About one year ago, Fierce Plum published its first title:
Thick, Thin, What the Dragon Let In by Doworth Howard.
It’s a strange little book of short stories, rhymes, and reveries. Built for short bursts, not long sittings.
We didn’t expect the process to be easy. It wasn’t.
We didn’t expect most of the advice out there to hold up. Much of it didn’t.
But a year in, a few things are clear.
1. Visibility is harder than writing the book
Finishing a book feels like the hard part. It isn’t.
The harder part is making sure anyone knows it exists.
There is no single lever. No moment where it “takes off.”
Only small pushes: some work, most don’t, and none last as long as you’d like.
2. Paid promotion doesn’t create demand
We tested ads, placements, and paid newsletters.
Some delivered short spikes. Most didn’t.
None created sustained momentum.
Paid promotion amplifies interest.
It doesn’t create it.
3. Positioning matters more than tactics
“Bukowski meets Silverstein” worked better than anything else we tried.
Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s clear.
In a crowded market, clarity beats cleverness.
4. Short-form content needs to be immediate
This book was built for short reads like during commutes, coffee lines, five-minute breaks.
The same applies to how it’s shared.
No long intros. No slow build.
You have seconds, not minutes.
Start where the story starts.
5. Spikes are easy. Sustaining attention is not.
Promotions can move a book for a day, sometimes two.
Then it settles again.
Visibility isn’t built on moments.
It’s built on repetition.
6. The market is crowded, but not always how you expect
At one point, Thick, Thin, What the Dragon Let In reached the Top 20 in Poetry Anthologies and the Top 50 in Short Story Collections on Amazon.
That’s the headline.
The context is more revealing.
The categories are crowded, inconsistent, and often shaped by forces that have little to do with traditional literary expectations. What sits alongside you can be surprising.
The takeaway isn’t frustration. It’s clarity:
Distribution is wide. Positioning is everything.
#18 ranking in poetry collectiions in March 2026. A snapshot from along the way. The charts move quickly. The lesson stays.
7. Not everything needs to scale
Some efforts aren’t worth repeating. Others quietly compound.
Part of the work is knowing the difference and moving on quickly.
8. Momentum fades faster than expected
Gains don’t last as long as you think.
That’s not failure. It’s the system.
The work is in showing up again anyway.
What we’d do differently
Start earlier.
Focus more narrowly.
Simplify faster.
And spend less time chasing what’s supposed to work, and more time paying attention to what does.
What’s next
We believe in Doworth Howard, and will continue to promote his work, but Fierce Plum wasn’t built for one book.
This first year has been about learning what holds, what doesn’t, and where the real opportunities are.
More titles are coming.
Different voices. Different shapes. Same intent.
Books that are a little off-center.
Books that stay with you longer than expected.
What we call daring books with aplomb!
If you’re curious
Thick, Thin, What the Dragon Let In is still out there waiting for you dear reader—
a small, strange book doing exactly what it was meant to do.
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