What does it take to make human art today? Is worth it? We kick off a new series on Indie Publishing with my dear friend and found-sister Angie Kelly today! Welcome to Episode 1. 

On this episode, Angie and I work to pull back the curtain on the emotional and economic substrate behind a book: the thousands of quiet hours, the minimum‑wage calculus, the edits that cost more than many tired authors even earn, and the launch-day silence that can follow years of work.

From there, Angie and I dive into the attention economy bent on reshaping how readers discover books, and all art, from BookTok and Bookstagram to other strange realities that can crown a title overnight, and we highlight how trend saturation squeezes nuance and human-ness, leaving quieter and highly crafted novels invisible. Angie speaks well on why publishers chase velocity, why flashy debuts can fizzle just as fast, and how fan-fiction-to-film pipelines and algorithm-friendly marketing pathways distort realities of art.

If you care about books built by human hearts, you’ll find both something here. Join us, subscribe, and share this episode with a reader or writer who needs it!

Angelina Kelly is an indie author and biologist who was born and raised in Alaska and has an inherent love for nature. She now lives in British Columbia where she works as a biologist and writes epic fantasy books that weave in her reverence for wilderness and the natural world. 

Learn more about Angie's work and books HERE!

Learn more about Daniel's work and books HERE!