And now for the news!

Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically new releases written by self-publishing authors and published by independent presses! Today we’ll be featuring brand-new releases in the Outskirts Press Bookstore!

• Skip Day by Joseph Brisben

If you’re looking for the perfect book to help you beat the summer heat, you can’t go wrong with Joseph Brisben’s Skip Day, a novel of rural Oklahoma and of one teenager’s ambition to leave a legacy.

Every year, during the high school’s annual ‘Skip Day’ celebration, the students craft a series of hijinks–but this year, 1959, Joe Ralston wants to make a special impression. He rents a hearse from a mortuary, covers it in graffiti, and then is challenged to see how many people they can cram inside. (The answer? 75. You bet these kids were creative.)  Things can only get worse from there, and better, from a story perspective, as Ralston and his friends work through their own personal issues and continue seizing upon every opportunity for fun that they can. This is the sort of book which commands your respect as well as your attention; conversations shift from making meaning out of live to civil rights to the correct way to coax your hungover friends to clean a hearse.

• I Am More: 365 Empowering Daily Affirmations for Teens and Young Adults by Myia Ellington

Sometimes, we all really need to hear that we’re more than the sum of our parts or the victims of circumstance, and this is nowhere more true than it is among teens. I Am More contains, as promised, a year’s-worth of empowering short meditations geared toward teens and young adults, providing what the author describes as “things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

This book is not only perfect for young people, but for people of faith. Myia Ellington cites Philippians 4:8-9 as an inspiration, and speaks to faith as a platform or springboard from which to launch into a healthy, fulfilling future–“a life of art,” as she puts it. And Ellington should know; she’s CEO of Exclusively ME Motivations Inc, an empowerment specialist, spiritual counselor, teacher, and lecturer on top of being an author. She lives the kind of life many of us can aspire to–providing real leadership and hope to teens in need of that little extra boost to make it through the day.

• Sons of Twilight by Collette Jackson-Fink

Look, summer is about escape, isn’t it? And those fantasies which always seem too far out of reach at all other times of year. Well, with her new book Sons of Twilight, Collette Jackson-Fink invites her readers to indulge a little in those fantasies. This, the second in a series beginning with Daughters of Twilight, continues the story of Dane Coles–just your average member of a special tactical team trained to deal with ordinary human events–and the edenic war angel who has been brought jarringly back into contact with humanity after the traumatic conclusion to the Genesis story.

Here’s a story you won’t find just anywhere: with a sensitivity to life in a small Midwestern town, Jackson-Fink manages to construct an elaborate fantasy world which strikes just the right notes of familiarity to keep it grounded within the Western mythological canon–and is populated by characters who are bright and warm and interesting. The plot is gripping, too, which doesn’t hurt. Come for the brilliant fantasy, stay for the fascinating plot! Here’s hoping the final book in the trilogy doesn’t take too long to hit our shelves!

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.