Authors are being told that Facebook ads don't work for books anymore. Josiah Rosell is proof they do.

JDL Rosell is a full-time indie fantasy author with around 20 books across multiple series including Legend of Tal and Ranger of the Titan Wilds. He didn't get there by going viral or getting lucky. He built a sustainable career by mastering Facebook ads — and he's still running them every single day.

But it didn't start that way. Josiah's early series struggled despite being books he believed in. It wasn't until he paired strong market positioning with a real ads strategy that things clicked. In this conversation, he opens up the entire playbook.

In this episode, we cover:

→ Why his earlier books didn't sell and what changed with Legend of Tal
→ How he thinks about tropes and hooks to make books marketable before he runs a single ad
→ His full Facebook ads strategy — daily budget, audience testing, dynamic creative, and when to kill an ad
→ How he uses Amazon attribution links to track what's actually converting
→ The metrics he watches and the ones he ignores
→ Pricing and read-through strategy that makes ads profitable across a full series
→ Why he still believes in Facebook ads when most authors have given up

If you've tried ads and quit, or you've been too intimidated to start, this is the episode that might change your mind.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Going part-time was terrifying
00:04:32 - Meet JDL Rosell
00:11:48 - The Book That Changed Everything
00:13:47 - Writing to Tropes Without Selling Out
00:18:50 - Why Cover Art Matters More Than You Think
00:22:16 - His First Facebook Ad: $100/Day at $0.06 Per Click
00:23:49 - Cycling Ads Between Series and Countries
00:35:38 - Amazon Attribution Links Explained
00:36:45 - His Target: 1 Sale Per $10 Spent
00:45:43 - Pricing Strategy to Maximize Read-Through
00:48:41 - Why He Doesn't A/B Test the Traditional Way
01:05:36 - One Piece of Advice for Overwhelmed Authors

Sponsors:

📚 Check Out Our Friends at Publisher Rocket
https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

Join over 117,000+ serious authors using Publisher Rocket to sell more books.
✅ Keyword Search – Uncover hidden gems and profitable keywords to maximize your book's visibility
✅ Category Search – Dive deep into Amazon's 19,000+ categories and find the perfect fit for your book
✅ Competition Analyzer – Peek behind the curtain and discover your rivals' sales, rankings, and strategies
✅ Amazon Keywords Generator – Save hours of tedious research with thousands of auto-generated keywords

Find out more at: https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

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Send, spend and get paid — 40 currencies, all at your fingertips.
Sign up for Wise and get your first international transfer (up to $800 CAD or ~$550 USD) FREE.

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Media Credits
Theme Song: Commercial Rock by StudioKolomna (Envato License)
Background Music: Soft Chill Background by sonicscope (Envato License)
Stock Video: Licensed via Envato

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. Using them costs you nothing extra and helps support the show.

© Herman Steuernagel — The Pint & Portal Podcast

26 books. $35K in debt. $100/month. Then one pivot set her on a path to becoming a six figure author.

S. Usher Evans spent 10 years learning what doesn't work in self-publishing so she could finally figure out what does. In this episode, she breaks down the book marketing strategy, Amazon ads approach, and genre research that turned her writing career around — and what she looks for when an indie author tells her their books aren't selling.

If you're self-publishing and wondering why your books aren't gaining traction, this conversation will change how you think about everything from your cover design to your ad spend to your entire publishing strategy.

In this episode, we cover:

• The #1 thing she'd tell new writers before they even start writing
• Why "write what you want" is bad business advice
• How she runs Amazon and Facebook ads profitably
• The cover mistake she sees almost every struggling author make
• Why her best series took off and her award-winning series flopped
• How she writes 7-8 books a year in 4 hours a day
• And LOTS more

00:00:00 - Intro
01:44 - The #1 thing new writers need to do first
05:50 - The ONE time she followed genre rules (and made six figures)
08:22 - How she blew up her life to become a writer
11:16 - From $100/month to $2,000 overnight
14:22 - Was it luck or strategy?
27:47 - Why niching down matters more than you think
34:14 - The spreadsheet that runs her entire business
50:46 - The cover mistake that's killing your sales
1:03:34 - How to run Amazon ads without burning money

Connect with S. Usher Evans:
🌐 susherevans.com

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If you enjoy the episode, be sure to like, subscribe on YouTube, or leave a rating or review on your podcast app of choice.
⁠🎥 Subscribe on YouTube⁠
⁠🎧 Listen on Your Favorite Podcast App

Check out our latest deals and offerings to help you grow your author business and to help support the show: pintandportal.com/deals

---

📚 Sponsor: Publisher Rocket
https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

Join over 117,000+ serious authors using Publisher Rocket to sell more books.
Publisher Rocket has a vast array of tools including:
✅ Keyword Search - Uncover hidden gems and profitable keywords to maximize your book's visibility
✅ Category Search - Dive deep into Amazon's 19,000+ categories and find the perfect fit for your book
✅ Competition Analyzer - Peek behind the curtain and discover your rivals' sales, rankings, and strategies
✅ Amazon Keywords Generator - Save hours of tedious research with thousands of auto-generated keywords

Find out more at: https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

---

💰 WISE
Make your money work worldwide, for less.
Send, spend and get paid — 40 currencies, all at your fingertips.
Sign up for Wise and get your first international transfer (up to $800 CAD or ~$550 USD) FREE.
Check out WISE today

---

Media Credits
Theme Song: Commercial Rock by StudioKolomna (Envato License)
Background Music: Soft Chill Background by sonicscope (Envato License)
Stock Video: Licensed via Envato

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. Using them costs you nothing extra and helps support the show.

© Herman Steuernagel The Pint & Portal Podcast

Is earning a six-figure income as an author still attainable? Do you feel like you're never going to break through into a writing career?

Heather K. Carson spent years writing YA dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction. She had fifteen books published, understood the basics of Amazon ads, and was doing everything authors are told to do. But something wasn't clicking.

Then she made a pivot that changed everything.

In this conversation, Heather shares the honest story of how she went from modest earnings to generating over $400,000 in annual revenue writing shifter romance. Her story's about getting clear on what she calls the "Venn diagram" of a sustainable writing career: the intersection of what you love to read, what you're built to write, and what readers actually want.

In this episode, we cover:

👉 Why Heather's first 15 books were necessary preparation, not wasted effort

👉 The difference between knowing your market and really knowing your market

👉 How to identify "highly relevant" ad targets that actually convert

👉 Why rapid release isn't as essential as it used to be in Kindle Unlimited

👉 The mindset that allowed her to walk away from a 15-book backlist and start fresh

👉 Her specific Amazon ad strategy (including the 5 ads she launches with every book)

👉 What's next: audiobooks, translations, direct sales, and the path to seven figures

Whether you're stuck at book three wondering if you should keep going, or you've got a backlist that isn't performing the way you hoped, Heather's story offers a realistic look at what it takes to build a career as an independent author.

00:00:00 - Intro

02:48 - What high-profile authors are really like

09:12 - Writing 15 books without hitting

13:55 - The pivot that changed everything

16:27 - The Venn diagram for author success

31:05 - All-in on Kindle Unlimited

48:17 - Her $200K ad strategy

56:33 - Sponsor: Publisher Rocket

57:39 - The first thing struggling authors should fix

01:03:47 - Advice to her younger self

Connect with Heather K. Carson:

🌐 heatherkcarson.com

---

If you enjoy the episode, be sure to like, subscribe on YouTube, or leave a rating or review on your podcast app of choice.

⁠🎥 Subscribe on YouTube⁠

⁠🎧 Listen on Your Favorite Podcast App

---

📚 Sponsor: Publisher Rocket

https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

Join over 117,000+ serious authors using Publisher Rocket to sell more books.

Publisher Rocket has a vast array of tools including:

✅ Keyword Search - Uncover hidden gems and profitable keywords to maximize your book's visibility

✅ Category Search - Dive deep into Amazon's 19,000+ categories and find the perfect fit for your book

✅ Competition Analyzer - Peek behind the curtain and discover your rivals' sales, rankings, and strategies

✅ Amazon Keywords Generator - Save hours of tedious research with thousands of auto-generated keywords

Find out more at: https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=442

-----

Media Credits

• Theme Song: Commercial Rock by StudioKolomna (⁠Envato License⁠)
• Background Music: Soft Chill Background by sonicscope (⁠Envato License⁠)
• Stock Video: Licensed via ⁠Envato⁠

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. Using them costs you nothing extra and helps support the show.

© Herman Steuernagel The Pint & Portal Podcast

Nobody knows who you are. Why would they buy your book?

That's the question Z.S. Diamanti asked himself before publishing his first novel. He had nothing in the bank, a maxed out credit card, four kids, and one year to make it work.

He built his author career from nothing—and you can too, if you keep his advice in mind.

In this conversation, Zac reveals:

✅ - The question he asked himself with $0 in the bank and a maxed-out credit card

✅ - Why your author vision is probably WAY too short-sighted

✅ - The ONE filter that decides if an opportunity is worth your time

✅ - Why every social media platform provides something valuable

✅ - What Kickstarter backers actually want (it's not what most authors think)

✅ - Why he's pulling back from author conferences and started doing THIS instead

✅ - The through-thread that should run through everything you create – that EVERY career-minded author should have

Whether you're pre-launch or ten books deep, this one’s going to challenge how you think about the business side of writing.

If you enjoy the episode, be sure to like, subscribe on YouTube, or leave a rating or review on your podcast app of choice.

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Your Favorite Podcast App

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro
• 04:29 – Welcome
• 07:49 – Starting the Author Journey
• 12:57 – Building a Platform
• 15:10 – Sponsor: Wise
• 16:32 – Becoming Relevant as an Author
• 33:38 – Evaluating Opportunities
• 38:16 – Building a Legacy
• 48:18 – AI and Authenticity
• 55:16 – Author Marketing in 2026
• 01:01:16 – Kickstarter for Authors
• 01:14:22 – Assassin in the Ale House
• 01:16:13 – Final Advice

---

Make your money work worldwide, for less.
Send, spend and get paid — 40 currencies, all at your fingertips.

Sign up for Wise and get your first international transfer (up to $800 CAD or ~$550 USD) FREE.

Check out WISE today and Help support the show:

https://wise.prf.hn/l/RlANJvG/

---

Additional Links

• Z.S. Diamanti's Kickstarter – Assassin in the Alehouse (until Feb 10)
• Z.S. Diamanti’s Books
• Herman Steuernagel’s Books
• Recorded using RiversideFM

Media Credits

• Theme Song: Commercial Rock by StudioKolomna (Envato License)
• Background Music: Soft Chill Background by sonicscope (Envato License)
• Stock Video: Licensed via Envato

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. Using them costs you nothing extra and helps support the show.

© Herman Steuernagel The Pint & Portal Podcast

"There's a hurdle between you and author success that you just can't seem to clear. Like there's a conversation happening that you're not part of.My name is Herman Steuernagel, I'm an author and I know the feeling. So I'm sitting down with authors who've built real careers and finding out exactly how they did it.Welcome to The Pint & Portal Author Podcast. I'm learning as I go. You're welcome to join me.New episodes starting February. Hit subscribe to join the conversation.

In this episode of The Greatest Podcast in the Multiverse, I sit down with bestselling fantasy author Andrea Stewart, known for her incredible Drowning Empire trilogy that begins with The Bone Shard Daughter. Now, Andrea is back with her brand-new epic fantasy series starting with The Gods Below. We dive into her unique storytelling, how she builds intricate magic systems, and the journey that brought her to where she is today.

Andrea shares her inspiring (and sometimes nerve-wracking) path to publication, from years of rejection to finally landing her dream deal. Her persistence, creativity, and advice on analyzing what readers love about stories will motivate writers and readers alike.

We also chat about her creative process, the challenges of writing multiple points of view, and how she balances the demands of worldbuilding with character-driven storytelling. Plus, Andrea reveals how her love of scuba diving and science fiction inspired the magic system in The Gods Below.

Whether you're an aspiring writer, a fan of fantasy, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes process of crafting epic stories, this episode is packed with insights and fun moments. Stick around to learn more about Andrea’s journey, her upcoming projects, and what keeps her motivated to create worlds readers can’t put down!

Sarah Beth Durst is the New York Times Bestselling Author of 28 fantasy books. From Middle Grade to Adult, Sarah has written a lot of words in the fantasy genre.

Her latest smash hit, The Spellshop, is her entry into the Cozy Fantasy space, and as she discusses, came about because she wanted to write a story that was like a warm hug while drinking a cup of hot chocolate while curled under a blanket. 

We talk all about her book, the importance of developing well-rounded side characters, and how she comes up with her story ideas. 

This is truly a delightful conversation, thank you for joining us.

Be sure to like, subscribe on YouTube, or leave a rating or review on your podcast app of choice.

Subscribe on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@greatestpodcastinthemultiverse?sub_confirmation=1

Grab a copy of The Spellshop: https://books2read.com/u/m2nZqj 

Check out Sarah’s website: http://www.sarahbethdurst.com/  

And her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarabethdurst  

* * * 

You can check out this episode on all major streaming platforms & YouTube - https://linktr.ee/greatestinthemultiverse 

*** 

Get The Bartender Between Worlds on my website - https://www.hermansteuernagel.com/shop 

Or on other platforms - https://books2read.com/u/b5Y6jA/ 

Find the podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatestpodcastinthemultiverse and on Facebook:: https://www.facebook.com/greatestpodcastinthemultiverse 

Also, be sure to check out my Science Fiction books, Eclipse, https://books2read.com/eclipse-podcast

Chimera - https://books2read.com/chimera-fractured-orbit 

And Resurgence - https://books2read.com/resurgence-fractured-orbit 

* * *

Episode recorded using RiversideFM -  Sign up today for access to premium recordings. - https://www.riverside.fm/?via=herman-steuernagel

**The links in the show notes may contain affiliate links - There is no additional charge to you, but it helps me continue to create and put out more content. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week! 

What does it take to write believable and relatable characters?

Summary

What if it’s not too late to write that book?