Regency Romance legend Mary Jo Putney joins Merry and Pru to consider the publishing industry—where it’s been, where it is, and how authors (published and otherwise) should plan for the future. Need some advice? Some direction? A reminder of why you love to write? Spend half an hour with a remarkable author!

Despite some familial difficulties, we got some fantastic information from author Victoria Pinder on how to set up Facebook Ads.

Meredith Bond (who needs more than all her fingers and all her toes to count the Regencies she’s written) explains why the Regency romance is such a popular genre. Her reasons astonish her rom-com co-host, Pru Warren, who (as usual) “never thought of it that way!” (Pru writes the podcast descriptions; can you tell??)

In your outline, you can’t just say “Hero and heroine play chess; witty banter.” Experienced author Meredith Bond explains to her novice acolyte, Pru Warren, how to make your story tight and strong: The hidden skeleton beneath the witty banter. Every scene has a purpose. Yes, EVERY scene! If you don’t know yours, then this is your podcast!

Publishing three books in three months is the kind of thing only a novice author would do, since once you do it, you’re no novice anymore! Pru Warren has been throwing money at the problem, with curious results. Here’s a talk on Facebook ads, BookBub, social media, promo stacking, and the massive Amazon overlord. Got to get in good with the boss!

Merry mentioned a Kindlepreneur article on keywords that don't work; here's the link to that article: https://kindlepreneur.com/broad-vs-niche-keywords/

With Apple’s iOS15 update, how do authors handle the loss of one of the best ways to know if your newsletter is annoying your subscribers… or how do you make sure the mystical “mailer daemons” still think highly of you? No actual answers yet, but good information and a plan for the future come from the discussion.

Every writer knows the feeling: That blank screen, that white page is MOCKING YOU. What can you do to get those words flowing again? Expert author and book coach Meredith Bond has got you covered. Here’s a list of great ideas to open you up again. Novice author Pru Warren learns a thing or two about quieting that inner critic!

Merry uses http://brain.fm when she writes.

Among Merry's "interview your character" questions:

Tell me about your childhood. Did you get along with your parents? Who was your best friend?

What has hurt you in the past? What is your wound? How did that wound color your world?

Tell me about your past relationships. What was good about them, what was bad?

Explain your goal. Why do you need to accomplish it?

Novice writer Pru Warren discovers the occult mysteries of selecting Amazon categories and bowls experienced author Meredith Bond over in her rush to share what she learned. Merry smiles indulgently, like a fond mother watching her toddler learn to walk. (Obviously, Pru writes the show descriptions.) BISAC, ASIN, ISBN, Publisher Rocket, Book Link—it’s all demystified here so you can increase your book sales!

Some links that will help you:

The program Pru uses to explore categories is Publisher Rocket. It will cost you $99 to access their info (updated three times a day), and I recommend the $25 training course they'll try to sell you. I mean--wow. Here's the link to that: https://publisherrocket.com/

To update your categories, go to https://Author.Amazon.com/contact

To explore the categories of books by ASIN via BookLink, go to https://www.bklnk.com/categories5.php

God speed, little starling!

On the first anniversary of our podcast, Pru Warren and Meredith Bond take the time to admire ourselves very much. We look back on what we’ve learned (which is a staggering amount, in Pru’s case). Like a Greatest Hits album, we focus on the very best of The Writer’s Block Party Podcast. Yay, us!

What makes a book a rom-com, and why isn’t Amazon policing this better?! Ah…THAT’S why. Damn. Pru shakes off her novice status to lead a conversation with Merry on romantic comedy. From arch wit to zany slapstick—what makes something a rom-com? (And is rom-com hyphenated or not? Where’s a proofreader when you need one?!)