SPA Girls Podcast

Ever wanted to create an audiobook but been scared off by the price tag? Phil Marshall, founder of Spoken.Press, built a platform specifically for indie authors who want professional-quality audio without the professional-level costs — and he's done it ethically, using consenting voice actors who are credited and compensated. In this episode we chat about what "ethical digital narration" actually means, the difference between text-to-speech and speech-to-speech technology, how Spoken analyses your manuscript to match voices to your characters, creating multi-voice and full-cast audiobooks on a self-publishing budget, and where you can distribute digitally narrated audiobooks right now. Whether you've been putting off audio or you're just curious about what's possible, this one's a must-listen. 🔗 Spoken.Press: https://www.spoken.press/ 🔗 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED: •       Spoken.Press: https://www.spoken.press/ •       Spoken Ethical AI page: https://www.spoken.press/ethicalai •       Voices by InAudio (distribution): https://www.voicesinaudio.com/ •       BookFunnel (direct audiobook sales): https://bookfunnel.com/ •       Author Republic (distribution): https://www.authorrepublic.com/ •       Taming the Perilous Skies by Phil Marshall (debut novel, June 2026) 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS: 🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com 🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search "SPA Girls Podcast" 💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

This is a classic replay of a fascinating interview we recorded a few years ago with author Danielle Annett (aka Daniela Romero) , who as switched genres from Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance, with amazing results. She talks us through the decision to change genres, and what she did to make it a success, including some of the big decisions she had to make, such as whether to create a new pen name, how to market it, and what kind of social media/website and newsletter presence she wanted to have with the new genre/name. Danielle is a savvy businessperson, and you'll definitely pick up some excellent tips from this discussion...  Danielle is also an organisational superstar, and we talk a little bit about how she organises all the various segments in her life so successfully! We loved chatting to her, and we're sure you're going to enjoy listening to this episode again! About Daniela Daniela Romero is a Snarky AF, Latinx Author, who happens to also be a Mom of 3. Born and raised in sunny California, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and is happy to enjoy all four seasons even if the snow can sometimes be a bit much. She hates cheese—of all kinds—and yes that means she orders cheeseless pizza. Daniela is an ENTJ all the way which means she loves to talk (a lot) and is probably as extroverted as they come so feel free to shoot her a message, send a raven, throw up smoke signals. Whatever it may be. She love's chatting with readers so feel free to stalk her. Find her at: https://daniela-romero.com/ Danielle's bookbox business: https://baddiesbookshop.com/   🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS: 🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com 🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search "SPA Girls Podcast" 💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast #authortube #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #romancewriter #SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity

What if formatting your book could take minutes instead of hours? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP550), we sit down with Brad Andalman, co-founder of Vellum, the book formatting software (Mac-only) that's transformed self-publishing for indie authors. Brad shares the surprising Pixar origin story behind Vellum, walks us through exactly how the software works, and reveals some of the newer features — including double-page chapter spreads — that most authors don't even know exist. Whether you're a brand-new self-publisher about to format your first book or a Vellum veteran who suspects you're not using it to its full potential, this episode covers everything from the basics (importing your manuscript, choosing styles, exporting for Kindle and print) through to the advanced design tricks that make your books look professionally typeset. Brad also explains why so many authors have started writing inside Vellum itself, and shares how the platform has evolved over the past decade-plus. All the SPA Girls are avid Vellum users (even Shar, who's a Windows girl but bought a cheap Mac just to use it years ago!). If you'd like to try Vellum before you buy, hop over to Vellum.Pub (full disclosure, this is an affiliate link that supports our podcast. If you'd prefer to not use it, just google Vellum Pub) 👤 ABOUT BRAD ANDALMAN: Brad Andalman is the co-founder of Vellum, the leading book formatting software for indie authors. Before Vellum, Brad spent years at Pixar working on animated films, where he and co-founder Brad West built professional-level software alongside their design work. Together, the "two Brads" launched Vellum to put beautiful book design into authors' hands. 🔗 https://vellum.pub 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Vellum: https://vellum.pub Vellum tutorials on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VellumApp 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS: 🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SPAGirlsPodcast 🎧 Listen on your favourite podcast app — search "SPA Girls Podcast" 💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast Subscribe so you never miss an episode!