To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create perfect prose, then you’ll love my guide to crafting sensational sentences. Read The Anatomy of Prose today and start creating kick-ass stories.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create perfect prose, then you’ll love my guide to crafting sensational sentences. Read The Anatomy of Prose today and start creating kick-ass stories.

Please note, I will talk about finances, systems and the occasional legal thing. Absolutely nothing I say is financial, legal or tax advice. You must seek advice from professionals in your own countries and tax territories.

I recognise that this model is not for 99% of authors. It’s a LOT of work. It’s a lot of logistics, a lot of peopling, team building, paperwork and problem solving. This is as far removed from sitting behind a desk and writing 24/7 as you can get. 

Do not listen to this with an open heart. Be skeptical, that will keep you on the right track for creating a business you love. But know that I do love this and I am framing these lessons learned from that perspective.

I’d always had a transactional website for Sacha Black work but it barely did £20 a month. So I knew the work I was about to scramble to do for Ruby may be for nothing. But I didn’t want to be beholden to TikTok the way I’d been beholdened to other sources of income and I knew if I’d gone viral once, I could do it again and that would lead to relying on TikTok.

What do I mean why? Two reasons: why should you as an author have a direct store but also why should readers come to you?

For you, you can earn more per sale. POD companies integrating with shopify automatically give you more as there are no hidden fees. But when you shift to print runs you more than half the cost of printing each book. Of course you also give yourself a host of other problems like fulfillment and overheads, but you gain a lot more product flexibility and potential meaning you have the opportunity to make bigger profit. BUT and this is a big but, you have to work out what you want your business to look like.

That said, there are consequences. I usually write and publish 3 books a year and this year I’ve dropped to 2 published. Though I will have written a 3rd and a short story by the end of the year. But I wasn’t able to get that third one published. Despite that, this is going to be my biggest year ever for income. It already beat last year in 7 months. Which goes to show that you don’t have to be rapid releasing anymore to make good money.

The fact I’ve not published three, is a direct consequence of the warehouse and also the increasing team size and the need to train staff. Thankfully due to the Kickstarter, some rights deals an big increase in direct sales of products and merch, I haven’t seen a dip in income. Which goes to show that you don’t have to be rapid releasing anymore to make good money.

There are other benefits like reader loyalty because you’re treating them better, you are able to provide higher quality books and with extra goodies and sign all the books for example.

And that’s really the heart of the mindset shift you need to have and how you should frame thinking about a direct store. Why should a reader bother coming to you when they can get next day shipping for free on Amazon? Can you answer that before you set up your store?

For me this looks like three promises:

• Every book that leaves the warehouse is handsigned by me (I do this in batches and sign for 4-5 hours and get several thousand books signed in one go so it doesn’t disturb writing time.)
• They get extra bonuses for ordering directly like stickers, bookmarks and character art.
• Last, if they preorder a book in any format I have for sale on the website, it will get shipped BEFORE the public release date. We aim for delivery a couple of weeks prior but it depends on print runs and me hitting deadlines.

Things to consider before leaving POD direct and moving to self fulfillment:

• Where are you going to stock your books? Do you have local warehousing facilities or somewhere you own you can use? Stock requires more space than you think. Because it’s not just books you need space for, it’s packaging, and space for parcels before collection and space for a computer and printer etc.
• What is your cash flow like? Do you have the capital that you can risk losing to spend on investing in this? Thanks to great advice from one of my closest author pals, I didn’t buy shipping containers for conversion to put on family land which was a circa 40k investment. Instead I rented a warehouse so that I was only risking the cost of one year’s rent circa 9k and I’d also be able to up and leave and close everything down if it went wrong.
• What’s your problem solving resiliency like? Solving problems, if it’s not your bag, is relentlessly exhausting. Problems arise in all areas of this business, from shipping to label printing to packaging to import and export paperwork, to sourcing products, VAT, pricing, website, delivery issues. Etc. The list is long. Honestly? There’s rarely a day without some kind of issue that needs resolving. How does that make you feel? Excited or horrified? Pay attention to those emotions. The only business you should be building is one that brings you joy.
• Last, is the reality that if you want to fulfill direct yourself you *will* need staff—if you want to continue to write that is. If you think about it, POD direct staff your website for you. They have teams packing the boxes, printing labels and shipping everything for you. So no matter which way you cut it, whether it’s you organising staff or your printers, someone has to do the leg work.

eCommerce 

Yes I’m an author, but running your own fulfillment from website sales means you also run an eCommerce business. And over and above that, I now run a physical product business because we have merchandise. Those combined make for a very, very different business structure and set of problems compared to the old school models of being an indie author.

Traffic Direction

First of all and most basic of all. I direct all traffic to my website without exception. My primary links on social media are my website. If people ask where they can buy my books, it's my website. If they say they can’t then I’ll direct them online to a more well known store.  

Schedules are a bitch. 

When you’re writing in a solo business and uploading your books online, your schedule is essentially your own. When you then bring on a team, they are reliant on you delivering on time to make sure they can do their job.

How does that make you feel? Knowing you *have* to deliver for someone else? For a long time I really hated being beholden to deadlines—probably a corporate spill over. But being responsible for a team and needing to deliver for them is very different. I adore my team, I love them and care about them and I *want* to deliver on time for them. This is a total re-framing for me. It’s the right kind of pressure and responsibility attached to a deadline. Does that mean my creativity needs to show up on time? Sure, but I find this motivating because it’s the right people around me.

However, the first book post warehouse opening, we were all still learning and mistakes were made. I delivered one book late. That pushed everything and made a lot of the timelines difficult including getting the printed books delivered on time. For Architecti there were two main problems:

1. a solid 20% of the order arrived damaged by rain. But we’d already sold almost all the initial print run so we couldn’t spare 20% and thus didn’t have enough stock to cover our preorders. So this caused a lot of anxiety. Under ordering stock is a terrifying prospect. As is over ordering because do you have enough space for it and what if you then don’t sell it? 
2. The second mistake was releasing a book without checking the diaries of the warehouse team who happened to be on holiday during the fulfillment process. Which in a bout of shit timing, my mum then got sick in the crucial week. Meaning I had to stop writing and fulfill 1000 preorders single handedly. It was grueling physically, mentally and emotionally doing it on my own. We’re never having that cluster fuck again. 

So we've produced a heat map style document with everyone's leave, delivery dates, deadlines for me, product ordering dates, prepping dates and fulfillment periods etc. This was an enormous lesson in logistics of both a warehouse and people.

Exclusivity

Kindle Unlimited works for a reason. It has books exclusive to Amazon, you literally cannot get them anywhere else. Meaning you’re forced to get them there. If that worked for Amazon, you can bet you’re arse it works for others. 

So I stole the idea.

I have four novellas /short stories that I publish exclusively on my website. Does that mean a huge risk for loss of visibility and potential sales? Absolutely. No rank, no visibility in the biggest algorithm machine in the world. But it is also one of the key sales tactics I’ve used to get readers over to me. And boy has it worked. I make sure it’s content I know they’ll want, I flash the extra books on my reels and videos and then the questions flood in — how do I get those books…

Well I’ll tell you…!

Preorders are both a gift and a logistical nightmare.

How to get them?

We ran an enormous campaign for Architecti. Ending up with 1027 paperbacks, 323 hardbacks and 193 ebooks. For a total 1543 preorders on my website. Plus over 1000 ebooks on Amazon. So the total preorders were in excess of 2500 preorders.

Firstly you have to ask why should readers preorder direct to you? As mentioned earlier we make three promises:

• Everything is signed
• They get extras and goodies including a Roe-Mantics popsocket, series sticker and bookmark and an art print. As well as a Ruby Roe reading tracking and reading order and some stickers.
• They get the books delivered early (ebook and physical)

We promoted the shit out of these three facts and I do believe this is the reason we did so well. That, plus almost two years of pushing direct sales and building reader trust. I won’t go into all the marketing we did as this is a podcast about the warehouse. But we pushed HARD.

We made a couple of mistakes:

1. We didn’t order enough books. We ordered 1000 paperbacks and ended up having to do a second print run because we sold over 1000 and obviously knew we needed stock on hand for general sales — a good problem to have obviously. But if we had ordered a higher quantity from the start we would have had a better price per book and saved ourselves some money and increased profit. That’s a tough lesson to learn as we’re always having to balance cashflow.
2. The second mistake was packaging. We pride ourselves on making sure the books arrive in pristine condition. The consequence of that is how long it takes to package. The primary damage a book can fall prey to is the rain, or being dropped. We were individually wrapping each book in foam or bubble wrap before putting them inside bookwraps with the goodies to ship. This took me almost two weeks to do for circa a thousand parcels. I spoke to my warehouse neighbour who is a book box subscription company and discovered that they ship 1000 parcels in a couple of days because they uses origami boxes with packing peanuts and a plastic exterior envelope bag for water protection. This results in them working at a significantly faster rate than us. And has led us to get boxes designed and we’re in the process of ordering 10k boxes.

Customer communication has been an absolute maelstrom. The more products we create, the more complex everything gets. Becca used to be primarily a scheduler for me. Now, she’s moved to be a customer services manager.

Major issues include: when they preorder a book and put a published book into the same order. This is a means we have to email them to let them know they have two options: either we refund and they order separately or they wait for both their books.

This is a huge problem as there are a number of preorders live at any one time and thus a ton of customer communication needed. It has gotten better as we have educated our repeat customers, put messages and labels on the site. But it is an ever present problem. We have decided to commission a coder to write some code for shopify so that we can charge two lots of shipping and split ship.

We’ve also had so many communications about the tariffs. This has been so difficult because we are not the ones charging but we are the first point of call. It is in large part due to the team being incredible that we got through this.

Last, I still receive an email for every single order. So I do one additional thing. I make a point to keep an eye on when someone has ordered multiple times in short succession and then send them to the team to refund duplicate postage. 

This is so vital. And has been the hardest part of having a warehouse. I definitely feel like I lost 6 months of writing time. It’s the reason I barely managed to get Architecti done, and the reason I didn’t meet my primary goal of getting ahead of production this year.

Staffing means interruptions. But more than that, having the discipline to put my phone on do not disturb or muting team chats while I write. Now that we’re up to speed, refining processes and we have SOPs in place, I am finding it easier and easier to not go to the warehouse. We also stopped having the smaller deliveries sent to my house and instead they’re going to my team’s houses or direct to the warehouse.

With a physical product business there are so many more regulations and acronyms and pieces of law that you have to deal with. The level of bureaucracy is quite astonishing and has caused a number of headaches. These headaches are not the type of headaches that most authors would want to deal with. You have to choose the poison you want to drink and I genuinely recognise that 99% of authors would not want this headache.

The other matter here is that the regulations have required a colossal amount of time spent on them. More time than we anticipated. Something new is always being thrown at us and usually things that we do not have knowledge on. So we’re constantly in a state of adapting and learning. This is both wonderful and also a little gruelling. 

As there’s not many people doing this we don’t have many options for checking we’re on the right path, so having to trust ourselves that we’ve done the best we can with the knowledge we have. And also recognise that it’s okay to not know everything.

There’s been a lot of logistic lessons learned too. Firstly, that shipping providers are a nightmare. They’re massive organisations and that means corporate bureaucracy. Lots of being passed between departments and having to wait for responses.

You’re probably going to need additional app integrations some of which will cost. Just pay for the apps because it will make your life simpler. We have a DPD integration app that makes handling and managing preorders and labels considerably easier.

Batch as much as you can: like signing books, preparing freebie packets, cutting foam and pre-building boxes.

Batch packaging, in particular for preorders. For example, all the UK paperbacks then all the UK hardbacks etc. It’s easier to do the same thing over and over and then task switch than it is to do it higgledy piggledy.

Understanding the timelines for launches has been quite the challenge. When you’re a solo indie you are in charge of your own time. When you have a team, and other people do parts of the publishing process, you’re no longer working on your own schedule. Combined with the fact that a huge percentage of my turnover comes from physical book sales.

This means we have to do print runs. Instead of loading up to KDP or the POD services and knowing it will be live the next day or a few days later after a proof copy. Print runs take a couple of days to finalise the files (up to several months for international printers) and then 2-3 weeks to print and deliver to the warehouse for UK printers, and several weeks to months for international. We then have to unpack them and check the quality and then I have to sign them. I am pretty fast at signing now and choose to sign in long batches 4-5 hours at a time and usually manage 1-2000 books in that time.

The other timelines that need to be considered are how long things take to pack. But I’ve already talked about that. But it is something that needs to be considered when planning preorder fulfillment. The more preorders we get, the more significant the time it takes, that or we need more people to help pack.

This is the bit everyone is interested. All costs are in GBP. 

Set up costs for the warehouse were approximately £4-5000. This included the deposit, racking, furniture etc. In total, I’ve spent 100k on printing this year. However a significant portion of that was on the Kickstarter. So I don’t count that in the costs for the warehouse. Those sit at £61,171. We are still holding a huge amount of stock in the warehouse so this spend should start to even out.

In December 2023 I started the shop around 10th December, I made just shy of £1700 which I think was mostly due to the viral TikToks. In the month of May 2024 I broke £5000. November 2024 I broke 10k for the first time and in December 2024 I broke 15k. That was the month I knew I needed to take advantage of what I was building. I knew I wanted to do more for readers who were clearly willing to buy direct. In 2024, the website turned over £73.5k.

I collected keys for the warehouse of January 31st. It took a couple of weeks to set the warehouse up and then we had print runs delivered around the 17th and started shipping on Feb 20th 2025. That was a £16k month, and the first time my Shopify sales beat my Amazon, only by a couple hundred pounds, but it still beat it. It wasn’t lost on me that it was the first month I had taken control of distribution.

April eclipsed Amazon at 29k and I’ve stayed between 15 and 29k a month since — Finally in November 2025, I surpassed 30k.

As of 21st November we’re standing at 222k for the year. I suspect we will end up with turnover somewhere between 230 and 250k for 2025. 

Creating definitive turnover and net profit calculations are difficult. What I can tell you is that between the warehouse, staff for the warehouse, utilities and insurances I spend approximately 18-1900 a month (21-23k per year). Shipping varies between 500 and 1500 a week on average but on preorder weeks it can spike to 8k. The highest month for shipping was 11k. I suspect for the year it will be roughly 45-55k. 

So for print costs, staffing, rent and shipping the total is approximately £133,971. I estimate 4-7k on other costs like packaging and freebies. So let's estimate £140k spend for £222k turnover. So I estimate approximately £82,000 in profit - to which I’ll then have to pay tax. That’s a 36% profit. Not as high as I’d like, but also it’s year one and spend is always higher in year one because of set up. I expect that as we move into year two that will grow and my aim is to reach 45% but the ultimate goal will be 50% I’m not sure if this is possible but we will try. We have a lot of stock that we can sell without having to spend out anymore. 

In terms of granular costs to give you an idea of profit on the detail level: The cost of each book is loosely £2.20 per paperback for which we charge £10.99 on average. We allow for £1 of that to cover packaging and freebies. Meaning £3.20 of costs. Though this doesn’t include a % for warehouse overheads.

I don’t have any advertising costs. I have bought all customers in from my mailing list, TikTok and Instagram.

On average my returning customer rate is 35%. However, in months where I set up a new product preorder, that rate shoots up. For November 2025 it’s 56%.

Similarly, my average conversion rate is 5.83% conversion rate. What’s interesting is that in those early months my conversion rate was 3.18%. This month it’s 8.53%. I think this increase is twofold. First, I have a high returning customer rate, this automatically increases the conversion rate as your customers want what you’re providing. Second, I think my marketing has gotten better and better. We’re providing more books, stories and products that my audience wants and we’re also getting better at marketing to market.

One of the best things I did was create multiple pots and accounts. For a long time I’d lived under the assumption you could only have one business bank account. That was bad advice from an accountant. I have since left them and now have an excellent accountant. I’ve also had lots of advice from a dear friend who knows far more about money and systems than me. 

Cash flow can either sky rocket or cripple a business. And when you run a physical business the numbers you run with are so much higher that you can easily crush your company.

One of my favourite tactics is to create mini pots and split money up.

For every preorder we run I create a pot in my bank, like a mini bank and every week I put the amount earned for that preorder product into the pot. If the product requires a print run, I pay for it out of that pot. If we have to buy wholesale merch, I take it from that pot etc.

I also set aside money for tax each month. I move both personal tax money and corporation tax money and set it aside in a high interest savings account.

The biggest outflows for running a distribution warehouse are staffing, warehouse rent, shipping and print runs. 

For Architecti specifically, we had to do two print runs because we under ordered books. Meaning I had to outflow huge amounts of money twice. The print runs totalled £11,630.

Plus 11,000 in shipping fees for that month. If I didn’t have the money set aside for this, it could easily have pushed me into debt.

One of the main things I did to help prevent cashflow issues, is have dozens of pots inside my bank accounts. 

Every week the team calculates the income for orders and shipping for each product we have on preorder (there are always usually 2 to 3) and then I transfer that money to individual pots. Meaning I save all the money from preorders right up until launch. I then take the money for the print runs from this pot and for the shipping. What’s left is the profit which is taxable so I move the tax money into my tax pot and then keep the rest. This is the safest way I’ve found for managing cashflow and ensuring I don’t spend money that needs to be saved for specific things.

I also have an entirely separate account for my shopify. So all print runs are paid for out of the shopify account. All shipping payments go out of that account. All printing for freebies etc comes from that account. It becomes totally self managing and over time it increases. Then if I want to take out chunks of profit, I do and keep the account at 20k. This is the equivalent of the average monthly turnover for the shopify. So should cover all bills or worst case scenarios. 

I also have a tax pot where I move money each month. My accountants have a report that generates each month and estimates my tax. I then place my tax in a high interest account and leave it to earn some money before I have to pay it.

Business infrastructure. I recently visited Author Nation – the Las Vegas conference that was once 20books. There are so many areas for growth and improvement and I realised that I have essentially brut forced my way to the position I’m in.

• Upsell app
• Integration with better email upsell marketing system
• Possibly advertising
• Branded packaging

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create perfect prose, then you’ll love my guide to crafting sensational sentences. Read The Anatomy of Prose today and start creating kick-ass stories.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these Black Herron episodes an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover:

• Income update
• Asset update
• Lesson 1: Understanding What I’m Good At
• Lesson 2: Understanding my Energy Flow
• Lesson 3: Growth Means Change
• Lesson 4: No Matter What, This is Always Better

Read the full blog with graphics on my website.

In this episode we cover: 

• Differences between serials and novels
• Planning your story when writing serials
• Knowing when to end each episode
• Is there money in writing serials?
• Marketing serialized fiction

Find out more about KimBoo:

houseofyork.info

Rebel of the Week is: Karla If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Common roadblocks writers hit in their manuscripts
• How to get unstuck
• Navigating craft advice without getting overwhelmed
• Keeping readers engaged throughout a romance
• Tips for improving conflict and tension

Find out more about Lori:

LoriPuma.com

Subscribe to the What Fiction Craft Books Leave Out series

Scribophile

Rebel of the Week is: Carey If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Lo Dodds. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• The concept of the hungry author mindset and how to develop it
• Building an author platform beyond social media
• How to use a book map
• Patterns of authors who have sustainable, long-term careers
• Biggest mistakes nonfiction writers make

Find out more about Ariel:

Instagram @hungryauthors

hungryauthors.com

Rebel of the Week is: Mark If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Nicole Hutton. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• The research process for historical fantasy
• Balancing historical accuracy and fantasy elements
• Crafting period-appropriate dialogue
• Writing series versus standalones
• Marketing historical fantasy books

Find out more about Nicole:

nicole-glover.com

Instagram @authornicoleglover

Bluesky @nicoleglover.bsky.social

Substack

Rebel of the Week is: Julie If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Anna Trolson. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these Black Herron episodes an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• What Aristotle can teach us about writing novels
• Writing vs. story
• The six components of a story
• How to make story more believable
• Using logic to better create a villain

Links I mentioned: 

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Douglas:

Instagram @douglasvigliotti 

AristotleforNovelists.com

Rebel of the Week is: Zachary Kai If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Elle Mae and Effie. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• The logistics of selling on TikTok Shop
• What products sell the most
• Creating content to drive people to your TikTok Shop
• Selling on TikTok Shop vs. direct through your author website
• How TikTok Shop can affect your algorithm

Links I mentioned:

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Emily:

Instagram and TikTok: @authoremilyblackwood

TikTok Shop: @blackwoodbooks

Rebel of the Week is: Avril  If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Digging into identity when crafting characters
• Recognising our own unconscious biases 
• What intersectionality is – and its importance in writing
• Considerations when writing dialogue and accents
• Receiving feedback from sensitivity readers

Links I mentioned:

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Alex:

@Alex_Temblador (IG, Threads, Twitter)

Writing an Identity Not Your Own

AlexTemblador.com

Rebel of the Week is: Morgan If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Rachel Beaney and Gerry Fitzgerald. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Mindset shifts to balance writing with family life
• How to find your creative identity again
• The benefits of pursuing your creative goals
• Finding time to write when busy
• Tips for reconnecting with your creativity

Links I mentioned:

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Josee:

Instagram @joseesmithbookcoach

Rebel of the Week is: Karen  If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these Black Herron episodes an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• Working with a co-narrator
• What makes a book more fun/easy/hard to narrate
• Tips for narrating spicy scenes
• Tips to tailor your book more for audio
• Creating the voice of a character
• The process of narrators and authors working together

Links I mentioned:

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Charlie:

@albersactor on all socials

AppleTreeAudio.com

Rebel of the Week is: Melissa If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Exploring themes of identity and belonging
• The difference between conflict and tension
• Building sustainable tension across a novel and a series
• How to create subtle conflict between characters
• Using cliffhangers vs softer hooks

Links I mentioned:

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about A.Y.:

Instagram @ay_chao

Shanghai Immortal

Rebel of the Week is: Jenn Storey If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Chris. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

• How important is an author website?
• Recommended platforms and features for author websites
• Optimising your author website to drive sales
• The importance of author branding in creating a cohesive website
• Using your website to build your mailing list
• Website metrics to pay attention to

Links I mentioned:

Page Turner Pacing Kickstarter

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Charlotte:

CharlotteDuckworthStudio.com

Instagram @charduck

Rebel of the Week is: Eden the Pigeon Wrangler If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• Differences between developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading
• What type of editing to invest in if you’re on a budget
• What makes a good first line
• Common mistakes new authors make in story
• An editor’s process of reviewing a manuscript

Links I mentioned:

Page Turner Pacing Kickstarter

Girl Games: NSFW Special Edition Kickstarter

Find out more about Rebecca:

Instagram @beccafaithheyman

rebeccafaitheditorial.com

Rebel of the Week is: Gigi If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

Two new patrons this month, welcome and thank you to Lexi Le and Rasana Atreya. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these Black Herron episodes an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• Using Pinterest to promote your books
• What content performs best for authors on Pinterest
• Key elements of setting up a good pin
• Planning Pinterest content for a book launch
• Keeping readers engaged in a series between book releases

Links I mentioned:

Page Turner Pacing Kickstarter

Find out more about Heather:

Instagram @heatherfarrisco_

YouTube

Rebel of the Week is: Richard If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• What resonates with BookTok readers
• Tips for worldbuilding
• Creating a brand identity
• Tropes for cozy romance
• How social media is changing the landscape for romance authors and readers
• Dealing with increased attention from readers

Links I mentioned:

Page Turner Pacing Kickstarter

Find out more about Melissa:

Instagram @lauriegilmore_author

Instagram @melissamcternan

MelissaMct.com

Rebel of the Week is: Anthony J If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Senja Laakso, Amber, and Kelsey labas. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• What makes tropes so powerful
• Using tropes to help outline
• Avoiding cliches when using tropes
• Tropes that consistently resonate with readers
• How to use tropes in marketing

Find out more about Jennifer:

The Trope Thesaurus : An Author Resource Guide

Substack

YouTube

Facebook

Rebel of the Week is: Chris If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Melanie Reber, Bethany Tucker, Heather Flyte. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary StoryCoach Certification here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• What does having your books “wide” mean

• Advantages and disadvantages of your books being wide

• Dealing with losing Kindle Unlimited page reads

• Different marketing approaches for different platforms

• Planning your releases when publishing wide

Learn More about Erin:

Erin's Website

Sign up for free replays of courses

Wide for the Win Courses

Rebel of the Week is: Richard If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Erin Lynn Austin and Martha Knox. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

Follow the Girl Games Kickstarter

If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

Follow the Girl Games Kickstarter

If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What Substack is and how it works
• Utilizing “Notes” on Substack effectively
• Substack as a new way for authors to monetize their work
• The importance of branding
• How to analyze the data from Substack
• How to increase engagement

Find out more about Russell:

The Author Stack

Writer MBA

How to Build a World Class Substack

Rebel of the Week is: Karla If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Kat Vroman. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• Breaking into the US market as an international author
• In-person and virtual signings 
• Main benefits of attending book signings
• Logistics of attending international book signing events
• Balancing travel time with your writing schedule
• Tips for energy management

Links I mentioned: 

Order House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Order House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Jacqueline:

JacquelineHayleyAuthor.com HaileyJay.com

Rebel of the Week is: Rachel If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Gina. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Changes in indie publishing in the last 8 years
• Necessary skill sets for returning to indie publishing
• Marketing and promotion differences between trad and indie
• Advice for switching from trad to indie publishing
• Current trends in trad and indie publishing

Links I mentioned:

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Sasha:

Preorder Ghostling

Sasha's Website

Instagram @sashawasley_author

TikTok @ash.harrier

Instagram @ashharrierbooks

Rebel of the Week is: Liz If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

Don't forget, Patrons get early access to these episode an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humor, learning through examples and want to create perfect prose, then you’ll love my guide to crafting sensational sentences. Read The Anatomy of Prose today and start creating kick-ass stories.

In this episode we cover: 

• Why reader magnets are important for authors
• Using TikTok to excel your author career
• How to promote your reader magnet
• Keeping readers engaged after the freebies
• How to come up with prequel/novella ideas

Links I mentioned:

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Zac:

Socials: @zsdiamanti

Get his free stories here

Rebel of the Week is: Kiersten Lillis If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Anthony Paparello. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• Overview of the TikTok accountability challenge
• The biggest challenges in algorithm and audience shifts
• What content are they making on TikTok
• Keeping up with TikTok trends
• Building a sustainable business that doesn’t rely on TikTok

Links I mentioned:

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Adam and Cara:

Adam's Author Website

Cara's Author Website

Rebel of the Week is: Karla If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What brand keywords are and why authors should have them
• How keywords can guide an author’s marketing
• Maintaining consistency in your branding across platforms
• Using other types of writing like “Scaremail” to increase revenue
• Building and maintaining and engaged email list

Links I mentioned: 

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about David:

davidviergutz.com

Rebel of the Week is: Chris

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Using the consumer journey to build your author business
• How to start building an author brand
• Balancing a brand promise with experimentation and growth
• Considerations for creating repeat readers
• Social media’s effect on the author-reader relationship

Links I mentioned: 

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Celeste:

Celeste Barclay Facebook

Instagram @celestebarclayauthor

Sabine Barclay Facebook

Instagram @sabinebarclayauthor

Rebel of the Week is: Ciara

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• Different writing approaches for different genres
• Creating realistic monsters
• Advice for switching between genres
• Balancing different elements when crafting a story
• Keys for reaching a wide audience

Links I mentioned: 

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Find out more about Jason:

Tiktok @JerseyBookGuy

Instagram @JasonPinter

Read Dating & Dismemberment

Rebel of the Week is: Lena

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Elle Thorpe. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Artistic decisions when setting up a series
• The different types of series
• Importance of series unity
• What a “skeleton blurb” is and how they help in planning a series
• The role of subplots throughout a series
• Story arcs for open and closed series

Links I mentioned:

Preorder House of Crimson Curses direct from me

Preorder House of Crimson Curses on all platforms

Release date: 5th December 2024

Find out more about Kristina and Lucy:

fictionary.co

Rebel of the Week is: Jo

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Maintaining a passion for writing while building a thriving business
• Dealing with rejection and criticism as a writer
• Finding your authentic writer’s voice
• Overcoming writer’s block and the need for perfectionism
• Imposter syndrome and quieting unhelpful internal voices

Find out more about Tiffany:

FoxPrint Editorial

Tiffany's Books

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Rebel of the Week is: Trish

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Denise Yoko Berndt, Cheyanna Lynn, and Drayga. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of humour in fiction
• Different types of humour
• The principles of writing funny fiction
• Making humour work on page
• Funny vs. offensive – where is the line?
• Embracing the rebel mindset

Find out more about Dave:

Bluesky @daveiswriting.bsky.social

Funny Up Your Fiction: How to Add Light, Shade and Laughs to Your Novel

Rebel of the Week is: Krista

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new rebels this week, welcome and thank you to Bethany Hensel and Jo Narayan. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of personality in email marketing
• How often to send newsletters to your audience
• Tips for self-promotion
• How new authors can grow their email lists
• Measuring the success of your email marketing

Links I mentioned: 

Support my Kickstarter

Find out more about Liz:

The Email Sound Booth Facebook Group

Instagram @thelizwilcox

Rebel of the Week is: Jacqui

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Pavlov and GA Rea. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• What Kickstarter is and why authors should use it
• How to project manage better
• Aligning your Kickstarter with your brand
• Different wants between Kickstarter backers and normal readers
• How long does a Kickstarter take – including post production

Links I mentioned: 

Support my Kickstarter

Find out more about Petra:

Petra's Contact Page

Rebel of the Week is: Sasha Wasley

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Jacqueline Hayley and Sasha Wasley. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Elements of a multidimensional villain
• Villain’s relationship with the protagonist
• Common mistakes when creating villains
• Developing back stories that add depth
• Building anticipation in your story

Links I mentioned: 

Support my Kickstarter

Find out more about Dana:

Danja Tales

Rebel of the Week is: Matthew

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Kylie Haddix. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary StoryCoach Certification here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• How to use the enneagram in your work
• Infusing your personal experiences into your worldbuilding
• Fully embracing the “you” in your stories
• Steps for worldbuilding and story development
• Balancing an immersive universe with multidimensional characters
• Why stories have the power to change the world

Links I mentioned: 

Follow my Kickstarter

Find out more about Dani:

Instagram @daniabernathyauthor

Untapped Writing Superpower Quiz

Rebel of the Week is: Poornima

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Julia Gandrud. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Writing process of co-writing with an estate
• What the horror genre can uniquely express
• Common mistakes when writing horror
• How to deepen theme in your work
• George A. Romero – the man vs. the director

Links I mentioned:

Kimberly Grymes 4 Week Story Prep

Find out more about Daniel:

Pay the Piper

danielkraus.com

Rebel of the Week is: MJ

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Samantha Reynolds, May-Brit, and Trish Gillham. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of SEO in an author’s online presence
• Understanding the intent behind a user’s search
• Creating SEO-friendly social media captions
• What keywords are and how to use them
• Optimising an Amazon book listing for better search visibility

Find out more about Estelle:

Read SEO for Authors

YouTube Channel

Rebel of the Week is: Ida 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

A big thank you to Holly Dunn for upping their pledge and to all my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• The journey from indie to trad
• Tips for pitching and querying
• Biggest differences between trad and indie publishing
• Common mistakes when approaching traditional publishing
• Craft lessons learned from ghostwriting

Find out more about Helen:

Threads @HelenGlynnJones

Instagram @HelenGlynnJones

TikTok @helenglynnjones

Read The Last Raven

Rebel of the Week is: Lisa 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• A "brick-by-brick" strategy for building a 7-figure author career
• The role consistent output can play in your success
• Ideas for repurposing intellectual content
• Developing an author brand that can withstand the whims of the publishing industry
• Building and maintaining a loyal readership

Find out more about Vanessa:

Instagram @vanessa_vale_author

vanessavaleauthor.com

Rebel of the Week is: Chris

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Differences between self-publishing, independent publishing, and traditional publishing
• Publishing across different genres
• Working with an agent as a self-published author
• Managing your time and creative energy
• Advice for diversifying your publishing approaches

Find out more about Emily:

emilyekmurdoch.com

You Can Write More Words Course - 50% off with code REBEL

Preorder Regina

Instagram @emilyekmurdoch

Rebel of the Week is: Ruth

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• Tips for writing toxic characters and dialogue
• Approaching sensitive topics in a way that is respectful to survivors
• Checks and considerations when writing about toxic queer relationships
• Blending supernatural elements into a natural story
• Finding your target audience as a YA author

Find out more about Kara:

I Will Never Leave You

Instagram @karaaislinn

Rebel of the Week is: Merren

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What makes TikTok unique
• Adapting your content to suit TikTok’s short-form video format
• Finding your target audience on TikTok
• The importance of consistency for building a following
• What metrics to track to refine your TikTok strategy

Links I mentioned: 

Order House of Crimson Kisses at books2read.com/crimsonkiss or direct from me at rubyroe.co.uk

Follow my Kickstarter

Find out more about Kate:

@katehallbiz on all social platforms

Kate's courses

Rebel of the Week is: Holly

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• Utilizing Instagram reels as an author
• Strategies to engage your audience on Instagram
• What an ‘audio bank’ is and how to build one
• Using the ‘remix’ feature to expand your reach
• The importance of consistent posting
• How to craft a book hook

Links I mentioned: 

Order House of Crimson Kisses at books2read.com/crimsonkiss or direct from me at rubyroe.co.uk

Find out more about Lara:

Free ‘book hook’ guide

Get 50% off Lara's Reels templates for writers by using the code ‘REBEL50’ at www.lemonfriday.com/reels

Instagram @lemon.friday

Rebel of the Week is: L.M. Dodds

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• The elements of a well-crafted reader persona
• Using a reader persona to connect with your ideal readers
• Social media for connecting with ideal readers
• Incorporating your reader persona into your book marketing strategy
• Using data to improve book marketing strategies

Links I mentioned:

Preorder House of Crimson Kisses direct from me or at books2read.com/crimsonkiss

Find out more about Sue:

Pages & Platforms

Instagram

Rebel of the Week is: Cassie

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack  

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

• Income update and breakdown
• Lesson 1: All in Works for Me
• Lesson 2: Capitalise if You Can
• Lesson 3: Visibility is Queen
• Lesson 4: Boundaries Are Important
• Lesson 5: Growth is Brilliant and Painful
• Lesson 6: The Psychology of Money, Success and Winning
• Lesson 7: No Matter What, This is Always Better

Read the full lessons learned blog here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• How planning series differs across genres
• Approaching the overall story arc in a cozy series
• Tools and techniques to ensure continuity
• Character development across multiple books
• Elements for crafting a satisfying series conclusion
• Marketing to cozy readers

Links I mentioned: 

Preorder House of Crimson Kisses at books2read.com/crimsonkiss or direct from me at rubyroe.co.uk

Find out more about Inessa

Author Website

YouTube

TikTok

Instagram

Facebook Group

Rebel of the Week is: Karen

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Holly Dunn and Phyllis Kaelin. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Ways an author’s writing career and non-writing career interact
• Balancing a writing career with other commitments and responsibilities
• Planning for the kind of life you want
• Adopting a flexible mindset in your writing career
• Common misconceptions about writing life

Find out more about Daphne:

Instagram

Houseplants and Hardcovers

Rebel of the Week is: Kiersten 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new rebels this week, welcome and thank you to Katherine Beals and Capucine Hoybach. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• Key elements of a successful book cover design
• How to know when cover trends are changing in your genre
• The complete process of creating a book cover
• How to make your book cover stand out
• Advice for working with a professional book cover designer

Find out more about Holly:

hollydunndesign.com

Instagram

YouTube

Free Guide to Comp Covers

Join the Early Bird List for Premade Cover Releases

Rebel of the Week is: Gigi Rivers

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• How brains are hardwired to respond to storytelling
• Using brain science to creative more effective marketing
• Creating a “story-worthy problem” to engage readers
• Writing a strong chain of cause and effect
• Utilizing the concept of a “third rail” scene to increase emotional impact

Links I mentioned:

Award Scam

Find out more about Lisa:

WiredForStory.com

Rebel of the Week is: Holly

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Holly. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• Myths around productivity in the indie community
• How to assess our own productivity
• Explaining procrastination with neuroscience
• Offsetting common distractions that writers face
• The importance of resilience for writers of all levels

Find out more about Kathryn:

The Productive Writer Guidebook

The Productive Writer Guidebook on Amazon

Kathryn's Website

Twitter/X

LinkedIn

Rebel of the Week is: Chris

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• How to outline a nonfiction book
• Tips for becoming your own publicist
• Content marketing in the age of AI
• Marketing your book before and after launch
• Leveraging your nonfiction book to create multiple streams of income

Links I mentioned:

Fantasy romance LBTQIA+ freebies

Find out more about Stephanie:

LinkedIn

Nonfiction Authors Association Facebook

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Why tropes hook readers
• Differences between internal and external tropes
• Craft tips to make our tropes resonate with readers
• How to market tropes better
• Integrating tropes in a character’s back story

Find out more about Cindy:

CindyDees.com

CynthiaDees.com

Rebel of the Week is: Rosie

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Gigi Rivers. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary StoryCoach Certification here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• What serial fiction is and how it differs from non-serialised fiction
• Common mistakes new serial fiction writers make
• Craft tips for writing serials
• Techniques to create hooks
• Business structure around serialised fiction

Find out more about Stephanie:

StephanieBond.com

Rebel of the Week is: Lauren 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Nina J Fox and Jen. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• The fundamentals of historical romance
• Balancing historical accuracy with creative storytelling
• Creating historical authenticity in your work
• Main tropes in historical fiction
• Handling sensitive topics within historical contexts

Find out more about Bianca:

Author Website

Rebel of the Week is: Josh Gentry

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• What is burnout
• Differentiating burnout from everyday stress
• Recovering from burnout
• How to establish better boundaries
• The importance of self care to prevent burnout

Find out more about Liz:

Owl Moon Coaching

Instagram

Rebel of the Week is: Angela

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Mags Lucas. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of representation in our books
• Writing trans and queer characters when cisgendered
• Harmful tropes and stereotypes to avoid
• Working with a sensitivity reader
• Balancing educating readers and creating an engaging story

Find out more about Dharma:

Author Website

Facebook

Threads

Instagram

TikTok

Rebel of the Week is: Mélanie 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

In this episode we cover: 

• What are tarot cards and how do they work
• How tarot cards can help authors start creating
• Common blockers writers struggle with
• Learning to interpret tarot cards
• Using tarot to create characters and plot

Sacha's Tarot Cards:

Find out more about Mariëlle:

Website

Podcast

Facebook

Instagram

So You Want to Sling Cards, Too? Three-week mini-course for beginning cardslingers

Tarot for Creatives upcoming Kickstarter campaign

Rebel of the Week is: Kiersten

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• The structure of a good pitch
• Finding the right podcasts to pitch to
• What authors should be prepared to speak about
• Benefits of a podcast tour when launching a book
• Interview tips and tricks

Find out more about Michelle:

MichelleGlogovac.com

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Rebel of the Week is: Delilah 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Joanna Penn, Jennifer Shelby, and Sheena Ager. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

This is The Black Herron episode nineteen. Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these episode an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• How to pivot successfully
• Fiction vs. nonfiction author business structure
• Creating multiple streams of income
• The neuroscience behind memorable messages
• Lessons learned from TV writing and producing

Find out more about Aurora:

Kickstarter for Magic, Mystery and the Multiverse

Linktree

Magic, Mystery and the Multiverse

Rebel of the Week is: Ruth

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What is LitRPG and how it differs from fantasy
• Major craft pillars of LitRPG
• Elements of worldbuilding to focus on
• Creating game mechanics, rules, and in-game quests
• Common business models for LitRPG authors

Links I mentioned:

Storygarden Summit March 19 - 22

Find out more about Michael:

Order The Four Horsemen from Michael's store

Order The Four Horsemen from Amazon

Ream

Rebel of the Week is: Madeline 

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Melissa. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• What is the enneagram and how to use it as writers
• Motivation and why it doesn’t always look right
• How to pursue what you want
• What rest and resilience look like for different enneagram types
• Manifesting as a way of getting control

Links I mentioned:

Storygarden Summit March 19 - 22

Find out more about Claire:

Kickstarter: Sustain Your Author Career

FFS Media

Rebel of the Week is: Milissa

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com 

Thank you and welcome to new patron Marie Hodgkinson, and thank you to current patron Melissa Soulliere for upping their pledge. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Why audio is important
• Trends for audiobook publishing in 2024
• How Podium works with indie authors
• Tips for marketing audiobooks
• Choosing a narrator

Links I mentioned:

House of Crimson Hearts is out now!

Find out more about Kate:

Podium Audio

Rebel of the Week is: Donn (link to potty-mouthed parrots story)

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Milissa L Story and Ruth Noble. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

This episode is sponsored by Fictionary

Find out more about Fictionary Software + Fictionary Live! here.

As a rebel listener you can get 25% off StoryTeller, StoryTeller Premium and certification with code REBEL25.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• What is Kickstarter?
• Incorporating Kickstarter into your business model
• Common mistakes with Kickstarter
• Driving traffic to your Kickstarter page
• Rewards, add ons, and stretch goals
• The timeline - set up, marketing, fulfillment

Links I mentioned:

Kickstarter: Special Edition NSFW Lesbian Vampire Romance Hardcover – House of Crimson Hearts

Order House of Crimson Hearts

Order House of Crimson Hearts direct from me

Find out more about Anthea:

Kickstarter for Authors (special price with this link)

Rebel of the Week is: Chris

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• What is queer joy
• Elements of the opposites attract trope
• Worldbuilding for contemporary romance 
• Writing relatable characters
• The importance of author community

Links I mentioned:

Kickstarter: Special Edition NSFW Lesbian Vampire Romance Hardcover – House of Crimson Hearts

Preorder House of Crimson Hearts

Preorder House of Crimson Hearts direct from me

Find out more about Dana:

Instagram @d.hawkinsauthor

Author Website

Not in the Plan

Rebel of the Week is: Jasmine Arch

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to J and Kristina Adams, and thank you to Cassi Emerson for upping their pledge. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

In this episode we cover: 

• How running a business is like being a parent
• Why write a nonfiction book?
• Staying resilient while running a business
• Tips for writing humorously
• Improving your copywriting

Links I mentioned:

Kickstarter: Special Edition NSFW Lesbian Vampire Romance Hardcover - House of Crimson Hearts

Preorder House of Crimson Hearts

Preorder House of Crimson Hearts direct from me

PWA Romance Writers Week

Find out more about Jo:

TOT ANALYSIS: Why Running Your Business is Child’s Play

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

Thank you to new patron Drew Constance and returning patron Sarah Louise. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Highlights from Written Word Media’s 2023 author survey
• Indie author business structures
• What is meant by MVP books
• Community building and author branding
• AI predictions and how it affects authors
• Making your business more sustainable

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Clayton:

Written Word Media

Rebel of the Week is: Beth

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Jesse Read. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

In this episode we cover: 

• Important elements of author planning
• Overwhelm (both caused and relieved by planning)
• Goal setting and organizing
• Planning tips for parents and carers
• Creating and printing planners

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• Examples of viral hooks that work on social media (and why)
• What’s in a hook and how you can create your own
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Audrey:

audreyhughey.com

Facebook

Instagram

Rebel of the Week is: Joanne

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Camilla Vavruch. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Common tropes of the horror genre
• Lessons learned from acting in and directing horror films
• The major pillars of horror writing
• Craft tips for eliciting a fear emotion response
• Marketing advice for horror writers

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Jesse:

Jesse's Website

buyhorrorbooks.com

Twitter - @blackbirdsdance

Facebook - @jdauthorartist

Insta - @dangelojesse

Rebel of the Week is: Laura

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Tammy Tyree and Jenn. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What is the “why choose” genre
• Keeping characters unique in a large cast
• Writing interconnected romantic relationships
• Crafting hooks and marketing for reverse harem
• Tools and tricks for writing quickly

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Rebel of the Week is: Jasmine Arch

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Amber Mathias and TeeniJ. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Creating an author-based marketing plan
• Boosting engagement on socials
• Finding your author voice, style, and brand
• Making yourself more human in the age of AI
• Mindset shift for self-promotion

Links I mentioned:

A Game of Hearts and Heists Audiobook

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ:

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Anna:

@AnnaCaig on Instagram and X 

Website

Rebel of the Week is: Balou

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the Week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Nicole Hutton. A big thank you to my existing patrons, especially Heather Button for upping their pledge. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Platforms for selling a multitude of products direct
• Creating your own book boxes
• Sourcing products and artwork
• Marketing your direct store
• Creating high quality books

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates:

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ:

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Angela:

Instagram

Author Website and Shop

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Victoria and Jacki James. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

This is The Black Herron episode sixteen. Don’t forget, Patrons get early access to these episode an entire month early and then we air them on the podcast feeds the following month. If you’d like to hear them early you can join me on Patreon from as little as $2 right here.

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• Story hypothesis and how it connects to theme
• Max-Neef’s nine needs
• Developing the journey of a character through theme
• Raising stakes and conflict
• Key scenes to embed theme in your story

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about JP:

Story Hypothesis

Linktree

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com 

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Dana Russo, and thank you to Renee and Claire Donnelly for upping their pledges. A big thank you to all of my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Systems and structures to write faster
• Planning needed to write four books a year
• Why accountability works
• Lessons learned from selling direct
• Directing readers to your store

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Ines:

Four Books A Year Mastermind

Courses

Podcast: Ink and Magic

Rebel of the Week is: Robert Norris

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

3 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Kerrie Oman,Melissa Soulliere, and Marion Hermannsen, and to Angie Green for upping their pledge. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Craft and business lessons from launching a series
• Creating and utilizing street teams successfully
• Using outreach to boost your launches
• Maintaining momentum between launches
• Streamlining the production of a series

Prose in the Market Webinar Information:

I am running three session times to try and accommodate as many timezones as I can (more on this below).

"Writing to market" isn't new. But when teachers talk about it they focus on understanding the market, advertising, brand and pitch. But what about the writing and craft of writing to market? If you’re tired of trying to work out how to deliver what readers want, then this is the workshop for you.

In this session, I'll explain:

• How to deconstruct bestselling books and implement the tools you find
• An easy three step methodology for deconstruction
• Practical examples of deconstruction and implementation in your own work
• Why you’re not using copywriting enough
• How to intentionally slip TikTok-able/Marketable scenes into your novels that will hook readers
• The craft of tropes
• Live deconstruction using examples from those in the session.

You'll also receive a workbook containing exercises for you to implement all the things you learn during the session.

Session Times and Dates

• Friday 9th Feb 2024 at 7pm BST (11am PST, 2pm EST, and 8am Sat 9th Auckland (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770172856747?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 4pm BST (8am PST, 11am EST, 5am Sunday11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770175976077?aff=oddtdtcreator 
• Saturday 10th Feb 8pm BST (12pm PST, 3pm EST, 9am Sunday 11th (DST NZDT) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/770177631027?aff=oddtdtcreator

FAQ

Will this session be recorded? Will the recording be available for sale?

The session will be recorded. The recording will only be available to ticket-holders. I will not sell the recording. I am only doing these as live sessions. When I teach, I love to see everyone’s reactions and get audience participation. But depending on demand, I may run more of them in the future.

Find out more about Helen:

Free Successful Series Bonus Bundle

Website

Rebel of the Week is: Carey H

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Audrea Martin. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Tools and software for selling direct
• Driving traffic to your Shopify store
• Lessons learned from selling direct
• Admin involved in having your own store
• Using social media to promote your store

Find out more about Adam:

Instagram @Northern_writer

TikTok @a.p_beswick_author

Author Store

Rebel of the Week is: Luisa

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

2 new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to Clare Sager and Annette. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you haven’t read The Anatomy of a Best Seller, what are you waiting for? Grab my latest craft book and start deconstructing so you can write your own best seller today.

Book we're reading: Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives―Including Your Own by AJ Harper

Apple 

Kobo 

Amazon UK 

Amazon US 

***this show uses affiliate links

In this episode we cover: 

• Writing a children’s book from concept to completion
• Working with illustrators and translators
• Creating a high quality product
• The business side of back matter
• Creating clarity in your work

Find out more about Holger:

Author Website

The Wrong Planet

Rebel of the Week is: Anonymous

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Personal development books
• Choosing what to read next
• Starting a new reading habit
• Reading effectively and taking notes
• 11-step method for success

Find out more about Nick:

Rise of the Reader

Nick's Website

BookThinkers

DM Nick at instagram.com/bookthinkers for personalized book recommendation

Rebel of the Week is: Lottie

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to altairstar. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Writing about gender equality and women’s issues
• Choosing which messages to refine in your book
• Managing the emotional toll of writing sensitive topics
• Character development in feminist storytelling
• Using accessible language

This week’s question is: what are you asking Santa for christmas?

Recommendation of the week is: Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

***this show uses affiliate links

Find out more about Laura:

Laura's Website

Rebel of the Week is: Anonymous

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

A big thank you to my all of my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• Planning as an indie author
• Maker, manager and marketeer
• How to plan for 2024
• What being a good publisher means
• Knowing what to measure

This week’s question is: who or what is inspiring or motivating you at the moment?

Recommendation of the week is: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Apple 

Kobo

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

***this show uses affiliate links

Find out more about Orna:

Go Creative! Planning Program for Authors & Poets Kickstarter

Rebel of the Week is: Helen

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

Lots of new patrons this week, welcome and thank you to I Heart SapphFic, Kiz Moncrieff, Lyn, Leela Hughes and Brooke T Carr, and thanks to The Blumenkranz Twins for upping their pledge. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What does “editing for clarity” mean
• How to write with more clarity
• Developing self-editing skills
• When to use sensory details
• How PWA can help with clarity and sensory detail

This week’s question is: What's the most valuable lesson you've learned from a creative failure or mistake?

Recommendation of the week is: The Tropoholic's Guide to Internal Romance Tropes by Cindy Dees

Apple 

Kobo

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

***this show uses affiliate links

Find out more about Krystal and ProWritingAid:

ProWritingAid.com

Instagram

Krystal's Author Website

Rebel of the Week is: Matthew Goodall

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Rebel Discount link

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• How to leverage folklore in your narrative
• Using folklore as the basis of a fictional story
• Translating folklore into modern story
• Incorporating folklore without appropriating cultures
• Famous works that draw from folklore and mythology

This week’s question is: what do you do for fun that isn’t reading, writing or work?

Recommendation of the week is: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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Find out more about Icy:

Author Website

David Mogo Godhunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Rebel of the Week is: Emma

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Cara Clare. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• Writing about taboo and controversial topics
• Educating readers through your work
• Working with sensitivity readers
• Setting and managing sales expectations
• Navigating genre expectations

This week’s question is: what one book do you want to read before the year is out?

Recommendation of the week is: Story Hypothesis: The Missing Piece of Your Fiction Puzzle by patron JP Rindfleisch IX

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Amazon USA

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Find out more about Paulette:

Website

Twitter 

Instagram 

Facebook 

TikTok 

LinkedIn

Paulette's Cover Saga:

Rebel of the Week is: Jessica  (aka Beatrice Bradshaw)

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• What the shadow is and its importance for writers
• Identifying shadow elements
• How to know if you’re tapping into the shadows
• Capitalizing on your shadow in the age of AI
• Shadow in a character’s back story and relationships

This week’s question is: what are you going to complete in the final quarter of the year?

Recommendation of the week is: Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

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Amazon USA

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Find out more about Joanna:

Website

Buy Books Direct

Kickstarter for Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words

Twitter/X

Facebook 

Instagram

Rebel of the Week is: Moose

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Mandy Oman. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Business differences with middle grade fiction
• Marketing middle grade fiction
• How to engage with your audience
• Advice for in-person events
• Creating dialogue that resonates with younger readers

This week’s question is: Tell me about a skill/party trick you have that would surprise people

Recommendation of the week is: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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Find out more about Melisa: 

Facebook

Instagram

Author Website

Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series

Rebel of the Week is: Amy Nielsen

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Jesse C. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

Get 20% off using this Rebel Discount link.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

In this episode we cover: 

• The four different types of series
• How to plan when writing a series
• Series arcs and what plot points they need
• Keeping later books engaging
• What to put in a series bible

This week’s question is: What part of story do you find hardest to write and why?

Recommendation of the week is: Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

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Amazon USA

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Find out more about Lewis:

The Novel Smithy

Amazon Author Page

Rebel of the Week is: Sera M

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to new patron Kim Barton and returning patron Juneta Key. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

In this episode we cover: 

• TikTok basics
• Ratio of engaging posts vs. promotional posts 
• Content creation ideas
• Capitalising on hype mode and content foraging
• Using lives to help your launches

This week’s question is: Do you believe in the idea of a "muse" or do you think writing is purely a discipline?

Recommendation of the week is: Kaleidoscope

Find out more about A.K. and Anne:

Teachable

Patreon

Podcast

Sustainable Socials Website

Rebel of the Week is: Anonymous

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of setting in romance
• Romance subplot pacing
• Using a romance subplot to enhance the main plot
• Improving your writing using the senses
• Romance subplot for character development

This week’s question is: where do you write?

Recommendation of the week is: Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga by Icy Sedgwick

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Amazon USA

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Find out more about Emma:

Loving Story Edit

Rebel of the Week is: Kiersten LillisIf

you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Shannon Harris. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• The importance of having a system
• Balancing creative work and parenting
• Techniques for the writing/publishing process
• Streamlining your process with digital tools
• Community building as an author parent

This week’s question is: What fictional world would you like to visit most and why?

Recommendation of the week is: First Strike: Keepers of the Universe Book 1 by Angela Haas 

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Links I mentioned:

Episode 174 Hybrid Publishing with Katlyn Duncan

Episode 100  Book Rights Reversion with Katlyn Duncan

Find out more about Katlyn:

Author Website 

From Chaos to Control

Rebel of the Week is: Liz Lincoln

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

Thank you to Wendy Karas, Maryn Corkran, Mackenzie Alexander, Tamara Nikolai, and Liz for upping their pledges, and a big thank you to all of my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

Get 20% off using this Rebel Discount link.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

To find out more about Rachael, you can listen to her show “How Do You Write” or visit her website.

*

If you like dark humour, learning through examples and want to create the best villains you can, then you’ll love Sacha Black’s guide to crafting superbad villains. Read 13 Steps to Evil today and start creating kick-ass villains.

In this episode we cover: 

• What the creator economy is
• Community building vs. writing books
• How to authentically monetize our community
• Expanding revenue streams with author-owned brands
• Recovering from burnout

This week’s question is: What are you struggling with in your author business right now?

Recommendation of the week is: A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee

Amazon UK

Amazon USA

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Find out more about Michael:

Ream

Subscriptions for Authors

Books Michael mentioned:

The Story Paradox by Johnathan Gottschall

Fans First by Jesse Cole

The Business of Belonging by David Spinks

The Long Game by Dorie Clark

Belonging to the Brand by Mark Schaefer

Subscriptions for Authors by Michael Evans

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• How fan-backed film development works
• Developing an indie series into a movie
• Creating contacts for character research
• Writing characters who are different from us
• Creating rich settings

This week’s question is: what’s the best writing conference or event you’ve been to?

Recommendation of the week is: Smart Brevity by Jim Vandehei

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Find out more about Nova:

Author Website

Instagram

Rebel of the Week is: Beth Biss

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com

No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack 

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE

Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

In this episode we cover: 

• What is the Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award
• Marketing tips to sell more books on Amazon
• Advice for first-time authors publishing through Amazon KDP
• The algorithm and how to make it work for you
• Upcoming trends to pay attention to

This week’s question is: What’s the best TED talk you’ve watched?

Recommendation of the week is: How Writers Fail: Analysis and Solutions by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

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Amazon UK

Amazon USA

***this show uses affiliate links

Find out more about Michaella and Amazon:

The Kindle Storyteller Award

Kindle Direct Publishing

Rebel of the Week is: Eden

If you’d like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com 

Welcome and thank you to new members Don Elliott and Liz, and welcome back to returning members Daphne Garrison and Claire Donnelly. A big thank you to my existing patrons. If you’d like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack

In this episode we cover: 

• Overview of planning a novel
• Filling our creative wells
• Tips for brainstorming
• How to approach world building
• Things to consider before starting a series

This week’s question is: Tell me the last thing you did for pure joy

Recommendation of the week is: You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

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Amazon UK

Amazon USA