MSI Press Blog

  When I first entered the field of second‑language education, I was young, unproven, and full of ideas I didn’t yet know how to place in the world. Breaking in was tough. I had no roadmap, no insider knowledge, and no sense of where to begin. What I did have was the conviction that I had something worth saying. One of my colleagues at the time was Dr. Earl Stevick—already highly published, widely respected, and known for the clarity and humanity of his work. Our relationship was still new, but Earl was big‑hearted. He saw my hunger to learn, and he didn’t hoard his experience. We went to lunch one afternoon, and I asked him the question every new writer wishes they could ask someone who has already made it: “What do you wish someone had told you before you published your first book?” He didn’t hesitate. “Find an agent,” he said. Then he reached into his wallet, pulled out a card, and handed it to me. “Here is my agent. Tell him I sent you.” I did. And from that moment—thr...

  MSI Press books have won national and international awards every year since 2012, when we first began submitting books to competitions. MSI Press authors’ books have won gold, silver, and bronze medals, honorable mention, best new voice, and legacy awards in more than 30 regional, national, and international book competitions. Check our awards section. A number of our books have been among the top 100 Amazon hot new releases, including several that have achieved #1 status. Every month, a number of our books can be found in the top 100 bestsellers in their various categories. Follow our blog and watch for “publisher’s pride” or sign up for our newsletter, where we announce these great books. Want to read a great book? Check out our  catalogue . Have a great book that needs to have some TLC? Nearly everyone has a story. Not every publisher will hold your hand until it materializes as an award-winning book and pay you generous royalties when it does. We will. Tell us about your...

  Every few months, an author will tell me—often with great confidence—that “marketers say a free Kindle promotion sells more books than a Kindle Countdown Deal.” It’s a claim that sounds bold, counterintuitive, and exciting. It’s also a claim that refuses to die, even though Amazon’s ecosystem has changed dramatically. So, let’s talk about it plainly. The short answer: Free promotions generate more downloads . Countdown Deals generate more sales . Downloads and sales are not the same thing, and Amazon does not treat them as the same thing. Where the myth came from: There was a moment in Amazon’s early KDP Select era (2011–2014) when free days could catapult a book into the Top 100 Free list, and that visibility sometimes spilled over into paid sales afterward. Marketers who built their playbooks during that period still speak as if nothing has changed. But the platform has changed. The algorithms have changed. Reader behavior has changed. And the relationship between fre...