What if you were to reinvent yourself? What would you be doing? It's a fun way to check in on your happiness radar! If you are feeling stuck or just want to play with possibilities, have some fun and ask yourself the question.   Susan and Narelle talk about what they would be doing if they were to reinvent themselves... any ideas on what their dream jobs are?

Writing is a solitary business and often one with non-standard hours! 7pm to midnight (or longer), anyone?! Author groups are a great way to meet other authors, socialise and discuss things only a fellow author would want to know about - plot holes, hashtags, and self-publishing. But there can also be some downsides to joining an author group, from group think to comparisonitis and even bullying.   In our podcast, we share what we have learnt from being in a variety of groups and whether the blessings outweigh the negatives.

Cassandra Chandler is a USA TODAY Bestselling author who well knows that the road to success as an author is not linear. In this episode, Narelle and Susan chat with Cassandra about her personal development and growth as a writer and a business owner. With innate honesty and a healthy dose of self-reflection, Cassandra shares her author journey with its inherent struggles and win. And we ask the question, would you do this again?

Writing small town romance with a twist of magic is author, Candace Colt's happy place. Candace was previously published with a small press publisher and we talk with Candace about making the transition to self-published. What she wishes she knew then and what she's grateful to know now.   This podcast will uplift anyone wondering if self-publishing is possible.

Authors need a marketing plan! Releasing a book into the wild and hoping someone buys it is not a plan and yet many authors come to us doing exactly this.   In this podcast, we share our three must do activities with your marketing plan... because sort of having one and implementing it, are two very different things.

Feelings of disappointment and sadness can be difficult to bounce back from when opportunities fall through in our business. So what can writers do to keep their faith in their work and their goals when challenging moments happen in their business?   Jill Wallace is on our podcast today and we discuss two major disappointments she has lived through in her writing career and how she has tapped into the feelings associated with those disappointments and used them to create new opportunities in her writing business.   Be sure to stay to the end when we each share a tip to keeping a strong mindset when disappointment hits.

Writing about recent history and culture changes can be a balancing act but throw in the dynamics of apartheid and war torn South Africa and you know a gifted writer will need to balance many perspectives in the telling of their story.   In this week's podcast, we chat with Jill Wallace, a South African born writer, who has written two stories inspired by real events in South Africa. We discuss how she approached her stories to ensure respect for the various perspectives.

Trigger warnings in story blurbs are becoming increasingly common, especially in romance. In this podcast, we have a look at what constitutes a trigger and how do you know if you should add a trigger warning in your blurb. And to round the session up, we talk about respecting the dignity of your readers and why a trigger warning should not be used as a salacious way to make sales.

Creating different income streams is important to your author business to ensure you have diversity of income. Then if there is a downturn in one part of your business, you have other income coming in as you work to reverse the loss of income.   An author store is one way to diversify your income streams and in this podcast we discuss the ugly, the bad, and the good in operating your own store. You will need to take notes in this session so you don't get caught out with your own store! Yes there is profit to be made, but there are also some pitfalls to avoid.

Did you know that you have a choice of business models as an author? While writers start from the same business foundation, your choice of business model then provides you with different marketing tactics tailored to your specific needs.   Too many writers are using tactics that do not match their business model through no fault of their own. Usually they are not even aware that marketing tactics are not a one size fits all and that they need to use the right tactics for their business.   We discuss the five most common business models and what makes each one unique. Are you using the right tactics for your business model?