Welcome back to Self-Published Fantasy Month!
If you’re unfamiliar with this month-long extravaganza, it began as a passion project from the incredibly awesome Jason Aycock of Off the TBR. It has been his way of showcasing and celebrating the gems that are hidden away in this tiny little corner of the publishing world, and continues to grow larger and larger each year. In a nutshell, it’s all about the books and the wonderful, connected community of Authors, Bloggers, Booktubers, Bookstagrammers, Booktokkers, Reviewers, and everything in between.
So, what exactly is the purpose of Self-Published Fantasy Month, you may ask?
The Goal: Help you find at least one book you love, then promptly listen as you shout about it from the rooftops. In return, you’d be helping out the authors that work tirelessly to bring you amazing stories.
How We’ll Achieve That Goal: Fill your feeds with a treasure trove of Self-Published Fantasy novels/novellas/short stories/etc. throughout the month of September. Simple as that.
Unfortunately, Jason isn’t here to celebrate as an event admin this year, because he’s dedicating his time to the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off as a judge with the lovely folks over at Before We Go Blog. He’s entrusted me with this baby of his, and it’s my aim to keep SPFM safe until his return. That doesn’t mean he won’t be participating – I guarantee you’ll be seeing him often!
Before I get down to the nitty-gritty, let me introduce you to the team!
The Team
This year we’ve got a great core team organizing all the different aspects of the event. For now, it’s just a quick shoutout. A separate introduction post will be coming shortly. Without further ado…the team!
Krista
The Bookish HedgeMom | @BookishHedgeMom
Rowena
Beneath a Thousand Skies | @R_M__Andrews
Maria
@MBlackrane
Justine
Whispers & Wonder | @__its_justine__
Dream team if I ever saw one!
SPFM Features
At the center of the event lies this very website. Each day you’ll be able to find multiple new features to peruse, including guest posts, author interviews, reviews and more. With over 70 scheduled posts from authors, we’re absolutely sure you’ll be able to find something that’ll pique your interest. And if that isn’t enough to sway you to check in, we’ve also got a bunch of Reviewers sharing their thoughts on some beloved books, as well!
Be sure to keep an eye out, because there’s lots and lots on the horizon!
The Guild
Ok, this has been our best kept secret… We’re super excited to introduce THE GUILD, a Discord community for readers and writers alike! Book recs, self-promo, a place for everyone to connect and discuss great books and bloggers to chat about the art of blogging, and so much more!
Krista, the creator and Tavern Keeper herself, has one simple rule: Don’t be a dick. So, if you decide to join us, play nice! The Guild is a place to celebrate Self-Published Fantasy – leave all your negativity at the door.
Stop by, say hello, tell us about yourself, and get ready for a community like no other. I have a feeling this will live on even as the month’s events close.
The Read-Along
The Read-Along is back! The Adventurers have spoken, and one lucky book has been chosen. Visit the Read-Along page for all the info. Trust us, you don’t want to miss out on this one!
Daily Challenge
Last year we hosted a Daily Photo Challenge, but we’re evolving it a bit this time around! Have an e-reader filled with hundreds of books, but a little light on physical books? Too busy to snap photos? DO NOT FRET! Rowena and Maria have put together an awesome list of prompts, and invite you take part by sharing in any way you see fit. We’ll be posting the prompts daily on Twitter, so feel free to respond there, as well. Tweet, share on Instagram or anywhere you so choose, but be sure to tag us and/or use the hashtag #spfmchallenge so we can share the love. Now feast your eyes on the SPFM Daily Challenge Calendar!
Daily Prompts
1
Worldbuilding Wednesday
Prompt: Economy, Crafts and Culture
2
“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.” – C. S. Lewis
Fairytale retellings/inspired books
3
Gnomin’ With My Homies
Tell us about the non-humans in your world, or your favourite books with non-human characters
4
Sinister Saturday
Introduce your villains and questionable characters, or your favourite villains and shady characters
5
SELF PROMO SUNDAY + Recs
6
Moodboard Monday
7
Teaser Tuesday
Snippet/fave quote
8
Worldbuilding Wednesday
Prompt: Flora & Fauna
9
“Courage does not always roar. Valor does not always shine.” – Tomi Adeyemi
Unusual/Unlikely Heroes
10
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Tell us about the representation in your book, which are your favourite books for representation
11
Scenic Saturday
Journeys – where are your characters going, what do they see? What are your favourite journeys in books
12
SELF PROMO SUNDAY + Recs
13
Main Character Monday
Introduce your MC or your favourite MC
14
Teaser Tuesday
Snippet/fave quote
15
Worldbuilding Wednesday
Prompt: Food & Drink
16
“Though we are the fair ones, women are not to be trifled with!” – Erin Forbes
Female Characters / Female Author
17
‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’
Tell us about your characters relationships, which pairings have captured your heart
18
Sidekick Saturday
Introduce your secondary characters, or your favourites that aren’t in the limelight
19
SELF PROMO SUNDAY + Recs
20
Magic Monday
Tell us about your magic system, or your favourite magic system
21
Teaser Tuesday
Snippet/fave quote
22
Worldbuilding Wednesday
Prompt: Politics
23
‘You haven’t been bit till a dragon does it!’ – Tamora Pierce
Dragons!
24
‘You’re Stuck with Me’
Tell us about the non-romantic relatioships in your world, friends or family it doesn’t matter. Which books have a friendship you just want to cherish
25
Spooky, Scary Saturday
Undead? Spooks? Skin-crawling horror? Let us have it!
26
SELF PROMO SUNDAY + Recs
27
Monster Monday
Tell us about the beasties of your world, or your favourite critters that you’ve read about – bonus points for non-dragons
28
Teaser Tuesday
Snippet/fave quote
29
Worldbuilding Wednesday
Prompt: Religion/Beliefs
30
‘And he lived happily ever after to the end of his days.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
Happy, Sad and everything in between, which books have your fave endings
Podcasts
In addition to the multitude of interviews you’ll find on our website, we’ve also enlisted the help of The Swords and Sports Podcast to host a few authors on his channel! Mike is an absolutely incredible interviewer, be prepared for some crazy shenanigans. We’ll be sharing, so stay tuned.
Resources
Artists, and editors, and formatters, oh my!
I’m in the process of creating a dedicated page for Author Resources as we speak! The page will launch at the beginning of the event.
Alright, that’s all I got for ya right now. Who knows…maybe there will be a few extra surprises coming your way. September is going to be a wonderful month, jam-packed with tons of content, and we hope to see you there joining in the festivities. Check back in soon, there’s more to come!
Take care, stay safe, and be kind to one another.
– Justine