Mel Torrefranca

Off the Press

Business EN ↓ 20 episodes

OFF THE PRESS is my real-time story of building a publishing company from the ground up. It’s an honest look at what it takes to make art, sell it, and everything in between… It’s a lot.

Author

Mel Torrefranca

Episodes

The biggest mistake I’ve made as an author 14.06.2026 23:20

I'm back with a big revelation. Use code MELTORREFRANCA10 to get 10% off your QWERKYWRITER qwerkywriter.com (not an affiliate link) Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to ge...

The last piece of writing advice you’ll ever need 03.05.2026 11:44

I spent too much time learning and not enough time doing. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to get 3 free title setups: bookvault.app My website and socials meltorrefranca...

Should teen writers self-publish? 26.04.2026 17:24

Today’s guest is Fiona Holland, winner of the 2025 Lost Island Writing Contest, who landed a two-book deal with her upcoming YA dystopian novel, Below. Watch Fiona's publication video: https://youtu.be/Qa_hWJf5B88 Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Than...

Should you keep writing when life is falling apart? 19.04.2026 20:32

Today’s guest is Kimberly Co, winner of the 2025 Lost Island Writing Contest, who landed a two-book deal with her upcoming YA mystery novel, The Shadow of Billie Jenkins. Watch Kimberly's publication video: https://youtu.be/ZNGshwOcPO0 Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.c...

What I learned from my 7th published book 12.04.2026 12:53

3 changes made, 3 lessons learned. Buy Avarium by May 9 to ask me questions during a live Q&A: lostislandpress.com/shop/avarium Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to ge...

Writing the book is the easy part 04.04.2026 16:44

Let's learn how to market books together! Preorder AVARIUM to ask me questions during a live Q&A: lostislandpress.com/shop/avarium Use code MELTORREFRANCA10 for 10% off your QWERKYWRITER: qwerkywriter.com Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you...

Why don't you love your art enough to share it? 28.03.2026 26:58

Today’s guest is Matt Diamante, a viral SEO expert with 500K+ followers, author of Get Found, and founder of the digital marketing agency HeyTony. Buy Matt's book, Get Found https://amazon.com/dp/1068826401 Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you t...

I signed 2 new authors. Here's our plan for 2026. 22.03.2026 24:26

Go follow our new authors on social media! Use code BVISLAND for 3 free title setups on Bookvault: bookvault.app Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books My website and socials meltorrefranca.com Plot a novel with me lostislandink.com Tools I use meltorrefran...

Writers who hate marketing need to hear this 14.03.2026 31:36

Today's guest is Dave Chesson, the book marketing expert behind Kindlepreneur. Book Marketing 101 https://kindlepreneur.com/the-truth-on-selling-books-direct-insights-from-authors See my previous call with Dave on direct sales https://lostislandpress.com/podcast/these-authors-are-making-6119-month Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpre...

I think I accidentally wrote a psychological thriller 09.03.2026 10:52

Preorder Avarium for an invite to my private launch party https://lostislandpress.com/shop/avarium Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com

Plot your book. It’ll save you months. 07.03.2026 13:44

I learned this lesson the hard way. Get a 30-day free trial of Plottr and use code OTP15 for 15% off: https://plottr.com/free-trial Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to ge...

The problem with calling books "clean" 28.02.2026 12:23

Profanity and violence aren’t in the same category as smut. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to get 3 free title setups: bookvault.app Song credit: classicals.de My websi...

Stop writing likable characters 21.02.2026 16:46

If they never let me down, they'll never impress me. Use code BVISLAND for 3 free title setups on Bookvault: bookvault.app Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books My website and socials meltorrefranca.com Plot a novel with me lostislandink.com Tools I use me...

These authors are making $6,119/month 14.02.2026 43:30

Today's guest is Dave Chesson, the book marketing expert behind Kindlepreneur. Read Dave's case study on direct sales https://kindlepreneur.com/the-truth-on-selling-books-direct-insights-from-authors Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookv...

Why most manuscripts get rejected 04.02.2026 12:37

Avoid these 5 mistakes to give your book a better shot. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to get 3 free title setups: bookvault.app My website and socials meltorrefranca.c...

How the Hero's Journey works 31.01.2026 16:13

Today's guest is Matthew P. Winkler, writer of the viral TED-Ed video “What Makes a Hero?” Get a free copy of Mentoring Teenage Heroes + bonus resources https://sites.google.com/view/mentoringteenageheroes Buy a paperback to support Matthew https://amazon.com/dp/0997543736 Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book...

Writing a book description that sells 24.01.2026 20:22

Let's take 3 book descriptions from Lost Island Press and workshop them into stronger copy. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com BOOKS FEATURED 📖 My Brother's Spare by Shira Behore 📖 Lone Player by Julia Rosemary Turk 📖 Leaving Wishville by Mel Torrefranca Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/b...

Modern book publishing is broken 17.01.2026 18:05

No matter what path you choose, it's going to suck. (And that's okay!) Use code BVISLAND for 3 free title setups on Bookvault: bookvault.app Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books My website and socials meltorrefranca.com Plot a novel with me lostislandink....

I started a publishing company with no clue what I was doing 10.01.2026 17:08

When I was seventeen, I started a publishing company with hardly any experience. This episode covers why I did it, and some early lessons I learned. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use co...

Why I’m starting a podcast in 2026 03.01.2026 13:26

Turns out, my YouTube videos with less than 1K views sold more books than my videos with 1M+ views. Here's what I'm doing next. Get a free book through my private newsletter lostislandpress.com Official podcast page lostislandpress.com/podcast Buy a book to support the show lostislandpress.com/category/books Thank you to Bookvault, our founding sponsor of OFF THE PRESS. Use code BVISLAND to get 3...