Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers

By Sara Rosett and Jami Albright

What's Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers about?

Welcome to the Wish I'd Known Then podcast. Join authors Jami Albright and Sara Rosett as they interview self-published authors about how they found success as well as lessons they've learned. Because being an indie author is about being innovative and creative and learning from your mistakes.

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Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers episodes:

04.17.2024
Episode 215 / When it comes to your author business, a bargain sometimes costs money in the long run, but other times it pays to splurge instead of scrimp. Join us as we discuss tips for saving money as well...
04.10.2024
How to Find Your Author Brand
Episode 214 / How do you pull in readers who will love your books and push away those readers who won’t enjoy your book? Branding. Branding is more than colors, fonts, and covers. Join us for an in-depth discussion on...
04.04.2024
Subscriber-only episode The sage. The rebel. The everyman. These are a few character archetypes that resonate with readers. We discuss fifteen character archetypes, their common characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and their desires along with examples in popular culture. We also discuss...
04.03.2024
Constructing a Compelling Series: Sara Rosett on the Indy Author Podcast (Reair)
Episode 213 / We’re sharing an interview Sara did with Matty Dalrymple on the Indy Author Podcast last year. Sara and Matty go deep on the topic of how to structure a series so that it works for your writing...
03.27.2024
Author Sustainability and Kickstarter with Claire Taylor
Episode 212 / Claire Taylor, humor and mystery author and Enneagram expert, shares how authors can use the Enneagram to create a resilient approach to the often chaotic writer lifestyle. We also discuss Claire’s successful track record on Kickstarter, and...
03.20.2024
Financial Freedom, Direct Sales, and Author Nation with Joe Solari
Episode 211 / How do you live your best life through your writing career? We talk with Joe Solari about how to achieve author goals and how various business models, including direct sales and subscriptions, play into reaching those goals....
03.13.2024
⏳ M.K. Williams: “Packing your Patience," YouTube Success, and Writing Across Genres
Episode 210 / M.K. Williams writes suspenseful literary fiction and helps aspiring authors. M.K. shares how she writes and markets books across different genres, using Payhip for direct sales, the drawback of a surprise launch, and why delusion is sometimes...
03.06.2024
Melanie Harlow: Lessons Learned on the Way to Becoming a One-Click Author
Episode 209 / How do you get to the point that your readers “one-click” the buy button for your books? Join us as we chat with small town romance author Melanie Harlow. Melanie shares what she learned about giving readers...
02.28.2024
Margaret Lashley on Creating Your Own Genre and Being True To Yourself
Episode 208 / Want to write something a little bit different? How do you appeal to readers in one of the main genres, but also forge your own path? Margaret Lashley joins us to share how she created a subgenre...
02.21.2024
Emma St. Clair on Building Fandom and Writing Closed Door Romantic Comedies
Episode 207 / Do you want to create a loyal readership interested in you, not just your genre? Do you want to up the romantic tension in your books? Rom-com author Emma St. Clair shares tips on these topics, plus...
02.14.2024
Leslye Penelope on Worldbuilding, Being a Hybrid Author, and Selling Signed Books Using Payhip
Episode 206 / Leslye Penelope, author of fantasy and paranormal romance, joins us and shares how she builds rich story worlds.How the worldbuilding can connect to plot, character, theme, and conflictUsing Payhip to sell signed paperbacks Leslye’s course on WorldbuildingHow Leslye...
02.13.2024
Subscriber-only episode How do you structure your novel so the middle is as page-turning as the beginning and the end? How do you write a strong heroine? What are content buckets and how can they help with your newsletter? We...
02.07.2024
The Power of Owning Your Reader’s Experience with Matt Briel from Lulu
Episode 205 / This episode is all about harnessing the power of direct connection with your readers. Matt Briel from Lulu discusses the value of direct sales as we move away from a distribution-first publishing model. Importance of owning customer dataWhy...
01.31.2024
Get the First Draft Written and Mental Health for Writers with Erin P.T. Canning
Episode 204 / Having trouble getting words on the page? Erin P.T. Canning has strategies to help! We delve into how to let go of perfectionism and give yourself permission to write a “bad” first draft. Erin also shares how...
01.25.2024
Subscriber-only episode Opening lines, where to start the book, and prologues How do you start your book in a way that hooks readers? In this month’s suporter-only episode, we look at compelling beginnings. We cover the heavy lifting that the open...
01.24.2024
✅ Why Branding and Quality are More Important Than Ever with Clayton Noblit of Written Word Media
Episode 203 / Do you want to simplify marketing? Do you want to take your branding up a notch? Do you want to know the trends in writing and publishing? Clayton Noblit of Written Word Media has answers about these...
01.17.2024
Episode 202 / It’s part two of our trope series–very appropriate for episode #202! What’s your favorite trope? We asked a range of authors this question, and we’re here to share the answers. We unpack the benefits of writing tropes,...
01.10.2024
Increase Productivity with Intentional Planning with S.L. Hansen
Episode 201 / Mystery author S. L. Hansen shares how she hacked her writing process. She figured out how to fit writing in with her full-time job and also learned how to work with her Clifton Strengths to draft her...
01.03.2024
Episode 200 / We’re celebrating 200 episodes with a look back (what we learned in 2023) and a look forward to 2024 (trends that matter to authors). We’re so happy to have such a warm community around the podcast! Thanks...
12.27.2023
German Translation Tips plus Insight to the German Market with Julia Stirling
Episode 199 / Julia Stirling is a German romance author of over twenty books. She shares tips for when to go into translation, German covers, and connecting with German readers. Julia also has some fantastic ideas on newsletter bonus content...
12.20.2023
Writing with Neurodiversity and Including Neurodiverse Characters with Claire Kohler
Episode 198 / Claire Kohler writes Scottish fantasy romance and is also an editor, tutor, and neurodiversity advocate. Claire shares how her autism and ADHD can be both a positive and a negative in her writing career and encourages neurodivergent...
12.13.2023
Tara Cremin on Thinking Globally and Kobo Plus Subscriptions
Episode 197/ Tara Cremin is the Director of Kobo Writing Life and has great tips for how to go wide, how to reach readers globally, and how Kobo Plus, their non-exclusive subscription platform, helps authors reach new readers. We also...
12.06.2023
Helen Scheuerer on Launching a Series: Timing, Street Teams, Mindset, and Managing Expectations
Episode 196 / Bestselling fantasy author, Helen Scheuerer joins us to discuss the many ways to launch a series and how to craft your launch strategy so that it meshes with your personality, goals, and schedule. We dig into ARCS,...
12.04.2023
Subscriber-only episode In this supporter-only episode, Jami and Sara discuss one of the most popular tropes, Fish out of Water. They "dive" (see what we did there?) into why the trope is popular across all genres, the plot elements of...
11.29.2023
My Favorite Trope (Part 1)
Episode 195 / What’s your favorite trope? We asked a range of authors this question, and we’re here to share the answers as well as unpack the benefits of writing tropes, why we love specific tropes, and where to find...
11.22.2023
How to Write Realistic and Entertaining Law Enforcement Characters with Patrick O'Donnell
Episode 194 / Patrick O’Donnell is a retired Milwaukee Police Department sergeant with a 25-year career as well as an author and podcaster. He shares common mistakes he sees in characterization and police procedure in genre fiction. We discuss how...
11.15.2023
Kat Addams on Why You’re Not Stuck
Episode 193 / Kat Addams is an author of contemporary romantic comedies and women empowerment non-fiction titles. She shares how her career path looks different than she expected, but after learning she didn’t have to stay stuck in a toxic...
11.08.2023
Selling to Readers on Your Website with Natalie Knight
Episode 192 / Dark romance author Natlie Knight joins us to share how she sells to readers first on her website and uses the retail platforms for discovery. We also talk about the importance of highlighting back catalogue books, why...
11.01.2023
✨ From Small Press to Indie Publishing with Tudor Historical Fiction Author Karen Heenan
Episode 191 / Historical fiction author Karen Heenan shares how her writing career started with a Tweet that drew the attention of a publisher, and how she eventually transitioned from working with a small press to indie publishing. We also talk...
10.25.2023
Out of the Box Promotion Ideas and the Power of Persistence with Arlene McFarlane
Episode 190 / Arlene McFarlane shares some unusual promotion ideas, including in-person sales and co-writing. We also talk about perfectionism and incorporating your background and interests into your writing and promotion. Links: Author website: https://www.arlenemcfarlane.com/ Jami on the Two Authors’...
10.18.2023
KimBoo York on Writing Serials and Trusting your Intuition
Episode 189 / KimBook York writes across multiple genres including romance, fantasy, and non-fiction. We talk about why there’s no “correct” way to write a book and why it’s important to trust your instincts in both writing and marketing. We...
10.11.2023
Selling Wide, Selling Direct, and Disengaging from Social Media with Cadence Keys
Episode 188 / Contemporary romance author Cadence Keys has only been publishing for a few years. She describes how she's found success publishing wide and selling directly to readers. We also delve into the topic of setting back from social...
10.04.2023
How to Know When You Need Outside Help with Jami Albright
Episode 187 / Do you need help with your branding, ad copy, or writing career strategy? Do you have questions or ideas that you’d like to brainstorm with another author about? Jami has helped many authors with everything from overwhelm...
09.27.2023
Selling Direct at In-Person Events with Lisa Bouchard
Episode 186 / Would you like another stream of income that doesn’t involve ads or writing new content? In-person events like craft fairs and farmer’s markets might be a good option for you. Lisa Bourchard is a paranormal cozy mystery...
09.20.2023
Katlyn Duncan on How Mom Writers can Declutter and Systemize for a Better Work/Life Balance
Episode 185 / Do you want a better work/life balance? Would you like to declutter and systematize your life? ⚖️ Katlyn Duncan, multi-published author of adult and young adult fiction, joins us today to talk about how creatives, especially mom...
09.13.2023
Insights from a Second Kickstarter
Episode 184 / Sara’s second Kickstarter closed out over $20,000 (
09.06.2023
Grow Your Audience Without Social Media with Kerrie Fitzgerald
Episode 183 / Do you want to move away from depending on ads and social media for books sales? Marketing, business, and visibility strategist Kerrie Fitzgerald joins us to share six ways to grow your author business organically.
08.30.2023
A.G. Riddle on Longevity and Writing SciFi Techno Thrillers
Episode 182 / A.G. Riddle shares his definition of success and discusses how he balances creative fulfillment with the demands of the writing business. We also discussed a slower release schedule and how he transitioned from indie to traditional publishing....
08.23.2023
Cat Maura on Discoverability and Creating a Compelling “mini-series” Drip Campaign
Episode 181 / Contemporary romance author Catharina Maura shares how she combined her favorite trope, marriage of convenience, with lessons she learned writing her early books to create a best-selling series. We also delve into why marketing is an extension...
08.16.2023
Getting your Books into Libraries with Erin Wright
Episode 180 / Do you want to reach library readers? Erin Wright is here to help us understand how libraries buy books (ebooks, audio and print), what formats libraries prefer, and how to let libraries know about our books. Author...
08.09.2023
David Gaughran on Using Lessons Learned to Reboot Fiction and Nonfiction (Reair)
Episode 179 / We dug into the archives this week and pulled out one of our early episodes with David Gaughran, which is full of helpful and relevant advice. David decodes Amazon and breaks down Bookbub ads for authors in...
08.02.2023
Jeff Elkins on Writing Compelling Dialogue and the Value of Slowing Down
Episode 178 / Do you want to improve the dialogue in your novels? Author and dialogue coach Jeff Elkins shares tips on differentiating character voices and tips for using (or not!) dialogue tags. We also touch on the “rules” of...
07.26.2023
Matty Dalrymple on Keeping Your Focus on the Writing
Episode 177 / Podcaster and mystery/ suspense author Matty Dalrymple joins us to talk about what she’s learned about how she’s learned to focus on writing her novels. We also chat about the benefits of writing short stories and podcasting...
07.19.2023
Demystifying Direct Sales: The Five Types of Direct Sales and How to Pick the Right One For You
Episode 176 / Direct sales is the current hot topic in the author community, but there’s lots of choices to be made. Landing page or store? Kickstarter or subscription? And taxes–what about taxes? Hello, decision fatigue. Fear not, we've got...
07.12.2023
Erin Wright:
Episode 175 / Romance author and creator of the Wide for the Win Facebook group, Erin Wright, shares a blueprint for going from KU to wide as well as marketing tips for selling wide–without ads! Erin’s website: https://erinwright.net/ https://erinwright.net/authors https://erinwright.net/consulting...
07.04.2023
Inkers Con Takeaways
Episode 174 / We attended Inkers Con Author Conference in Dallas a few weeks ago and we’re here to share our favorite moments and our biggest takeaways on taglines, tropes, direct sales, productivity, backlist sales, and so much more. The...
06.27.2023
Raythe Reign on Serials, Podcasting Audiobooks, and Memberships
Episode 173 / Raythe Reign writes in the gay paranormal genre and joins us to talk about writing serials, podcasting audiobooks as a lead magnet, and running a membership on her own site. Author website: www.RaytheReign.com & https://www.youtube.com/@RaytheReign
06.21.2023
Subscriber-only episode H. Claire Taylor, owner of FFS Media and versatile writer of humor, paranormal police, procedural, paranormal cozy, mystery, and crime fiction, joins us for our May supporter chat. We discuss using the Enneagram for plotting and character development. We also...
06.21.2023
Rachel Hanna on Direct Sales Success and Writing Women’s Fiction
Episode 172 / Women’s fiction author, Rachel Hanna shares about writing women’s fiction and branching out into direct sales using Shopify and Klaviyo. Author website: www.RachelHannaAuthor.com
06.14.2023
Writing Cozy Fantasy as a Joyful Side Hustle with Belinda Kroll
How do you balance writing, motherhood, and finding joy in your craft? Today, we had the pleasure of chatting with the talented Belinda Kroll, a cozy fantasy writer who's mastered the art of the joyful side hustle. Belinda shares her...

What's Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers about?

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Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers episodes:

How to Find Your Author Brand

Constructing a Compelling Series: Sara Rosett on the Indy Author Podcast (Reair)

Author Sustainability and Kickstarter with Claire Taylor

Financial Freedom, Direct Sales, and Author Nation with Joe Solari

⏳ M.K. Williams: “Packing your Patience," YouTube Success, and Writing Across Genres

Melanie Harlow: Lessons Learned on the Way to Becoming a One-Click Author

Margaret Lashley on Creating Your Own Genre and Being True To Yourself

Emma St. Clair on Building Fandom and Writing Closed Door Romantic Comedies

Leslye Penelope on Worldbuilding, Being a Hybrid Author, and Selling Signed Books Using Payhip

The Power of Owning Your Reader’s Experience with Matt Briel from Lulu

Get the First Draft Written and Mental Health for Writers with Erin P.T. Canning

✅ Why Branding and Quality are More Important Than Ever with Clayton Noblit of Written Word Media

Increase Productivity with Intentional Planning with S.L. Hansen

German Translation Tips plus Insight to the German Market with Julia Stirling

Writing with Neurodiversity and Including Neurodiverse Characters with Claire Kohler

Tara Cremin on Thinking Globally and Kobo Plus Subscriptions

Helen Scheuerer on Launching a Series: Timing, Street Teams, Mindset, and Managing Expectations

My Favorite Trope (Part 1)

How to Write Realistic and Entertaining Law Enforcement Characters with Patrick O'Donnell

Kat Addams on Why You’re Not Stuck

Selling to Readers on Your Website with Natalie Knight

✨ From Small Press to Indie Publishing with Tudor Historical Fiction Author Karen Heenan

Out of the Box Promotion Ideas and the Power of Persistence with Arlene McFarlane

KimBoo York on Writing Serials and Trusting your Intuition

Selling Wide, Selling Direct, and Disengaging from Social Media with Cadence Keys

How to Know When You Need Outside Help with Jami Albright

Selling Direct at In-Person Events with Lisa Bouchard

Katlyn Duncan on How Mom Writers can Declutter and Systemize for a Better Work/Life Balance

Insights from a Second Kickstarter

Grow Your Audience Without Social Media with Kerrie Fitzgerald

A.G. Riddle on Longevity and Writing SciFi Techno Thrillers

Cat Maura on Discoverability and Creating a Compelling “mini-series” Drip Campaign

Getting your Books into Libraries with Erin Wright

David Gaughran on Using Lessons Learned to Reboot Fiction and Nonfiction (Reair)

Jeff Elkins on Writing Compelling Dialogue and the Value of Slowing Down

Matty Dalrymple on Keeping Your Focus on the Writing

Demystifying Direct Sales: The Five Types of Direct Sales and How to Pick the Right One For You

Erin Wright:

Inkers Con Takeaways

Raythe Reign on Serials, Podcasting Audiobooks, and Memberships

Rachel Hanna on Direct Sales Success and Writing Women’s Fiction

Writing Cozy Fantasy as a Joyful Side Hustle with Belinda Kroll