The Indy Author Podcast

Tiffany Yates Martin shares best practices for how to give and receive critique … and cites some pretty harrowing examples to illustrate her points. We look at the value of formal critique groups; the fact that all input is opinion, not fact; and tips for how to weigh how that input aligns with the vision you have for your work. We talk about whether reading your reader reviews is a good idea, and when you just have to pour yourself a bubble bath and have a glass of wine. Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling, award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller INTUITIVE EDITING: A CREATIVE AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REVISING YOUR WRITING. She's led workshops and seminars for conferences and writers' groups across the country and is a frequent contributor to writers' sites and publications. Under the pen name Phoebe Fox, she's the author of the Breakup Doctor series and her most recent release, A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE.

Dan Wood of Draft2Digital takes a look back at his eight years at Draft2Digital and, more importantly, looks ahead to share how indy authors can apply that perspective going forward. We discuss how social media has changed over that time, what technical and retail platforms indy authors can take advantage of today that were not available in 2013, and how the writing and publishing worlds' perspectives on indy publishing has transformed over that period. Dan Wood is the Vice President of Operations at Draft2Digital, where he has spent the last 8 years helping authors publish their books to stores, libraries and subscription services worldwide. During this time he has had the privilege to present at conferences in 7 countries and to speak with thousands of authors at various stages in their careers. Dan is the Co-Host of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast and Co-Host of Authors Pubhouse, a (mostly) weekly chat Thursdays on Clubhouse with industry professionals and authors.

In Episode 85 of The Indy Author Podcast, I interviewed Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur and creator of Publisher Rocket about keywords, and after that episode I got pretty obsessed about my own keywords, and played around a bit with Dave's four-column method. Of course, the devil's in the details, so as I was working on optimizing my keywords, I decided to tap into a couple of additional resources, including two previous guests of the podcast, and I'm going to share with you my "before" keywords, the process I went through, and my "after" keywords. I hope this will inspire you to take a look at your own keywords with an eye to making sure you are getting maximum value in guiding the right readers to your books. Many thanks to previous guests Dale L. Roberts and Joshua Tallent for contributing to this inbetweenisode.

Dave Chesson talks about the importance of thinking like a reader, not an author, when picking your keywords (actually, keyphrases), best practices for prioritizing your keywords, a newish feature on the Amazon product page that can help you identify phrases that will resonate with readers, and an exercise that KDP itself endorses that you can use to successfully expand beyond those words and phrases. Dave Chesson is the guy behind Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching authors about book marketing. Recommended by Amazon KDP as the place where you can learn how to "optimize marketing for your books," Kindlepreneur has grown to be one of the largest book marketing websites. Dave's tactics help both fiction and nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Dave is also the creator of Publisher Rocket, a software that helps authors see what's really going on in the book market, and thus pick better keywords and categories to help them sell more books.

Kelley Way discusses the legal considerations for use of images for book covers and promotional material, including use of free sites like Unsplash. She discusses the use of music and musical references—a topic of particular interest to me based on an Ann Kinnear Suspense Short I just wrote—and what Creative Commons and public domain material is, and the opportunities it opens for indy authors. Kelley Way was born and raised in Walnut Creek, California. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in English and a minor in Music, and then attended the UC Davis School of Law. After law school, Kelley did a one-year fellowship at the Pacific Justice Institute, during which time she was approached by her first client, the copyright holder of a New York Times bestselling fantasy series. After the successful resolution of the case, she opened her own law firm. When Kelley is not practicing law, she spends her time reading, knitting, singing, spending time with her family, and learning new languages.

Abe Ogden discusses the six Rs of maximizing the value of your content: repackage, repurpose, revise, repository, rights, and resources. We talk about how the democratization of formats like hardcover books and outlets like branded merchandise open opportunities for the indy author. "If you're going to be developing this content, squeeze it for everything that you possibly can and hit every channel as much as you possibly can." We also discuss the issue of the most constrained resource of an indy author--time--and how to weigh which items on Abe's a la carte list of options you decide to pursue. With more than 20 years in non-profit publishing and professional experience in editorial, production, acquisitions, and sales and marketing strategy, Abe Ogden is passionate about helping organizations with limited resources but an important mandate to deliver essential content to constituents and beyond. When he's not polishing a manuscript draft or putting the final touches on a marketing plan, he's either playing his guitar or tramping through the outdoors and hiking, camping, or fly fishing with his family.

Writer's block--is it fact or fantasy? Does it require inspiration or willpower to overcome? What tips or tricks can get a writer writing again? In this episode, previous guests of The Indy Author Podcast share their perspectives on writer's block, from specific tasks you can perform to break through the block to frank discussions of its emotional and psychological basis. Many thanks to Robert Dugoni, Emma G. Rose, Pauline Wiles, Dale L. Roberts, M.K. Williams, Wade Walton, Jerri Williams, Jeff Elkins, and Julie Duffy for sharing their perspectives. For more information on my guests, go to https://www.theindyauthor.com/podcast.html and search on the guests' names to find links to their episodes and bios.

Dan Blank of WeGrowMedia shares the central tenets of his concept of human-centered marketing: Give yourself permission to create; understand who you hope to reach; and connect to a person, not an audience. He discusses the pitfalls of counting your success by numbers of Likes and Follows, and how a focus on tools and algorithms can kill the creative spirit. And he shares tips for how introverts can reach out to form lasting bonds with those who will love their work. Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers develop a human-centered approach to marketing and reaching their audience. He is the author of the book Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. He has worked not only with thousands of writers, but also with companies including Penguin Random House, Sesame Workshop, Hachette Book Group, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others.

Author Daniel Palmer talks about making the transition from the corporate world to the writer's world, what lessons regarding branding he brought with him, and how he carried that forward into another business venture. He talks about the evolution of his own brand: from Daniel Palmer to authoring books under the brand of his father Michael Palmer, to D. J. Palmer, and what drove each of those steps. And he talks about how Luke Skywalker and The Force work as metaphors in branding—hence the name of this week's episode, THE FORCE OF A BRAND. DANIEL PALMER is the USA Today bestselling author of ten critically acclaimed suspense novels, including his latest, as D. J. Palmer, THE PERFECT DAUGHTER. He published his first novel, DELIRIOUS, after a decade-long career in e-commerce, where he helped launch websites for major online retailers including Barnes & Noble. Following the success of Daniel's publishing career, he founded DAY IN THE LIFE MEDIA, a video production and communication company committed to helping brands identify their brand heroes so they can tell stories in a way that directly impacts the bottom line. A recording artist, accomplished blues harmonica player, and lifelong Red Sox fan, Daniel lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.

Douglas Smith talks about how you can turn your short fiction into a "magic bakery"—a term Doug borrows from Dean Wesley Smith—earning you money and building your resume over and over with the same content. We discuss the opportunities offered by reprints, foreign markets, and audio markets, and we discuss how writer's groups can—and can't—help you prepare your work for the professional markets. Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning Canadian author described by Library Journal as "one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction." His fiction has been published in twenty-six languages and thirty-five countries. His books include the novel THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE WORLD, the collections CHIMERASCOPE and IMPOSSIBILIA, and the writer's guide PLAYING THE SHORT GAME: HOW TO MARKET & SELL SHORT FICTION. Doug is a three-time winner of Canada's Aurora Award and has been a finalist for the Astounding Award, CBC's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.