Dale L. Roberts is an award-winning author and self-publishing educator with over a decade of experience in the indie publishing industry. He's the author of "Wide Publishing for Authors," a comprehensive guide that helps authors break free from Amazon-only publishing and expand their reach across multiple platforms. Dale is known for his conversational writing style and practical, actionable advice that comes from real-world experience managing his own wide publishing business. Through his website SelfPublishingWithDale.com, he provides resources, tutorials, and direct support to help authors navigate the complex world of multi-platform publishing while maximizing their royalties and reader reach.
In this episode:
- What wide publishing means and why it matters
- KDP Select benefits: free promos and countdown deals
- Hidden algorithm advantages of KDP Select enrollment
- The 90-day test strategy for new authors
- Why expanded distribution on KDP costs you money
- IngramSpark vs. Draft2Digital for print distribution
- PublishDrive's monthly subscription model (100% net profits)
- BookVault's superior print quality and special features
- LaterPress: keeping 100% of royalties minus processing fees
- The ISBN dilemma: free vs. owned ISBNs
- How to publish wide with free ISBNs (and avoid duplicate listings)
- Deselecting expanded distribution to go direct to Ingram
- The overlap problem: avoiding platform conflicts
- Royalty rate comparisons across platforms
- The 70% royalty asterisk: delivery fees explained
- Dale's two-hour upload workflow for multiple platforms
- Direct sales advantages: email lists and better margins
- PayHip + BookVault integration for print sales
- Tools for direct sales: Shopify, WooCommerce, Gumroad
- Why "build it and they'll come" doesn't work
- Marketing strategies for driving traffic to your direct store
- Offset printing vs. print-on-demand quality
Resources mentioned:
- Wide Publishing for Authors: A Guide to Expanding Your Book’s Reach and Finding More Readers (Self-Publishing with Dale): https://www.amazon.com/Wide-Publishing-Authors-Expanding-Self-Publishing/dp/1639250603
- Amazon KDP: https://kdp.amazon.com/
- KDP Select: https://kdp.amazon.com/help/topic/G200798990
- Draft2Digital: https://www.draft2digital.com/
- IngramSpark: https://www.ingramspark.com/
- PublishDrive: https://publishdrive.com/
- BookVault: https://bookvault.app/
- Laterpress: https://www.laterpress.com/
- Payhip: https://payhip.com/
- Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/
- Story Origin: https://storyoriginapp.com/
Connect with Dale L. Roberts:
- Website: https://selfpublishingwithdale.com/
Connect with Teddy Smith:
- @teddyagsmith
- Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
- Teddy’s Website: https://teddyagsmith.com/
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
- Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
- Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
- Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.