Writing Invisible: Building a Career in Genre Fiction While Going (Mostly) Unnoticed

by Noelle Adams, Claire Kent

Writing Invisible offers no secret formulas for success in commercial fiction. No empty positivity on how you'll make it in this business if you try hard enough. No step-by-step directions on craft, marketing, or publishing. And only two guarantees.

Pursuing an author career will eventually break your heart, but writing another book you love never will.

What Writing Invisible does offer is a different picture of success in the genres. Through authentic reflections on her own career, honest advice, and grounded observations on how the stories of her heart interact with the commercial book market, the author publishing as both Noelle Adams and Claire Kent highlights how she has managed to stay out of the spotlight while building an author career over thirteen years, two pen names, 136 books, and more than three million dollars in writing income.

The topics this book covers include the positioning yourself as an invisible writerthe intrinsic value of good storytelling and authentic voices in the genreswriting the books of your heart while still making moneymaintaining inner peace and creative freedom while managing social media presence, book events, reviews, marketing, and networkingintegrating hook and heart in the writing processtips for consistency, marketability, productivity and faster writing
More than anything else, Writing Invisible offers hope. That maybe, in the middle of a book market filled with noise, with loud voices, with conflicting expectations, with more focus on packaging than stories, and with endless amounts of stuff, it’s possible to craft a career that still and always holds story at the center. Maybe it’s possible to not buckle under the pressure of shaping yourself into one of the personalities that’s marketable online. Maybe you can find readers without hauling around all the extra baggage that’s treated as a requirement for a successful career.

Maybe it’s possible to be mostly invisible.

And just write.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

200 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2025

Reviews

[Jody Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noelle Adams has written a practical and engaging breakdown of her career as a writer, and her outline for finding success as a lesser-recognized writer, or writing "invisibly." This book truly lays out a guide to "how to intentionally position yourself as an invisible writer and how to write good books individual to you while still earning money." She's had a steady career under two (current) pen names and she really lays out how she got there and how another genre writer might duplicate her success.

Adams provides tangible steps to achieve each point, or provides examples of how she's done it. When she has taken advice or found a resource that particularly helped her, she specifically names it, whether it be a book, or workshop, or another writer's theory. She's been writing long enough to see trends come and go, algorithms shift, social media sites rise and fall, and readers reward different aspects of authorship. Throughout it all she's found a system that works for her, and is translatable to working for other authors to find success.

I found this book engaging and a fascinating look behind the curtain of being an author. I'm not a fiction writer, but I do write and edit, and I found it interesting to see how it works for more creative people. I do wonder, with the extreme success of the After the End kickstarter, if she will be writing "invisibly" much longer.

I know Adams has said that this book is meant for writers, and it is. Any writer in any genre will benefit from it. But the themes within; to define what success looks like to you and measure yourself against that, not what others achieve, to work to your strengths, and to make a consistent, steady effort seem pretty universal to me.

I was an early reader for this book, this review is based on its final form.

[hungrybookworm.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌.”

I’ve been reading Noelle Adams and Claire Kent's books long before the pandemic, and I’ve always been so curious about her. She’s one of those authors who quietly caught my eye, not just through her stories but through her complete absence from the spotlight. For years, I’ve wondered why I could only find her on Facebook and why there were no public photos or interviews like most authors. I even thought she's Samantha Chase.

When I saw her offering ARCs for Writing Invisible, I knew I had to read it. And honestly, it gave me goosebumps. To finally understand the story behind the author whose books have been my constant palate cleansers. I loved reading about her journey, the struggles, the decisions behind self-publishing, and how she built a long-lasting career while staying true to herself and mostly out of the public eye.

As an introvert myself, I could relate so much to her thoughts about visibility, social energy, and creative peace. It made perfect sense why she chooses to stay “invisible,” and I admire her even more for it.

Anyway, I first discovered her through the Convenient Marriages series and completely devoured it. I even told her how much I loved Negotiated Marriage and The Christmas Bride! Ahhhh that hospital scene will always be one of my all-time favorites. Her books are the kind I reach for when I’m in a reading slump—short, easy to read, single POV (my favorite), and always so comforting.

Later, I stumbled upon Escorted by Claire Kent, not realizing at first that it was her. I remember thinking, “Well that's interesting....something I don't usually read,” but wow, I finished it in one sitting and had to bingeread her other books.

In addition, reading about the history behind Remake and Hold one of my all-time favorite, amazed me. Learning how those stories came to be, added so much depth to my appreciation for them. I also read Last Light, my first post apocalyptic romance before the pandemic. And, I was so happy when she finally released the Kindled series.

This book isn’t just about writing. It’s about finding balance, staying authentic, and redefining what success looks like. I’ve always appreciated Noelle’s kindness toward her readers, from giveaways to little interactions, and reading this made me even more grateful for her.

She’s definitely one of my all-time favorite authors, and Writing Invisible reminded me why. I once thought working with her would be a dream, but honestly, just being part of her ARC team already feels like such an honor.

“𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆.”

“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒐𝒚, 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒆𝒅, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

[Shruti Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I can’t promise you anything else, but I can promise you this.
Writing another book you love will never break your heart.
And there’s always another empty page."

Thank you so so much for the arc.
This was truly a help for my wip book.
I don't understand how I can review this book since I've never read a book like this before.

Getting to know Claire Kent's somewhat personal struggles while writing made me feel and realize how difficult and heartbreaking it is to be a writer.
But it also made me realize how despite all this, they never ever give up and realize that no matter what, there art is truly worth it.

A specific chapter has instantly made me want to read her book 'The remake' and I'm sure now that I know it's history, it's going to leave much more impact on me.
It’s also truly brilliant how she has managed to keep herself 'Invisible' and I genually applaud her for that.

The most insightful and knowledgeable part for me was the triangle of meaning, craft and feels.

"All the time and effort and tears and sweat and mental power and the pieces of your soul poured into writing a book of your heart will never be wasted. It will always have one reader who loves it. Even if that reader you."

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading books about writing is one of my favourite things to do, so when I learned that Noelle was going to publish one, I couldn't help myself. I emailed her and offered to write an honest review in exchange for an ARC. She kindly agreed, and for that, I'm very grateful (this is my very first ARC!).

I might not know her personally, but the fact that she responded and trusted me with her book spoke volumes about who she is—both as a person and as an author. For that reason alone, I recommend reading this book. She clearly practices what she "preaches."

In my opinion, Noelle has truly mastered how to maintain her peace while managing her social media presence. She's passionate about her work and her books, and she approaches both with a genuine desire to help them get the recognition they deserve.


Noelle is a fast writer, and I appreciated how she shared the strategies that have worked for her over the years.

I also enjoyed the section where she discussed the dangers of reading reviews: you run the risk of diverting from what you really want to write because you're thinking about what people want to read. And, of course, it's impossible to please everyone. 

As the previous reader said, the chapter where she spoke about her method of assessing the quality of the books she reads and writes was very interesting to me. I think I understood what she meant, and to me, having a "contained" system that helps you achieve whatever it is you want to achieve is always very welcome (we like to feel in control in this house 😭😂!).
I'm glad she found what works best for her 💓


✅ It makes you think.
✅ Unapologetic, direct, honest approach.

If you enjoy her books, it could be fun to analyse her writing style after reading this one!

Thank you so much, Noelle
Wish you the best of luck 🪷

[May Alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a faceless author who is still debating whether or not to remain faceless, I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to read Writing Invisible, as it’s clear the author (one of my all-time favorites!) put in a lot of time and invaluable thought into this book. It’s not a How-To exhaustive list, but reads more as (ironically enough) a sit-down coffee date with the author as she explains how she has remained faceless while building her sustainable career as a writer for two decades—knowledge that you may be able to apply toward your own career.

I think this book may be especially helpful for those who are introverts and/or socially anxious, who worry they must attend all of the events, make all the faceforward videos, and do as much marketing as possible (hustle & grind culture) in order to “make it” in this industry (or even just dip their toes in the water of publishing). Because, from what I’ve, with relief, learned from this book, you simply don’t have to. There are other ways of going about making a living as an author who would rather keep their personal life completely separate from their business life.

Since the author speaks on how some of her books originally “flopped” and didn’t gain much traction until years later, I want to finish my review by recommending by favorite book of Claire Kent’s that went under the radar for a long time: Last Light, a natural disaster post-apocalyptic, age gap romance that I have reread a countless number of times. I am not exaggerating when I say that I shed a tear and ranted everyone’s ear off when I read that Last Light was intended to be her last book written under that pen name. So imagine how absolutely stoked I was when she started writing the Kindled series, all of which I have greedily consumed, just as I did with Writing Invisible, and just as I will continue to do with every future release.

[Lissa Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Noelle Adams/ Claire Kent and was very intrigued by the premise of this book. So much of building a writing career today seems to hinge on plastering your face on every social media platform, but Adams offers insights as to why that might not be ideal for every writer and how to build a steady, sustainable career without all the flash. It was really interesting to get a peek behind the scenes of how Adams built her readership over many years, and I found her insights to be refreshingly honest about the highs and lows of pursuing a life in publishing. I would recommend this for anyone who wants a realistic, no-nonsense, non-gimmicky glimpse into what it takes to build a long-term career in indie publishing.

(I was offered a free ARC of this book for my honest review.)

[Mr. Abajyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire is one of my favorite romance authors, so when I saw that she was going to publish a book about her writing journey, a sort of behind-the-scenes, I couldn't contain my excitement. I applied for an ARC, and she was kind enough to provide it.

This was a fun and inspiring read, and as an aspiring writer, it made me feel seen. It's hard to rate such a personal book, but I ultimately decided to go with four stars because while it's not the most information-dense how-to, it will give you a general sense of the life of a self-published author and the tradeoffs they face, and if you're a fan of Claire's work and nosy like me, you'll love the little anecdotes.