The Self Publishing Show

Any author considering writing in different genres would do well to tune in to this week's episode featuring writer Barry Hutchison. A popular and well-established name in sci-fi, find out what happened when he made the switch to writing crime fiction.

Back in Florida to present at this year's NINC writers' conference, the SPF team recorded an edition of the Self Publishing Show in front of a live audience - a first - made up of indie authors and experts, including self publishing guru David Gaughran and Reedsy's Ricardo Fayet. It turned out to be a lively and informative affair!

If you're writing books that involve the workings of the FBI, you're going to want ensure authenticity. Cue, retired FBI Special Agent and fiction author Jerri Williams.

This week, Stuart Grant, Instagram expert and co-author of one of SPF's most popular indie author marketing guides, explains how to build your readership with the social media platform.

Mark and James catch up with KDP's Darren Hardy at Amazon's UK HQ to discuss the impact of the company's past, present and future innovations on indie authors the world over.

It might sound niche, but colouring books are in demand - and not just from children! This week's guest, Selina Fenech, explains how sales of her self-published colouring books are keeping her very much in the pink.

Screenwriter-turned-author Damon Suede explains how to find super-success in the hot romance genre.

Draft2Digital's Mark Lefebvre explains the key individual requirements for publishing success as an author. And yes, they all begin with the letter 'P'!

In the final part of our Thrillerfest 2019 series, four major league bestsellers unleash some of the secrets behind their enduring success as thriller writers.

In the second of three special episodes from this year's Thrillerfest event, five bestsellers let rip on various topics - from how to get to grips with writing a novel, finding success in Hollywood with your writing, writing for TV and securing legal authenticity in your books.

In the first of three special episodes from this year's Thrillerfest event in New York City, get ready to learn key tips from bestsellers on plot twists and pacing and how to successfully approach moral challenges and psychology in your writing.

It's a crucial question that all authors need to consider at some point: should I go for a traditional deal or consider self-publishing instead? This week's guest, author Libbie Hawker, is here to help you come to the right decision.

Setting yourself up as a self-published author requires you to be business-minded. In this episode, expert accountants from both sides of the pond provide practical advice on how to go about getting it right from the off.

After occupying key positions at two of the world's biggest corporations, David Risher launched Worldreader, a charity that champions digital reading in underserved communities around the world. He explains how his love of reading inspired him to create the organisation and details its achievements and ambitions for the future.

Rosalind James started her indie author career by writing a romance with a twist - it starred hunky New Zealand rugby players! She talks to us about the importance of not being pigeonholed into one's genre, and why, particularly in romance, rapid release is key to success.

Non-fiction indie author Marc Reklau explains how fine-tuning his Amazon ad campaigns helped him to significantly boost his book sales.

US fiction writer and SPF Ads for Author student, Ryan Schow, explains how he finally got to live the dream of writing full-time as an indie author.

In the final part of our mini-series on ads, our very own Mark Dawson drills down into the Amazon ads platform, explaining how it can help form a key part of your marketing mix.

Part 2 of our mini-series on ad platforms, has bestselling author and self-publishing guru, David Gaughran, turning the spotlight on BookBub ads. Are they worth investing time, effort and money in?

In the first of three ad platform-focused episodes, bestselling urban fantasy author and SPF student, Shayne Silvers, explains how mastering Facebook ads helped put his career into overdrive.

Author Kevin J. Anderson has seen it all. He's written books based on films, written in the Star Wars and X Files universes, seen the ups and downs, gold rushes and bookstore bankruptcies. Through it all, his defining characteristic has been to keep writing. His consistency over time has created a catalog of over 160 books. Tune in for some major league inspiration and advice for both newbie and established authors alike.

Former detective and USA Today bestselling author Holly S. Roberts explains how to avoid common mistakes writing police procedurals and the importance of getting the police mindset right.

He's an ex-Marine, the 20 Books conference series show runner and a prolific writer to boot. It's not surprising that Craig Martelle knows a thing or two about author productivity.

Historical romance author Suzan Tisdale explains how to craft scenarios that readers love to lose themselves in.

Thriller author Michael Parker submits his title The Boy From Berlin to the BookLab experts for input on his writing, cover design and book description.

Indie romance bestseller Alessandra Torre sheds light on some of her rookie mistakes in the hope that others will learn from them.

Turning to crime and making it pay. M.J. Arlidge on the switch from TV screenwriter to bestselling thriller author.

Dan Blank explains how to use relationship strategies to build your self-publishing business.

Could you write and publish a Bestseller in one year? That's what Mark Stay and Mark Oliver of the Bestseller Experiment Podcast set out to achieve. We interview one of them to find out the hows and whys behind their challenge - and what happened.

Author Barry J. Hutchison discusses his early career as a trad author of books, screenplays and comics and why the switch to planet indie has proved to be such a game changer for him.

We catch up with the creator of the 20 Books to 50K author movement at LBF '19 who explains how he smashed his original goal as an indie author and the implications of his own personal journey for other writers looking to self-publish.

Indie author and SPF student Sacha Black explains how to make sure the villain in your next book steals the show.

K-Lytics' Alex Newton explains how purposefully crunching numbers and analysing data can help indie authors find the most profitable reader niche for their books.

Indie author Steff Green explains what inspired her to write in the new romantic sub-genre of 'reverse harem' and how her readers have responded to the change.

So how do you follow-up a bestselling zombie book? Author Isaac Marion lets rip.

Romance writer Elin Peer discusses how her background in life coaching has infused her career as an indie author.

Hybrid author J.D. Barker on his journey from ghost writer to best selling author and how he got to breathe new life into the goth-horror classic 'Dracula'.

Adam Cushman explains how professionally produced trailers can add significant impact to any book marketing campaign.

The CEO of PublishDrive explains how the ebook aggregation service can help indie authors sell more books.

Erica Ridley explains how to make sure your mailing list and newsletter pack a punch as part of your marketing mix.

Bestselling author Danielle Norman explains how to make dictation a successful part of your writing workflow.

Author Audrey Hughey explains how smart planning can help you achieve your writing and publishing goals quicker and more efficiently.

Author Hannah Lynn talks about the impact on her writing career after winning the Kindle Storyteller award for 2018.

Mystery author Niki Danforth submits her title 'Searching for Gatsby' to the BookLab experts for input on her writing, cover design and book description.

In the week that the Self Publishing Formula Podcast gets rebranded as The Self Publishing Show, Mark reflects on a major achievement as an indie author in 2018.

Getting advance reviews from a team of readers should be a key part of your book marketing strategy. Craig Tuch of Hidden Gems explains why and how ARC teams are great news for authors and readers.

Don't think you can make a living writing non-fiction? Take a look at Joseph Alexander. He amassed a huge amount of tablature material whilst teaching his guitar students, and wanted a way to share it. Now, thanks to self-publishing, he's running a seven-figure publishing house.

Within months of completing the Ads for Authors course, fantasy author Shayne Silvers realised a life-long dream of becoming a full-time author. Hear how it all came together for him and how the same approach could work for other indie authors.

In this special masterclass edition, Mark provides key advice and insight on the latest tips and tricks that are currently working in the Amazon ads space.

Indie author Octavia Randolph explains how the smart use of Facebook ads helped build readership (and sales) of her historical Norse fiction books.