Lisa A. Kramer

Hello, friends!

It’s been a long time.

I’ve been on a journey of learning, creating, and discovering who I am as an author, creator, and advocate for the power of creativity.

I’ve had personal setbacks as well as unexpected challenges. I’ve interacted with creators of all types and have faced the reality of what it means to choose creative work in a world that defines success by numbers and money.

Today, I would like to share some of these lessons, in the hopes that, together, we can challenge and fix a broken system. For you see, I dream of building something that supports creative work of all types in ways that respect creative workers while enriching all our lives.

I dream of a world where creative collaboration and community building are the norm, rather than the outliers

Over the past few months, I've come to realize how important this dream is.

Several factors are making it even more challenging to create in our modern world. Between generative AI scraping from creators, loss of jobs in creative sectors, and a culture of greed that has people scrambling to be paid to promote or review new works, there is a sense of despair growing in creative circles. 

In the past six months, I've been taking small steps toward changing the system.
 

Giving a Book New Life

Last December, I was informed by the former publisher of P.O.W.ER (2014) that he was retiring and would be dropping the book. Disappointing, yes, but understandable. Still, that one email put the spark back into me. With permission from Jessica Beckendorf, Spark Collaborative Media became the new publisher of P.O.W.ER: A DYSTOPIAN THRILLER (March 11, 2026)

I did this for several reasons, both personal and practical:

• The themes of P.O.W.ER are more timely than ever.
• My hope that the underlying themes of courage, resilience, and collaborative rebellion gives a much-needed boost to anyone struggling with the challenges of our time
• The opportunity to fix a few things that would make the book better:
  • I edited some chapters that needed strengthening
  • I chose a different marketing approach. The first version focused on YA, and while that still fits, I always knew it had a wider appeal.
• My sadness that something I poured so much love and energy into would simply disappear into oblivion.

Based on the response it's getting, the relaunch was a success (at least in my opinion). This book has been placed on cool lists.
 

I’ve also been invited to many book clubs and received interesting opportunities.

In a capitalist world, however, it is a complete failure. As an author, I'm thrilled that my work has touched and inspired people. As an independent author, I'm frustrated by a system determined to pull funds away from creators and pay it all to booksellers, marketers, promoters, etc. 
 

Lessons of an Independent Author

I first dipped my toes into independent publishing in 2013, when I worked with Charles Barouch of HDWP publishing on several “Theme-Thology” anthologies—collections of short stories written specifically to a theme.

{Side note: that was an intentional use of an em dash. I have always used them and will continue to do so. I am 100% human.

Under Charles’ guidance, we used a collaborative process for these anthologies. We edited each other’s stories, voted on covers, and created them together. HDWP publishing took care of the technical side and the launch. However, back then it was (possibly) even harder for independent books to get much notice. I’m still proud of accepting the challenge, and of the short stories I wrote for the three anthologies I worked on.

I loved that collaborative, creative approach to publishing, which focused on putting out good work rather than competition.

Now, 13 years later {time is not real}, the independent publishing world has changed and is even more challenging. In some ways, it is easier than ever to publish a book. In other ways, it has become more competitive and toxic—especially in a world that defines success based only on sales rank and money.
 

A Broken System

For you see, the books that go through a traditional publisher (rather than hybrid or independent) have the advantage. They’ve been vetted, which we’ve been trained to believe automatically makes them superior. Of course, that’s not reality. Many of the best books out in the world today exist independent of traditional publishing. Some of the worst books I’ve ever read have come from notable publishing houses and best-selling authors. Still, many bookselling platforms prioritize traditionally published works and won’t even promote books unless they see the possibility of financial gain.

This leaves independent authors focusing on social media marketing and doing everything they can to get written reviews or interested readers. There’s little time to write when your energy has to be focused on promotion. For many of us, there’s also little money available to do anything.

I have been inundated with people interested in supporting, featuring, and promoting P.O.W.ER. But almost every opportunity came with a price tag. It adds up quickly, and there’s a point where all you can do is say, "Thank you, but no, I can’t afford it.”

{I don’t even want to go into the issue of how few people see “No” as an opportunity to change your mind.}

 

Inspired Possibilities

Yesterday, I was on the verge of giving up. But then, one email conversation reminded me again that things can be different.

Kathleen Harris, Executive Editor of Zibby’s Book Club, had reached out with another feature offer. When I said I had to pass, she was willing to find a way to make it work without tapping into my limited funds. As our conversation continued, she asked me one question that stopped me in my tracks:

“What is the one specific goal or type of reader engagement that would make you feel this partnership was finally a success for P.O.W.E.R.?”

I really had to think about it, but writing the response brought me clarity:

I write because I believe in the power of story and creativity to help bring people together. While I wouldn't turn down "best-seller" status, I am most fulfilled when my writing impacts someone in some way.

When the first version was published (2014) I was able to go to book fairs and present workshops with young people . . .. I would hand out these little papers that asked people to write down their unique superpower, and the responses made me feel really happy. To me, P.O.W.ER is really about people finding their own path toward making this world a better place for everyone. I originally donated a portion of the (small) profits to causes that support women and girls.

This past week, Amnesty International Book Club reached out to feature P.O.W.ER (for free) and they created this amazing discussion guide that made me realize how much something like this means to me. Here's an Instagram that I just made about that. So, for me, impact means more than profit.

This has shifted my perspective on my author journey and my bigger goals.

How You Can Help

Don’t worry, I’m not about to ask you for money (unless that’s something you want to do).

There are many ways that you can help independent creators keep creating and make the system more rewarding for all. Here are a few suggestions:

• Buy books, art, music, etc. from independent sellers or directly from the creator themselves.
• Give written reviews (not just stars) to works you love on your favorite platforms. Written reviews have more impact on visibility. Even a simple “I liked it” helps so much.
• Share with others. For books, you could:
  • Lend it to a friend
  • Buy a friend a copy
  • Promote it on social media
  • Ask your local library to put it on their shelves.
• Follow your favorite authors on Goodreads, or their websites, or on social media.
• Support any crowdsourcing campaigns that reflect projects you want to see in the world. Of course, if you can pledge, do that, but even helping spread the word makes the chances of success higher.

On Tuesday, June 9^th, I will be launching a Kickstarter called “Help Build the Magical World of Mystic Haven” in the hopes of publishing the first book in a series of standalone books that will take place in this magical world. I’m not asking you to pledge (unless you want to). There are many fun options available that give you the opportunity to have a say in some of the books, but I am not about pressure.

For now, though, the biggest help is easy. Could you click on the pre-launch link above and follow/share the campaign with others?

You can help by spreading the word. 

Yours in Creativity,