The Indy Author Podcast

Alexa Bigwarfe talks about GETTING INTO THE MIND OF YOUR AUDIENCE. She discusses why marketing is such a hard sell for authors, and why it shouldn't be; the art and science of marketing, and the importance of taking a holistic view; how social media is about being social; three key planning documents; and the importance of keeping an open mind. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out...

Alan Baxter discusses A NEW ERA FOR NOVELLAS. He talks about: • How the Novella Is a Fantastic Length for Genre Fiction • Publishing Novellas Individually or as a Collection • How eBooks Facilitate Shorter Novellas and Series • How Short is Too Short? • Advances from Traditional Publishers • Publishing a Novella Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my playlist 2 MINUTES OF INDY ht...

Asa Maria Bradley discusses THE VALUE OF COLLABORATION. She talks about being an active member of the author community; bringing joy to promotion; collaboration and accountability; expanding your skill set; saving a friendship with a contract; and the power of validation. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my YouTube playlist 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, wher...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Jennifer Hilt discusses TROPING YOUR WAY TO A STRONGER STORY. She talks about how tropes differ from clichés; whether tropes can turn into plagiarism; the role of conventions and reader expectations; using tropes to support goals, motivation, and conflict; tropes as a marketing device; and tropes as writing prompts. For transcripts of interviews and links to m...

Susan Hatters Friedman, MD discusses MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE ABOUT FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY AND HOW TO AVOID THEM. She talks about the differences between forensic psychiatry and forensic psychology; the rules governing psychiatric confidentiality; the fact that forensic psychiatrists are not lie detectors; the depiction of competency versus sanity in fiction (and which is easier to argue in court); and...

DeAnna Hart, co-author along with Mark Leslie Lefebvre of "Accounting for Authors: Financial Analysis, Budgeting, Costs, and Margin Made Simple," discusses ROI FOR AUTHORS. She discusses the importance of not glossing over the costs of doing business as an indy author, allocating overhead costs to your titles, risk tolerance and risk capacity, valuing your time, looking for opportunities to free u...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Michelle Glogovac discusses USING PODCASTS TO SUPPORT YOUR BOOK LAUNCH. She discusses defining your expert topic; researching podcast reach; personalizing your pitch; making it about the podcaster; following up (gently) on unanswered pitches; and repurposing content. For a transcript of this interview and links to more information, go to https://bit.ly/TIAP137...

Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords and Chief Strategy Officer at Draft2Digital, discusses LOOKING FORWARD IN INDY PUBLISHING. He discusses how platforms like Facebook are the new gatekeepers, the rise of subscription models (and why he likes Scribd), the importance of implementing best practices, why we should be excited about AI narration, and how indy authors are the future of publishing. Do any...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Kathy Meis talks about THE IMPORTANCE OF SPECIFICITY. She discusses the importance of having a goal for your content; how specificity narrows down your audience (and how specific keywords find specific audiences); how readers look for a familiar experience; the importance of acknowledging that your book is not for everyone; and how to connect with your target...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Michaelbrent Collings talks about HOW HORROR IS THE GENRE OF HOPE. He discusses how horror externalizes right and wrong, using genre as a marketing tool, respecting audience expectations, pushing boundaries appropriately, the final effect of the story, and how art creates community. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https:...

In this solo inbetweenisode of The Indy Author Podcast, I discuss CREATING AN AI-NARRATED AUDIOBOOK. I talk about Google Play's instructions for AI audio, tips for better AI narration, working around the AI-narration's quirks, selling beyond Google Play, and file names and ID3 tags. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over th...

In this week's episode of The Indy Author Podcast, Jessie Kwak talks about the process of going FROM BIG IDEA TO BOOK. She discusses the importance enjoying the process, letting your mind be still, of "working the word mines," balancing creativity and efficiency, and leaving yourself a breadcrumb trail. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my YouTube playlist 2 MINUTES OF INDY htt...

Jeff Elkins, the Dialogue Doctor, discusses THE COLOR WHEEL OF CHARACTERIZATION. He discusses the building blocks of character voice, getting past physical description, the musicality of character voice, letting modulation happen, bolstering scene tone with character voice, and creating the emotional journey. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my new YouTube playlist 2 MINUTES O...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Dale L. Roberts of Self Publishing with Dale discusses OUTSOURCING YOUR CONTENT CREATION. He talks about trading money for time; crafting the idea; recency, consistency, and relevance; vetting ghostwriters; credit and responsibility; and considerations for content reuse. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my new YouTube playlist 2 MINUTES OF...

Mike Kuczala discusses how a sedentary lifestyle restricts not only our health but also our creativity; how to introduce movement into our lives; how we can combat the mindset that a more movement-oriented lifestyle is something we'll do tomorrow; and (something that I was relieved to hear) the fact that walking is enough. Mike also shares how movement helped him transform his life, from tackling...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, John Gaspard discusses LESSONS FROM FILMMAKING FOR THE INDY AUTHOR. He talks about Weighing the Financial Risk ... Taking Your Time and Getting Some Distance ... Assessing Your Audience's Reactions ... Assessing What You Really Need ... Fixing It Later ... and Building Out the Story. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out my YouTube playlist, 2...

Patrick Hoffman discusses MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE ABOUT PIs AND HOW TO AVOID THEM. He discusses aspects of PI work, including the fact that a PI's car is their second home ... the techniques of the in-person cold call ... the ethics of PI work ... the importance of keeping the conversation going and of not taking "no" for an answer ... the fact that crime writers should never rely on "Scooby-Doo" co...

Michael La Ronn discusses ESTATE PLANNING FOR AUTHORS. He talks about making it easy for your heirs ... planning and managing your estate ... sharing passwords securely ... protecting against scammers ... and the first step to take. For a transcript of this interview and links to more information, go to https://www.theindyauthor.com/podcast.html. Did you find the information in this video useful?...

Bryan Collins discusses THE SEVEN MOST COMMON MISTAKES OF NON-FICTION AUTHORS … AND HOW TO AVOID THEM. He talks about writing different things at once ... not organizing the ideas ... waiting for passion or inspiration to strike ... writing only on the weekends ... writing and editing at the same time ... believing that working harder will make it happen ... and waiting until it's perfect For a tr...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Tara Cremin of Kobo Writing Life discusses SUBSCRIPTION MODELS, including Kobo Plus. She talks about the rise of subscription models ... what sets subscription readers apart ... how authors get paid in subscription models, and why Kobo chose minutes read as the measure of reader engagement ... and Kobo's "globally local" approach. She also discusses how author...

This week on The Indy Author Podcast, Jacob Hess discusses BUILDING ENGAGING WORLDS. He talks about: - The importance of building a consistent world - How much is too much - Genre-specific considerations - Using backstory as a reader magnet - The importance of taking the same care in building your characters' interior worlds as you do in building their exterior world Do any of those topics pique y...

Nat Connors of Kindletrends discusses USING DATA TO GUIDE YOUR CRAFT, including how authors can assess whether their covers, blurbs, content, and mechanics (such as release schedule and price) attract browsers, impact readers, and set the stage for a book's sales. He discusses the importance of having a consistent throughline across the cover, blurb, and content. And he talks about how being marke...

In this week's episode of The Indy Author Podcast, Edwin Hill discusses STORY STRUCTURE AND CHARACTER MOTIVATION. We discuss the motivational continuum, and how you can move from depicting the everyday world of expectation to the world of dreams and dreads, which is where the most engaging stories take place. We discuss where the key turning points in a work of fiction occur, and how you can use t...

Kris Austin, the CEO of Draft2Digital, discusses D2D's recent acquisition of Smashwords. We discuss the companies' similar philosophies, and how the combination of their different strengths will create better tools for indy authors. We discuss Smashwords' authors biggest concerns—regarding money and the Meatgrinder—and how the path forward will address those concerns. And we discuss what steps aut...

Kathy Meis of Bublish discusses METADATA IS YOUR BRAND. We discuss how the real marketing begins in the manuscript ... the role metadata, including a book's cover, plays in a discovery process that increasingly takes place online ... the ways that different platforms, such as Amazon and Google, use metadata ... and how good metadata is a service not only to the author but also to the reader. For a...