The Rocking Self Publishing Podcast

This week, I spoke with Joshua Dalzelle, a USA Today bestselling author and an Amazon Top Ten science fiction author, to find out how he reached bestsellerdom in less than two years and without a website! Show notes: rspcast.com/joshua

I first spoke with horror author J Thorn in Episode #71, where we discussed his ambitious 10-author collaborative novel The Black Fang Betrayal and being an author entrepreneur. This week, I talk to J Thorn about KingSumo, and how he’s using giveaways to build his email list with true fans.

There has been much industry talk and speculation that serials are on the decline. Well, this week I spoke with C.C. Wall, the author of the horror mystery thriller series Black Star Canyon, who believes serials are alive and well. We also talk about the importance of deadlines, the beauty of the cliffhanger, and why Dexter should have stopped after Season 4.

Linda Poitevin is a hybrid author who writes both supernatural and romance fiction. Ten months after she self-published her romance novel, she decided to also share it for free on Wattpad…and subsequently racked up 4 million views and 18.1K followers! In this episode, I talk to Linda about the advantages of sharing your work on Wattpad, and how to best leverage Wattpad in order to increase book sales and readership.

Amazon imprints (the trad publishing arms of Amazon) often come onto that radar of successful self-published authors. In this episode I talk (for the first time) to an author who has had years of experience working with an Amazon imprint (47North). We also talk about the various programs that Amazon has experimented with, from Kindle Serials, to Kindle Unlimited.

Chris Fox has two lives. One where he is the lead developer of a medical app for a Silicon Valley startup, and another where he works redefining werewolf fiction. After seeing Twilight and thinking “we can’t have werewolves like that” Chris decided to write the sci-fi novel, No Such Thing As Werewolves. Since it’s recent launch it has taken off, and Chris puts a large part of that down to applying the startup mentality to indie publishing. In this interview, we talk about that. Show notes: rspcast.com/fox

Libbie was my first ever guest on RSP, and in this episode we look at everything that has changed for her and the industry over the last 18 months. In that time she has quit her job, started another pen name, and become a successful full time author. Libbie has also recently signed a deal with an Amazon imprint publisher, so we talk a bit about how that deal came about, and what it will mean for her career.

In today’s interview I talk to Judith Glynn about her varied writing background. From freelance travel writing, to fiction, to memoirs, Judith has written all across the board, and this is an interview that dives into that background, as well as what she is working on currently. We also talk about gaining exposure for your books in the traditional media, and what value that might have to a self-published author.

The self-publishing revolution has caused many people to become new authors, and this is often true for people who have professions where they are writing anyway. In this interview I talk to screenwriter Chuck Rose, who used some of his down time to write a thriller called “Head Games.” There is a lot of talk in the self-pub world, about how you need to have several books out before you start really moving the needle, but Chuck had a successful launch that took him from 30,000 in the Kindle store, right up to the top 25. In this interview we talk about how he did that. Show notes and action steps at rspcast.com/chuck.

Mark Wayne McGinnis started putting out books in 2013. Since then he has had great success with his series “Scrapyard Ship” which now has seven books in it, all written in the last 18 months. In this interview we talk about how he really set himself up for success by looking in depth at the market, and talking to authors who were already successful. You can find show notes and action steps from todays episode at rspcast.com/markwayne.