SPA Girls Podcast

Hit the ground running with this episode all about how to successfully finish the first draft of your novel!  We talk about how we stay motivated, what you need to know before you can start, how we keep going when we get to the saggy middle, what we plan beforehand, and what we leave to figure out as we go.  If you’ve been struggling to get started on your first draft, or you’re wallowing somewhere in the middle, this is the episode for you! 

Do you want to be a full-time author? Today we discuss how we transitioned to writing full time, including: how we approached the financial and business planning balancing the creative and business sides of the job mindset tips and corrections along the way our expectations versus reality courage and resourcefulness Show Notes: There are as many reasons to quit your day job, as there are to keep it. From being over your job, to making more than you ever could at it, or being able to do what you love (which are our reasons) and then there are your reasons. For most of us the decision could hinge on finances, but you’ll also have to understand how to treat this career as a business. A willingness to learn all aspects of the business is perhaps the biggest criteria after finance and it might take some time to get your head around everything so factoring that in will also impact the timing. Working from home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and many people will understand y=this than previously, but friends and family will need  to appreciate that you aren’t available at a moment’s notice. Make a plan, understand your process, know how much you need to earn and adopt the right mindset to ensure you’ll be ahead of the game.  Listen at www.spagirlspodcast.com and if you join us as a $10 Patreon patron, you’ll have access to us (warts and all!) in our private facebook group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing and answer your questions. www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Struggling to write compelling characters and compelling but realistic conflict in your stories? Well, have we got a show for you! Darian Smith is a prize winning fiction writer with a degree in psychology, and is a member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors. He combines these two sides of his background to provide simple, easy to follow tools that make use of established psychological theory to help writers develop fully rounded, interesting, realistic characters and inject conflict into their stories. We cover plot development AND character development and you’ll come away (hopefully!) with some awesome tips to improve your story telling and create compelling characters that your readers will love – or love to hate! Along with his fiction, Darian has written The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Realistic Characters and Conflict in Fiction https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0143K2MNU/ You can find him at http://www.darian-smith.com/ About Darian Smith I’m a writer and reader of fiction and live in Auckland, New Zealand. While I have dabbled in non-fiction, my true love is crafting exciting stories that interest and move me – and hopefully my readers! I mainly write fantasy. I’m a member of SpecFicNZ, an organisation for writers of speculative fiction here in New Zealand, and also of RWNZ.  I’ve won the Koru award and the Sir Julius Vogel award.  My literary agent is Word|Link. In my day job, I’m a Fieldworker for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I’m also a counsellor/family therapist. I live with my beautiful partner, who is also a writer, and two naughty black cats named Apollo and Athena.  The cats don’t write. 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us Patreon. Your support allows us to create the weekly show for self-publishers, as well as for us to take time away from our own writing to produce it. Thank you so much! If you’d like to join our supporters community, click here to be a patron of SPA Girls. All SPA Girls Podcast Episodes, Resource Links and free Self-Publishing Info at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

In the Spa this week we talk to Audiobook Narrator Naomi Barton. With more people listening to audiobooks now, there has never been a better time to learn about this side of our industry. Naomi has produced audio books for many authors including our very own Cheryl, under CA Phipps, her cozy mystery pen name. We talk about processes, cost, and the industry. You won’t want to miss this one!  https://www.naomibartonvoice.com/ You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: www.spagirlspodcast.com Make sure you’re signed up to our weekly self-publishing tips newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bGkz8L Come say hi on Facebook and Twitter @spagirlspodcast   If you would like to support us in continuing to produce informative and exciting content via the podcast come and join us there! Patreon

This week we talk to long-time PR coach and publicist Lilian Sue about how authors can successfully use PR to help with their author business. Her aim is to help authors fulfill their potential and become global industry leaders by focusing on how to build a healthy PR mindset above any strategy. We talk about authors can develop strong and healthy PR mindsets (by busting down fear and imposter syndrome) and how to use the right tools, knowledge, and resources to fulfill their goals. It’s another awesome episode!  Where to find Lilian Sue: Copywriter, Social Media Strategist, Publicistwww.inretrospectwritingservices.comhttps://in-retrospect-marketing-academy.thinkific.com/Twitter:@LSue23Instagram: liliansuecopywriterpr 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Your support allows us to create the weekly show for self-publishers, as well as for us to take time away from our own writing to produce it. Thank you so much! If you’d like to join our supporters community, click here to be a patron of SPA Girls. All SPA Girls Podcast Episodes, Resource Links and free Self-Publishing Info at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

Today we welcome back for a record 3rd time, Zoe York, to talk about Romancing Your Goals. Zoe is a thirteen-time USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, often with military heroes, and always with scorching heat between the pages. Between her two pen names (she also writes erotic romance as USA Today bestselling author Ainsley Booth), she has published more than seventy books since her debut in 2013 with What Once Was Perfect.  Like so many authors it was hard to read and write during 2020 which was the last time Zoe was with us. Yet, her latest book Romance Your Goals was written during the pandemic and highlights how to treat your business. It’s full of wonderful tips to build a marketable genre fiction series.  At the end and beginning of our business plans emotions come in strong. They must be honest to get what we want. Deceiving ourselves or being dishonest is when we don’t achieve. Show Notes: We need Goals to move forward.  Find a way to build a tool for yourself to help make the decision whether you make safe choices or step out of your comfort zone from time to time. Do you get a tingly feeling or is it the smart choice you must make right now? What is urgent and what is important and what is the difference? Zoe recommends a five-year goal then to break it down. In five years, what do you want to have written? Where does your book sit? Is it a standalone or part of a series? Where would it fit in a series. Product gets discovered via platform so what do you need to have on your platform to showcase your book. Focus on the thing you’re good at. Make yourself a vision board to show your goals and access your emotion which is what will drive you. If you don’t have it written down, it’s easy to lose sight of the goal. Chunk it down into bricks or boulders to make a ‘wall’ such as: Newsletters Pre orders Prequels Simultaneous audio release The next book You won’t get what you desire from the start and it may take some time so value the incremental success. Progressive cumulative results by trying, changing up and repeating make a difference long term. Do a deep dive into your metrics and track your numbers to see if what you’re doing is working. Adjust things to see what might make a difference.  Two things that made a big difference for Zoe: Introducing 3 lost leaders in 1 year which lifted her sales. Became serious about her Newsletter. Seriously, there is so much more so come listen! You can find Zoe at https://www.zoeyork.com And her book Romance Your Goals https://www.amazon.com/Romance-Your-Goals-Publishing-Book-ebook/dp/B0948F1HKS/ Eisenhower matrix https://miro.com/aq/ps/templates/eisenhower-matrix/ 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Your support allows us to create the weekly show for self-publishers, as well as for us to take time away from our own writing to produce it. Thank you so much!  If you’d like to join our supporters community, click here to be a patron of SPA Girls. All SPA Girls Podcast Episodes, Resource Links and free Self-Publishing Info at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

We’re thrilled to welcome fellow Kiwi author, Deb Potter, to the SPA today to give us the breakdown on how to create, optimize and manage Amazon ads.  Many of us have tried different methods to get AMS Ads to work: from creating hundred of ad variations to wrangling spreadsheets with thousands of keywords to try. And then there’s the whole bid price – how do we know what to bid? Can we trust auto ads?  As a statistician by trade, and also a self-published author, Deb is fantastic at clearing the confusion and giving you clear guidance on how to get your Amazon ads humming. CLICK HERE to download Deb’s handout for SPA Girls Podcast listeners! About Deb: Deb Potter is an Amazon ads enthusiast. Deb wrote Amazon Ads for Authors to give new authors easy steps into advertising and more experienced authrs advanced tools and tips that other courses  don’t cover. She updates Amazon Ads for Authors regularly – most recently January 2022. She says that keeps her on her toes Deb is a statistician by trade, she jokes she’s the most widely read author in New Zealand because she wrote a number of questions that come out every five years in the national Census. In her work with big data sets she’s written the specifications for algorithms many times – and that’s helped her think about how Amazon works. Deb comes from a theatrical family and started off writing plays. She started off publising interactive fiction on Amazon, after seeing that a Kindle meant stories could make good use of hyperlinks. Her You Say Which Way brand attracted more writers and before she knew it she was a publisher. Her advertising insights come from marketing multiple genres herself, and then coaching authors in many more genres.  She admins the Facebook page: Authors Optimizing Amazon and Facebook Ads with four other experts. Deb is based in New Zealand and has a background in data and analytics, and public policy.  She has a Masters in Creative Writing, a BA in Education and Social Policy and Certificates in Children’s Literature and Journalism.  She has a quarter acre with four chickens AND a vege garden and keeping them both alive might be the topic for her next non-fiction book. Resources mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Ads-Authors-Strategies-Books-ebook/dp/B07TVXQBMY/ Authors Optimizing Amazon and Facebook Ads – Support Group 20BooksTo50K® 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us Patreon. Your support allows us to create the weekly show for self-publishers, as well as for us to take time away from our own writing to produce it. Thank you so much!  If you’d like to join our supporters community, click here to be a patron of SPA Girls. All SPA Girls Podcast Episodes, Resource Links and free Self-Publishing Info at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year. She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel Jay’s Website Jay’s Narrator ❤️ Learn to Self-publish with the SPA Girls! ➡️ Support us on patreon Patreon/SPAGirlsPodcast ➡️ Visit SpaGirlsPodcast.com for full show notes and all previous episodes 🔍 Subscribe on your fav podcast app – search “SPA Girls Podcast” 📧 Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors Get your FREE Cheat Sheet! You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: Podcast Episodes ✔️ Subscribe and Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ How To Self-Publish with the SPA Girls ✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast

This week we talk to fantasy author AK Mulford about how she got started on TikTok! We cover TikTok for authors in depth: how to start, who to follow, how to get your follower count up, best length of videos, what to post, how to create the videos, hashtags, sounds, dealing with comments, batching, duets, stitching, etiquette plus differences from other social media platforms. And most importantly: does it sell books? If you’ve ever considered jumping on TikTok, this is the episode for you!  Some suggested authors to check out on TikTok: AK Mulford, Anne Malcom, Amo Jones, Jami Albright, Katee Robert, Caroline Peckham, Wendy Vella, Trudi Jaye, Miss Excel. Sign up for our free weekly self-publishers newsletter full of SPA Girls tips, resources and author info Learn self-publishing free with the SPA Girls on YouTube

Feeling a bit blah about your writing? Struggling with getting good words down and your word count UP? Today we’re taking inspiration from Marie Kondo, and we’re sparking back the joy in our writing lives! Our SPA Girls tried-and-true steps are: 1. Re-commit to your Why 2. Re-evaluate your ideal writing life / writing day 3. Let gooooooooo 4. Start with Simple 5. Be Like Marie and ask Does It Spark Joy? As always, a brutally honest and real-time discussion how we’re all struggling a bit for different reasons. Wendy’s tired, but she can still invent words – see “unbogging” as an example! All Episodes and Resource Links at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com Sign up for our free weekly self-publishers newsletter full of SPA Girls tips, resources and author info Learn self-publishing free with the SPA Girls on YouTube