The Indy Author Podcast
Matty Dalrymple, The Indy Author
The Indy Author Podcast is for writers who are serious about both the craft of writing and the business of publishing — whether you're working toward your first book or building on an established career.
Every week, host Matty Dalrymple talks with authors, editors, marketers, and publishing professionals about what's actually working right now. Topics span the full range of the writing life: developing compelling characters and tighter plots, navigating indie and traditional publishing paths, running effective book marketing campaigns, building an author platform, working with AI tools, writing short fiction and memoir, managing the business side of an author career, and much more.
With hundreds of episodes in the catalog featuring guests from across the publishing world — from debut authors to bestsellers, indie publishers to Big Five veterans — there's something here for writers at every stage of their journey.
Named one of the 10 Best Podcasts for Authors by Dale L. Roberts, and recognized five years running by Writer's Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers.
Hosted by Matty Dalrymple, author, publishing consultant, and founder of The Indy Author platform.
Every week, host Matty Dalrymple talks with authors, editors, marketers, and publishing professionals about what's actually working right now. Topics span the full range of the writing life: developing compelling characters and tighter plots, navigating indie and traditional publishing paths, running effective book marketing campaigns, building an author platform, working with AI tools, writing short fiction and memoir, managing the business side of an author career, and much more.
With hundreds of episodes in the catalog featuring guests from across the publishing world — from debut authors to bestsellers, indie publishers to Big Five veterans — there's something here for writers at every stage of their journey.
Named one of the 10 Best Podcasts for Authors by Dale L. Roberts, and recognized five years running by Writer's Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers.
Hosted by Matty Dalrymple, author, publishing consultant, and founder of The Indy Author platform.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 12, 2021 • 52min
Episode 061 - Google Play with Brian Rathbone
Brian Rathbone discusses the opportunities offered by Google Play, including the ability to reach global markets that are underserved by other platforms, the ability to link content together—for example, linking an ebook box set with the component works and benefiting from earned metadata, or ratings and reviews, of the component works. He also discusses his premium pricing approach, and how that plays out on the Google Play platform. Brian Rathbone is a horse trainer turned author and creator of The World of Godsland fantasy series, the most recent of which is THE SEVENTH MAGIC. He is also the author of the Sam Flock novels, a paranormal adventure series that begins with LURE.
Jan 5, 2021 • 43min
Episode 060 - Mastering Action Sequences with Joshua Essoe
Editor Joshua Essoe discusses tips for drafting and editing your action sequences to ensure that the reader isn't pulled out of the story – tips that apply even if your scene doesn't involve battle plans or broadswords. He talks about the importance of strong, engaging characters, because if your reader doesn't care about the people involved, no amount of exciting action is going to draw them in. And he discusses how you can save your editor time – and yourself money – by paying attention to the logistics of the scene: don't have a character holding a knife in one hand and a shield in another hand their magic amulet in the … well, the other other hand. Joshua Essoe is a full-time freelance editor who has edited for New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, and many top-notch independents and award-winners. He was lead editor at Urban Fantasy Magazine from 2014-2015. You can find Joshua teaching about editing, pitches, and back-cover copy every year at the Superstars Writing Seminar in Colorado. And he just completed his Kickstarter release for the first in a five-book series, each covering two subjects of the most-common issues he sees in fiction writing.
Dec 29, 2020 • 38min
Episode 059 - Author Newsletter Swaps and Story Origin with Evan Gow
Evan Gow discusses the role newsletter swaps can play in author promotions, the etiquette of swaps, and some gotchas authors should watch out for, as well as advice for authors with small or inactive email lists. Evan also talks about the many other services that StoryOrigin provides, and why the fact that he's both the development team and the support team for StoryOrigin means that its current beta (i.e., free) status still means high quality. Evan Gow is the indie developer of StoryOrigin, a marketing tool and community of authors that work together to build their mailing lists, increase sales, find reviewers, and stay on top of deadlines.
Dec 22, 2020 • 59min
Episode 058 - Author Newsletters with Lee Savino
Lee Savino discusses AUTHOR NEWSLETTERS, the one area of an author's business about which Lee says "just do it," imagining your newsletter as a conversation with a specific person over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and a pep talk about how to get past the "I don't want to pester them" mindset and recognizing that your work is a gift that you're sharing with people who have opted in because they're interested. Lee Savino is a USA Today bestselling author, mom, and chocoholic. She loves connecting with other authors and writers. She moderates a Facebook group, Millionaire Author Mastermind, for authors serious about making money from their books and is the instructor, along with Nicholas Erik, of the Six Figure Author Marketing Challenge.
Dec 15, 2020 • 53min
Episode 057 - The Pros and Cons of Pre-orders with Joe Lallo
Joe Lallo discusses THE PROS AND CONS OF PRE-ORDERS, including the specific considerations of pre-orders on Amazon versus other platforms, whether or not pre-orders make sense for an author's first book or for standalone novels, and things to keep in mind to avoid annoying your most faithful fans. We also talk about pricing strategies, including how to price box sets. Joseph Lallo was educated at NJIT, where he earned a master's degree in Computer Engineering. In September 2014 he was given the opportunity to take a promotion that would eliminate his writing time or become a full-time author. He chose the books. Since then he has written dozens of novels and novellas in genres across the science fiction and fantasy spectrum, including the international bestselling Book of Deacon series and the critically acclaimed Free-Wrench series. In addition to writing, he helps run the Six Figure Authors podcast with Lindsay Buroker and Andrea Pearson. Past ventures have included the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing podcast and BrainLazy.com. In his spare time he builds pointless doodads in his ridiculously over-equipped basement workshop.
Dec 8, 2020 • 51min
Episode 056 - Crowdfunding for Authors with Joshua Essoe
Joshua Essoe discusses CROWDFUNDING FOR AUTHORS. He shares what led him to choose crowdfunding—and specifically Kickstarter—as his approach for funding his book, ESSOE'S GUIDES TO WRITING ACTION SEQUENCES AND SEX SCENES, what went according to plan, and what was a surprise. He also describes what he gained from the experience, including confirmation that being a writer doesn't have to be the solo sport it sometimes feels like. Joshua Essoe is a full-time freelance editor who has edited for New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, and many top-notch independents and award-winners. He was lead editor at URBAN FANTASY MAGAZINE from 2014-2015. From 2012-2015 he recorded the weekly writing podcast HIDE AND CREATE. You can find Joshua teaching about editing, pitches, and back-cover copy every year at the Superstars Writing Seminar in Colorado. Joshua is a writer himself and was a 2014 finalist in the Writers of the Future contest. He just completed his Kickstarter release for the first in a five-book series, each covering two subjects of the most-common issues he sees in fiction writing.
Dec 1, 2020 • 47min
Episode 055 - The Costs of Self-publishing a Book with Michael La Ronn
Michael La Ronn discusses the costs involved in independently publishing a book. Michael talks about the two most costly aspects—editing and cover design—and tips for how to accomplish these on a budget. We discuss potential pitfalls—for example, the fact that if your cover designer inappropriately uses copyrighted material, you as the author are the one who will get the cease-and-desist letter. And we discuss how to ensure the professionals you are considering doing business with are reputable, and how to ensure your interaction is successful for both parties. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 40 science fiction & fantasy books including the ANDROID X series, the MODERN NECROMANCY series, and the GALAXY MAVERICKS series. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has perfected the art of balancing writing with a full-time job and family, law school, writing 5-7 books per year.
Nov 24, 2020 • 52min
Episode 054 - Futurist Trends We Can Prepare for Now with Joanna Penn
Joanna Penn, The Creative Penn, discusses FUTURIST TRENDS WE CAN PREPARE FOR NOW. She talks about the role persistence plays in making a career as an indy author, the opportunities offered by content curation—for both creators and consumers—and the importance of bringing a global / digital / mobile mindset to your business model, while also recognizing that we can't beat the machine, so we have to double down on being human. Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers as J.F. Penn. As an award-winning creative entrepreneur, she also writes non-fiction for authors and hosts The Creative Penn Podcast. Her site TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer's Digest.
Nov 17, 2020 • 58min
Episode 053 - What Authors can Learn from TV and Movies with Tiffany Yates Martin
Editor Tiffany Yates Martin and I geek out about THE PRINCESS BRIDE and all the lessons it can teach writers about story structure, character development, and those little bits that make a story extra engaging. She shares tips for how authors can gain some distance from our own work in order to bring an editor's eye to it, and we talk about how Old Spice's The Man Your Man Can Smell Like played with traditional knight in shining armor tropes. Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling, award-winning authors as well as indie and newer writers. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller INTUITIVE EDITING: A CREATIVE AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO REVISING YOUR WRITING. She's led workshops and seminars for conferences and writers' groups across the country and is a frequent contributor to writers' sites and publications. Under the pen name Phoebe Fox, she's the author of the Breakup Doctor series and her most recent release, A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE.
Nov 10, 2020 • 1h 5min
Episode 052 - Five Keys to Building a Resilient Indy Business with Nicholas Erik
Nicholas Erik discusses the FIVE KEYS TO BUILDING A RESILIENT INDY BUSINESS. He talks about how organic newsletter subscribers serve as a valuable representation of the health of your business, how understanding your monthly expenses can actually be a stress-reliever, and how an hour spent with an accountant will pay you back many times over in the course of your author career. Nicholas Erik is the author of science fiction and urban fantasy, with over 20 books, including THE FINAL COLONY series and THE REMNANTS trilogy. He also writes comprehensive guides for his fellow indy authors on how to sell more books, build your fanbase, and be more productive. He runs 1-on-1 ads workshops and provides ads management for select clients.
