There are a bunch of questions we’ve been asked via different platforms, so we’re listing them here. This list can be updated at any time.

And if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us to ask!

How do you make sure something is Self Published?
You as the Author submit your desired book. Once that is received, Admins will go in and verify the book is Self Published before approving. If it’s not clear, we’ll communicate that.

What if I Self Publish but it’s listed under “Bob’s Publishing LLC” (example)?
If you created an LLC to publish your work under, that’s no problem. LLC’s are great ways to protect yourself and we’re not going to fault people for it.
Now, we might make a mistake, but there’s no hard “declined” built into the system based on this.

Is this a distribution platform?
No, it is not. It is purely discovery. Indie Unbound does not have any ability to distribute content or complete transactions on the platform itself.

Is it something being thought of for the future?
Not at this time.

How is it funded?
Affiliate Links. When a book is listed, an Affiliate tracking code is added to the link if there is a connected program for that site.

Can an Author pay to promote their book on the site for more views?
Nope. It’s an equal opportunity platform. That said, a person could game the system for more visibility within the platform, but that’s gonna get stomped out really fast by Admins.

Can anything be listed?
If you define “anything” as like Fiction, Non Fiction, Cookbook, Coloring Book, etc? Sure, though there’s not currently Tags for all that.
If you define “anything” based on content, there are going to be some restrictions. Things like NSFW content is allowed, but common decency rules apply. If your work is really over the top, it might get declined.

Does someone have to have a published book to become an Author or list a Book?
Nope. Anyone can create an Author Profile. It just won’t be accessible unless a Book is on the platform. But a book doesn’t have to be available for purchase to add it, as long as it can still be validated.
If you’re gearing up to publish a first book, additional verification will probably be required.

Can Admins supersede and make changes to my Bio/Book(s)?
Yes, it’s possible. However, the chances of it happening are very slim. The only reason we would is to add a missing content tag (such as if a book is NSFW and connected tag is missing) or to modify a URL to add an Affiliate code.
The first would result in communication to the Author while the second wouldn’t.

Is there AI on the platform? If so, what is it’s involvement?
This is a two fold answer. For the system itself:
As of this moment there isn’t AI on the platform. However, in the future it might be introduced to provide suggestions to readers. Right now suggestions are present, but it’s based on weighable factors.
This would be communicated in advance and demonstrations would be present to show what would happen.

Backend of the system:
Indie Unbound (v2) was built on an AI App Building system. So the backend does use AI right now. If you add a Preview of your book, it’s possible their AI could have access to it since it’ll be in a data table.
It’s already on my Wish List to get the data tables into an external system instead of having them housed in the system itself. I just haven’t figured it out yet.

Is a v3 planned if this is v2?
Yes. One day I would like to get onto a dedicated backend instead of using someone else’s. But that requires investment and someone who knows what they’re doing, to which I don’t have the ability to make at this time and I have no idea what I’m doing.

How does Indie Unbound get traffic?
Most of it at the beginning will be word of mouth and Social Media. When a Book is approved, it’ll be shared to a dedicated Social Media account (currently just Facebook).

What if I have a suggestion for a change/feature?
Bring it on.

Why not just scrape to populate?
Because I’m not about that. I believe Authors should have as much control as possible and the way to ensure that happens is to have them make the decision to participate or not.
For this reason we also won’t let third parties list books on behalf of Authors. If we find this happening, the content will be removed.

Is this a different version of building a mailing list?
No. Email addresses are retained within the system itself and only available for Admin view. They never enter any type system that sends automated emails.
If communication is required via email, it’s manual and will always come from the Indie Unbound email domain (@indieunbound.com).

Who are the Admins?
Right now, me, myself, and I. If it becomes too much or I go somewhere that I’ll be unable to engage the system, I have a friend that is in the wings ready to assist.

What’s in it for the person who created it?
If you really boil it down, I’m trying to create a way to help get my published work out there once it’s finished without having to give the farm away to sell some eggs. The fact it helps others do the same too is bonus points.