The Indy Author Podcast

Matty Dalrymple talks with Nat Connors about UNDERSTANDING YOUR BOOK’S NEIGHBORHOOD, including the importance of understanding what books you want your book to appear next to and how authors can use data to guide their publishing decisions about positioning their books. We discuss wide versus KU, series versus standalone, pricing, cover design, blurbs, and compliance with genre conventions. We discuss the importance of tracking the best practices in your genre, how to solicit input from readers to get the most valid results, and using categories to educate the retail platforms about your books. And Nat has a special offer for listeners of The Indy Author Podcast!   Interview video at https://youtu.be/w3-DNnvuOrw   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/244---understanding-your-books-neighborhood.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Nat Connors is a romantic comedy writer, medical scientist, and dance teacher, and creator of the Kindletrends newsletter for genre fiction authors. Kindletrends started when he got fed up with trying to make sense of the Kindle Store and wanted a no-nonsense summary of the most important information. Nat uses the Kindletrends information to plan his own writing, publishing, and book launches, so it has to be focused, relevant and actionable.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Katherine Ramsland about MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE ABOUT FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY, including these commons mistakes and how to avoid them: They are used as profilers because detectives can’t do this work; they visit crime scenes to advise on catching a killer; they profile a person; they interrogate suspects; they undertake hypnosis or therapy in the courtroom; they pronounce defendants to be sane or insane; and they can accurately predict long-range future violent behavior without standardized tools.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/37UHufk1CXo   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/243---mistakes-writers-make-about-forensic-psychology.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Dr. Katherine Ramsland teaches forensic psychology and behavioral criminology in the graduate program at DeSales University, where she is Professor Emerita. She has appeared as an expert on more than 200 crime documentaries and was an executive producer on "Murder House Flip" and A&E’s "Confession of a Serial killer: BTK." The author of 72 books, including "The Serial Killer’s Apprentice" and "How to Catch a Killer," she pens a regular blog for Psychology Today. She has also written a crime fiction series based on a female forensic psychologist, Annie Hunter, who consults on death investigations.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Greta Boris and Megan Haskell about UNCOVERING YOUR AUTHOR PURPOSE, including understanding your priorities and circumstances; having a unifying theme as a "hub"; the importance of alignment between your creative and business focuses; mining your fiction preferences for clarity about your author purpose; writing with a goal of marketability; the danger of shiny object syndrome; creating a reader-focused tagline; and having different taglines for the author and the books.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/VPd8vi20s9A    Show notes (including summary and transcript) athttps://www.theindyauthor.com/242---uncovering-your-author-purpose.html    If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Greta Boris is a USA Today Bestselling mystery and thriller author. Megan Haskell is an award-winning fantasy adventure author. Together, they founded The Author Wheel, publishers of books, courses, and a podcast to help writers overcome roadblocks and keep their stories rolling. With over twenty-five years of writing and publishing experience between them, they’ve made the mistakes, so you don’t have to.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Kathleen Donnelly about MISTAKES WRITERS MAKE ABOUT WORKING K-9s AND HOW TO AVOID THEM, including whether a dog can track across water or track a person in a car; whether one scent can be disguised with another; what makes it difficult for a dog to track and how to evade tracking dogs (maybe); training rescue and human remains dogs; training the alert signal; identifying candidate dogs; when training starts; the role of the handler; what happens if a dog flunks out; the caveat that every agency is different; and how to get more information.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/3FNVWPPPcLM    Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/241---mistakes-writers-make-about-working-k-9s.html    If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly has been a handler for Sherlock Hounds Detection Canines—a Colorado-based narcotics K-9 company—since 2005. Her debut novel, CHASING JUSTICE, won the American Book Fest Best Book Award and a PenCraft Award, and it was a 2023 Silver Falchion finalist in the Suspense category and Readers’ Choice Award. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged coworkers.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Chelle Honiker about THE SALES FLYWHEEL, including what a sales flywheel is ... and what it is not; building a community through the flywheel; finding the nugget of humanity; the danger of teaching readers to expect free; sharing of yourself, but within parameters you set; building cyclical, not transactional, relationships; the importance of not emailing people only when you have something to sell them; and the flywheel approach to book launches.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/msOKa4Bl7RM   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/240---the-sales-flywheel.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Chelle Honiker is an advocate for the empowerment of authorpreneurs, recognizing the importance of authors taking charge of both their craft and careers. She is the co-founder and publisher of Indie Author Magazine, IndieAuthorTraining, Indie Author Tools, and Direct2Readers.com; the programming director for the Author Nation conference; and a TEDx Organizer.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Johnny B. Truant about MOVING THE NEEDLE TO A DIFFERENT TRACK, including the impetus for him starting his podcast, "The Art of Noticing" and what drove his creative pivot; the importance of not missing the magic that's happening around you; supporting the artisan writer; the age of the iconoclast writer; the power of being authentically you; the necessity to segregate your audiences; and the power of stepping back.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/RnHu13f18p8   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/239---moving-the-needle-to-a-different-track.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Johnny B. Truant is the bestselling author of Fat Vampire, adapted by SyFy as "Reginald the Vampire" starring Spider-Man's Jacob Batalon. His other books include PRETTY KILLER, PATTERN BLACK, INVASION, THE BEAM, DEAD CITY, and over 100 other titles across many genres. Originally from Ohio, Johnny and his family now live in Austin, Texas, where he’s finally surrounded by creative types as weird as he is.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Melissa Addey about THE BIG INDIE AUTHOR DATA DROP 2024, including author income data; whether trad pub income is spikier than indie pub income; the growth of libraries; the continuing popularity of paperback; selling direct; trends in KU; the power of the backlist; behavioral aspects of indie authors (it's not what I would have expected!); the fact that indie and trad is not an either / or decision; and the importance of seeing the bigger picture (not just the shiny objects).   Interview video at https://youtu.be/e0attxCHqGU   Show notes (including summary and transcript) athttps://www.theindyauthor.com/238---the-big-indie-author-data-drop-2024.html    If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Until recently (when Matty took over the role) Melissa Addey was The Alliance of Independent Authors Campaigns Manager, focusing on ethics and excellence in self-publishing, as well as an author of historical fiction set in China, Morocco, and Ancient Rome.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jessie Kwak about CREATING YOUR OWN COMMUNITY. Our conversation was triggered by the fact that Jessie recently hosted the first Author Alchemy Summit, and I wanted to find out what had made her decide to dive into this huge community-building undertaking. But even if organizing your own conference isn’t on your bucket list, the best practices she shares are generalizable to all sorts of other big projects that might be on your wish list: testing your commitment to a major undertaking, the importance of engaging a team of helpers, the challenge of delegation, battling imposter syndrome, gathering supporters and offering them opportunities (rather than asking for favors), achieving balance with the rest of your work, the importance of avoiding task-switching, and following the flow of your energy. I also think that hearing about what is involved in being a conference organizer can help us be better (and more empathetic) conference attendees, but Jessie also offers some great practical tips for us as attendees, including how to find the conferences that best meet our goals and networking for introverts.   Interview video at https://youtu.be/nYzT1gxxK90   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/237---creating-your-own-community.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   Jessie Kwak is an author and business book ghostwriter living in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not writing, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, or out exploring new worlds both at home and abroad. She is the author of a supernatural thriller, two series of space scoundrel sci-fi crime novels, and a handful of productivity books including From Chaos to Creativity and From Big Idea to Book.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Tiffany Yates Martin about CREATING CHARACTER MOTIVATION: THE FALLACY OF MAGICAL KNOWING, including an explanation of what "magical knowing" is, what leads a writer to fall back on it, and the signs that you're relying on it; the importance of understanding the character's overarching goal and of laying in brushstrokes of both context and specifics; the challenge of finding balance; the power of dissecting your own story and the value of outside eyes; and the pitfalls of "magical ignorance."   Interview video at https://youtu.be/XSfCN3tehZs   Show notes (including summary and transcript) at https://www.theindyauthor.com/236---creating-character-motivation-the-fallacy-of-magical-knowing.html   If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple   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 and award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the founder of FoxPrint Editorial and author of INTUITIVE EDITING: A CREATIVE AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REVISING YOUR WRITING. She is a regular contributor to Writer’s Digest, Jane Friedman, and Writer Unboxed, and a frequent presenter and keynote speaker for writers’ organizations around the country. Under her pen name, Phoebe Fox, she is the author of six novels.   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she’s learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She has written books on the business of short fiction and podcasting for authors; her articles have appeared in "Writer’s Digest" magazine. She is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Author Rob Hart discusses the importance of making readers laugh, breaking writing rituals, and posing villains as heroes. They touch on editing techniques, the power of humor in storytelling, and the significance of being flexible in writing processes.