MSI Press Blog

  There’s a strange disconnect in publishing right now. Industry headlines keep celebrating “growth” — more bookstores opening, online sales climbing, the market expanding. And all of that is technically true. But here’s the part no one says out loud: Those gains are not evenly distributed. They’re driven by big-name authors, celebrity memoirs, BookTok darlings, and the handful of titles that already had momentum. For the  new  author — the debut novelist, the hybrid author with a modest platform, the memoirist writing from lived experience — those rosy numbers don’t translate into visibility. In fact, they often mask the opposite reality. Because while bookstore sales are up,  the number of books published each year has exploded . More titles, more noise, more competition for the same shelf space and the same algorithmic scraps. Which brings us to the real conversation: Direct sales aren’t a trend. They’re a survival strategy. Why Every Author Should Be Building Dir...

  Kindle will be offering free copies of  When Liberty Enslaves  by Jerry Aveta, a winner of multiple awards, which recently reached  #88 in campaigns & elections, #95 in U.S. abolition of slavery history, and #98 in abolition history of the US. Go get your copy March 23-27! Book Description There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago.  The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities.  Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president.  Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions. Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality.  Some people of faith believed all me...

  1. The Question What happens when we die? Not biologically. Spiritually. Existentially. Is it a doorway? A judgment? A return? A release? 2. The Human Angle You lose someone. You face your own mortality. You wonder: Is this the end? Or the beginning of something else? Different traditions offer different answers — each shaped by their deepest hopes and fears. 3. The Inquiry Here’s how Eastern and Western religions describe the end of life: Western Religions (Judgment and Eternity) Christianity : Life ends in judgment. The soul is either united with God (heaven) or separated (hell). Some traditions include purgatory — a place of purification. Resurrection is central: the body will rise again. Islam : After death, the soul enters Barzakh — a waiting period until the Day of Judgment. Then, based on deeds and faith, the soul enters paradise or hell. The body is resurrected and judged. Judaism : Views vary. Some believe in bodily resurrection and a world to come ...