SPA Girls Podcast

This week we're without the delightful Wendy Vella (who is off on a romantic holiday in an exotic location for her daughter's wedding), but we managed to put an exciting episode together anyway. We're talking about some of the more recent self-publishing trends that we've noticed (and some that aren't so recent, but are still relevant) and how you might be able to use them to your advantage.

This week in episode 26 we talk about exercise! It's a challenge episode, so we mentioned it a few weeks ago, and challenged ourselves to put more exercise into our daily routine. This is the show where we talk about what we did, how we did it, and what we learned about exercise and the writer's mind (and body).

As a writer, you probably spend the majority of your day sitting down - and all we can say is... DON'T! The latest research shows that sitting down all day at work - even if you're not overweight and exercise every day - can be just as detrimental to your health as eating fried food and never exercising. Listen to this episode to find out more about it, and what you can do to ensure you're not at risk.

It's episode number 25, and we're talking about Amazon again this week. It's the second in our two-part Amazon special, and this episode we walk you through the process of loading a book onto Amazon.com. We go through each of the sections and tell you what we do/answer for each one. If you've never put a book up on Amazon (or even if you have) this should help you as you as you go through the process. We give tips and advice on the best way to answer the various sections, how to find the best keywords, and what categories you should be in. It's an information packed episode, so be sure to take notes!

It's the episode you've all been waiting for... This week, in lucky episode 24 (I love that number, it's my date of birth), we talk all about the retail site Amazon. It's the first of two episodes on Amazon, and this week we start by giving a bit of an overview of Amazon's history, what they do, and how they came to be such a powerhouse retail site. Then we talk about Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) where indie authors load up their books, the pros and cons of KDP Select, talk about Kindle Unlimited (KU), and how to use Author Central.

Welcome to episode 23 of the SPA Girls podcast. This episode we're talking about Author Overwhelm, one of those insidious blockages sent to distract us as authors. When you've got so much on, and so many things that you're trying to do, and it's making you feel panicky and frustrated - to the point where you're not actually doing anything useful at all... that's author overwhelm. We've focused on giving practical tips on what we do when author overwhelm hits, how we keep going through the tough times, and what we do to try and avoid author overwhelm in the first place! I hope you enjoy it, it's a great episode!

Welcome to episode 22, and the second in our pre-publication special episodes. In these two informative sessions, we talk in depth about the things you need to take into account before you hit publish on your self-published book. This episode we talk about things like formatting, categories, key words, book descriptions, covers, pricing and your title/subtitle of your book.

We're officially 21! Well, at least 21 episodes into the SPA Girls Podcast... This week we dive into some really meaty content - it's the first of a two part series on what you'll need to have organised before you publish your book onto the various retail platforms.

This first episode talks about tax numbers (ITIN and EIN etc) and whether you need them, ISBN numbers (what they are, and why you might choose to get one), copyright for your books, bank accounts and accountants, pen names, and front and back matter in your book.

This week it's a challenge episode, and we talk about the ways we decided to meet new people - preferably other authors who could help with the self publishing process. We all found ways to get into Facebook groups, Google + hangouts, and forums and online groups. Listen in and find out how you can find the kind of people who will support you through the ups and downs of the self publishing process.

This week we're up to episode 19, and it's an interview with paranormal romance author Trudi Jaye, yet another member of the SPA Girls.

Welcome to the 18th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. This week we delve into the fascinating topic of the mental attitude you'll need to succeed as a self publisher. It's not a matter of just posting your book up on Amazon and waiting for the money to roll in... You'll need a few things like grit and determination to see you through to the end result that you're aiming for.