SPA Girls Podcast

Conventional wisdom says ‘bigger is better’ for books, but is that really true? In this episode, we discuss what different word counts and book sizes mean for successful publishers today, how you can use different sizes to your advantage, and how to find your sweet spot. The Right Size isn’t a black and white thing – in fact, there are 50 shades of writing (size) to embrace! There is NO ONE RULE for word counts: Example: The Romance Writers of America defines a novella as 20,000 to 40,000 words and a novel as a work of fiction of 40,000 words or more as determined by computer word count. The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America organization defines:Short Story: less than 7,500 words;Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 wordsNovel: 40,000 words or more. Bookbub current rule for word count needed for a featured deal:A full-length book. Novels and collections of short stories or novellas should be at least 150 pages in length, works of nonfiction at least 100 pages, cookbooks at least 70 pages, middle-grade books at least 100 pages, and children’s picture books at least 20 pages. We currently do not feature stand-alone novellas or short stories.” Uses of shorter fiction:Short stories can be published on their own or used to create anthologiesThey can be used as newsletter subscription lures READER EXPECTATION is the key to what word count you should aim forRomance readers (generally) expect a full novel to be 50,000 to 80,000 words; however, there are some popular niches such as sexy shifter romance telling the story in a shorter word count eg 35,000. Thrillers and suspense normally are 60,000 – 90,000 Epic fantasy can have 120,000 words + Cozy mysteries tend to 40,000 to 60,000 Serialized fiction tends to be around 700 – 2000 words per episodeThe new Kindle Vella program states “between 600-5,000 words” IT”S NOT SET IN STONE and TRENDS DO CHANGEAdvantage if you’re publishing exclusively with Amazon and in the Kindle Unlimited program is to have a longer word count. More pages = more $ Want more of the SPA Girls? ✔️  Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/  ✔️  You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/   ✔️ Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast  ✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast  

Join Shar, Wendy, Cher and Trudi for the 300th EPISODE of the SPA Girls Podcast! EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!! Can you believe it? It’s been a crazy ride, but we’ve loved every minute of it. 🙂 In this episode we talk about having pride in your work and being proud of everything you’ve achieved, and then how to persevere in the face of all the odds! This is a fun episode where we open up about some of the things we’ve been through over the last six years, and give our best advice for anyone looking to self publish! 

Get Results Spending $100/month (or less!) Marketing doesn’t have to mean Big Bucks spent on advertising. In fact, some of the best marketing you can do is free or low cost. If you’re just starting out there probably isn’t much left in the budget for paid marketing. We’ve been there! In this episode, we’ve dug deep to find all the tools we used instead of heavy investments—and some we still do. One thing to note, you’ll need to invest something in your marketing—if it’s not money, it’s your time. This episode we’ll cover: * Revising keywords * Tweaking your blurbs * Reach out to other authors for Facebook group intro / newsletter swaps / social media interviews * Writing another series “lead in” as a giveaway on bookfunnel * Revise your Goodreads strategy (see our interview with Alessandra Torres for ideas – https://spagirls.libsyn.com/spa-girls-ep235-interview-with-alessandra-torre)  * Run some social media giveaways using ebook / bookfunnel * Review your author bio * Refresh your website and social media graphics with canva * Create quotes from your books and book review quotes for social media on canva (for example)  * Join another social media platform and have fun – try Tik Tok – front facing videos “raw” are very popular and effective when done well. Free advertising! * Set up a free store on a merchandise site like Cafe Press, create some “reader focussed” designs yourself in canva (eg quotes if you’re not artistic) and use them as giveaways and for sale  * Run a newsletter subscriber – specific poll or competition to encourage sharing of your social media posts * If in KU, use your 5 day free runs on Bk1s and run as many ads as you can afford on Day 1 with smaller advertiser lists like book vixens, book sends, book gorilla etc. * Paid per click ads like bookbub ads, Facebook ads and AMS ads generally cost more than $100/month so we’re focusing on lower priced ad lists with free book, concentrated over the 5 days, to give you a sales boost on back list * Box set your existing series books to create another product  * Research the top 100 of your genre every day for the next 90 days – see who’s on top, who’s upcoming, what covers and what blurbs are selling. There’ll be things you can learn in there. *Not selling? Get honest feedback on whether you’re hitting the market tropes / reader expectations / cover expectations from other authors before you invest more time and energy into writing something off market *Goal is to make more money so you can invest back into your business. The key is investing in Great Product though, so all the effort you put in now into understanding your market and your readers will pay off big time in the future -write a bonus epilogue that readers must sign up for your email newsletter to download. Try doing it in public – start a blog about your journey into publishing and try to engage with fans right from the start.   Create a journey for your readers on social media – plan out a campaign that takes them from being not interested, to being engaged. How do you do that? People love to talk about themselves, ask them engaging questions.  Know your brand/readers really well. Look for the places where they’ll be. Think outside the box in terms of finding readers. If you have a book that is set on a boat, look for boating magazines that might be interested in featuring you.  Go live. Remember people don’t want perfect.  Be vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to be who you really are. People want authenticity over perfection. We hate feeling like something is too slick.  Approach local media outlets. HARO.  The Best Book Promo Sites as of Feb 21 https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-best-book-promotion-sites-to-promote-your-ebook/ EBOOK BOOSTER https://www.ebookbooster.com/ebook-promotion-services/ Guaranteed Listings on 15 eBook Websites and Social Media – Only $25 Free eBook Promotion Services Best for Amazon Kindle Free and Permafree eBooks Submit Your eBook to Over 40 eBook Sites and Social Media – Only $30 Hello Books $25 https://hellobooks.com/ More resource links mentioned:If This Then That https://ifttt.com Cafe Press https://www.cafepress.com Society Six https://society6.com SPA Girls Episode with Lucy Score http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep284-lucy-score-talks-reader-groups-releases-and-relationships/  Kindletrends http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep281-kindletrends-with-nat-connors/ SPA Girls Episode with Kaye Kennedy http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep283-interview-with-kaye-kennedy/ SPA Girls Episode with Danielle Romero http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep260-interview-with-danielle-annett/ Help A Reporter Out : https://www.helpareporter.com Facebook Group: 20BooksTo50K https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50kAmazon Decoded by David Gaughran: https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Decoded-Marketing-Kindle-Publishing-ebook/dp/B08F7ZXZ78

We’ve got a very special treat for you this episode – the incredibly talented and savvy, Ms Lucy Lennox, is in the house! Lucy saw extraordinary success straight out the gate, from when she first published her MM romance, Borrowing Blue, in November 2016. In fact, by her second month of publishing, Lucy was earning five figures per month! Since then, Lucy’s books have soared the bestseller charts consistently and she’s built an incredible career, publishing prolifically (despite a serious health challenge) and building a rabid audience for her sweet and steamy male/male gay romances. From release strategies, co-writing tips, MM romance tropes to Writing For Your Id and the power of romance beats, Lucy’s honest, no-holds-barred advice will boost your mindset and your business. In fact, we know you’ll come away just as inspired and motivated to get butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard we were from talking with Lucy! No matter what genre you write, this podcast is a must-listen, with something for everyone. About Lucy Lennox: After enjoying creative writing as a child, Lucy didn’t write her first novel until she was over 40 years old. Her debut novel, Borrowing Blue, was published in the autumn of 2016. Lucy has an English Literature degree from Vanderbilt University, but that doesn’t hold a candle to the years and years of staying up all night reading tantalizing novels on her own. She has one husband, three children, plays tennis, and hates folding laundry. Lucy writes male/male gay romance with heart, humor, and heat. To date she’s published 24 novels herself, 12 co-written novels across three series and numerous short stories in her series’ worlds. Find her at http://www.lucylennox.com/ Join Lucy’s facebook group Lucy’s Lair Resources Mentioned Becca Syme’s Write Better Faster course Becca Syme’s Interview on the SPA Girls Podcast Jennifer Lynn Barnes Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ RWA Talk 2018: Writing For Your Id

Dive into this amazing episode with six-figure author Fallyn Briggs, where she discusses the hot topic of writing to trend v writing to market! She has spent most of her life within the pages of a book and now she is thrilled to have the opportunity to invite people into the worlds she creates. When Fallyn is not writing sweet romances, she is traveling, eating too much cheesecake, and thinking about writing sweet romances. Fallyn says, “writing to market may have hungry readers, but writing to trend is hitting on a hot button trope, idea, theme, niche, or genre that has VERY voracious readers gobbling up that particular kind of book on a likely more limited time frame. Like Veruca Salt, they want it and they want it NOW.” You can find Fallyn at: https://fallynbriggs.com/ https://fallynbriggs.com Want more of the SPA Girls? ✔️  Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/  ✔️  You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/   ✔️ Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast  ✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast  

In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast we talk about emotional wounds, and why they’re so important in developing your characters, and creating an awesome story! From possible wounds that you could give your characters, to how those wounds will develop the story, and how you can use them to amp up the tension, and create a story that your readers will love – we talk about it all! SHOW NOTES: Emotional Wound Thesaurus – Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi Website – Writers Helping Writers Lisa Cron – Wired For Story Michael Hauge Donald Maas Want more of the SPA Girls? ✔️  Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/  ✔️  You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/   ✔️ Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast  ✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast  

Celeste Barclay joins us to discuss finding your village and what doing so did for her. Celeste has published an incredible 27 books since 2017, primarily in historical romance. Her popular series includes the medieval The Clan Sinclair novels and The Highland Ladies series which has an impressive 15 individual books and counting.   Before becoming a full-time author, Celeste was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Teaching Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating rich historical romances that bring the steam. It was the third book in her first series which really took off and she’s been incredibly successful ever since. Celest says her Author Village “made her career” and today she talks to us about what that means to her, how to find and build your own village, and why it’s so important.  Celeste defines her Author Village as her own network of fellow author peers who lend friendship, support, feedback, writing and business advice. They’re like-minded people who she trusts and respects.  What a village offers:– anthology opportunities– increased business– newsletter swaps, Facebook group takeovers, etc Some ways to find your author village:attend in-person author events and signings and conferences Join author Facebook groups such as Millionaire Author Mastermind (https://www.facebook.com/groups/millionaireauthormastermind/), or The Writing Gals – Abundance Mindset For Authors (https://www.facebook.com/groups/abundancemindsetforauthors/)To find more, search within Facebook for your own genre group The hardest part is the first step – be brave enough to reach out! Find out more about Celeste at: https://www.celestebarclay.com You’ll find all the show notes at: www.spagirlspodcast.com Keen to join the SPA Girls in a live workshop? Join our mailing list here and we’ll let you know the minute we have workshop bookings open. https://selfpublishingworkshop.co.nz/index.html Come say hi on Facebook and twitter @spagirlspodcast

This episode we’re back “on the couch” with the SPA Girls to discuss tools and resources we’ve used to cope with the ever changing climate of self-publishing, AND those big life events that we all face at times. As always, we share our own experiences and hard-won tips for rolling with the punches and utilizing change as a tool for growth and learning. Resources mentioned: BBC – Why Embracing Change Is The Key To A Good Life 🌸 SpaGirlsPodcast.com ✔️ Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/✔️ You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/✔️ Subscribe and Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ How To Self-Publish with the SPA Girls✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast

You’re worth it and your work is worth it. This episode will blow your mind! Renee is passionate about helping authors and creatives get their mindset dialed to SUCCESS. So many nuggets of creativity and business wisdom in this episode, you’ll want to listen more than once. Scroll down for the link to join her private author’s Facebook group. USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She’s sold over a million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today’s Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA’s Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy’s Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and has hit the USA Today list eight times with her Wolf Ranch books and various anthologies. FB – https://www.facebook.com/groups/abundancemindsetforauthors Sign up to receive a FREE ebook: subscribepage.com/alphastemp Visit her blog at www.reneeroseromance.comFollow Renee at www.Facebook.com/ReneeRoseRomance – She loves to chat with readers! Follow her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ReneeRoseAuthor**Follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/reneeroseromance 🌸 SpaGirlsPodcast.com ✔️ Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/✔️ You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/✔️ Subscribe and Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ How To Self-Publish with the SPA Girls✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast

It’s a heated debate that occurs regularly in the bars and cafes of self-publishing-land – should you go exclusive to Amazon and get the benefits of Kindle Unlimited, or should you go wide, and get the benefits of being able to upload your books on retailers like Kobo, Apple Books and Nook, as well as Amazon?  There are arguments both ways, and in this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast, we take you through all the pros and cons of both, and try to give you some information that will help you make the decision when the time comes…  🌸 SpaGirlsPodcast.com ✔️ Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with tips and resources for self-publishing authors http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/✔️ You’ll find all the show notes and SPA Girls podcast episodes at: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/✔️ Subscribe and Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ How To Self-Publish with the SPA Girls✔️ Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast