The Self Publishing Show

AI narration takes center stage as James explores creating an audiobook with ElevenLabs, comparing synthetic and human voices, costs, distribution options, and reader expectations. Cissy shares plans for her upcoming book launch, from ARC teams and preorder ads to reader groups. They also discuss portable author lifestyles, writing retreats, new publishing education, and using AI to analyze years of marketing data.

Skye McKinnon, a prolific independent author of unconventional romance and children’s books, shares data from 28 BookBub promotions. They examine falling returns, free deals, sell-through, and cheaper newsletter alternatives. Skye also reveals how Instagram and Facebook Reels revived her backlist, while Author Scale streamlined content creation and AI helped analyze publishing data.

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are together in Pennsylvania after celebrating the wedding of their friends Lucy Score and Tim. James even had the honour of officiating the ceremony. There's also exciting news for Lucy Score fans: Things We Never Got Over is heading to the screen, with filming for the Amazon Prime series, titled Runaway, about to begin in Vancouver. Inspired by Lucy and Tim's own friends-to-lovers story, James and Cissy dive into romance tropes and why they work. Cissy runs through some of the most popular tropes with readers right now, from enemies to lovers and forced proximity to fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, second chance and fated mates. They look at how tropes create conflict and reader expectations, how authors can combine several tropes in one book, and why the same relationship dynamics can be useful well beyond romance. Key Talking Points Why building an audience and strong author business matters before a breakout moment arrives Why tropes have become such a powerful part of romance marketing How BookTok has helped make readers increasingly trope-aware Enemies to lovers and why it remains such a popular trope Forced proximity and the "one bed" microtrope Combining multiple tropes to build conflict and tension Fake dating and arranged relationship scenarios Grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract Friends to lovers and second-chance romance Protective and morally grey heroes Fated mates Using romance-style relationship dynamics in thrillers, crime, fantasy and science fiction Why successful tropes still need believable characters, conflict and emotional development A preview of next week's discussion on book promotions and BookBub Featured Deal performance Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Discount code: IWC15 SPS Live 2027 TICKETS are now available here is the link for more information: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca have a packed episode of indie publishing news, starting with a significant change to Amazon's preorder rules. Authors can now set up preorders up to 18 months in advance and postpone them twice without penalty – enough to tempt even preorder-phobic James into considering one for his next book. They also discuss a legal case involving Amazon Ads, Cissy's plans to test a Goodreads giveaway for her upcoming release, and the opportunities for indie authors in the Italian market following James's conversation with the team behind Indieverse in Milan. Later, Cissy shares an experiment using ChatGPT and Claude to create an interactive, visual experience around the world of her historical romance series. This leads into a wider conversation about AI, reader-facing marketing and the pressure some romance authors feel around using AI in their businesses. Key Talking Points Amazon's new 18-month preorder window Authors can now postpone a preorder twice without penalty James considers setting up a preorder for his next book The North Carolina Attorney General's case involving Amazon Ads Cissy's Goodreads giveaway experiment for her September launch Goodreads Giveaway Month and whether giveaways are worth testing Tracking launch data with Claude The Indieverse conference in Milan and the Italian indie publishing market Opportunities for English-language indie authors publishing in Italian An upcoming SPS conversation about the Italian market Cissy's AI-created interactive world-building experience for readers Using ChatGPT to create historical inspiration images Using Claude to build interactive marketing experiences AI as a tool for launch preparation, data and book marketing The debate around reader-facing AI use in romance Authors deciding their own boundaries and approach to AI Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Indie Writers Club / SPS Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support Down Under Mystery Club: https://ajblythe.com/podcast Cissy's: Walk the Border Password: vivian

Big news this week, the first two speakers for SPS Live London 2027 have been announced! Melanie Harlow and Theodora Taylor will be joining us in London. James and Cissy share the news and talk about when tickets will be going on sale, with Patreon supporters getting first access. James is also back from his travels in New Zealand and Australia, and there's plenty to catch up on. They talk about the latest changes to Meta advertising and what losing some of the usual targeting and placement options could mean for authors running Facebook ads. They also return to the conversation around RARE London and its AI policy, look at the growing importance of newsletters for book discovery, and Cissy shares what she discovered after digging into the preorder numbers from her own books. Key Talking Points SPS Live London 2027 – Melanie Harlow and Theodora Taylor announced as the first speakers When SPS Live 2027 tickets will be available James's New Zealand writing retreat and trip to Australia RARE London and its AI policy Changes coming to Meta/Facebook advertising Losing some targeting and placement controls What the Meta changes could mean for author advertising The importance of strong ad creative, blurbs and book pages Newsletters and how readers are finding books What Cissy learned from looking back at her preorder numbers Whether longer preorders actually result in more sales Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com SPS Patreon / Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support SPS Live London 2027 ticket information will be live in September: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from his final day in New Zealand while Cissy Mecca takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming historical romance launch. They discuss realistic launch goals, building an ARC and influencer team, setting a marketing budget, and choosing advertising strategies that have actually worked for you rather than simply throwing money at launch day. James also shares insights from Written Word Media on how authors at different stages of their careers are approaching AI, plus plans to test different Facebook ad setups and share the results with the SPS community. Key Talking Points Cissy's strategy for launching her upcoming historical romance Setting realistic goals and expectations for a book launch Building ARC, street team and influencer support Finding and approaching relevant book influencers Deciding when to send physical books to creators Creating a launch budget that feels sustainable Facebook versus Amazon advertising Why proven strategies matter more than simply spending more James's upcoming Facebook ads testing and challenge/webinar Written Word Media's findings on author attitudes towards AI James's plans for another writers' retreat in Florida in 2027 Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com SPS Patreon / Support: https://learnselfpublishing.com/support

Cissy Mecca, a romance writer and indie-publishing pro who uses AI to run reader hubs and marketing. They dig into AI watermarking and detection concerns. They cover how AI helps manage ARCs, ambassador hubs and launch teams. They also discuss reader policing, accessibility through dictation, and whether readers can spot AI-written fiction.

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca conclude their two-part conversation with Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood. They delve deeper into how AI is transforming books into cinematic experiences, discussing the practical realities of creating feature-length films, the current limitations of AI video, and how authors can use visual storytelling to reach new audiences. Michael also shares his vision for the future of AI-powered entertainment and how authors can position their intellectual property for the next wave of publishing innovation. At the start of the episode, James also announces that SPS Live 2027 tickets will be launching soon and reminds listeners about the exclusive Creatorwood giveaway, with 1,000 free viewings of the AI feature film adaptation of David Viergutz's Scare Mail. Key Talking Points Part 2 of the interview with Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood Turning books into feature-length AI-generated films The opportunities and limitations of AI filmmaking today Choosing which stories are best suited to visual adaptation Building new revenue streams from your intellectual property The future of AI-powered entertainment for authors Why story remains more important than technology Creatorwood's vision for connecting authors directly with audiences Announcement of SPS Live 2027 dates and ticket launch Creatorwood giveaway: 1,000 free viewings of Scare Mail Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid – https://prowritingaid.com Creatorwood: https://www.creatorwood.tv/homepage Free Scare Mail viewing giveaway: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/creatorwood

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are joined by Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood, for Part 1 of a two-part discussion about using AI to turn books into trailers, short films and feature-length adaptations. They also discuss developmental editing, author voice and improving your craft. Part 2 arrives next Friday, when the giveaway link will be shared. Creatorwood is offering 1,000 free viewings of its adaptation of David Viergutz's Scare Mail, with Patreon subscribers receiving early access. Key Talking Points: How Creatorwood turns books into films AI video opportunities for authors Book trailers and short-form marketing Developmental editing and author voice Part 2 and the Scare Mail giveaway Links & Resources Mentioned: ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Creatorwood: https://www.creatorwood.tv/homepage

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca argue that as AI makes it easier than ever to produce competent books, craft is becoming an author's greatest competitive advantage. They explore why developing a distinctive voice, creating emotionally resonant stories, and continually refining your writing matter more than ever. Alongside the discussion on craft, they also cover the latest AI developments, compare tools like Claude, ChatGPT and Fable, and share practical advice on using technology without losing the human qualities that make readers fall in love with books. Key Talking Points Why craft is making a comeback in the age of AI How a distinctive author voice sets your books apart from AI-generated content What "voice" really means—and practical ways to develop your own Why emotionally resonant writing creates the word-of-mouth every author wants The difference between writing quickly, writing slowly, and writing well How editors and writing coaches should strengthen your unique style, not standardise it Understanding that improving craft looks different for every writer The influence of TikTok and shareable reading moments on modern storytelling The latest updates from Fable, Claude and other AI tools Choosing the right AI subscription and building an effective workflow Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Claude AI: https://claude.ai ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com Google Gemini: https://gemini.google.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com