SPA Girls Podcast

This episode we’re thrilled to welcome Nat Connors, founder of Kindletrends (and fellow New Zealander #gokiwis) to the SPA! Nat has been a self-published fiction author since 2016, and is also a research academic and data scientist.  Kindletrends is a weekly data newsletter that tells you all about what’s happening across 12 different genres in the Kindle Store.  Nat started using the information in Kindletrends to help outline, write and launch books, and then started sharing it with friends. Now just recently (launched November 2020), Kindletrends is available to the self-publishing community as a whole. We’ll go over contact info at the end of the podcast, but if you can’t wait, check out kindletrends.com.  Subscribe for USD15/month (the first month is free) and every week you’ll get a data-rich newsletter on major categories in the Kindle Store, helping you plan every aspect of your publishing with confidence. *** BONUS FOR SPA GIRLS PODCAST LISTENERS – listen up for a fantastic discount code that’ll save you $5/month on your subscription – ends April 2021, so don’t delay! Nat goes into fascinating detail about: The inspiration behind Kindletrends How it works for beginners and authors with a large catalogue Benefits to your book planning process Marketing tips and tricks How to research your genre Trend spotting Bestselling blurb advice and more! We’re really excited about Kindletrends (and not just because it’s another case of Kiwi ingenuity 😉 This is going to be super helpful to all of us in different ways. As promised, here are some helpful visuals and video explanations that will help you use Kindletrends to help you write and market your books better! Here’s an example of a Kindletrends newsletter. Here’s an introductory video (2 minutes) which explains how to read a newsletter, and what you can do with it. Here’s how to do research on covers, titles and blurbs.  A Data Visualization of Romance Trends in 2020 How To Start Researching A Genre Kindletrends example: Week in Summary snapshot Kindletrends example: wordcloud from top 100 blurbs Kindletrends example : Cover Montage Kindletrends example: airtable report SPA Girls Links: ✔️ 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

Trying to figure out how to finish your book? Keep getting distracted or discombobulated? This is the episode for you! We break down the processes we use to plan and schedule a book, from start to finish, including everything from booking a cover designer to working with your editor. We show how easy it is to get your writing done, when you know exactly how much you have to write and by when. Join us for another information packed episode…  ✔️ 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

For many of us, the thought of overcoming the technology barriers to self-publishing can be overwhelming and cause us to delay (or not try) publishing. Many authors have likely heard the talk about the all-important “meta data” and “algorithms” like they’re the bogeymen. Something to be avoided – and best done by someone else! WE GET IT. WE’VE BEEN THERE! But if we can do this, trust us, YOU can too! How we overcame our own barriers– mindset– you tube– courses– reading– group support– screwing up – unpublishing and republishing– out sourcing – pacing ourselves– facebook groups Useful links:David Gaughran talks with the SPA Girls http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep225-amazon-decoded/ Identify Your Learning Style: https://www.uow.edu.au/student/learning-co-op/effective-studying/identify-your-learning-style/ You heard right – the SPA Girls will be launching an online Get Started Self-Publishing Course in the next few months. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when it launches http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/ 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

It’s super easy to be overwhelmed by all the steps required to self-publish. Whether you’re a traditionally published author looking to self-publish now, or a new author straight out of the blocks, we break down the seven simple steps to self-publishing. Step 1: Write the BookStep 2: Get It EditedStep 3: Get a CoverStep 4: Write A BlurbStep 5: Format ItStep 6: Upload to retailersStep 7: Market and repeat Breaking news: If you’d like the SPA Girls to hold your hand through this process, make sure you’ve signed up to our newsletter because we’re currently putting together a detailed online course that will take you through from manuscript to finished ebook and print book and impart our collective wisdom to launch your authoring career!

Today we’re responding to questions from listeners who are just starting their self-publishing journey. From earning expectations to how to learning “All The Things” and being overwhelmed, we’ve got you covered! Some of questions answered: What type of writing SHOULD I focus on? Is genre important for good earnings? Are my expectations realistic? How am I going to support myself during this process? How much can I expect to earn? What do I have to know about self-publishing, there’s so much to learn! Can I just write and pay someone else to do the rest? How do I build a platform? What even IS a platform? What’s the one piece of advice you’d give someone starting out today? Remember, every single step of self-publishing is covered here on the podcast in detail – make sure to search on our website www.SPAGirlsPodcast.com for the topic, and the episodes will come right up.Facebook group mentioned is Author Support Network by Marie Force: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1020661671348562 David Gaughran’s excellent post about vanity publishers is here: https://davidgaughran.com/vanity-press-media-author-solutions/ YES! It’s true – the SPA Girls will be launching an online Get Started Self-Publishing Course in the next few months. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter and you’ll be the first to know when it launches: http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/join/ ✔️  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

Today we’re joined by fellow Kiwi romance author – and one of the SPA Girls’ star pupils from their self-publishing workshops – ALEXA RIVERS. Alexa has written and published nine small town romance to date and has really nailed her plotting process, starting with a character. If you’ve been struggling to find a way to plot and love the idea of starting with those characters who are burning a hole inside your head, this is the episode for you! LISTENER BONUS: Click here to download Alexa’s CHARACTER PLOTTING WORKSHEET About Alexa Alexa Rivers is a New Zealand author of steamy and heartfelt small town romances. She lives in a small town herself, complete with nosy neighbors and quirky traditions. She shares a house with a neurotic dog and a husband who thinks he’s hilarious.You can find her at www.AlexaRivers.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/ Watch episode recordings on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast  Join us on Facebook and Twitter @SPAGirlsPodcast

Are your readers staying for the next book? This week’s podcast is all about read-through – ie what percentage of readers read from the first book in your series to the next, and onwards. Learn all about what it means, why it matters and how to increase your read through in this information-packed episode! We cover: * how to calculate read-through and why its important that you do! * What is the ideal percentage you should be aiming for * Red flags to look for if you DON’T get great read-through * How it affects advertising * How to deal with a “weak” book in the series * The difference between calculating wide read-through vs kindle unlimited * Tools for calculating read through including Readerlinks (https://readerlinks.com/)  Great resource on Kindlepreneur from Malorie Cooper: https://kindlepreneur.com/calculate-series-read-through/ Malorie says : Your series sell-through is pretty easy to calculate. Take the sales of the last book in your series and divide that number by the sales of Book 1. Let’s say you sold 428 copies of Book 1, and 247 copies of Book 2. That gives us: 247 ÷ 428 = 57.7% That’s your total series read-through. “Many authors see something in the neighborhood of 50-60% from books 1 to 2. Unless you’re writing a more loosely connected series, the read-through from the first to the second book is very important.” Knowing if a series is doing well or where it’s falling down can help to make it easier to fix going forward.  Book 1 should be your best book but sometimes it’s not. What should you do if that’s the case? Listen to the episode for some great tips! ✔️  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  

Inspired by a post from The Greater Good Science Center* at the University of California, Berkeley, today we’re guiding you through five golden questions or guidelines to ask yourself when you’re setting your 2021 writing / author business goals. Be warned – this is a different approach to the usual SMART goal systems, but it really resonated with us, especially after 2020. We’ve come into the New Year probably like a lot of people – more intentional and aware of how we want to spend our time and what’s REALLY important to us. For us, it looks quite different to how we felt this time a year ago and we’ve adapted this especially to suit the writing life whether full time or part-time. So lets dive in… “Even if it feels like all you’re doing is trying to survive, these questions may help you gain a sense of control amid the uncertainty.” GOLDEN QUESTION 1: What do you want to take with you when this is all over? Reflect on what HAS / IS working for you. GOLDEN QUESTION 2: What are some aspirational goals that you could set for yourself? “Identify where can you do better despite the pandemic (and everything else). The goal is not to add more pressure to an already difficult time, but to identify goals that could help you feel better and have more energy at the end of the day.” GOLDEN QUESTION 3: What new habit have you wanted to get into for a while now? GOLDEN QUESTION 4: How can you invest in yourself? This is a GREAT one especially for women who are often handling the lion’s share of the emotional labour and the child / homeschooling / working / caregiving roles. “Remember, the best resource that you have for making a contribution to the world is YOU. When that resource is depleted, your most valuable asset is damaged. In other words: When we underinvest in our bodies, minds, or spirits, we destroy our most essential tools for leading our best lives.” GOLDEN QUESTION 5: What do you want to feel more of in 2021? For many of us, we want to feel less overwhelmed and MORE at peace or in control. This question is asking us to identify what behaviours or habits have in the past elicited the EMOTION that you are looking for?Maintenance habits (like doing daily writing sprint, emptying your inbox each week, removing social media apps from your phone, leaving your phone out of the bedroom at night etc) may make you feel less overwhelmed. NEXT STEPS: Have you already listed your goals or resolutions for the upcoming year?Before you start whipping yourself into action, consider your ANSWERS TO THE GOLDEN QUESTIONS FIRST. Look at your initial goals and then DELETE the ideas you have for your writing goals, habits or new years resolutions that simply AREN’T realistic or that your heart isn’t in. Basically: ELIMINATE THE “SHOULDS!” Setting goals and habits should make you feel happier, more at peace, healthier and more connected to those around you – they should not, especially in the time we’re currently in, be a tool of self-flagellation. So be kind to yourselves, maybe journal or discuss these 5 questions with your family, friends or writing peeps and really take the answers to what makes YOU happy and at peace into account when you’re refining your goals for 2021. Good luck! *Read the article here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_new_years_resolutions_matter_more_in_a_pandemic?fbclid=IwAR2V2sBJwXJchQ8i6eU2Xbq9TioEoz-fGhtZCIp1tmHRBN-9m-vDdGaRDKw ✔️  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

Isn’t that what we’re all after? The ONE RIGHT answer to everything – the BEST newsletter strategy, the RIGHT way to sell books, the ONE secret to making ads work? Well, listen up folks because in this episode we’ve got the Magic Wand! Resources mentioned: Bella Andre with the SPA Girlshttp://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep148-interview-with-indie-superstar-bella-andre/ Becca Syme’s Strengths For Writers Coursehttps://betterfasteracademy.com/ Larissa Reynolds talks Newsletters with the SPA Girlshttp://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep177-successful-newsletter-strategies-with-larissa-reynolds/ http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep178-newsletter-strategies-with-larissa-reynolds-part-2/ Tammi Labrecque the Newsletter Ninjahttp://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep145-newsletter-ninja-tammi-labrecque/

Ever wondered why on earth you’re spending all this time writing? Ever think to yourself that maybe your writing isn’t that great? Ever think this self publishing lark is just too hard? Yeah, so have we. But this episode is all about how to throw away those dumb old negative thoughts, and learn how to believe in yourself and your writing! We talk through some of the most common misbeliefs that authors have, and give you some awesome ways to change your thinking, and learn to believe in yourself and most of all, keep going!  Resources mentioned: Brooke Castillo https://thelifecoachschool.com/podcasts/