Wish I&#8217;d Known Then: a Podcast for Self Published Indie Writers

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

🚀 Jami’s Consulting and Workshops: https://www.jamialbright.com/authorworkshops
❤️ Jami’s books https://amzn.to/3wSraA5
🔎 Sara’s books https://www.sararosett.com/bibliography/
📚 Sara’s How to Write a Series book and audiobook: https://www.sararosett.com/how-to-write-a-series/
The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes https://bookshop.org/lists/recommenced-resources-for-writers-from-the-wish-i-d-known-then-podcast

Emilia Rose on Subscriptions: How to Connect with Readers and Diversify Your Income Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Episode 134 / Do you want to add subscription income to your business? Emilia Rose, USA Today bestselling author of steamy romance, joined Sara to give tips and ideas on how authors can include a recurring income stream in their business models.

Intro link:

Bookvault.app

Sara’s Kickstarter

Show notes:

How Emilia uses subscriptions to connect with readers
Why your story isn’t for everyone
How writing organically helps Emilia bring out emotions in her characters and in her readers
Why going from a one-time payment for content to a subscription is a big mindset shift
Why subscription models are great for authors: connections with readers, recurring income, and stability
Tips for getting started with a subscriptions
What to watch out for if you’re thinking of using subscriptions
How to attract people to your subscription– hint: free content and cliffhangers are excellent at pulling readers to your subscriptions
Tips to maximize your subscription
Ream - Patreon but for fiction authors is coming soon!

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

Author website

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

Katlyn Duncan on Rights Revision and Youtube for Authors Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

Episode 133 / Jami is flying solo in this week’s interview with Katlyn Duncan, who writes suspense thrillers, young adult fiction, and nonfiction for writers. They discussed the ins and outs of getting your rights back from traditional publishers. As well as Youtube for Authors and ghostwriting.

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

Katlyn’s website

Twitter handle: @katlyn_duncan

Instagram handle: @authorkatlynduncan

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/duncankatlyn/

Youtube: youtube.com/katlynduncanauthor

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

Kait Nolan on Dealing with Burnout and Writing During Stressful Times (Re-air) Aug 16, 2022

Show notes

Episode 132 / This week Jami and Sara are re-airing an early episode with Kait Nolan, who talks about getting through burnout and writing during stressful times--whether that stress is coming from your own personal situation or world events.

Intro links:

Sara’s Kickstarter for her special edition hardcover - sign up to get notified when it goes live

Morgana Best on selling direct - interview on The Creative Penn Podcast

Show notes:

Tips for marketing a series--grouping books and banking books for a rapid release
How expectations about productivity and major upsets in her personal life lead to burnout
Why burnout is becoming more common in the writing community
How Kait sets goals to write a certain number of days per month instead of a certain number of words per day
Building in some grace into our schedules and adjusting our expectation
The tyranny of the “shoulds”
Recommendations for writing during trying times
How a “just for fun” project can help you when the world is crazy
What Kait has discovered isn’t worth her time and effort
How Kait went against the prevailing wisdom and didn’t use paid ads. Instead she built a career with paid newsletters and free forms of promos
Changes Kait has seen in her genres and her level headed advice on dealing with changes
How Kait’s focus on one thing at a time helped her succeed

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

Author website

Sara’s Book Release

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

Historical Cozies with Benedict Brown (New Author series) Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

Episode 131 / Historical cozy author Benedict Brown joins us to talk about writing mysteries, transitioning from one genre to another, and how he learned to lean into the tropes and expectations of the genre.

Show notes:

How Benedict started writing children’s books and why he shifted to contemporary cozies and then later transitioned to historical cozies set in the 1920s
How he researches his historial series
How Benedict and his cover artist developed the cover concept for the historical series
How he uses first readers and an ARC team for his editing process
Why he thinks it healthy to have two contrasting series to work on
How “failure” helped set him up for success

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

Benedict’s website

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

Kickstart Your Book podcast

Book Launch Plans: The Mega Episode (Reair) Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Episode 130 / It’s back to the archives this week for one of our most popular episodes. Jami and Sara share how they launch a book, covering tactics for low-, medium-, and high-budget launches as well as sharing beau·coup tips about what’s working for book launches right now.

Intro links:

Show notes:

KU or wide - weigh pros and cons of each
Price point - consider typical price of genre and goals to pick the best price point (99 cents can generate preorders and sales while a higher price point give you a higher royalty and the option of dropping it for sales later)
Preorders - a preorder lets you capture sales and get your sales pages live on the vendors, but some authors won’t do preorders because they feel Amazon doesn’t weight the preorder sales as heavily as purchases/borrows made after the books releases, which may impact rank.
Don’t forget the impact of your newsletter to launch

Low-cost Launch Tactics for a New Author

Blog tours
Newsletter swaps
Goodreads giveaways
Library Thing giveaways
Newsletter
Connect with authors in genre groups
Lower price
Paid newsletter promos

Small-to-medium Budget Launch Tactics:

Newsletter giveaway like Booksweeps
Paid newsletter promos
Ads, like a small Amazon ads

Big budget Launch Tactics:

Facebook ads
Newsletter swaps
Discount previous books in the series

Bonus Launc

Sara’s interview on Behind the Book podcast

Dark Fantasy Author Kerstin Espinosa Rosero on Bookstraping Your First Book (New Author Series) Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Episode 129 / Dark fantasy author Kerstin Espinosa Rosero joins us to talk about bootstrapping her first book, lessons she’s learned about marketing, and tips on writing fantasy.

Intro links:

Show notes:

How Kerstin’s art led her to write her first book
Her advice for new authors when it comes to marketing
How Kerstin found her cover designer
How she decides how much backstory and worldbuilding to include in her fantasy books
Tips for authors who want to create maps for their books

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

Kerstin’s website

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

Six Figure Authors Podcast

Lindsay Buroker on Pen Names, Podcasting, and Rapid Release (Reair) Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Episode 128 / We’re headed back to the archives for a fun interview with Lindsay Buroker. Lindsay talks about the benefits and drawbacks of pen names, the advantages of podcasting for writers, and how she writes and releases books into Kindle Unlimited using the rapid release model, then goes wide later.

Intro links:

Timeshifter app

Claire’s Kickstaster

Inkers Con digital ticket (affiliate code for discount: ALBRIGHT22)

Show notes:

The importance of embracing the entrepreneurial mindset when you’re an indie author
Advantages of using Patreon before a launch to let wide readers get a book before it goes into KU
Why Lindsay is glad she did a writing workshop before she published
The benefit of giving your cover artist freedom to be creative
Why first-in-series-free book still works
Lindsay’s lessons-learned about writing in multiple genres and pen names
Advice for writers who want to start a podcast
Rapid release and how Lindsay writes the books back-to-back before launching Book One
The power of using “open loops” in a series and how it boosts readthrough of a series
Focusing on what you’re good at and leaning into that whether it’s writing fast or marketing

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Lindsay Buroker

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

The Thing About Austen podcast

Connecting with Readers and Creating a Community Through Podcasting with Diane Nue Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Episode 127 / If you’re looking for a way to attract readers that doesn’t involve paid advertising, podcasting might be for you. Podcaster Diane Nue shares how she’s connected with readers through podcasting and the bookstagram community. We also discuss some of the reasons for the enduring appeal of Jane Austen, branding, and super practical things like software recommendations.

Show notes:

How Diane and her co-host, Zan, came up with the concept for The Thing About Austen
Why niching down helps you find your audience
Diane’s advice for specific gear and podcast editing software
Diane shares how she and Zan work together to handle podcast tasks
Solo podcasting versus co-hosting
How podcast branding can convey the content of the podcast

Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.

Links:

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes

Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainans

Reair: Understanding Your Motivation to Write with H. Claire Taylor - Plus Using the Enneagram for Character Development Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Episode 126 / In this re-air episode we discuss expectations, common mistakes, and understanding our motivation to write. Claire is also an expert on applying the Enneagram to story structure. She has a kickstarter preview up for her book Reclaim Your Author Career, which uses the Enneagram to help authors align their careers.

Intro link:

Inkers Con digital ticket (affiliate code for discount: ALBRIGHT22)

Show notes:

Why it’s crucial to know what your story is about so you can “steer the ship” in the direction you need to go and save time on revisions
How knowing what you want out of your writing career impacts your expectations and your marketing plans
Common mistakes Claire sees as she works with authors
How understanding your motivations and needs as a writer helps you set your goals
Using tension and power in your writing
How Claire uses the Enneagram to help writers discover their character’s motivations and needs
Creating flaws that make characters likable

Claire’s website