In this week's episode, James reports from AuthorNation, indie publishing's largest conference. The talk is of new technology, a recent slump in ads effectiveness and the possibility of more seismic changes to come! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewriterscl...

This week we delve into the intriguing world of ghost writing. You might know Cara is/has been, a professional ghost writer and she spills the beans on this industry that takes place largely in the shadows. We also touch on the sudden epidemic of author scams using AI to highly personalise the first approaches. USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As wi...

This week we have a bona fide guest! Cissy Mecca is a close friend and fellow author whose work I'm constantly admiring—she's brilliant at finding innovative ways to streamline our publishing workflow. (And she's an incredible writer, too.) We recently stayed together in Florence, and I was fascinated watching her receive her daily structure from her assistant "Pedro." Turns out Pedro isn't a person at all, but an AI she's trained to organize her entire work life, freeing her up to focus on t...

We discuss the the state of Trad vs Indie after a couple of comments from notable authors and commentators and come to an interesting conclusion! Also - it's possible Taylor Swift is secretly self-publishing poetry on Amazon KDP! We look at the evidence and implications... USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to dis...

Much has happened behind the scenes of the Facebook Ads Manager and so james is setting out a series of tests. spending money on various combinations of Adv+ and manual targeting to see what's working now. James also reveals the finalists for the 2025 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award without giving away any judging secrets! USEFUL LINKS: Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 https://www.prowritingaid.com Join our Patreon for exclusive access includi...

It's Friday! It's the Indie Writers Club! We continue our deep dive into the new era of searching using AI. Even if you are dead set against all things AI - you cannot ignore the fact that readers will be searching for your books using AI in the future. That means you need to adapt the way you describe your books, where you list them and a host of other things. If you want to learn more on this subject, I'd encourage you to sign up to Reedys's Ricardo Fayet's newsletter here: https://www.indi...

The era of keywords and Google searches is coming to an end. Searching through a longer form conversation with an AI is already taking over. That means we need to get our blurbs and book packages ready for the new era. James & Cara discuss the take-aways from NINC including Ricardo Fayet's talk on GEO. USEFUL LINKS: Ricardo's Blog: indiewritersclub.com/ricardo Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing ca...

In episode 55, James reports from the Floridian beach where he's attending the annual NINC conference. He and Cara also report some encouraging signs from their Facebook Ads campaigns. USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Making the switch from hobbyist to full-time author is a dream for many. But it comes with its own challenges. From two of us who have become full time self-employed, we go through some of the pitfalls and areas to think about. USEFUL LINKS: Self Publishing Launchpad is open for enrolment: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub...

It's part 2 of our discussion about generating income from audio versions of your books. We talk about the AI options among other things, and James has a mini rant about the opposition many authors still face, because they use the latest technology which is available to all. USEFUL LINKS: ElevenLabs: https://www.indiewritersclub.com/elevenlabs Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. ht...

We take a two episode dive into audio books. In the first part we discuss the options facing indies, such as wide or exclusive, self produce or collaborate etc. USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support Self Publishing Launchpad Waitlist: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad

There's no correct way to plot, but here are our suggestions. Mentioned in the pod were my 5 points to note during plotting - see below the links. USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support Novel November - a new way to write a novel in November https://prowritingaid.com/novel-november Five Plotting Points to help Guide You: 1. &...

Episode 50 is a good time to take stock of the industry and discuss the latest developments that can affect our indie world. Useful links: LSP Launchpad Course waitlist: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad Get your ticket for SPS Live: https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Let's talk about the author platform you need to build. This episode covers those crucial foundation months as you start out. USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Welcome to episode 48 of the Indie Writers Club. This week Cara (spicy romance, romance) and James Blatch (thrillers) discuss Facebook (Meta) Ads. For years they have reigned supreme as the goto resource to drive readers to Amazon. But are they still working for writers? USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support And join James for a live webinar ...

In this episode we deep dive into the process and strategy for launching your English language books into global markets. We recommend scribeshadow.com (they are not a sponsor, this is a genuine recommendation). You can use our referral code IWC50 for 50% off your first month. You download a free PDF that contains the key points from the discussion and it has a couple of useful appendices on Amazon categories in German and Dutch and a guide to pricing in Brazil and Mexico. Head here to ...

I'll confess, I love using AI for various parts of my marketing and editing, but even as an advocate of what AI can do for us writers, even I know there is a dark side. I experienced that recently with an email and in this episode we talk about how scammers are always one-step ahead. USEFUL LINKS: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support Support the show

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club, James and Cara discuss various aspects of writing, the use of AI in manuscript critiques, and the impact of translations on indie publishing. They explore the benefits of using tools like ProWritingAid, the importance of character development, and the themes that resonate within their stories. The conversation also touches on the supportive nature of the indie writing community and the exciting potential of expanding into foreign markets through tran...

In this episode, Cara and James reflect on their recent experiences at the first IWC Writers' Retreat and the SPS Live conference. They discuss the networking opportunities, feedback from workshop sessions, and the sense of community among indie writers. Useful links: Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support Check out Julia's videos from our retreat: https...

It's the Indie Writers Club with Cara & James! This week we talk editing/revising/rewriting, whatever you call it. Some of us love it (me) some hate it (Cara) but we all have to do it! Big thanks to our sponsors prowritingaid.com, who make the entire process SO much easier (use code IWC15 for 15% off annual plans). ___________________________________________ Join our Patreon: https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support Support the show