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H.J. Chammas is the founder of Authority Publishing, a full-service publishing, promotion, and monetization platform for coaches, consultants, and experts who want to use a book to build their authority and grow their business. After leaving a successful corporate career and becoming financially independent through real estate, H.J. invested $65,000 in a traditional publishing deal that flopped — and used that painful experience to reverse-engineer what actually works. He has since helped authors across the Middle East and beyond turn their books into platforms, leads, and high-ticket client pipelines.
In this episode:
• H.J.'s $65,000 publishing mistake — and the mindset shift that turned everything around
• Why chasing royalties is the wrong goal, and what to chase instead
• How to research your audience, competitors, and keywords before writing a single word
• The tools H.J. uses for Amazon research: SEMrush, KDP Rocket, and Helium 10
• What separates an authority book from a generic collection of ideas
• Three approaches to writing your book: ready manuscript, interview-based transcription, or ghost writing
• Why AI-written books are getting flagged on Amazon — and what to use AI for instead
• The right way to launch a book: why big spike launches are vanity publishing in disguise
• How Amazon ads work as a long-term strategy, not a short-term sales tool
• Why social media rarely works for nonfiction authors — and what LinkedIn outreach actually delivers
• The publish, promote, monetize framework: how Authority Publishing works with authors from manuscript to ongoing client acquisition
• What to bring to your first conversation with H.J. — and why clarity on your niche comes before everything else
Resources mentioned:
• Authority Publishing: https://authority-publishing.com/
• SEMrush (keyword research): semrush.com
• KDP Rocket / Publisher Rocket: publisherrocket.com
• Helium 10 (Amazon research): helium10.com
• LinkedIn (recommended platform for nonfiction authors): linkedin.com
Connect with H.J. Chammas:
• Website: authority-publishing.com
• LinkedIn: H.J. Chammas
• Free book:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
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Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
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Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com
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Jo Blackwell is a writer, podcaster, researcher, and personal brand builder whose work centers on helping women over 50 rethink aging. After raising four children, navigating perimenopause, and spending 14 years as a professional portrait and brand photographer, Jo founded the Midlife Movement in 2018 to share the latest science on aging — challenging the outdated cultural narratives that tell women their best years are behind them. Her books include Oh Crap, I'm 50, 50 Facing 50 (a BBC-featured photography project), and her most recent release Aging Wonderfully Well. She hosts the Midlife and Beyond podcast and publishes regularly on YouTube and Substack.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Book Recommendations:
Connect with Jo Blackwell:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Robert Moutal is the founder of Cover Design App, an AI-powered tool that helps independent publishers create professional, market-ready book covers using principles from semiotics, color theory, and design psychology. A publishing coach with a master's degree in semiotics and communication, Robert has personally published more than 60–70 books and built Cover Design App to solve the exact problems he saw holding self-publishers back: poor typography, bad stock imagery, and covers that failed to communicate genre at a glance.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Robert Moutal:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Kevin Anderson is the CEO, founder, and editor-in-chief of Kevin Anderson & Associates, one of the publishing industry's most respected ghost writing and editorial firms. With a team of former Big Five acquisitions editors, publishing executives, literary agents, and bestselling authors, his company has helped bring more than 7,000 books to life — producing around 500 titles per year. Their clients range from celebrities and Fortune 500 CEOs to first-time memoir writers with extraordinary stories to tell.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Kevin Anderson:
Website: kawriting.com
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Michael Stewart is the Community Lead at Sudowrite, an AI creative writing partner designed primarily for fiction writers. His background is in journalism and nonfiction writing, but he discovered his struggle with fiction perfectionism early on—unable to finish first chapters because everything needed to be perfect from the start. Sudowrite helped him accelerate past the "shitty first draft" phase to get to the editing work he loves. Michael works with a community of 16,000+ authors on Sudowrite's Discord server, leads 12 teachers rotating through daily live classes, and helps writers find their unique workflows with AI tools. He's passionate about ensuring authors remain essential to their creative process while using AI to eliminate tedium.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Michael Stewart:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Madeline Shue is the Publishing Lead at ElevenLabs, an AI audio platform founded in 2022 and based in London with approximately 400 employees worldwide. ElevenLabs builds AI audio models including text-to-speech, speech-to-text, music, and sound effects, bringing these innovations to consumers, creators, and enterprises globally. Madeline works specifically on everything related to authors, publishers, and audiobooks, helping creators who previously lacked resources or ability to reach global audiences share their stories in audio form. She manages the journey from manuscript to production, post-production, and distribution through ElevenLabs' audiobook products and their consumer app, Eleven Reader.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Madeline Shue and ElevenLabs:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Walt Hampton is the Acquisitions Editor and Director of Marketing at Summit Press Publishing, where he reviews incoming manuscripts and helps authors do more than simply publish—he helps them get the book out into the world in a big way. Walt works with entrepreneurs and high-performing professionals to turn their books into keynotes, programs, coaching and consulting offers, and long-term marketing assets—because, as he puts it, it’s not about the book, it’s what you do with the book. In this conversation, Walt breaks down practical strategies for busy writers, including time blocking, reducing interruptions, reverse-engineering your writing sessions, and his six paths to finishing your book (from one-page-a-day all the way to ghostwriting).
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Walt Hampton / Summit Press:
Connect with Teddy Smith:
Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Nicholas Keating-Casbarro is the author and creator of the Vitilarium Universe, a far-future sci-fi series following humanity after becoming multi-planetary. With seven books planned, Nicholas crafts character-focused stories exploring themes of power, corruption, government structure, and humanity's potential futures. A former medical professional turned author, Nicholas writes in an omniscient perspective similar to Frank Herbert's style, focusing on meaningful dialogue and immersive action scenes. He's expanded the Vitilarium world beyond books into comic book adaptations for Comic-Con audiences, working with illustrators Francisco Nilo, colorist Chandran Panusamy, and graphic designer Ahmed Gitar. Published through hybrid publisher Atmosphere Press, Nicholas maintains a massive Excel story guide tracking everything from character backstories to planetary exports across seven colonized worlds.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
Connect with Nicholas Keating-Casbarro:
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Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker and bestselling author who has sold over one million copies of her Thesaurus series, with The Emotion Thesaurus being her flagship book. Starting as critique partners on Critique Circle, Becca and co-author Angela Ackerman discovered they both struggled with showing character emotions—Becca's characters were always shrugging and shuffling their feet. This led them to create lists of emotional cues that eventually became blog posts on Writers Helping Writers, then transformed into The Emotion Thesaurus when readers demanded a book version. A former first-grade teacher, Becca brings educational expertise to her workshops and tools, now available through One Stop for Writers, a subscription-based service with character-building tools based on the Thesaurus series content.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
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Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Michael Drew is the founder of PromoteABook.com (established 25 years ago) and BookRetreat.com, with a track record of helping 132 consecutive books hit major bestseller lists including The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Success Magazine. Starting his career at age 18 as the #3 salesperson at Executive Excellence (a division of Covey Leadership Center), Michael impressed industry leaders and landed at Bard Press by age 19, where he was tasked with understanding how bestseller lists actually work. His first campaign launched "Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads" by Roy H. Williams to #3 on The New York Times and #1 on Wall Street Journal. Today, 85% of his work focuses on building thought leadership platforms, with 110 clients permanently increasing their gross revenue by $1 million+ per year, 10 clients increasing revenue by $50 million+ per year, and 7 clients increasing revenue by $100 million+ per year through strategic book campaigns.
In this episode:
Resources mentioned:
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Support the show
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to The Publishing Performance Show, the quintessential podcast for both budding and veteran self-published authors! Join your host, Teddy, as he sits down with with successful indie authors…
Immerse yourself in a trove of valuable insights and actionable advice on writing, essential tools, and practical tips to elevate your self-publishing prowess. Whether you’re just beginning your literary voyage or seeking to refine your craft, this show brims with wisdom and inspiration to help you thrive in the self-publishing realm.
Each episode promises listeners at least one actionable tip for their self-published books and a must-read recommendation from our esteemed guests.
Tune in for an inspiring, informative, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration of the indie author experience!

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