Sometime in the mid-nineties, I ran out of space to store my books. I was living in a small apartment and the only shelf unit I had was crammed into my tiny bedroom. It was packed solid with books. I had gone slightly crazy in the previous few years buying books by new-to-me mystery writers. I’d read them all. Some I’d liked, others I didn’t. I kept them all because, in many cases, they had been signed by the authors.

In the past, when I’d run out of space, I had simply packed the books I didn’t want in paper grocery bags or cardboard boxes, and donated them to public libraries or Goodwill.

This time around, I thought I’d try something different.

I am often asked to give people advice on publishing their own books. I thought it might be a good idea to share the most obvious information right here on the blog so I can easily share the info in the future. I will update the links if anything changes. The content in this post is state-of-the-art for indie publishing in 2026. Bear in mind that these are simply my go-tos. Specifically, I’m sharing a) sites and software I use to publish my books, and b) sites and software I don’t necessarily use but which I know to be reputable…

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

First things first…

Country noir writer Daniel Woodrell has died. Here’s the only line I remember from the time I met him…

Joe is fixing things behind the scenes…

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

Just to continue this thought while it’s still in my head: We loved writing The Indiana Jones Handbook. It allowed us to reconnect with the three films—the first three that were out at the time we were preparing the MS—and geek out on all the little details of them. At the time, we were living in a small rental apartment here in North Carolina, and we blew a week watching and rewatching the films, and taking notes. Totally a blast to do that kind of research.

Then it shifted to actual research, trying to figure out where the reality of the outside world of science and history collided with the fantasy world of the films…

We’ve been doing some decluttering, and boy does the TV room need it. We collect a lot of stuff. But the one feature of that room that looks great is the shelf where we keep tiki mugs and other odd items from different nations. This is one spot where the clutter actually works. Why? Because the items are all congregated under this fantastic map of the Indiana Jones universe, created by artist Matt Busch…

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

I resolved to post on a regular basis, and I have done well since July or so. But the last two weeks have thrown me for a loop. Denise had three book events in town alone, then we were on the road for a few days for a combo book tour/research trip, then…sadly, the death of one of my old college friends necessitated a trip north for a funeral. Those are never fun, but in this case it was important to me to do so…