This One Habit made me a Successful Writer

A WORDSLINGER PODCAST This One Habit Made Me a Successful Writer What's the secret to writing more books, building an audience, and making a living as an author? It's not talent, luck, or the latest writing software. It's consistency. After publishing more than 90 books and selling millions of copies worldwide, I've learned that showing up and doing the work, day after day, is one of the most powerful habits a writer can develop. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I'm sharing how my daily 2,000-word writing goal helps me finish novels, why small efforts add up to big results, and how that same approach can transform your book marketing. We'll also talk about building your author mailing list, using Substack and BookFunnel to connect with readers, finding your ideal audience, and promoting your books without feeling like a salesperson. Whether you're writing your first novel or building a full-time author career, there's something here you can put to work today. PLUS: Dale Roberts joins us with his Rapid-Fire Newsflash, covering potential changes to Amazon KDP's perma-free pricing, new audiobook advertising tools from ACX, Spotify's massive audiobook expansion, and free publishing education from IngramSpark. You don't have to do everything. You just have to keep doing something. What's the one habit that's made the biggest difference in your writing career? Tell me in the comments! SUBSCRIBE to Wordslinger for practical, experience-tested advice on writing better books, publishing independently, marketing your work, and building a sustainable creative career. If you're serious about your writing and publishing journey, you're in the right place. Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at https://knoveltonbooks.com CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome to the Wordslinger Podcast 01:33 AI, writing tools, and the author business 05:48 Dale Roberts' Rapid-Fire Publishing Newsflash 05:48 Amazon KDP and the future of perma-free books 06:15 New ACX audiobook advertising and promotion tools 06:49 Spotify expands audiobooks to 180+ markets 07:13 Free publishing courses from IngramSpark Academy 07:55 Why writers should consider Substack 13:13 BookFunnel promotions and author collaborations 15:31 Simple ways to grow your author mailing list 17:20 Why I advertise my mailing list instead of my books 18:14 Finding and targeting your ideal reader 21:42 Using your mailing list to sell more books 24:27 The secret weapon of successful writers: consistency 25:14 Why I write 2,000 words every day 27:28 Small daily word counts lead to finished novels 30:24 Using Scrivener to track writing goals 31:11 My looping and self-editing process 32:03 How to finish a novel one day at a time 32:54 Consistent book marketing without being salesy 35:43 Your favorite writing tools and habits 36:47 Final thoughts RAPID-FIRE NEWSFLASH WITH DALE ROBERTS 05:48 — Is Amazon KDP changing its perma-free pricing policies? The Self Publishing Show, Episode 467: Amazon KDP Is Changing — Are You Ready? https://youtu.be/04kAmWZkBTE?si=JrmBSe_2ONqhFmmP 06:15 — ACX introduces new tools for audiobook promotion and Amazon advertising. https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/promote-your-audiobook 06:49 — Spotify announces plans to expand audiobook availability to more than 180 markets. Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/Frankfurt-Book-Fair/article/101440-frankfurt-book-fair-2026-spotify-expands-audiobooks-to-180-markets.html 07:13 — IngramSpark Academy offers free self-publishing courses, plus a limited-time promotional challenge. Free publishing courses: https://www.ingramspark.com/self-publishing-courses IngramSpark Academy Challenge: https://www.ingramspark.com/academy-promo Get more self-publishing news and advice from Dale Roberts: https://www.youtube.com/@selfpubwithdale FIND KEVIN: Find Kevin and his books: https://kevintumlinson.com Join Kevin on Substack: https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Wordslinger Podcast home page: https://wordslingerpodcast.com SERVICES FOR AUTHORS: Polish your writing and get your manuscript ready for publishing with ProWritingAid: https://tidd.ly/3NCdlk5 Publish your books to major online retailers, in print and ebook, with support from Draft2Digital: https://draft2digital.com/wordslinger Find a virtual assistant to help you market your books, manage your author business, and more with AuthorAnchor: https://authoranchor.com #WritingTips #SelfPublishing #AuthorSuccess #WritingHabits #BookMarketing #IndieAuthors #WordslingerPodcast