Indie Writers Club

James and Cissy unpack two major controversies affecting authors this week: a traditionally published author dropped over AI writing accusations, and a literary agent’s viral TikTok telling writers to stay away from the London Book Fair. Together, these stories highlight growing tensions around AI, gatekeeping, and who the publishing industry is really for. Alongside the debate, the episode blends...

James and Cissy discuss new marketing insights and mindset strategies for indie authors navigating an increasingly complex publishing landscape. From experimenting with BookBub ads and improving AI-assisted translations to analysing breakout success in romance adaptations, the conversation explores how authors can stay competitive in a crowded market. Cissy also shares a creative direct-to-reader...

James and Cissy dive into the evolving AI conversation, reacting to viral commentary about whether artificial intelligence will truly replace white-collar jobs and what that means for writers. They explore the difference between superficial and deep AI usage, the economics behind tech industry messaging, and how authors can adapt rather than resist. They also discuss the irreplaceable value of in-...

James and Cissy welcome Robin Bennett Freebairn back to the show to discuss how he’s successfully expanded his nonfiction “birth year” book series into the gifting market via Etsy. Robin shares how selling direct through a marketplace platform has rapidly grown into a major revenue stream, now rivalling Amazon income and explains the practical realities of becoming not just an author, but a retail...

The Self-Publishing Show enters a new era as James Blatch officially introduces his new co-host, romance author Cecilia “Cissy” Mecca. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore Cissy’s indie journey, from mediaeval romance to paranormal and contemporary pivots, her decision to consolidate pen names, and the realities of building a sustainable author career. The episode also dives into the la...

James Blatch returns after an 18-month hiatus to relaunch the Self-Publishing Show and outline its new direction. In this solo episode, he reflects on why the show paused, what changed during that time with the Indie Writers Club, and how the podcast will evolve going forward with a new co-host. James also shares his clear, pragmatic stance on AI in publishing, discusses AI translations for author...

In this heartfelt exit interview, Cara Clare reflects on her journey as a co-host of the Indie Writers Club alongside James Blatch. They discuss the significance of the podcast in their personal and professional growth, the exciting announcement of the Novel Beginnings contest aimed at supporting new writers, and the transition to the Self-Publishing Show. The conversation also delves into the nua...

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club podcast, James Blatch and Cara Claire discuss the transition of Cara's writing project, 'The Chatterley Affair', into the marketing phase. And delve into a detailed critique of the film adaptation of 'Hamlet', comparing it to the original book.  The conversation highlights the importance of character development, emotional engageme...

In this third-to-last episode of the IWC Podcast, we will look at the Anthropic (Claude AI) settlement on offer to some authors. We'll explain what needs to happen by you if your name is on the official list and what your options are. This is the link I refer to in the show: https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/ - this is the only official settlement website. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of...

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club, Cara talks us through her launch strategy for a standalone book (a Chatterly retelling with vampires and spice!). This is one of the toughest challenges for indies. Our process generally relies on series and readthrough, but with the many options emerging for exploiting your book (translations, special editions etc) might this be a future strategy we can...

This week Cara and I review the current happenings in the world of indie and we briefly discuss our own plans for 2026. And at 43.47 (if you want to skip ahead) Cara makes a sad announcement :( We both wish you a Happy New Year and here's to an enjoyable, fun 2026! James. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join...

In this festive episode of the Indie Writers Club, James Blatch and Cara Clare discuss the challenges of taking downtime during the holiday season while managing their writing businesses. They reflect on sales trends during Christmas, share personal experiences with marketing strategies, and delve into the impact of TikTok's algorithm changes on book promotion. The conversation also highlight...

In this week's episode Cara and James are joined by Robin Bennett-Freebairn whose non-fiction gift books are flying off the virtual Etsy shelves. This has big implications for special editions and box sets, especially at this time of year. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join our Patreon for exclusive access...

In part two of a look back at 2025, Cara and James discuss where we are with AI acceptance (spoiler, a dwindling band of holdouts very much exist). We also discuss direct selling as one of the big expansion areas for indies. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&am...

In this episode Jame & Cara start to look back on a fast moving year for indie publishing. They touch on AI Translations, one of the big breakthrough areas, the mythical A10 Amazon Algorithm and plenty of other chat! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As...

We are joined by the multi-talented Adam Beswick (AP Beswick) to talk empire building. Adam has used TikTok to build a loyal following of readers and he now focuses on selling direct to them, using TikTok Shop and TikTok Lives. He's an evangelist for the platform and he has a fantastic mindset. It's a great chat!   USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by usi...

It's NovelNovember and we're both drafting a new novel! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

This week Cara & James touch on the subject of influencers and how to use them. James also talks about the coming AI storm for ads, he reports on AuthorNation and rants about the cost of living! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara...

In this week's episode, James reports from AuthorNation, indie publishing's largest conference. The talk is of new technology, a recent slump in ads effectiveness and the possibility of more seismic changes to come! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com  Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&a...

This week we delve into the intriguing world of ghost writing. You might know Cara is/has been, a professional ghost writer and she spills the beans on this industry that takes place largely in the shadows. We also touch on the sudden epidemic of author scams using AI to highly personalise the first approaches. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15...

This week we have a bona fide guest! Cissy Mecca is a close friend and fellow author whose work I'm constantly admiring—she's brilliant at finding innovative ways to streamline our publishing workflow. (And she's an incredible writer, too.) We recently stayed together in Florence, and I was fascinated watching her receive her daily structure from her assistant "Pedro." Tur...

We discuss the the state of Trad vs Indie after a couple of comments from notable authors and commentators and come to an interesting conclusion! Also - it's possible Taylor Swift is secretly self-publishing poetry on Amazon KDP! We look at the evidence and implications... USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join...

Much has happened behind the scenes of the Facebook Ads Manager and so james is setting out a series of tests. spending money on various combinations of Adv+ and manual targeting to see what's working now. James also reveals the finalists for the 2025 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award without giving away any judging secrets! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by...

It's Friday! It's the Indie Writers Club! We continue our deep dive into the new era of searching using AI. Even if you are dead set against all things AI - you cannot ignore the fact that readers will be searching for your books using AI in the future. That means you need to adapt the way you describe your books, where you list them and a host of other things. If you want to learn more...

The era of keywords and Google searches is coming to an end. Searching through a longer form conversation with an AI is already taking over. That means we need to get our blurbs and book packages ready for the new era. James & Cara discuss the take-aways from NINC including Ricardo Fayet's talk on GEO. USEFUL LINKS: Ricardo's Blog: indiewritersclub.com/ricardo Join our Patreon for ex...