Write & Accelerate with Natalie Forslind

I read On Writing before I’d published anything, and like everyone else I came out thinking it was the best book about writing ever written. I’ve just reread it two books later, and it’s a completely different book.

Three things I’d defend harder than I did the first time. Three I now think are quietly bad advice for anyone who isn’t already Stephen King. And one problem the book simply can’t help you with.

✨Timestamps ✨

00:00 It's a different book now

00:26 Why this isn't another summary

01:02 Three things it gets exactly right

07:57 Three that assume a life you don't have

13:00 The thing it can't help you with

17:15 The gap

582 indie authors were surveyed about how their business is really going in 2026. Six habits separate the growing authors from everyone else — but three of them are things growth paid for, not things that caused it, and copying those early is expensive.

Here’s all six, sorted into what you can start this week and what to leave until later. Plus why the authors earning $2,500–$10,000 a month are the ones struggling most, and the one argument you can stop having entirely.

SOURCES

- Written Word Media, 2026 Mid-Year Indie Author Survey (582 authors) https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2026-mid-year-indie-author-survey/

- ALLi Self-Publishing Facts (median full-time indie author income) https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/facts/

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:27 Who is growing?

05:29 Why is the middle struggling?

07:46 Three things to accelerate your author career

12:01 Three to do when later in your career

15:26 One last finding

Readers have started asking AI what to read next — and most indie books simply aren’t in the answer. This is why that happens, how to test your own book in 90 seconds, and eight things you can do about it.

This is NOT a video about writing your book with AI. It’s about whether readers can find the book you already wrote.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING
https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/your-book-is-invisible-to-ai-here-is-how-to-fix-it/
https://janefriedman.com/ai-and-publishing-faq-for-writers/
https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/01/05/2026-trends-and-predictions-for-indie-authors-and-the-book-publishing-industry-with-joanna-penn/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 How AI actually picks books

06:26 Test your own book in 90 seconds

09:39 The 8 fixes, ranked by effort

12:04 Should we even be doing this?

17:07 What I’ve actually done

I've started morning pages four times. Three of those attempts didn't survive two weeks. This one has lasted about a year—and what changed was smaller and less noble than I expected.

In this video: why it failed the first three times, the two changes that made it stick, what it's honestly done for my fiction, and who I think should skip morning pages altogether.

Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way has sold millions of copies and the advice inside it gets repeated constantly without much testing. This is one working novelist's year with it, including the parts that didn't work.

🖤 JOIN ME ON SUBSTACK: https://diaryofanauthor.substack.com

✨Timestamps ✨

00:00 Why I kept quitting

00:37 What this video covers

01:45 Three failed attempts

02: 25 The two things that changed

05:47 What it did to my writing

09:10 Who should skip this

Everything it takes to self-publish a book, in order, with nothing left out — including the steps you can skip if money is tight, and where I think the standard advice is wrong.

I have published three books in two languages. This is the process I actually use.

More videos to watch:

https://youtu.be/VCognyp91ss?si=IXPbitiHgKvekaJg

https://youtu.be/kwhxFDj-IZ4?si=xI24U_u2QJJbdFE4

https://youtu.be/s7Ys_yvmB14?si=I8_3VoZvx3mbyh6q

https://youtu.be/infw_RWhGbA?si=iS_rbGrPV1JGxcAw

https://youtu.be/US3u0XBZUfw?si=mVNKSshm5TLWPvbD

✨Timestamps ✨

00:00 What this covers

00:39 Is your manuscript ready

05:24 Editing: three kinds, and what to skip

09:58 The cover

13:53 Formatting the interior

16:05 Metadata (the chapter that decides everything)

18:46 Pricing and royalties

20:15 KDP Select or wide

21:18 Launch week

The excitement of your book launch has faded, but what happens during the first 30 days is critical for your long-term success.Many writers hit a post-launch slump once the initial sales momentum slows down. It is easy to feel lost when the adrenaline wears off, but this period is actually the perfect time to evaluate your strategy. We will discuss how to maintain interest, when to start your next project, and how to keep your book visible without burning out.Effective author marketing does not stop on release day. Whether you need to adjust your promotion tactics or simply refocus your energy, this video provides a roadmap for navigating the weeks following your release. You will walk away with a clear plan for managing your book’s lifecycle and keeping your readers engaged.Subscribe for weekly advice on building a sustainable writing career, and let me know in the comments: what has been the biggest challenge you faced after publishing your first book?https://youtu.be/US3u0XBZUfw?si=DVnyt5QyEMF0LPoC

✨Timestamps ✨00:00 Intro01:41 The mindset shift03:20 First week after launch09:33 Second week after lauch13:52 Three weeks after lauch17:25 Four weeks after launch21:19 30 day score card

Affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you purchase Publisher Rocket through my link, at no extra cost to you.

🚀 Publisher Rocket – My favorite keyword research tool for authors: https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=539

Are you wasting your 7 KDP keyword slots?

In this video, I use my romance novel A New Chapter by the Canal as a real case study to research and improve my Amazon KDP keywords using Publisher Rocket.

I compare my original keywords with actual search data, look at search demand and competition, and show why a keyword can describe your book perfectly and still be a poor choice. I also discover that one of my KDP categories was wrong—and change it.

You’ll see how I research keywords like slow burn romance, closed door romance, love triangle romance, feel-good romance, and more before choosing my final seven.

The biggest lesson? The best keyword isn’t the one with the biggest number. It’s the one the right reader is actually searching for.

Publisher Rocket is a tool I personally use. I am an affiliate, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase through my link. All opinions and keyword choices in this video are my own.

#selfpublishing #KDP #bookmarketing #indieauthor #authortube

00:00 Intro

03:38 What KDP keywords actually do

06:32 My book as case study

09:06 How I’m judging the keywords

11:16 Keyword 1

12:25 Keyword 2

15:36 Keyword 3

16:38 Keyword 4

17:38 Keyword 5

19:46 Keyword 6

21:01 Keyword 7

22:01 New keywords

24:36 Final seven

26:57 Biggest takeaways

If you have one book and no audience, you do not need a complicated marketing machine.

You need a simple path that helps the right stranger discover you, become interested, join your email list, buy the book, and stay connected long enough to become a future reader.

In this video, I break down the exact author funnel I would build from scratch with just one book and no existing audience. We’ll cover discovery, reader magnets, email lists, welcome sequences, book pages, backmatter, reviews, and why I would not rush into direct sales or heavy ads too early.

The real goal of your first-book funnel is not to squeeze maximum profit from one book. It is to make sure your next book does not launch to zero people.

If you are an aspiring author, indie author, or first-time self-publisher trying to build an audience from scratch, this video will help you connect the different pieces of book marketing into one simple system.

🚀 Publisher Rocket – My favorite keyword research tool for authors (affiliate): https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=539______FOLLOW ME ON SUBSTACK: https://diaryofanauthor.substack.comMY BOOKS:📙 A New Chapter by the Canal https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255267123-a-new-chapter-by-the-canal 📓 Library of Eternity https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245897025-library-of-eternity📘 The 66-Day Writing Challenge: Build a Sustainable Writing Habit with Daily Prompts https://a.co/d/8rAAeng🎧 Flykten - ljudbok https://www.storytel.com/se/books/flykten-2255091📔 Essäer om skrivande och vardagsflykt https://amzn.eu/d/0eUeZSLTMy name is Natalie Forslind, I am a writing coach, author, and Growth Markter who teaches writers how to become more productive and market themselves online.Some of the links in this description are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the channel!✨Timestamps ✨

00:00 Intro

02:14 What is an author funnel

04:31 Why one book changes the strategy

07:47 Who is your reader?

11:49 How to make readers discover you

14:42 What to post on social

16:40 Don’t just sell the book

18:58 How do I get email subscribers?

21:11 Create a landingpage

25:48 Time to sell the book

28:59 The most underrated step

30:14 Get reviews

32:55 The entire funnel

I spent $3,628 publishing my romance novel, A New Chapter by the Canal — but not every expense was necessary.

In this video, I break down exactly what I spent on editing, proofreading, cover design, formatting, audiobook production, special editions, and admin costs. I’ll also share what was worth paying for, what I’d DIY again, and where I think first-time indie authors can save money.

If you’re planning to self-publish your first book, I hope this helps you build a smarter publishing budget.

#selfpublishing #indieauthor #authortube #publishing

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:22 What I published

02:42 Developmental editing

06:23 Copy editing

09:45 Proofreading

10:50 Cover design

13:50 Translations

16:50 Formatting

17:43 Audiobook

20:41 Print run

22:28 Admin

23:10 Total spend

24:47 What I’d spend money on again

26:46 Three budget examples

Want to get your first book reviews before launch—even if you don’t already have a big audience?

In this video, I’m walking through the ARC strategy I would use to build a realistic path toward your first 25 honest book reviews. We’ll cover how many advance reader copies to send, how to find the right readers, how to build an ARC application, where to find ARC readers if you have no audience yet, what review rules you need to follow, and the exact email sequence I would use before launch.

I also break down a full six-week ARC timeline, plus a two-week emergency version if your release date is already close.

The goal is not to collect five-star reviews from friends or pressure people into reviewing. It is to find readers who genuinely enjoy books like yours, give them enough time to read, and make the review process simple and respectful.

If you are a first-time author, indie author, or self-published writer preparing for a book launch, this video will help you create a more organized ARC and review strategy.

In this video, you’ll learn:

▪️How many ARC copies to send if you want 25 reviews

▪️Why reader fit matters more than simply finding “reviewers”

▪️When your manuscript is ready for ARC readers

▪️How to create a simple ARC application

▪️Where to find ARC readers

▪️What to do if you have no existing audience

▪️Common ARC mistakes to avoid

▪️Important review rules and ethical considerations

▪️How to prepare your ARC campaign

▪️The email sequence I use for ARC readers

▪️A six-week ARC launch plan

▪️A two-week emergency launch plan

If you’re preparing for a launch right now, tell me in the comments: How many ARC readers do you currently have?

And if your answer is “none yet,” watch this video next: https://youtu.be/6_njL2bca1M?si=jaL3mri7UrwkaWPj

Subscribe for more practical videos about writing, self-publishing, book marketing, ARC teams, book launches, and building a sustainable author career.

🚀 Publisher Rocket – My favorite keyword research tool for authors (affiliate): https://publisherrocket.cartknox.com/buy-rocket?aff=539______FOLLOW ME ON SUBSTACK: https://diaryofanauthor.substack.comMY BOOKS:📙 A New Chapter by the Canal https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255267123-a-new-chapter-by-the-canal 📓 Library of Eternity https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245897025-library-of-eternity📘 The 66-Day Writing Challenge: Build a Sustainable Writing Habit with Daily Prompts https://a.co/d/8rAAeng🎧 Flykten - ljudbok https://www.storytel.com/se/books/flykten-2255091📔 Essäer om skrivande och vardagsflykt https://amzn.eu/d/0eUeZSLTMy name is Natalie Forslind, I am a writing coach, author, and Growth Markter who teaches writers how to become more productive and market themselves online.Some of the links in this description are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the channel!✨Timestamps ✨

00:00 Intro

03:00 How many ARCs to send?

05:00 Look for readers, not reviewers

07:27 Your ARC needs to be ready

08:36 How to build an ARC application

10:20 Where to find ARC readers

12:56 Common mistakes

14:47 If you don’t have an audience

18:13 Rules you need to follow

19:34 How to prepare

20:42 My email sequence

23:26 Six-week plan

27:48 Two-week launch plan

29:53 Key takeaways