The Self Publishing Show

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, it's launch day for Cissy Mecca's latest medieval romance, while James Blatch is getting serious about his own writing again, with a preorder underway and book two already taking shape. The main discussion focuses on two significant developments at Amazon KDP. James and Cissy look at the new limits on the number of titles authors can upload each week and repo...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca catch up from opposite sides of Europe, with Cissy joining from Sicily as she prepares for the September 29th launch of her new book. James shares news from Learn Self-Publishing, including plans for a brand-new course, Self-Publishing Pathway, which will replace Launchpad and be built from the ground up for today's publishing lan...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch is joined by author Skye McKinnon to dig into the numbers behind BookBub Featured Deals and ask whether they still offer authors the same value they once did. Skye shares data from 28 BookBub deals, showing how the additional sales generated by her 99-cent promotions have fallen significantly over the years. They discuss whether the cost still st...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are together in Pennsylvania after celebrating the wedding of their friends Lucy Score and Tim. James even had the honour of officiating the ceremony. There's also exciting news for Lucy Score fans: Things We Never Got Over is heading to the screen, with filming for the Amazon Prime series, titled Runaway, about to begin in Vancou...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca have a packed episode of indie publishing news, starting with a significant change to Amazon's preorder rules. Authors can now set up preorders up to 18 months in advance and postpone them twice without penalty – enough to tempt even preorder-phobic James into considering one for his next book. They also discuss a legal case invol...

Big news this week, the first two speakers for SPS Live London 2027 have been announced! Melanie Harlow and Theodora Taylor will be joining us in London. James and Cissy share the news and talk about when tickets will be going on sale, with Patreon supporters getting first access. James is also back from his travels in New Zealand and Australia, and there's plenty to catch up on. They talk about t...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from his final day in New Zealand while Cissy Mecca takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming historical romance launch. They discuss realistic launch goals, building an ARC and influencer team, setting a marketing budget, and choosing advertising strategies that have actually worked for you rather than simply throwing money at launch...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from New Zealand with Cissy Mecca to tackle the increasingly complicated relationship between authors and AI. They discuss AI watermarking and detection, the problems authors could face when AI is used for editing or research, and the strict anti-AI rules appearing at romance reader events. James also reports back from his New Zealand w...

This week on  The Self-Publishing Show , James Blatch and Cissy Mecca conclude their two-part conversation with  Michael Evans , founder of  Creatorwood . They delve deeper into how AI is transforming books into cinematic experiences, discussing the practical realities of creating feature-length films, the current limitations of AI video, and how authors can use visual storytelling to reach new au...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are joined by Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood, for Part 1 of a two-part discussion about using AI to turn books into trailers, short films and feature-length adaptations. They also discuss developmental editing, author voice and improving your craft. Part 2 arrives next Friday, when the giveaway link will be shared. Creatorw...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca argue that as AI makes it easier than ever to produce competent books, craft is becoming an author's greatest competitive advantage. They explore why developing a distinctive voice, creating emotionally resonant stories, and continually refining your writing matter more than ever. Alongside the discussion on craft, they also cover...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the next wave of AI tools for authors, focusing on Fable and the rise of agentic AI. They explore how these new tools can ingest an author's entire backlist, create series bibles, analyse metadata, support developmental editing, and become long-term business assistants rather than simple chatbots. Along the way, they sha...

Episode Summary This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca welcome author and former music industry executive Jack Williamson to discuss what authors can learn from the entertainment industry. Jack shares how a career spanning 17 years in music, followed by psychotherapy, inspired his transition into writing fiction, and why storytelling, branding, and understanding genre...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the latest AI developments, including changes to Claude's subscription tiers and what they mean for authors using AI in their daily workflows. They also discuss TikTok marketing, the risks of AI-generated recommendations being manipulated, and why authors need to think critically about discoverability in an AI-driven wor...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on The Self Publishing Show Live 2026 and discuss what happens after the excitement of a conference ends. They explore the importance of reviewing progress at the halfway point of the year, assessing business goals, and deciding what to focus on for the remainder of 2026. The conversation covers productivity, TikTok market...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on SPS Live 2026 and the Cambridge Retreat, sharing their biggest takeaways from the event and the sessions that made the biggest impact. From direct sales and BookVault strategies to AI workflows, reader engagement, advertising, TikTok marketing, and writing for commercial success, the pair discuss the practical lessons a...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Sissy Mecca record live from SPS Live in London, surrounded by more than 500 authors from around the world. They share the atmosphere from the conference floor, discuss some of the standout sessions, and chat with special guests including volunteer coordinator Adrian Wills, Draft2Digital's Dan Wood, and Doug Pratt and Nick Harvey from the Two...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca share practical advice on how to work a conference rather than simply attend one, ahead of SPS Live in London. They discuss how authors can prepare in advance, choose the right sessions, network confidently, ask useful questions, and turn conference inspiration into real action afterwards. The episode also covers author scams, AI...

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca discuss the major changes coming to Audible and ACX, including the new royalty model and updated enrolment requirements for audiobook authors. They explore what these changes could mean for indie publishers, the growing opportunities in wide audio distribution, and why authors may want to think beyond Audible. Alongside the indust...

Episode Summary James and Cissy tackle a "bits and bobs" episode covering the changing indie publishing landscape, with a focus on Amazon's evolving AI-driven algorithms and what authors need to do to stay discoverable. They discuss why clear genre signalling, strong metadata, covers, blurbs, titles, and reader expectation alignment are becoming more important than ever. The conversation also touc...

James and Cissy are joined by PR expert Isabelle Knight to discuss why authors are not just selling books, they are also building a brand readers can connect with. Isabelle explains how indie authors can identify their own author story, understand what sets them apart, and use that foundation across websites, newsletters, social media, events, and publicity opportunities. The episode also touches...

James and Cissy dive into the growing world of direct sales, Etsy stores, and special edition books, exploring how indie authors are expanding beyond Amazon and turning their books into premium gift products. They also discuss the importance of professional branding photography, why readers increasingly connect with authors personally, and the latest Meta AI lawsuit involving pirated books used fo...

James and Cissy welcome former Milwaukee police sergeant and author Patrick O'Donnell to discuss his new book,  Police Stories: The Rookie Years , and the real-life experiences behind his writing. Patrick shares gripping stories from his early days on patrol, including a near-shooting, a fatal stabbing case, and the realities of policing that often get misrepresented in fiction. The episode also c...

James and Cissy break down one of the most overlooked (but powerful) parts of your book: front and back matter. From prologues and epilogues to marketing strategy, they explore what actually works for readers and what might be quietly losing you sales. Expect honest takes (including a strong stance on prologues!), practical tips on optimising your back matter for conversions, and smart ways to tur...

James and Cissy dig into Draft2Digital's newly announced fees, including a one-off activation charge for new accounts and a yearly maintenance fee for low-earning accounts, and discuss why the reaction from authors has been so strong. They explore what the change says about the growing pressure of AI-generated low-quality uploads, the real cost of running author-facing distribution platforms, and...