Off The Grid: Leaving Social Media đ Self-Publishing Off the Amazon Path
Feb 16, 2026
Karolina Wudniak, founder of Paperwing Studio and host of the Indie Book Lab conversation series, explores independent self-publishing beyond Amazon. She discusses platform choices, fulfillment strategies like print-on-demand plus direct stock, distribution and international sales, and practical tradeoffs from costs to discoverability. Short, practical, and focused on real-world publishing workflows.
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Values-Driven Publishing Choice
- Amelia chose to avoid Amazon largely for values-based reasons related to DRM and labor concerns.
- She emphasizes practicality over moral superiority about the choice.
Rapid Draft, Long Polish
- Amelia wrote a 100-page first draft in one week during a private writing retreat.
- She then spent two to three months editing and about nine months total from writing to publication.
Pick Partner By Price And Peers
- Compare distribution partners by printing cost and peer recommendations when avoiding Amazon.
- Amelia picked IngramSpark because it was cheaper per copy and recommended by trusted peers.