I’ve built my writing life piece by piece.
The poetry book American Dreams by Sapphire was what first made me want to write. It helped me realize what people are capable of accomplishing with words. The Road by Cormac McCarthy also had a big impact on me. I’ve always had a “day job,” so writing has never been my main occupation; rather, it’s been something I’ve actively pursued in my spare time.
From 2010 to 2021, I wrote almost every day: early in the mornings, during lunch breaks, at red lights during commutes, and in the evenings. I wanted to express ideas in a raw but poetic way — especially ideas about how the world could be changed for the better. Over time, that work became eight books. My latest one, Animal Control, took the longest of all: about three years in total.
What Animal Control Is Really About
At its core, Animal Control is about having the power to change the world and what it means to use it, especially when that means coercing others.
I wanted to explore control from multiple perspectives: the person who exerts it, and the person who’s on the receiving end. The protagonist and her friends suddenly find themselves with the means to address many of the issues plaguing societies around the globe, and the story follows the ramifications of their decisions, both positive and negative.
The book tries to get the reader to consider big ideas. It can definitely be dark and violent in parts, but it’s also meant to be an engaging, fun sci-fi story about having superpowers. What inspired it overall was my own desperate wish to make the world better — even if I don’t know how.
Why I Chose to Self-Publish It
I’ve had some mainstream publishing interest in my writing over the years, but not a lot. So at first, self-publishing was partly a choice made by necessity.
Over time, though, I came to appreciate what it really offers: autonomy. For better or worse, I have the freedom to make decisions around all the elements of storytelling, as well as logistics like when to publish. When a book succeeds, it feels like I have true ownership of that success 一 but that’s also true of the failures.
There are obvious downsides, of course: no editorial team to help shape the story, no built-in marketing resources or reach. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that the independent road seems to be the one I’m on.
That’s why being selected by Kirkus as one of the Best Books of 2025 in the independent category meant so much to me. It felt like the culmination of over a decade of work done almost 100% on my own.
Discovering Reedsy and Mark K.
There are a lot of service providers in this industry, but Reedsy immediately struck me as a place where professionals would go for help.
When I searched for a cover designer, the results were noticeably elevated compared to other platforms I’d tried. Across the board, I found samples that felt world-class, like true works of art you could find in any bookstore or on any reader’s shelf.
I wanted a portfolio that felt high-quality, of course. But more than that, I was looking for someone who understood what I was trying to do with the story.
I wanted someone willing to take time to explore the book. This wasn’t just about making something that looked good — it was about finding someone who could translate the spirit of Animal Control into a single image.
I loved Mark K.’s previous work. But what really stood out was the way he approached the project from the very beginning.
During the exploratory phase, he asked me to send him examples of covers I liked — even beyond his own portfolio. When I sent them, his responses were so specific that I could immediately tell we were aligned in what we liked and didn’t like. It was obvious to me that he would be able to do something special.
The collaboration couldn’t have been better. Mark took the time to read a significant amount of the book, if not all. And he came up with a series of ideas/concepts based on very specific scenes from the story, stuff that you could only know about if you’d engaged with the story. He seemed to genuinely understand the unique “weirdness” of Animal Control.
I thought the “worm cover” was striking, a little strange, and invited curiosity. It was a great representation of the story, so I picked it.
In a way, Mark gave me a cover I didn’t even know I wanted. He said:
“I chose this moment because it’s small, strange, and easy to overlook. Early in the story, the worm forming shapes feels incidental, but as the book unfolds, you realize it’s quietly teaching you how power and intention work in this world. That ambiguity is important. I tend to avoid literal character-driven covers and instead look for a single image that hints at the rules of the story. Something simple, a little unsettling, that trusts the reader to connect the dots.”
Beyond the creative side, Mark was timely, friendly, and communicative. It felt like he was “on my side”, like a real team member.
Refining the Interior Design
For the interior, Mark made everything look crisp and clean and professional, which was exactly what I wanted. But he also put some special little touches throughout, such as the “dots” inside the Os. That wasn’t a feature of the font — that was something he added to give the interior a little “extra something.”
How the Book Has Been Received
From a critical standpoint, Animal Control has done well. It received a starred review from Kirkus:
"The protagonist's story feels light-years from the typical hero's journey, consistently focusing on more existential themes—and the result is something unusually unsettling and unforgettable. A strange, inventive tale that evolves into a challenging and rewarding odyssey."
As I said above, it was on Kirkus’ best of 2025 list in the independent category. It was also nominated for an Otherwise Award, which I’m proud of.
And from a commercial standpoint, the book was briefly a bestseller on Amazon, which was a great feeling. Overall, I’m very happy with the performance, and I feel I owe a lot of that to Mark and Reedsy. The feedback I’ve gotten on the cover has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from those in the industry who “know what works.”
For a book that came together through years of scattered but disciplined writing, that kind of recognition feels meaningful — and a good motivation to keep trying.
Read more of Jonathan's work at JonathanRMiller.com
