Indie Author Truth Bombs - The Podcast

Someone Steve respects said Amazon ads make more money for Amazon than for authors. The room laughed. Steve hasn't stopped thinking about it. This episode is about why most author ad campaigns fail, and it's not the platform. Wrong book, wrong platform, or no real understanding of what you're doing. Ads are an amplifier. If your book converts, they multiply your sales. If it doesn't, they multiply your losses. Steve breaks down what actually works, what the first campaigns really look like, and why you should learn before you spend.

I got locked out of MY KDP account for six weeks. MY books were still selling. I couldn't touch them. MY ebooks are still in Kindle Unlimited. This episode is about why, and why it doesn't contradict the rented land argument i've been making all series. KU versus wide depends on where you are in your career and what each channel actually does for you. I break down my real thinking, and why make hay while the sun shines isn't the same as a long-term strategy.

If your book isn't selling, it almost always comes down to one of two things. Your cover is sending the wrong signal, or you're not doing the work to put the book in front of people. Usually one. Sometimes both. Everything else is noise until those two are fixed. Steve Kelly breaks down why the algorithm isn't your problem, what he looks at when he knows in ten seconds a book won't sell, and the real story of a series that only started moving after a retitle and recover. Plus a two-part action step you can do this week. The algorithm doesn't owe you readers. You have to go and get them. Rule 1: Write the damn book. Rule 2: Stay in the game.

Last episode was about owning your readers. This one is about finding them. TikTok Shop puts a buy button inside the scroll, and for authors with physical books, the discovery potential is real. Steve Kelly covers the full setup, the fees nobody warns you about, the two-account trick that protects your BookTok reach, and one postcard tactic that moves a TikTok buyer onto your email list. Plus the honest answer on why this is still rented land. Rule 1: Write the damn book. Rule 2: Stay in the game.

Amazon keeps your readers. You get a royalty payment and a dashboard. That's the deal, and most indie authors have never questioned it. Steve Kelly breaks down the maths, the platforms, and the honest pros and cons of selling books direct. Plus why ChatGPT's Instant Checkout and Shopify's Agentic Storefronts mean the authors with their own stores are about to have a serious edge. Rule 1: Write the damn book. Rule 2: Stay in the game.            

You can learn craft from YouTube and marketing from podcasts. But you can't build a career alone behind a screen. Steve Kelly breaks down why author conferences are an investment not an expense, how to survive your first one when you know nobody, and what actually happens in the hallway conversations that change careers. Plus the 48-hour follow-up rule most authors ignore. Rule 1: Write the damn book. Rule 2: Stay in the game.

Your book might be brilliant. But if your blurb doesn't land in ten seconds, nobody finds out. In this episode, Steve Kelly breaks down the two things that sell your book before anyone reads a word of it: your opening line and your blurb. Why most authors get them wrong, what they're actually for, and how to fix yours this week. You'll learn: Why your book is competing on clarity, not quality (and what that means for sales) The three questions every reader's brain asks in the first sentence What "Dead Reckoning" and its Stockport-rain opening line get right that most first pages don't The blurb formula that works across every genre: stakes, character, hook Why "a gripping tale of love and loss" is killing your conversions The ten-second test your Amazon listing is failing right now How to rewrite your blurb in one sitting using a structure readers actually respond to This isn't about writing pretty copy. It's about building a front door that opens. The Steve Kelly Truth Bombs Podcast. Published by Dark Wolf Publishing. No fluff. No filler. Just the stuff that actually works. #indieauthor #selfpublishing #bookmarketing #bookblurb #openinglines #writingtips #kindlepublishing #amazonkdp #authortips #indieauthortips #bookdescription #selfpublishingtips #writingcraft #darkwolfpublishing #truthbombs

There's a new acronym scaring authors. GEO. Generative Engine Optimisation. Everyone's panicking. Don't. In this episode, Steve Kelly explains what GEO actually is, why it's not a new game, and how it exposes a clarity problem most authors already had. Plus a simple afternoon audit that could improve your discoverability more than anything else you do this year. Rule 1: Write the damn book. Rule 2: Stay in the game.

In Episode 1, Steve Kelly breaks down the one number most authors never calculate, lifetime reader value, and shows why it changes everything about your sales, your ads, and your career timeline.