The Author Revolution® Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I had the privilege of talking with Joanna Penn - host of The Creative Penn Podcast, fiction and nonfiction author, and futurist. We talked about her journey and where she envisions the indie author space heading as artificial intelligence starts to play more of a role in our author lives. Have a listen! Support the show Thank you for tuning into the Autho...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, we're talking about Amazon's new Kindle Vella serialized fiction platform: what it is and who should use it. I'll also be talking about the royalty rates authors can expect and the hidden fees Amazon is glossing over. Have a listen! Support the show Thank you for tuning into the Author Revolution Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please...

Send us Fan Mail In my opinion, indie authors are never truly in competition with one another. In fact, we can learn so much about our own writing and journey by listening to the journey of other indie authors. Particularly, those indies in the same genre. In today's episode, I'm talking with USAT Bestselling indie author, Kel Carpenter! We talk about her journey to indie publishing and...

Send us Fan Mail Authors are notorious for being introverts and lone wolves. Often, this mentality can make reaching success in their author careers much harder than it needs to be. On the other hand, sometimes it's really just hard to ask for help. However, as a rapid-release author, there's often too much for one person to take on. So what's an author to do? Hire a PA, of course!...

Send us Fan Mail If you've been in the indie author space, chances are, you've already heard of today's guest. He's known as the book blurb guy, the ad guy, and the co-host of the Sell More Books Show. Yes, that's right... In today's podcast episode, I'm talking with Bryan Cohen, author, CEO of Best Page Forward, and founder of the Amazon Ad School. We talk about...

Send us Fan Mail Authors are always looking for the best way to feature their books so they can gain attention, attract readers, and ultimately, get them sales. We've been discussing promo stacking, but last week I put FreeBooksy's Series Promo to the test to see if it's worth all the hype. In today's podcast episode, I'm going over the results from the past week's st...

Send us Fan Mail Fear can get in the way of a lot of things. For example, it can keep you from reaching your true potential and getting your books out there. Maybe you don't put books up on preorder or launch them as fast as you could. But what happens when you make those plans with the best intentions, only to have something fall through? In today's podcast episode, I'll be discuss...

Send us Fan Mail For many new authors, the idea of plotting is a bit cringeworthy. We're creatives and our creativity can't be contained! Or can it? I was a pantser at first and I can honestly tell you that plotting changed my author world for the better. It can do the same for you, too. In today's podcast episode, I'm interviewing Ryan Zee from Plottr and BookSweeps. If you&ap...

Send us Fan Mail Most authors, at least, most that I've talked to, are also readers. However, one interesting thing that happens when they start writing... they stop reading! Why is this? Most of the time, it comes down to fear. They're afraid their own work might be "tainted" or they could accidentally plagiarize. In today's podcast episode, I want to talk about reading i...

Send us Fan Mail All of us indie authors wonder what the magic bullet is for making our books and career more successful. What it is may (or maybe not) surprise you. One thing's for sure, it means getting your mindset in the right place so you can make it happen. In today's podcast episode, I'm interviewing Clayton Noblit, Written Word Media's Digital Marketing Manager. Not onl...

Send us Fan Mail Have you been thinking about your 2021 marketing strategies yet? There are a number of levers an indie author can use from free books to promo sites and, of course, paid advertising. In today's podcast episode, I'm interviewing indie author and marketing guru, David Gaughran. We'll be diving into indie author marketing topics like promo stacking, free books versus 9...

Send us Fan Mail One of my writerly idols, Joss Whedon, has undergone a scandal this past week that I don't think he's ever going to rebound from. At least, not in the eyes of those - like me - who admired his work. In today's podcast episode, I'm talking about how we, as authors, can take a good hard look at the scandal that's broken with Joss Whedon and ask ourselves som...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever looked at other indies and wondered how they seem to make so much money? Or maybe you've even thought to yourself that you must be missing something because you're still not earning what you think you should be...In today's podcast episode, we're talking about the three pillars you need to have in place to make consistent author royalties month af...

Send us Fan Mail Almost everyone knows what a writing sprint is. Generally, it's where you set a timer and write for an allotted time. Most often 15 or 20 minutes. However, at Author Revolution, we like to leverage a 6-week writing sprint to hammer out a clean, but completed, first draft. Think of it like NaNoWriMo - but implemented whenever and way more sustainable. In today's podcast e...

Send us Fan Mail Indie authors are notorious for flying by the seat of our pants. However, if there's one thing I know to be true, it's that you're far more successful when you plan your successes. That's why today I want to talk about editorial calendars and how to use a slightly different tool for mastering your year's releases. In today's podcast episode, we'r...

Send us Fan Mail For years, indie authors have touted that earning a fantastic income from our writing is just a stone's throw away. You can be making great money right away. But over the years, that's really become the stuff of legends. It's time to bust the myth and take on a different mindset. In today's podcast episode, we're going to be talking about the mindset shift...

Send us Fan Mail Nothing motivates us more than hearing about the stories of authors who are in our indie author space. It can encourage us, inspire us, and even humble us in knowing we're not alone - and exactly where we need to be. In today's podcast episode, my good friend Paul Heingarten joins me for an interview. In it, we talk about his journey as an indie author, what inspires and...

Send us Fan Mail There are a ton of things indie authors could be focusing their time on. It seems like the list is never-ending. However, if there's one thing that 2020 taught us, it's that we have the power to craft our reality if we so choose. In today's podcast episode, I'm laying out 5 tips to start your 2021 off on the right foot. These are things you can start right now...

Send us Fan Mail I don't typically take a whole lot of time to sit and review all the things I've done. But I have learned over the years that taking a beat to remind myself how far I've come can motivate me and keep me moving forward. (Especially when it feels like I'm not making enough progress.)In today's podcast episode, we're going to talk about doing a "yea...

Send us Fan Mail In January, I had my first ever BookBub Featured Deal. In episode 14, I went into the details of the results from that deal and promised to come back at the end of the year with an update. So guess what... here we are! In today's podcast episode, we're going to take a look at Pendomus' sales over the course of the year and compare it to its last year in KU (2018). T...

Send us Fan Mail Being an indie author is hard enough without the stress and overwhelm of feeling like you have to constantly be writing and releasing your books. If you know me, you know I love a good rapid release strategy, but it's time for some tough love. In today's podcast episode, we're taking on the indie author myth that publishing a book a month is the way to go. Instead,...

Send us Fan Mail It's almost Christmas and I can't stop thinking about how our books are a lot like Christmas trees... You know, they're evergreen. They have so much potential and just because a single launch didn't go as planned, it doesn't mean you've got a bad book on your hands. In today's podcast episode, we're talking about the evergreen capabilities a...

Send us Fan Mail To many authors, the idea of rapid releasing their novels is stress-inducing - and for good reason. There are a lot of moving parts. Some authors proclaim rapid releasing a book a month is the only way. But what if it isn't? In today's podcast episode, let's discuss the concept of sustainable rapid releasing. Is it possible? Or is it just a pipe dream? Let's fi...

Send us Fan Mail We authors are in a unique position to make the most of the pandemic's work-from-home orders. Our content can be created literally anywhere and as it turns out, readers are buying more books, too! In today's podcast episode, I'm discussing the importance of having a publishing plan and the crucial items I plan for when gearing up for a new year. It's time to ge...

Send us Fan Mail It's time for a mid-NaNoWriMo check-in! How are you holding up? Are you hitting your word count goals? Or are you like me... totally missing the mark? In today's podcast episode, I'm discussing 5 tips to help you get refocused and back on track with your NaNoWriMo goals. There might even be a bonus tip in there, too. Are you ready? Be sure to check out the show note...