San Antonio writers form Inbound Books co-op to give authors more control over publishing

# What happened A group of San Antonio authors launched a publishing cooperative called Inbound Books on Aug. 27, 2026. The four founders are Jayne Bodmann, Christopher Bodmann, Joseph Guyer and BJ Bell. They started the co-op to give writers more control over marketing, distribution and how royalties are split.

# Why they started it The founders said traditional publishers often don't provide the level of marketing support authors need. Christopher Bodmann described his own experience: he planned to publish a short-novel series for preteens called Kid Comet but felt he wasn't getting marketing support. Those Kid Comet titles are the first books released through Inbound Books.

# What the co-op offers authors

# Distribution and local partnerships Inbound Books plans to work with San Antonio and South Texas bookstores and to partner with distributors to place titles in local libraries. The co-op says it is open to any author and intends to focus on building local relationships for placement and events.

# What this means for authors and readers For authors who want more control over how a book is promoted and priced, Inbound offers a combined publishing and peer-service model with stated emphasis on marketing and higher author returns. For local bookstores and libraries, the co-op's focus on South Texas distribution could mean new working relationships with an organized group of local writers and titles targeted at regional readers.

# Immediate next steps and early signals Inbound's first releases include Christopher Bodmann's Kid Comet short novels, which serve as an early example of how the co-op will handle production and promotion. The founders are prioritizing social media and event strategies as foundational elements of every launch.

# Bottom line Inbound Books is a small, author-run alternative to traditional publishing that bundles practical marketing support, a higher royalty split, and a cooperative labor-and-profit model. Its initial activity centers on local distribution and a set of preteen novels, but the co-op is recruiting authors broadly and plans to engage local bookstores and libraries in South Texas.