Indie Author Weekly
Indie Author Weekly shares your host, Sagan's, behind-the-scenes journey of writing and publishing books as a self-published authorpreneur. New episodes are released every Tuesday and feature diary-style personal stories of the indie author journey, experiences of what works—and what doesn’t—as an author, plus tips on everything from book marketing to outlining chapters to managing perfectionism to finding writing inspiration and more! You’ll learn practical tips and ideas for getting started with your own writer journey. This indie author podcast can be enjoyed by new and aspiring authors who want to learn more about self-publishing (plus tips and tools for writing and editing your own work), as well as curious bookworms who are interested in getting a peek behind the curtain of a writer’s life. RECOMMENDED STARTING POINT: "Ep 140: Welcome back to the podcast!" AND "Ep 50: What made me start writing the Polyamorous Passions series" AND "Ep 53: Top 5 episodes from the first year of podcasting on Indie Author Weekly (and why I started this podcast)". Indie Author Weekly is hosted by Sagan Morrow, a Kamloops-based writer with more than a decade of experience as a small business owner. Sagan started out as a blogger and freelance writer (and editor) around 2008. In 2016, she began teaching other freelancers how to improve productivity and time management through her online courses. She is an internationally board-certified Success & Life Coach who specializes in solopreneur coaching and anti-hustle productivity. Sagan writes the Polyamorous Passions romantic comedy series, and has published several business books in addition to her work as a romance novelist. She published her first work of fiction in 2018. The first 12 episodes of this podcast were originally published on a “secret” platform only for email subscribers, but you can tune into all of those original episodes right here. Access bonus materials to go along with the Indie Author Weekly podcast (including cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics), plus full episode transcripts, sample chapters of her novels, and additional resources, at https://saganmorrow.com/secretpodcast. Starting with ep 140, you can also access these podcast episodes on YouTube at https://saganmorrow.com/youtube. Learn more about Sagan’s published works and upcoming novels at https://saganmorrow.com/books/. Connect with Sagan on Twitter & Instagram: @Saganlives
Episodes
I was originally going to publish Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience a couple years ago… so, why has it taken so long to actually publish it?? In this episode, I’m sharing a few of the obstacles that have gotten in my way — plus the story behind the delays I experienced with the cover design, and how that has contributed to my procrastination.
We discuss…
- Why the book cover design was such a big roadblock (b...
In this episode, I want to follow up on recent episodes where I shared about my writing experiment of doing 4,000 words/day for a full week. You can learn about the background of this experiment in Episode 145, and the results from my first attempt in Episode 147. I’d also recommend tuning into Episode 148, in which I also share all about how I mapped out the entire story and chapter outline in great detail.
So in this episode, I wa...
Curious about how an author organizes themes, plots, scene ideas, chapter outlines, etc? We’re covering all of that in this behind-the-scenes look at my current work-in-progress, Book 8 of the Polyamorous Passions series!
This episode includes:
- Follow up to Episode 147 — re: going back to the drawing board with my current romcom work-in-progress novel (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series)
- The 3 main plotlines and 2 core the...
This episode gives you an update on the book writing experiment I recently tested! We discuss:
- UPDATE on my book writing experiment that I told you about in Episode 145 of my Indie Author Weekly podcast (writing 4,000 words/day for a full week, and not doing any other business tasks)
- How I prepped for writing the actual book itself
- Daily breakdown of how that first week of the experiment went
- 3 reasons why I decided to go back to t...
Let’s talk about the importance of being earnest as a writer and getting comfortable with potentially embarrassing yourself! In this episode, we cover…
- The self-consciousness → self-compassion spectrum that many of us experience as writers, and the importance of embracing earnest along the way.
- How I reviewed my high school creative writing assignment where the professor didn’t understand that my “grammatical error” was actually ...
All about a new writing experiment I’m testing out to make a lot better progress with my novels! We discuss…
- Why I’m doing this new experiment, what my schedule will look like, how I plan to make it happen, and my expected results with writing for a larger, dedicated period of time
- 2 reasons why I’ve been struggling with writing, and the problem that can come up with trying to find time to write novels (including feelings of guil...
“How do you write your books? By hand, by typewriter?” In this episode, we’re answering THAT question! Get ready for a full recap of the logistics and practical side for how I write my books…
0:00 Intro
0:20 Answering a question from a friend: “How do you write your books? By hand, by typewriter?” — and a few other logistics when it comes to the practical side of how I write books
0:50 When it comes to writing books, here’s why I do N...
A year ago, I experienced an EXTREME case of imposter syndrome in my author career… which led to a TON of procrastination! In this episode, I’m sharing all about that experience and how I navigated it.
In this episode, we discuss…
- How my imposter syndrome came about
- What I did to work through imposter syndrome (including some of the specific ways I did self-coaching for this, and the type of questions I asked myself to get to the...
I was recently hanging out with a friend, and she said this: “I want to read your books, but I feel like it’s weird because I don’t want to know about your sex life…”
Totally get that! Let’s talk about that today, because I think this is a very common frame of mind for friends and family of romance authors...
IN THIS EPISODE, I share several important things to keep in mind if you're wondering about this, too, plus a f...
Today we are answering a listener-submitted question: How did you get "brave enough" to talk publicly about being a romance author?
This question was posted by Morgan Starling Writes on an Instagram post back in Feb 2022, in which she said, “I'm hesitant to post pictures of my face on here because of my "day job", so to speak. But at the same time, it feels like there's no balance to the interaction wi...
WELCOME BACK to the Indie Author Weekly podcast! We went on hiatus back in December 2021, and we are finally ready to RELAUNCH this podcast! Woohoo!
In this episode, we discuss…
- More details about WHY we went on hiatus for such a long time (15 months rather than our originally-planned 2 months).
- Update on what Sagan’s been up to in her author life over the past year — book writing (several books), planning and mapping out 24 book ...
Today I am doing an uncomfortable thing... This is not the episode I had planned! When you're feeling the internal struggle, when your energy levels are low, when your capacity and bandwidth aren't quite there... What happens next? We're addressing exactly that in this episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tip...
Are you in the process of writing a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (or, as it’s more commonly known, NaNoWriMo), and are you getting caught in the struggle of it? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of w...
Is it time to quit your novel? Have you ever wondered how authors keep going with a tough book project… or, maybe you’re a writer, and you’re not sure if it’s time to quit a project? When you arrive at that pivotal moment where you wonder if it's time to give up your novel... What happens next?
That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie auth...
Are you gearing up to write a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and wondering how to go about doing it successfully? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing boo...
Have you ever wondered about how we can use our stories to change the world, or the power of the books we read and write? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly! INTRODUCING... Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology in aid of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice.
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and moti...
Do you enjoy getting teasers and sneak peeks of fun romantic comedies? Well, that’s exactly what you’re getting on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
Gaming the System romcom back-of-book blurb:
What comes after you get to “have it all”?
Since Emma discovered polyamory several months earlier, she knows she’s getting a unique opportunity to eat her cake and have it, too. And yet, it hasn’t all been fun ...
Have you ever wondered about how to write a book when you have a BUSY schedule? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.
TUNE IN NOW to get 5 powerful tips for incorporatin...
Have you ever wondered about the complications of writing a book when navigating big life changes? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.
TUNE IN NOW to find out how your...
Do you ever wish you had a different type of writing voice or style? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
"You'll never be a Pulitzer Prize winner—but your books keep people coming back for more." Find out why this comment about my own stories inspired this podcast episode topic...
This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious ...
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