Self Publishing Insiders
by Draft2Digital, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Jim Azevedo, Lexi Greene
Brought to you from the indie author experts at Draft2Digital! Each week, Self Publishing Insiders features an interview with a new guest, covering self-publishing topics from writing and craft to marketing and promoting your books, and anything that can help you build and grow your author career. Learn about new tools, new software, new markets—and of course, all the inside information that D2D can provide!This show features interviews taken from our live D2D Spotlight, available on YouTube and Facebook. Join us, and get your questions answered during the live broadcast, when you visit D2DLive.com!
Episodes
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The Self-Publishing Blueprint
Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, a podcaster, an international speaker, and a coach who has helped dozens of authors turn their creative dreams into reality. Daniel joins us to discuss lessons from his bestselling book, The Self-Publishing Blueprint. We'll discuss: • "The...
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So You Injured Your Character. What Now?
M.T. Zimny is a young adult author in the Pacific Northwest, putting her knowledge of human physiology to use in her fantasy novels. M.T. enhances her larger than life fiction with medical realism, and she's been sharing tips with the Tiktok author community so they can do the same. We discuss: •...
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First Draft Fall: Your New Writing Challenge
Dianna Gunn decided she wanted to be a writer at eight years old. Her writing accelerated when she participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time and unlocked the power of community. Now she runs her own writing community, Weeknight Writers, who are introducing First Draft Fall, a new writing...
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Setting Up an Author Newsletter
In the current attention economy, it's important to be on your readers' radars. Keeping in touch with your readers by offering them content between releases can turn readers into devoted fans. Our own Nick Thacker joins us to walk authors through setting up their newsletter. We'll dsicuss: • The...
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Author Training in the Age of AI
Publisher of Indie Author Magazine and Founder of Indie Author Training, Chelle Honiker's a passionate advocate for the success of Indie Authors. She's taking that passion into a new author education venture with indieauthortraining.com. We'll learn: • How training and education in the indie...
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Developing Iconic Character Dynamics
Claire Taylor is a humor and mystery author and the mind behind The Liberated Writer. As a certified Enneagram practitioner and a long-time editor and story consultant, Claire helps authors understand themselves and their characters more deeply to tell iconic stories. In this episode, you'll…
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Earning Five Figures as a Debut Author — Without KU!
Ashli O’Connell is the author of the historical novel Emmaline. As a debut author, she earned five figures of royalties in ten weeks— all without having her book in Kindle Unlimited. Ashli joins us to share insights into her author debut and lessons learned from her successful book launch....
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YouTube for Authors with Dale L. Roberts
Dale L. Roberts is an accomplished indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale on YouTube. His specialties include book publishing, video production, public speaking, and networking. We dig into: · What authors can get out of YouTube · How to start building your platform on YouTube · What...
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Serialization Before Publication: Building an Author-Reader Journey
Before a novel hits shelves, some authors are inviting readers into the process—one chapter at a time. This episode explores pre-publication serialization with novelist Matty Dalrymple, who's serialized her twelfth and latest novel to subscribers. We dig into: · For authors: real-time reader...
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Ask Us Anything: Mythbusting Author Questions
Tara from Author Support joins the D2D Team to answer author questions and bust common myths about publishing with Draft2Digital. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and...
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AI Narration vs. Human Narration
In this episode, we delve into new data from Edison Research that found U.S. fiction audiobook listeners prefer Spoken’s multi-cast AI narration to that of human narrators. The study surveyed over 1,000 fiction audiobook listeners who blind-tested human narration against Spoken's Multi-Cast™ AI...
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Outlining for Novelists Who Don't Outline
Sometimes discovery writing leads to dead ends, character inconsistency, or stories that wander off track. USA TODAY Bestselling Author Paul Austin Ardoin joins us with tips to help pantsers looking for practical tools to strengthen their stories without losing what makes them discovery writers....
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The Author Nation Community
Author Nation is the world’s largest indie author conference, built around a simple belief: successful authors are built through community, strategy, and consistent action. But Author Nation is more than a four-day Vegas Convention; it's a community meant to help authors build sustainable,...
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Substack for Indie Authors
Substack for indie authors: where to start, what to post, and how to grow. Sinem Günel of Write • Build • Scale joins the D2D Self Publishing Insiders podcast to give you the playbook — from setting up your publication to landing your first subscribers and building a readership that follows you...
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Ask Us Anything: The Smashwords Sale
The Draft2Digital team discusses the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale and how authors can get the most out of our Smashwords Sales as marketing opportunities. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading...
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Pivoting Your Career: Finding What Works for You
Tikiri Herath is the award-winning author who went from working in federal intelligence to writing her own worlds of suspenseful thrillers. Changing careers can be an intimidating prospect, but Tikiri took a new path and built a thriving author business along the way. This week, we'll discuss: •...
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Connecting with Fans: Building the Author - Reader Relationship
Amy Award is a spicy romance author who believes that all bodies are beautiful and deserve their own love stories with Happy Ever Afters. This week, she joins us for a deep dive on building connections with fans. You'll learn: • Why direct author-reader connection is indie authors’ secret...
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Get to Know Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America® (RWA) has a long history of advancing the common interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by increasing public awareness of the romance genre. In this conversation you'll learn about: • The RWA's historic mission of uplifting the...
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3 Areas Where Authors Should Focus
NYT Bestselling Author Alessandra Torre and co-founder of Inkers Con joins us to discuss opportunities authors should be considering in 2026. In this episode, we'll learn: • 3 areas where authors should focus their efforts from 7x NYT bestsellling author Alessandra Torre • What's in store at…
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Optimizing for Joy and Making Money Doing It
As authors, we strive for success, but without the right mindset, it can be impossible to build a sustainable author career. Russell Nohelty of Hapitalist joins us to discuss how authors can find career success without sacrificing joy. In this week's episode, you'll learn: • The importance of...
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Ask Us Anything: Marketing, Merchandising, and Author Success
Lexi, Nick, and Mark from the Draft2Digital Team is here to answer author questions about publishing, best practices, and distributing your books with Draft2Digital. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is…
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Scammers are Coming for You!
Scams targeting authors are nothing new. Yet scammers using AI tools are driving a level of volume, and sophistication, never seen. In this episode, Dale Roberts joins us to explain how the game has changed, what to watch out for, and what to do if you fall victim to an author scam.…
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Writers of the Future: The Value of Short Stories, Sci-Fi, and Community
Emily Goodwin is the VP of Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc and runs Galaxy Press. For the past 40 years, their Writers of the Future program has championed the writing community, allowing seasoned authors to guide newer authors under their wing to help them grow. In this episode, we...
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Writing Fear: How Inner Conflict Crafts Compelling Characters
Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and best-selling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other resources for writers. Becca joins us to share how understanding the psychology of fear can help you write vulnerable, complex characters. In this episode, you'll learn: • How fear...
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The Importance of Print-On-Demand
Jo Wildsmith helps authors turn their manuscripts into something truly exceptional - polished, professional, and ready to make an impact - using print on demand to its fullest potential. In this week's episode, we'll discuss: ● The benefits of print on-demand publishing. ● Tips and Tricks to...
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Mastery Through Missteps: Demystifying the Quit the Day Job Dream
Matilda Swift and Sam Cummings of the Pen to Paycheck podcast work together as mastermind partners to achieve the "how to quit my day job" dream. You'll hear advice including: ● The benefits of partnering with fellow authors. ● What makes a good partnership. ● Steps to take in the journey from...
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Indie Bookstore Day with Bookshop.org!
Indie Bookstore Day was April 25th. In this episode we sit down with Ami Greko of Bookshop.org to understand how authors help celebrate the day by encouraging readers to visit their favorite indie bookstores, either in person or online. If you're publishing with D2D, your ebooks and…
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How to Build Your Author Business with Support
Kate Tilton has been helping authors since 2010 as a business manager and publishing consultant. She has worked with bestsellers and new authors, supporting and optimizing their publishing careers. In this week's episode, you'll learn: ● What you need to succeed in the author business ● The...
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How Translation Helps Indies Expand into New Markets
Skye B. MacKinnon has lived in various countries before settling in Scotland, so she has a unique international perspective on publishing. In this episode Skye shares best practices for how to translate indie books into different languages. In this week's episode, you'll learn: ● How to produce...
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Ask Us Anything: Insights from Author Support
Tara has led the Draft2Digital Support Team since the early days of D2D. This week, she joins the Self Publishing Insiders team to answer author questions. In this episode, you'll learn: • Customer Support's commonly asked questions • Best Practices for Publishing with Draft2Digital • Tips &…
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Structuring Your Series Before You Start Writing
In this week’s episode we discuss how to structure a series before you start writing. Our guide on this journey is Kristina Stanley, bestselling author and CEO of the Fictionary School for Writers and Editors. If you want to write a series but aren’t sure how to begin, this episode is for you....
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Graduate-Level Publishing Lessons with Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is a #1 international bestselling author best known for his traditional publishing in the Dune and Star Wars universes, and he has also been a successful indie author for 15 years as publisher of WordFire Press. He runs the graduate program in Publishing for Western Colorado...
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Automating TikToks that Drive Readers to Your Book
Marvin brings over 10 years of experience in book publishing and growth marketing. Now, with his new company AuthorScale, he and his team are developing cutting-edge tools to help indie authors leverage technology to revolutionize their book marketing. //Draft2Digital is where you start your…
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LitRPGs and Building Your Publishing Team
Aaron Renfroe is an author and the owner and operator of Pivot Press. Pivot Press is an organization built to optimize publishing books and audio in the LitRPG genre with as much quality, and as quickly, as possible. As an author who went from indie author to indie publisher, Aaron joins us to…
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Building Your Author Brand: Share Your Books with the World
Former publicist to the stars, Isabelle Knight is the founder of Build Your Author Brand, an online consultancy helping fiction and non-fiction authors. Isabelle joins us to share how you can build your author brand, grow your readership, raise your profile and give your books the best chance of...
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Jane Friedman's 2025 Retrospective & 2026 Publishing Predictions
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Bottom Line, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World…
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Reflecting on 2025 and Looking Ahead to 2026 with D2D CEO Kris Austin
D2D's CEO Kris Austin joins the D2D team to reflect on our 2025 and another year in publishing, and to look ahead to what is on the horizon in 2026. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook...
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Connecting Indie Authors with Indie Bookstores with Bookshops.org
It's official! Draft2Digital and Bookshop.org have announced our partnership to bring indie ebooks to Bookshop.org! Join us as we talk to Bookshop.org. CEO Andy Hunter and D2D CEO Kris Austin about this exciting new partnership. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//…
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2025 Indie Author Income Survey
Orna Ross is co-founder and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and a passionate advocate for self-publishing and author empowerment. Her motto is: “When in doubt, be braver.” Orna joins us to discuss the results of the ALLi Indie Author Income Survey and what we can learn…
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IBPA Boot Camp for Author Publishers
Lee Wind joins us to talk about the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association) Boot Camp for Author Publishers, and how to bring all the pieces together when publishing to find your success. Lee Wind is the Chief Content Officer for the IBPA. He is also an author, who writes the books that...
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10 Tips for Setting Realistic 2026 Writing Goals
Welcome to 2026! Each new year brings the opportunity to begin anew, yet that can be daunting. Rather than start the new writing year feeling overwhelmed out of the gate, Mark Leslie Lefebvre provides encouragement on how to set realistic goals to keep you and your book publishing aspirations on...
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Unputdownable - Finding the Right Editor for Your Book
Autumn A. Arnett joins us to talk about the EFA and what you should keep in mind when looking for the right editor for your book. The Editorial Freelancers Association is a nonprofit organization that advances excellence among a dynamic community of freelance editorial professionals by providing...
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Hollywood Secrets: Incredible Characters, Deep Stories, and Super Drafts
Thomas Dean Donnelly has been a professional screenwriter for over 30 years. In that time he has written on major projects, from Voltron to Uncharted, and from Marvel’s Doctor Strange to The Walking Dead. During the Hollywood writers strike he wrote his first novel: YEAR OF THE RABBIT and just...
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Highlights from Self Publishing Insiders 2025
This special Christmas Day 2025 episode is a pre-recorded one with Mark Leslie Lefebvre who introduces a series of clips that highlight just 14 of the amazing episodes that have been brought to you every week in this past year. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career// Looking...
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Book Discovery in the AI Search Landscape
The way readers search for their next book is changing dramatically. With Google's generative search and Amazon’s upcoming AI-driven recommendation engine, authors face a completely new landscape for book discovery. But how exactly will these changes affect your books' visibility? Reedsy’s…
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Virtual Beta Readers with Plottr
Cameron Sutter is a sci-fi/fantasy author and the inventor of Plottr – the popular visual story planning software. As a friend of the show, he joins us again to talk about new Plottr features, their Virtual Beta Readers, and the charity work they are supporting with their Plot for Good campaign....
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What to Quit, What to Keep, and What to Question in a New Age of Publishing
Becca Syme, founder of the Better-Faster Academy and Host of The Quitcast, joins us to talk about what habits and practices we need to focus on in this brand new day of publishing, and which don't serve us anymore. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career// Looking for your…
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Novel 90: The 90 Day Writing Challenge!
Bekah Brinkmeier is a USA Today bestselling author and ghostwriter of more than 90 novels. She works with AutoCrit as an instructor and author coach, leading Team Plantser in the Novel 90 Writing Challenge. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to...
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Book Reviews with Book Award Pro
Hannah Jacobson is the founder of Book Award Pro, the industry-trusted platform for getting reviews and awards. The company operates the world's largest database of legitimate book accolades, serving thousands of authors globally. Hannah is the recognized authority on literary accolades and...
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Strategies for ADHD Writers
Nicole Bross is a certified book coach, editor, and the author of A Novel Approach: Strategies for ADHD Writers, a writing guide for neurodiverse authors whose ADHD is getting in the way of finishing their books. As a neurodiverse writer herself, Nicole is excited to share the strategies and…
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About this show
Brought to you from the indie author experts at Draft2Digital! Each week, Self Publishing Insiders features an interview with a new guest, covering self-publishing topics from writing and craft to marketing and promoting your books, and anything that can help you build and grow your author career. Learn about new tools, new software, new markets—and of course, all the inside information that D2D can provide!This show features interviews taken from our live D2D Spotlight, available on YouTube and Facebook. Join us, and get your questions answered during the live broadcast, when you visit D2DLive.com!
Hosted by
Draft2Digital, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Jim Azevedo, Lexi Greene