The Indy Author Podcast

Shane Millar talks about HOW TO BE A WRITER IF YOU HATE WRITING, including diagnosing a dislike of drafting; whether first drafting quickly is a problem; tips for fleshing out setting and characters, including getting to know your characters in your first book and the advantage of continuing characters in a series; the benefit of learning story structure; the danger of too much study and not enough practice; and the markers of a writer's true goals. If one of those topics piques your interest, you can easily jump to that section of the interview by going to The Indy Author on YouTube and clicking on the flagged timestamps in the video description. https://www.youtube.com/c/TheIndyAuthorPodcast Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP178 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Shane Millar is a Fictionary Certified Story Coach and the author of the Write Better Fiction craft guides. He is also the author of the Myth & Magic urban fantasy thriller series (writing as S. W. Millar), and a co-host on the Storytellers Faceoff Podcast. Shane holds a BA in journalism and is a member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). He lives in Buckinghamshire, England and is obsessed with the writing craft, mythology, personal development, food, and martial arts movies.

Author Leslye Penelope talks about FROM INDY TO TRAD TO HYBRID, including being an indy author approached by a traditional publisher (and how that's the exception, not the rule); what changed with her traditionally published release and what stayed the same; publisher and author rights; partnering with one's traditional publisher; backlist books and traditional publishing; the idea that trad publishers' customers are bookstores, not readers; assessing fit for indy or traditional per book; and choosing your publishing path. If one of those topics piques your interest, you can easily jump to that section of the interview by going to https://youtu.be/8pT6Bck685k and clicking on the flagged timestamps in the video description. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP177 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Leslye Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author. Her novel SONG OF BLOOD & STONE was chosen as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Equally left- and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science in college and sometimes dreams in HTML. She hosts the My Imaginary Friends podcast and lives in Maryland with her husband and furry dependents.

Michael La Ronn and Matty Dalrymple discuss TWO PERSPECTIVES ON CHOOSING THE TOOLS FOR YOUR AUTHOR CAREER, including the tools they use for writing and editing, design (book interiors and exteriors), production, distribution, marketing, promotion, and administrivia. More importantly, they discuss the criteria they use to select their tools, including using tools wide or deep, buying versus building, being an early adopter or not, working solo or with a co-author or assistant, the desire for customization, how ubiquitous the tool is, customer service, and intuitiveness of use. And Michael makes a compelling recommendation not to overlook the productivity tools that are built into your computer and phone. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP176 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Michael La Ronn is the author of over forty science fiction & fantasy novels and self-help books for writers. He runs the popular YouTube channel Author Level Up and serves on the staff of the Alliance of Independent Authors as a US Ambassador, and he also co-hosts the AskALLi Member Q&A Podcast.

M.K. Williams and Matty Dalrymple talk about LESSONS LEARNED AS AN AUTHOR PODCASTER AND YOUTUBER, including the importance of putting your own spin on your offering, bringing a mindset of plenty, leveraging a patronage model, starting out as if you have an audience of thousands, the importance of not planning for lightning in a bottle but also not undervaluing what you've achieved. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP175 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple M.K. Williams had one simple goal: she needed more time to write her own books. After self-publishing two novels, she found herself spending more time answering questions from aspiring authors than working on her next manuscript. Out of necessity, Author Your Ambition was born. Since 2015 she has written and self-published her own collection of books and helped dozens of authors on their independent publishing journey through a series of videos, books, and courses.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Amy Woods of Content 10X about CHOOSING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM ... AND KNOWING WHEN TO CHANGE, including the theory behind content repurposing, understanding your goal for platform engagement, the importance on focusing where your audience is and having a platform-specific strategy, the emergence of LinkedIn as a social platform, and how we each have the ability to curate an enjoyable social media environment. This conversation was especially timely for me to help me through some decisions about my own social media focus in view of the thrash at Twitter. Stay tuned for my wrap-up at the end of the conversation for the decision I landed on. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP174 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Amy Woods is the CEO and Founder of Content 10x, the world's first content repurposing agency. She helps businesses grow their audience by maximizing the return on the content they create. Amy is the host of The Content 10x Podcast and B2B Content Strategist, and she is the author of best-selling book Content 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum Results, the ultimate guide to reaching more people online with your content.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Daniel Willcocks about the importance of NOT STAKING EVERYTHING ON YOUR FIRST BOOK, including the importance of committing to the process, the dangers of perfectionism, heeding your internal compass to decide if your book is ready for readers, writing your heart book, taking it one step at a time your way, and doing what makes you happy. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP173 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, author coach, and speaker. Dan writes non-fiction for authors and creatives, as well as dark fiction for the twisted reader, spanning the genres of horror, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Robin Whitten of AudioFile Magazine about AN EXPERT PERSPECTIVE ON AUDIO, including the growing acceptance of audiobooks, the fact that audio sales don't cannibalize other book sales, looking for a narrator's connection to the story, considerations for narrating your own book, a reviewer's perspective on AI-narrated audio, and different audio for different listeners. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP172 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Robin Whitten is Editor and Founder of AudioFile Magazine. She is passionate about audiobooks and the magic of the listening experience. She started AudioFile over 30 years ago, starting out as an avid listener. Her all-time favorite audiobook: THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Philip Pullman, read by a full cast.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Mark Leslie Lefebvre about OUTSIDE-THE-BOX CONTENT: THE STORY BEHIND "THE CANADIAN MOUNTED" and how (and why) he decided to write a book of trivia about the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles published behind a cover mimicking the book John Candy's character is reading when he meets Steve Martin's character in the airport waiting area. We discuss the care Mark took in re-creating the cover of the original, the importance of not underpricing your product, how to find and market to a target audience, the fact that perennial marketing results in perennial sales (an advantage indy authors have over traditionally published authors), and the importance of putting yourself in your book. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP171 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Mark Leslie Lefebvre is the author of more than twenty books that include fiction and thrillers, and paranormal non-fiction explorations. He has also edited numerous anthologies. With three decades of experience in bookselling and publishing, Mark is a seasoned and trusted book industry professional who embraces both traditional and indie publishing options.

Matty Dalrymple talks with M.K. Williams about CREATING A WINNING WORKBOOK, including why she chose to create a workbook, the importance of understanding your ideal reader's needs, the vital role played by beta readers, hiring a design professional who specializes in workbooks, formatting options, and production costs. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP170 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple M.K. Williams had one simple goal: she needed more time to write her own books. After self-publishing two novels, she found herself spending more time answering questions from aspiring authors than working on her next manuscript. Out of necessity, Author Your Ambition was born. Since 2015 she has written and self-published her own collection of books and helped dozens of authors on their independent publishing journey through a series of videos, books, and courses.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Kristopher Zgorski about THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF WORKING WITH BOOK BLOGGERS, including things you can do to "get the coins on your side of the table," such as following reviewers on social media and complying with blogger format and submission guidelines, and the fact that, despite your best efforts, you won't always get a yes. We also discuss the value of reading your comp authors' reviews, and Kristopher shares some tips if you're thinking about becoming a blogger yourself. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP169 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Kristopher Zgorski is the founder and sole reviewer at the crime fiction book blog, BOLO Books. In 2018, he was awarded the Mystery Writers of America Raven Award for "outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing." Kristopher writes a column on digital crime fiction resources for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and his blog reviews are syndicated to his column in Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine. He has served on the board of directors for Malice Domestic, a crime fiction convention celebrating the traditional mystery. Kristopher is a member of Sisters in Crime and was the 2022 Fan Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime.