PODCAST · business
The Self Publishing Show
by James Blatch
Join James Blatch has he navigates the fast changing world of indie publishing. With the biggest guests in the industry and tips on how to stay ahead of the crowd.
Episodes
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SPS-469: Are you Visible?
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are joined by Stuart Grant to talk about author discoverability in the age of AI and why your author website might be more important than ever. Stuart explains how the way readers search for books and authors is changing, and…
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SPS-468: SPS Live is Coming to the USA!
Big news this week – The Self-Publishing Show Live is coming to the USA! James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reveal the plans for the first SPS Live USA, taking place at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in Texas on April 29th and 30th, 2027. The first year will be deliberately small, with just 200 places...
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SPS-467: Amazon KDP Is Changing – Are You Ready?
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, it's launch day for Cissy Mecca's latest medieval romance, while James Blatch is getting serious about his own writing again, with a preorder underway and book two already taking shape. The main discussion focuses on two significant developments at Amazon…
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SPS-466: Has Digital Narration Come of Age?
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca catch up from opposite sides of Europe, with Cissy joining from Sicily as she prepares for the September 29th launch of her new book. James shares news from Learn Self-Publishing, including plans for a brand-new course,...
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SPS-465: Does BookBub Still Work?
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch is joined by author Skye McKinnon to dig into the numbers behind BookBub Featured Deals and ask whether they still offer authors the same value they once did. Skye shares data from 28 BookBub deals, showing how the additional sales generated by...
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SPS-464: Romance Tropes That Work For Everyone
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are together in Pennsylvania after celebrating the wedding of their friends Lucy Score and Tim. James even had the honour of officiating the ceremony. There's also exciting news for Lucy Score fans: Things We Never Got Over is...
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SPS-463: Big News From KDP
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca have a packed episode of indie publishing news, starting with a significant change to Amazon's preorder rules. Authors can now set up preorders up to 18 months in advance and postpone them twice without penalty – enough to tempt...
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SPS-462: The Meta Ads Panic!
Big news this week, the first two speakers for SPS Live London 2027 have been announced! Melanie Harlow and Theodora Taylor will be joining us in London. James and Cissy share the news and talk about when tickets will be going on sale, with Patreon supporters getting first access. James is also...
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SPS-461: The Book Launch Process
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from his final day in New Zealand while Cissy Mecca takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming historical romance launch. They discuss realistic launch goals, building an ARC and influencer team, setting a marketing budget, and…
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SPS-460: Crossing the AI Boundary
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch checks in from New Zealand with Cissy Mecca to tackle the increasingly complicated relationship between authors and AI. They discuss AI watermarking and detection, the problems authors could face when AI is used for editing or research, and the...
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SPS-459: Your Book As An AI Movie (Part 2)
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca conclude their two-part conversation with Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood. They delve deeper into how AI is transforming books into cinematic experiences, discussing the practical realities of creating feature-length films,...
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SPS-458: Your Book As An AI Movie (Part 1)
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are joined by Michael Evans, founder of Creatorwood, for Part 1 of a two-part discussion about using AI to turn books into trailers, short films and feature-length adaptations. They also discuss developmental editing, author…
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SPS-457: Craft is King (Again)
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca argue that as AI makes it easier than ever to produce competent books, craft is becoming an author's greatest competitive advantage. They explore why developing a distinctive voice, creating emotionally resonant stories, and...
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SPS-456: The Robot Read My Backlist
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the next wave of AI tools for authors, focusing on Fable and the rise of agentic AI. They explore how these new tools can ingest an author's entire backlist, create series bibles, analyse metadata, support developmental...
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SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
Episode Summary This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca welcome author and former music industry executive Jack Williamson to discuss what authors can learn from the entertainment industry. Jack shares how a career spanning 17 years in music, followed by psychotherapy,...
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SPS-454: Launching a New Series
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the latest AI developments, including changes to Claude's subscription tiers and what they mean for authors using AI in their daily workflows. They also discuss TikTok marketing, the risks of AI-generated…
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SPS-453: Three Questions Every Author Should Ask
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on The Self Publishing Show Live 2026 and discuss what happens after the excitement of a conference ends. They explore the importance of reviewing progress at the halfway point of the year, assessing business goals, and...
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SPS-452: Lessons from London
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on SPS Live 2026 and the Cambridge Retreat, sharing their biggest takeaways from the event and the sessions that made the biggest impact. From direct sales and BookVault strategies to AI workflows, reader engagement,...
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SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Sissy Mecca record live from SPS Live in London, surrounded by more than 500 authors from around the world. They share the atmosphere from the conference floor, discuss some of the standout sessions, and chat with special guests including...
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SPS-450: How to Work a Conference (Not Just Attend One) with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca share practical advice on how to work a conference rather than simply attend one, ahead of SPS Live in London. They discuss how authors can prepare in advance, choose the right sessions, network confidently, ask useful questions,...
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SPS-449: The New Rules of Book Discovery with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca discuss the major changes coming to Audible and ACX, including the new royalty model and updated enrolment requirements for audiobook authors. They explore what these changes could mean for indie publishers, the growing...
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SPS-448: A Glimmer of Hope in the Age of AI with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
Episode Summary James and Cissy tackle a "bits and bobs" episode covering the changing indie publishing landscape, with a focus on Amazon's evolving AI-driven algorithms and what authors need to do to stay discoverable. They discuss why clear genre signalling, strong metadata, covers, blurbs,...
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SPS-447: You Are Your Brand with Isabelle Knight, James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy are joined by PR expert Isabelle Knight to discuss why authors are not just selling books, they are also building a brand readers can connect with. Isabelle explains how indie authors can identify their own author story, understand what sets them apart, and use that foundation...
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SPS-446: The Boxset Experiment with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy dive into the growing world of direct sales, Etsy stores, and special edition books, exploring how indie authors are expanding beyond Amazon and turning their books into premium gift products. They also discuss the importance of professional branding photography, why readers...
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SPS-445: Real Cops, Real Stories, Better Fiction with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy welcome former Milwaukee police sergeant and author Patrick O'Donnell to discuss his new book, Police Stories: The Rookie Years, and the real-life experiences behind his writing. Patrick shares gripping stories from his early days on patrol, including a near-shooting, a fatal...
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SPS-444: Why Your Matter Matters with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy break down one of the most overlooked (but powerful) parts of your book: front and back matter. From prologues and epilogues to marketing strategy, they explore what actually works for readers and what might be quietly losing you sales. Expect honest takes (including a strong…
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SPS-443: Draft2Digital's New Charge! with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy dig into Draft2Digital's newly announced fees, including a one-off activation charge for new accounts and a yearly maintenance fee for low-earning accounts, and discuss why the reaction from authors has been so strong. They explore what the change says about the growing pressure…
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SPS-442: Inside the SPS Live Schedule with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy continue their exploration of how AI is transforming the business side of self-publishing, focusing on practical workflows that help authors save time and make better decisions. They also discuss planning for Self Publishing Show Live, including shaping the agenda and what…
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SPS-441: AI Can Fix Your Ads James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy explore one of the most practical uses of AI for authors: analysing advertising, sales, and marketing data to make better business decisions. James shares how he used Claude to review Facebook ads, KDP income, and reader engagement data, while Cissy explains how she used AI to...
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SPS-440: Author Under Attack James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy unpack two major controversies affecting authors this week: a traditionally published author dropped over AI writing accusations, and a literary agent's viral TikTok telling writers to stay away from the London Book Fair. Together, these stories highlight growing tensions around…
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SPS-439: How Readers Are Made with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James is recording from the Irish Publishing Show on St Patrick's Day, James and Cissy reflect on the changing state of indie publishing, the growing pressure of AI-driven discoverability, and the realities of building a sustainable author career in a more mature market. They revisit the ongoing...
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SPS-438: Bring Back the Mail! with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy discuss new marketing insights and mindset strategies for indie authors navigating an increasingly complex publishing landscape. From experimenting with BookBub ads and improving AI-assisted translations to analysing breakout success in romance adaptations, the conversation…
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SPS-437: Author Events - Discoverability in the Age of AI with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy reflect on conversations from a recent indie author mastermind in Savannah, Georgia, where the biggest topic on everyone's mind was discoverability in the age of AI. With thousands of new titles flooding platforms like Amazon KDP every day, the hosts explore how authors can adapt…
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SPS-436: Author Events - Why They're Worth It with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
James and Cissy dive into the evolving AI conversation, reacting to viral commentary about whether artificial intelligence will truly replace white-collar jobs and what that means for writers. They explore the difference between superficial and deep AI usage, the economics behind tech industry...
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SPS-435: Selling Books On Etsy with Robin Bennett Freebairn
Episode Summary James and Cissy welcome Robin Bennett Freebairn back to the show to discuss how he's successfully expanded his nonfiction "birth year" book series into the gifting market via Etsy. Robin shares how selling direct through a marketplace platform has rapidly grown into a major…
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SPS-434: The Big Reveal! with James Blatch & ?
Episode Summary The Self-Publishing Show enters a new era as James Blatch officially introduces his new co-host, romance author Cecilia "Cissy" Mecca. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore Cissy's indie journey, from mediaeval romance to paranormal and contemporary pivots, her decision…
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SPS- 433: We're Back! with James Blatch
James Blatch returns after an 18-month hiatus to relaunch the Self Publishing Show and outline its new direction. In this solo episode, he reflects on why the show paused, what changed during that time with the Indie Writers Club, and how the podcast will evolve going forward with a new co-host....
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SPS- 432: The Final Cut with James Blatch, Joe Solari from Author Nation, and Darren Hardy from Amazon KDP.
James talks to Joe Solari, the man responsible for the world's largest gathering of indie authors and Darren Hardy, from Amazon KDP, who is the most listened to guest we've ever had on the show.
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SPS-431: Support for Self Publishing with Draft2Digital
Nick Thacker VP of Author Success at Draft2Digital joins James to dive into what's new and what D2D can offer the self publishing world.
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SPS-430: The New Content Creation Place with Marco Moutinho from Dibbly
James talks to Marco Moutinho from Dibbly, a content creation platform, which can help you with freelance services. Dibbly also offers an AI tool 'Kip' that has some fantastic features to offer the indie author.
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SPS-429: How do you strategise and what is the best way to invest in editing?
This week James talks to bestseller Suzy K Quinn and editor Adam Strange from Kevin Anderson & Associates, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on editing to the show.
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SPS-428: The BookBub new release - Rocket boost
Join James and Carlyn Robertson from BookBub talking about what's new at BookBub and what BookBub can offer.
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SPS-427: Direct Selling FTW with Alex Smith from Bookvault
A fast emerging aspect of indie marketing is direct selling. Bookvault have risen quickly to the top of many authors go-to suppliers for print-on-demand, especially for those special editions that can be extremely good for your bottom line. This week's show features a chat with Bookvault's Alex...
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SPS-426: Format your book in style with Vellum
Vellum is the gold standard for editing your book ready for publication. Listen as James Blatch talks to Brad West about tips for preparing your book
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SPS-425: Which Book Promo is Right For Me? with Mike Hourigan
Listen as James talks to Mike Hourigan who is the Vice President of Marketing at Written Word Media, where he brings more than 15 years of digital marketing expertise to the table.
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SPS-424: What's the big deal about Romantasy? With Alex Newton
Join James and the numbers man, Alex Newton from K-lytics who digs beneath the Romantasy data and explains current trends
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SPS-423: Create a Killer Author Website – with Stuart Grant from Digital Authors Toolkit
Join James Blatch and Stuart Grant from Digital Authors Toolkit and also the highest rated web designer on Reedsy, as they discuss the future of Author websites, direct selling, and how you can make your website stand out.
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SPS-422: The Audio Explosion with James Blatch and Victoria Gerken from Podium Audio.
Join James and Victoria Gerken from Podium Audio as they discuss how audio is exploding the world of publishing and providing authors with another income stream
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SPS-421: Who's coming to SPS LIVE 2024? With James Blatch and Chris Banks from Prowritingaid
Join James Blatch and Chris Banks as James reveals the speakers and sponsors attending the Self Publishing Show Live in London 2024 and Chris talks about what's new at ProWritingAid and AI, but making sure you add the human touch.
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SPS-420: AI: Fear, Loathing and Acceptance
Join James Blatch as he takes on a hot topic of the moment, AI, and how it impacts authors and creators. Should you be afraid or accepting of this new wave of technology?
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join James Blatch has he navigates the fast changing world of indie publishing. With the biggest guests in the industry and tips on how to stay ahead of the crowd.
HOSTED BY
James Blatch
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Self Publishing Show have?
The Self Publishing Show currently has 468 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Self Publishing Show about?
Join James Blatch has he navigates the fast changing world of indie publishing. With the biggest guests in the industry and tips on how to stay ahead of the crowd.
How often does The Self Publishing Show release new episodes?
The Self Publishing Show publishes regularly with 468 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Self Publishing Show?
You can listen to The Self Publishing Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Self Publishing Show?
The Self Publishing Show is created and hosted by James Blatch.
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