#Self Publishing Website Blogs

[jolenes-book-journey]

Getting the Word Out on Your Books

Getting the Word Out on Your Books is hard for all authors. As a self-published author, you know that marketing your book is essential to its success. But with so many places to share your book online, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some of the most popular places to share your self-published book and increase your sales: Continue reading Untitled

[dandthegods]

It’s LIVE!!!

my updated website with all the short stories I’m super proud of is live! there’s a lot of myths, monsters, and a few ghost stories. (and there’s a couple Batman fan fictions too)

and please please please check out Kim Holm’s art (@denungeherrholm). He’s super gracious and generous with the use of his work and I’m so glad to have it paired with my stories.

hope you enjoy!

[twisted-libra-cemetery]

Is it time for Twisted Libra 2.0?

#poetry #cemetery #taphophile #website #libra #google #squarespace #wordpress #goth #dark #death #books

A few months back, my website domain through Google was purchased by Squarespace. The transition has been, shall we say, less than stellar. In truth, Squarespace and its nonexistent customer service can go fuck itself. I have been unable to edit my website since the transfer. Inquiries and support requests go unanswered. This is absolutely ludicrous. To say I am upset would be an understatement.…

[sinsofthefire]

Great news! I got my own website, with my first pose here! Subscribe to the newsletter for more information that will soon come!

[bibou89]

[cleapallea]

master list + More

𐙚 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗦𐙚

& how you can make income! 🤑

Is empty house means empty wallet?

There are 12 sectors (zodiac sign + house) in astrology that reflect different aspects of your life. At this point, if you have planets in 12 houses, a planet being in that house as well as the rulers means you should have more focus in that area. For example, too many planets (2) in a tenth house with Venus aspects or rulers (Taurus and Libra) signifies that your career might be related to Venus qualities such as modeling, rebranding, or makeup (products, tutorials, etc.). Hence, I know some of you might ask: So what to do if none?

Empty Planet in 1st house

Aries: self image, rebranding and investing

Empty Planet in 2nd house

Taurus: depends on your own efforts. Kinda Similiar to 1st.

Empty Planet in 3rd House

Gemini: Person's activity, and investment (education, training and self development -professional)

Example: Graphic Designer, Artworks related, Freelance writer and etc

Empty Planet in 4th house

Cancer: Anything related to fostering homes, and building connections (social network)

Example: adopting a dog (female), and let them grow after that you can sell her puppies. Or you can build a pets/ poultry suppliers.

Empty Planet in 5th house

Leo: Anything related to pleasure, wholesome stuff, makes you happy and alive, self-expression, recreation, and innovation.

Example: Build a program (school, playground, or be a Yaya for a day) and alike

Empty Planet in 6th house

Virgo: anything related to health, wellness, and daily routines

Example: Be secretary, write a blog about health and wellness, Be a Yoga instructor, or Drugs Cashier in some malls, teacher and more.

Empty Planet in 7th house

Libra: anything related to partnership, business and interest in society as a whole.

Example: Be an event planner, teacher, or social media influencer starts to sell your self in social media.

Empty Planet in 8th house

Scorpio: money houses, long term success or growth career, real state investments and financial portfolios

Example: rentals of your personal collection like shoes, etc.

Empty Planet in 9th house

Sagittarius: Travel, higher learning, personal philosophy, exploration and intellect

Example: You may consider writing a story or list of quotes on a known website and look for a small publisher until you get recognized. You can also Teach foreign ppl in diff countries to use other languages.

Empty Planet in 10th house

Capricorn: public image, career aspiration and achievement, and more on ppl oriented.

Example: vlogger, streamer, content creator, YouTuber and alike

Empty Planet in 11th house

Aquarius: humanitarian and personal networks. Anything that may show your passion and interest in specific content.

Example: musician, or be friends with famous people (they can help you a lot), then let them see your talents. I've known a lot of Aquarius placements tend to be very talented. You just have to precise and be stick with good purpose cause double karma occurs if you're not.

Empty Planet in 12th house

Pisces: Mysterious side of humanity, mind, and life

Example: be a tarot reader, practice gambling, or any creative outlets.

✎ There are no such things as empty planets. The empty planets are ruled by the "lord" or "zodiac signs" inside them. Although I don't really believe it's not your main focus but more in IT'S YOUR HIDDEN GOAL AND SUCCESS, I've heard a lot of women who have their second house empty, but years later become rich due to partnerships, investments in education, and such. We have this called "transitting of each sign."

✎ take note that this is not a dynamic and astrology is about multifaceted interpretation. The question of where and what you can do to make money can vary depending on the whole system of your chart (aside from your energy). For me, I need to see the whole birth chart before I give the exact meaning of it. Every chart is different, so I can't provide full, detailed information about it.

✎You have to look for your MC (signs), Jupiter house +signs (power), Saturn (warnings/challenges occur) and Moon placed (for reminder why you started, why you need to work something like that) if you don't like your moon, then look for your south code. Or if you dont know how to start, look for the (Pluto). Find inspiration in everything :) God bless!

Plagiarism is A crime.

[writeblrcafe]

A Comprehensive Guide for Writing Advice

Sometimes, despite enjoying writing so much, something is not working for you. Maybe your well of ideas has run dry. Or your WIP has hit a corner and you can't find your way out to the end of the story. Or you need to go back to your finished draft and see if there are any kinks to clear up.

Fortunately, everyone at Writeblrcafé has experienced such, and to help you out, we have a bunch of links to helpful posts by fellow writers to help you along on your writing journey as well as some helpful links to other websites, resources and software.

General:

WHY IS WRITING IS SO FUCKING HARD? (@writers-hq)

Writer Block First Aid Kit (@isabellestone)

Websites for writers (masterpost @2soulscollide)

Writing advice (masterpost @theliteraryarchitect)

Writing resources (masterpost @stinastar)

One look thesaurus (a reverse dictionary where you can enter words or concepts)

Coming Up with Ideas:

97 Character Motivations (@theplottery)

Character Flaws (@fantasyfillsmysoul)

Character Profile (@mistblossomdesigns)

Characters Unflawed (@emptymanuscript)

Why Theme is More Important than Plot (@theplottery)

Weekly writing prompts on Reedsy

Drafting:

3 of the worst story beginnings (and how to fix them) (@theplottery)

Cheat Sheet for Writing Emotion (@myhoniahaka)

Creative Writing for Writers (@writerscreed)

Describing Physical Things (@wordsnstuff)

How to Craft a Natural Plot (@theplottery)

How to Write a Story? (masterpost @creativepromptsforwriting)

How to write: ethnicity & skin colour (@youneedsomeprompts)

What the F is Show Not Tell (@theplottery)

Writing advice from my uni teachers (@thewritingumbrellas)

First Draft: story outlining template meant to help with planning your next big writing project (@fauxriot)

The wonder/ discovery arc (@evelynmlewis)

How to structure a chapter (@theplottery)

How to pace your storytelling (@charlesoberonn)

How to write and research mental illness (@hayatheauthor)

Seven Blogs You Need To Read As An Author (@hayatheauthor)

Editing/Revising:

Eight steps in making the editing process of your book easier (@joaneunknown)

Kill Your Darlings (@tibodine)

Self editing tips (first pass) (@projecttreehouse)

Publishing:

Chill Subs: biggest database for literary magazines and small presses; track your submissions and get your writing published!

5 steps to get your novel ready to self-publish (by @nanowrimo)

Resources for finishing and publishing your novel (masterpost by @nanowrimo)

For self-publishing: this page gives you the exact pixel count of a book spine based on its page count, and/or a template you can use for the correct width/height ratio.

Software:

Scrivener: one time payment of $60 or 70€ (macOS/windows), $24 (iOS; no Euro listed for iOS); used by professionals, many tools to write and organize your novel

Bibisco: free and "pay what you want" version; multilingual, world building, character profiles, writing goals, story timeline, mind maps, notes and more templates to write a novel.

Manuskript: free open source-tool; outliner, novel assistant, distraction-free mode

Ghostwriter: a free and open alternative which has a decent interface with some interesting features, like Hemingway Mode, which disables one's backspace and delete keys, emulating a typewriter.

NaNoWriMo: an international contest to encourage writers to finish writing their novel with many events, groups for exchange with fellow writers, helpful writing advice and help for self-publishing and publishing traditionally.

Campfire Writing: website, desktop app, and mobile app, with tools built in to help manage characters, magic systems, research, etc. It has a great free option, plus monthly, annual, and lifetime purchase options. It also has built-in NaNoWriMo compatibility and a catalogue of tutorials and writing advice videos (suggestion by @harfblarf)

Websites And Writing Apps Every Author Needs In 2023 (@hayatheauthor)

Let us know in the comments if there are any links we could add to it! Reblog this post to help a fellow writer.

Support our work by buying a cup of coffee on KoFi.

[dduane]

Ma’am Im in the final third of writing my first draft for my novel (just passed 70k words!) do you have any advice about book marketing or self publishing? Ive been looking at something called Royal Road also in regards to those two things but no on I know has even heard of it…

First of all: congrats on your 70K!

"Do I have advice about marketing or self-publishing?" Wow, probably way too much, at this point. But for the moment let's limit ourselves to specifics. :)

I hadn't heard of Royal Road either, so I went and did some poking around. Below is an article that deals with some basic questions about them.

(Adding a cut here, because this gets long...)

Having read this article, I went and had a look at Royal Road's ToS, and their fee structures.

The fees were the first thing that gave me pause. Specifically, this; while RR has free options for readers, they don't appear to have any free options for writers. (If I'm wrong about this, I invite anyone with a pertinent link to point me at it.)

Now, the rule in writing as regards money is this: "The money flows toward the writer." This rule was codified years back by writer Jim McDonald and called Yog's Law (and over here at John Scalzi's blog there's a discussion of the Law and what it involves in these self-publishing days). It means that any kind of professional writing or writing-for-pay that involves the writer paying someone else to get their work where people can read it must routinely be carefully examined. You, after all, as the writer, are the source of the product and of the value in the product. If you're paying anybody to help get your writing seen, you need to look carefully at who controls whatever you're paying for along the road to being published.

So: if you use RR, you're paying them to show your work to people. (It seems a bit like AO3, except RR charges you for publishing with them.) Their ToS emphasizes that you own your work, but if you use them to publish, "...you grant Royal Road a non-exclusive, worldwide, sub-licensable, revocable license to use, display, promote, edit, reformat, reproduce, publish, distribute, store, and sub-license Your Content on the Services. This allows us to provide the Services, and to promote Your Content or Royal Road in general, in any formats and through any channels, including any third-party website or advertising medium."

Okay. So how, though, do you get paid for publishing on this site?

RR simply says that you're allowed to link your work to your Patreon or your PayPal account, and can accept donations that way.

Well, that's nice. But it doesn't strike me as much in the way of a payday. (Especially after what Patreon takes off its subscribers' earnings these days.)

What people are seeing this work?

Just Royal Road members, as far as I can tell.

And how many of those are there?

...I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to quickly determine that with any certainty. There are numerous sites that talk about millions of pageviews (assuming that's what "M" means these days): but views are not users.

And what is feedback worth, from that readership? ...Also hard to say.

This equation has way too many imponderables in it for my liking.

There are a number of articles scattered around that discuss numerous webpublishing options and which seem preferable. (This one seems to rank RR highest.)

...If I'm starting to sound unenthusiastic about this whole prospect, I think that perception would be correct. From where I'm sitting, RR looks to me kinda like paying for feedback... and from what might be a fairly small, and at the very least, limited, pool of contributors. I'm not at all sure how this experience would be likely to do anything much but help you feel better about yourself as a writer. Which, well, sure, that's nice. But is it value for your money?

More: how does what you get from RR actually help you transit into the wholly different experience of getting your work edited, getting a cover for your first novel(s), and learning about marketing out in the broader marketplace? That's unclear to me.

(I have to add one thing here as a general caveat. I'm in the Really Annoying Congestion stage of a head cold at the moment, and as a result my view of everything today is significantly jaundiced. But I also have to say that I doubt this particular assessment is going to change much after my nose stops running.)

So. If I was in your position, I'd be tempted to give the RR concept a miss and start inquiring into how best to use actual online publication resources that feed into a system where to get your work at all, people give you money.... because Writers Gotta Eat. (And yes, there's a whole self-publishing strategy that runs on the Nickel Bag paradigm: make sample work free online—sometimes through a retailer like the 'Zon—and then have all the samples "point at" work that people have to pay for. But that's another discussion.)

Anyway: hope this has been of some general help!

[renthony]

Intro & Pinned Post

Hi, I'm Ren Basel! My pronouns are they/them. I'm an independent media researcher, freelance writer, self-published author, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World's Freelance Journalists Union. I also cosplay and make various forms of art.

I love all things speculative fiction, animation, media studies, fandom, queer history, and labor organizing. I post a lot about those topics, and I love discussing them, so feel free to drop a message in my ask box!

If you use other social media and would like to follow me there, I'm on Bluesky and Instagram. I also run a Discord server for artists, creators, and the people who want to support us.

I wrote a queer fantasy story called The Queen of Cups, which is available as both a digital and paperback book. I also write essays about media and pop culture. If you like my work, you can commission me to write about a topic of your choice!

I have a Patreon page, which is the best way to support my work long-term, though I also have a page on my website with tip jar links and my family's Amazon wishlists. My husband and I also run an Etsy shop that sells beeswax candles.

Thanks for checking out my blog, and have a great day! <3

[ettawritesnstudies]

Writeblr Follow Train/queue fill up!

I just cleared out over 300 inactive/irrelevant blogs from my following list and I'm on the hunt for new, active writeblrs to follow! Please reblog this post if your blog is dedicated specifically to writing/art/original creative work!!

I'm not interested in seeing fandom or political discourse. That's all very important but my dash is cluttered with hundreds of other blogs posting that thank you very much.

All genres and ages are welcome but bonus points for fantasy, scifi, horror, and anyone who doesn't write romance/focuses on family plots

I am in the process of self publishing my debut novel and I'd love to connect with my peers! If you're also going through the publishing process or you have a book or two out, please introduce yourself!!

That being said, everyone is welcome to introduce themselves and share links to their WIP intros regardless of their experience level, I'll throw em in my queue!

If you don't know me: Hi! I'm Etta Grace, I've been on writeblr since 2019, and I used to be super involved in the community before college/real life work/author platform stuff consumed my time, and I'm trying to get back into things here! I run a website/YouTube channel where I do ARC and book reviews, author interviews, and share my observations on the publishing industry, and my middle grade faerie fantasy novel, Runaways, should hopefully be coming out in October 2025! This is my pinned post if you want to check out what I do!

Boosts appreciated!!

[drawing-prompt-s]

Promphet here!

Don't forget that prompts are run off of follower submissions to this blog - if there is something you want to see then please feel free to send it in! The more submissions the better!

Also, since this is an art blog, I know I have both artists and art followers on here - if anyone knows some cool artists that do book cover illustrations or would be willing, drop their tumblr/website/etc. in the notes please! I'm not saying commissioning is happening tomorrow or anything, but the goal is to have the book published or publishing by EOY 2025, so I would like to start looking more in depth now. I have one or two artists in mind, but other options are fantastic. I know what I want, generally, for at least the front cover, but I also recognize that I don't have the technical skills to execute it in a way I feel will be worthy of an actual book. Which is going to be self published. Preferably someone comfortable with both human and canine feature, as one is a human and one I would prefer to have in her werewolf form. Hopefully this makes sense, but I am also working as I type this so I haven't properly double checked it. Thought to throw it on to the quick submission reminder however. For anyone who responds, thank you!

[fourswordsannotated]

akira himekawa are unbelievably cool.

soooo here's the thing. i was looking at akira himekawa's website on a whim and found a public blog, with posts that go all the way back to 2009. many hours of google translating later, and i've developed an even stronger admiration of these two women and their exceptional career as manga artists. they share so much in these posts about the creative process, their thoughts on social justice, their connections with nature, and their most major original story, gliding reki, which seems to have always been a passion project in the midst of commercial work.

from what i could gather, reki is unique in that they were determined to do it in full color. and they did it, because after reading about their career, it's clear to me that when these women set their mind to an idea, they make it happen. see also: they just recently produced and distributed their own art book, because no publishers were offering to do it in a way that pleased them.

their stated goals for reki were to make something more adult than their previous children's manga, taking place in a city, involving a lot of mechanical art, and featuring stronger romantic and self-described erotic subtext. good for them. before i get into the four swords-related stuff, i'm sharing what i could find on the internet about reki.

more under the cut, because there's quite a bit to discuss :)

not much that i could find on the blog specifically references four swords, but they have many fascinating insights about nintendo, the zelda fandom, and the franchise as a whole. i can't know for certain because this information was surmised from translated text, but it seems as if their manga with chibi link made them feel a little stifled, which is why they took a long break before returning to do twilight princess. it's not lost on me that even a work like four swords, which they may regard as not their favorite or best, still has inspired and brought together so many passionate, creative, and diverse people. this is especially sweet because it seems as if they met each other, and formed their creative partnership, because of a shared fandom interest of their own.

honda and nagano have shared their thoughts and feelings on this blog for more than a decade, and they have a lot of thoughts and feelings. throughout their entire career they've made commentary on work-life balance, their experiences as women in a male-dominated field, and their desire to create original art while simultaneously enjoying some commercial work as well. they are passionate about social justice, particularly re: women and indigenous people, and offer insights on aspects of culture and history and the state of the world that really could resonate with anyone. and they really seem to appreciate fans of their work, and emphasize repeatedly the care and thought they put into their manga in the hopes it will inspire and bring catharsis to readers. they love animals (especially wolves), being outside in nature, being nerds about art they enjoy, a certain subgenre of romantic manga that appealed to and empowered female readers in the 90's and 2000's, and traveling around the world to partake in activities like horse riding and falconry.

the coolest part is, they're still updating the blog to this day :) in fact they seem to have recently returned to it, reflecting that twitter is not their preferred manner of sharing things online. they seem very familiar with and fond of older-school blogging culture.

there's a lot more i could say here about my findings, some of which do pertain to... certain ships 💜🖤 . but i don't want my genuine appreciation for these authors to be overshadowed by that kind of conversation. in addition to a link to the blog itself, i'm including a few translated posts of interests, which you can interpret and incorporate into your perception of the media however you please. at the end of the day, it's a really cool gift that these artists have chosen to share so much over such a long period of time. by making their personalities, beliefs, and insights more visible to fans of their work, i hope it brings new context to the stories we already love.

a modern-day insight:

re: the zelda mangas. these are from several points throughout their career. please note that they have so many fond things to say about zelda as a franchise and their work on the mangas, especially regarding the way they've affected fans. i encourage you to look for yourself, on their blog and their other socials!

re: gliding reki

re: the creative process (and in the latter two, the fandom that seems to have inspired them!)

re: their two goofyass adorable tiny dogs that they dress up in outfits while also loving wolves like a lot, they love wolves (both domesticated and wild), they really love wolves

re: wolf day (every day is wolf day,)

re: indigenous rights

re: painting serious works on commission vs their manga. i can't know for sure exactly what it means, but it really does kinda hit

re: a fan and manga artist in training bringing them art and a note

and a moment from a twilight princess manga interview i found very sweet :)

okay. you've made it to the end. i know you're wondering. here you go. please remember that this is and always has been a public blog, and these posts are actually from 2009 and 2010. also please remember that the point of this post is not to cause or fuel fandom discourse, but to appreciate these authors and the things that they choose to express.

(also, this is the column they were referring to in image 1. it's FASCINATING. give it a read if you'd like!)

the dots are there. you're welcome to connect them.

thank you for your beautiful work and insights, honda and nagano. please never change.

[goodluckclove]

Hey It's Me!

How are you? I've realized that I've taken up a habit of just forcing my way into the inboxes of other writers, so it would probably be helpful if I had a pinned intro.

I'm Clove Gardener! I'm a writer-type! I've written for fifteen years, and in that time I've made novels, produced plays, published short stories, written a column in an online arts website, ghostwritten a bunch of nonsense, and worked as a copywriter for a miserable marketing company. You can say I'm a working writer, and boy business is okay, I guess.

My new job is self publishing, specifically starting with the first book in the Songbird Elegies, coming out this summer. I actually started this blog to market, and to an extent I'm still kind of doing that sometimes. But there's a chance that's now the side-hustle to my true passion of directly befriending and talking with struggling word-handlers (writers) until they are able to properly handle their words (write).

A while back I went as far as to give my real email address to the internet so you can either send me what you're currently writing or like hack my accounts or whatever. If you chose to do the former, I would respond with praise, stray insights, and honest curiosity about your work. Guess what? I'm still doing that. But in the name of maybe not giving too much away, I've changed the email to the very classy writeforme42069@gmail.com. If you send your current writing that you need a shot of motivation on, send it there and I will read it with my eyes and heart. I will talk about it more than you are probably prepared to handle.

My inbox is also fully open! If you reblog one of my writing call-out posts and I spot some nonsense about how you don't think you can write or share your writing, I will probably message you and ask why. But if you want to message me directly, skip the small talk and get straight to business. I'm down to party. I'm also down to give insights on what I know of indie/trad publishing, as well as starting a career in professional, non-fiction writing. Both technical and lifestyle! The latter makes much less money than the former, but the former also isn't as boring as you might think!

So yeah - I'm Clover Gardener. Read my books when they come out if you want. Scroll through and you'll find excerpts from what I'm working on. If you draw fanart I will cry and die and pee myself in that order. I love you.

[radiantlight9]

ANURADHA

Anuradha, the 17th nakshatra in Vedic astrology, is a constellation marked by depth and nuance. Influenced by the stern but grounding Saturn and the benevolent deity Mitra (friendship), people born under Anuradha navigate life with a blend of practicality and idealism.

A core strength of Anuradha natives is their talent for building strong relationships. They value loyalty, honesty, and fairness, fostering a sense of harmony within their social circles. Their diplomatic nature makes them adept at bridging divides and creating a sense of unity.

However, this desire for connection can mask a deep well of emotional sensitivity. While they project a composed exterior, Anuradha individuals can be quite attuned to the feelings of others, sometimes to their own detriment. This can lead to a tendency to be overly invested in relationships, requiring them to develop healthy boundaries.

The influence of Saturn brings a dose of realism. Anuradha natives may face challenges and setbacks early on, but they are equipped with remarkable resilience. This perseverance allows them to overcome obstacles and find solace in self-discovery, often through intellectual pursuits or spiritual exploration.

Anuradha's symbol, the staff, hints at their potential for wielding knowledge and navigating complexities. They may have a natural curiosity about occult subjects or hidden patterns. This, combined with a logical mind, can make them skilled researchers or analysts.

Their inherent empathy allows them to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, making them valuable friends and colleagues. However, their sensitivity can leave them vulnerable to emotional overload. Their inherent selectiveness in choosing friends underscores their awareness of this vulnerability and (hopefully) allows them some measure of protection.

Ultimately, Anuradha is a nakshatra of transformation. With their unwavering dedication, empathetic nature, and thirst for knowledge, Anuradha individuals have the potential to become charismatic leaders who champion social causes. Theirs is a journey of uncovering the hidden light within and a testament to the potential for growth that exists even in the most obscure places - just like their symbol, the lotus, that blooms from muddy waters.

References

Sutton, Komilla. Nakshatras: The Stars Beyond the Zodiac. The Wessex Astrologer, 2014.

Tridevi, Prash. The Book of Nakshatras: A Comprehensive Treatise on the 27 Constellations. Sagar Publications, 2005.

Mangal Bhawan blog:

https://blog.mangalbhawan.com/nakshatra/anuradha-nakshatra/

Poddar, Sarajit. In search of Jyotish 9: The Nakshstras. Kindle Direct Publishing,2022.

Astrosaxena website:

https://www.astrosaxena.in/astrology/info/210/anuradha-nakshatra

[theboarsbride]

THE MONSTER AND THE BUTTERFLY to be deleted SUNDAY, JAN. 14.

Hey peeps n' poops!! so this has been a long-time coming but i thought i'd make a more 'formal' announcement about it.

I've been posting drafts of my victorian gothic romance novel 'the monster and the butterfly' on ao3 and Tapas, and as I start working towards (most likely self) publishing, I will be deleting it from both websites on SUNDAY JANUARY 14TH.

But yeah!! I am moving forward in publishing this novel (under the potential new title of 'GHOSTS PLAGUE THESE HALLS'), and am now working on Draft III and will be looking for beta readers come springtime!^^

I'm sorry it's such short notice but the longer I have it posted freely online the more paranoid I get about it being 'stolen', and I've just come to feel general discomfort sharing drafts of stories freely in online spaces. I hope y'all understand!

For more updates regarding the (hopeful) publication of this novel, please follow this blog (theboarsbride), my art instagram @/jojo.penguin.writes and/or my 'professional' author insta account @/josephine.taylor.author!

Feel free to DM me with any questions, concerns, etc!

[cyberstudious]

Free Resources for Learning Cybersecurity

I created this post for the Studyblr Masterpost Jam, check out the tag for more cool masterposts from folks in the studyblr community!

Free Online Courses

Linux Foundation Cybersecurity Courses - many of their beginner/introductory courses are free

Professor Messer's Security+ Course - a great intro to cybersecurity, gave me the skills to pass my Security+ exam

Khan Academy Cryptography - solid foundations for understanding the math behind encryption

ISC2's new entry level cert & training CC is free, although for a limited time

Linux Journey - learn Linux, the command line, and basic networking

Free CTFs & Ways to Practice

What is a CTF? - HackTheBox isn't a free platform, but this is a good article explaining what a CTF is and how to approach it

OverTheWire Bandit - practice your Linux skills

PicoCTF - this one already ran this year but their website has plenty of resources

Microcorruption - binary exploitation challenges

Hacker101 - web security CTF

Cryptopals Cryptography Challenges

Nightmare - binary exploitation & reverse engineering challenges

Cybersecurity News: follow what's happening in the industry

KrebsOnSecurity - security & cybercrime news, investigative journalism

SANS StormCast - daily 5-minute security news podcast

SANS Internet Storm Center - security blog posts

Cisco Talos blog - security news, threat intelligence & malware investigations

Schneier on Security - security & society

Black Hills Information Security webcasts

Darknet Diaries podcast

Other Free Resources

Trail of Bits's CTF Field Guide

PicoCTF Resources and Practice

SANS Cheat Sheets - all areas of security & tech

OWASP Cheat Sheets - application security & web attacks

LaurieWired's YouTube channel - high-quality videos on low-level tech

LiveOverflow's YouTube channel - binary exploitation

SANS Webinars

Cybersecurity Certifications Roadmap

Cybersecurity Job Supply and Demand Map (for the U.S.)

EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense - guides for how to protect yourself online

Don't Forget the Library!

If you have access to a public or school library, check out their technical books and see what they have to offer. O'Reilly and No Starch Press are my favorite publishers for technical and cybersecurity books, but be on the lookout for study guides for the Security+ and other certifications - these will give you a good introduction to the basics. I wrote more about cybersecurity books in yesterday's masterpost.