Podcasts about kindle vella

Why do some romance authors build decades-long careers while others vanish after one breakout book? What really separates a throwaway pen name and rapid release strategy from a legacy brand and a body of work you're proud of? How can you diversify with trad, indie, non-fiction, and Kickstarter without burning out—or selling out your creative freedom? With Jennifer Probst. In the intro, digital ebook signing [BookFunnel]; how to check terms and conditions; Business for Authors 2026 webinars; Music industry and AI music [BBC; The New Publishing Standard]; The Golden Age of Weird. This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Jennifer Probst is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 60 books across different kinds of romance as well as non-fiction for writers. Her latest book is Write Free. 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 How Jennifer started writing at age 12, fell in love with romance, and persisted through decades of rejection A breakout success — and what happened when it moved to a traditional publisher Traditional vs indie publishing, diversification, and building a long-term, legacy-focused writing career Rapid-release pen names vs slow-burn author brands, and why Jennifer chooses quality and longevity Inspirational non-fiction for writers (Write Naked, Write True, Write Free) Using Kickstarter for special editions, re-releases, courses, and what she's learned from both successes and mistakes – plus what “writing free” really means in practice How can you ‘write free'? You can find Jennifer at JenniferProbst.com. Transcript of interview with Jennifer Probst Jo: Jennifer Probst is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 60 books across different kinds of romance as well as non-fiction for writers. Her latest book is Write Free. So welcome, Jennifer. Jennifer: Thanks so much, Joanna. I am kind of fangirling. I'm really excited to be on The Creative Penn podcast. It's kind of a bucket list. Jo: Aw, that's exciting. I reached out to you after your recent Kickstarter, and we are going to come back to that in a minute. First up, take us back in time. Tell us a bit more about how you got into writing and publishing. Jennifer: This one is easy for me. I am one of those rarities. I think that I knew when I was seven that I was going to write. I just didn't know what I was going to write. At 12 years old, and now this will kind of date me in dinosaur era here, there was no internet, no information on how to be a writer, no connections out there. The only game in town was Writer's Digest. I would go to my library and pore over Writer's Digest to learn how to be a writer. At 12 years old, all I knew was, “Oh, if I want to be a famous writer, I have to write a book.” So I literally sat down at 12 and wrote my first young adult romance. Of course, I was the star, as we all are when we're young, and I have not stopped since. I always knew, since my dad came home from a library with a box of romance novels and got in trouble with my mum and said, basically, “She's reading everything anyway, just let her read these,” I was gone. From that moment on, I knew that my entire life was going to be about that. So for me, it wasn't the writing. I have written non-stop since I was 12 years old. For me, it was more about making this a career where I can make money, because I think there was a good 30 years where I wrote without a penny to my name. So it was more of a different journey for me. It was more about trying to find my way in the writing world, where everybody said it should be just a hobby, and I believed that it should be something more. Jo: I was literally just going back in my head there to the library I used to go to on my way home from school. Similar, probably early teens, maybe age 14. Going to that section and… I think it was Shirley Conran. Was that Lace? Yes, Lace books. That's literally how we all learned about sex back in the day. Jennifer: All from books. You didn't need parents, you didn't need friends. Amazing. Jo: Oh, those were the days. That must have been the eighties, right? Jennifer: It was the eighties. Yes. Seventies, eighties, but mostly right around in the eighties. Oh, it was so… Jo: I got lost about then because I was reminiscing. I was also the same one in the library, and people didn't really see what you were reading in the corner of the library. So I think that's quite funny. Tell us how you got into being an indie. Jennifer: What had happened is I had this manuscript and it had been shopped around New York for agents and for a bunch of publishers. I kept getting the same exact thing: “I love your voice.” I mean, Joanna, when you talk about papering your wall with rejections, I lived that. The only thing I can say is that when I got my first rejection, I looked at it as a rite of passage that created me as a writer, rather than taking the perspective that it meant I failed. To me, perspective is a really big thing in this career, how you look at things. So that really helped me. But after you get like 75 of them, you're like, “I don't know how much longer I can take of this.” What happened is, it was an interesting story, because I had gone to an RWA conference and I had shopped this everywhere, this book that I just kept coming back to. I kept saying, “I feel like this book could be big.” There was an indie publisher there. They had just started out, it was an indie publisher called Entangled. A lot of my friends were like, “What about Entangled? Why don't you try more digital things or more indie publishers coming up rather than the big traditional ones?” Lo and behold, I sent it out. They loved the book. They decided, in February of 2012, to launch it. It was their big debut. They were kind of competing with Harlequin, but it was going to be a new digital line. It was this new cutting-edge thing. The book went crazy. It went viral. The book was called The Marriage Bargain, and it put me on the map. All of a sudden I was inundated with agents, and the traditional publishers came knocking and they wanted to buy the series. It was everywhere. Then it hit USA Today, and then it spent 26 weeks on The New York Times. Everybody was like, “Wow, you're this overnight sensation.” And I'm like, “Not really!” That was kind of my leeway into everything. We ended up selling that series to Simon & Schuster because that was the smart move for then, because it kind of blew up and an indie publisher at that time knew it was a lot to take on. From then on, my goal was always to do both: to have a traditional contract, to work with indie publishers, and to do my own self-pub. I felt, even back then, the more diversified I am, the more control I have. If one bucket goes bad, I have two other buckets. Jo: Yes, I mean, I always say multiple streams of income. It's so surprising to me that people think that whatever it is that hits big is going to continue. So you obviously experienced there a massive high point, but it doesn't continue. You had all those weeks that were amazing, but then it drops off, right? Jennifer: Oh my goodness, yes. Great story about what happened. So 26 weeks on The New York Times, and it was selling like hotcakes. Then Simon & Schuster took it over and they bumped the price to their usual ebook price, which was, what, $12.99 or something? So it's going from $2.99. The day that they did it, I slid off all the bestseller lists. They were gone, and I lost a lot of control too. With indies, you have a little bit more control. But again, that kind of funnels me into a completely different kind of setup. Traditional is very different from indie. What you touched on, I think, is the biggest thing in the industry right now. When things are hot, it feels like forever. I learned a valuable lesson: it doesn't continue. It just doesn't. Maybe someone like Danielle Steel or some of the other big ones never had to pivot, but I feel like in romance it's very fluid. You have genres hitting big, you have niches hitting big, authors hitting big. Yes, I see some of them stay. I see Emily Henry still staying—maybe that will never pause—but I think for the majority, they find themselves saying, “Okay, that's done now. What's next?” It can either hit or not hit. Does that make sense to you? Do you feel the same? Jo: Yes, and I guess it's not just about the book. It's more about the tactic. You mentioned genres, and they do switch a lot in romance, a lot faster than other genres. In terms of how we do marketing… Now, as we record this, TikTok is still a thing, and we can see maybe generative AI search coming on the horizon and agentic buying. A decade ago it might have been different, more Facebook ads or whatever. Then before that it might have been something else. So there's always things changing along the way. Jennifer: Yes, there definitely is. It is a very oversaturated market. They talk about, I don't know, 2010 to 2016 maybe, as the gold rush, because that was where you could make a lot of money as an indie. Then we saw the total fallout of so many different things. I feel like I've gone through so many ups and downs in the industry. I do love it because the longer you're around, the more you learn how to pivot. If you want this career, you learn how to write differently or do whatever you need to do to keep going, in different aspects, with the changes. To me, that makes the industry exciting. Again, perspective is a big thing. But I have had to take a year to kind of rebuild when I was out of contract with a lot of things. I've had to say, “Okay, what do you see on the horizon now? Where is the new foundation? Where do you wanna restart?” Sometimes it takes a year or two of, “Maybe I won't be making big income and I cut back,” but then you're back in it, because it takes a while to write a few new books, or write under a pen name, or however you want to pivot your way back into the industry. Or, like you were saying, diversifying. I did a lot of non-fiction stuff because that's a big calling for me, so I put that into the primary for a while. I think it's important for authors to maybe not just have one thing. When that one thing goes away, you're scrambling. It's good to have a couple of different things like, “Well, okay, this genre is dead or this thing is dead or this isn't making money. Let me go to this for a little while until I see new things on the horizon.” Jo: Yes. There's a couple of things I want to come back to. You mentioned a pen name there, and one of the things I'm seeing a lot right now—I mean, it's always gone on, but it seems to be on overdrive—is people doing rapid-release, throwaway pen names. So there's a new sub-genre, they write the books really fast, they put them up under whatever pen name, and then when that goes away, they ditch that pen name altogether. Versus growing a name brand more slowly, like I think you and I have done. Under my J.F. Penn fiction brand, I put lots of different sub-genres. What are your thoughts on this throwaway pen name versus growing a name brand more slowly? Jennifer: Well, okay, the first thing I'm goign to say is: if that lights people up, if you love the idea of rapid release and just kind of shedding your skin and going on to the next one, I say go for it. As long as you're not pumping it out with AI so it's a complete AI book, but that's a different topic. I'm not saying using AI tools; I mean a completely AI-written book. That's the difference. If we're talking about an author going in and, every four weeks, writing a book and stuff like that, I do eventually think that anything in life that disturbs you, you're going to burn out eventually. That is a limited-time kind of thing, I believe. I don't know how long you can keep doing that and create decent enough books or make a living on it. But again, I really try not to judge, because I am very open to: if that gives you joy and that's working and it brings your family money, go for it. I have always wanted to be a writer for the long term. I want my work to be my legacy. I don't just pump out books. Every single book is my history. It's a marking of what I thought, what I put out in the world, what my beliefs are, what my story is. It marks different things, and I'm very proud of that. So I want a legacy of quality. As I got older, in my twenties and thirties, I was able to write books a lot faster. Then I had a family with two kids and I had to slow down a little bit. I also think life sometimes drives your career, and that's okay. If you're taking care of a sick parent or there's illness or whatever, maybe you need to slow down. I like the idea of a long-term backlist supporting me when I need to take a back seat and not do frontlist things. So that's how I feel. I will always say: choose a long, organic-growth type of career that will be there for you, where your backlist can support you. I also don't want to trash people who do it differently. If that is how you can do it, if you can write a book in a month and keep doing it and keep it quality, go for it. Jo: I do have the word “legacy” on my board next to me, but I also have “create a body of work I'm proud of.” I have that next to me, and I have “Have you made art today?” So I think about these things too. As you say, people feel differently about work, and I will do other work to make faster cash rather than do that with books. But as we said, that's all good. Interestingly, you mentioned non-fiction there. Write Free is your latest one, but you've got some other writing books. So maybe— Talk about the difference between non-fiction book income and marketing compared to fiction, and why you added that in. Jennifer: Yes, it's completely different. I mean, it's two new dinosaurs. I came to writing non-fiction in a very strange way. Literally, I woke up on New Year's Day and I was on a romance book deadline. I could not do it. I'll tell you, my brain was filled with passages of teaching writing, of things I wanted to share in my writing career. Because again, I've been writing since I was 12, I've been a non-stop writer for over 30 years. I got to my computer and I wrote like three chapters of Write Naked (which was the first book). It was just pouring out of me. So I contacted my agent and I said, “Look, I don't know, this is what I want to do. I want to write this non-fiction book.” She's like, “What are you talking about? You're a romance author. You're on a romance deadline. What do you want me to do with this?” She was so confused. I said, “Yes, how do you write a non-fiction book proposal?” And she was just like, “This is not good, Jen. What are you doing?” Anyway, the funny story was, she said, “Just send me chapters.” I mean, God bless her, she's this wonderful agent, but I know she didn't get it. So I sent her like four chapters of what I was writing and she called me. I'll never forget it. She called me on the phone and she goes, “This is some of the best stuff I have ever read in my life. It's raw and it's truthful, and we've got to find a publisher for this.” And I was like, “Yay.” What happened was, I believe this was one of the most beautiful full circles in my life: Writer's Digest actually made me an offer. It was not about the money. I found that non-fiction for me had a much lower advance and a different type of sales. For me, when I was a kid, that is exactly what I was reading in the library, Writer's Digest. I would save my allowance to get the magazine. I would say to myself, “One day, maybe I will have a book with Writer's Digest.” So for me, it was one of the biggest full-circle moments. I will never forget it. Being published by them was amazing. Then I thought I was one-and-done, but the book just completely touched so many writers. I have never gotten so many emails: “Thank you for saying the truth,” or “Thank you for being vulnerable.” Right before it published, I had a panic attack. I told my husband, “Now everybody's going to know that I am a mess and I'm not fabulous and the world is going to know my craziness.” By being vulnerable about the career, and also that it was specifically for romance authors, it caused a bond. I think it caused some trust. I had been writing about writing for years. After that, I thought it was one-and-done. Then two or three years later I was like, “No, I have more to say.” So I leaned into my non-fiction. It also gives my fiction brain a rest, because when you're doing non-fiction, you're using a different part of your brain. It's a way for me to cleanse my palate. I gather more experiences about what I want to share, and then that goes into the next book. Jo: Yes, I also use the phrase “palate cleanser” for non-fiction versus fiction. I feel like you write one and then you feel like, “Oh, I really need to write the other now.” Jennifer: Yes! Isn't it wonderful? I love that. I love having the two brains and just giving one a break and totally leaning into it. Again, it's another way of income. It's another way. I also believe that this industry has given me so much that it is automatic that I want to give back. I just want to give as much as possible back because I'm so passionate about writing and the industry field. Jo: Well, interestingly though, Writer's Digest—the publisher who published that magazine and other things—went bankrupt in 2019. You've been in publishing a long time. It is not uncommon for publishers to go out of business or to get bought. Things happen with publishers, right? Jennifer: Yes. Jo: So what then happened? Jennifer: So Penguin Random House bought it. All the Writer's Digest authors did not know what they were going to do. Then Penguin Random House bought it and kept Writer's Digest completely separate, as an imprint under the umbrella. So Writer's Digest really hasn't changed. They still have the magazine, they still have books. So it ended up being okay. But what I did do is—because I sold Write Naked and I have no regrets about that, it was the best thing for me to do, to go that route—the second and the third books were self-published. I decided I'm going to self-publish. That way I have the rights for audio, I have the rights for myself, I can do a whole bunch of different things. So Write True, the second one, was self-published. Writers Inspiring Writers I paired up with somebody, so we self-published that. And Write Free, my newest one, is self-published. So I've decided to go that route now with my non-fiction. Jo: Well, as I said, I noticed your Kickstarter. I don't write romance, so I'm not really in that community. I had kind of heard your name before, but then I bought the book and joined the Kickstarter. Then I discovered that you've been doing so much and I was like, “Oh, how, why haven't we connected before?” It's very cool. So tell us about the Kickstarters you've done and what you know, because you've done, I think, a fiction one as well. What are your thoughts and tips around Kickstarter? Jennifer: Yes. When I was taking that year, I found myself kind of… let's just say fired from a lot of different publishers at the time. That was okay because I had contracts that ran out, and when I looked to see, “Okay, do we want to go back?” it just wasn't looking good. I was like, “Well, I don't want to spend a year if I'm not gonna be making the money anyway.” So I looked at the landscape and I said, “It's time to really pull in and do a lot more things on my own, but I've got to build foundations.” Kickstarter was one of them. I took a course with Russell Nohelty and Monica Leonelle. They did a big course for Kickstarter, and they were really the ones going around to all the conferences and basically saying, “Hey guys, you're missing out on a lot of publishing opportunities here,” because Kickstarter publishing was getting good. I took the course because I like to dive into things, but I also want to know the foundation of it. I want to know what I'm doing. I'm not one to just wing it when it comes to tech. So what happened is, the first one, I had rights coming back from a book. After 10 years, my rights came back. It was an older book and I said, “You know what? I am going to dip my foot in and see what kind of base I can grow there. What can I do?” I was going to get a new cover, add new scenes, re-release it anyway, right? So I said, “Let's do a Kickstarter for it, because then I can get paid for all of that work.” It worked out so fantastically. It made just enough for my goal. I knew I didn't want to make a killing; I knew I wanted to make a fund. I made my $5,000, which I thought was wonderful, and I was able to re-release it with a new cover, a large print hardback, and I added some scenes. I did a 10-year anniversary re-release for my fans. So I made it very fan-friendly, grew my audience, and I was like, “This was great.” The next year, I did something completely different. I was doing Kindle Vella back in the day. That was where you dropped a chapter at a time. I said, “I want to do this completely different kind of thing.” It was very not my brand at all. It was very reality TV-ish: young college students living in the city, very sexy, very angsty, love triangles, messy—everything I was not known for. Again, I was like, “I'm not doing a pen name because this is just me,” and I funnelled my audience. I said, “What I'm going to do is I'm going to start doing a chapter a week through Kindle Vella and make money there. Then when it's done, I'm going to bundle it all up and make a book out of it.” So I did a year of Kindle Vella. It was the best decision I made because I just did two chapters a week, which I was able to do. By one year I had like 180,000 words. I had two to three books in there. I did it as a hardback deluxe—the only place you could get it in print. Then Vella closed, or at least it went way down. So I was like, “Great, I'm going to do this Kickstarter for this entire new thing.” I partnered with a company that helps with special editions, because that was a whole other… oh Joanna, that was a whole other thing you have to go into. Getting the books, getting the art, getting the swag. I felt like I needed some help for that. Again, I went in, I funded. I did not make a killing on that, but that was okay. I learned some things that I would have changed with my Kickstarter and I also built a new audience for that. I had a lot of extra books that I then sold in my store, and it was another place to make money. The third Kickstarter I used specifically because I had always wanted to do a writing course. I go all over the world, I do keynotes, I do workshops, I've done books, and I wanted to reach new writers, but I don't travel a lot anymore. So I came up with the concept that I was going to do my very first course, and it was going to be very personal, kind of like me talking to them almost like in a keynote, like you're in a room with me. I gathered a whole bunch of stuff and I used Kickstarter to help me A) fund it and B) make myself do it, because it was two years in the making and I always had, “Oh, I've got this other thing to do,” you know how we do that, right? We have big projects. So I used Kickstarter as a deadline and I decided to launch it in the summer. In addition to that, I took years of my posts from all over. I copied and pasted, did new posts, and I created Write Free, which was a very personal, essay-driven book. I took it all together. I took a couple of months to do this, filmed the course, and the Kickstarter did better than I had ever imagined. I got quadruple what I wanted, and it literally financed all the video editing, the books, everything that I needed, plus extra. I feel like I'm growing in Kickstarter. I hope I'm not ranting. I'm trying to go over things that can help people. Jo: Oh no, that is super useful. Jennifer: So you don't have to go all in and say, “If it doesn't fund it's over,” or “I need to make $20,000.” There are people making so much money, and there are people that will do a project a year or two projects a year and just get enough to fund a new thing that they want to do. So that's how I've done it. Jo: I've done quite a few now, and my non-fiction ones have been a lot bigger—I have a big audience there—and my fiction have been all over the place. What I like about Kickstarter is that you can do these different things. We can do these special editions. I've just done a sprayed-edge short story collection. Short story collections are not the biggest genre. Jennifer: Yes. I love short stories too. I've always wanted to do an anthology of all my short stories. Jo: There you go. Jennifer: Yes, I love that for your Kickstarter. Love it. Jo: When I turned 50 earlier this year, I realised the thing that isn't in print is my short stories. They are out there digitally, and that's why I wanted to do it. I feel like Kickstarter is a really good way to do these creative projects. As you say, you don't have to make a ton of money, but at the end of the day, the definition of success for us, I think for both of us, is just being able to continue doing this, right? Jennifer: Absolutely. This is funding a creative full-time career, and every single thing that you do with your content is like a funnel. The more funnels that you have, the bigger your base. Especially if you love it. It would be different if I was struggling and thinking, “Do I get an editor job?” I would hate being an editor. But if you look at something else like, “Oh yes, I could do this and that would light me up, like doing a course—wow, that sounds amazing,” then that's different. It's kind of finding your alternates that also light you up. Jo: Hmm. So were there any mistakes in your Kickstarters that you think are worth sharing? In case people are thinking about it. Jennifer: Oh my God, yes. So many. One big thing was that I felt like I was a failure if I didn't make a certain amount of money because my name is pretty well known. It's not like I'm brand new and looking. One of the big things was that I could not understand and I felt like I was banging my head against the wall about why my newsletter subscribers wouldn't support the Kickstarter. I'm like, “Why aren't you doing this? I'm supposed to have thousands of people that just back.” Your expectations can really mess with you. Then I started to learn, “Oh my God, my newsletter audience wants nothing to do with my Kickstarter.” Maybe I had a handful. So then I learned that I needed longer tails, like putting it up for pre-order way ahead of time, and also that you can't just announce it in your newsletter and feel like everybody's going to go there. You need to find your streams, your Kickstarter audience, which includes ads. I had never done ads either and I didn't know how to do that, so I did that all wrong. I joined the Facebook group for Kickstarter authors. I didn't do that for the first one and then I learned about it. You share backer updates, so every time you go into your audience with a backer update, there's this whole community where you can share with like-minded people with their projects, and you post it under your updates. It does cross-networking and sharing with a lot of authors in their newsletters. For the Write Free one, I leaned into my networking a lot, using my connections. I used other authors' newsletters and people in the industry to share my Kickstarter. That was better for me than just relying on my own fanbase. So definitely more networking, more sharing, getting it out on different platforms rather than just doing your own narrow channel. Because a lot of the time, you think your audience will follow you into certain things and they don't, and that needs to be okay. The other thing was the time and the backend. I think a lot of authors can get super excited about swag. I love that, but I learned that I could have pulled back a little bit and been smarter with my financials. I did things I was passionate about, but I probably spent much more money on swag than I needed to. So looking at different aspects to make it more efficient. I think each time you do one, you learn what works best. As usual, I try to be patient with myself. I don't get mad at myself for trying things and failing. I think failing is spectacular because I learn something. I know: do I want to do this again? Do I want to do it differently? If we weren't so afraid of failingqu “in public”, I think we would do more things. I'm not saying I never think, “Oh my God, that was so embarrassing, I barely funded and this person is getting a hundred thousand.” We're human. We compare. I have my own reset that I do, but I really try to say, “But no, for me, maybe I'll do this, and if it doesn't work, that's okay.” Jo: I really like that you shared about the email list there because I feel like too many people have spent years driving people to Kindle or KU, and they have built an email list of readers who like a particular format at a particular price. Then we are saying, “Oh, now come over here and buy a beautiful hardback that's like ten times the price.” And we're surprised when nobody does it. Is that what happened? Jennifer: Exactly. Also, that list was for a non-fiction project. So I had to funnel where my writers were in my newsletter, and I have mostly readers. So I was like, “Okay…” But I think you're exactly right. First of all, it's the platform. When you ask anybody to go off a platform, whether it's buy direct at your Shopify store or go to Kickstarter, you are going to lose the majority right there. People are like, “No, I want to click a button from your newsletter and go to a site that I know.” So you've got that, and you've got to train them. That can take some time. Then you've got this project where people are like, “I don't understand.” Even my mum was like, “I would love to support you, honey, but what the heck is this? Where's the buy button and where's my book?” My women's fiction books tend to have some older readers who are like, “Hell no, I don't know what this is.” So you have to know your audience. If it's not translating, train them. I did a couple of videos where I said, “Look, I want to show you how easy this is,” and I showed them directly how to go in and how to back. I did that with Kindle Vella too. I did a video from my newsletter and on social: “Hey, do you not know how to read this chapter? Here's how.” Sometimes there's a barrier. Like you said, Joanna, if I have a majority that just want sexy contemporary, and I'm dropping angsty, cheating, forbidden love, they're like, “Oh no, that's not for me.” So you have to know whether there's a crossover. I go into my business with that already baked into my expectations. I don't go in thinking I'm going to make a killing. Then I'm more surprised when it does well, and then I can build it. Jo: Yes, exactly. Also if you are, like both of us, writing across genres, then you are always going to split your audience. People do not necessarily buy everything because they have their preferences. So I think that's great. Now we are almost out of time, but this latest book is Write Free. I wondered if you would maybe say— What does Write Free mean to you, and what might it help the listeners with? Jennifer: Write Free is an extremely personal book for me, and the title was really important because it goes with Write Naked, Write True, and Write Free. These are the ways that I believe a writer should always show up to the page. Freedom is being able to write your truth in whatever day that is. You're going to be a different writer when you're young and maybe hormonal and passionate and having love affairs. You're going to write differently when you're a mum with kids in nappies. You're going to write differently when you are maybe in your forties and you're killing your career. Your perspective changes, your life changes. Write Free is literally a collection of essays all through my 30 years of life. It's very personal. There are essays like, “I'm writing my 53rd book right now,” and essays like, “My kids are in front of SpongeBob and I'm trying to write right now,” and “I got another rejection letter and I don't know how to survive.” It is literally an imprint of essays that you can dip in and dip out of. It's easy, short, inspirational, and it's just me showing up for my writing life. That's what I wish for everybody: that they can show up for their writing life in the best way that they can at the time, because that changes all the time. Jo: We can say “write free” because we've got a lot of experience at writing. I feel like when I started writing—I was an IT consultant—I literally couldn't write anything creative. I didn't believe I could. There'll be people listening who are just like, “Well, Jennifer, I can't write free. I'm not free. My mind is shackled by all these expectations and everything.” How can they release that and aim for more freedom? Jennifer: I love that question so much. The thing is, I've spent so many years working on that part. That doesn't come overnight. I think sometimes when you have more clarification of, “Okay, this is really limiting me,” then when you can see where something is limiting you, at least you can look for answers. My answers came in the form of meditation. Meditation is a very big thing in my life. Changing my perspective. Learning life mottos to help me deal with those kinds of limitations. Learning that when I write a sex scene, I can't care about my elderly aunt who tells my mother, “Dear God, she ruined the family name.” It is your responsibility to figure out where these limitations are, and then slowly see how you can remove them. I've been in therapy. I have read hundreds of self-help books. I take meditation courses. I take workshop courses. I've done CliftonStrengths with Becca Syme. I don't even know if that's therapy, but it feels like therapy to me as a writer. Knowing my personality traits. I've done Enneagram work with Claire Taylor, which has been huge. The more you know yourself and how your brain is showing up for yourself, the more you can grab tools to use. I wish I could say, “Yes, if everybody meditates 30 minutes a day, you're going to have all blocks removed,” but it's so personal that it's a trick question. If everybody started today and said, “Where is my biggest limitation?” and be real with yourself, there are answers out there. You just have to go slowly and find them, and then the writing more free will come. I hope that wasn't one of those woo-woo answers, but I really do believe it. Jo: I agree. It just takes time. Like our writing career, it just takes time. Keep working on it, keep writing. Jennifer: Yes. And bravery, right? A lot of bravery. Just show up for yourself however you can. If “write free” feels too big, journal for yourself and put it in a locked drawer. Any kind of writing, I think, is therapeutic too. Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and your books and everything you do online? Jennifer: The best place to go is my website. I treat it like my home. It's www.JenniferProbst.com. There is so much on it. Not just books, not just free content and free stories. There's an entire section just for writers. There are videos on there. There are a lot of resources. I keep it up to date and it is the place where you can find me. Of course I'm everywhere on social media as Author Jennifer Probst. You can find me anywhere. I always tell everybody: I answer my messages, I answer my emails. That is really important to me. So if you heard this podcast and you want to reach out on anything, please do. I will answer. Jo: Fantastic. Well, thanks so much for your time, Jennifer. That was great. Jennifer: Thanks for having me, Joanna.The post Writing Free: Romance Author Jennifer Probst On A Long-Term Author Career first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Main Topic:  Crowdfunding Your Book: Why Kickstarter Might Be the Perfect Launchpad, with guest J.P. Rindfleisch IX PATREON: Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.  Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Also, the Planner Plays and Monthly Reflections are always free for all members on my Patreon page. But I don't list them as Public", so click correct tier for updated links, dates, and cancellations.  Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.   Magic Mind Mental Performance Shot and Sleep Shot. Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code VALERIE20 at checkout You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): creating content for marketing, preparing to warm up my ice cold email list by writing three personal stories in letter format to explain my absence and reengage with them, planning a three-part podcast series called The Book You Were Born to Write, so look for that coming up next week. Trying to show up on IG every day. (Biz coach recs) • Aligned Author: A bespoke book coaching journey for soul-led experts, creatives, and writers ready to channel their life's work into a living, breathing legacy.)  I created Aligned Author to provide a sacred space for authors to truly understand what has been holding them back, to learn how to merge the soul with the ego, to live and create in that duality, and to discover their own superpowers.  JP: 3 months FT author, TikTok shop main stream of income; The Alchemist Baker of Rosen-- (Erick):  What are you reading? JP:  House of Frank (Kay Synclaire) Valerie: Just finished: One of Us Knows (Alyssa Cole) Your Human Design (Shayna and Dana; DayLuna); The Five-Star Weekend (Elin Hilderbrand) (Not ready to give up on them, but struggling to finish them:) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) ;  The Teller of Small Fortunes Julie Leong  Erick:   Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits): Tidbit #1: • Tidbit #2:    Segment 3 (Main Topic):  Talking with guest JP Rindfleisch IX ABOUT Hi, I'm JP Rindfleisch IX—author of cozy, queer fantasy and strange fiction where whimsy meets the weird. My stories often explore grief, transformation, and queer joy, wrapped in a little magic, a dash of mischief, and a whole lot of heart. I'm the author of Mandrake Manor and Mosswood Apothecary. I also co-write NRDS: National Recently Deceased Services, a paranormal comedy series, and the Leah Ackerman Dark Paranormal Academy Series. I call Rockford, Illinois home, where I founded Rockford Area Writers, a growing community of 80+ local authors and creatives who support each other's craft. When I'm not writing, you can usually find me wandering forest trails, stirring vegan kitchen witchery (potatoes-as-nacho-cheese is a specialty), or hosting writing sprints and cozy chaos over on Twitch as CheshirePope. I live with a very opinionated husky and an even more talkative African grey parrot. Both have strong opinions about storytelling. Thanks for stopping by. Make yourself at home—browse the shop, grab a tale (or two), and if you sit still long enough, I just might tell you a story. Notes: Let's talk about Kickstarters. Last month you had 338 backers pledge $18,040 for your first kickstarter. All stretch goals met, funded in seven minutes ($1000) Why crowdfunding? good feedback and engagement with Tapas (and Kindle Vella). Kickstarter backer himself.  Researched kickstarter by interviewing authors that had done it. Watch the kickstarters and how they interacted. Sacha Black helped him with good advice. (Find her as author Ruby Roe.) Campaign planning: tiers need to be financially responsible; stretch goals; What makes it special HERE on KS.  Steps to a Kickstarter (KS): 1. Set up "Notify me on Launch" to collect followers (sudo-preorder) (4 months to a year) Maybe the amount of followers is who pledged? You don't have to have all the pieces ready before hitting "pre" launch. 1.5  (order basic sample copy for physical imagery) before hitting Launch. (Optional) 2. Look for successful models on KS to copy as template. Use Canva for images needed. Six hours to upload copy and photos for all the add ons (backlist). (~20 hours total?) 3. To keep campaign active and live, update often (every two days). On Twitch every day to incentivize and hype. Live streaming on Twitch and IG to pitch fast. Find ways to grab people. Think through livestream campaigns in future so not repeating self. (Can have live stretch-goals and they don't have to be monetary.) Hype is about showing up. TikToks everyday, and refining what say and ingraining what I want to say. Productivity streams on Twitch helped practice those talking times in front of camera. Learned how to fill the dead air/space. 4. Backing drives ups the popularity of the campaign. (More backers = shows up in recommendations (for 1st time campaigners), and can get into categories (through review process). Projects we love list is great. Hype or backing helps it gets seen, and then KS sends emails to their list, too. 2nd campaigners get KS to email previous backers that you have a new campaign coming out.  5. Launch time: watching the numbers, handling messages and comments that come in, admin, verbiage changed for unlocks and photo switches, write updates.  Can use page after launch is over as a newsletter sort-of. Add links to updates to invite them to your newsletters. Opt-in to newsletter in final survey. 6. Tiers planning: Think through what they will be, and how your backers will interact with that. (Tiers from JP's campaign: Digital, PB special edition, HC special edition, HC with prints and stickers, resellers or clubs 5 copies, HC+painting and print. ) You want super-high tier because most people buy in the middle.  How long to run the campaign? 30 days max. (17-20 days average) Saggy middle/plateaus are common.  Miscellaneous: Add-ons are different than stretch goals: All your backlist books should be add-ons.  Stretch goals can also fund (unlocked) add-ons. Wanted to add artwork. Kickstarter helps prove people want your idea. Collector's editions. Funding goal: what it would cost to print and ship the book. (Could include editing and cover design) Need to cost out the print run for a number to use. Discoverability: Hard on KS. Twitch fans productivity stream become street team to build following on Kickstarter. Use Kickstarter for Authors FB group. (Like newsletter swaps/literary citizenship.)  Shop: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com     And don't forget: Go to valerieihsan.com to schedule a free consultation to see if Aligned Author is right for you.   Get 48% off the Magic Mind : https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance  

Before Hard NOC Life goes off the air for a few weeks, Keith and Dominic have a few more Andor takes to share. Not only did the final episodes rekindle a love for Star Wars for our hosts, it will forever change how they watch the franchise going forward. The end of the series also helped Dominic gain a new appreciation for the Asian cultural exchange that has been present since '77. In addition to the Andor talk, they also have some thoughts on the latest Superman trailer. Support 12 Valentines on Bandcamp: https://12valentines.bandcamp.com/ Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Last week on Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic joked about how Andor was basically "Les Mis in Space France." This week, they're serious about the comparison. Also, Keith rants about the most recent episode of The Last of Us, and Dominic has a theory about the superstars in the NBA Playoffs and their superhero equivalents. Support 12 Valentines on Bandcamp: https://12valentines.bandcamp.com/ Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Keith and Dominic celebrate the extended Star Wars holiday weekend to review the next batch of Andor episodes, aka Lucasfilm presents "Les Mis in Space France." Then, they discuss what did and didn't work for them in the latest MCU offering, Thunderbolts*. All this and more on a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

This week on Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic look back at the first three episodes of Andor season 2. Then, Lauren joins Keith to share about her experience at Star Wars Celebration in Japan. Check out the original video of Lauren's Star Wars Celebration adventure here: https://youtu.be/E0vySiPrBaw Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

On a new episode of Hard NOC Life, Keith and Dominic break down the recent trailer for Fantastic Four: First Steps and Pedro Pascal's penchant for playing paternal characters in Last of Us and The Mandalorian. Then they review the first season of Daredevil: Born Again before recapping some news from Star Wars Celebration in Japan. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life returns as Keith and Dominic catch up on the big CinemaCon announcements for Superman and Spider-Man and look back at the Avengers: Doomsday casting teaser and the first half of Daredevil: Born Again. They share their skepticism about the Avengers rollout, speculations about the new Spider-Man movie, and Keith relays his fears for the cinematic universe building that might overshadow Superman's story. Later, Dominic shares his thoughts on why he loved the recently released Freaky Tales. https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2025/04/04/freaky-tales-is-a-love-letter-for-funny-folks-fighting-fascism/ Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.  

Amazon officially closed down Kindle Vella this past week. Smashwords is running their annual Read an Ebook Week, find out how this is an incredible promotional opportunity. The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson just rolled out updates for his Book Description Generator. Barnes & Noble Press shared details about their partnership with the audiobook platform Author's Republic. ProWritingAid rolled out a new feature called Manuscript Analysis. And so much more for the self-publishing news this week. Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Smashwords' Read an Ebook Week - https://DaleLinks.com/Smashwords Bestseller Book Launch Plan - https://DaleLinks.com/BestsellerBook  Kindle Vella Update FAQ - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GUJHP3574Z3DLPZD  Kindlepreneur's Book Description Generator - https://DaleLinks.com/HTML (affiliate link) ProWritingAid's Manuscript Analysis - https://help.prowritingaid.com/article/318-what-is-the-manuscript-analysis?afid=6615 (affiliate link) Author's Republic + Barnes & Noble Press - https://crm.authorsrepublic.com/bnpress March Authortunities Newsletter by Angela Yuriko Smith - https://authortunities.substack.com/p/5-legacy-mags-acquired-by-1-paragraph Streetlib on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@streetlib-us Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Amazon is removing the ability to download and backup Kindle ebooks. And on the same day they roll out that change, Amazon will be closing down Kindle Vella. IngramSpark has a few marketing opportunities this month, as well as a giveaway for five free books. Findaway Voices by Spotify announced an agreement to distribute digitally-narrated audiobooks by Elevenlabs. And so much more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro  (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee  Sources: Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books - https://www.theverge.com/news/612898/amazon-removing-kindle-book-download-transfer-usb Kindle Vella Announcement - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Kindle-Vella-Announcement?language=en_US Amazon: We are winding down Kindle Vella - https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/a/faq Spotify Welcomes Digital Voice Narrated Audiobooks from ElevenLabs via Findaway Voices - https://blog.findawayvoices.com/spotify-welcomes-elevenlabs-audiobooks/ Amazon Ads - https://advertising.amazon.com Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com IngramSpark: Nominate Your Book Today - https://www.ingramspark.com/editorial-calendar IngramSpark: Mastering Metadata: Are Your a Book Marketing Pro? - https://ingramcontent.jotform.com/250495414855160 Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com ProWritingAid: Manuscript Analysis - https://DaleLinks.com/Analysis (affiliate link) PublishDrive: Audiobooks - technical requirements, easy fixes and FAQs - https://streamyard.com/watch/HNgSJGxZHf44 Why Cheap Promo is No Bargain: One Unusually Prolific Example - https://writerbeware.blog/2025/02/21/why-cheap-promo-is-no-bargain-one-unusually-prolific-example/ The Power of Reviews: What Every Author Needs to Know - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-reviews-what-every-author-needs-know-ross-brand-ho7ne Get More Book Reviews—Faster & Easier! (Book Bounty interview) - https://www.youtube.com/live/WFyyMPjJDXk?si=kwmWznhD8vrKz34T Join my ARC Team - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Writer Beware discovered a new company that is so supposed to protect authors from scams, but some things are not quite right. Amazon is offering refunds on unused Kindle Vella tokens in March. KDP upgraded their virtual voice software. And, the US Copyright Office released the second part of a report on registering a copyright of a publication created by AI. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Source: The Ultimate Guide to 2025 Book Awards for Independent Publishers and Authors - https://publishdrive.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-2025-book-awards-for-independent-publishers-and-authors.html Writer Beware - Book Guard: “Anti-Scam Protection” That's Anything But - https://writerbeware.blog/2024/11/22/book-guard-anti-scam-protection-thats-anything-but/ Invite-Only KDP Beta for Audiobooks - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Invite-Only-KDP-Beta-for-Audiobooks?language=en_US We are winding down Kindle Vella - https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/a/faq Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com/ U.S. Copyright Office Releases Part 2 of AI Report: What Authors Should Know - https://authorsguild.org/news/us-copyright-office-ai-report-part-2-what-authors-should-know/ Miblart (Cover Design) - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart - code LOVECOVER14 good till Feb. 14, 2025 on romance-themed covers (Affiliate link) GetCovers (Cover Design) - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCovers - code ROMANCE20 good till Feb.14, 2025 on romance-themed covers (Affiliate link)  Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (Affiliate link) The Virtues of Wide Distribution with Mark Coker - https://selfpubconnect.mn.co/events/member-qa-the-virtues-of-wide-distribution-with-mark-coker (ALLi membership required) Authors Guild: AI Rights Licensing 101 with Created by Humans - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SLdFX6VoS3OYgJSK_Gn43w#/registration  Written Word Media: Written Word Media Speaker Series with Ferol Vernon - https://streamyard.com/watch/3mry2CB5wsuU  Master Amazon Ads: Live Ad Audits for Authors - https://www.youtube.com/live/a0snbVjJEPw?si=OCn5IUJ7XgHwxem1 Get your Amazon Ads audited - https://DaleLinks.com/AuditMyAds No Writing Required: Turn Your Podcast Into a Book in 90 Days - https://www.youtube.com/live/VFNtF9K6MJ0?si=MCw9kkwKE9_6Tb8c 6 Authors vs 1 Impostor: Who Will Fool the Rest? - https://youtu.be/WzztnGi-Oj4?si=9Sf9JkKGkmqbNDDv Apply for 6 Versus 1 - https://DaleLinks.com/6v1  Credit: Authors Guild - https://authorsguild.org/  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts  

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about the 'copyrightability' of AI works, NetGalley, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Tod Lending!Tod Lending -Academy Award™-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Mr. Lending has spent nearly four decades creating documentaries that illuminate the human capacity for resilience amid adversity. Now a debut novelist, he brings his deep storytelling instincts to the written page, exploring moral dilemmas and the lingering shadows of persecution in his upcoming work.

Shawn Taylor returns for a special Hard NOC Life to break down Kendrick Lamar's instantly iconic halftime performance during Super Bowl LIX. Together, he and Keith take in the symbolism and artistry that was on display and speculate where hip-hop goes from here. Follow Shawn's work at: http://shawntaylor.net Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life is on hiatus, but Keith needed to talk about Diamond Comic Distributors filing for bankruptcy last week, so he asked his former colleague -- and OG NOC -- William Bruce West to come on the pod and talk about their time at the company, why they aren't celebrating its demise like some are, and what the future holds for comics. Read West Week Ever here: http://williambrucewest.com/ Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Yes, Hard NOC Life wrapped up last week, but then James Gunn went and dropped the trailer for next summer's Superman. Movie critic Julian Lytle stops by to break it down, plus Keith talks to Jay Pharoah about his virtual comedy special and why Dragon Ball is the way to his heart. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.  

Allen Babiarz-Lira stops by again to talk about how we all celebrate Christmas through Disney! We discuss the holiday through Disney movies, the Disney Parks, and using Disney in our everyday lives! Video of this is available at . This was a fun visit and I hope you enjoy! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

Hard NOC Life returns to wrap up 2024 and look ahead to 2025 and whether Superman will bring back truth, justice, and a better tomorrow. Keith also announces the return of a podcast and Dominic reveals the release date of his album. But first, Dominic helps Keith work through his feelings after the 49ers embarrassed the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

In this Take 1 episode, I talk about the Best/Favorite Disney Movie vote from the fall 2024 class, plus news that Monsters Inc. land will take over Muppets Courtyard, and Muppets and the Electric Mayhem taking over Rockin' Roller Coaster. Video of this episode is available at . Thank you! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

In this episode, I am joined by Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz to talk about his fandom, his time as a cast member and Walt Disney Imagineer, and his arrangements of Disney-specific music and medleys. This is a wide-ranging conversation, and I had a great time! You can engage with Noah on Instagram and social media @NoahSundayLefkowitz, and video of this visit is available at . I hope you enjoy! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

In this Take 1 episode, I recap the Best/Favorite WDW Attraction vote for the Fall 2024 class, discuss the updated MCU timeline available on Disney+, and the major news that 'Inside the NBA' will be shown on ESPN and other Disney outlets beginning in the 2025-26 NBA season. Video of this is available at . I hope you enjoy! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway reflects on the passing of publishing influencer Mike Shatzkin and his impact on the industry. He also discusses Amazon's decision to close its Kindle Vella serial fiction program and what it means for authors, and examines the tech industry's stance on AI and creativity as shared at TechCrunch's Disrupt Conference. With tech startups promoting AI as a democratizing force, Dan explores the tension between creative freedom and the potential impact on traditional creative livelihoods. Sponsors Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote. Self-Publishing News is also sponsored by book cover design company Miblart. They offer unlimited revisions, take no deposit to start work and you pay only when you love the final result. Get a book cover that will become your number-one marketing tool. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

Today's top story is Kindle Vamoose. Question of the week is If money was no object and you could hire a coach for your author career, what is the most valuable thing that you feel like they could help you with? Join the Sell More Books Show Afterparty group on Facebook and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Author Ashley Spencer joins me to discuss her book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of the Disney Channel Tween Empire. We discuss her book, her research about the Disney Channel, and the future of entertainment as it pertains to children's and tween shows. Video of this visit is available at https://youtu.be/Okvi7X5xXNA?si=b4HsjYBZDalgaclT. You can engage with Ashley online at www.AsheyMSpencer.com, and via Instagram @amspen. This was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

In this Take 1 episode, I discuss the class discussion of the Best/Favorite Disney/Pixar movie, Premier Access being added at WDW, the Simpsons NFL alternate broadcast, and a new holiday channel on Disney+. Video of this episode is available at https://youtu.be/NR9VzOfk2wg?si=WdqixP2BuoyaXer4. This was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it. Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

Kindle Vella announced they're closing things down in 2025, so where do authors go? Laterpress has your answer. Also, Authors Guild wants your signature on a petition that could have a major impact on how you're compensated for training AI. And, PublishDrive just acquired a new audiobook distribution partner in Odilo. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Sources: Sign the Statement on AI Training - https://authorsguild.org/news/sign-the-statement-on-ai-training/ PublishDrive x Odilo - https://publishdrive.com/publish-to-odilo.html Booksprout: Don't Just Survive 1-Star Book Reviews, Use Them - https://booksprout.co/fivestar/the-reviews/dont-just-survive-1-star-book-reviews-use-them-a-guide-for-authors/ Kindle Vella is Shutting Down. Looking for a New Serial Fiction Home? Consider Laterpress. - https://www.laterpress.com/blog/kindle-vella-sunset Miblart Black Friday Early Access - https://miblart.com/early-black-friday-deals/?ref=daleroberts5 (affiliate link). Use code DALE10 for 10% off your next order. Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com Facebook Ads for Authors: A Roadmap to Book Sales - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEufumgpjgtHNaV28DWqfNb9fu-8pp4HULW#/registration Authortunities Expo 2024 - https://authortunitieshub.com Networking for Authors by Dale L. Roberts — Book Review - https://sk-alexander.com/for-authorpreneurs/networking-authors-review.html Networking for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/Networking How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 24 Hours - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Kindle Vella, Penguin Random House, and midnight release parties. Then, stick around for a chat with J.T. Ellison! Check It Out! J.T. Ellison: https://www.jtellison.com/ A Very Bad Thing: https://a.co/d/a5w8ldv Kindle Vella Closure Announcement - https://medium.com/staring-at-a-blank-page/kindle-vella-announces-its-closure-f73517448a9f Penguin Random House books now explicitly say ‘no' to AI training - https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/18/24273895/penguin-random-house-books-copyright-ai Solid Support for Giant Reports - https://www.getbookreport.com/blog/solid-support-for-giant-reports Literary Publishers Embrace the Midnight Release Party - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96312-literary-publishers-embrace-the-midnight-release-party.html --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writersink/support

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing dropped two prominent features on their platform, one of which being Kindle Vella. Written Word Media published their findings in a recent indie author survey. The guys at Hidden Gems Books shared a recent post about how well AI-generated art faired against stock images for promoting books on Facebook. The findings are interesting to say the least. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! - Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link)

In this episode, I am joined by James Lowe-Coach Ballgame, to talk about the importance of positive interaction in youth baseball and youth activity. This was a fun visit, and video is available at . You can engage with Coach Ballgame at www.CoachBallgame.com, and on social media @CoachBallgame. Thank you and I hope you enjoy! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

What the title says. Also, Dominic and Keith get into what's wrong and what's right with fandom -- whether it be comics or sports or music. They also share Dominic's 12 Valentines song inspired by the Harris campaign. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

In this episode, Kate and Kirk from Distory visit to talk about their vast Disney history knowledge and about the original concept of EPCOT Center to what it has become today. You can engage with Kate at www.DisneyCicerone.com, Kirk at www.WalrusCarp.com, and listen to Distory with Kate and Kirk wherever you get your podcasts. This was a very fun conversation and I hope you enjoy it! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

The term “triple threat” is rare these days in Hollywood. However, not only does Smile 2 star, Naomi Scott, embody the very definition of that term, as a gifted singer, dancer and actor, she reinvents it completely. With her performance in the terrifying new sequel to Parker Finn's Smile, Scott proves to everyone she is a dynamic force of charismatic nature to be reckoned with. And we were fortunate enough to chat with her about this stellar performance in the critically acclaimed horror film. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

In this Take 1 episode, I recap the Best/Favorite MCU Character and Project vote for the Fall 2024 class. Video of this with graphic is available at . I hope you enjoy and thanks! Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

In this Take 1 episode, I discuss the addition of Live Streaming Channels to Disney+ and my impressions of their potential impact on the service and consumer entertainment. Video of this is available at . Also, PLEASE pay NO attention to the logo, I don't know how to change what Inner Dialogue has done. Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

Send us a text Episode 518: Dominance, Desire, & Spicy Romance with indie author Lizzie B. Brown!Lizzie is a romance author who packs the spice into every story. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and two dogs. When she's not writing about bisexual besties or forbidden romances, you can find her by the fireplace with a book in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. Find out more: http://www.lizziebbrown.com/ Welcome to our writing chat! We dive into the steamy world of romance and erotica. We explore the importance of including sex in romance stories to give readers the full picture of a relationship. We discuss Lizzie's book, Obedience, Volume One, (excerpt in the episode), a captivating age-gap romance where the female lead takes charge, challenging the conventional dynamics often seen in such stories. Discover how Lizzie's experiences and love for storytelling have shaped her writing process, from fanfiction beginnings to self publishing on platforms like Kindle Vella.Lizzie also shares insights into her writing routine, the challenges of editing, and the significance of patience and perseverance in the writing journey. If you're a fan of romance that embraces the raw, unfiltered aspects of relationships, you won't want to miss this episode.00:02:10 " romance is incomplete if it doesn't have sex00:07:34 " I think erotica helps people become more open about their sexuality00:10:43 " You started writing erotic fan fiction early on00:12:12 " Pantser or plotter?00:15:01 " write on my phone more often than not because I'm easily distracted00:17:03 " I really love age gap romance. But I know some people don't like 00:22:46 " Do you find you have more female readers or male readers00:29:11 " Reading a book together can be a great conversation starter00:29:44 " Do you have a favorite and worst part of the writing process00:32:55 " I actually started writing again because of audiobooks00:41:30 " Vella 00:46:18 " Do you find you ever have to do much research?00:47:27 " What was an early experience where you learned that language had power00:49:01 " Do you tend to share your work with people in your life00:54:12 " What do you define as success as an author?01:00:29 " Is there any advice you have for someone considering doing...BOOKS!Obedience Volume One (affiliate link, podcast may receive a commission on purchases, thanks for the support): https://amzn.to/3TVBHoMVella https://amzn.to/4dBYGMBFriendsgiving with Benefits: https://amzn.to/47VwnaLErotica & erotic romance author Ruan Willow's new fiction book, a Romantasy, open door romance, HEA, fantasy Wingless Hunger https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/winglesshungerGET AN ARC: https://forms.gle/WKJhu3wyQvRora6e6Ruan Willow's books: http://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/headliner assistanSupport the showSubscribe for exclusive episodes: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1599808/subscribeSign up for Ruan's newsletters: https://subscribepage.io/ruanwillowhttps://linktr.ee/RuanWillowI Dare You book https://books.ruanwillowauthor.com/idareyouthesaturdaysexchallenge

Join hosts Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Lauren Sánchez, Honey & Wax, Banned Books Week, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Michelle Chouinard! Michelle Chouinard is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author behind The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco (coming soon), The Vacation and the Detective Jo Fournier series (featuring The Dancing Girls, Taken to the Grave, Her Daughter's Cry, and The Other Mothers). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writersink/support

Allen Babiarz-Lira from Entertainment Education: The Podcast stops by again to talk about how to celebrate Halloween through Disney movies, shows, and at the parks! This was a fun conversation and I hope you enjoy! Video of this visit is available at . Being a Fan of Disney: The Book is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback versions, with an Audible version forthcoming. The book is available at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CM427LF3/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698697971&sr=8-1⁠. This has been a passion project of mine for a long time and I am very happy it is available to fellow Disney fans! I hope you enjoy and please engage with the book and activities on www.SharedPerspectives.org.  The Perspectives Files, about two teenagers that learn they are part of an organization charged with protecting the world's future by monitoring and learning from people's decisions, is available on Kindle Vella at ⁠https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CLKW7KB1⁠.  You can follow along with the class, podcast, Take 1 episodes, and interviews/visits by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts, following me on Twitter/X @chavardphd, joining the Facebook public group @BeingaFanofDisney, and by visiting www.SharedPerspectives.org.  Thank you for listening and please let me know your thoughts on this and other shows. And... Please come along with us on our adventure!  

After 9 plus years of not sitting in the podcast chair Slacker and the Man's "The Man" (Mixon T.) joins us to talk to us about his new creative endeavor which is writing 2 new triweekly serial stories that are posted on Kindle Vella called "Frontier Ranger" and "Predator Squadron", doing Strong Man and weight lifting competition and some of the drama beind them, Star Wars and a whole lot more.   Find the un-edited video version of this podcast here: Youtube: https://youtu.be/8anOINjDRp4   Where to find Mixion T.'s stories and more: Vellas: "Frontier Ranger": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDDQDFVD "Predator Squadron": https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DG9SCPCK   Slacket and the Man: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063574044607 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@slackerandtheman   1) Did you know you can donate to or leave a "Tip" for our show to help us offset the costs in getting new(ish) equipment by using this link: https://tinyurl.com/lcmptipjar 2) Help out our O.G. co-host Big Candy by getting yourself some wearable merch by going here: http://tee.pub/lic/WidsgeTHv7A 3) Due to issues we just dropped our partnership with Dubby Energy! (think G Fuel) thus we once again let you know that you can donate to or leave a "Tip" for our show to help us offset the costs in getting new(ish) equipment and more by using this link: https://tinyurl.com/lcmptipjar and if we surpass our $1000 goal wil dawn a bikini for a video. 4) We Also have a Patreon if you wish to help us that way. If you do just had here: https://www.patreon.com/TheLongCoatMafiaPodcast   Don't forget if you wish to find out more about us and wish to listen to our audio podcast you may do so by following the links below   Our Standard Links To Find Our Show And Social Media: Our Website: https://thelongcoatmafia.podbean.com Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thelongcoatmafiapodcast Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/longcoatmafia Our Email: longcoatmafia@gmail.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/longcoatmafia/ Our Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/longcoatmafiapod Our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lcmpodcast Our Youtube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/lcmpodyoutube Our Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1U413BUZEYXGO   We are also found on Apple Podcasts ( http://tinyurl.com/lcmpitunes ), Goodpods: ( https://tinyurl.com/Lcmpgoodpod ), Spotify ( https://tinyurl.com/tlcmpspotify  ) and where podcasts are found.

Last week, all eyes were on Chicago... because the Bears, the subject of HBO's Hard Knocks, went undefeated in the preseason! Oh, and the Democrats officially nominated Kamala Harris' presidential candidacy. On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith react to it all, as well as Disney's cancellation of The Acolyte. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life takes a delayed look back at all the announcements from San Diego Comic-Con, including RDJ's return to the MCU. Then, Dominic and Keith share what they liked and didn't like about Deadpool & Wolverine before singing the praises of Prime Video's Batman: Caped Crusader. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh Get this new t-shirt design: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/63064585-be-like-mike-imanaga-ii?store_id=2690 This episode is also sponsored by Goli. Use the code HARDNOC to get 10% off and Free Shipping on your order at https://go.goli.com/hardnoc All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Hard NOC Life is back... for now. This episode, Dominic and Keith share their thoughts on Star Wars: The Acolyte as a whole and what it was like to see two Asian actors duel with lightsabers, Then they react to a bunch of new Marvel trailers, including Captain America 4 and Deadpool & Wolverine before speculating about DC's Comic-Con plans for Superman. Lastly, they make a pitch to Mina Kimes to join the podcast if we decide to change formats and only cover HBO's Hard Knocks with the Chicago Bears. Help Dominic crowdfund 12 Valentines: https://ko-fi.com/dommah Read Unicorn vs. Pegasus on Kindle Vella: https://amzn.to/3xXL8wh Get this new t-shirt design: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/63064585-be-like-mike-imanaga-ii?store_id=2690 All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, and Spotify! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.

Amazon KDP rolled out a new contest for Kindle Vella where the prize pool is over $62,000. Is it a ploy to bring more authors back? Or, a legitimate way to elevate authors? The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson announced a HUGE update to the market research tool, Publisher Rocket, that includes a whole new Amazon Ads option and a free course for Amazon Advertising. And, Miblgroup is celebrating their 8th birthday and want you to save a bunch on your next order. All that and more in the self-publishing news. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) NEW FEATURE: Amazon Ads Made Easy! - https://youtu.be/i-hkz4A2gss?si=x_lhqOlDFM3rprfP Sell More Books with Amazon Ads 2.0 - https://davechesson.podia.com/amazon-advertisements-for-books-course Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link) The Vellys - https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/Vellys Miblart's 8th Birthday Celebration (Use code MIBLCAKE15) - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) Getpremades (Use code PREMADE20) - https://getpremades.com/ Book Cover Critique 2024 - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=7a44d6eecd&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_live_cover_critique_july_2024&utm_medium=email Author Education Revamp: See What's New! - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvf-qtrz4vGtZY0esftYt08pOXt6GNILRI#/registration Self-Publishing for New Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/NewAuthors  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In this episode, Lauren & Matt share ideas for repurposing your existing content. Hint: it's by turning that content into a book. We share ideas for both nonfiction and fiction book projects, including options that require little to no new writing. Have a question about self-publishing, selling direct, Lulu, or any of the weird tangents Matt & Lauren like to meander through? Email us at podcast@lulu.com to submit your question for our upcoming AMA episode! Dive Deeper

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including controlled digital lending, The 'Wall Street Journal' dropping its bestseller lists, a Kindle Vella contest, and TikTok lifting Kindle sales. Then, stick around for a chat with Kelsea Yu! Kelsea Yu is a Taiwanese Chinese American writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children. Whether through a speculative or real-world lens, her writing explores diaspora identity, twists on folklore, complicated interpersonal relationships, and characters who make unconventional choices. Kelsea's novella, Bound Feet (Cemetery Gates Media), is nominated for a 2022 Shirley Jackson Award. Her debut novel, It's Only a Game, is forthcoming from Bloomsbury Children's in 2024, and her next novella, Demon Song, is forthcoming from Titan Books in 2025. She has stories and essays published in magazines such as Clarkesworld, Apex, PseudoPod, and Fantasy, and in various anthologies. Her nonfiction has been published in Nightmare, Sarah Gailey's Personal Canons Cookbook, and elsewhere. Kelsea is an active member of SFWA and HWA, as well as a first reader for the Ignyte Award-winning and twice Hugo Award-nominated magazine, khōréō. Find her on Instagram or Twitter @anovelescape. She is represented by Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/writersink/support

This week's episode Kenzie sits down with Katie Welch, the CMO of Rare Beauty. Katie is giving all her career advice for her twenties, but on top of that- talking about how to create a life you want to live in your twenties. You'll leave this episode feeling empowered and inspired. If you're feeling lost or confused, this episode is for you. Enjoy! BLOG: https://kenzieelizabeth.coNIGHT CAP CARDS: https://www.shopfriendofmine.comSHOP MERCH OUT NOW: https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/ilysmSECRET FACEBOOK PAGE: https://bit.ly/2zEx3BMJOIN OUR GENEVA GROUP CHAT: https://links.geneva.com/invite/ab361e92-0405-41ad-9e12-b17b592365bcJOIN THE MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/2uumkusKenzie's Channel: https://youtube.com/kenzieelizabethKenzie's IG: https://bit.ly/298RzRnKenzie's Twitter: https://bit.ly/2RdtJsEILYSM IG: https://bit.ly/2vlwxXyILYSM YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/2UQ8DUjKEBOOK CLUB: https://www.instagram.com/kebookclub/This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Kindle Vella - start reading for freeProduced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#154. Maggie Sellers is a Los Angeles based angel investor and syndicate lead, and the founder of the digital media company Hot Smart Rich. Hot Smart Rich empowers startup founders, investors, creators, operators and other aspiring knowledge workers with real business insights by cutting out the boys club bullshit and getting real about what it takes for women to dominate in a man's world. Today we're talking about what it takes to become the hottest, smartest, richest version of yourself. FOLLOW PAYTON:https://instagram.com/paytonsartain https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonsartain https://youtube.com/c/paytonsartainhhhttps://amazon.com/shop/paytonsartain https://pinterest.com/paytonsartain SUBMIT TO NOTE TO SELF:→ Ask P: Advice Column: https://forms.gle/avvSu4ibYygZP5rq8 → Simple Pleasures: https://forms.gle/PFmEU9BFRtyE7Dt57 → Your ICKS: https://forms.gle/pgcr9LhmyyvyAyVk7→ Most Embarrassing Stories: https://forms.gle/qpZBp9bxdcH77Utf8→ Little Acts of Love: https://forms.gle/ReEoo6HBoC4QspQs9→ Juicy Confessions: https://forms.gle/Uuz5KdUkC4c3NnFw5Episode Sponsors:Download the Kindle app and scroll to the Kindle Vella tab and start reading for free.Visit NineWest.com and use code NOTETOSELF at checkout for 15% off your purchase.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode Kenzie sits down with Ty French to recount the mistakes they've made so far in their twenties from hair colors, to dating choices to photoshoots with owls and more. If you're feeling down or need a pick me up, this is the episode for you. Enjoy! BLOG: https://kenzieelizabeth.coNIGHT CAP CARDS: https://www.shopfriendofmine.comSHOP MERCH OUT NOW: https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/ilysmSECRET FACEBOOK PAGE: https://bit.ly/2zEx3BMJOIN OUR GENEVA GROUP CHAT: https://links.geneva.com/invite/ab361e92-0405-41ad-9e12-b17b592365bcJOIN THE MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/2uumkusKenzie's Channel: https://youtube.com/kenzieelizabethKenzie's IG: https://bit.ly/298RzRnKenzie's Twitter: https://bit.ly/2RdtJsEILYSM IG: https://bit.ly/2vlwxXyILYSM YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/2UQ8DUjKEBOOK CLUB: https://www.instagram.com/kebookclub/This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Kindle Vella - start reading for freeProduced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#153. Note to Self is wholly rooted in guilt-free self-love and self-indulgence. Practicing the art of self love can look different for everyone, but today we're getting specific about using our love languages to reconnect with ourselves. Whether you're a quality time, acts of service, physical touch, gift-giving, or words-of-affirmation girly, this episode contains a few ideas to inspire you to love on yourself a little more. FOLLOW PAYTON:https://instagram.com/paytonsartain https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonsartain https://youtube.com/c/paytonsartainhhhttps://amazon.com/shop/paytonsartain https://pinterest.com/paytonsartain SUBMIT TO NOTE TO SELF:→ Ask P: Advice Column: https://forms.gle/avvSu4ibYygZP5rq8 → Simple Pleasures: https://forms.gle/PFmEU9BFRtyE7Dt57 → Your ICKS: https://forms.gle/pgcr9LhmyyvyAyVk7→ Most Embarrassing Stories: https://forms.gle/qpZBp9bxdcH77Utf8→ Little Acts of Love: https://forms.gle/ReEoo6HBoC4QspQs9→ Juicy Confessions: https://forms.gle/Uuz5KdUkC4c3NnFw5Episode Sponsors:Head over to Nike.com today to shop the Nike Free Metcon 6.Download the Kindle app and scroll to the Kindle Vella tab and start reading for free.Head over to TryFirstleaf.com/NOTE to sign up and save 50% on your first SIX hand-curated bottles plus free shipping.Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/notetoselfWoo is giving you 20% off your purchase AND randomly choosing orders that use my code to refund their entire purchase. Head over to Woomoreplay.com and use code notetoself at checkout.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's episode Kenzie sits down with Topsie, for another episode. Topsie is a mindset and emotional intelligence coach. She also has a background of 11 years as a mental health professional. Kenzie and Topsie are talking about taking responsibility for your life and how to develop a strong sense of self in a way you've maybe never heard before. Enjoy! BLOG: https://kenzieelizabeth.coNIGHT CAP CARDS: https://www.shopfriendofmine.comSHOP MERCH OUT NOW: https://shop.dearmedia.com/collections/ilysmSECRET FACEBOOK PAGE: https://bit.ly/2zEx3BMJOIN OUR GENEVA GROUP CHAT: https://links.geneva.com/invite/ab361e92-0405-41ad-9e12-b17b592365bcJOIN THE MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/2uumkusKenzie's Channel: https://youtube.com/kenzieelizabethKenzie's IG: https://bit.ly/298RzRnKenzie's Twitter: https://bit.ly/2RdtJsEILYSM IG: https://bit.ly/2vlwxXyILYSM YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/2UQ8DUjKEBOOK CLUB: https://www.instagram.com/kebookclub/This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.Kindle Vella - start reading for freeVisit NineWest.com and use code HOUSEGUEST at checkout for 15% off your purchaseProduced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#152. I'm learning how to prioritize relaxation, reducing cortisol (& its effects on my body) and detoxing from a dopamine-fueled life this summer. Today I'm sharing 5 ways I'm making that happen. FOLLOW PAYTON:https://instagram.com/paytonsartain https://www.tiktok.com/@paytonsartain https://youtube.com/c/paytonsartainhhhttps://amazon.com/shop/paytonsartain https://pinterest.com/paytonsartain SUBMIT TO NOTE TO SELF:→ Ask P: Advice Column: https://forms.gle/avvSu4ibYygZP5rq8 → Simple Pleasures: https://forms.gle/PFmEU9BFRtyE7Dt57 → Your ICKS: https://forms.gle/pgcr9LhmyyvyAyVk7→ Most Embarrassing Stories: https://forms.gle/qpZBp9bxdcH77Utf8→ Little Acts of Love: https://forms.gle/ReEoo6HBoC4QspQs9→ Juicy Confessions: https://forms.gle/Uuz5KdUkC4c3NnFw5Episode Sponsors:Visit clearstem.com and use code NOTETOSELF at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Join ALOMOVES.com and use code NOTE for an exclusive thirty-day free trial, plus enjoy twenty percent off an annual membership.Visit NineWest.com and use code NOTETOSELF at checkout for 15% off your purchase.Download the Kindle app and scroll to the Kindle Vella tab and start reading for free.Produced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Arnon Shorr is a comic book author and graphic novelist, as well as a screenwriter, director and producer of remarkable films, often with meaningful Jewish messaging. Arnon's website: https://www.arnonshorr.com/ Arnon on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2601747/ Wayfarers on Kindle Vella: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/episode/B0C758RNCN JEWCE: https://jewce.org/index.php/arnon-schorr/