James and Cissy discuss new marketing insights and mindset strategies for indie authors navigating an increasingly complex publishing landscape. From experimenting with BookBub ads and improving AI-assisted translations to analysing breakout success in romance adaptations, the conversation explores how authors can stay competitive in a crowded market. Cissy also shares a creative direct-to-reader marketing tactic, sending postcards to readers, as a way to build stronger audience relationships beyond digital platforms. The episode concludes with the hosts’ “Three Things” mindset practice, a simple daily habit designed to help authors maintain perspective, gratitude, and motivation in a challenging creative career.

Key Talking Points

• How BookBub ads and promotional pricing strategies can create long-tail sales effects beyond the initial campaign.
• Lessons learned from improving AI-assisted translations and the impact of higher-quality translations on international book sales.
• Why certain romance stories and adaptations suddenly explode in popularity — and what authors can learn from those breakout successes.
• Creative marketing experiments, including sending postcards and physical mail to readers to build stronger audience connections.
• The “Three Things” daily mindset practice: identifying something that made you happy, something that moved your work forward, and something you’re looking forward to.

Links & Resources Mentioned

• ProWritingAid (Sponsor – code IWC15 for 15% off annual subscriptions)
  https://prowritingaid.com
• AI Translations Course https://learnselfpublishing.com/aitranslations
• BookBub Advertising Platform https://bookbub.com/ads
• James Blatch's donation link: http://jamesblatch.com/marathon 
• The Self Publishing Show 2026 https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive
• Heated Rivalry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35495073/