Has follow for re-follow every worked online? I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather have one genuine follower who interacts with my content than 1,000 fake followers who just want the re-follow.
You can follow my Grok Diary in real time here: @michael_brig
No. 28 of 52 can be found here:
DE | https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0HMJ1Q1YF
US | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HMJ31VFN
In a world where everyone can look however they want, appearance has become a matter of choice. At work, on the street, or on a first date, everyone wears an Everyman suit. But what remains of the person beneath the suit when anyone can be Everyman?
As always, the short story book is freely available from today until Friday. So grab a copy now. If you liked the story, please leave me a review. Thanks.
See, reels, character quotes, and carousel ranking tropes – this advice might work, but it makes Instagram feel like yet another platform to “work” on. Wasn’t the idea to just have a platform to connect with your community?
I get it, to connect with people you first need to have a community. But this entire sales approach to social media is something that I don’t really enjoy. When I check someone’s social media, I know that person from books, videos, music or a blog. Social media is just an extension for me to get to know the person a bit better. Maybe this idea of social media is from a different time, but I don’t want to do anything online as a “creator” that I wouldn’t want to see as a “consumer”.
Me the book reader wouldn’t read someone’s Instagram for reels and carousel ranking tropes. I want to see some personal stuff of the authors that I read anyway. Book recommendations are fine here and there, but make it authentic and honest instead of creating yet another marketing piece.
That is just my take. But as this is my project, my take will determine what I do on social media. And carousel posts, character quotes, and annoying reels aren’t it.
You can follow my Grok Diary in real time here: @michael_brig
The perks of the AI era.
In September 2026, Amazon introduced upload limits for KDP. Here is the official German support page confirming the new restrictions: Official KDP Upload Limits
In short: Authors are now limited to two new titles per book format per week on KDP.
It seems some of the hustle bros have been using AI to flood the platform with low-quality nonsense, forcing Amazon to put on the brakes.
My plan was to upload all the STORY52 books this year, but thanks to these new restrictions, that’s no longer possible. One of my main projects for 2026 has become unachievable within the planned timeframe.
On the bright side, all the books are written, edited, translated, and ready for upload. I’ll still complete the project in the near future. Unfortunately, that future is now somewhere in 2027.
I don’t want to make reels right now – there is not enough time for yet another content type to worry about.
The more I read and learn about Instagram, the more I think that I’ll just keep it as a supplement platform where I share book covers and (in the future) sporadic personal images. The so-called “growth” on there either happens from people finding me on different platforms and checking out my Instagram or it won’t happen at all, I guess.
You can follow my Grok Diary in real time here: @michael_brig