The Conspire Podcast with Brandy Ange

A quick catch-up episode before we dive back into Season 2 — where I've been all summer (book signings, launching the Conspire Planner Kickstarter, and prepping fall/holiday promos), why I went quiet, and the boundary-setting framework that's helping me stay sane as a self-employed author: thinking of your business year in seasons. We'll talk about how to read your own life context season by season, when to prioritize deep work vs. networking, when your readers are actually looking for you, and how to recognize when you're overextended so you can cut back with intention instead of guilt.

Links: 

Conspire Planner Kickstarter 

Realm Makers Vlog

Contact Me to Join Holiday Promos!

The Conspire Planner is an author business planner that focuses on making the business side of authorship as fun and creative as the writing side.

ENJOY growing your indie author business with custom tailored author business strategy that works just for you. 

You don't have to struggle alone. This planner is like sitting down with me over a cup of coffee to take everything we cover in the Conspire Conference, or in this podcast and apply it directly to you, your audience, and your books! No matter what genre you write, this planner can help you plot your success!

Check out the Kickstarter and back the project to help us get these planners created to help authors thrive! 

The Conspire Planner is coming August 11th, 2026 to Kickstarter! 

Join the Waiting Room and get access to Early Bird Pricing Secret Links!

Early Bird pricing will save you $10 off single planners, or $50 off the 5 Yr Plan Bundle!

Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page

All the prep for the Kickstarter and my summer signing events have kept me super busy, so unfortunately something had to get put on pause, and it ended up being the podcast, but don't worry I'll be back to our usual schedule in September when things get a little more back to normal! 

Did you choose your distribution channels the same way most authors do — by peer pressure? Everyone says Amazon is where you need to be, and “enroll in KU to make more money”. Or “I can’t believe you never even considered selling direct”. But distribution isn't a checkbox. It's one of the most consequential strategic decisions in your author business — and the platforms are changing the rules whether you're paying attention or not. In this episode, we break down the three core distribution paths (wide, exclusive, and direct), walk through the eight questions you need to answer before you commit to any of them, and use Audible's major royalty overhaul as a live case study in why having a contingency plan isn't paranoia — it's just good operational security. By the end, you'll know exactly which strategy fits your books, your readers, and your business right now. Mission briefing starts now.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Conspire Planner Video Sneak Peek

Worksheet PDF

Readers ARE judging your book by its cover. And your blurb. The manuscript is done. Now the real strategy begins. In this episode we cover everything between finished draft and ready-to-distribute — cover design, blurbs, formatting, and editing — and we're not just checking boxes. We're building a packaging system that positions every book you publish as undeniably, unapologetically professional. No more "it looks a little indie." Because the smartest packaging decisions you make today will pay off across your entire backlist.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket (Keywords and Categories *affiliate*) 

Conspire Planner Video Sneak Peek

Worksheet PDF

Resources Mentioned:

Editing

Formatting

Cover Design

You have a writing routine. But do you have a writing process? There's a difference — and it might be the reason your drafts take longer than they should, your revision passes feel endless, and your manuscript never quite feels done. In this episode we're going deep on operative instincts: figuring out whether you're a plotter, pantser, or plantser, designing a revision system that's actually strategic, and knowing when to call the draft done before perfectionism costs you your readers. This is the episode that turns how you write into a system that works.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Conspire Planner Video Sneak Peek

Worksheet PDF

Every indie author is doing too much. But knowing what to hand off, when to hand it off, and how to pay for it when your royalties aren't cutting it yet? That's where it gets complicated. In this episode of Conspire, we're running a full field audit of your author business — breaking down exactly what to DIY, what to delegate, and what you should never cheap out on no matter where you are in your journey. Plus, how to fund your outsourcing before your book income can carry it. Because building an author business doesn't have to mean doing it all alone — it just means being strategic about when you ask for backup.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Worksheet PDF

Reedsy Publishing Services Directory 

Fiverr  

Rover

Consider this episode classified information — because if you've ever seen another author's income numbers and immediately felt like you were failing, this is your debrief. We're pulling back the curtain on what authors — indie and traditional — actually earn, why the statistics look scarier than they are, and how to find yourself in the real picture. Plus, we're breaking down the revenue streams that serious authors are building right now, from the non-negotiables to the expansion plays that might genuinely surprise you. Consider this your permission slip to stop spiraling and start strategizing.

📚 SOURCES & RESEARCH NOTES

Authors Guild 2023 Author Income Survey — 5,699 respondents, the largest U.S. author income study to date. Median book income all authors: $2,000/year. Full-time author median total writing income: $20,000/year. Romance author median: $31,725. Mystery/thriller: $10,000. Literary fiction: $5,000.

Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) 2025 Indie Author Income Survey — Median indie income: $13,500 (up 6% YOY). Traditional median: $6,000–$8,000 and declining. Mean vs. median distortion: $82,600 mean vs. $12,749 median due to $11M top earner.

Written Word Media 2025 Indie Author Survey — 1,346 respondents. 20x email list income correlation. Amazon as top revenue source declining from 91% (2023) to 83% (2025). 38% fully in KU, 30% fully wide.

Audio Publishers Association 2024 / Author's Republic 2026 Report — U.S. audiobook revenue $2.22B in 2024, +13% YOY. Projected $13.3B by 2030. AI narration grew 36% YOY, now 23% of new releases.

Note on survey methodology: The ALLi survey skews toward serious, active indie authors — meaning its median likely overrepresents committed career authors compared to the broader population. The Authors Guild survey is broader and includes all publishing types. Both are self-reported. Use in context.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Worksheet PDF

Writing routines aren't one-size-fits-all — and the science of why is genuinely fascinating. If you've been struggling with writer's block, inconsistent output, or a creative process that just doesn't seem to fit your life anymore, this episode might be exactly what you've been looking for. In this episode of Conspire, we're going full field operative on the psychology of creative productivity and what it really takes to build a writing routine for authors that actually works. Discover your writer motivation type, learn what your brain actually needs to do its best creative work, and walk away with a practical framework to run your own experiments and create a custom writing practice — backed by real psychology, real research, and one very personal case study.

Psychology sources cited in this episode:

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Conspire Podcast S1E6 Mission Possible: Energy Management for Authors

Worksheet PDF

Most authors step into their business without ever getting the briefing — bleeding time and money without knowing why. Not because they aren't working hard enough. Because nobody ever handed them the blueprint.

This episode is that blueprint. We're declassifying the real cost of running an author business — what it actually takes in time, what it actually takes in money, and the planning framework that puts every resource exactly where it needs to go. No more guessing. No more gaps. Just a business that finally works as hard as you do.

Links:

Conspire Con 

Conspire Planner 

Publisher Rocket

Conspire Podcast S1E6 Mission Possible: Energy Management for Authors

Worksheet PDF