“I would read your book, but I don’t support Amazon.”

"If you don’t use Amazon, where do you actually look for books?"

What followed surprised me. The discussion reached 20,000+ readers and generated 100+ thoughtful replies. There was disagreement, nuance, contradiction, and—most importantly—clarity.

First: This Is Not a Culture War

Let me be clear upfront: I’m not interested in “Amazon good vs Amazon evil” debates. I don’t believe readers are morally obligated to buy anywhere, and I don’t believe authors should be shamed for how they make their work available.

What Readers Actually Use (Spoiler: It’s Not One Thing)

One of the strongest takeaways was this:

Most readers don’t use a single platform. They use ecosystems.

From the responses, clear patterns emerged:

🔹 Bookshop.org

The most frequently named alternative for new books. Readers love that it supports independent bookstores while still offering online ordering.

🔹 Libraries (Libby / Hoopla / OverDrive)

Far more dominant than I expected. Many readers rarely buy books at all—they borrow digitally. Libraries aren’t “dying”; they’ve just gone digital.

🔹 Kobo

The leading Amazon alternative for ebooks. Especially popular with sci-fi readers who own Kobo devices or dislike Kindle’s ecosystem.

🔹 Used-Book Platforms

ThriftBooks, World of Books, Better World Books, eBay. A significant group of readers buy only used books.

🔹 Google Play Books & Apple Books

Often overlooked by authors, but clearly in use.

🔹 Niche Indie Platforms

itch.io, DriveThruFiction, StoryBundle—smaller audiences, but highly aligned with indie sci-fi readers.

Not All “Non-Amazon” Readers Are the Same

Another important insight: avoiding Amazon means very different things to different people.

Some readers are:

• Library-first readers (borrow digitally, buy rarely)

• Used-book readers (sustainability + cost)

• Indie-support readers (Bookshop.org, local stores)

• E-reader loyalists (Kobo, Google Play, Apple)

• Pragmatists (avoid Amazon when possible, but won’t punish an author)

Many explicitly said:

“I don’t use Amazon—but if a book is only available there, I’ll still buy it.”

That matters. Avoiding Amazon does not mean avoiding authors.

My Publishing Choice (Transparency Edition)

Since I asked readers to be honest, I owe the same in return.

Here’s my current approach:

📌 Launch Phase

This was an experiment—not a belief system.

📌 What Happens Next

After the KU period ends, I plan to:

• Expand to Kobo

• Explore wide distribution

• Look into library availability

• Consider indie-friendly platforms readers actually mentioned

For many international self-published authors, Amazon isn’t a preference; it's infrastructure.

It offers:

• Global storefronts

• Simple onboarding

• Tax handling

• Worldwide delivery

• Reader familiarity

Using Amazon is often about access, not endorsement. That doesn’t mean it’s the only path—but it explains why so many of us start there.

What I’m Taking Away From This

This conversation changed how I think about distribution. Not because Amazon is “bad” or the  alternatives are “better.”

But because readers are far more diverse than platform debates suggest.

If there’s one lesson here, it’s this:

Choice matters. Availability matters. Listening matters.

Thank You

As a writer who learned English as a second language, I’ve spent a lot of time stressing about "The Anglosphere." You know the feeling: if you aren't selling in the US, the UK, or Canada, you aren't really making it. We agonize over prepositions, stress about phrasal verbs, and worry that our lack of "native flow" holds us back.

But recently, I dove into the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI) 2025 report, and let me tell you—it was a wake-up call. The data suggests that being a non-native writer isn't a handicap; it might actually be a strategic asset in a global economy.

Here is what I found, and why I think it’s time we rethink our maps.

1. The World is Better at Reading Than Speaking

If you take nothing else away from this, take this: In nearly 80% of countries, reading is the strongest English skill.

The report highlights a fascinating gap. While people might struggle to speak English fluently—what the report calls "productive skills"—their ability to understand written text ("receptive skills") is significantly higher. In fact, reading is the easiest skill for school systems to develop and the one people practice most on their own.

What this means for us: There is a massive "Silent Majority" of readers out there. They might not feel comfortable hopping on a Zoom call with a native speaker, but they are perfectly comfortable curling up with a book in English. The barrier to entry for reading your work is much lower than you think.

2. We Write the "Global Standard"

The report talks about English functioning as a "bridge," enabling dialogue between global knowledge and local understanding. It also notes that listening comprehension trails reading scores by over 20 points globally because understanding spoken accents and fast speech is difficult.

Why does this matter? Because native English writers often alienate international readers with complex cultural references, regional slang, or overly flowery prose.

This is where our "non-native" status becomes a superpower. We naturally write what I like to call "International English." We don't use obscure baseball metaphors or regional British slang that confuses a reader in Brazil or Japan. We write cleanly. We write clearly. We are the bridge the report is talking about.

3. Redrawing the Map: It’s Not Just About London

We usually market our books to the obvious suspects. But the 2025 rankings threw up some surprises that we shouldn't ignore.

Did you know that Croatia is ranked #2 in the world for English proficiency? Or that South Africa (#13) and Kenya (#19) are in the "Very High" and "High" proficiency bands?

Here are a few places where English proficiency is skyrocketing, yet most authors ignore them when setting up their ads:

• The Netherlands: Consistently #1. They read English as easily as Dutch.
• Malaysia & The Philippines: Both are in the top 30 globally.
• Portugal: Ranked #6 in the world.

The industries with the highest English levels are Information Technology and Professional Services. These are people hungry for knowledge, self-improvement, and entertainment, and they are consuming it in English.

The Takeaway

The report states clearly: "English remains the world's most common shared language". But that shared language doesn't belong to the US or the UK anymore. It belongs to everyone.

So, the next time you set up a Facebook ad or choose keywords for your book, maybe look beyond the usual borders. There is a whole world of high-proficiency readers out there, and they are waiting for a voice they can understand—yours.

The Silence is Louder Than the War.

For twenty years, the Terran Alliance fought a simple war against the "Spacer" colonists of Galatea. The propaganda was easy: Spacers aren't human. They are biological machines bonded to a hive-mind chorus they call "The Verse." They have no souls, no individuality, and they must be destroyed.

The standing order was absolute: No Prisoners.

Until Lieutenant Lucian Aris broke the rule. He didn't bring back a corpse; he brought back Commander Gordon Monihan—a legend among his people—alive.

THE SPACER (The Galatean Saga)

By Jasmine P. Antwoine

Now trapped in a Terran interrogation cell, Monihan has been stripped of the neural connection to his people. Plunged into a deafening, solitary silence for the first time in his life, he faces a new kind of warfare.

He is no longer a soldier; he is a specimen. Dr. Hayden, a cold xenopsychologist, is determined to dissect Monihan—mentally and physically if necessary—to prove once and for all that Spacers are just hardware waiting to be broken.

Monihan must endure the silence, resist the torture, and hold onto his sanity in a system designed to erase him. In a war built on lies, the most dangerous weapon of all is the truth hidden inside that cell.

Perfect for fans of military sci-fi that delves deep into the psychological toll of conflict. If you enjoyed the moral complexity of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, the gritty factional politics of James S. A. Corey's The Expanse, or the existential questions of identity in Martha Wells' The Murderbot Diaries, step into the interrogation room with The Spacer.

While social media feeds are currently flooded with "AI hate" and polarized shouting matches about the death of art, a much more serious and nuanced conversation is taking place in the halls of academia. Beyond the noise, deep thinkers are debating not whether machines will replace us, but how the very nature of human creativity is evolving.

Leading this discussion is Luciano Floridi, the Founding Director of the Yale Digital Ethics Center and a Professor in the Cognitive Science Program at Yale University. A recipient of Italy's Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit and a former Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at Oxford, Floridi offers a framework that moves past the knee-jerk reactions.

Floridi argues we have entered a "post-Vitruvian" era—a time when seeing a text or image no longer guarantees a human hand created it. He suggests that the human role is shifting from manufacturer to designer. Just as an architect is credited for a building without laying every single brick, the future creative will be defined by their ability to orchestrate, control, and design the machine's output.

A new paradigm 

This philosophical shift isn't just academic theory to me; it is the story of my life.

I didn't stumble upon ChatGPT looking for a quick buck or internet fame. I am not coming from nowhere. I have been a creative my entire life—drawing and painting since childhood, writing poetry and prose since my teens. I remember the joy and the struggle of my first computer, painstakingly drawing in MS Paint with a mouse, and later the revelation of a graphic tablet and early video editing software like Windows Movie Maker on Windows XP.

But life has a way of grounding you. Despite my drive and talent, I didn't have the launchpad or financial safety net to pursue the arts professionally. I needed "bread on the table." So, I took a pragmatic path: working with my hands, then college, HR, and eventually engineering.

My career pays the bills, but the creative spark never died. It just became a hobby I had to squeeze into the margins of a busy life. And that is exactly where AI changed everything.

From Time-Constrained to Unleashed

Floridi talks about the shift from manufacturing to designing, and that is exactly what AI has allowed me to do. I could draw a spaceship in Gimp pixel by pixel, but I no longer have the endless free time of my youth. AI allows me to skip the manual labor and focus on the vision.

It has opened universes that were previously locked behind barriers of time or opportunity. I grew up wishing for piano lessons, wanting to play an instrument but lacking the means. Now, I can compose music. I can create complex videos that would have crashed my old computers. I can self-publish my writing without gatekeepers.

I sometimes wonder where I would be if I had these tools when I was young and had all the time in the world. But today, these tools are my wings.

Make no mistake: When I use AI to generate something, it is not an "AI creation." It is mine. I don't use AI to create for me; I use it to bridge the gap between the vision in my head and the reality on the screen. It has empowered me to finally bring my universe to life.

The $0.99 Deal That... Wasn’t Quite

When I first set up a Kindle Deal for The Order of the Sacred Vow, I was genuinely excited. I’d timed it for June 1–8, eager to give readers a full week to discover Portia’s story at just $0.99. It felt like a generous re-introduction of the novella’s new edition. But here’s what happened—and what I’ve learned.

By the end of the deal, the price had crept back up close to its original. Some readers missed the offer entirely. And that’s on me.

And if you’re an indie author navigating the wild west of Amazon marketing? Learn from me: read the fine print, monitor your deal daily, and keep your readers in the loop.

Thank you for your patience—and for continuing to dream with me in the world of Amorphya.

—Jasmine 💚

What began as a vow carved in stone…

…becomes a descent into fractured faith, ideological war, and the hunger of something ancient beneath the lake.

The Order of the Sacred Vow is now available in its second edition—a darker, more immersive version of Portia’s journey through loyalty, blood, and awakening. And now, the city of Amorphya breathes with sound and vision.

🎬 Watch the full book trailer below:

Grab your copy of the book on Amazon:
📖 Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F7RM91JY
📱 Kindle Deal (Limited Time Offer is $0.99 June 1–8): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F76SZ781

Behind the Scenes

When I envisioned the trailer for The Order of the Sacred Vow, I didn’t want flashy explosions or generic text scrolls.

I wanted something darker. Slower. A whisper of heresy wrapped in ritual.

What I created is a 60-second trailer powered entirely by a mix of creativity and modern tools. Here’s how I did it:

🖼️ IMAGERY

The visuals came from several AI art platforms:

• Midjourney: for moody cityscapes and characters
• Leonardo & DALL·E: to enhance details and match tone
• GIMP & Luminar Neo: for post-editing, glow effects, and light distortions

Each frame was refined manually to preserve the layered look of Amorphya—gritty, sacred, and broken.

🎵 MUSIC & SOUND

The soundtrack was composed in Suno, with eerie harmonics and distant echoes.
Voiceovers? Done in ElevenLabs, where I chose a tone that felt half-prayer, half-prophecy.

🎬 VIDEO EDITING

I used Movavi for final assembly and cuts.
Transitions were built to feel like flickering thoughts—half-forgotten doctrine and bleeding memory.

For extra drama, I experimented with Sora and Kling to animate moments.

💬 SCRIPT & STORYBOARD

The quotes you see:

• “The last city on Earth…”
• “The Order keeps the peace…”
• “And the Dream… is hungry.”

were all mapped out with the help of ChatGPT, who became my full-time creative assistant, script-polisher, and caption whisperer.

🧪 TOOLS I USED:

• GIMP, Luminar Neo, Movavi – for editing and final export
• Midjourney, Leonardo, DALL·E – for artwork and worldbuilding stills
• Suno AI – soundtrack generation
• ElevenLabs – voiceovers
• Sora, Kling – visual effects and motion
• ChatGPT – planning, storyboarding, and moral support ☕️

You don’t need a studio to make something cinematic. You need story. Mood. And tools that serve your vision.

If The Order of the Sacred Vow was a ritual…
This trailer is the first crack in the altar.