Luminare Press

12/24/2025

We're wishing you a joyful holiday season. ❄️
May it be filled with time to read, relax, and write.

12/23/2025

🎧 New audiobooks are out!

In 2025, we launched our audiobook service to help authors publish professionally recorded audio versions of their books. We are excited to share that we have published the first four!

▶️ Imbalanced: A Memoir - Sheri Thomas
▶️ Journey Into Your Rainforest Mind: A Field Guide for Gifted Adults and Teens, Book Lovers, Overthinkers, Geeks, Sensitives, Brainiacs, Intuitives, Procrastinators, and Perfectionists - Paula Prober
▶️ Moral Injury - Mhairi Haarsager
▶️ A Journey with Orvis - Mose Mosley

You can find them on any major platforms and stores.

12/22/2025

Les Poemes Philosophique (Volume 4)
The Voices of the Post-Modern
by Ivan Kireevskii

“Sublime”
–Jen Hall, UK

“Marvellous”
–Julie Cox, Australia

“You’re such a wordsmith and mystic”
–Maria Rance, Australia

“I love your poetry sir, keep up the amazing work.”
–Sikandar Aslam, Mardan, Pakistan

“Your poems are amazing…. love reading them.”
–Ram Shankar, Shahdol, India

“I just don’t know where you get these words from but they truly are in a class by themselves. There is no limit to your talent and imagination. Thank you, my friend for sharing the beauty with us.”
–Kathryn Young, New York, USA

“You speak to me everytime.”
–Ryan Waedekin, Wisconsin, USA

“You put emotions into words and pictures. You are a genius.”
–Jane Varkey Vazhail, Rome, Italy

“Beautiful”
–Dilip Mishra, Lives in Gorakhpur, India

“Beautiful. Majestic.”
–Lynley Hocking, Australia

“Stunning”
–Mourad Ou, Casablanca, Morocco

Find "Les Poemes Philosophique (Volume 4)” in our Bookshop:
https://buff.ly/Rr3jpcw

12/22/2025

One of our authors recently told us, 'I thought I was doing something wrong. Every time I got past one hurdle, another security check popped up.'

She wasn’t doing anything wrong. The systems had just changed since the last time she’d listened to a friend’s advice about KDP. What worked even a year ago isn’t always enough now.

That’s the hidden problem many authors face. You can read blogs, ask other writers, watch tutorials, and still end up stuck, because the process keeps shifting. Meanwhile, your book is ready and waiting.

At Luminare Press, we’ve spent the last decade adapting along with KDP, IngramSpark, and other platforms. We’ve seen the rise in verification codes, photo ID checks, phone-based security, and all the little quirks that go with them. It can be tedious, but it has taught us how to:

• Prepare authors for identity checks before they happen
• Spot order issues, like canceled proofs, before they derail a launch
• Work around missing phones by using trusted contacts or secure apps
• Coordinate with authors when customer service has to hear directly from the account owner

We’re always clear about this: your account is yours. We’re not the owner, we’re often not even nearby, and that’s exactly why platforms treat us with caution. Instead of fighting that, we work with it and build a process where your involvement is simple and predictable.

If the tech side of self-publishing has started to feel bigger than the creative side, you’re not alone. Have you considered working with a self-publishing assistant before, or does that idea feel new to you?

If you’re curious how that partnership might look in practice, you can read more here:

The publishing world has evolved significantly, removing gatekeepers and enabling authors to self-publish without traditional publishers.As self-publishing grows, it has attracted those seeking to…

12/21/2025

The Love Project: A Journey of Intimate Conversations
by Alison van Diggelen

After Alison van Diggelen moves to a charming coastal village, she is inspired by her mother’s transformative, late-in-life love story. However, when a traumatic encounter upends Alison’s world, despite being a lifelong optimist, she becomes anxious and fearful.
But her mother’s wisdom motivates her to find hope by connecting with her new community using the lens of love. Alison has intimate conversations with thirty neighbors, exploring the profound question: “What does love mean to you?”

The Love Project is a soul-stirring, illuminating, and often humorous odyssey in which Alison learns important truths about life and the complexities of love. Against a backdrop of hardship and wealth, she meets a widower grappling with lost love, a rebellious teen conflicted by family trauma, an immigrant with a life-changing epiphany, and a dog lover with a secret nightlife passion. Each story adds unique threads to a tapestry that leads Alison from darkness into light.
A celebration of all types of love, this transformational tale is about rediscovering connection, redefining purpose, and realizing that sometimes, the greatest adventures happen right on our doorstep.

Find "The Love Project” in our Bookshop:
https://buff.ly/yav87yB

12/19/2025

Friday's quote by John Cheever. That's why knowing your ideal reader is key to writing and marketing your book.

12/19/2025

📣 “I highly recommend Luminare! The cover design process was seamless, clear cut and satisfying. The layout of the interior of my book is exactly what I hoped for, and the help with marketing was appreciated. After publication, I needed help dealing with distributors, and was given the same level of professional support and kind attention. Thanks to Patricia, Caitlin, Kim, Olivia and Nina!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
–Valerie Pitcher, author of “Anything But Normal”

Thank you for your kind words!

12/17/2025

Shadows of Deception
A Crime Thriller
by Bertrand Fote

Detectives Spider McNeeley and Sedox Overton are thrust into a high-stakes investigation when a series of mysterious deaths linked to VX nerve agent—a deadly chemical weapon—rock their city. Their search for answers leads them into a tangled web of deceit, betrayal, and buried secrets that challenge everything they believe.

At the center of the storm is Dr. Kamga Bosco, a respected emergency physician and toxicologist whose ties to the victims raise difficult questions. As suspicion mounts, Kamga finds himself under scrutiny, forcing Spider and Sedox to navigate a maze of manipulated crime scenes, foreign operatives, and fractured loyalties.

With each twist, the detectives must confront their assumptions, battle internal demons, and risk everything to uncover the truth—wherever it may lead.

Shadows of Deception is a gripping, character-driven thriller that explores the cost of loyalty, the pursuit of justice, and the shadowy intersections of power, science, and betrayal.

Find "Shadows of Deception” in our Bookshop:
https://buff.ly/KKWbGnI

12/15/2025

Beautiful in Black
by Sara Shai

Beautiful in Black is a moving love letter to life, woven through the intertwined journeys of two souls—parallel yet defined by opposing choices. He, consumed by despair, chooses an ending; she, refusing to be shaped by hardship, chooses to rise above stigma and pain. Her resilience becomes a beacon, illuminating the pursuit of acceptance, love, and freedom. Her story is a radiant celebration of the human spirit—an unflinching guidepost for those daring to live boldly.
This book is not just a roadmap for existence; it is an invitation to explore the uncharted depths of your own heart.

Find "Beautiful in Black” in our Bookshop:
https://buff.ly/ABi0Yaf

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12/15/2025

Finding the right illustrator can make or break your children’s book—especially if you’re a first-time author or planning to self-publish.

But how do you know who's right for you? What should you look for when querying an illustrator?
Stop guessing! In this in-depth interview, Luminare Press Lead Designer Claire sits down with
Chantelle & Burgen Thorn, multi–award-winning professional children’s book illustrators, to break down exactly how authors should approach illustration—from first conversation to final artwork.

Watch now and read the related blog post. https://buff.ly/qe4CRaN

P.S. If this is what you are looking for, this is your lucky day! Check out our time-limited offer and save $3,700+

12/12/2025

Life Lessons by Bobolina Delphina
by Leafe Eriksen-Wedmore

Based on a true story, rescue cat BoBo shares what she has learned from the ups and downs of her life—lessons centered on hope, compassion, resilience, and love.
Ultimately, love saves BoBo. She wants to share the power of love and help us all recognize the heart wisdom that resides within each of us.

Find "Life Lessons by Bobolina Delphina” on Amazon:
https://buff.ly/8d8e8ry

12/12/2025

This coming Saturday, Dec 13th, some of our authors will be at the Authors and Artists Fair at the Holiday Market, here in Eugene, OR.

If you are in town, they would love to see you in person!
And if you're not, you can still support them. Go to Bookshop to get their book and support local bookstores!
https://buff.ly/a7osWrf