SPA Girls Podcast
Each week the SPA Girls provide information, tips and honest advice on self publishing for indie authors. Hosted by four experienced self-publishing writers, we provide a mix of interviews, craft shows, and marketing information that will help you start your self-publishing journey. Join us today!
Episodes
This is a classic replay of a fascinating interview we recorded a few years ago with author Danielle Annett (aka Daniela Romero) , who as switched genres from Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance, with amazing results.
She talks us through the decision to change genres, and what she did to make it a success, including some of the big decisions she had to make, such ...
What if formatting your book could take minutes instead of hours?
In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP550), we sit down with Brad Andalman, co-founder of Vellum, the book formatting software (Mac-only) that's transformed self-publishing for indie authors. Brad shares the surprising Pixar origin story behind Vellum, walks us through exactly how the software wo...
Feeling buried under your author business? Juggling deadlines, launch plans, newsletter, ads, admin, social media, and somehow you have to also get the actual writing done? Trust us, you are not alone!
In this episode, we sat down with USA Today bestselling author, certified life coach, and podcaster Corinne O'Flynn to talk about how authors can organise their busine...
Got a backlist gathering dust but few sales?
In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP# 548), we dig into how to breathe new life into your older books and get them earning again. Most indie authors pour all their energy into the next release and forget that their backlist is the engine that funds everything — so we're walking through exactly what to refresh, what...
Romance writers gather 'round - Kait Nolan, bestselling author of smart, sassy, small town Southern romance is in the SPA! This is a classic replay of an awesome episode we recorded with Kait a couple of years ago, and well worth a relisten. These days Kait not just writes small town romance, but also romantic suspense (as Harper Jackson), and her writing and marketing advice is spot on!
About Kait Nolan
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She's back! NYT #1 Bestseller, Lucy Score last joined us back in March 2021 , before Things We Never Got Over launched her into the stratosphere!
In this episode, Lucy talks about what her breakout moment actually looked like from the inside, how she's navigated the shift from working author to household name (and instant #1 NYT Bestseller), and what's stayed surpris...
Classic replay of an inspiring episode we recorded in August '23 with SADIE KING, a hugely successful author of more than 120 short romances.
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USA Today Bestseller, Sadie King has grown her publishing business from zero to six figures in less than four years, writing short instalove romances. Knowing her reader's journey is vital to her success.
In this episode we discuss Sadie's:
- short romance publis...
From incorporating popular tropes to social media trends, the SPA Girls have a robust discussion around what they're doing to harness trends to reach more readers and sell more books!
Links mentioned:
Melanie Harlow's Harlot Authors group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630439937160840
The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers
Theodora Taylor's Substack http...
Want to hook your readers from the very first sentence? In this classic replay, story coach Lisa Cron joins the SPA Girls to talk about using brain science to write riveting novels that keep readers turning pages. Lisa is the author of Wired for Story, Story Genius, and Story or Die — all published by Ten Speed Press.
AI is a hot discussion point in the author community these days, and we're joined again by bestselling author and educator, Alessandra Torre, to help us unpack this topic.
At the outset, we acknowledge that this is a difficult topic to cover. From feeling fear to excitement and everything in between, authors cannot deny the reality of the new technologies arriving (and the "new language" around it which can b...
Well worth a re-listen, this episode was originally recorded a few years ago when romance and romantic suspense author, Kaye Kennedy, scaled her author business from zero to a million page reads in just six months. Kaye utilized her business skills to launch in a focussed way that was truly inspiring (then and now).
Kaye has continued publishing with incredible success and has also added being an author coach...
Part Two of Two
Listen to Part One here
"Currently .... we're at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you're a new or established author doesn't matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances." ~ Nicholas Erik
Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the ...
PART ONE OF TWO
"Currently .... we're at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you're a new or established author doesn't matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances." ~ Nicholas Erik
Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the publishing world — right down to us as individual authors. Now this isn't a pro or anti A...
A lot of us are introverts and the idea of "networking" gives us chills (and not in a good way). Historical Romance author, Celeste Barclay, recorded this show with us a few years ago. Her advice is just as relevant now, as building your author community will help ride out the ups and downs of this wild self-publishing ride!
Celeste Barclay books combine history and heat. She has a created a connected world t...
We are delighted to welcome book ads and strategy consultant for authors & publishers, Janet Margot, to talk all things Amazon Strategy for Authors including approaching it with the right mindset.
Janet covers best practices for building a solid Amazon strategy for authors, metadata, packaging inside and out, when and how to start Amazon Ads and the "ads advice" she sees that is the opposite of helpful to ind...
Have you always wanted to write a cozy mystery but don't know where to start? This classic replay we recorded a few years back with Nancy J. Cohen will get you going!
Cozy Mysteries are hugely popular with readers and authors alike, and Nancy J. Cohen shares her fantastic advice for writing the successful cozy.
Alongside her fiction, Nancy has also written the acclai...
Getting Organized: Business Systems For Authors with Lorna K. Bailey
Self-published a book? Congratulations you're now running an author business (whether you want to or not). Whether you have 5 books or 50, being an author is a LOT of plate-juggling. This episode we talk to the amazing Lorna K Bailey who as worked with bestselling authors and entrepreneurs, helping the...
Amira Alvarez is the founder and CEO of The Unstoppable Woman, a global coaching company helping entrepreneurs, empire builders, athletes, creatives, and rising stars in all fields achieve their dreams and goals in record time.
This classic replay of an interview we originally recorded in August 2020 is just what we need to get our mindset right for the new year and how to be productive without burning ourselves out!
As someone ...
Happy New Year from The SPA Girls! 🎉 Whether you wrote one chapter or one hundred in 2025, we're so proud of you. Here's to fresh pages, new stories, and another year of chasing your author dreams together. Let's make 2026 your best publishing year yet!
💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the SPA Girls! It's time to check off our 2025 Publishing Naughty or Nice list for what worked, and what really didn't!
💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!
⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Pub...
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