Without The Middleman

“Bestseller” has become one of the easiest words to fake in publishing, and it’s costing authors money and readers' trust. 

I sit down with publishing expert Michele DeFilippo, who brings decades of real-world experience helping authors produce high-quality books without giving away control, rights, or royalties.

We talk about why self-publishing no longer carries the old vanity-press stigma, and why the power has shifted now that Amazon and print-on-demand make global book distribution accessible. 

Michelle breaks down the difference between needing a publisher and needing professional publishing services, plus the red flags of hybrid publishing companies that charge authors upfront and still take a cut of sales. We also get practical about what “professional” actually looks like: editing, cover design, book typesetting, ebook formatting, and the kind of investment it can take to make your book compete with traditional releases.

We also dug into author scams, including how “bestseller” schemes game Amazon’s algorithm, what a real bestseller metric looks like, and why distribution tools like Amazon KDP and IngramSpark still don’t do your marketing for you.

If you’re planning to self-publish, want to avoid costly traps, or simply want your book to look unmistakably legit, hit play, subscribe, share with a writer friend, and leave a review so more authors can find the show.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

📬 JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

The Storyteller Quest is  a weekly letter on writing,
publishing, and the business of books.

Subscribe, and I'll send you Traditional, Self, or Hybrid? —
11 pages on what each publishing path really costs, plus a
7-question worksheet that tells you which one is yours.

Subscribe here.