Publishing
The ARC Team Myth: Why Most Launch Teams Don't Work
Four specific habits separate launch teams that show up on release day from those that deliver five reviews and disappear. Here's the pattern underneath.
Read NowBlog
Stories, Insights & Updates
Publishing insights, author essays, book announcements, and behind-the-scenes at Caliana Press.
ISBNs Are Not Bureaucracy. They're Infrastructure.
Every indie author eventually asks whether the free ISBN from KDP is good enough. Here's the honest answer — and what we chose at Caliana Press when we bought 100 from Bowker.
Martin Balome
Pre-Order Strategy for Indie Publishers: How to Maximize Launch Impact
A well-executed pre-order campaign turns your launch day from a cold start into a running start. Here's how to set one up, when to go live, and the platform-specific rules that trip up indie publishers.
Martin Balome
KDP Print Hardcover: When and Why to Offer a Hardcover Edition
Amazon KDP now offers hardcover printing. But just because you can doesn't mean you should — at least not for every title. Here's how to decide, what it costs, and how to set it up right.
Martin Balome
ISBN Best Practices for Self-Publishers
An ISBN is not optional, not interchangeable, and not as simple as buying one from Bowker. Here's what indie publishers actually need to know — assignments, formats, metadata, and the mistakes that cost you discoverability.
Martin Balome
IngramSpark vs KDP Print: A Distribution Strategy for Indie Publishers
KDP Print owns the Amazon shelf. IngramSpark owns everything else. Most indie publishers need both — but the setup, costs, and trade-offs aren't obvious. Here's the honest comparison.
Martin Balome
Amazon Transparency Codes: What Every Indie Publisher Should Know
Amazon's Transparency program puts a unique 2D barcode on every unit you sell. It kills counterfeits — but it also adds cost, complexity, and logistics you need to understand before you enroll.
Martin Balome
Amazon A+ Content for Authors: The Detail Page Most Publishers Ignore
Amazon gives brand-registered publishers a free tool to build rich, visual product pages. Most indie publishers never touch it. Here's why you should — and exactly what to put there.
Martin Balome
Your Book's Body Matters as Much as Its Words
Trim size, binding, paper, cover finish — these aren't afterthoughts. They're the decisions that separate a professional book from an expensive mistake. Here's where to start.
Martin BalomeAnnouncements
The Most Important Question You'll Ever Ask
Announcing What I Should Do to Get Saved — a new book for the person who typed that question into a search bar at 2 AM and for the Christian who has known the answer for years but lost the words.
Martin BalomeEssays
Why I Write Devotionals
From cybersecurity to prayer. Why a techno-thriller author started writing books about the space between asking and receiving.
Martin BalomeAnnouncements
The Long Amen Is Coming
The first book in The Sacred Between collection arrives May 19. A devotional for the spaces between what you know and what you cannot control.
Martin BalomeEssays
Why I Write
An author essay from Martin Balome on what drives him to write — from cybersecurity to storytelling, and why he believes books are the most permanent thing we can build.
Martin BalomeAnnouncements
Vector Strike Is Here
Vector Strike, the first book in The CRITICOM Files series, is now available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
Martin BalomeAnnouncements
Welcome to Caliana Press
Introducing Caliana Press — a publisher built on one principle: A+ quality in everything we create.
Martin Balome