Since 2021, self-published authors have generated over a billion dollars in sales per year, while taking home less than a fair share of those dollars. Exploitation stories don't end there. There's the one about digital returns... Which, they’ve admittedly updated, but eBooks are the only digital items that the behemoth allows. But there’s also that in order to gain the highest return on publication, self-publishers must contract their right to sell elsewhere away… And even though there are now “limits” on the number of books posted per day on that one site… AI is something we’re a bit concerned about. Not just for generated material. But also for plagiarism. We are sure there are many more ways self-publishing writers are being exploited. And are committed to doing something about it…

We believe the time has come for creators - writers, digital cover designers, editors, and small presses to join together with readers to build a community marketplace that we own. When we own, we set the terms for how we are paid. We determine if and how works can be returned. We decide if we want to limit our ability to publish our works elsewhere. Our voices matter. It’s time we bring them together. We are building a cooperative enterprise that serves to move us away from exploitative corporations to community supported publishing.

Trunk of My Car is a nod to the indie authors who came before us. Pre-internet warriors. The ones who loaded up their cars and posted up outside grocery stores and shopping malls. Those who kept their sales revenue in their communities. We are because they were.

We are the ones we’ve been writing for.