Self Publishing Insiders

Dianna Gunn decided she wanted to be a writer at eight years old. Her writing accelerated when she participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time and unlocked the power of community. Now she runs her own writing community, Weeknight Writers, who are introducing First Draft Fall, a new writing challenger for authors in need of community. We'll discuss: • The Weeknight Writers and what they offer auth...

In the current attention economy, it's important to be on your readers' radars. Keeping in touch with your readers by offering them content between releases can turn readers into devoted fans. Our own Nick Thacker joins us to walk authors through setting up their newsletter. We'll dsicuss: • The benefits of maintaining an author newsletter • How to get a newsletter started from scratch • Best prac...

Publisher of Indie Author Magazine and Founder of Indie Author Training, Chelle Honiker's a passionate advocate for the success of Indie Authors. She's taking that passion into a new author education venture with indieauthortraining.com. We'll learn: • How training and education in the indie publishing space is changing • What sets Indie Author Training apart from other education platforms • How A...

Claire Taylor is a humor and mystery author and the mind behind The Liberated Writer. As a certified Enneagram practitioner and a long-time editor and story consultant, Claire helps authors understand themselves and their characters more deeply to tell iconic stories. In this episode, you'll learn: · What readers want out of character relationships · How the Enneagram framework can help you create...

Ashli O’Connell is the author of the historical novel Emmaline. As a debut author, she earned five figures of royalties in ten weeks— all without having her book in Kindle Unlimited. Ashli joins us to share insights into her author debut and lessons learned from her successful book launch. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing...

Dale L. Roberts is an accomplished indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale on YouTube. His specialties include book publishing, video production, public speaking, and networking. We dig into: · What authors can get out of YouTube · How to start building your platform on YouTube · What video content you should be making to help your author brand //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Ind...

Before a novel hits shelves, some authors are inviting readers into the process—one chapter at a time. This episode explores pre-publication serialization with novelist Matty Dalrymple, who's serialized her twelfth and latest novel to subscribers. We dig into: · For authors: real-time reader feedback, revision insight, and built-in pre-launch buzz · For readers: early access, behind-the-...

Tara from Author Support joins the D2D Team to answer author questions and bust common myths about publishing with Draft2Digital.  //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the w...

In this episode, we delve into new data from Edison Research that found U.S. fiction audiobook listeners prefer Spoken’s multi-cast AI narration to that of human narrators. The study surveyed over 1,000 fiction audiobook listeners who blind-tested human narration against Spoken's Multi-Cast™ AI narration. To help us understand the data, we’re joined by Phil Marshall, founder of Spoken, and Megan L...

Sometimes discovery writing leads to dead ends, character inconsistency, or stories that wander off track. USA TODAY Bestselling Author Paul Austin Ardoin joins us with tips to help pantsers looking for practical tools to strengthen their stories without losing what makes them discovery writers. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing...

Author Nation is the world’s largest indie author conference, built around a simple belief: successful authors are built through community, strategy, and consistent action.  But Author Nation is more than a four-day Vegas Convention; it's a community meant to help authors build sustainable, prosperous creative careers in the golden age of content creation.  In this episode, you'll learn:  • The mi...

Substack for indie authors: where to start, what to post, and how to grow. Sinem Günel of Write • Build • Scale joins the D2D Self Publishing Insiders podcast to give you the playbook — from setting up your publication to landing your first subscribers and building a readership that follows you from book to book. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path...

The Draft2Digital team discusses the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale and how authors can get the most out of our Smashwords Sales as marketing opportunities.  //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and s...

Tikiri Herath is the award-winning author who went from working in federal intelligence to writing her own worlds of suspenseful thrillers. Changing careers can be an intimidating prospect, but Tikiri took a new path and built a thriving author business along the way. This week, we'll discuss: • Pivoting mid-career from corporate work to full time novelist. • Running indie author-dom as a business...

Amy Award is a spicy romance author who believes that all bodies are beautiful and deserve their own love stories with Happy Ever Afters. This week, she joins us for a deep dive on building connections with fans. You'll learn:  • Why direct author-reader connection is indie authors’ secret superpower • Proven strategies for turning casual readers into lifelong superfans • How Amy built a devoted c...

Romance Writers of America® (RWA) has a long history of advancing the common interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by increasing public awareness of the romance genre.  In this conversation you'll learn about:  • The RWA's historic mission of uplifting the romance genre  • The many ways RWA helps career-minded romance authors advance their careers  • What'...

NYT Bestselling Author Alessandra Torre and co-founder of Inkers Con joins us to discuss opportunities authors should be considering in 2026. In this episode, we'll learn: • 3 areas where authors should focus their efforts from 7x NYT bestsellling author Alessandra Torre • What's in store at Inkers Con 2026, a premier online author conference and one of the only conferences to offer a money-back g...

As authors, we strive for success, but without the right mindset, it can be impossible to build a sustainable author career. Russell Nohelty of Hapitalist joins us to discuss how authors can find career success without sacrificing joy.  In this week's episode, you'll learn:  • The importance of balancing passion and business.  • The Philosophy behind Hapitalist.  • How to build a serious author ca...

Lexi, Nick, and Mark from the Draft2Digital Team is here to answer author questions about publishing, best practices, and distributing your books with Draft2Digital. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it onl...

Scams targeting authors are nothing new. Yet scammers using AI tools are driving a level of volume, and sophistication, never seen. In this episode, Dale Roberts joins us to explain how the game has changed, what to watch out for, and what to do if you fall victim to an author scam. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//   Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Dr...

Emily Goodwin is the VP of Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc and runs Galaxy Press. For the past 40 years, their Writers of the Future program has championed the writing community, allowing seasoned authors to guide newer authors under their wing to help them grow. In this episode, we discuss:  ● The value of short stories and sci-fi in storytelling.  ● The importance of contributing to the...

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and best-selling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other resources for writers. Becca joins us to share how understanding the psychology of fear can help you write vulnerable, complex characters.  In this episode, you'll learn:  • How fear impacts your character's personal journey  • How to identify the fear holding a character back  • Ho...

Jo Wildsmith helps authors turn their manuscripts into something truly exceptional - polished, professional, and ready to make an impact - using print on demand to its fullest potential. In this week's episode, we'll discuss: ● The benefits of print on-demand publishing. ● Tips and Tricks to Successfully Publishing in Print. ● Marketing Your Print On-Demand Books. //Draft2Digital is where you star...

Matilda Swift and Sam Cummings of the Pen to Paycheck podcast work together as mastermind partners to achieve the "how to quit my day job" dream. You'll hear advice including: ● The benefits of partnering with fellow authors.  ● What makes a good partnership.  ● Steps to take in the journey from part-time to full-time author. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//   Looking...

Indie Bookstore Day was April 25th. In this episode we sit down with Ami Greko of Bookshop.org to understand how authors help celebrate the day by encouraging readers to visit their favorite indie bookstores, either in person or online. If you're publishing with D2D, your ebooks and print-on-demand books are purchasable at 3,400+ indie bookstores in the US and UK. And every Bookshop.org purchase b...