SPA Girls Podcast

Germany is the third-biggest book market in the world — and it's still hungry for indie authors. This week we're joined by USA Today bestselling romance author Skye MacKinnon, who returns to update us on everything that's changed in German translations since her first appearance in 2023. Skye has more than 70 novels across three pen names, and Germany is now her biggest market worldwide. She's jus...

Want to write a book series readers binge — and come back to buy again and again? Bestselling YA fantasy author Helen Scheuerer joins the SPA Girls to break down how to design a series that hooks readers, boosts your read-through rate, and sets you up for long-term author income. Whether you're plotting your first trilogy or wondering if your genre even suits a series, this episode covers the stra...

Why do the highs and lows of an indie author career always hit when you least expect them? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP558), it's just the four of us — Cheryl, Shar, Wendy, and Trudi — talking openly about mental resilience and how to weather the emotional rollercoaster of self-publishing. We unpack the panic of watching your numbers drop, the comparison trap, and the burnout that...

🔁 CLASSIC REPLAY — This episode was originally recorded in 2021 and the strategy is just as relevant today. Helen has since gone on to become an internationally bestselling romantasy author with multiple series, proving the long-game approach works. What if you could earn six figures a year writing just ONE book? We sit down with International Bestselling Fantasy author Helen Scheuerer to unpack...

What if you could make more money selling audiobooks direct than on Amazon and Audible combined? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP556), USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Hefner returns for a third time to break down exactly how she's doing it — and how indie authors can market audiobooks wide, build a direct store that converts, and stop relying on a single retailer. Rebecca walks us...

We loved our first chat with Elana so much that we kept the mics running! In this follow-up episode to #553, Elana dives into the business side of her prolific career — the release strategies she swears by, the advertising that actually moves the needle, and the mindset it took to reach her first $100K month. True to form, she's just as honest about the mistakes as the wins. If EP553 was about how...

The indie author realities no-one talks about (much). Bestselling romance author Elizabeth O'Roark joins us this week for one of the most refreshingly honest conversations we've had on the show — covering everything from her Random House deal to the indie strategies she's quietly walked away from. In this episode we chat about: Going from medical writer to indie romance author in 2013 The Devil se...

How do you go from almost quitting writing to producing over 130 books and hitting a six-figure month? Elana Johnson sits down with the SPA Girls to share everything about her productivity system — and it's not what you'd expect. In this Classic Replay (originally recorded 2020), we chat about: •        Elana's journey from traditional publishing "dark years" to indie success •        Writing 84,0...

Ever wanted to create an audiobook but been scared off by the price tag? Phil Marshall, founder of Spoken. Press, built a platform specifically for indie authors who want professional-quality audio without the professional-level costs — and he's done it ethically, using consenting voice actors who are credited and compensated. In this episode we chat about what "ethical digital narration" actually...

This is a classic replay of a fascinating interview we recorded a few years ago with author Danielle Annett (aka Daniela Romero) , who as switched genres from Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance, with amazing results. She talks us through the decision to change genres, and what she did to make it a success, including some of the big decisions she had to make, such as whether to create a new pen...

What if formatting your book could take minutes instead of hours? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP550), we sit down with Brad Andalman, co-founder of Vellum, the book formatting software (Mac-only) that's transformed self-publishing for indie authors. Brad shares the surprising Pixar origin story behind Vellum, walks us through exactly how the software works, and reveals some of the ne...

Feeling buried under your author business? Juggling deadlines, launch plans, newsletter, ads, admin, social media, and somehow you have to also get the actual writing done? Trust us, you are not alone! In this episode, we sat down with USA Today bestselling author, certified life coach, and podcaster Corinne O'Flynn to talk about how authors can organise their businesses, prevent burnout, and stay...

Got a backlist gathering dust but few sales? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP# 548), we dig into how to breathe new life into your older books and get them earning again. Most indie authors pour all their energy into the next release and forget that their backlist is the engine that funds everything — so we're walking through exactly what to refresh, what to promote, and how to bundle...

Romance writers gather 'round - Kait Nolan , bestselling author of smart, sassy, small town Southern romance is in the SPA! This is a classic replay of an awesome episode we recorded with Kait a couple of years ago, and well worth a relisten. These days Kait not just writes small town romance, but also romantic suspense (as Harper Jackson), and her writing and marketing advice is spot on! About Ka...

She's back! NYT #1 Bestseller, Lucy Score last joined us back in March 2021 , before Things We Never Got Over launched her into the stratosphere! In this episode, Lucy talks about what her breakout moment actually looked like from the inside, how she's navigated the shift from working author to household name (and instant #1 NYT Bestseller), and what's stayed surprisingly the same. We dig into the...

Classic replay of an inspiring episode we recorded in August '23 with SADIE KING, a hugely successful author of more than 120 short romances. *** USA Today Bestseller, Sadie King has grown her publishing business from zero to six figures in less than four years, writing short  instalove  romances. Knowing her reader's journey is vital to her success. In this episode we discuss Sadie's:  short roma...

From incorporating popular tropes to social media trends, the SPA Girls have a robust discussion around what they're doing to harness trends to reach more readers and sell more books!  Links mentioned: Melanie Harlow's Harlot Authors group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630439937160840 The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers Theodora Taylor's Su...

Want to hook your readers from the very first sentence? In this classic replay, story coach Lisa Cron joins the SPA Girls to talk about using brain science to write riveting novels that keep readers turning pages. Lisa is the author of Wired for Story, Story Genius, and Story or Die — all published by Ten Speed Press. Lisa explains what readers' brains actually crave from a story, why both pantsin...

AI is a hot discussion point in the author community these days, and we're joined again by bestselling author and educator, Alessandra Torre , to help us unpack this topic. At the outset, we acknowledge that this is a difficult topic to cover. From feeling fear to excitement and everything in between, authors cannot deny the reality of the new technologies arriving (and the "new language" around i...

Well worth a re-listen, this episode was originally recorded a few years ago when romance and romantic suspense author, Kaye Kennedy, scaled her author business from zero to a million page reads in just six months. Kaye utilized her business skills to launch in a focussed way that was truly inspiring (then and now). Kaye has continued publishing with incredible success and has also added being an...

Part Two of Two Listen to Part One here "Currently .... we're at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you're a new or established author doesn't matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances." ~ Nicholas Erik Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the publishing world — right down to...

PART ONE OF TWO "Currently .... we're at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you're a new or established author doesn't matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances." ~ Nicholas Erik Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the publishing world — right down to us as individual author...

A lot of us are introverts and the idea of "networking" gives us chills (and not in a good way). Historical Romance author, Celeste Barclay, recorded this show with us a few years ago. Her advice is just as relevant now, as building your author community will help ride out the ups and downs of this wild self-publishing ride! Celeste Barclay books combine history and heat. She has a created a conne...

We are delighted to welcome book ads and strategy consultant for authors & publishers, Janet Margot, to talk all things Amazon Strategy for Authors including approaching it with the right mindset. Janet covers best practices for building a solid Amazon strategy for authors, metadata, packaging inside and out, when and how to start Amazon Ads and the "ads advice" she sees that is the opposite of he...

Have you always wanted to write a cozy mystery but don't know where to start? This classic replay we recorded a few years back with Nancy J. Cohen will get you going! Cozy Mysteries are hugely popular with readers and authors alike, and Nancy J. Cohen shares her fantastic advice for writing the successful cozy. Alongside her fiction, Nancy has also written the acclaimed "how to" for cozies "Writin...