The Write Podcast with Sarah Williams

You don’t need a bigger platform to test a new idea. You need five samples and the nerve to ask a question you’re embarrassed you don’t already know the answer to.

Monster romance author Natalie Starkoss joins me to talk about building worlds out of gargoyles and genetically altered hybrids, and the business lesson that came out of nowhere. How sourcing her own candles, keyrings, and custom bookmarks changed what happened at her book table, and lifted her profit at a single event by 23 percent. We get into where to actually source this stuff when you’re starting from zero, the supplier mistake that almost put her off trying again, and why the thing sitting next to your book might matter more than the book itself.

You’ve finished your manuscript, and now there’s a pile of decisions waiting for you. The editor. The cover. The price. Kindle Unlimited or wide. The launch. Ask about any of them in a Facebook group and you’ll get three confident answers, and none of them were built for your book.

In this episode, I talk about why that keeps happening, the Kindle Unlimited decision I got wrong with my first books, and the one thing to work out before you make any of these calls.

In this episode:

- Why so much publishing advice contradicts itself, even when everyone giving it is right

-What happened when I put my first books in Kindle Unlimited, and why I pulled them out

- How the same manuscript can need a different cover, price and launch depending on what you want it to do

- The question to ask about every decision in your pile, from the editor to the launch

Free training: Learn how to set a clear goal for your book, and which decision to make first, in my free one-hour training, The 3 Decisions That Turn a Finished Manuscript Into a Career. It runs live every month.

You’ll leave knowing what you want this book to do and which question to answer first. Grab your seat at serenadepublishing.com/training

✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You finished the manuscript, so why does "am I ready" still feel impossible to answer?

This episode breaks down hobby thinking versus business thinking, three things you can check about your own manuscript today, the unspoken fear of picking the wrong editor or cover designer, and why watching someone else publish a rougher book than yours isn't a talent problem.

In this episode:

● The difference between hobby thinking and business thinking, and why finishing a manuscript doesn't automatically flip the switch

● Three things you already know about your book that turn "am I ready" into a question you can actually answer

● The real fear behind choosing an editor or cover designer, and what it usually turns into instead of action● Why watching someone with a rougher book get a real launch isn't about talent

● Why "stuck" usually isn't a discipline problem, it's a decision made with no real information underneath it

Free live training, next week: The 3 Decisions That Turn a Finished Manuscript Into a Career (Most Authors Get the Order Wrong): www.serenadepublishing.com/training

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✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

Ever posted about a book event everywhere you could think of, only to have someone tell you afterward they had no idea it was even happening?

Lauren and Alana from Book World know that feeling well, which is why they are building a directory made just for book events so nobody misses one again.

In this episode, I sit down with the two friends behind Book World, the magazine that started as a newsletter between two people who could not stop talking about books and has grown into a full glossy publication now on its ninth issue. We talk about how their friendship became a business, what it actually takes to put a magazine like this together, some of the authors and narrators they have interviewed along the way, and the two brand new platforms they are building right now, including a bookish events app and a redesigned website built around their own book club and author release calendar.

Bookworld link: https://bookworld.club/

Training link: serenadepublishing.com/training

✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You can publish a book for next to nothing. Uploading to Amazon is free. A premade cover can cost $40. Canva will get you a passable template in an afternoon. None of that means you have an author business.

In this episode of The Write Podcast, Sarah Williams breaks down what it actually costs to build a real, sustainable author business, not just publish a book. She covers what overhead actually means for an author (editing, cover design, running ads properly, business admin), why wearing every hat yourself has a hidden cost paid in time instead of money, and why the biggest investment most authors skip isn't financial at all.

If you're an indie author, a self-published writer, or an author trying to build an actual career from your books, and you've ever wondered why some writers build real businesses while others stall out, this episode names the real difference. It's not talent. It's whether you're running this like the business it is.

Ready to stop guessing and start making these decisions in the right order?

Register for the free live training, The 3 Decisions That Turn a Finished Manuscript Into a Career (Most Authors Get the Order Wrong), at serenadepublishing.com/training

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✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You built the store. Maybe it's beautiful. Maybe it cost more than you want to admit. Now it's just sitting there, waiting for someone to find it.

I sat down with Melissa Storm, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who's spent over a decade running one of publishing's most trusted ads agencies. She's the person authors turn to when their Facebook ads stop working and nobody can tell them why.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- Why interest-based targeting doesn't work like it used to

- How to tell if you've trained the algorithm on the wrong reader, and how to fix it

- What changes strategically when you sell direct instead of through a retailer

Melissa doesn't do vague advice. She gives you the reason behind the rule, not just the steps.

Connect with Melissa Storm:

Take her free marketing quiz and find her courses at novelpublicity.com.

Her Shopify ads program is only available through her live Kickstarter at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/melstorm/shopify-ads

— — — — — — — — — —✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

This week I'm talking with Australian bestselling author Jade May. Jade writes the Eden Series, high heat, angst filled romance that's sold over 10,000 copies worldwide. And she's landed press most authors only dream about. SMH. Mamamia. News.com.au. Herald Sun.

We get into the real story behind that coverage. Jade worked with a PR agency, and she walks us through what that actually looked like. What a publicist does day to day. What changed once she had one in her corner. And whether it's worth it for an author who's just starting to think about visibility.

We also talk about her move to Penguin with the Eden Series, what that partnership actually looks like behind the scenes, and the story she's so generously shared about writing through chronic illness, and what that's meant for her and for her readers.

And I'm so glad to share that Jade will be joining us at the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival this year.

https://www.sunshinecoastfictionfestival.com.au

https://www.authorjademay.com/

https://www.righteouspr.com.au/

— — — — — — — — — —✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

You finished the manuscript. So why does it still feel unfinished? In this episode, Sarah unpacks the real reason "I'm still polishing it" keeps so many writers stuck after the last page, why so many manuscripts end up waiting on someone else's opinion instead of moving forward, and shares her own story of sending an early manuscript to an agent and what it actually taught her about waiting for outside permission.

In this episode:- Why "still polishing" is often a stand-in for "I'm scared to find out if this is good enough"

- What's really happening when you can't quite claim "I finished a book" out loud

- Sarah's story about sending an early manuscript to an agent, and why the silence that followed taught her more than a yes ever would have

- Reframing the stall as a missing decision instead of a readiness problem

- Two lists to check whether your manuscript is actually done, or you're stalling

Links & resources mentioned:Free download: Is Your Manuscript Actually Finished? (or Are You Still Polishing?) Serenadepublishing.com/checklist

✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

Romance author Willow Winters started as a stay-at-home mum writing at night for coffee money. Today she's a USA Today and Wall Street Journal number-one bestseller with more than sixty books and a team running the business behind her. In this episode of The Write Podcast, she shares how she built a real self-publishing career, not by luck, but by decision.

We get into the business most authors never see. How she made the leap from hobby writer to CEO. Why she hired a team when most indie authors go it alone. How she built multiple income streams, from direct sales to collector's editions to free audiobooks. And what it actually took to stop feeling like an imposter and start owning the word author.

If you're a fiction writer who's serious about turning your writing into a career, this conversation is for you. Willow is proof that ambition and creativity can live in the same author business.

In this episode:

• How Willow went from writing at night to a multimillion-dollar self-publishing business

• The moment writing stopped being a hobby and became a company

• Building a team as an indie author, and the first job she handed off

• Multiple income streams for authors: direct sales, collector's editions, audiobooks

• Selling straight to readers versus relying on Amazon and the retailers

• Overcoming imposter syndrome as a self-published author

• Avoiding burnout while running a real author business

Ready to build the author business you choose instead of the one you fall into? Read the details and apply for Author CEO at serenadepublishing.com/the-author-ceo.

✍️ Writers: Want help building a real writing career?Join my free weekly email for tips on writing, publishing, and growing your readership.→ www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —👋 About This ChannelHi, I’m Sarah Williams. I help writers turn their books into sustainable careers.Here we talk about:• writing and finishing books• publishing and the book industry• author marketing• building a long-term writing careerWhether you're writing your first book or already publishing, you're welcome here.— — — — — — — — — —🚀 Ready to go deeper?✦ The Author CEO – for writers ready to treat their books like a real business ✦ Author Retreats – immersive strategy and writing retreatsLearn more:www.serenadepublishing.com— — — — — — — — — —📌 Connect With MeInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/serenadepublishingTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@serenadepublishing

Fresh off presenting a workshop at the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference in Auckland, and still thinking about TL Swan's keynote on rebuilding her covers and blurbs nine times before Amazon finally took notice, this episode looks back at ten years of conferences, from Romance Writers of Australia to the biggest one yet in New York, and what showing up, year after year, has actually built. Plus, an invitation to the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival's writer's day on October 30.

In this episode:

• TL Swan's keynote on treating self-publishing like a business, and why she never gave up after nine attempts at her covers and blurbs

• The workshop I presented at RWNZ: Building a Writing Career That Actually Sustains You

• Ten years of Romance Writers of Australia, and the lessons from Michael Hauge, Melissa Storm and Bella Andre that I still use today

• Romance Writers of America, New York, 2019: the biggest and most overwhelming conference I've ever attended, and why I've never regretted it

• An invitation to the Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival writer's day, October 30

Links & resources mentioned:

• My full interview with TL Swan on grit, growth and going all in on your writing dreams: https://serenadepublishing.com/post/tl-swan-on-grit-growth-and-going-all-in-on-your-writing-dreams

• Michael Hauge's Six Stage Plot Structure: https://www.storyplanner.com/story/plan/michael-hauge-s-six-stage-plot-structure

• Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival, writer's day, October 30: https://serenadepublishing.com/scff/conference