Why AQ Books Will Always Be Different

At AQ Books, we believe “finished” isn’t the same thing as ready.

This week, we made the hard but necessary choice to pause two books that were fully written, fully edited, had paid-for covers, and ARC readers already waiting — Confessions of a Repeat Offender and Laced and Unleashed.

Why? Because when August re-read them — something he personally does with every title before it goes to print — they didn’t feel right anymore. The stories were there. The structure was solid. But the heartbeat was missing.

One had been polished so much it lost its rawness. The other told detachment so well it forgot the humanity underneath. And that’s not what AQ Books is about.

We’re not here to release “good enough.” We’re here to publish books that are bold, honest, deeply human, and unapologetically true — even if that means tearing them apart after they’re “done.”

The difference is already showing:

Confessions of a Repeat Offender just went through a one-week intensive refresh, emerging as a far stronger, sharper manuscript. It’s already back in the hands of our beta readers today — proof that taking the extra time pays off.

Laced and Unleashed is heading back into the workshop next, where it will get the same treatment until it’s not just complete, but right.

This is the AQ Books promise: every story is personally read and re-read by the author before it goes to print. No shortcuts. No compromises. No rushing. Because you deserve books with a pulse — not just pages.

📍 That’s what makes us different. And that’s why, when our books arrive on your shelf, you’ll know they’re not just finished — they’re exactly who they’re meant to be.