Stay ConnectedCara Clare and James Blatch host a weekly light-hearted chat about all things self publishing.
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This week we have a bona fide guest! Cissy Mecca is a close friend and fellow author whose work I'm constantly admiring—she's brilliant at finding innovative ways to streamline our publishing workflow. (And she's an incredible writer, too.)
We recently stayed together in Florence, and I was fascinated watching her receive her daily structure from her assistant "Pedro." Turns out Pedro isn't a person at all, but an AI she's trained to organize her entire work life, freeing her up to focus on the creativity she loves.
I've already started training my own AI, Princess Leia, and I'm loving it.
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We discuss the the state of Trad vs Indie after a couple of comments from notable authors and commentators and come to an interesting conclusion!
Also - it's possible Taylor Swift is secretly self-publishing poetry on Amazon KDP! We look at the evidence and implications...
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Much has happened behind the scenes of the Facebook Ads Manager and so james is setting out a series of tests. spending money on various combinations of Adv+ and manual targeting to see what's working now.
James also reveals the finalists for the 2025 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award without giving away any judging secrets!
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It's Friday! It's the Indie Writers Club!
We continue our deep dive into the new era of searching using AI.
Even if you are dead set against all things AI - you cannot ignore the fact that readers will be searching for your books using AI in the future. That means you need to adapt the way you describe your books, where you list them and a host of other things.
If you want to learn more on this subject, I'd encourage you to sign up to Reedys's Ricardo Fayet's newsletter here: https://www.indiewritersclub.com/ricardo.
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The era of keywords and Google searches is coming to an end. Searching through a longer form conversation with an AI is already taking over. That means we need to get our blurbs and book packages ready for the new era.
James & Cara discuss the take-aways from NINC including Ricardo Fayet's talk on GEO.
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In episode 55, James reports from the Floridian beach where he's attending the annual NINC conference. He and Cara also report some encouraging signs from their Facebook Ads campaigns.
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Making the switch from hobbyist to full-time author is a dream for many. But it comes with its own challenges. From two of us who have become full time self-employed, we go through some of the pitfalls and areas to think about.
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It's part 2 of our discussion about generating income from audio versions of your books. We talk about the AI options among other things, and James has a mini rant about the opposition many authors still face, because they use the latest technology which is available to all.
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We take a two episode dive into audio books. In the first part we discuss the options facing indies, such as wide or exclusive, self produce or collaborate etc.
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There's no correct way to plot, but here are our suggestions.
Mentioned in the pod were my 5 points to note during plotting - see below the links.
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Novel November - a new way to write a novel in November
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Five Plotting Points to help Guide You:
1. Conflict and stakes
Identify the main conflict that drives your story forward
Ensure the stakes are high enough to keep readers engaged
Consider both external conflicts (between characters or characters and their environment) and internal conflicts (within the characters themselves)
2. Character arcs
Develop your main characters' journeys throughout the story
Ensure each main character has a clear goal, motivation, and potential for change
Consider how the plot events will affect and change your characters
3. Pacing and structure
Decide on the right structure for your story (e.g., three-act structure, hero's journey)
Balance action, dialogue, and description to maintain a good pace
Consider the timing of key events, revelations, and twists to keep readers engaged
4. Causality and coherence
Ensure that plot events have a cause-and-effect relationship
Avoid coincidences or deus ex machina solutions
Make sure all subplots and character arcs are coherently tied to the main plot
5. Theme and message
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THEME IN FIRST DRAFT
Consider the overarching theme or message you want to convey through your story
Ensure that your plot, character arcs, and conflicts all reinforce this central theme
Avoid being too heavy-handed or preachy in your message delivery
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