Podcasts about Kickstarter

Gable, Travis and Jonnit try so very hard to have a conversation. Margaret and Jonnit have a heart to heart about both of their futures. CONTENT NOTE Main Show:  Discussions of life ending Dear Uhuru:  COSMIC CENTURY KNIGHTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the game on Kickstarter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the mailing list for James' game design projects⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE ULTIMATE RPG PODCAST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJOUST FIGHT WITH SPIRIT EXPANSION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get it now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJACKS: COURIER'S CALL IS BACK! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ STARWHAL PUBLIC FEED: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN OUR MAILING LIST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Right Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the dramatic return of our Scream Queen, Sr. Editor of Fangoria Magazine, Meredith Borders. Meredith is hot off the massive Kickstarter launch of her brand new book, First in Fright: The FANGORIA Compendium! We talk about John Carpenter's forgotten masterpiece, Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen's 1980s classic Starman. We also cover Greenland, the (gestures around) whole situation going on, #dunesday, Christopher Nolan v Denis Villeneuve, and our love for the first episode of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!Chapters Introduction (00:00:00) Hatch News (00:15:02) Starman Roundtable (00:27:56) Your Letters (01:28:47) Notes and Links Check out Escape Hatch Merch! Our all new collection of swag is available now and every order includes a free Cameo style shoutout from Haitch or Jason. Browse our collection now. Join the Escape Hatch Discord Server! Hang out with Haitch, Jason, and other friends of the pod. Check out the invite here. Escape Hatch is a TAPEDECK Podcasts Jawn! Escape Hatch is a member of TAPEDECK Podcasts, alongside: 70mm (a podcast for film lovers), Bat & Spider (low rent horror and exploitation films), The Letterboxd Show (Official Podcast from Letterboxd), Cinenauts (exploring the Criterion Collection), Lost Light (Transformers, wrestling, and more), and Will Run For (obsessed with running). Check these pods out!. See the movies we've watched and are going to watch on Letterboxd Escape Hatch's Breaking Dune News Twitter list Rate and review the podcast to help others discover it, and let us know what you think of the show at letters@escapehatchpod.com or leave us a voicemail at +1-415-534-5211. Follow @escapehatchpod on Bluesky,Instagram, and TikTok. Music by Scott Fritz and Who'z the Boss Music. Cover art by ctcher. Edited and produced by Haitch. Escape Hatch is a production of Haitch Industries.

AI tools are everywhere and agentic AI promises a world where even complicated, intellectual tasks like warming an audience for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign can be completed by bots. Is this something scrappy independent comic book creators should be considering doing? Can your audience relationship building efforts largely be outsourced to LLMs? Let's dive head first into this thorny topic!

Andreas gives a little announcement!First of all there will be a lot of interviews and some panels coming up from two conventions that he went to recently, many of these will be Patreon exclusive.Secondly, Nordic Skalds and Andreas has a new Kickstarter out for a "choose your own adventure" (ett soloäventyr in Swedish) called Vävgrinden. Check it out here:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nordicskalds/vavgrindenFor now it is only available in Swedish, but a translation into English is highly probable in the future, though not very soon.

Top Stories for January 24th Publish Date: January 24th PRE-ROLL: Kia Mall of Georgia From the BG AD Group Studio Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Saturday, January 24th and Happy Birthday to Neil Diamond I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are your top stories presented by Gwinnett KIA Mall of Georgia. GCPS cancels weekend activities; no decision made for Monday classes NAME CHANGE: Coolray Field's naming rights are up for grabs; will be Gwinnett Field for now Four dead in shooting at Lawrenceville home; child’s 911 call leads to suspect’s arrest All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: EAGLE THEATRE STORY 1: GCPS cancels weekend activities; no decision made for Monday classes Gwinnett County Public Schools is playing it safe this weekend—officials have canceled all activities scheduled for Saturday and Sunday due to the looming bad weather. “The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority,” the district said in a statement. As of Thursday afternoon, no decisions have been made yet about Monday. But the district promised to keep everyone in the loop if anything changes. For now, here’s the deal: All school events and facility use for Jan. 24–25? Canceled. Monday? Still up in the air. Stay tuned, and stay safe. STORY 2: NAME CHANGE: Coolray Field's naming rights are up for grabs; will be Gwinnett Field for now For 15 years, it’s been Coolray Field—home of the Gwinnett Stripers. But now? Say hello to Gwinnett Field. At least for now. Coolray Heating and Air’s naming rights deal ended in 2025, and while the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau hunts for a new corporate partner, the stadium’s getting a temporary rebrand. Signs are already coming down, including the big one on the outfield scoreboard (a crane’s needed for that beast). The Stripers’ website and new signage will reflect the change before the season starts in April. Meanwhile, Hall’s confident a new sponsor will step up soon. Even so, getting locals to stop calling it Coolray might take time. After all, even the apartments overlooking the field are named “The Views at Coolray Field.” Change is hard, but Hall believes people will adjust faster than they think. “Repetition works. Before long, they won’t even remember what it used to be called.” STORY 3: Four dead in shooting at Lawrenceville home; child’s 911 call leads to suspect’s arrest A tragic scene unfolded early Friday morning in a quiet Lawrenceville neighborhood—four adults were found dead in what police are calling a domestic shooting. It happened around 2:30 a.m. on Brook Ivy Court. Officers arrived after a “shots fired” call and discovered the victims inside the home, all with fatal gunshot wounds. Their names haven’t been released yet, but police confirmed there’d been prior calls to the house. Three young children were inside when it happened. Terrified, they hid in a closet. One of them—brave beyond words—called 911, giving officers the information they needed to respond quickly. When police arrived, the suspect’s car was still in the driveway. K-9 units tracked him to a nearby wooded area, where he was arrested without incident. The children, thankfully unharmed, are now with family. The investigation is ongoing. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We’ll be right back Break 2: Ingles Markets - Gwinnett County Public Schools STORY 4: Athea King named executive director of the Suwanee Arts Center The Suwanee Arts Center has a new face at the helm—Athea King, a seasoned arts leader with a knack for bringing people and creativity together. Before landing in Suwanee, King worked at the Woodruff Arts Center, where she juggled everything from managing over 130 trustees to building partnerships and co-creating fundraising events that boosted arts education across Georgia. Her resume? Packed. She’s led gallery merchandising at Spruill Gallery, strengthened artist relationships, and turned their Holiday Art Fair into a record-breaking fundraiser. She’s also held roles at the High Museum, ArtCloud, and more, shaping her into a powerhouse of strategic planning, artist advocacy, and community programming. Oh, and she’s not just an administrator—she’s an artist herself. King’s fine art photography has been exhibited across the Southeast, backed by two Kickstarter campaigns. With a BFA in Photographic Imaging and a heart for collaboration, King’s ready to make Suwanee’s arts scene shine even brighter. STORY 5: Parkview senior earns Legion of Valor Bronze Cross award Candace Elkins, a senior at Parkview High, just earned one of the most prestigious honors in JROTC—the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement. And honestly? It’s no surprise. As Cadet Battalion Commander, holding the rank of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel (the highest in her unit), Candace has led with grit and focus. Her leadership mantra? “Focus on your weakness and exploit it until it becomes your strength.” It’s worked wonders, according to First Sergeant Nontron D. Ward, her JROTC instructor. This award isn’t handed out lightly. Out of 300,000 JROTC students nationwide, only a handful receive it each year. To qualify, you’ve got to be in the top 10% of your JROTC unit and the top 15% of your class. Candace? She’s crushing it with a 98.8 GPA, a class rank of 43 out of 731, and a JROTC GPA of 98.5. But she’s not just about academics. She’s also a varsity lacrosse player, a Color Guard Commander, and a community service powerhouse. Dr. Frank Jones, a district coordinator, summed it up: “She’s the kind of well-rounded, high-achieving student the Legion of Valor Committee looks for.” We’ll be right back. Break 3: GCPL Passport STORY 6: Dumpster fire damages exterior of Dillard’s at Mall of Georgia Wednesday night got a little too heated at the Mall of Georgia—literally. A dumpster fire outside Dillard’s turned into a bigger problem when flames spread to the building’s exterior. It all started around 7:28 p.m., when 911 calls came in reporting the fire. By the time crews arrived five minutes later, the dumpster blaze had climbed up the two-story parapet wall near the loading dock. Firefighters jumped into action, attacking the flames with hoses while teams evacuated the store to make sure no one was trapped inside. Once everyone—about 40 people—was safely out, crews tackled the fire that had spread to a nearby tree and worked to protect surrounding areas. By 7:51 p.m., the fire was under control, though smoke still lingered inside Dillard’s. Fans were brought in to clear it out. The damage? Significant to the parapet wall, but thankfully, the fire didn’t make it inside the main building. No injuries were reported, and medical crews on-site focused on firefighter rehab. Fire officials later ruled the blaze accidental, with the dumpster as the starting point. Dillard’s and mall management were on hand to assist emergency crews as the situation unfolded. STORY 7: Lawrenceville's Natalee Summers honored as Gwinnett Tech's top GOAL student Natalee Summers, an Early Childhood Care and Education student at Gwinnett Technical College, was just named the 2026 GOAL winner—and she’s still wrapping her head around it. A Lawrenceville local, Natalee’s roots run deep in Gwinnett County. Raised in Georgia since she was seven, she credits her family, church, and community for shaping her journey. She’s not just a student—she’s a leader. From serving as a Student Ambassador to organizing a pajama drive that collected over 500 pairs for foster kids, Natalee’s heart is in everything she does. Her path to Gwinnett Tech wasn’t straightforward. Financial worries made a four-year university feel impossible, so she started in Radiologic Technology—practical, sure, but not her passion. Through the GOAL competition, Natalee realized something powerful: her story matters. After graduation, she hopes to work in Gwinnett County schools and eventually earn her bachelor’s in elementary education. We’ll have closing comments after this Break 4: Sugar Hill Ice Skating Rink Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.gwinnettdailypost.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com www.kiamallofga.com Ice Rink – Downtown Sugar Hill NewsPodcast, CurrentEvents, TopHeadlines, BreakingNews, PodcastDiscussion, PodcastNews, InDepthAnalysis, NewsAnalysis, PodcastTrending, WorldNews, LocalNews, GlobalNews, PodcastInsights, NewsBrief, PodcastUpdate, NewsRoundup, WeeklyNews, DailyNews, PodcastInterviews, HotTopics, PodcastOpinions, InvestigativeJournalism, BehindTheHeadlines, PodcastMedia, NewsStories, PodcastReports, JournalismMatters, PodcastPerspectives, NewsCommentary, PodcastListeners, NewsPodcastCommunity, NewsSource, PodcastCuration, WorldAffairs, PodcastUpdates, AudioNews, PodcastJournalism, EmergingStories, NewsFlash, PodcastConversations See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You heard that right! The guys are getting put to the test to see who's got the best (ahem) personality! It goes just about how you would expect!This is a free online version of the Myers-Briggs test, which many of you may know. We've included a link below so you can take it along with the Brothers!Stay tuned for the entire episode as they reveal their results!Q: Can they make it through without getting into an argument?A: NoFYI - you do NOT have to enter your email to complete the test!https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-testSupport our pod with our official merch!https://bropodmerch.bigcartel.com

Send us a textScott Heimendinger is an engineer and inventor whose career spans business intelligence at Microsoft and IBM, to cutting-edge food-tech innovation. Early in his career he served as a program manager at Microsoft, then pivoted into culinary science, co-founding the pioneering sous-vide company Sansaire, which raised over $823 K via Kickstarter to make sous-vide accessible to home cooks.He then moved into roles of increasing technical depth: at Modernist Cuisine he developed robotics, motion-control systems, microscopy, visual engineering and more; at Anova he led the development of the Anova Precision Oven — a home-focused combi-oven blending steam, air-flow and sensors. Today, with Seattle Ultrasonics, he's tackling the humble chef's knife: by embedding ultrasonic vibrations (over 40,000 Hz) and rigorous testing (including a robot-arm slicing experiment producing 100,000 data points) he's redefining what it means to “cut better” in the kitchen.For this episode we'll dive into Scott's journey bridging engineering and food, the technical story behind the ultrasonic knife (including prototyping, testing, failures and design iterations), and how a leader like him shepherds innovation from concept through to product launch. For engineers interested in product development, instrumentation, design-for-manufacturing and the crossover into consumer goods — this is one you won't want to miss.LINKS:Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottheimendinger/Guest website: https://seattleultrasonics.com/ Aaron Moncur, hostAbout Being An Engineer The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Join Al Mega as he sits down with writer/illustrator Bruno Stahl and editor Odette Schofield from HellDunkel Studios to talk about their explosive new Kickstarter, BOOM BANDITS: THE COMPLETE SAGA. This underground cyberpunk masterpiece takes readers through a rebellious, high-octane saga that blends punk rock aesthetics, dystopian grit, and a street-art attitude that refuses to compromise. In this episode, Bruno and Odette share their creative journey, the madness of pulling together the complete edition, and why this is the must-support Kickstarter of the year. Whether you're a longtime fan of indie comics or new to the BOOM BANDITS universe, this is an episode you can't miss. ðŸ'‰ Support BOOM BANDITS on Kickstarter Today Follow Bruno on Social at: @brunofrankenstahl Thank You for Watching / Listening! We appreciate your support! Episode 619 in an unlimited series! Host: Al Mega Follow on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook: @TheRealAlMega / @ComicCrusaders Make sure to Like/Share/Subscribe if you haven't yet: Rumble/Twitch: ComicCrusaders YouTube: / comiccrusadersworld Visit the official Comic Crusaders Comic Book Shop: comiccrusaders.shop Visit the OFFICIAL Comic Crusaders Swag Shop at: comiccrusaders.us Main Site: https://www.comiccrusaders.com/​​​​ Edited/Produced/Directed by Al Mega

In this episode, Christina Kao, founder of Le Mini Macaron, shares her journey from a marketing background to entrepreneurship in the beauty industry.She discusses the growth of her brand, the importance of customer education, and the impact of COVID-19 on nail care trends.Christina emphasizes the significance of community upliftment and the playful yet joyful nature of her brand, while also reflecting on the challenges and opportunities within the beauty industry.‍TAKEAWAYS:- Christina's background in marketing and advertising laid the foundation for her entrepreneurial journey.- Le Mini Macaron specializes in gel manicure products, making at-home nail care accessible.- The brand's target customers include both experienced gel users and newcomers to DIY manicures.- Kickstarter was a crucial platform for launching the brand and gaining initial traction.- COVID-19 significantly boosted the demand for at-home beauty solutions, including nail care.- Education is vital for customer experience, especially for first-time gel users.- The brand employs various marketing strategies to enhance customer acquisition and retention.- Creating a consistent brand experience across multiple channels is essential for success.- The brand aims to uplift its community, focusing on both consumers and team members.- Christina advocates for more programs to help newcomers enter the beauty industry.Where to find Christina Kao:  Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinasheenkao/​Website: http://www.leminimacaron.comWhere to find Kait Stephens:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kait-margraf-stephens/Website: www.brij.itSUBSCRIBE TO THE OMNICHANNEL MARKETERwww.theomnichannelmarketer.com‍

This week on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, we travel from kitchen sessions to open seas. Fiddles. Waltzes. Pub songs. And modern Celtic voices you're going to want to hear again on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #743  -  -  Subscribe now at CelticMusicPodcast.com! Nerea The Fiddler, Socks in the Frying Pan, Shannon Heaton, The Irish Rovers, Boxing Robin, Whiskey Faithful, Mary Beth Carty, Michael Joseph Ulery, Blackwillow Starling, CaliCeltic, Hugh Morrison, Jiggy, The Far North, SeaStar GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2026 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 0:07 - Nerea The Fiddler "Kitchen Music" from Off The Beatn Path 3:20 - WELCOME 7:32 - Socks in the Frying Pan "Willy Annes Waltz" from Waiting for Inspiration 10:58 - Shannon Heaton "Tattered Wings" from Perfect Maze 12:32 - The Irish Rovers "Back to Sea" from No End in Sight 16:30 - Boxing Robin "An Dro -  Trois Matelots du Port de Brest" from The View From Here 20:19 - FEEDBACK 25:30 - Whiskey Faithful "Whiskey in the Jar" from single 27:37 - Mary Beth Carty "A' Challuinn : 'S e gillean mo rùin / Walking the Floor / Capers Jig / Miss Anderson's Jig" from single 31:23 - Michael Joseph Ulery "All I Really Needed" from Mild November 35:03 - Blackwillow Starling "Wild Maiden" from Blackwillow Starling 38:46 - THANKS 40:29 - CaliCeltic "Hotaling's Whiskey" from Whiskey Mustache 45:05 - Hugh Morrison "Blinkers" from Lift Your Head Up 48:11 - Jiggy "Dekho" from single 52:22 - The Far North "Sailor And The Sea" from Songs For Weathering Storms 55:51 - CLOSING 56:56 - SeaStar "Auld Lang Syne" from single 1:00:10 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at   www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. Every song has a story, every episode is a toast to Celtic and folk songwriters. Discover the stories behind the songs from the heart of the Celtic pub scene. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email the artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. These musicians are not part of some corporation. They are small indie groups that rely on people just like you to support their music so they can keep creating it. Please show your generosity. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their community on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com. Email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast and you will get a free music - only episode. We have a Kickstarter that is running until January 30. The initial goal was to fund our 2025 Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast album. Happily that goal was reached within three days of the start of the campaign. Now we have a secondary stretch goal to fund the… IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODFEST AND ARTS MARKET This is a one - day music festival and arts market that will take place on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA, 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta. There are four bands performing at the festival. I am performing one show solo and one show with May Will Bloom, where my daughter takes the lead. Kinfolk will join us as well as I mentioned last week. But the final band performing at the festival is a 3 - piece version of The Muckers, our local Celtic punk band. That will complete our lineup. Follow our event page on Facebook for more details. Or Follow us for Free on our Patreon page. Now my next goal is to raise $3200 so that all of the bands are paid a decent wage and to promote our first - ever Celtic festival. To that end, I added three new rewards for Kickstarter. Each is a chance to sponsor individual bands at the festival. When you do, you'll get one of the first album pins from each of these amazing Celtic bands. That's because we are highlighting album pins at the festival as well, as another means to promote the music of bands. Our album pins are wooden lapel pins themed to a particular album released by a band. The buyer gets a digital download of the album, then they can wear their album! There's just 8 days left on this Kickstarter. So please make a pledge to support Celtic culture through music. THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Because of generous patrons like you, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast releases new episodes nearly every single week. Your support doesn't just fund the show—it fuels a movement. It helps us share the magic of Celtic music with thousands of new listeners and grow a global community of music lovers. Your contributions pay for everything behind the scenes: audio engineering, stunning graphics, weekly issues of the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and—most importantly—buying the music we feature from indie Celtic artists. And if you're not yet a patron? You're missing out! Patrons get: Early access to episodes Music - only editions Free MP3 downloads Exclusive stories and artist interviews A vote in the Celtic Top 20 Join us today and help keep the music alive, vibrant, and independent.

In this inspiring episode of the Payne Points of Wealth, Ryan sits down with Jimmy Chen—founder and CEO of Propel, the groundbreaking fintech company modernizing America's social safety net and serving millions of low‑income families each month. Jimmy shares his remarkable journey from arriving in Kansas City as a four‑year‑old immigrant from China with parents who had just $200, to becoming a Stanford graduate, early product manager at LinkedIn and Facebook, and ultimately the creator of one of the most impactful social‑good tech companies in the country. You'll hear: How Jimmy's childhood shaped his relationship with money, scarcity, and grit—including his early “entrepreneurial” idea to sell his toys to avoid being a burden on his family   His realization that Silicon Valley was building tech for people like themselves, not for the millions relying on programs like SNAP.   The company's 11‑year journey—from 60 investor rejections and a $12,000 Kickstarter, to raise $90 million from top VCs and investors like Serena Williams and Kevin Durant.   Why Jimmy hires self-reliance, resilience, and at least one successful —not pedigree.   The massive role AI now plays in Propel's product, customer support, and internal operations.   What he believes the future of education, work, and technology will look like in an AI‑driven world. Jimmy also opens up about the “chip on his shoulder” to succeed, his father's work ethic, why frugality helped and hindered him, and the music that shaped him as a kid, navigating life in a new culture. This is a powerful story of ambition and purpose—proof that game‑changing ideas don't just come from Silicon Valley, but from childhood uncertainty and a deep commitment to help those less fortunate in our country.   Tune in for a conversation that's heartfelt, eye‑opening, and packed with wisdom for entrepreneurs, parents, and anyone navigating big decisions about money, purpose, and impact

Our hosts return to the Podcave to revisit one of the darkest and most beloved episodes of Batman: The Animated Series: “Over the Edge.” Alex and Will break down why this haunting story still stands tall as one of the very best episodes in the entire DCAU, and give praise to Bob Hastings, who delivers an Emmy-worthy performance as Commissioner Gordon.Along the way, the discussion covers everything from Barbara Gordon's stress-fueled nightmare being directed by Christopher Nolan, to her uncanny ability to use this encounter as an excuse to dodge her household chores in the future.Our hosts also unpack why Bane's accent and outfit have mysteriously changed (hey, prison changes people), speculate on what Batman really carries in his utility belt, and discuss why Gordon jumps to the wrong conclusions when Barbara sits him down for a “talk.”A deep dive into grief and fear with some laughs along the way - Over the Edge remains just as powerful, unsettling, and unforgettable as ever.Tip Jar: https://buymeacoffee.com/batmantaspod Buy Our Merch: https://www.bleakworld.store/category/btas-podcast-collaborationOutbreaks Issue 4 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/speechcomics/outbreaks-1-4-an-ongoing-zombie-anthology-seriesMobster Mash 1-2 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/speechcomics/mobster-mash-1-2-classic-movie-monsters-as-mobsters Join Our Discord - https://discord.com/invite/bQF76V3nUs TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.tiktok.com/@batmantaspod?_t=8zn1yhsgnfz&_r=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@batmantaspod Follow the Pod on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/batmantaspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow the Pod on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.facebook.com/BatmanTASPod Follow the Pod on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://twitter.com/batmantaspod1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Will's Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.patreon.com/willrobson Speech Comics Website⁠ - https://www.speechcomics.com/ Will's WhatNot Page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.whatnot.com/user/speechcomics

#391"The things that create the geometry."Roundtable2025.05.29Your nice hosts all secured a Switch 2 pre-order... from a certain point of view. Then, Stephen examines the body, Mark attempts a vocabulary, and Lydia has recommendations.Chants of Sennaar - WikipediaNintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first - Jay Peters, The VergeMissed out on a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order? GameStop and Best Buy will have mo… - Demi Williams, TechRadarWhat Happened With Future Club0:22:17Stephen McGregorIRLProductionPart-Time Hero Campaign Ending - Future Club, KickstarterDesign Surface Area0:48:57Mark LaCroixGame DesignRubber duck debugging - Wikipedia

The crew is back aboard the skyship Uhuru, Jonnit and Travis have a conversation while sparring, Orimar and Gable enjoy Carmen's bedside personality before Orimar enjoys a meal. CONTENT NOTE Main Show:  Raw meat consumption, descriptions of gore Dear Uhuru: Beef "science" COSMIC CENTURY KNIGHTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the game on Kickstarter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the mailing list for James' game design projects⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE ULTIMATE RPG PODCAST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJOUST FIGHT WITH SPIRIT EXPANSION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get it now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJACKS: COURIER'S CALL IS BACK! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ STARWHAL PUBLIC FEED: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN OUR MAILING LIST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Right Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CGS Chats! A new interview episode here at CGS to put the spotlight on several projects this month for your consideration. In this episode, we talk to Steve Bryant for the Evie and the Hellsings volume 1 tpb Kickstarter, Martheus Wade and Maria Amelia Park for the Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa Episode 1 motion comic, and Ben Lichius and Dean Kotz to talk about the Black Coat: To Die But Once issue 2 Kickstarter! (1:51:56)

American Taxes, pay too little and you go to jail. Pay too much and you lose the money you need to reach more readers with advertising and promotion.  If your records feel like a mess of Amazon deposits, Ingram payments, Kickstarter funds, affiliate income, coaching fees and dozens of random expenses you're not alone. In this week's episode, you'll hear from a CPA who works specifically with authors, about how to handle bookkeeping and taxes with confidence. Seth Norris welcome to the Novel Marketing Podcast!You'll learn:A simple bookkeeping rhythm that prevents tax-time chaos.How the IRS decides if your writing is a business or a hobby.The most common mistake that costs authors the most money.Discover how to simplify your approach and how to avoid paying more taxes than you actually owe.If you want to keep more money for advertising, marketing, or feeding your family, stop treating taxes like a deadline of doom. Instead, listen in or read the blog version.Support the show

Ready to learn how faith, patience, and obedience can lead to a breakthrough launch? Today I am teaching how trusting God's timing can turn a long-held idea into a powerful printed product. Episode Summary: In this episode of the Dream Printing Podcast, Polly Payne sits down with Fatima, creator of the Her Becoming Devotional and Print School graduate. Fatima shares her deeply personal journey of obedience, healing, and consistency—and how God used that process to launch a 12-month devotional that helps women stay rooted in Scripture.  

Enough about the icons, Lex tells us about his big night, Dan talks about his e-reader and Moltz is also on this episode.Dan is considering buying a Zoom handheld recorder.Is Trombone Champ a good way to spend your time?The Iconfactory has a Kickstarter to make Ollie's Arcade free.Our thanks to Factor for sponsoring this episode. Eat smarter with tasty, chef-prepped meals that are dietitian-approved and delivered right to your door. Ready in just two minutes and with more than 65 weekly meals, you can pick what's right for you. Head to factormeals.com/rebound50off and use code rebound50off to get 50% off your first box.If you want to help out the show and get some great bonus content, consider becoming a Rebound Prime member! Just go to prime.reboundcast.com to check it out!Were you aware that you could buy things from us?! That's right! Shirts, iPhone cases, mugs, hats and one other type of thing are all available from our Rebound Store!

Walking Dead with Superhumans: The World of Flamevolt with Bruno CatarinoIn this episode of The United States Department of Nerds, the Chairman welcomes back comic creator Bruno Catarino to talk about his latest project, Flamevolt Issue #1 — a brutal, cinematic indie comic described as The Walking Dead with superhumans.Bruno dives into the inspiration behind Flamevolt, how his previous projects shaped this new series, and the creative process behind building a world driven by survival, power, and humanity. We explore the themes, visual identity, and why Issue #1 serves as a powerful entry point for new readers.The conversation also covers the Flamevolt Issue #1 Kickstarter, what backers can expect, and why supporting indie comics at the crowdfunding stage is more important than ever.If you're passionate about indie comics, creator-owned storytelling, and discovering the next big voice in comics — this episode is for you.

Hey Friend!   Are you searching for the perfect budget? One that will actually help you reach your goals and start building wealth? Are you sick of living the paycheck to paycheck roller coast of inconsistency and ready for financial stability?    That's what you are going to find today! A budget planner that will do just that! Last week I spilled the news that I built a budget planner and today is the day that I am going to share all about it. Who it's for. What it can do for you. But most importantly why you should get one too!    So go get your drink, open your heart to God and I'll see you inside!    Much Love    Molly    P.S. Next week you will be able to pre-order your planner! Make sure you join the Budgeting With Confidence Facebook Community or become an insider so that you know when the Kickstarter is live and can be one of the first to get your planner. Plus take one more step by setting up your Kickstarter account so that you can get your special launch day only pricing.  . . . Next Steps:  . Book a Call  . Join The Community  . Become an Insider . Set Up Your Kickstarter Account . Questions? Email me at mollybenell@gmail.com 

In which the NetHeads debate whether we're living in a Golden Age of Television while superhero movies are stuck in their awkward teen phase, check out the latest Kickstarter gadgets designed to separate Will from his money, and reveal a highly questionable “What Is My Purpose?” 3D print. We also ask the big nerd question: do we actually care about the Avengers: Doomsday Clock? ►►Go to https://www.sliceworx.com/?ref=WILLWILKINS and use the Coupon Code THATWILLWILKINS for up to 5% off your purchase. Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/TbXXBkbj64 Patreon Supporter of the Week: ►► Brian Poll

Board games are supposed to bring people together—but some of them feel more like intellectual flexes than friendly competition. This week, JJ and Tucker dive deep into the board games that secretly say more about you than the game itself. From Scrabble's smug superiority complex, to Monopoly house rules that feel suspiciously like modern economics, to a surprisingly revealing game of Guess Who, the conversation spirals into stereotypes, pop culture, childhood nostalgia, and why modern board games are having a full-on renaissance. Along the way, they unpack: Why Scrabble feels like someone trying to prove they're smarter than you How Guess Who accidentally becomes a psychological profiling tool The evolution of Monopoly boards (and why Fargo might have messed one up) Carmen Sandiego, Anne Hathaway, and heist-movie logic Dead birds, Mr. McGregor, and childhood trauma The Olympics lottery, obscure events, and cheering for the flag   00:00 – Please put your clothes back on (intro) 01:08 – The board game that feels like an insult 01:49 – Monopoly trash talk and pandemic grudges 03:09 – Fargo Monopoly and questionable city design 04:33 – Monopoly house rules gone completely off the rails 05:15 – Scrabble: the "I'm better than you" game 06:14 – Scrabble boards, editions, and nostalgia 07:47 – Travel games and modern Guess Who 08:49 – Guess Who as personality profiling 10:20 – Bias, stereotypes, and reading strangers 11:25 – Why Guess Who should be a TV show 11:56 – Carmen Sandiego rights and reboots 13:20 – Anne Hathaway and heist movie logic 15:27 – The Princess Diaries (somehow gets darker) 18:50 – Board game collecting and Kickstarter culture 19:35 – Viticulture, birds, and pigeon slander 21:02 – Finding a dead turkey vulture 23:03 – Peter Rabbit and childhood fear 27:32 – Registering for the 2028 Olympics lottery 29:25 – Skateboarding, table tennis, and obscure events 32:27 – Eddie the Eagle and Olympic loopholes 34:09 – Closing and credits   Support the show: For more episodes of JJ Meets World, or to find out how you can support the podcast, visit http://www.jjmeetsworld.com/ Patreon:   / jjmeetsworld   Merch Shop: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/jj-meets... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0L9IGvJ... YouTube:    / @jjmeetsworldpodcast3115    

This week on NPC, rumors swirl about the Steam Machine's pricing, AYANEO pauses to collect itself, GameSir's Pocket Taco goes live, the lack of foldable phone controllers, and our first videogames. Also available on YouTube here. Links and Show Notes The Latest Portable Gaming News Steam Machine pricing may have leaked Meta has closed three VR studios as part of its metaverse-focused layoffs GameSir Pocket Taco phone controller Kickstarter is now live AYANEO Pocket PLAY delayed AYN Thor gets major OTA update, Batch 2 shipping January 15, prices rising for Batch 3 Retrocade is coming to Apple Vision Pro A FEX announcement is coming Subscribe to NPC XL NPC XL is a weekly members-only version of NPC with extra content, available exclusively through our new Patreon for $5/month. Each week on NPC XL, Federico, Brendon, and John record a special segment or deep dive about a particular topic that is released alongside the "regular" NPC episodes. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/c/NextPortableConsole Leave Feedback for John, Federico, and Brendon NPC Feedback Form Credits Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte Follow Us Online On the Web MacStories.net Wavelengths.online Follow us on Mastodon NPC Federico John Brendon Follow us on Bluesky NPC MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Brendon Bigley Affiliate Linking Policy

KickStarter McDermott Fired and Albany Firebirds Coach Damon Ware

The Titterpigs finally corner Dr. Paul Mitchener, designer, educator, and creator of Liminal, for a long-overdue chat. Paul takes us from his first RPG experience (GMing D&D before he'd ever played) to his early published work on Wild Talents, and how a mix of curiosity, collaboration, and sheer nerve turned into a career in game design.We dig into the origins of Liminal, why its UK-flavored urban fantasy struck a nerve, what's coming next for the line, and the hard-earned truth about running Kickstarters, stretch goals, budgets, and a little launch-day superstition. Paul also teases Age of Arthur 2E, a new Osprey Games project, and reflects on the Mitchester Arms online pub that kept a lot of us sane.Plus: ukuleles, polite British bragging, and why networking is just “making friends with extra steps.”You can Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠titterpigspod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with your comments, questions, or soundbites.Episode Intro by Dr. Mitch. You can follow Dr. Paul Mitchener on Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thetweedmeister,bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more ukulele goodness and also to check out his many TTRPG offerings. Most especially⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Liminal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give us a follow on all our socials:Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Titterpigs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/Titterpigs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@titterpigs.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Scott:Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @HailOrcusdorkus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dice.camp/@orcusdorkus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@orcusdorkus.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OrcusDorkus' RPG Shenanigans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Keith:Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DM_Modoc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mastodon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dice.camp/@Modoc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @modoc.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and his blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rolling Boxcars Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This episode's music: Music by Valery Romanov from PixabayMusic by Paul Winter from PixabayMusic by Mykola Odnoroh from PixabayMusic by Dmitrii Kolesnikov from Pixabay

Today's guest is Aurora Winter — an award-winning bestselling author; TV producer; media coach; ghostwriter; and successful serial entrepreneur. Aurora is founder of SamePagePublishing.com and the creator of the Spoken Author™ method, helping experts craft award-winning books that expand their impact and income.Her book Turn Words Into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand, and Book to Create Multiple Streams of Income & Impact won Outstanding Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 2022 and many other awards since then.Aurora's Website @aurorawintermba on Instagram Aurora on YouTube Aurora left a lucrative career as a TV executive to pursue a life built on storytelling, creativity, and contribution. Today she empowers entrepreneurs, authors, and speakers to turn their words — and their wisdom — into wealth.Turning Words Into WealthAurora, you help entrepreneurs and experts use books as a centerpiece for their brand and business. What are the most powerful ways someone can turn their words into multiple streams of income today?The Neuroscience of Memorable MessagesYou're known for blending filmmaking, storytelling, and neuroscience. What does science tell us about why certain messages stick — and how can listeners apply this to their own communication, branding, or writing?The 27X Power of StoryYou talk about the “27X value of a story.” What does that mean — and why is story still the most persuasive, profitable, and memorable tool in business?New Ways to Market — AI, Kickstarter, and BeyondThe landscape for authors and entrepreneurs is shifting fast. What new marketing approaches should people be paying attention to — including AI, Kickstarter, or other platforms?Pivoting From Business to Award-Winning FantasyYou've recently stepped into writing fantasy — and winning awards for it. How has writing fiction influenced your creative life? And in your view, how can fiction shape or illuminate real-world issues. “Seven Ways to Make 7 Figures”: Could you share one or two of your favorite strategies that listeners could begin applying today?· Gift for Our Audience - Includes your Turn Words-to-Wealth starter library and a video masterclass on how to attract capital, clients, and media coverage.: https://turnwordsintowealth.com· Marketing Fastrack: The Little Book That Launched a New Business by Aurora Winter- on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8xrIglK· Turn Words Into Wealth: Blueprint for Your Business, Brand and Book by Aurora Winter - on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7RRkVYb· Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse Book 1 Amazon: https://a.co/d/5cmA6Um· LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/AuroraWinterThanks to our sponsor, White Cloud Coffee — fueling creative conversations everywhere. Listeners, enjoy 10% off your first order at whitecloudcoffee.com.And before you go, you

Mike said he was sick for this one. I don't know. He didn't seem sick to me. He seemed suspiciously at the top of his game. And thank goodness for that. Because we needed all his powers for this episode – one full of fun, mirth, and madness! And some Kickstarters as well. To wit: a doctor trying to become a content creator, our favorite Kitchen Idiots, a watch that doesn't work, and more. Oh and just as a cautionary note, I'd tell you to watch out for Mike coughing and sneezing a lot on this episode, but he didn't do it at all. So. Make of that what you will. Music for YKS is courtesy of Howell Dawdy, Craig Dickman, Mr. Baloney, and Mark Brendle. Additional research by Zeke Golvin. YKS is edited by Producer Dan. Social Media by Maddalena Alvarez.Executive Producer Tim Faust (@crulge)I want my YKS…They stopped doing MTV so I assume we can have that now. Anyway I want my YKS…and I get it. On YKS Premium!Follow us on Instagram: @YKSPod, TikTok: YourKickstarterSucks and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video stuff!Wow, 2026 is gonna be lit!! Gift subscriptions to YKS Premium are now available at Patreon.com/yourkickstartersucks/giftSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Romulans raise their weapons and a howl echoes from the tunnels—now the corridor erupts in phaser fire as the away team fights to hold the line. For all your Fallout Modding needs, check out Al’s stuff on YouTube, Twitch & Patreon! Background Music and Sounds Syrinscape “Multiple Songs” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Editing & Sound Design byKevin Robbins Support us on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/adventureawaitspodcast Check out the store!https://adventureawaitspod.creator-spring.com/ Get a discount on Arkenforge!Use code AAPOD at checkout!Arkenforge's Dark Fantasy Kit is now live on Kickstarter. Check it out using our affiliate link below.Get access to the builder, premade maps, and a cool new feature: Mood Images!!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkenforge/the-dark-fantasy-construction-kit?ref=b34eyl

Last year, there was an increased focus on pre-launch, with Kickstarter making a number of platform changes enabling creators to get their pre-launch pages up earlier and with less friction, and make visible the conversion power of pre-launch followers. As a result, many creators are bumping up their pre-launch plans. However, is there such a thing as pre-launching too early? Tyler shares some indicators that there might be... Let's discuss.

Six Fifteen Comics: Creating Black Heroes, Culture, and CommunityOn this episode of The USDN Podcast — Where Indie Comics Come to Life, we're joined by Malcolm McFadden, creator and writer of Six Fifteen Comics, to talk independent comics, creative inspiration, and his latest Kickstarter project The King's Domain #1–2.Malcolm is a hip hop artist, writer, and audio engineer from Annapolis, Maryland, whose passion for comics began at a young age and evolved into a creator-owned comic company focused on telling dope, authentic stories centered around Black characters. Drawing inspiration from icons like Batman, Static, and Spider-Man, Malcolm blends real-life experiences with bold comic book storytelling.In this conversation, we explore:The creative origins of Six Fifteen ComicsThe story and meaning behind the name “Six Fifteen”How music influences comic book storytellingBuilding an indie comic brandA Kickstarter spotlight on The King's Domain #1–2Advice for aspiring comic creators

Is your brain full of information that serves no purpose? Do you forget your own phone number but remember the national animal of Scotland?Well sit down and prepare to be uneducated!The guys are freestyling again with whatever comes to mind, and trust me, it goes just about how you would expect!No stone is left un-  actually, scratch that. Plenty of stones are left fully unturned as the Brothers get to the bottom of… nothing.Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the weekend!Support our pod with our official merch!https://bropodmerch.bigcartel.com

Looking for new Celtic music to love? This week is packed with fresh trad, pub songs, and modern folk from indie artists around the world. It's all on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #742  --  Subscribe now at CelticMusicPodcast.com! Aisling Drost Byrne, Brendan McCarthy & Conal O'Kane, Lane to the Glen, Tony Christie & Ranagri, Michael Joseph Ulery, Kyle Carey, The Druids Irish Folk Band, Carroll Sisters Trio, Kinnfolk, Whiskey Bay Rovers, Poitin, The Langer's Ball, Callán, The Crazy Rogues, Julien LOko Irish Band, Possibly Irish GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2026 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 0:06 - Aisling Drost Byrne, Brendan McCarthy & Conal O'Kane "The Girl That Broke my Heart / Máire na Sop / The Dear Tobacco" from JUMP OUT OF IT 3:14 - WELCOME 5:57 - Lane to the Glen "O'Kelly's Fancy : The Fiddlers' Contest (Hornpipes)" from Lane to the Glen 8:45 - Tony Christie & Ranagri "The Rocky Road to Dublin" from The Great Irish Songbook Volume ll 14:12 - Michael Joseph Ulery "Biscuit Tin" from Mild November 23:42 - Kyle Carey "Bà i ù o hò" from The Last Bough 28:12 - FEEDBACK 31:05 - The Druids Irish Folk Band "The Druids Mix" from The Starry Plough 35:27 - Carroll Sisters Trio "Neck Belly  -  Ivy Rose" from Radiance 39:23 - Kinnfolk "The Water's Rising/Gwendal" from Star Above The Mountain 45:04 - Whiskey Bay Rovers "Welcome Poor Paddy Home" from Taverns and Tides 48:23 - Poitin "Bar Eye" from Simple Pleasures 52:05 - THANKS 54:42 - The Langer's Ball "The Wild Rover Polka" from Drinking Song Sing - A - Long (2025) 57:48 - Callán "Drown In A Bottle" from Bloody Colleen 1:01:29 - The Crazy Rogues "Fight You (2021 Remastered Version)" from Advanced Roguery 1:04:30 - Julien LOko Irish Band "John Walsh" from Storms 1:06:57 - CLOSING 1:08:45 - Possibly Irish "Oh Are Ye Sleeping Maggie" from Voyage Home 1:12:46 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at   www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. The 2026 season of stories, Celtic and folk songwriters and the Celtic pub scene is back in February. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We're here to build a strong and welcoming Celtic community. One that lifts up artists. One that shares great music. These musicians give their music to you. Freely. With heart. If you hear a song you love, please tell the artist. Send them an email. Let them know you heard them on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. These artists are not part of big companies. They are indie musicians. Small bands. Real people. They rely on fans like you. Your support helps them keep making music. If you can, please be generous.  Buy a CD. Grab an Album Pin or a shirt.  Download the music.  Or join their Patreon. You'll find links to every artist in the show notes. Plus show times and more. Just visit us at celticmusicpodcast.com. Email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast and you will get a free music - only episode. IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODFEST Today's show is brought to you by Irish & Celtic Music PodFest and Arts Market. Our first ever festival will feature three Celtic bands, including yours truly, Marc Gunn. Join us on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA. Follow our event page on Facebook for more details. Or even better, Follow us for Free on our Patreon page. If you can or cannot come out to enjoy the music, please consider supporting the festival. We are now running a Kickstarter for a compilation of the Best Celtic Music of 2025. But we are also funding the Irish & Celtic Music PodFest. We need about $5000 more than our current total to both adequately fund the compilation AND fund this first - ever festival. THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Because of you, this podcast exists. Because of your generosity, we release new episodes almost every week. You make that possible. Truly. Your support does more than pay the bills. It keeps Celtic music moving forward. It helps us share this music with listeners all over the world. It helps grow a global Celtic community. Your patronage covers everything behind the scenes. Audio editing.  Artwork. Weekly issues of the Celtic Music Magazine. Promotion. And most important of all. It helps us buy music from indie Celtic artists. So they can keep creating. And we can keep sharing it. If you are already a patron, thank you. You are the heart of this show. And if you're not yet a patron, you are always welcome.  Patrons get early access to episodes. Music - only editions. Free MP3 downloads. Exclusive stories and artist interviews. And a vote in the Celtic Top 20. Join us today. Help keep this music alive. Independent. And full of magic.

Our hosts return to the podcave and ring in the New Year by getting their ROX off and bust out their review of the episode, The Ultimate Thrill.Alex and Will discuss the introduction of Roxy Rocket (aka Batman's one night stand) and how she's horned up for danger 24/7. Edging herself until the end, where she experiences the ultimate "thrill" and shows us what a chartoon character's "O-FACE" actually looks like. I guess being strapped to a vibrating rocket will do that to ya! Our hosts also discover a new way for Batman to get his rocks off, why Alfred did not enjoy laundry day that week, and why "Shoot To Thrill" is the best AC/DC song. Tip Jar: https://buymeacoffee.com/batmantaspod Buy Our Merch: https://www.bleakworld.store/category/btas-podcast-collaborationOutbreaks Issue 4 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/speechcomics/outbreaks-1-4-an-ongoing-zombie-anthology-seriesMobster Mash 1-2 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/speechcomics/mobster-mash-1-2-classic-movie-monsters-as-mobsters Join Our Discord - https://discord.com/invite/bQF76V3nUs TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.tiktok.com/@batmantaspod?_t=8zn1yhsgnfz&_r=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.youtube.com/@batmantaspod Follow the Pod on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/batmantaspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow the Pod on Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.facebook.com/BatmanTASPod Follow the Pod on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://twitter.com/batmantaspod1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Will's Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.patreon.com/willrobson Speech Comics Website⁠ - https://www.speechcomics.com/ Will's WhatNot Page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://www.whatnot.com/user/speechcomics

With Gable mortally wounded, they rally with Jonnit and Orimar in a brutal fight against the Vox, Persistensia Il Anima, to take control of the only airship out of the Feather Vault. Their fate is tied to the fate of the freed prisoners, including Christopher. Can they hold out with their depleted resources? CONTENT NOTE Main Show:  Fire, gunshots, impaling, scalding, body mutilation, drowning, flooding Dear Uhuru: No Dear Uhuru this week. COSMIC CENTURY KNIGHTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the game on Kickstarter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the mailing list for James' game design projects⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE ULTIMATE RPG PODCAST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJOUST FIGHT WITH SPIRIT EXPANSION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get it now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJACKS: COURIER'S CALL IS BACK! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ STARWHAL PUBLIC FEED: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN OUR MAILING LIST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Right Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine getting your lab results, feeding them into an AI, and realizing it caught a mistake your clinic didn't. That's where we start: the real promise of ChatGPT Health against the very real risks of privacy drift and model error. We unpack what “enhanced protections” actually need to look like, why accuracy and safety can't play second fiddle to consent screens, and how patients can use AI without replacing their doctor. A candid story about a dropdown gone wrong makes the stakes feel personal, not theoretical.From the body to the browser of your mind, we shift to games racing toward photorealism. GTA 6, Unrecord, and cutting‑edge racers now look like camera footage. Does that change how our brains process violence and emotion? We pull from psychology to separate moral panic from measurable effects, and dig into the design choices—tone, mechanics, exaggeration—that help players keep fiction in focus even as visuals blur the line.Then the surprise CES headliner: Lego's new Smart Brick. Sensors, light detection, NFC, and a tiny speaker turn physical builds into reactive play without a screen. We weigh the creativity boost against the risk of gimmick creep, and talk about how accessible coding tools could turn this into a STEM gateway rather than a shortcut. Staying hands‑on, we evaluate a compact SLS 3D printer on Kickstarter that sinters powder with a laser. It's support‑free, wastes less, and yields sturdy parts, but demands safety gear and a pro‑level budget—great for makers ready to sell, overkill for casual hobbyists.Privacy takes center stage again with smart TVs using automatic content recognition to silently track what you watch. We call out dark patterns, buried settings, and the illusion of consent when features break if you say no. Across health data, living room screens, and playful bricks, a through‑line emerges: tech should earn trust with transparent defaults, meaningful control, and value you can feel.To keep it fun and grounded, we run a blind whiskey bracket of finished rye and bourbon—sherry, port, and tequila casks in the mix. A past champion returns, a celebrity label underwhelms, and our palates evolve in surprising ways. If you love sharp takes with a splash of good spirit, this hour's for you.Enjoy the show? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us. Your feedback shapes what we explore next.Support the show

Send us a textI've got a lot of games on my book shelves. Some are old games that I have played a lot, others are games that looked good in the store and I picked them up, but never got around to playing them. And then there is my Kickstarter addiction. Yea, I've got several that I picked up through Kickstarter because they sounded good and then once I got them, I never broke them out and played them.I don't think I'm unique in that regard and I also know that I'm on the low end of the collecting scale so really my problem is in my own head. But, it doesn't change the fact that I have a lot of games I want to play.So my New Years Resolution is to pick three of those games on my shelf I've never played, and play them this year.That's it. Just play three games I haven't played before in 2026That couldn't be easier, could it?Well not so fast. You see I'm running an ongoing Conan Campaign that the players seem to love and of course Christina is running her Ghost Hunters in Space game and then Mike keeps promising Cyberpunk … He's a busy man I can't give him too hard a time.So when do you fit it in. What do you stop playing and when do you start a new game.That's a problem for another show. In this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to talk about the three games we are going to try and run this year and why we want to run them or play them so badly.We will do this round robin style with each of us talking about one game we want to play and why, and of course I'm going to start with Christina?[Kick to Christina]Mike, Your turn[Kick to Mike]

Hey Friend!   Do you currently live paycheck to paycheck? Are you paying bills first and living off of what is remaining bringing inconsistency to your budget? Does this make it hard to save money and reach your financial goals? Are you ready to live in financial security?    After today, you are going to know what it takes to create a stable income even with inconsistent paychecks and bills causing you to ride the feast or famine rollercoaster.    So go get your drink, open your heart to God and I'll see you inside!    Much Love    Molly    P.S. I have a BUDGET PLANNER and next week I am revealing what it looks like. Make sure you join the Budgeting With Confidence Facebook Community or become an insider so that you can see what the planner is going to look like, what it will do for you and learn all of the details behind how you can pre-order your planner. Plus take one more step by setting up your Kickstarter account so that you can be one of the first to pre-order and get a special launch day only pricing.  . . . Next Steps:  . Book a Call  . Join The Community  . Become an Insider . Set Up Your Kickstarter Account . Questions? Email me at mollybenell@gmail.com . Resources:  55. Ready for Financial Stability? How an Emergency Fund Can Get You There Fast. 84. Real Life Budget: How to Know if You're off Budget or if It's Time to Rework Your Categories. 119. Looking for Consistency? My Method to Quit Living Paycheck to Paycheck and Afford Food and Bills at the Same Time. 124. Base Budgeting: The #1 Way to Live on Less and Save More

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J.M. Brandt is the writer of the horror comic Swamp Dogs. Like so many creative individuals he’s been horrified by what the current presidential administration has been doing to marginalize LGBTQ people and individuals of color…so he decided to do something about it. He pulled people together from all corners of the comic and artistic […]

How can you build iconic characters that your readers want to keep coming back to? How can you be the kind of creator that readers trust, even without social media? With Claire Taylor In the intro, Dan Brown talks writing and publishing [Tetragrammaton]; Design Rules That Make or Break a Book [Self-Publishing Advice]; Amazon's DRM change [Kindlepreneur]; Show me the money [Rachael Herron]; AI bible translation [Wycliffe, Pope Leo tweet]. Plus, Business for Authors 24 Jan webinar, and Bones of the Deep. Today's show is sponsored by Bookfunnel, the essential tool for your author business. Whether it's delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out ebooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. Check it out at bookfunnel.com/thecreativepenn This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Claire Taylor is a humour and mystery author, the owner of FFS Media, and a certified Enneagram coach. She teaches authors to write stronger stories and build sustainable careers at LiberatedWriter.com, and her book is Write Iconic Characters: Unlocking the Core Motivations that Fuel Unforgettable Stories. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights, and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why Claire left social media and how she still markets her books and services What the Enneagram is and how core fears and desires shape character motivation Using Enneagram types (including Wednesday Addams as an example) to write iconic characters Creating rich conflict and relationships by pairing different Enneagram types on the page Coping with rapid change, AI, and fear in the author community in 2026 Building a trustworthy, human author brand through honesty, transparency, and vulnerability You can find Claire at LiberatedWriter.com, FFS.media, or on Substack as The Liberated Writer. Transcript of the interview with Claire Taylor Joanna: Claire Taylor is a humour and mystery author, the owner of FFS Media, and a certified Enneagram coach. She teaches authors to write stronger stories and build sustainable careers at LiberatedWriter.com, and her book is Write Iconic Characters: Unlocking the Core Motivations that Fuel Unforgettable Stories. So, welcome back to the show, Claire. Claire: Thank you so much for having me back. I'm excited to be here. Joanna: It's great to have you back on the show. It was March 2024 when you were last on, so almost two years now as this goes out. Give us a bit of an update. How has your writing craft and your author business changed in that time? Claire: One of the things I've been focusing on with my own fiction craft is deconstructing the rules of how a story “should” be. That's been a sort of hobby focus of mine. All the story structure books aren't law, right? That's why there are so many of them. They're all suggestions, frameworks. They're all trying to quantify humans' innate ability to understand a story. So I'm trying to remember more that I already know what a story is, deep down. My job as an author is to keep the reader's attention from start to finish and leave them feeling the way I hope they'll feel at the end. That's been my focus on the craft side. On the author business side, I've made some big shifts. I left social media earlier this year, and I've been looking more towards one-on-one coaching and networking. I did a craft-based Kickstarter, and I'd been focusing a lot on “career, career, career”—very business-minded—and now I'm creating more content again, especially around using the Enneagram for writing craft. So there's been a lot of transition since 2024 for me. Joanna: I think it's so important—and obviously we're going to get into your book in more detail—but I do think it's important for people to hear about our pivots and transitions. I haven't spoken to you for a while, but I actually started a master's degree a few months back. I'm doing a full-time master's alongside everything else I do. So I've kind of put down book writing for the moment, and I'm doing essay writing and academic writing instead. It's quite different, as you can imagine. It sounds like what you're doing is different too. One thing I know will have perked up people's ears is: “I left social media.” Tell us a bit more about that. Claire: This was a move that I could feel coming for a while. I didn't like what social media did to my attention. Even when I wasn't on it, there was almost a hangover from having been on it. My attention didn't feel as sharp and focused as it used to be, back before social media became what it is now. So I started asking myself some questions: What is lost if I leave? What is gained if I leave? And what is social media actually doing for me today? Because sometimes we hold on to what it used to do for us, and we keep trying to squeeze more and more of that out of it. But it has changed so much. There are almost no places with sufficient organic reach anymore. It's all pay-to-play, and the cost of pay-to-play keeps going up. I looked at the numbers for my business. My Kickstarter was a great place to analyse that because they track so many traffic sources so clearly. I could see exactly how much I was getting from social media when I advertised and promoted my projects there. Then I asked: can I let that go in order to get my attention back and make my life feel more settled? And I decided: yes, I can. That's worth more to me. Joanna: There are some things money can't buy. Sometimes it really isn't about the money. I like your question: what is lost and what is gained? You also said it's all pay-to-play and there's no organic reach. I do think there is some organic reach for some people who don't pay, but those people are very good at playing the game of whatever the platform wants. So, TikTok for example—you might not have to pay money yet, but you do have to play their game. You have to pay with your time instead of money. I agree with you. I don't think there's anywhere you can literally just post something and know it will reliably reach the people who follow you. Claire: Right. Exactly. TikTok currently, if you really play the game, will sometimes “pick” you, right? But that “pick me” energy is not really my jam. And we can see the trend—this “organic” thing doesn't last. It's organic for now. You can play the game for now, but TikTok would be crazy not to change things so they make more money. So eventually everything becomes pay-to-play. TikTok is fun, but for me it's addictive. I took it off my phone years ago because I would do the infinite scroll. There's so much candy there. Then I'd wake up the next morning and notice my mood just wasn't where I wanted it to be. My energy was low. I really saw a correlation between how much I scrolled and how flat I felt afterwards. So I realised: I'm not the person to pay-to-play or to play the game here. I'm not even convinced that the pay-to-play on certain social media networks is being tracked in a reliable, accountable way anymore. Who is holding them accountable for those numbers? You can sort of see correlation in your sales, but still, I just became more and more sceptical. In the end, it just wasn't for me. My life is so much better on a daily basis without it. That's definitely a decision I have not regretted for a second. Joanna: I'm sorry to keep on about this, but I think this is great because this is going out in January 2026, and there will be lots of people examining their relationship with social media. It's one of those things we all examine every year, pretty much. The other thing I'd add is that you are a very self-aware person. You spend a lot of time thinking about these things and noticing your own behaviour and energy. Stopping and thinking is such an important part of it. But let's tackle the big question: one of the reasons people don't want to come off social media is that they're afraid they don't know how else to market. How are you marketing if you're not using social media? Claire: I didn't leave social media overnight. Over time, I've been adjusting and transitioning, preparing my business and myself mentally and emotionally for probably about a year. I still market to my email list. That has always been important to my business. I've also started a Substack that fits how my brain works. Substack is interesting. Some people might consider it a form of social media—it has that new reading feed—but it feels much more like blogging to me. It's blogging where you can be discovered, which is lovely. I've been doing more long-form content there. You get access to all the emails of your subscribers, which is crucial to me. I don't want to build on something I can't take with me. So I've been doing more long-form content, and that seems to keep my core audience with me. I've got plenty of people subscribed; people continue to come back, work with me, and tell their friends. Word of mouth has always been the way my business markets best, because it's hard to describe the benefits of what I do in a quick, catchy way. It needs context. So I'm leaning even more on that. Then I'm also shifting my fiction book selling more local. Joanna: In person? Claire: Yes. In person and local. Networking and just telling more people that I'm an author. Connecting more deeply with my existing email lists and communities and selling that way. Joanna: I think at the end of the day it does come back to the email list. I think this is one of the benefits of selling direct to people through Shopify or Payhip or whatever, or locally, because you can build your email list. Every person you bring into your own ecosystem, you get their data and you can stay in touch. Whereas all the things we did for years to get people to go to Amazon, we didn't get their emails and details. It's so interesting where we are right now in the author business. Okay, we'll come back to some of these things, but let's get into the book and what you do. Obviously what underpins the book is the Enneagram. Just remind us what the Enneagram is, why you incorporate it into so much of your work, and why you find it resonates so much. Claire: The Enneagram is a framework that describes patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions that tend to arise from nine different core motivations. Those core motivations are made up of a fear–desire pair. So, for instance, there's the fear of lacking worth and the desire to be worthy. That pair is the Type Three core motivation. If you're a Type Three, sometimes called “The Achiever,” that's your fundamental driver. What we fear and desire above all the other fears and desires determines where our attention goes. And attention is something authors benefit greatly from understanding. We have to keep people's attention, so we want to understand our own attention and how to cultivate it. The things our attention goes to build our understanding of ourselves and the world. Being intentional about that, and paying attention to what your characters pay attention to—and what your readers are paying attention to—is hugely beneficial. It can give you a real leg up. That's why I focus on the Enneagram. I find it very useful at that core level. You can build a lot of other things on top of it with your characters: their backstory, personal histories, little quirks—all of that can be built off the Enneagram foundation. Why I like the Enneagram more than other frameworks like MBTI or the Big Five is that it not only shows us how our fears are confining us—that's really what it's charting—but it also shows us a path towards liberation from those fears. That's where the Enneagram really shines: the growth path, the freedom from the confines of our own personality. It offers that to anyone who wants to study and discover it. A lot of the authors I work with say things like, “I'm just so sick of my own stuff.” And I get it. We all get sick of running into the same patterns over and over again. We can get sick of our personality! The Enneagram is a really good tool for figuring out what's going on and how to try something new, because often we can't even see that there are other options. We have this particular lens we're looking through. That's why I like to play with it, and why I find it so useful. Joanna: That's really interesting. It sounds like you have a lot of mature authors—and when I say “mature,” I mean authors with a lot of books under their belt, not necessarily age. There are different problems at different stages of the author career, and the problem you just described—“I'm getting sick of my stuff”—sounds like a mature author issue. What are some of the other issues you see in the community that are quite common amongst indie authors? Claire: One that comes up a lot, especially early on, is: “Am I doing this right?” That's a big question. People say, “I don't know if I'm doing this right. I'm going to mess it up. This person told me this was the way to do things, but I don't think I can do it this way. Am I doomed?” That's the fear. A lot of what I help people with is seeing that there isn't a single “right” way to do this. There's a way that's going to feel more aligned to you, and there are millions of ways to approach an author career because we're all constructing it as we go. You were there in the early days. We were all just making this up as we went along. Joanna: Exactly. There was a time when ebooks were PDFs, there wasn't even a Kindle, and there was no iPhone. We were literally just making it up. Claire: Right. Exactly. That spirit of “we're all making it up” is important. Some of us have come up with frameworks that work for us, and then we tell other people about them—“Here's a process; try this process”—but that doesn't mean it's the process. Understanding what motivates you—those core motivations—helps you see where you're going to bump into advice that's not right for you, and how to start making decisions that fit your attention, your life, your desires in this author role. Early on we do a lot of that work. Then there are the authors who started a while ago and have a bunch of books. They hit a point where they say, “I've changed so much since I started writing. I need to figure out how to adjust my career.” Joanna: Tell us more about that, because I think that's you and me. How do we deal with that? Claire: Well, crying helps. Joanna: That is true! There's always a bit of crying involved in reinvention. From my perspective, my brand has always been built around me. People are still here—I know some people listening who have been with the podcast since I started it in 2009—and I've always been me. Even though I've done loads of different things and changed along the way, at heart I'm still me. I'm really glad I built a personal brand around who I am, rather than around one genre or a single topic. How about you? How do you see it? Claire: I'm the same. I just can't stick with something that doesn't feel right for me anymore. I'll start to rebel against it. There's also that “good girl” part of me that wants to do things the way they're supposed to be done and keep everybody happy. I have to keep an eye on her, because she'll default to “this is the way it should be done,” and then I end up constricted. As we advance through our careers, positioning around what motivates us and what we love, and allowing ourselves to understand that it's okay to change—even though it's painful—is crucial. It's actually destructive not to change over time. We end up forfeiting so many things that make life worth living if we don't allow ourselves to grow and change. We end up in this tiny box. People sometimes say the Enneagram is very restrictive. “It's only nine types, you're putting me in a box.” It's like: no. These are the boxes we've put ourselves in. Then we use the Enneagram to figure out how to get out of the box. As we start to see the box we've put ourselves in with our personality—“that's me, that's not me”—we realise how much movement we actually have, how many options we have, while still being ourselves. Joanna: So many options. This kind of brings us into your book, because part of the personal brand thing is being real and having different facets. Your book is Write Iconic Characters, and presumably these are characters that people want to read more about. It uses the Enneagram to construct these better characters. So first up— What's your definition of an iconic character, as opposed to any old character? And how can we use the Enneagram to construct one? Claire: An iconic character, in my imagination, is one that really sticks with us after we've finished the story. They become a reference point. We'll say, “This person is kind of like that character,” or “This situation feels like that character would handle it this way.” It could be our friends, our enemies, someone we meet on the bus—whoever it is might remind us of this character. So they really get lodged in our psyche. An iconic character feels true to some fundamental part of the human condition, even if they're not strictly human. So, all the alien romance people listening, don't worry—you're still in! These characters take on a life of their own. With an iconic character, we may hear them talking to us after the book is done, because we've tapped into that essential part of them. They can become almost archetypal—something we go back to over and over again in our minds, both as writers and as readers. Joanna: How can we use the Enneagram to construct an iconic character? I'm asking this as a discovery writer who struggles to construct anything beforehand. It's more that I write stuff and then something emerges. But I have definitely not had a hit series with an iconic character, so I'm willing to give your approach a try. Claire: It works with whatever your process is. If you're a discovery writer, start with that spark of a character in your head. If there's a character who's just a glimmer—maybe you know a few things about them—just keep writing. At some point you'll probably recognise, “Okay, it's time to go deeper in understanding this character and create a cohesive thread to pull all of this together.” That's where the Enneagram becomes useful. You can put on your armchair psychologist hat and ask: which of the nine core fears seems like it might be driving the parts of their personality that are emerging? Thankfully, we intuitively recognise the nine types. When we start gathering bits for a new character, we tend to pull from essentially the same constellation of personality, even if we don't realise it. For instance, you might say, “This character is bold and adventurous,” and that's all you know. You're probably not going to also add, “and they're incredibly shy,” because “bold and adventurous” plus “incredibly shy” doesn't really fit our intuitive understanding of people. We know that instinctively. So, you've got “bold and adventurous.” You write that to a certain point, and then you get to a place where you think, “I don't really know them deeply.” That's when you can go back to the nine core fears and start ruling some out quite quickly. In the book, I have descriptions for each of them. You can read the character descriptions, read about the motivations, and start to say, “It's definitely not these five types. I can rule those out.” If they're bold and adventurous, maybe the core fear is being trapped in deprivation and pain, or being harmed and controlled. Those correspond to Type Seven (“The Enthusiast”) and Type Eight (“The Challenger”), respectively. So you might say, “Okay, maybe they're a Seven or an Eight.” From there, if you can pin down a type, you can read more about it and get ideas. You can understand the next big decision point. If they're a Type Seven, what's going to motivate them? They'll do whatever keeps them from being trapped in pain and deprivation, and they'll be seeking satisfaction or new experiences in some way, because that's the core desire that goes with that fear. So now, you're asking: “How do I get them to get on the spaceship and leave Earth?” Well, you could offer them some adventure, because they're bold and adventurous. I have a character who's a Seven, and she gets on a spaceship and takes off because her boyfriend just proposed—and the idea of being trapped in marriage feels like: “Nope. Whatever is on this spaceship, I'm out of here.” You can play with that once you identify a type. You can go as deep with that type as you want, or you can just work with the core fear and the basic desire. There's no “better or worse”—it's whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever you need for the story. Joanna: In the book, you go into all the Enneagram types in detail, but you also have a specific example: Wednesday Addams. She's one of my favourites. People listening have either seen the current series or they have something in mind from the old-school Addams Family. Can you talk about [Wednesday Addams] as an example? Claire: Doing those deep dives was some of the most fun research for this book. I told my husband, John, “Don't bother me. I need to sit and binge-watch Wednesday again—with my notebook this time.” Online, people were guessing: “Oh, she's maybe this type, maybe that type.” As soon as I started watching properly with the Enneagram in mind, I thought: “Oh, this is a Type Eight, this is the Challenger.” One of the first things we hear from her is that she considers emotions to be weakness. Immediately, you can cross out a bunch of types from that. When we're looking at weak/strong language—that lens of “strength” versus “weakness”—we tend to look towards Eights, because they often sort the world in those terms. They're concerned about being harmed or controlled, so they feel they need to be strong and powerful. That gave me a strong hint in that direction. If we look at the inciting incident—which is a great place to identify what really triggers a character, because it has to be powerful enough to launch the story—Wednesday finds her little brother Pugsley stuffed in a locker. She says, “Who did this?” because she believes she's the only one who gets to bully him. That's a very stereotypical Type Eight thing. The unhealthy Eight can dip into being a bit of a bully because they're focused on power and power dynamics. But the Eight also says, “These are my people. I protect them. If you're one of my people, you're under my protection.” So there's that protection/control paradox. Then she goes and—spoiler—throws a bag of piranhas into the pool to attack the boys who hurt him. That's like: okay, this is probably an Eight. Then she has control wrested from her when she's sent to the new school. That's a big trigger for an Eight: to not have autonomy, to not have control. She acts out pretty much immediately, tries to push people away, and establishes dominance. One of the first things she does is challenge the popular girl to a fencing match. That's very Eight behaviour: “I'm going to go in, figure out where I sit in this power structure, and try to get into a position of power straight away.” That's how the story starts, and in the book I go into a lot more analysis. At one point she's attacked by this mysterious thing and is narrowly saved from a monster. Her reaction afterwards is: “I would have rather saved myself.” That's another strong Eight moment. The Eight does not like to be saved by anyone else. It's: “No, I wanted to be strong enough to do that.” Her story arc is also very Eight-flavoured: she starts off walled-off, “I can do it myself,” which can sometimes look like the self-sufficiency of the Five, but for her it's about always being in a power position and in control of herself. She has to learn to rely more on other people if she wants to protect the people she cares about. Protecting the innocent and protecting “her people” is a big priority for the Eight. Joanna: Let's say we've identified our main character and protagonist. One of the important things in any book, especially in a series, is conflict—both internal and external. Can we use the Enneagram to work out what would be the best other character, or characters, to give us more conflict? Claire: The character dynamics are complex, and all types are going to have both commonalities and conflict between them. That works really well for fiction. But depending on how much conflict you need, there are certain type pairings that are especially good for it. If you have a protagonist who's an Eight, they're going to generate conflict everywhere because it doesn't really bother them. They're okay wading into conflict. If you ask an Eight, “Do you like conflict?” they'll often say, “Well, sometimes it's not great,” but to everyone else it looks like they come in like a wrecking ball. The Eight tends to go for what they want. They don't see the point in waiting. They think, “I want it, I'm going to go and get it.” That makes them feel strong and powerful. So it's easy to create external and internal conflict with an Eight and other types. But the nature of the conflict is going to be different depending on who you pair them with. Let's say you have this Eight and you pair them with a Type One, “The Reformer,” whose core fear is being bad or corrupt, and who wants to be good and have integrity. The Reformer wants morality. They can get a little preachy; they can become a bit of a zealot when they're more unhealthy. A One and an Eight will have a very particular kind of conflict because the One says, “Let's do what's right,” and the Eight says, “Let's do what gets me what I want and puts me in the power position.” They may absolutely get along if they're taking on injustice. Ones and Eights will team up if they both see the same thing as unjust. They'll both take it on together. But then they may reach a point in the story where the choice is between doing the thing that is “right”—maybe self-sacrificing or moral—versus doing the thing that will exact retribution or secure a power-up. That's where the conflict between a One and an Eight shows up. You can grab any two types and they'll have unique conflict. I'm actually working on a project on Kickstarter that's all about character dynamics and relationships—Write Iconic Relationships is the next project—and I go deeper into this there. Joanna: I was wondering about that, because I did a day-thing recently with colour palettes and interior design—which is not usually my thing—so I was really challenging myself. We did this colour wheel, and they were talking about how the opposite colour on the wheel is the one that goes with it in an interesting way. I thought— Maybe there's something in the Enneagram where it's like a wheel, and the type opposite is the one that clashes or fits in a certain way. Is that a thing? Claire: There is a lot of that kind of contrast. The Enneagram is usually depicted in a circle, one through nine, and there are strong contrasts between types that are right next to each other, as well as interesting lines that connect them. For example, we've been talking about the Eight, and right next to Eight is Nine, “The Peacemaker.” Eights and Nines can look like opposites in certain ways. The Nine is conflict-avoidant, and the Eight tends to think you get what you want by pushing into conflict if necessary. Then you've got Four, “The Individualist,” which is very emotional, artistic, heart-centred, and Five, “The Investigator,” which you're familiar with—very head-centred and analytical, thinking-based. The Four and the Five can clash a bit: the head and the heart. So, yes, there are interesting contrasts right next to each other on the wheel. Each type also has its own conflict style. We're going into the weeds a bit here, but it's fascinating to play with. There's one conflict style—the avoidant conflict style, sometimes called the “positive outlook” group—and it's actually hard to get those types into an enemies-to-lovers romance because they don't really want to be enemies. That's Types Two, Seven, and Nine. So depending on the trope you're writing, some type pairings are more frictional than others. There are all these different dynamics you can explore, and I can't wait to dig into them more for everyone in the relationships book. Joanna: The Enneagram is just one of many tools people can use to figure out themselves as well as their characters. Maybe that's something people want to look at this year. You've got this book, you've got other resources that go into it, and there's also a lot of information out there if people want to explore it more deeply. Let's pull back out to the bigger picture, because as this goes out in January 2026, I think there is a real fear of change in the community right now. Is that something you've seen? What are your thoughts for authors on how they can navigate the year ahead? Claire: Yes, there has been a lot of fear. The rate of change of things online has felt very rapid. The rate of change in the broader world—politically, socially—has also felt scary to a lot of people. It can be really helpful to look at your own personal life and anchor yourself in what hasn't changed and what feels universal. From there you can start to say, “Okay, I can do this. I'm safe enough to be creative. I can find creative ways to work within this new environment.” You can choose to engage with AI. You can choose to opt out. It's totally your choice, and there is no inherent virtue in either one. I think that's important to say. Sometimes people who are anti-AI—not just uninterested but actively antagonistic—go after people who like it. And sometimes people who like AI can be antagonistic towards people who don't want to use it. But actually, you get to choose what you're comfortable with. One of the things I see emerging for authors in 2026, regardless of what tools you're using or how you feel about them, is this question of trustworthiness. I think there's a big need for that. With the increased number of images and videos that are AI-generated—which a lot of people who've been on the internet for a while can still recognise as AI and say, “Yeah, that's AI”—but that may not be obvious for long. Right now some of us can tell, but a lot of people can't, and that's only going to get murkier. There's a rising mistrust of our own senses online lately. We're starting to wonder, “Can I believe what I'm seeing and hearing?” And I think that sense of mistrust will increase. As an author in that environment, it's really worth focusing on: how do I build trust with my readers? That doesn't mean you never use AI. It might simply mean you disclose, to whatever extent feels right for you, how you use it. There are things like authenticity, honesty, vulnerability, humility, integrity, transparency, reliability—all of those are ingredients in this recipe of trustworthiness that we need to look at for ourselves. If there's one piece of hard inner work authors can do for 2026, I think it's asking: “Where have I not been trustworthy to my readers?” Then taking that hard, sometimes painful look at what comes up, and asking how you can adjust. What do you need to change? What new practices do you need to create that will increase trustworthiness? I really think that's the thing that's starting to erode online. If you can work on it now, you can hold onto your readers through whatever comes next. Joanna: What's one concrete thing people could do in that direction [to increase trustworthiness]? Claire: I would say disclosing if you use AI is a really good start—or at least disclosing how you use it specifically. I know that can lead to drama when you do it because people have strong opinions, but trustworthiness comes at the cost of courage and honesty. Transparency is another ingredient we could all use more of. If transparency around AI is a hard “absolutely not” for you—if you're thinking, “Nope, Claire, you can get lost with that”—then authenticity is another route. Let your messy self be visible, because people still want some human in the mix. Being authentically messy and vulnerable with your audience helps. If you can't be reliable and put the book out on time, at least share what's going on in your life. Staying connected in that way builds trust. Readers will think, “Okay, I see why you didn't hit that deadline.” But if you're always promising books—“It's going to be out on this day,” and then, “Oh, I had to push it back,” and that happens again and again—that does erode the trustworthiness of your brand. So, looking at those things and asking, “How am I cultivating trust, and how am I breaking it?” is hard work. There are definitely ways I look at my own business and think, “That's not a very trustworthy thing I'm doing.” Then I need to sit down, get real with myself, and see how I can improve that. Joanna: Always improving is good. Coming back to the personal brand piece, and to being vulnerable and putting ourselves out there: you and I have both got used to that over years of doing it and practising. There are people listening who have never put their photo online, or their voice online, or done a video. They might not use their photo on the back of their book or on their website. They might use an avatar. They might use a pen name. They might be afraid of having anything about themselves online. That's where I think there is a concern, because as much as I love a lot of the AI stuff, I don't love the idea of everything being hidden behind anonymous pen names and faceless brands. As you said, being vulnerable in some way and being recognisably human really matters. I'd say: double down on being human. I think that's really important. Do you have any words of courage for people who feel, “I just can't. I don't want to put myself out there”? Claire: There are definitely legitimate reasons some people wouldn't want to be visible. There are safety reasons, cultural reasons, family reasons—all sorts of factors. There are also a lot of authors who simply haven't practised the muscle of vulnerability. You build that muscle a little bit at a time. It does open you up to criticism, and some people are just not at a phase of life where they can cope with that. That's okay. If fear is the main reason—if you're hiding because you're scared of being judged—I do encourage you to step out, gently. This may be my personal soapbox, but I don't think life is meant to be spent hiding. Things may happen. Not everyone will like you. That's part of being alive. When you invite in hiding, it doesn't just stay in one corner. That constricted feeling tends to spread into other areas of your life. A lot of the time, people I work with don't want to disclose their pen names because they're worried their parents won't approve, and then we have to unpack that. You don't have to do what your parents want you to do. You're an adult now, right? If the issue is, “They'll cut me out of the will,” we can talk about that too. That's a deeper, more practical conversation. But if it's just that they won't approve, you have more freedom than you think. You also don't have to plaster your picture everywhere. Even if you're not comfortable showing your face, you can still communicate who you are and what matters to you in other ways—through your stories, through your email list, through how you talk to readers. Let your authentic self be expressed in some way. It's scary, but the reward is freedom. Joanna: Absolutely. Lots to explore in 2026. Tell people where they can find you and your books and everything you do online. Claire: LiberatedWriter.com is where all of my stuff lives, except my fiction, which I don't think people here are necessarily as interested in. If you do want to find my fiction, FFS Media is where that lives. Then I'm on Substack as well. I write long pieces there. If you want to subscribe, it's The Liberated Writer on Substack. Joanna: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Claire. That was great. Claire: Thanks so much for having me.The post Leaving Social Media, Writing Iconic Characters, and Building Trust With Claire Taylor first appeared on The Creative Penn.

After uncovering bodies and an encrypted confession on a derelict Klingon station, the crew follows a signal to the Cordillon system—where interference shrouds an old mining outpost and a risky beam-in awaits. For all your Fallout Modding needs, check out Al’s stuff on YouTube, Twitch & Patreon! Background Music and Sounds Syrinscape “Multiple Songs” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Editing & Sound Design byKevin Robbins Support us on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/adventureawaitspodcast Check out the store!https://adventureawaitspod.creator-spring.com/ Get a discount on Arkenforge!Use code AAPOD at checkout!Arkenforge's Dark Fantasy Kit is now live on Kickstarter. Check it out using our affiliate link below.Get access to the builder, premade maps, and a cool new feature: Mood Images!!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arkenforge/the-dark-fantasy-construction-kit?ref=b34eyl

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAlbert Chow built Silk & Snow in the shadow of the DTC mattress wars—but instead of racing to burn VC cash, he played the long game. Today, Silk & Snow has grown into a full home brand with 10 retail stores, a thriving Canadian customer base, and a strong U.S. expansion roadmap.For DTC founders scaling from $5M to $50M...Why they skipped the mattress arms race and leaned into vertical integrationHow bundling less (and planting trees instead) saved $1.3MWhat they learned scaling from 1 to 10 retail stores in a yearThe metrics they track now that ROAS is irrelevantWhy launching a sofa was more about customer affinity than furnitureWho this is for: Operators scaling past one SKU or one channel—and looking for a sustainable path to growth.What to steal:Bundling with purpose (optional tree planting vs. free stuff)Bottom-up brand building: low-funnel mastery firstHow to use DTC data to drive brick-and-mortar strategyTimestamps00:00 Organic growth and surviving the DTC mattress crash02:00 Entering the crowded mattress market in 201704:00 Why Silk and Snow became a full home brand06:00 Factory-first supply chain and Canadian manufacturing08:00 Launching with Kickstarter and early traction10:00 The 2019 DTC apocalypse and sustainable growth12:00 Expanding beyond mattresses into sleep accessories14:00 Functional vs aspirational buying in home goods16:00 Becoming a multi-channel retailer18:00 Using customer data to choose store locations20:00 Canada vs US growth strategy22:00 Building brand from the bottom of the funnel24:00 Replacing bundles with tree planting26:00 Performance marketing roots and early Google28:00 Shifting into awareness and brand media30:00 Why ROAS isn't the real growth signal32:00 Retail partnerships and staying DTC34:00 Black Friday for big-ticket home products36:00 Fulfillment, returns, and sustainability38:00 Repeat customers and long-term LTV40:00 Sleep Country acquisition and retail scale42:00 Vancouver store and physical retail strategyHashtags#DTC #EcommercePodcast #SilkAndSnow #AlbertChow #DTCBrands #HomeGoods #MattressIndustry #BrandBuilding #RetailStrategy #DirectToConsumer #EcommerceGrowth #StartupPodcast #FounderStory #CanadianBrands #PerformanceMarketing #Omnichannel #RetailExpansion #DTCpodcast Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

As the new year gets underway, the spotlight turns to ComixLaunch Pro Farhan Qureshi. Farhan shares his journey, from his origins in film and animation to finding a more efficient medium in comics. He discusses the importance of systems and organization, community support within the ComixLaunch group, and the balance between personal vision and market trends.

For Patreon subscriber Mo Martinez!  LOVE TRIVIA WITH BUDDS? CHECK OUT THE MNEMONIC MEMORY PODCAST!  "Knowledge is rooted in memory—listen to The Mnemonic Memory Podcast today." http://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/ Fact of the Day: Dracula Daily is a newsletter which runs from May 3rd to November 7th each year, sending chapters of Bram Stoker's Dracula to its subscribers on the day they are meant to take place. Triple Connections: Street, Kangaroo, Neighborhood THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 02:18 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $1 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW!  GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES:  Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music:  "EDM Detection Mode" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ http://TriviaWithBudds.com http://Facebook.com/TriviaWithBudds http://Instagram.com/ryanbudds Book a party, corporate event, or fundraiser anytime by emailing ryanbudds@gmail.com or use the contact form here: https://www.triviawithbudds.com/contact SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL MY AMAZING PATREON SUBSCRIBERS INCLUDING:   Mollie Dominic Vernon Heagy Brian Clough Sarah Nassar Nathalie Avelar Becky and Joe Heiman Natasha raina Waqas Ali leslie gerhardt Skilletbrew Bringeka Brooks Martin Yves Bouyssounouse Sam Diane White Youngblood Sarah Lemons Trophy Husband Trivia Rye Josloff Lynnette Keel Nathan Stenstrom Lillian Campbell Jerry Loven Ansley Bennett Gee Jamie Greig Jeremy Yoder Adam Jacoby rondell Adam Suzan Chelsea Walker Tiffany Poplin Bill Bavar Sarah Dan  Katelyn Turner Keiva Brannigan Keith Martin Sue First Steve Hoeker Jessica Allen Michael Anthony White Lauren Glassman Brian Williams Henry Wagner Brett Livaudais Linda Elswick Carter A. Fourqurean KC Khoury Tonya Charles  Justly Maya Brandon Lavin Kathy McHale Chuck Nealen Courtney French Nikki Long Mark Zarate Laura Palmer  JT Dean Bratton Kristy Erin Burgess Chris Arneson Trenton Sullivan Jen and Nic Michele Lindemann Ben Stitzel Michael Redman Timothy Heavner Jeff Foust Richard Lefdal Myles Bagby Jenna Leatherman Albert Thomas Kimberly Brown Tracy Oldaker Sara Zimmerman Madeleine Garvey Jenni Yetter JohnB Patrick Leahy Dillon Enderby James Brown Christy Shipley Alexander Calder Ricky Carney Paul McLaughlin Casey OConnor Willy Powell Robert Casey Rich Hyjack Matthew Frost Brian Salyer Greg Bristow Megan Donnelly Jim Fields Mo Martinez Luke Mckay Simon Time Feana Nevel

2026 is just getting started and rest assured the Lawrence Brothers have not lost any momentum!Enter the stream of consciousness as the guys talk about everything and nothing simultaneously! A detailed guide to wedding anniversaries, the history of the merkin, and the little things Joe does to let his wife know he loves her.In case you're wondering, this is exactly how the Brothers are in real life. They can't help but make each other laugh and they love to share it with YOU!Hope everyone's New Year is off to a rockin' start, can't wait to share what we have in store this year!Support our pod with our official merch!https://bropodmerch.bigcartel.com

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 15:45:00 GMT http://relay.fm/tc/130 http://relay.fm/tc/130 Dan Provost, Tom Gerhardt, and Myke Hurley Myke is thinking of running a Kickstarter campaign, and wants to talk it out with Tom and Dan. Myke is thinking of running a Kickstarter campaign, and wants to talk it out with Tom and Dan. clean 2779 Myke is thinking of running a Kickstarter campaign, and wants to talk it out with Tom and Dan. Links and Show Notes:

Need something calm, human, and heartfelt? We're starting the year with chill Celtic songs… gentle voices, meaningful lyrics, and music that feels like coming home, all on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #741  -  -  Subscribe now! Enda Reilly, The Druids Irish Folk Band, Brobdingnagian Bards, The Haar, Charlie O'Brien, Socks in the Frying Pan, Tiffany Schaefer, Whiskey Bay Rovers, Boxing Robin, Bealtaine, Goitse, Rambling Sailors, Heather Dale, Jesse Ferguson, The Gothard Sisters GET CELTIC MUSIC NEWS IN YOUR INBOX The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items with what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 FOR 2026 This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create this year's Best Celtic music episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now! You can follow our playlist on YouTube to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC 0:07 - Enda Reilly "Red Is The Rose" from Whisperings 2:57 - WELCOME 5:01 - The Druids Irish Folk Band "Farewell to Bellaghy" from The Starry Plough 8:02 - Brobdingnagian Bards "I'm Coming Home" from Another Faire to Remember 12:34 - The Haar "Spancil Hill" from The Lost Day 17:34 - Charlie O'Brien "The Pampa's Fairest Child" from The Trackless Wild, Irish Song of the Pampa 21:20 - FEEDBACK 25:28 - Socks in the Frying Pan "Suffer in Silence" from Waiting for Inspiration 28:29 - Tiffany Schaefer "Si Do Mhaimeo I" from Tara's Halls 30:54 - Whiskey Bay Rovers "Away Rio" from Taverns and Tides 34:08 - Boxing Robin "One Autumn Morning" from The View From Here 37:52 - Bealtaine "Grafton Street" from Factories & Mills, Shipyards & Mines 41:59 - THANKS 45:06 - Goitse "Write Me Down" from Rosc Goitse pronounced "Go - wit - cha" 48:47 - Rambling Sailors "Hi Ho Come Roll Me Over" from Kenway's Favorites 50:27 - Heather Dale "The Morrigan" from Fairytale 53:46 - Jesse Ferguson "Yankee Whalermen" from Ten 57:15 - CLOSING 58:34 - The Gothard Sisters "See You Down the Road" from Moment in Time 1:02:29 - CREDITS Support for this program comes from International speaker, Joseph Dumond, teaching the ancient roots of the Gaelic people. Learn more about their origins at Sightedmoon.com Support for this program comes from Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, Creating Transparent Borders for more than twenty five years, serving Alaska and the world. Find out more at   www.CascadiaLawAlaska.com Support for this program comes from Hank Woodward. Support for this program comes from Dr. Annie Lorkowski of Centennial Animal Hospital in Corona, California. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You'll find links to all of the artists played in this episode. Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you'll get 7 weekly news items about what's happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage. Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor. Finally, remember. Clean energy isn't just good for the planet, it's good for your wallet. Solar and wind are now the cheapest power sources in history. But too many politicians would rather protect billionaires than help working families save on their bills. Real change starts when we stop allowing the ultra - rich to write our energy policy and run our government. Let's choose affordable, renewable power. Clean energy means lower costs, more freedom, and a planet that can actually breathe. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/. WELCOME THE IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST * Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic musician and also host of Pub Songs & Stories. Every song has a story, every episode is a toast to Celtic and folk songwriters. Discover the stories behind the songs from the heart of the Celtic pub scene. This podcast is for fans of all kinds of Celtic music. We are here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email the artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. These musicians are not part of some corporation. They are small indie groups that rely on people just like you to support their music so they can keep creating it. Please show your generosity. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their community on Patreon. You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com. Email follow@bestcelticmusic to learn how to subscribe to the podcast and you will get a free music - only episode. IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODFEST Today's show is brought to you by Irish & Celtic Music PodFest. Our first ever festival will feature three Celtic bands, including yours truly, Marc Gunn. It's happening Sunday, March 8, 2026 at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA. Follow our event page on Facebook for more details. Or even better, Follow us for Free on our Patreon page. While you're there, you'll also find out about the Kickstarter we're launching for an album of the Best Celtic Music of 2025. Find out how You can get involved. ALBUM PINS ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE HEAR CELTIC MUSIC I got an email from Discmakers, my CD manufacturer, saying they were forced to raise their prices because of tariffs by our president. This is a tax on Americans. So if you love CDs, remember that the prices will go up. So please support those higher priced CDs. But there is an option for those who don't want to buy CDs and for those who want a better alternative for the environment. It's the Album Pin. Album Pins are lapel pins themed to a particular album. You get a digital download of the album. Then you can wear your album. All of my latest Album Pins are wood - burned and locally produced. This makes them better for the environment. And they are fun and fashionable. If you want to learn more about Album Pins, you can read more about them on my celtfather.Substack.com or just buy one at magerecords.com THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Because of generous patrons like you, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast releases new episodes nearly every single week. Your support doesn't just fund the show—it fuels a movement. It helps us share the magic of Celtic music with thousands of new listeners and grow a global community of music lovers. Your contributions pay for everything behind the scenes: audio engineering, stunning graphics, weekly issues of the Celtic Music Magazine, show promotion, and—most importantly—buying the music we feature from indie Celtic artists. And if you're not yet a patron? You're missing out! Patrons get… Early access to episodes Music - only editions Free MP3 downloads Exclusive stories and artist interviews A vote in the Celtic Top 20 Join us today and help keep the music alive, vibrant, and independent.

Gable, Orimar and Jonnit finally find themselves in both the same location and same time since they've entered the Feather Vault. With the vault collapsing around them, they make one final dash towards a lone ship that is threatening to leave without them. CONTENT NOTE Main Show:  Fire, Gunshots Dear Uhuru: We need to record more COSMIC CENTURY KNIGHTS ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the game on Kickstarter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the mailing list for James' game design projects⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Order now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave a review!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE ULTIMATE RPG PODCAST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJOUST FIGHT WITH SPIRIT EXPANSION ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get it now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SKYJACKS: COURIER'S CALL IS BACK! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ STARWHAL PUBLIC FEED: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen on Spotify (or any other podcatcher app)!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN OUR MAILING LIST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Right Here!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.