The Indie Lab
Marcin PilarczykBusiness intelligence for self-publishing indie authors. Most of what I publish here is free. Paid subscribers get the frameworks, prompts, and tools behind every post.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 86 | Founded | 7 months ago | Last Issue | 26 hours ago |
| Active | |||||
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aifictionlab.substack.comLatest Issues
The Freebie Seeker Tax
I wrote “The Indie Author’s Guide to Newsletter Swaps” in February, and I meant every word of it. Newsletter swaps were the cheapest way I’d found to break the Cold Start Paradox, that loop where you can’t get into swaps because you don’t h...
Why I’m Staying in KU While Romance Authors Are Leaving
Every indie author forum I’m in right now has the same thread at the top. Some version of “Is KU dead?” or “Should I go wide?” or the one I keep screenshotting to laugh at later: “TikTok Shop changed everything and you’re leaving money on t...
MailerLite Is About to Break Your Email Funnel. Here's What to Do Before August 13.
I scrolled past this announcement. I’m on Substack, so MailerLite’s pricing changes are someone else’s problem.
Then I looked at what “3 automations” means for a typical indie author email setup, the kind with a reader magnet, a welcom...
Amazon Is About to Lock Some of You Out. Here’s How to Check.
I didn’t know what PSP stood for until this weekend.
I was scanning KDP news for this newsletter – the usual sweep of community forums, policy updates, the kind of reading that makes you feel like a tax accountant who accidentally ende...
Your Book Deserves Better Than a $30 Fiverr Upload
So I've been doing KDP work for a while now and I figured I'd just put this out there for anyone who needs it.
Last year I formatted and uploaded a 175,000-word non-fiction book. 650 pages. The client left a 5-star review and wrote "ha...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Laid off twice. Built a sci-fi portfolio. Sold 8,131 copies in 2025. Now I document what actually works on Amazon – in real time. Most of what I publish here is free. Paid subscribers get the tools and prompts behind the posts.
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