Collaboration, Box Sets & Beating Burnout ft. Asa Maria Bradley (Classic Replay EP#567)

Subscribe: RSS

Burnt out and not writing? Bestselling paranormal romance and urban fantasy author Asa Maria Bradley went two years without finishing much of anything — and it was collaborating with other indie authors that got her writing again. In this episode we dig into anthologies, box sets, shared worlds and author collectives, and exactly how each one works for a self-published author.

Whether you’re staring down burnout, trying to grow your newsletter list, or thinking about organising your own multi-author collection, this one covers the creative side AND the unglamorous business side — royalty splits, contracts, tax-year timing, cross-promotion, and how to vet a list-run box set before you hand over any money. Asa also explains how a 5,000-word short story for 1001 Dark Nights accidentally launched an entire series, and why writing outside your genre might be the best thing you do for your author career.

In this episode:

Why Asa left traditional publishing (and how she ended up with no editor and no agent in the same month)
Burnout, the pandemic, and the point where the writing stopped
Accountability: why she’ll blow her own deadline but never someone else’s
Writing a crime-fiction novella in someone else’s shared world — and finding readers who “don’t read romance”
How a 5,000-word short story for 1001 Dark Nights became an entire series
Organising your own collection: choosing your authors, letting readers vote on the title, and what she’d do differently
The money bits — Draft2Digital royalty split vs going direct, tax-year timing, quarterly payouts, and the minimum-royalty clause worth stealing
Editing, POV and word count: where to be strict and where to let people write
What a well-run list-run collection looks like, and how to vet the organiser before you hand over money
Laura Greenwood’s low-cost social media game strategy (and why emoji-only questions quadruple engagement)

🔁 CLASSIC REPLAY — This episode was originally recorded in 2022 (EP343) and the advice on collaborations, box sets and author burnout is just as relevant today.

Watch interview on YouTube

About Asa

USA Today bestselling author Asa Maria Bradley grew up in Sweden surrounded by archaeology and history steeped in Norse mythology, which inspired her sexy paranormal romance and sizzling romantasy series.

Booklist attributes her writing with “nonstop action, satisfying romantic encounters, and intriguing world building” and Entertainment Weekly says “when it comes to paranormal romance with explosive action scenes, Bradley has that nailed.” Her work has received the honors of a double nomination for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA contest, a Reviewers’ Choice Award nomination, a Holt Medallion win, and a Booksellers’ Best Award win.

Asa came to the United States as a high school exchange student and quickly fell in love with ranch dressing and crime TV dramas of all flavors, two addictions she unfortunately still struggles with. Currently, she lives on a lake deep in the forest of the Pacific Northwest with a British husband and a rescue dog of an indeterminate breed. Sadly, neither obeys her commands.

Subscribe to her newsletter and get access to exclusive content and giveaways.
www.asamariabradley.com

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

1001 Dark Nights & Blue Box Press: https://1001darknights.com
The Grifter’s Song (Down & Out Books, series editor Frank Zafiro): https://downandoutbooks.com
Draft2Digital royalty split: https://draft2digital.com
BookBub Partners (new release alerts): https://partners.bookbub.com
Becca Syme — Strengths for Writers: https://www.betterfasteracademy.com
Gretchen Rubin — The Four Tendencies: https://gretchenrubin.com
Canva: https://www.canva.com

🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources:
http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

🎧 Listen on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community!

⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions:
http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode!

#WritingCommunity #WritingPodcast