The Authorpreneur Podcast - Writing & Self Publishing Tips

Send us Fan Mail In June, I made the decision to opt out of Kindle Unlimited, and I don’t regret trying it out. Due to this experience, I’ve learned a few valuable lessons which I will put into practice for another series. While I’m on the topic of lessons learned, I also changed my focus from sales to getting more book reviews. And I share the steps I plan on taking to make this happen.  Even tho...

Send us Fan Mail Now that the rewrites of the second edition Missing are finished, during May, I prepared the new edition for publication. And in this episode, I’m going to share the exact steps I took to go from a revised draft to pressing the publish button. While I’m on the topic of Missing, I’m going to discuss the results of my book blogging tour; that’s everything: the good, the bad, and the...

Send us Fan Mail It’s official: I'm rewriting a self-publish novel only a few months after its initial release. And that book is Missing. In this episode, I’m going to share the steps I took to rewrite the novella and what I plan to do next. While we’re on this topic, I also share my experience using a paid beta reader and how this entire experience has changed my writing and self-publishing...

Send us Fan Mail During the first two weeks in March, I made a decision that I never thought that I would make, even after careful consideration. Essentially, I've let go of an ideal and made a decision for business reasons. But, more on that a little later. In terms of pay-per-click advertising, I share my experiences with Amazon Ads and paying for an ad to promote my offer on my author Face...

Send us Fan Mail During the first two weeks in March, I both struggled and made progress with rewriting book two. At the same time, I also failed to meet an ambitious writing goal that I set for myself.  In part one of my March author diary update, I discuss the following writing topics: The progress I made with writing book two Changing and choosing the name of a novel Writing beats within scenes...

Send us Fan Mail I’m back from my hiatus. Due to the pandemic and the lockdown situation in London, and my husband working from home, I paused the podcast. I stopped recording because I was struggling with productivity, writing, and mental health issues that come with being in the same environment for weeks on end. My husband will probably be working from home until the end of the year, so in ligh...

Send us Fan Mail During the last week in February, I faced the infamous chicken or the egg scenario that every author faces—book reviews or sales. And I have made progress with growing my fiction email list. By now, you’re probably wondering whether I started rewriting my second book after all of that planning. If you are, then you’ll find the answer to that question, as well as many more, in this...

Send us Fan Mail There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the second book in my James Lalonde series. I’ve made a tonne of progress this week on fixing the issues in the story arc. In book marketing news, I started dabbling in Amazon ads for the US store. I’m going to share why I turned off the ads on the UK store. On top of all of this, I experienced a few exciting author firsts this week. So,...

Send us Fan Mail There’s no polite way to say this, but I’ve realised that I’ve written a pile of garbage and may need to completely rewrite the second book in my James Lalonde series. So, the first lesson you’ve learned is to never rush the initial creative brainstorming and outlining phase of writing a story. Just don’t do that.  But, enough of my whinging. My adventures in book marketing contin...

Send us Fan Mail Just to let you know, this behind-the-scenes podcast diary was recorded on February 17, so this diary episode is primarily me looking back at the week starting from January 27, 2020, to February 2, 2020. In light of that, I have some exciting news. On Monday, January 27, I published Missing in ebook, paperback, and large print on all online store platforms. And, yes, I’ve changed...

Send us Fan Mail Coming up in this episode, I’m going to discuss where I’m at in the publishing process for Missing, my thoughts and plans on how I’ll self-publish my crime thriller novella and a few more marketing ideas. Before we dive into my exciting publishing news, I want to first talk about a slight change to my podcast and why I struggled with consistently publishing episodes. And what I pl...

Send us Fan Mail Over the years, there has been a big push by some well-meaning people to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket and publish their books to all of the platforms or go wide.   But is this the best advice for a new author?    In this episode, I’m going to discuss the difference between going wide and enrolling in the KDP Select programme and what you need to consider before decid...

Send us Fan Mail So, I looked at my podcast in the iTunes store the other day; not only did I realise that I have a few reviews, but I also noticed that this episode is the fiftieth episode of The Authorpreneur Podcast. Holy, crap! I can't believe I made it this far. Let's just say that it's been a long and difficult road, and there were times when I didn't think that I would m...

Send us Fan Mail Coming up in this show, I discuss why I migrated away from MailChimp and the steps involved. And, I also discuss my decision to merge my author and writing tips websites. In terms of writing, I will share where I'm at with Missing, Book Two, and the steps I need to take before I start writing my short story.    So, without further ado, let's get on with the episode.  Men...

Send us Fan Mail Coming up in this show, I discuss how I hired a line editor and proofreader for my thriller novella, Missing, and my plans for book two. And, I've made progress with writing a short story which I intend to use as a lead magnet to build a mailing list. But first, a short travel update. I'm currently in San Francisco working from The Palace Hotel. The next few episodes of...

Send us Fan Mail It’s been one of those weeks. You know, that week that starts off crappy and turns into a nightmare. But, the week eventually redeemed itself in the final hour. This is going to sound overdramatic, but I’ve got the opposite of the Midas touch. I’m sure there’s a name for that, but it’s completely escaped my mind. However, I’m going to keep this show rant-free as much as humanly po...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the final instalment of this mini-series on how to structure a story using the Hero’s Journey. In this show, I will share five tips on how to structure a story using the Hero’s Journey. And, at the end of this episode, I will also share examples of this story structure in film and literature and provide you will a list of recommended readings so you can do further resea...

Send us Fan Mail Last week, my revisions for Missing became analytical, thanks to the AutoCrit software. I’m also getting back to blogging my novella after a long absence. And I have some exciting personal news to share with you. So, stay tuned for more details coming up in the show. Here’s what you can expect from this episode: Exciting news that’s both personal and has an impact on my publishing...

Send us Fan Mail I think accountability is a beautiful thing. And I realise that’s a super nerdy thing to say. So, what do I mean by accountability? Basically, I’m referring to accountability in terms of setting and striving towards writing goals. In this episode, I’m going to share with you my business and writing goals for the next quarter. As you can expect, I’m going to share an update on my s...

Send us Fan Mail So, you’ve fleshed out your story idea for the first and second act using the Hero’s Journey, and now your story has reached the cusp between the second and third act. And, now, you’re wondering how to structure the final act of your story using the Hero’s Journey. If this is a situation that you can relate to, then this episode is for you. Without further ado, let's get on w...

Send us Fan Mail So, you’ve started to plot out ideas for your story using the Hero’s Journey, and you’ve reached the end of the first act. But now you’re wondering how to transition from the first act to the second and take your character through to the last leg of the journey.  In this episode, I will share with you the five stages of the Hero’s Journey that occur in the second act. And I will a...

Send us Fan Mail So, I started filming weekly writing Vlogs on my YouTube channel after remembering this had helped with my productivity and making time for revisions. But, I soon came to another realisation. Video editing is, and it’s like pulling teeth, which is why I decided to turn this Behind the Scene Diary into a chatty weekly update. Let’s face it: if I can do it on video, I can do it on a...

Send us Fan Mail So, you’ve listened to the episodes on Three-Act Structure and discovered that it didn’t quite suit the story you’re trying to tell. You’re looking for a story structure that's focused more on character as opposed to plot. Or, perhaps you’ve been dreaming about writing Fantasy, Science Fiction, or in one of the many sub-genres of this huge category, but you don’t know where t...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first-ever bonus episode of the podcast. As you can probably guess by the title, this is my first-ever episode on Ask Me Anything on writing and story structure. In this episode, I will answer the top questions asked by my Blog Readers, YouTube subscribers, and podcast listeners through my Ask a Question form on my website. Here is a list of the questions that I wil...

Send us Fan Mail Now that I’m well into revising the first draft of Missing, I’ve decided to share with you the top 5 first-draft mistakes I made as I wrote my first three thriller novels, Missing, Silence, and Immunity. Because apparently, I love to embarrass myself in front of an audience and openly point out my flaws. But I’m not going to stop there. In the second part of this Behind the Scenes...