Self-Publishing Process & Tools

• October 1, 2024Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP468 – Short Romance Success with Lana Love

  Lana talks to us about how she has achieved success in short romance in less than two years using a mix of mindset, research and plain old stubbornness (her words, not ours...). We talk about what she did to level up, including the research she did and the tough decisions she made. It's a fascinating interview we know you'll love! 

• September 17, 2024Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP466 – Covers That Convert

  Your book cover is the "shop window" of your hard work, and it has to do the heavy lifting to attract potential readers to go on and read your blurb. So how do you figure out which cover is the best for you?

• August 14, 2024Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP461 – The Best Places To Publish Your Books

  Should you “be Amazon exclusive, “go direct”, “publish wide” and/or use an aggregator? And what do those terms even mean?

• August 7, 2024Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP460 – How to Get Reviews and Find ARC Readers

  If you've been scratching your head over how to get some more reviews on your newly published book, this is the episode for you! We break down how we have each built up and managed our ARC teams, and how we've gone from no reviews to hundreds of reviews. Loads of practical tips in this episode!

• July 31, 2024Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP459 – Why Your Book Isn’t Selling

  Why is it some books sell well right out of the gate, and others wither on the retailer vine? Do you know why YOUR book isn’t selling? It can be for a number of reasons and this episode we run through the most common (and fixable!) options that’ll put you back on the right track.

• July 17, 2024Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP457 – How To Understand Your Market on the Amazon Store – with Nat Connors, Kindletrends

  Nat Connors of Kindletrends returns to the SPA with a new analysis tool for indie authors - an interactive infographic to help us make sense of the book categories on the Kindle Store. Knowing where your book (or story idea before you’ve written it) fits into the market, and how it stacks up against the packaging (cover, pricing, categories etc), for the current top sellers in your specific genre is really important. It allows you to directly target the right readers and sell more books.

• June 12, 2024Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP452 – Book Formatting Made Easy

  Got your final manuscript all ready to go, and wondering how to format it for publication? This is the SPA Girls episode for you! Welcome back to another 20 min SPA Girls mini-tips session, where we break down the basics of self publishing, just for you!

• April 24, 2024Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP445 – 7 Easy Tips For Building Your Newsletter List

  How the heck do you build a reader newsletter list when you're first starting out? We're back with another SPA Girls minisode, to get your author career rocking. Listen up for how we built our own reader newsletters and what tools and services we recommend.

• April 10, 2024Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP443 – Book Marketing and TikTok with Kate Hall 

  Kate Hall is a paranormal romance and non-fiction author who has taken her marketing expertise and used it to kick butt on TikTok. She started Alyne Digital Solutions in an effort to help authors make a sustainable income from their books, and since starting has scaled two of her businesses and several others’ to six figure incomes. As well as discussing facts and figures for TikTok, we’re also delving into marketing for authors, and why you’re probably using the wrong hooks in your social media. A wonderful open and informative discussion that could unlock answers to questions we’re all asking right now!

• March 13, 2024Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP439 – Using The Enneagram For Authors with Claire Taylor

  The Enneagram is a personality typing system, where each person falls into one of nine types. Today we're talking with author, educator and fiction strategist, Claire Taylor, about how understanding our enneagram type liberates writers from the "shoulds" and self-judgement, and helps us become more successful as authors.

• February 21, 2024Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP436 – Fast Decisions, Big Results

  Ever hesitate over making an important decision because you were trying to figure out what the 'right' thing to do was... and then miss out on an awesome opportunity because you didn't take a leap of faith? Yeah, us too. That's why this episode is all about making good decisions in your author career.  In fact, we're not only advocating making decisions and moving forward, we're also suggesting that a FAST decision is even better than an average speed decision. Research has shown that fast decisions are often higher quality, perhaps proving that our subconscious brain can move faster than our conscious brain... or maybe it's just our intuition is more capable than our overthinking brain? Whatever the reason, it's a powerful reminder that we know more than we think we know...  In this episode you'll learn some ideas and techniques on how to assess decisions, learn when to make fast decisions and hear about some of the decisions we did and didn't make in our careers and what we learned from them.

• February 14, 2024Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 435 – Interview with Dan Wood from Draft2Digital

  Today we’re interviewing Dan Wood, Chief Operating Officer at Draft2Digital, one of the best known distributors for eBooks, print and audio books. We last spoke to Dan in 2019 and a lot has happened since then! D2D has not only merged with Smashwords to make their reach stronger, they build tools and services that let you focus on writing while they take care of layout, publishing, distribution, print-on-demand paperbacks, and more. If you’re a new author or simply want to level up and expand, Dan has lots of tips to help you, including promotional opportunities and Books2Read, an author promotions powerhouse that includes New Release Notifications, Universal Book Links (UBLs), B2R Author Pages, B2R Book Tabs, and so much more!

• January 30, 2024Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Selling Direct To Readers

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP433 – Selling Direct With Katie Cross

  In this episode we chat to YA Fantasy author Katie Cross. She has so much passion and enthusiasm for what she does, and loves her readers!  We talk about direct sales and how to relate to your readers, and these are just two of the topics we covered. It's action packed and full of information!

• January 24, 2024Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP432 – What To Do When You’ve Finished The Book

  You are your own publishing house when you self-publish. There’s lots to do, and lots to think about, especially the first few times you publish a book. That’s why we’ve created this helpful, back-to-basics SPA Girls Podcast episode – to help you go from rough manuscript to published book, with our notes on what you need to plan for and schedule, and how to figure out what you’re going to need to actually do to get your book published on all the platforms. We haven’t given a specific order for these tasks to be done in – we know too many successful authors who get different aspects of the checklist done at different times. There are also tasks that can be finished quickly and others that will take time. The important thing is to know what you need to do, to work out a schedule that suits you and your life, and then to actually do the tasks! To help out, we’ve also created a handy checklist for you to download; just click the links in the show notes to find it, or head to the show notes for the episode on our website!

• January 10, 2024Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP430 – Just One Thing: How To Simplify Your Writing Life

  Inspired by Dr Michael Moseley’s JUST ONE THING we use his framework to give practical tips for uncomplicating your writing and author business life.

• January 3, 2024Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls EP – 429 – How To Create Your Author Business Plan

  Today we discuss business plans. Need help creating yours? It doesn't need to be complicated, just download our simple SPA Girls template in the show notes.

• December 20, 2023Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP427 – Our 12 Christmas Wishes for you!

  We’re celebrating you, our wonderful listeners, in the SPA today by sharing our 12 Christmas Wishes for you and your self-publishing journey. We want you to know how special to us. We’re so proud of this journey we’ve all embarked on and with what everyone has achieved. No matter where you are in the publishing process, it really is time to celebrate! May your holiday be filled with love, joy, good food, fun, books and time to relax and recharge yourself.

• December 5, 2023Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP425 – Book Launch Strategies

  Congratulations! You’ve finished your first book (or series) and are ready to hit the publish button! So what can you do to get your book noticed in sea of other new books, and how can you find the right readers for you? The SPA Girls are here to help!

• October 24, 2023Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP419 – The Best Mindset for Organisation and Productivity with Sarra Cannon

  Self-publishing since 2010, Amazon top 100 best-selling Amazon author with 1 million books sold, Sarra writes magical contemporary fantasy novels with both teen and college aged characters (and lots of twists you'll never see coming). Do you feel like a hamster on a wheel? Sarra talks to us about her solution to planning without all the heartache and leading us to be more joyful. “When we sit down to plan we see the perfect scenario. Then Life gets in the way.”

• October 18, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP418 – Publishing Wide, Selling Audiobooks Direct, Working With Your Spouse – Interview with author Sarah Piper

  We’re thrilled to welcome UF/PNR author Sarah Piper to the show today. Sarah has seen great success publishing across a number of genres, and we discuss her strategy moving from Amazon-exclusive to publishing wide, selling her audiobooks direct and working with your spouse!

• October 10, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP417 – How To Correctly Select Your Amazon Categories – with Alex Newton

  Amazon has moved the furniture again! This episode, Alex will help explain Amazon’s category changes, what they mean for authors, and how best to categorize your books now.

• September 27, 2023Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP415 – How To Get Unstuck

  There are many ways we get stuck as authors. Some ways you can get stuck is in the writing, editing, time management and making decisions areas. Getting unstuck is much harder and yet easier than we think. Letting go of perceptions of our writing or our characters helped Trudi a great deal when she put off writing the last book in a series - for years! Cheryl had to get past the fear of getting edits back and find a way to embrace the process to get them done. For Shar, it’s being done with the book and accepting it. No one wants to put up sub-standard work and we all do our very best to make sure that happens, but agonizing over a book doesn’t move you forward. We discuss how to do these things while facing fears and preconceptions, as well as the overwhelm of too many ideas and choices.

• September 13, 2023Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP 413- Back Engineering a Bestseller

  Today’s topic was prompted by a commenter on youtube who asked us about reverse engineering bestsellers. What makes a book, be it your second one published or your tenth, sell more than others.  We believe there are many variables to that. Timing, tropes, the first 10% of how a book starts. The cover, blurb, and other popular tv or books that may have similar aspects.  There are many things to consider, and today we take a dive into why a book can launch a career!

• September 7, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP412 – Being Successful as a Hybrid Author with Katlyn Duncan

  This week we talk to fiction and non-fiction author Katlyn Duncan, who wrote the non-fiction books The Successful Hybrid Author (all about being a hybrid author) and Take Back Your Book (all about how to get your rights back after being traditionally published). She shares her path to becoming a hybrid author, but also what you need to know about being hybrid, how it works, the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus indie publishing versus hybrid publishing, and how to get your rights back if you want to take up indie publishing.

• August 23, 2023Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP410 – What To Do When Your Marketing Isn’t Working

  Marketing but not achieving results? Maybe you need to do a bit of a deep dive into why. We've got some tips on where to start ...

• August 9, 2023Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP408 – Branding for Authors

  This week we take an in-depth look at author brands - starting with what branding actually means, what your branding should look like as an author, and then how you can make sure your author brand is the best it can be. We talk about how newbie authors can set up a brand for the first time, and how more experienced authors can reassess your current brand and make any necessary changes. 

• August 1, 2023Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP407 – Making Your Books Addictive with Alessandra Torre

  What is it EXACTLY that makes a book addictive? How do twists and turns come into play? And how do you create these elements with any genre of books?

• July 26, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP406 – Subscriptions For Authors & Ream

  Today we’re joined by two dynamic guests - author Emilia Rose and Michael Evans, co-founds of the REAM subscription service for authors. We cover a LOT in this episode - from “what is the Creator Economy” to making subscriptions work for authors, so settle in for a great listen/watch!

• July 12, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP404 – Interview with Ana Huang

  This week we go in-depth with USA Today, international and #1 Amazon bestselling author of new adult and contemporary romance, Ana Huang. Aside from being very successful (check out her Twisted series!) Ana is a super smart and hardworking author with a tonne of great advice that she generously shared with us in this information-packed episode. Check it out now!

• June 21, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP401 – Lynn Raye Harris, Let’s Talk Series!

  Today we talk to the amazingly talented author Lynn Raye Harris about series. Everything from multiple connected to branding. This is a must listen podcast!

• June 7, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP399 – Diversification with Rachael Herron

  How can a writer diversify their income? In this episode Rachael Herron shares her advice for maximizing your income as a writer!

• April 25, 2023Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast  – EP393 – Genre Expectations

  Today we’re covering reader expectations for romance and it’s subgenres and mystery. Let us help you define where your book should sit on the virtual book shelves!

• April 12, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP391 – How to Successfully Publish Wide with Erin Wright

  USA today bestselling author of Western Romance, Erin Wright, has worked every job under the sun, including library director, barista, teacher, website designer, and ranch hand, helping brand cattle, before settling into the career she’s always dreamed about: Author.  Despite starting out in KU in 2016, she went wide on all platforms in 2017 when she discovered she couldn’t get her books in libraries if she was exclusive to Amazon. She started the Wide for the Win Facebook group in 2019, to help other authors find information about being wide, and now the group has grown to a community of 14,390.  Erin breaks it down and lists the reasons why she made this decision. She uses serial apps, website direct sales, multi-author promotions, as well as many platforms that we had never heard of. If you are keen to diversify and find more ways to reach readers, this is the episode for you.

• March 29, 2023Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP389 – Small Town Romance with Kait Nolan

  Kait is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author of smart, sassy, small town Southern romance. She calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin', and can wield a 'Bless your heart' like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements.

• March 14, 2023Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP387 – TikTok For Authors With Brighton Walsh

  Award-winning USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brighton Walsh spent a decade as a professional photographer before taking her storytelling in a different direction and reconnecting with her first love—writing. After getting a publishing deal Brighton went on to become a hybrid author and is now mainly indie. She started on TikTok in January 2022 and used mainly page flips back then and went viral immediately. She has since developed her own brand of TIKTOKing which continues to impress. Today she brings you plenty of tips and tricks to start you off on the right foot.

• February 22, 2023Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP384 – Write And Plot Faster with Plottr

  Wanting to speed up your plotting and writing time? Or have an easy way to keep a series bible? We've got just the answer today ...

• February 15, 2023Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP383 – Our Valentine To Writers

  Who says Valentine’s Day has to be about couples? We think it should be about all kinds of love and this year we’re promoting a little self-love. Go on, you deserve it! Treat yourself to a craft course or something else you would enjoy – find a course and do it! Do something awesome for your body – manicure, pedicure, massage, facial. Regular exercise – walk, run, bike, swim, yoga, pilates, sport. Combat stress – read, listen to music, have a bath, meditate - try Paul Mckenna and Youtube videos. Breathing exercises – breathe in for seven, hold for seven, out for seven. Eat healthy and drink more water. Try something different – puzzles, a new hobby like knitting, crochet or miniatures.  Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

• January 17, 2023Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP379 – How To Make a Trailer with Bookbrush

  Kathleen Sweeney is Bookbrush’s Customer Service Manager & Marketing Lead. She brings over 17 years of client service experience, business assurance, strategy and problem solving to Book Brush. Kathleen loves creating images and is happy to share her knowledge. We’re talking trailers for TiK Tok Instagram and other social media, as well as QR codes and where to use them. And so much more!

• December 21, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP375 – Celebrations And Things We’re Grateful For

  The Spa Girls wish you a wonderful Christmas and today we’re sharing our celebrations and things we’re grateful for. From Shar’s first taste of travel in three years and reaching 1000 subscribers on Youtube, all Wendy’s historical books hitting the top in that category and doing German translations, Cheryl achieving her goal of four books for 2022 and opening a store, Trudi finally finished a series and found a course that resonated more than she could have hoped for, there is plenty celebrate. The grateful list was long and included our guests who keep things real, listeners old and new who make us want to continue, doing what we love, family and author friends who support and get us, and on to entrepreneurs who build products and supply services which make our lives easier – we thank you all. Listen in to for a more comprehensive list and maybe there are some things that resonate with you too. Take care and make sure to recharge over the season.

• December 7, 2022Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP373 – Lightbulb Moments of Writing Advice

  Lightbulb moments about writing and publishing that have turned you from gloomy to galloping along - have you had them? We have and today we're sharing the nitty gritty self publishing and writing tips that positively impacted our craft and careers - plus, of course, the mentors who've given us great advice.

• November 2, 2022Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girl Podcast – EP 368 – Monster Romance With Lillian Lark

  In this fun episode with Lillian Lark, we learn about monster romance - what it is, how it's defined, who's writing it well, and how to write one for yourself! Not only is Lillian doing well in the genre of monster romance, she's also doing amazing things on TikTok, so we were able to quiz her on her tricks and techniques for the social media platform as well.

• October 26, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP367 – How To Self Edit Your Second Draft

  There are many types of editing and today we're discussing how the SPA Girls approach a second draft. Plus, don't miss out on the Second Draft Checklist, an amalgamation of all our processes in one handy spot.

• August 31, 2022Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP 359 – Film & TV Options for Authors with Michele Scott

  It was our great pleasure to interview Michele Scott, a NYT, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestselling author of over forty novels and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. Michele has written in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ Thriller series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? was number 2 on the Amazon list. Her Wine Lover's Mysteries are currently optioned, and a movie version is projected to begin filming this year.

• August 17, 2022Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Selling Direct To Readers

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP357 – Direct Selling with Morgana Best

  Do you want to have an author store and don't know where to start? USA Today bestselling author Morgana Best takes us through the process of setting up your store and best practices. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

• August 10, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP356 – Running With Your Ideas

  This week we talk about how to find new ideas, and how to use those ideas in new ways. How to find them in the everyday hustle and bustle of our lives, and how to turn them on their heads to create something intriguing and interesting to our readers.  We go through a series of story starters, of intriguing kernels that you can use to create an awesome story that your readers will love to read... 

• July 20, 2022Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP353 – Book Launch Strategy

  All about book launch strategy - from pre-orders, why publishing print books before ebooks makes sense, wrangling an ARC team, paid and free advertising and lots more!

• June 7, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP347 – The Power Of Writing Sprints

  Are you struggling to get your words down each day? Why not give writing sprints a try? You can do them alone, however, you might find they work better with others like we did. Listen to the podcast for more tips regarding: • training yourself • how to set up a sprint group • the power of structure • what length of sprint? • top of the hour sprints • tracking

• April 12, 2022Goal Setting, Planning & Productivity, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP339 – Becoming a Full Time Writer

  Do you want to be a full-time author? Today we discuss how we transitioned to writing full-time, including: • how we approached the financial and business planning side • balancing the creative and business sides of the job • mindset tips and corrections along the way • our expectations versus reality • courage and resourcefulness Make a plan, understand your process, know how much you need to earn and adopt the right mindset to ensure you’ll be ahead of the game.

• March 30, 2022Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP 337 – Creating Audio Books

  In the Spa this week we talked to the talented Naomi Barton. With more people listening to audio books now, there has never been a better time to learn about this side of our industry. Naomi has produced audio books for our very own Cheryl, under CA Phipps, her cozy mystery pen name. We talk about processes, cost, and the industry. You won’t want to miss this one! 

• February 15, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP331 – Reignite Your Writing Joy

  Feeling a bit blah about your writing? Struggling with getting good words down and your word count UP? Today we're taking inspiration from Marie Kondo, and we're sparking back the joy in our writing lives! Our SPA Girls tried-and-true steps are: 1. Re-commit to your Why 2. Re-evaluate your ideal writing life / writing day 3. Let gooooooooo 4. Start with Simple 5. Be Like Marie and ask Does It Spark Joy? As always, a brutally honest and real-time discussion how we're all struggling a bit for different reasons. Wendy's tired, but she can still invent words - see "unbogging" as an example!

• February 9, 2022Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP330 – Covers That Sell

  How do you get a cover that finds readers and converts to sales? How much should you expect to pay?

• January 27, 2022Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP328 – All About Preorders

  Confused about preorders? Wondering if you should start using them? Wondering if you should stop using them? This is the episode for you! We talk about what preorders are and how they work, how we use them successfully, and when we think you shouldn't use preorders.

• December 22, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP323 – Christmas Special 2021

  Despite 2021’s best efforts we’ve managed to do some great work this year and had some good times. From launching as planned when health or life got in the way, to self-improvement on many levels, we’ve hit the markers. Maybe not on time or in an effortless ballet-like movement, but we’re taking the wins and so should you! SPAGirls’ favourite moment: We spent 8 hours together on a train trip to conference where we ran a workshop, plus Wendy and Cheryl hosted a panel. Being with friends and other fellow writers was a tonic that needs to be bottled! Listen in for: Our favourite moments of the year. Apologies as Wendy tells us dad jokes! Christmas recipes we love! SPA Girls Podcast - www.spagirlspodcast.com

• December 1, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP320 – What Do I Write Next?

  If you're considering changing genres, starting a new series, trying new tropes, or are even just so confused about this writing malarky that you're not even sure you'll write anything next... this is the episode for you. It's a difficult decision to move to a new genre, or to move on from a series that's not doing as well as you'd like, or even from a series that you love, but just can't write any more, but it's a decision we've all made here in the SPA. We talk about what we do when trying to decide what to write next, how we've made the decisions to switch something up or change course, and how you can successfully do the same thing.

• November 24, 2021Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP319 – Reader Reach with Written Word Media

  It’s no secret that we use Written Word Media for ads and while we don’t have affiliate links, we can’t think of a reason not to try Freebooksy and Bargainbooksy. But what would you say to them running Facebook ads for you? Today we talk to Clayton Noblit, Senior Marketing Manager, along with Grant Shepherd, Ad Fulfilment Manager at Written Word Media about their new advertising offering, Reader Reach. Reader Reach is a data-driven all-in-one ad solution that allows authors to reach thousands of readers on Facebook as efficiently as possible. Learning how to build ad images, audience research, or writing ad copy, the setting up and running ads can be time-consuming, costly, and stressful. Reader Reach does all the heavy lifting for you. The Reader Reach team handles everything, from ad creative and copy to audience targeting and bidding. Their goal is to help you find the right audience for your book, and let you focus on what matters most: writing your next book!

• November 17, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP318 – Lessons For Writers from Brene Brown

  How can we, as authors and self-publishers, deal with the internal (and external!) voices of criticism, meet our expectations and forge ahead with our publishing plans when we don’t feel at all confident we’re on the right path? How do you know when it’s time to move on from your book or books you loved writing, but no one else seems interested in buying?

• November 11, 2021Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP317 – StoryOrigin

  Evan Gow is the indie developer of StoryOrigin, a marketing tool and community of authors that work together to find reviewers, build mailing lists, increase sales, and stay on top of deadlines.

• November 3, 2021Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP316 – Interview with Nicholas Erik

  Wondering how to get started with Facebook ads, but not sure where to start? Join us for today's podcast with Facebook ads guru, Nicholas Erik! Nicholas is a science fiction author with more than 20 books to his name. He's also written books for authors including The Ultimate Guide to Book Marketing and The Ultimate Guide to Productivity, as well as running courses about Facebook Ads, Amazon Ads and BookBub Ads for authors. He was awesome to talk to and gave a huge amount of useful information for authors - this is one of those episodes you really don't want to miss!

• October 13, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP313 – The Best Writing Advice You Shouldn’t Take

  Feeling a bit bombarded by conflicting advice re writing and self-publishing? Got FOMO about courses and conferences others are experiencing, but you can't afford or attend? And how do you figure out what advice works best for YOU? Friends, you're not alone - we've been there too.

• September 29, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP311 – Top Ten Takeaways for 2021

  This episode we're sharing the key things that have moved our writing careers, and creativity, forward so far in 2021. It's a typical "SPA Girls on the couch" episode with some raw honesty and bad humor thrown into the mix. We cover a lot of ground, so grab a cuppa and get comfortable.

• September 8, 2021Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP308 – Interview with Virginia Milner from Kindle Vella

  If you've been considering taking the plunge into Amazon's new serials platform, Kindle Vella (and yes, Wendy asked if they'd named it after her), then this is the episode for you! We talked to Virginia Milner, the principal product manager for Kindle Direct Publishing, and leader of the Kindle Vella project, all about the new platform. She explained how Kindle Vella - which launched in July 2021 to readers - works, how authors are already using it to their advantage, and the possible ways that Kindle Vella could be used by authors in the future to broaden their readership, and sell more books.  It was an awesome episode, and we really enjoyed having Virginia on the show to explain it all first hand!

• August 12, 2021Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP304 – Interview with Rachael Herron

  International bestselling author Rachael Herron joins us in the SPA today to talk to us about her writing journey, how she has created a career with multiple genres, how she deals with procrastination and blocks in her writing, and the main differences she sees between having books traditionally published and being an indie. It's an awesome interview, and we loved having Rachael in the SPA! 

• July 14, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP300 – Pride and Perseverance

  Join Shar, Wendy, Cher and Trudi for the 300th EPISODE of the SPA Girls Podcast! EEEEEEKKKKK!!!!! Can you believe it? It's been a crazy ride, but we've loved every minute of it. :) In this episode we talk about having pride in your work and being proud of everything you've achieved, and then how to persevere in the face of all the odds! This is a fun episode where we open up about some of the things we've been through over the last six years, and give our best advice for anyone looking to self publish! 

• July 7, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP299 – Book Marketing On A Shoestring

  Marketing doesn't have to be Big Bucks spent on advertising. In fact, some of the best marketing you can do is free or low cost. If you're just starting out there probably isn't much left in the budget for paid marketing. We've been there! In this episode, we've dug deep to find all the tools we used instead of heavy investments—and some we still do.

• June 8, 2021Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP295 – How To Build Your Author Village – with Celeste Barclay

  Celeste Barclay joins us to discuss finding your village and what doing so did for her. Celeste has published an incredible 27 books since 2017 primarily in historical romance. Celeste says her author village "made her career" and today she talks to us about what that means to her, how to find and build your own village, and why it's so important.

• May 19, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP292 – Wide vs Exclusive

  It's a heated debate that occurs regularly in the bars and cafes of self-publishing-land - should you go exclusive to Amazon and get the benefits of Kindle Unlimited, or should you go wide, and get the benefits of being able to upload your books on retailers like Kobo, Apple Books and Nook, as well as Amazon?  There are arguments both ways, and in this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast, we take you through all the pros and cons of both, and try to give you some information that will help you make the decision when the time comes... 

• May 10, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP291 – 9 Writing Tools We Love!

  We absolutely have more than 9 tools we could recommend because we don’t all use the same ones. Listen to find out which ones we can’t do without and who uses the others and why. Cheryl has a few homemade spreadsheets and tables – no surprises there – which she may be inclined to share. 😉

• May 5, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP290 – Dealing with Edits and Critiques

  Getting edits and critiques is part of every author's career, but sometimes it can feel worse than getting stung by a wasp on your eyeball. Like directly in the middle of your eyeball. By a really big wasp. Where it would really, really hurt.  So that's what we're talking about this week in the SPA - how our thoughts on critiques have changed over the years, how we deal with the pangs when someone says something mean about our book babies, and why we think you can't afford to go without critiques and edits. 

• April 14, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP287 – Plotting for Pantsers

  Are you one or the other, or something in between? While Trudi is an outright plotter, Cheryl considers herself a hybrid and Wendy is a confirmed pantser. Shar isn’t with us today but we know she’s tried it all! But is this a hard and fast thing? In this episode, you’ll find out when and how we plot and the struggles involved with pantsing. Whatever type of writer you are, remember that no one writes like you and how you write affects your voice and your process. Before you decide what that is is, try all the ways we’ve suggested – you may be surprised!

• March 16, 2021Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP283 – Interview with Kaye Kennedy

  Today we’re talking with Kaye Kennedy who had the successful experience we all hope for when we start out. Using her business experience and spending years studying how to do it right, Kaye managed a million page reads in 6 months and she’s going to tell you how she did it! You don't want to miss this episode!

• March 11, 2021Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast- EP282- Interview with Helen Scheuerer

  Making six figures a year while publishing one book a year, isn't the usual career path for most indies, but for our guest today, it absolutely is!

• February 24, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP280 – Scheduling Like A Superstar

  Trying to figure out how to finish your book? Keep getting distracted or discombobulated? This is the episode for you! We break down the processes we use to plan and schedule a book, from start to finish, including everything from booking a cover designer to working with your editor. We show how easy it is to get your writing done, when you know exactly how much you have to write and by when. Join us for another information packed episode... 

• February 17, 2021Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP279 – Overcoming Technology Barriers

  For many of us, the thought of overcoming the technology barriers to self-publishing can be overwhelming and cause us to delay (or not try) publishing. Many authors who've have likely heard publishers talking about the all-important "meta data" and "algorithms" like they're the bogeymen. Something to be avoided - and best done by someone else! WE GET IT. WE'VE BEEN THERE! But if we can do this, trust us, YOU can too!

• February 10, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP278 – 7 Simple Steps To Self-Publishing

  It's super easy to be overwhelmed by all the steps required to self-publish. Whether you're a traditionally published author looking to self-publish now, or a new author straight out of the blocks, we break down the seven simple steps to self-publishing.

• February 3, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP277 – Answering Newbie Questions

  How much can you expect to earn when you start self-publishing? What should you publish for guaranteed success? We answer these questions and more in this episode ...

• January 20, 2021Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP275 – Read Through on a Series

  Are your readers staying for the next book? This week's podcast is all about read-through - ie what percentage of readers read from the first book in your series to the next, and onwards. Learn all about what it means, why it matters and how to increase your read through in this information-packed episode!

• January 6, 2021Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP273 – The One Right Way to Sell Books

  Isn't that what we're all after? The ONE RIGHT answer to everything - the BEST newsletter strategy, the RIGHT way to sell books, the ONE secret to making ads work? Well, listen up folks because in this episode we've got the Magic Wand!

• November 25, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP267 – Get Your First Book Right

  Want to make sure you give your first book the best possible chance of success... and then have readers auto-buying the next in your series? Then this is the podcast for you! This week we give you a checklist of elements for a successful first book in a series, before you even start writing a single word! We talk about everything - including the tropes that sell, what back matter to use, what kind of characters readers love and much more in this overview of how to make sure the first book in your series is awesome and automatically sells the next book in your series to your readers! 

• November 18, 2020Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP266 – Nail Your Keywords With Dave Chesson

  Why does Amazon choose someone else's book over yours to show in a search? And how can we make sure to use the best keywords for sales? Well wonder no more! We've got the answers for you in this info-packed episode ...

• November 11, 2020Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP265 – Reader Groups

  Today’s podcast is all about reader groups. Are they worthwhile? How they work and why you would want one? Wendy has recently started one, and we discuss how that is working for her, and also talk about some more established reader groups the SPA Girls belong to like, Lucy Score, C N Crawford, and Marie Force.

• October 28, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP263 – Listener Questions: Motivation, Time Management, Local Market

  In this episode we’re answering listener questions - a couple around the change of life many are experiencing right now. We have a few suggestions that helped us through switching to full time writing and the fickle motivation issue. Then we discuss how to tackle being visible in your local market. If you’ve had to deal with these things or are going through them now, please tell us about it on our Facebook page or comment on this post.  Keen to join the SPA Girls in a live workshop? Join our mailing list here and we’ll let you know the minute we have workshop bookings open. https://selfpublishingworkshop.co.nz/index.html Come say hi on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SPAGirlsPodcast/ and Twitter @spagirlspodcast.

• September 30, 2020Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP259 – Email Advertising Lists

  This week we look at the major email advertising sites we use, as well as some of the smaller, and talk about our success, or lack of it, with each. We also talk about how to prepare for advertising during the upcoming holiday season.

• September 16, 2020Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP257 – Juggling Writing & Family Life with Connie B. Dowell

  Today we're going to talk with author Connie Dowell about juggling family responsibilities, pandemic postponements, and upheaval, with the responsibilities of being a working writer.

• September 9, 2020Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP256 – Self Publishing Versus Traditional Publishing

  In response to a listener question, this week we attempt to answer the question: Knowing what you know now, if you were starting out in publishing today, would you go straight to self publishing, or would you try out traditional publishing first? It's a hard question, because we're not starting out now, we do know an awful lot more than we did when we first started and when we started (7-8 years ago) everything was different. And also, we all clearly believe in self publishing over traditional...! But... in the interests of helping our listeners make these kinds of decisions, we decided to give you the pros and cons of traditional vs self publishing. It's a little skewed, we admit that. But we did our best... :) So join us for another great episode!!

• September 2, 2020Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP255 – Newsletter Strategies

  This episode we discuss our (very!) different newsletter strategies: what provider we use and why, how we build our lists, our content, how frequently we email subscribers and what tips have worked for us.

• August 18, 2020Guest Interview, Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP253 – Maximize Your Mindset with Amira Alvarez

  Amira Alvarez is the founder and CEO of The Unstoppable Woman, a global coaching company helping entrepreneurs, empire builders, athletes, creatives, and rising stars in all fields achieve their dreams and goals in record time. Today we're going to talk to Amira specifically on how we can find focus in this chaotic time, and be productive without burning ourselves out.

• August 12, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP252 – Uncomplicate Your Publishing

  One thing we really believe in here at the SPA is that simple is better. There's so much noise on the internet, and so many different things that we're told that we "have" to do to be successful as self publishers, it can get confusing and overwhelming. So we decided to talk about ways to keep things simple in your publishing career, to prove that it doesn't have to be complicated to be amazing. With that in mind, this week we talk about our own experiences of keeping things simple, and how it worked out for us. We also give our tips on ways that you can simplify what you're doing, whilst also amplifying your career...

• July 15, 2020Mindset, Health & Writing Life, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP248 – Dealing With Limiting Beliefs

  We're on the couch again this week! We're talking about our limiting beliefs and how we're tackling them.  If you're not sure if you've got a limiting belief... we're pretty sure you do. Probably more than one. It's a belief that's holding you back, and it's the kind of thought pattern that you definitely want to bring out into the open, so you know it's there, and can work on ways to change or amend it. That's why we decided to talk about how we've recognised our own limiting beliefs and what we're doing to change them, so that you can look at your own beliefs and decide if any of them are holding you back from your dream publishing career! 

• June 24, 2020Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP 245 – Interview with Urban Fantasy author Keri Arthur

  In this podcast, we speak to the wonderfully talented and successful Urban Fantasy author Keri Arthur. She talks to us about transitioning from traditional publishing to self-publishing and shares tips and processes from her writing journey.

• June 18, 2020Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP244 – Alex Newton From K-lytics

  Knowing as much as you can about your category, genre or sub-genre is vitally important if you're going to succeed as a self publisher, and Alex Newton is keen to help you with that. He's the creator of K-lytics (www.k-lytics.com) a website where you can get in-depth reports on various genres and sub-genres on Amazon that will help you find your niche, boost sales in your chosen genre, and basically give you the information you need to stand out in this crowded publishing space. In this episode Alex explains the reports and how to use them, talks about the Amazon environment and how it works, and also dishes the dirt on the romance genre, giving us some helpful tips along the way! This is a must listen episode!

• May 20, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP240 – BETA Readers, ARCs and Reviews

  Have you been told you need more reviews, but you don't know how to get them? Are you wanting to find some BETA readers, but can't figure out where they lurk? Ever wondered who you send an ARC to, and what you get in return?  This is the episode for you! We go through each topic, explaining the terms, telling you how to find more of them, and why they're all so important to us as writers. 

• May 13, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP239 – How to Be Creative When You Don’t Feel Like It

  Sometimes the muse has left the building. Or you’re tired. Or something happens that you weren’t expecting. Yeah, like a pandemic. That’ll do it! There are probably very few people who haven’t felt the panic or sense of doom and gloom in some small way, and others far worse than the SPAGirls. It’s fair to say that we all took a moment (read a week or three) to get our heads back in the game, and even if you didn’t, that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up about anything you didn’t do or won’t do if that is the case because it won’t change anything or make you feel better. However, if you’re like us, you’ll be ready to get back in the game. Writing is our livelihood, and we’re doing okay, so we thought we’d give you a few things that helped us.

• April 22, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP236 – Wellness for Writers at Home

  If you're anything like us, you're sitting around even more than usual at the moment... But never fear, the SPA Girls have you covered! We talk with osteopath Freya Scollay about how to keep active in difficult times, as well as what we can do as writers to keep ourselves in the best health possible. If you want to find out how to keep yourself healthy and fit in strange and unusual times (or even every day times) this is the episode for you!

• March 18, 2020Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – Ep 231 – What And Where To Post On Social Media

  IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE POSTING ON SM:  Have a specific goal, and know why you want to achieve it. Just doing it because everyone else is doing it is a terrible reason. You won't be motivated to continue and you won't know what kind of content to put up, and you won't achieve anything.  Listen to this podcast, www.spagirlspodcast.com, where we give you some ideas and explain what platforms are available and what their focus is.

• February 4, 2020Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP225 – Amazon Decoded with David Gaughran

  Is Amazon just one big mystery that you're struggling to unravel? Then this is the podcast for you! David Gaughran gives us some tips and advice from his soon to be released non-fiction book, AMAZON DECODED.

• January 21, 2020Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP223 – What’s Your Word?

  We love the idea of visualising a word to describe how you’ll be in 2020. What difference could a word make? The answer is, it won’t unless you put it into play every day. If it’s a word that speaks to you, then make the most of it. Use it. Journal about it. Post it somewhere you can see it. Put it in your phone and calendar. You can find out our words and what we intend to do with them in this week’s episode of the SPA Girls Podcast.

• December 25, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 219 – Christmas and Our Favourite Guests of 2019

  Let’s clear the air! All our lovely guests are special and they resonate in different ways with each of us. But, if we had to choose . . . Here they are, the ones who made us really think about what we do. The ones who push us to do better. And the ones who inspire us. We thank them all. And thank you for being here and giving us an added encouragement to do this thing we love. Merry Christmas!

• December 11, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP217 – All About BookBrush

  Today we interview Kathleen Sweeney, Customer Services Manager and Marketing Lead at BrookBrush, an online platform designed to help authors with all their image creation needs. Kathleen helps us delve into what we as writers can get out of BookBrush, and all the features that we can use to create amazing social media and advertising images. She explains the platform, how it works, what options are available and some of her favourite tips to create the right images for your needs. Kathleen also tells us they're always evolving and working on new and exciting things to help us create those wonderful graphics. "As someone who can be at times technologically challenged, I find BookBrush easy to navigate and am always pleasantly surprised at the quality of the graphics I'm able to produce in a short space of time." - Wendy xx

• December 4, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP216 – Sharpen Up Your Author Career

  It's that time of year when we start looking back on the year, wondering how it all flew by so fast, and thinking about what we can do for the coming year.  This week we're talking about another lesson we learned at the Romance Author Mastermind (RAM) - making sure that you've crossed the t's and dotted the i's on all areas in your author career, from your backlist to your website and everywhere in between. It's about making sure everything is as tight and sharp as you can make it, and it turns out that it's a vital part of your business. If you want to learn how to sharpen up your author career, this is a must listen episode! 

• November 27, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP215 – Taking Risks and Being Brave

  If you're anything like the rest of us in the SPA, you're quite happy in your writing cave. You don't really want to leave the comfort of your keyboard. But this episode is all about why you really should take risks, be brave, and learn how to say yes to some of the really scary things in the self publishing industry. We're just recently back from the wonderful Romance Author Mastermind conference put on by Skye Warren, so we use examples from information we learned at this amazing event to help us illustrate our points for this podcast. Another episode full of tips and tidbits that will help your self publishing career!

• November 6, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP212 – Writing Great Characters

  We all love it when we're reading and we fall in love with a character. Not just in the book boyfriend way - although that's cool too - but in a isn't-she-so-great-I-wish-I-could-be-just-like-her-or-maybe-just-her-best-friend way.  As an author, how do you make that happen for your readers?  That's what we're talking about this week in the SPA. What makes a great character? How do we make them so memorable that our readers keep coming back for more? What do you need to know about them before you start? And how do you bring them to life on the page?   Join us as we dissect everything you might ever need to know about writing great characters! 

• October 31, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP211 – Self Care Isn’t Selfish

  If you don’t take care of yourself, odds are no one else will. So what does it take to make sure you’re firing on all cylinders? We’ve all got our own take on self-care and yet there are plenty of similarities. This episode we talk about the ways that we take care of ourselves, and what you can do to make sure you're doing the same!

• October 15, 2019Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP209 – Editing with Anne Victory

  Confused about the editing process? Today we talk with talented editor Anne Victory, founder of Victory Editing. Anne has always been a stickler for grammar, and at every job she was “volunteered” (or volun-told) to either write or proofread everything from menus to game manuals to advertising copy. That business writing and editing experience came in handy when she started to work in fiction. She enjoys reading, and polishing the written word. Common wisdom says do what you love and you’ll live a long and happy life. With her background in English literature, grammar, and library science, it was a fairly easy decision to work with authors. We discuss what it takes to work with an editor. What you need to think about when you are editing your manuscript and much more.

• October 8, 2019Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP208 – Writing to Market Versus Writing To Trend

  What does 'writing to trend' mean? Isn't it just the same as 'writing to market'?  In the SPA, we say NO, they're not the same...and here's why: basically, Shar told us so.  :)  In this episode we explore the two terms, look at the differences between them, what they both mean for you as an author, and how you can use writing to market and writing to trend to help your writing career.  If you've ever wondered if writing to market was for you, or thought you'd spotted a trend early, this is the episode for you! 

• October 2, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP207 – Meeting Reader Expectations

  Ah, readers... They're elusive. Magical. Confusing.  But we all want them.  This episode, we break down the topic of reader expectations, discussing what they are, what it means for you the author, and how to make sure you are fulfilling your readers' expectations.   Why do readers love certain books? What makes them pick one book over another? And more importantly, how do you make sure your book is the one that readers gravitate towards...?  It's all covered in this week's episode of the SPA Girls Podcast! 

• August 14, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP200 – What We’ve Learned From Our Amazing Guests

  Here it is. Our 200th Episode! Yay! Who'd have thought that we'd ever make it this far?? First of all, we'd like to say thank you to everyone who listens to the show, we appreciate you all! It's been an amazing few years, and we've loved every minute of it. This week is a celebration episode, where we look back over those 200 episodes, and talk about the common traits of all the successful self publishers we've spoken to. From the humbleness of Bella Andre and the flexible nature of Serena Woods, to the smart work ethic of Skye Warren and the focus of Kathryn Le Veque, we cover it all. We will give you the ultimate list of self publishing traits that will help you rise to the top of the Indie pile! Don't miss it!

• June 26, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP193 – Keeping It Simple

  There's so much advice out there in Self-Publishing-Land. We're told you have to do this, and you have to do that, and you have to do the next thing to be a success in self publishing.  There's so much conflicting advice that it can actually do your head in...  This week, we go through some of the things that you can do to keep your self publishing career on track. How to keep it simple and not get caught up in ALL THE THINGS...  Keeping it simple is about not sweating the little things, keeping yourself focused on the writing, and getting the book finished! 

• June 4, 2019Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP190 – Dictation With Scott Baker

  Are your wrists giving you problems? Thinking you need to get out and walk more?  But still have to write all those books??  Then this episode is for you... We talk to dictation expert Scott Baker about all aspects of dictation, from the right software to get, the products and technical knowledge you need to get started, and how to train that dragon to within an inch of its life!!  Scott talks to us about everything from how to set up the dictation equipment correctly, the different ways you can dictate and how to make it as accurate as possible.  He's hugely knowledgeable, and is very generous with his information, so if you've ever wondered about dictation, or are considering getting it set up (or even tried and couldn't get it to work properly!) then make sure you listen to this episode!  

• April 24, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP184 – Keeping The Faith

  Do you have family and friends telling you not to write? Do they tell you that you've got your head in the clouds, and you need to get a real job? Perhaps people ask you how your little hobby is going, like it's not a real career?  Don't let them get you down!  Based on a listener question, this week the SPA Girls talk about how to deal with negativity from the people around you (especially in the beginning when you're starting out) and how to turn it around and stay motivated.  In the beginning, we end up spending large amounts of time essentially working for free, on the hope and dream of making our writing into a career. It takes grit, perseverance, and determination. The last thing you need is someone telling you to give up!  We've all had those conversations; the ones where people who are important to us question our choices when it comes to writing. This episode is all about how we've dealt with those conversations, and how we've managed to turn it around and stay positive, and how you can too. 

• March 20, 2019Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP179 – Interview with Tara Cremin from Kobo

  This week we talk to Tara Cremin, Author Experience Manager from Kobo Writing Life. It's always great to chat to someone from each of the platforms for the real insider information, and Tara doesn't disappoint! For those of you who've never loaded a book to Kobo, Tara talks us through the process and why you should load direct instead of through one of the other aggregators. She also gives us the down-low on boxed sets, pricing, and promotions through Kobo, and how to make sure you get the best results. Then she talks about some of the exciting new opportunities, including their brand new audiobook service, which is super exciting! "We're just a bunch of book-nerds," was our favourite quote from the interview, and sums up Kobo quite nicely, we think. :)

• February 27, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP176 – How to Speak Self Publishing

  Ever listened to someone talking about self publishing and been mystified about what they're actually saying? Maybe understood about one in every three words? It's a common problem, and one we sometimes come across ourselves, as things change in the industry and new jargon hits the streets. Added to that, even if you decide to look it up online, it's sometimes not easy to understand. That's where the SPA Girls come in. This episode we go through all the self publishing jargon we could think of, and explain what it is, and talk a little about why you might need to know each term and how it's useful for you in your Indie career. This episode is packed with great tips around each word, and will hopefully give you an idea of what on earth is going on!

• February 6, 2019Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP173 – How To Identify Your Writing Weaknesses

  Today's episode was inspired by a comment on our podcast website www.SpaGirlsPodcast.com by listener Carron, who asked "...when you're starting out (writing) how do you know what weaknesses to focus on? You don't know what you don’t know. Love to hear an episode on things to work on, or things you ladies have struggled with and how you’ve gone about correcting them."

• January 30, 2019Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP172 – Interview with Dan Wood from Draft2Digital

  The delightful Dan Wood joined us in the SPA today to talk about the Indie distribution channel Draft2Digital. It's an informative hour-long interview with Dan, who attends 20 plus author conferences a year, and has his finger on the pulse of Indie publishing. He not only explains everything that Draft2Digital offers indie authors - from free formatting for your ebooks and Universal book links to audiobooks and print books - he also talks knowledgeably about the industry, gives advice on how to be successful, and offers his thoughts on the future of self publishing.

• November 21, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP162 – How To Launch Like A Pro

  In response to a few recent questions we've been asked on this topic, we decided to talk through the basics of launch strategies for first-time or early career authors, or for authors starting off a new series or pen name.  It's sometimes difficult to know what you should do when you're launching a new book. We all want to make sure our book babies do as well as they possibly can when we launch, but there's also a whole lot of often contradictory advice out there on the best way to do it.  This episode is about distilling the best of the best launch advice out there for authors, so that you can make the right decisions about your launch strategy. Go forth and conquer! 

• November 7, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP160 – Wide Versus Exclusive – Which Is Better?

  It's one of the big questions in the Indie author space, and hotly debated by many on either side. This week we talk about the pros and cons of going wide on all publishing platforms versus going exclusive to Amazon. No one seems to have a definitive answer to whether it's better to do one or the other, and it can seem confusing and overwhelming. So the SPA Girls sat down and worked through what it means to go wide on all the publishing platforms, what you'll get from it that you won't get if you're exclusive, and what you'll be missing out on if you're wide - and then we do the same for the decision to go exclusive with Amazon. If you've been worrying over whether you should go wide on all platforms, or go exclusive to Amazon when you publish your next book, this episode will give you the answers you've been looking for.

• September 12, 2018Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP152 – Interview with Tina Dietz About Audiobooks

  This week we have the fabulous Tina Dietz, an expert in the area of audio, podcasting and audiobooks, who talks to us about the ways we can be using audio in our writing careers.  She gives us the low down on audiobooks, how to get them recorded, how they fit into the marketing of your other book formats, and how to promote/market them to your audience.  She also talks about the expanding audiobook industry and why we should all be considering adding audiobooks to our inventory of books.  Tina gave us some amazing ideas for how to promote audiobooks, or even just using audio to promote your print or ebook versions of your book. She's a very smart marketer, with a strong grasp of the audio market, and this is a must-listen episode for anyone who's thinking of getting into audiobooks, or who already has audiobooks on sale. Or in fact anyone who thinks they could use audio in any way to help with the marketing of their books. :) 

• July 25, 2018Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP145 – Newsletter Ninja Tammi Labrecque

  This week we're joined by the Newsletter Ninja, Tammi Labrecque (of IndiePubIntensive.com), who talks to us about creating an amazing author newsletter that will help amp up your writing career.  She talks about why every author needs a newsletter, and how to turn the people who sign up for your list into super-fans who will buy every book you write. Tammi also gives us a whole heap of tips on what kind of content to put into your newsletter, how to find the perfect subscribers for your books, and when to cut subscribers from your list.  It's another tip-packed episode that you'll want to listen to carefully. I know Shar took heaps of notes (She even broke out the shorthand...) and you will too! 

• June 28, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP141 – Ten FREE Online Tools for Authors

  Looking for some new online tools to help you in your publishing journey? Curious about what online time-savers other authors have, and how they use them to make their careers work better, faster, smarter? Is your budget creaking at the seams? Don't worry, we're here to help!  This week we give you Ten FREE Online Tools and Websites that you can use to upskill, inform and educate yourself in your self publishing journey. Every single tool we give you is something that we've used ourselves, and that we can personally recommend to you.  We were also slightly nutty this week, so be prepared for some craziness!! 

• May 9, 2018Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP134 – Interview with Kevin Tumlinson of Draft2Digital

  We’re delighted to welcome Kevin Tumlinson, bestselling thriller author, and Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital into the SPA today! Kevin talks us through using Draft2Digital to format and publish your books on line, the best practices for keywords and a host of other tips for indie authors.  For many of us living outside the US, Draft2Digital is the way to access online retailers who don’t allow us to upload directly, and all the SPA Girls are D2D fans.  As a company D2D are continually innovating and bringing out new tools for authors (listen out for Cher’s suggestion mid-podcast!).  

• February 22, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP122 – How To Use Subplots to Amp Up Your Story

  This week we talk about a craft topic that's been bugging Trudi - subplots. Ever since reading Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews, who does it really well, she's been pursued by the idea that maybe she's not doing them properly... So this week, we discuss what they are, why you should be using them in your novels, and the different kinds of subplots that you could consider using in your novel. Done well, a sub plot can add a huge amount of depth to your novel, as well as tension, characterisation and conflict.  We think that adding a subplot to your current novel could be the difference between having a boring one-dimensional novel, and creating a layered book that everyone is gagging to read!! 

• February 7, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP120 – Should You Use a Pen Name?

  This week our topic is whether or not to use a pen name. Choosing the name to represent your writing career might seem like a simple decision, but there's actually a whole host of things to think about when you consider what name to use - from marketing, to reader expectations and even cover dimensions - and it's not just which name sounds the nicest.  Authors have always had pen names and in the Indie environment, it's not uncommon for an author to be managing several. We discuss our own decisions regarding pen names, why we chose the names we did, and the things we had to think about before we made the final decision. From websites to domain names, choosing the right gender for your genre, and even a couple of rants from Shar thrown in for free, this is another thought-provoking episode. 

• January 31, 2018Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP119 – Interview with NYT Bestselling Author Nalini Singh

  This week we were lucky enough to convince the lovely Nalini Singh to come on the show. A fellow Kiwi, Nalini is also a very smart, savvy author who's been on the NYT Bestseller list an incredible 27 times, and has hordes of ravenous fans the world over. Nalini is also the kind of pioneering author who knew that she would need to do more than simply write great books (you know, cause that's easy, right?)  if she was going to make this writing malarky her career. She knew she would need to connect with her readers and give them something more. With this in mind, she started a popular blog when she first set out to conquer the writing world, and then created a massive organically grown newsletter when the time was right, and finally conquered Facebook, where her current page has over 70,000 readers regularly interacting with her. She gives us the low down on how she's created such a strong reader connection, the kind of content she thinks is vital for authors to give their readers and her secret sauce for interacting with all kinds of people. This one is a little long, but it's well worth the listen for the various wise gems of knowledge that Nalini drops on us throughout the show. (I did say she's a smart cookie, didn't I?)

• January 19, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP117 – Dealing with Negativity and Naysayers

  Do you have one of those people in your life? Someone who thinks the glass is always half empty and wants to bring you down the whole time? Negative Nellys and Doubtful Dougs are around us all the time, and this week we talk a little about ways to deal with the negativity in our lives. If you're going to achieve everything you want to this year, you need to have some strategies to deal with the negativity and turn it around into something more positive. 

• January 10, 2018Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP116 – Tough Mindset Questions for 2018

  Are you all set to achieve everything you really want to achieve in 2018? If you're still not sure, this episode will help! We ask three really great questions around our mindset as self publishing authors for 2018, and try to answer them as honestly as we can. There are some home truths, some deep and meaningfuls, and some nearly-tears (we don't do real tears, we're too tough...!!) as we try to unravel what's going to make 2018 great for the SPA Girls.  It might seem simple, but the questions actually made us think quite a bit about what we really want to achieve this year, and what we need to let go of to succeed. Come prepared to put your thinking caps on, to delve deep and to be honest about what you really want as an author this year... 

• December 20, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP113 – Twelve Top Tips for 2018 – Christmas Episode

  This week we decided to do a trendy new concept (cause that's what we are, totally trendy): a reverse advent calendar. Basically instead of getting gifts at Christmas, we wanted to give YOU a gift for each of the 12 days of Christmas. So.... With this in mind, our Christmas episode is our Twelve Top Tips for 2018. Essentially we've compiled our best advice for resources to use, marketing advice to amp up your sales, and our favourite people to get advice from who will give you what you need to succeed in 2018. It's one of those episodes that's packed full of advice, as well as that SPA Girls brand of certified crazy that keeps us going in this mixed up world... (Yes, I'm a little tipsy as I write this. Just had the neighbours over for a few Christmas drinks). If you're keen for a laugh, and to learn a few things about rocking it in self publishing, join us for our Christmas Special Episode of the SPA Girls Podcast.

• November 8, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP107 – Interview with Dave Chesson, King of Keywords

  This week we talk to bestselling self-published author Dave Chesson, otherwise known (mainly by the SPA Girls) as the King of Keywords.  He's the genius behind the Kindlepreneur.com blog, which provides loads of step-by-step information for self published authors, and he's also the creator of the fabulous app KDP Rocket, a tool you can use to do research into your next book topic, find keywords and categories for your current book, and to create a massive list of keywords for Amazon Ads. Among his many talents (which include being a nuclear engineer!!) Dave is a total self-confessed data geek, which means he loves diving into the analytics surrounding Amazon and selling books. Which was great for the SPA Girls, because he was happy to chat to us about keywords, categories and selling more books on Amazon. Yay!

• November 3, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP106 – Pros and Cons of Kindle Unlimited

  This week we talk about Kindle Unlimited, or KU, as it's commonly known. KU is the exclusive readers' programme for Kindle customers on Amazon, which authors can join as long as they give exclusivity to Amazon. We discuss the pros and cons of going into the KU programme versus going wide on all the different platforms available to self published authors, plus we cover some of the different marketing tactics you might employ, and ways to effectively use the KU platform as an author. It's an information-packed episode, and if you've been wondering whether to join KU, or if you're trying to find ways to use it better, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

• October 24, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP105 – Why YOU Should Do NaNoWriMo!

  This week we talk about NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Every year in November, writers around the world challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days. For newer writers, it can seem like an insurmountable challenge, but even just joining in and being part of the NaNoWriMo environment can be inspiring and energising. It's been getting bigger and bigger every year, and for the writers who manage to 'win' (ie finish 50K) it's an amazing achievement. There are stories everywhere of people who've started their writing career with NaNoWriMo, going on to publish many books and have successful careers. So what's so great about NaNoWriMo? That's what we discuss in this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast - why it's been so successful, the aspects of it that we love, and why we think you should be doing it this year. (And don't miss our surprise challenge at the end of the episode!)

• October 19, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – Episode 104 – Ten Truths For New Self-Publishers

  This week we’re dealing out the “truthslaps” – in a loving way, of course. Wendy, Cher and Shar discuss ten truths for self-publishers that will help you navigate the choppy waters of a new indie author career. We want to be positive, but also realistic, so we are holding nothing back here. This is a rewarding (but tough) business and it requires patience and persistence. When you’re starting out you’re more than just a writer, you’re launching a small business with a pretty steep learning curve. Fortunately there’s a ton of help out there and here in the SPA is the best place to start!

• October 4, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP102 – Maximising Book Sales At Christmas

  This week we tackle Christmas. Not literally. I mean we're not going after Santa or anything. No knocking him to the ground, and sitting on him til he gives us presents. That would be weird, right?  No, this week we're talking about what self-published authors should be doing over the Christmas period to promote their books to the hoards of eager Yuletide book buyers. It's a prime book buying time of year, and no one wants to miss out, right? In order to do the best research for our eager listeners, we talked to several other authors (in forums and people we know) for their advice on this topic, as well as using our own experiences. We even discovered a few tips that we didn't know about and are planning to use this year for ourselves!  If you've been wondering what you should do to promote your books this Christmas, you need to listen to this episode! 

• September 20, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP100 – OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE WE MADE IT TO 100!

  This is a very special episode of the SPA Girls Podcast - our 100th episode! Who'd have thought when we nervously started our first episode that we'd make it this far?? We talk through everything we've learned about self publishing and writing over the last couple of years, give some of the top self publishing tips that we've gleaned, the advice we've been given by our guests, and what's in store for the future of the SPA Girls... Listen in for some laugh-out-loud moments as we celebrate the last 100 episodes of the SPA Girls Podcast. :) 

• September 13, 2017Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP99 – Interview with Arianna Golden

  This week we have authorpreneur and automation expert Arianna Golden. She's great at helping authors set up systems in their business, to amp up their productivity, and enhance their ability to write. She talked to us about some basic automations that are simple for authors to put in place, and gave us some fantastic tips on how to save time.  Automation doesn't have to be a scary word. As Arianna says, think of it as a tool, like a cheese grater. Used correctly, a grater can get you yummy grated cheese to go on top of a baked potato. It's only if you don't use it correctly that you might get into trouble... (I'm scared of graters, but not of automation, so I'm not sure where that leaves me...) It's another fascinating interview, and hopefully a good introduction to automation for people who don't know much about automation. Enjoy! 

• September 6, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP98 – Top tips from RWA 2017

  This week Shar and Trudi interview Wendy and Cheryl about their trip to Orlando for the Romance Writers of America 2017 conference. They give tips on surviving a conference with 2,000 other people, plus talk about what they learned from meeting self publishing gurus like Mark Dawson, Roxanne St Claire, and Kristen Painter. They also give up the best writing tips, the most-secret self-publishing tricks, and how to network like a ninja just for you. This is another tip packed episode, where Shar and I attempt to get over our abandonment issues by pumping them for as much information as possible...! :) 

• August 1, 2017Guest Interview, Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls – EP92 – Interview with Mark Dawson

  Before I say anything else, let me get this out of the way... Sqeeeeeee! We interviewed Mark Dawson! OMG! *coughs* Right. Now back to the regularly scheduled blurb about this episode... This week we have a very special episode all the way from the Romance Writers of America conference where Cheryl and Wendy just spent the week schmoozing and mingling with romance writers from all over the world. They were lucky enough to tie down...er...interview a couple of great Indie authors while they were there, and this Mark Dawson interview is the first of our RWA special episodes this week. Mark was, according to Wendy and Cher, a lovely, gracious interviewee, and despite being completely starstruck, they managed to squeeze out a fantastic episode full of great advice, tips and insider information from the great man himself. :)

• July 18, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls – EP90 – Author Overwhelm Book Launch!

  This week we're launching our brand new book: Kick Author Overwhelm in the B*tt!  Instead of forcing you to listen to our overwhelm stories yet again, we invited three very talented self-published authors to talk to us about their writing careers and how they've faced and overcome Author Overwhelm in their own lives.  This week we're launching our brand new book: Kick Author Overwhelm in the B*tt!  Instead of forcing you to listen to our overwhelm stories yet again (we figured we'd talked that topic to death...), we invited three very talented self-published authors to talk to us about their writing careers and how they've faced and overcome author overwhelm in their lives.  Louisa George, Toni Kenyon and Karina Bliss kindly agreed to join us for this very special episode of the SPA Girls Podcast and opened up to us about their experiences of author overwhelm. They talk honestly about their writing, their cheerleaders, their challenges and the tricks and tips they have for helping to keep their focus on the writing and away from the overwhelm. We had heaps of fun talking to three very funny, smart and accomplished authors, and we're sure you're going to enjoy hearing their stories too. :) 

• July 11, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP89 – Behind the Scenes with the SPA Girls Podcasters

  This week we decided to go a little bit behind the scenes on the SPA Girls side of things. Instead of talking about our fiction books, we talk about how the SPA Girls came about, what we were trying to achieve when we decided to start the podcast, why we're doing what we're doing and what we were hoping to achieve. We also talk about our branding, our mission statement, and why we decided to publish the Author Overwhelm book, having been podcasting now for 89 episodes! :)

• June 20, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP86 – Writing in Microsoft Word

  This week we talk about the writing program no one is talking about - Microsoft Word. I'm not sure it's actually a conspiracy (wink, wink) but we thought we'd break the silence and get the word out there. (In actual fact, we think it's probably because Word is so ingrained into everything we do these days, that everyone assumes that there's no point talking about it.) However, we're pretty sure, like us, many of you are still using Word in some part of your writing process, so we decided to go through some of the tools and tips that we know about on Word, to help you upskill yourself in this wonderful, wacky Word program. From track changes to hidden characters, soft returns to right mouse clicks, we go over everything you might need! :) 

• June 13, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP85 – How to Write Faster

  This week we talked about ways to speed up the production of your books, from getting your head in the right space from the get-go, to planning, scheduling and lastly ways to make sure you plain-old write faster. It's a great episode because it yet again demonstrates how we're all different and things that will work for one, won't necessarily work for another. But what we are able to do is offer a whole bunch of ideas and suggestions for practical ways that you can amp up your writing schedule. You don't have to try them all, but it will give you something to think about as you write your next book. :)

• June 6, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP84 – Amazon Also Boughts, Algorithms, and Author Rankings

  This week we go through the book page on Amazon, deciphering some of the sections, explaining how each works and how the information gleaned can help you in your Indie career. From explaining the also boughts, to understanding the Amazon algorithms and how they affect you, and looking at the author rankings and understanding what they mean to you, we go through everything we know (and some stuff we realise we didn't know) and pass it on to you... :)

• May 30, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP83 – Courses For Authors

  This week we run through all the self publishing author courses that we've done between us over the last few years and talk about the ones that we liked and would recommend that you could try if you're looking for a way to upskill your knowledge. As a group, some of the SPA Girls are more into courses than others, so whether you're a super keen course person, or a more reluctant starter, this episode will give the information that you need to know whether the courses are for you.

• May 11, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP80 – Busting Self Publishing Myths

  We’re out to lunch today, recording in a café (so enjoy the ambience of the coffee machine in the background!) where we discuss all those myths about writing and publishing. Some we’ve fallen prey to; some we’ve debunked through experience. You need to know everything about your story and characters before you can start writing. There’s a lot more you need to be doing as a self publisher. You’ll never “make it” without a big platform or great contacts. Sound familiar? Yeah, we’ve all heard them. And a lot more besides! But there is more than one path to writing success, and there’s no such thing as a magic bullet or “secret sauce” – so join us in the café and let’s do some mythbusting together!

• April 6, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP76 – First Quarter Goals

  This week we sit down and talk through our self publishing goals for the first quarter, and how we've been going with our writing. It's a bit of a mixed bag, with some of us having achieved our goals and others not so much. But there's always something to learn from our highs and lows, especially how to recalibrate your writing and marketing goals when things happen outside of your control, and how to keep yourself going when times get tough!

• March 22, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP74 – Formatting Tips and Tricks

  This week we tackle the topic of formatting your ebooks. We talk about the difference between outsourcing the formatting and doing it yourself, and the pros and cons of each option. Then we talk about what we've done in the past and how we do it now, what we think are the best practices, the programs that we recommend, and why we like them. If you're about to start formatting, or even considering a change to the way you're currently doing it, this is a great episode to listen to!

• March 15, 2017Marketing, Advertising & Sales, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP73 – Zhushing Up Your Amazon Author Page

  Publishing your book to Amazon KDP is the first step ... then the second VERY important step is setting up your Amazon Author Central account and optimizing your Amazon Author Page. Too many new self-publishers miss the second step and it's costing them sales! It's easy and it's free, so listen up and we'll share how to ZHUSH up your Amazon Author Page to make it sparkle!

• March 9, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP72 – Author Overwhelm

  This week we talk about a subject dear to our hearts - author overwhelm. It's so easy to become overwhelmed in this digital age, with everything that we are bombarded with and told we "have to" do to succeed as a self published author. This episode we talk you through the tips and tricks we use to help us work through the overwhelm and keep writing. It's another fun episode, the SPA Girls were together in person this week, so we had a laugh as usual...

• March 2, 2017Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP71 – 10 Marketing Tips for Beginners

  This week we talk through the basic marketing principles that you need to make sure you've got in place for promoting your books. Think of it as a 101 class in marketing, just for you. :) We talk through tips like ensuring consistency of brand, having the right kind of bio and blurb, and being professional.

• December 24, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP62 – Christmas 2016 Special Episode

  This week we come to you live from our local cafe as we eat, drink and be merry, and discuss the highs and lows of self publishing in 2016. We call it our Hit, Miss and Maybe list, and we talk through the things that worked, the things that definitely didn't work, and the things we might try again to see if they work better a second time. It's a great episode, we give some of our top tips from the last 12 months, and spread a little Christmas cheer! Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year! xx

• December 14, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP60 – Interview With An Editor

  This week we talk to Olivia Ventura from Hot Tree Edits about being a full time editor. She was a fantastic person to interview, and gave great advice on how to work with editors and how to find someone who will do the kind of edit you want for your book. She talks about the most common grammar mistakes that authors make, how to do edits on your own in preparation for sending your manuscript to an editor, and some best practice ideas for making sure your book is as tight as you can make it.

• December 7, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP59 – Answering Listener Questions

  This week Wendy, Cheryl and Shar tackled some of the questions we've been getting from eager listeners to the show. The team were without me (Trudi) because I was off celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary, but it's good to know that they can manage to pull together a show without me... :) The topics covered included how to keeping writing when you have a family, how to find the right editor, and what to do if you hate social media (hint: it's not throwing out your computer).

• December 1, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP58 – Writing for a Kindle World

  This week it was just Shar, Cheryl and Trudi, and we talked about writing and publishing a book in an Amazon Kindle World. Cheryl has just published her second book in the Laguna Beach Kindle World and she gives us the inside story on how it works - plus the benefits and the issues around writing in a Kindle World.

• November 17, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP56 – Top Ten Mistakes Self Publishers Make

  I don't actually know how many mistakes we covered in this episode, but I thought that title sounded great. :) But we definitely do go in-depth on all the terrible, dastardly, embarrassing mistakes that we've made in the process of self publishing our books. From not getting our books properly edited and rushing through the process of publishing and putting our books up before we should have, to not being organised enough, to not knowing and understanding our genres - we've done it all! Don't make the same mistakes that we have - listen to this episode and find out how to avoid them all!

• November 9, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP55 – Launching a Non-Fiction Book

  This week we talk about the launch of a project dear to our hearts - our new non-fiction book about author overwhelm. We've been working on this project for a while, and we're really excited about bringing it to you. It's something we've all experienced, and we don't think people talk about it enough, so we've decided to put it out there in book form! This episode we talk about the book, what it involves, and what we're going to do over the next three months before the launch to try and make it a success. One of the big aspects to this launch process is the expansion of our mailing list. We made a goal of getting 1,000 people onto our mailing list by end of February 2017, and we brainstorm some of the techniques we're planning to use to get our numbers up. Join us on the journey, and go sign up to our mailing list!

• October 25, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP53 – How to Do a Successful Book Launch

  This week we're all back! The SPA Girls are reunited again, and we're on fire with useful and relevant information for you as a self published author. We talk about launching your latest book into the marketplace, and the do's and don'ts, plus tips and tricks that you might want to try out when you're publishing your novel to get some of those golden sales... From when to put the books up, what to price them at, what kind of advertising to do, and when to use your social media and your mailing list, we cover it all in this episode for you. Just listen and take loads of notes! :)

• October 10, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP51 – Characters Your Readers Will Love

  This week we crawled out from our sick beds to provide you with this delayed episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. We managed to talk semi-coherently about creating amazing characters that your readers will love. As far as we're concerned, it's all about creating characters with flaws, who your readers can relate to and fall in love with through the course of the story. We gave away all our secrets, so that you can learn to write the best characters you possibly can.

• September 22, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP50 – Celebrating a Half-Century of Episodes

  This week we celebrate the 50th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast! We're pleased as punch that we made it this far, and we hope we'll make it to another 50! We talked about what's changed for us in the last year, where we are at in our careers, and the highs and the lows of a year in self publishing. A kind of retrospective on what we've learned, what we've seen, and what we think about it all.

• September 5, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP47 – Advertising for Authors

  This week we're without the delightful Cheryl, the light of our lives. It's a bit chaotic, but the three remaining SPA Girls managed to talk about the advertising that we've done recently and how it worked. We talked about the mailing lists that we've advertised with - think Book Bub, Ereader News Today, Freebooksy, Bargainbooksy, and Robin Reads - how we organised it, when we booked them for, and the results that we had. We also talk briefly about Amazon ads, and how you might use those kinds of ads in your promotional routine. We hope it helps you get an idea of the kind of advertising promotion that you might choose to do for your next launch or advertising schedule.

• August 28, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP46 – Should I Write a Series?

  This week I (Trudi Jaye) was away, so against my better judgement, I let the other three do the podcast without me. Surprisingly, against all expectations, they managed to do an episode that was moderately okay. :) Don't miss this episode as Wendy, Cher, and Shar talk about writing in series - why you would do it, what it involves, how to remember all the characters, and some hot tips on marketing your series.

• August 19, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP45 – RWNZ conference indepth

  This week we had a huge amount of fun talking about the RWNZ conference that we just had here in New Zealand. With an all-star international line up including Hollywood Script Consultant Michael Hauge, multi-award winning author Heather Graham, Australian Superstar Rachel Bailey, Scriptwriting Extraordinaire Kathryn Burnett, Self-Publishing Gurus Leeanna Morgan and Steff Green plus many more, we had a whole heap to discuss. We break down Michael Hauge's amazing story structure ideas, discuss regency dancing, and talk about why conferences are so amazing. It's a fun episode, and we hope you enjoy it! :)

• August 4, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP43 – Great Covers And How To Get One

  This week we talk about covers for ebooks. We've mentioned self publishing covers in passing on previous episodes, but this week we put the microscope to the topic and try to work out what makes them great. We talk about our experiences on our own covers, the changes we've made along the way, and why we've made them. We also discuss how to work with a designer, how to decide what you should put on your cover, and what your readers want from your cover. And finally, we talk about the idea that sometimes the cover you love isn't the one that's going to sell your book, and you need to put aside your fragile writer's ego, and go for the one that's most suitable to the type of book you've written.

• July 25, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP42 – Surviving Writers Conferences

  This week we talk about our experiences (all family-friendly) at writers conferences and give tips on how to get the most out of conferences (aka overcome the sudden urge to hide behind a large pot plant and not talk to anybody). In a cunning plot twist, we got confused at the intro and said this was episode 41 (instead of 42). Our excuse? Too much heat in the SPA!

• July 19, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP 41 – Content For Your Facebook Page

  This week's episode talks about what to post on your Author Facebook page to keep fans engaged and coming back for more! We've all experimented with different kinds of posts - from thoughtful quotes through to "let it all hang out" videos, and have been surprised at what's worked best! Facebook can be an author's friend, but it's also a beast that needs constant feeding. Hopefully you'll get some "feeding tips" from us this week!

• July 8, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools, Writing Craft & Editing

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP40 – Getting Your Pacing Right

  This week we talked about tips and tricks to keep the pace of your novel moving at the right speed, all the way to the high impact ending. We each talk about the tricks we use to make the pace of our novels work for our readers. We talk about genre and how it affects pacing, also things like sentence structure, word sound, chapter length, and other methods you can use to keep your pacing fast or slow. It's all about creating the right rhythm for your novel, so that your reader follows you through to the end. :)

• June 28, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP39 – Finding Focus as an Author

  This week we decided to bring back the challenge episodes. It's the middle of winter here in New Zealand - it's cold and wet and dreary, and we're all feeling a little frustrated with where we're at. So we decided to talk about finding our focus again and pushing forward in our writing careers. We all talk through the issues that we're each having, from changing family schedules, to slipping in our usual writing and marketing routines or recovering from illness. And then we talk through the plans we have to solve some of these issues and get ourselves back on the track that we're aiming for.

• June 24, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP38 – Writing Good Sex Scenes

  This week we decided to talk about Wendy's favourite subject - sex! :) Just kidding, it's the favourite topic of all the SPA Girls... When you're writing romance, there will generally be some form the physical activity that happens when people fall in love. ie Sex. The different genres have different heat levels, and it's partially about knowing the conventions of your genre, but also about knowing what you're comfortable with personally. This week we talked through what each of us personally is comfortable with, what we like when we read other romance books, and how to write a sex scene that will knock the socks off your readers. I hope you enjoy it! FAIR WARNING: The language in this episode is a little grittier than we normally go for, sorry about that. If you're not keen on bad language and talk of genitalia, you might want to skip this episode (we're pretty tame, really, but just in case...).

• June 14, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP37 – Intro to Twitter

  In episode 37 we were all together in person again and we talked about Twitter. It's probably the second most popular social media platform after Facebook, and it's definitely one worth investigating. We give some basics on the platform, how to get started, what some of the jargon means, and a few tips on the best ways to build up an audience and connect with others on the platform. It's probably more of a networking opportunity than somewhere that you will make a huge number of books sales, but it's a fun way to connect with readers, authors, publishers and other industry folk.

• June 8, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP36 – Help! What Do I Write in My Newsletter?!

  This week is episode number 36 and we decided to talk a little more indepth about the kind of content you might provide in your newsletter for your subscribers. They've signed up to your list, now what? It's all very well being told that you need to write to your email subscribers regularly - but what on Earth do you write to them about? Your latest doctor's appointment? Which politicians you hate most? NO! That'll just get you a nice high UNSUBSCRIBE rate. This week we give you a whole bunch of ideas on the best way to connect with your readers, how to keep them engaged and interested in you and your books, and how to figure out what they will be most interested in reading about. Enjoy!

• May 25, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP34 – How Do I Get Reviews?

  This week - episode 34 - we talked about reviews - what they are, why you need them, and how you might go about getting some more! The best thing about Amazon is the ability to leave reviews and to gather momentum for your books through word of mouth, and we love them for it. Even better, they're pretty good at trying to make sure those reviews are legitimate reviews, rather than people trying to game the system (and okay, there will always be peeps trying to game the system, but at least they're trying).

• May 18, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP33 – Getting Your Newsletter Started

  Welcome to another episode of the infamous SPA Girls Podcast, where we break down the journey to self publishing one step at a time. This week we talked about newsletters - what they are, why you should have one, and how to go about getting one sorted. Setting up an email newsletter is often quoted as being the number one top priority for a self published author - it gives a direct line between you and your readers, which can be invaluable.

• April 28, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP30 – Self Publishing Resources

  This week we talk about our favourite self publishing resources to help make your writing life just a bit easier. From writing tools like Scrivener and writeordie.com to editing support with grammarly.com or the best courses on Udemy and CreativeLive.com, we've packed this episode full of information for self publishers!

• April 21, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP29 – The Ingredients For a Delicious Novel

  This week we went with a baking theme, and talked about the ingredients that we think are most important when 'cooking' a novel. This wasn't an exhaustive list, just a few of the things we think you should work on first, to make sure your novel is going to be the best it can be. We know most about, and are most focused on, the romance genre, so it's a multi-layered Black Forest chocolate gateau cake. Just saying. But for anyone who's interested in a little bit of help with writing craft, listen in to our discussion of the most important ingredients...

• March 22, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP27 – Self Publishing Trends

  This week we're without the delightful Wendy Vella (who is off on a romantic holiday in an exotic location for her daughter's wedding), but we managed to put an exciting episode together anyway. We're talking about some of the more recent self-publishing trends that we've noticed (and some that aren't so recent, but are still relevant) and how you might be able to use them to your advantage.

• March 6, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP25 – All About Amazon – PART TWO

  It's episode number 25, and we're talking about Amazon again this week. It's the second in our two-part Amazon special, and this episode we walk you through the process of loading a book onto Amazon.com. We go through each of the sections and tell you what we do/answer for each one. If you've never put a book up on Amazon (or even if you have) this should help you as you as you go through the process. We give tips and advice on the best way to answer the various sections, how to find the best keywords, and what categories you should be in. It's an information packed episode, so be sure to take notes!

• February 28, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP24 – All About Amazon

  It's the episode you've all been waiting for... This week, in lucky episode 24 (I love that number, it's my date of birth), we talk all about the retail site Amazon. It's the first of two episodes on Amazon, and this week we start by giving a bit of an overview of Amazon's history, what they do, and how they came to be such a powerhouse retail site. Then we talk about Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) where indie authors load up their books, the pros and cons of KDP Select, talk about Kindle Unlimited (KU), and how to use Author Central.

• February 22, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP23 – Dealing with Author Overwhelm

  Welcome to episode 23 of the SPA Girls podcast. This episode we're talking about Author Overwhelm, one of those insidious blockages sent to distract us as authors. When you've got so much on, and so many things that you're trying to do, and it's making you feel panicky and frustrated - to the point where you're not actually doing anything useful at all... that's author overwhelm. We've focused on giving practical tips on what we do when author overwhelm hits, how we keep going through the tough times, and what we do to try and avoid author overwhelm in the first place! I hope you enjoy it, it's a great episode!

• February 14, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP22 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part Two)

  Welcome to episode 22, and the second in our pre-publication special episodes. In these two informative sessions, we talk in depth about the things you need to take into account before you hit publish on your self-published book. This episode we talk about things like formatting, categories, key words, book descriptions, covers, pricing and your title/subtitle of your book.

• February 8, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP021 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part One)

  We're officially 21! Well, at least 21 episodes into the SPA Girls Podcast... This week we dive into some really meaty content - it's the first of a two part series on what you'll need to have organised before you publish your book onto the various retail platforms. This first episode talks about tax numbers (ITIN and EIN etc) and whether you need them, ISBN numbers (what they are, and why you might choose to get one), copyright for your books, bank accounts and accountants, pen names, and front and back matter in your book.

• February 2, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP20 – Find Your Tribe Challenge

  This week it's a challenge episode, and we talk about the ways we decided to meet new people - preferably other authors who could help with the self publishing process. We all found ways to get into Facebook groups, Google + hangouts, and forums and online groups. Listen in and find out how you can find the kind of people who will support you through the ups and downs of the self publishing process.

• January 18, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP018 – The Right Mental Attitude for Self Publishing

  Welcome to the 18th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. This week we delve into the fascinating topic of the mental attitude you'll need to succeed as a self publisher. It's not a matter of just posting your book up on Amazon and waiting for the money to roll in... You'll need a few things like grit and determination to see you through to the end result that you're aiming for.

• January 12, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP017 – Setting Goals for Success

  Thanks for joining us for episode number seventeen! We're at the time of the year where we like to set some goals for the year, and we decided to sit down and discuss how we do it; things like the kind of goals we like to set, how many we set, and the things we've done to make our goals work for us.

• January 4, 2016Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP016 – Where Will You Self Publish?

  Welcome to episode 16 of the SPA Girls podcast. I hope the new year is treating you well, and you're excited and motivated to make this year your best one yet! In this episode we talk about a few of the different sites where you can put up your books once they're finished and ready to go.

• December 22, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP014 – Websites for Authors

  This week we talked about author websites and why it's vital for self publishing authors to have one, despite the naysayers (mostly from traditional publishers who don't see the point). We talk about what you should include on your website, the kind of content you should be writing, and the style of writing you should use on the web. We also talk a little bit about the technical aspects of setting up a website.

• December 8, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP012 – Genre Break Down Challenge

  This week's episode is number twelve - that's right, we made it to three months! This episode was a challenge episode, and we each talked about the research we'd done on our particular genres - Trudi looked into the genre conventions of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy (with a little bit of comparison between them along the way), Cheryl investigated Chick Lit and what makes it so good, Wendy waxed lyrical on the conventions of Historical Romance, and Shar rounded it all out by telling us about Contemporary Romance.

• November 30, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP011 – All About Covers

  Welcome to the 11th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast! This week we're talking covers. It's a massive subject, and we've tried to cover the basics in this show. Having a really good cover in this crowded marketplace is a must-do. Not just a good cover, but the right cover for your book, and your genre. This will take time and research on your part, but it's time well spent in your self publishing journey. Basically, in a nutshell - don't try to do it by yourself! Hire a professional cover designer (not your next door neighbour's kid) who knows and understands the industry to create a cover for you.

• November 8, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP08 – Finding Your Tribe

  For the eighth episode of the SPA Girls podcast we talk about finding your tribe. But what if you're shy? No problem! We give ideas, advice and actual resources for a wide range of places you can go to meet other authors and discuss writing and self publishing.

• November 2, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP07 – Overview Of The Self-Publishing Process

  Today, we give you an overview of the whole self publishing process from start to finish!

• October 26, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP06 – Successful Self-Publishers’ Challenge

  We all think it's important to have someone you aspire to be like in any career, and self publishing is no different, so we set the challenge in episode one to research someone who is successfully managing a self publishing career. Today we report back on our own personal self-publishing heroes: Joanna Penn, Courtney Milan, Lindsay Buroker and Marie Force!

• October 19, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP05 – What Is Genre?

  This episode is all about genre - what it is, why you should know about it, and what it means to you as a self publishing author. There are certain conventions in every genre - especially in romance. No happily ever after? Then it's not romance, and your readers are going to be disappointed! This is why it's important to know your genre. Listen on for details ...

• October 2, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP04 – Facebook For Beginners

  Love it or hate it, facebook is THE place to be for romance authors wanting to extend their platform and talk to new readers. We talk about why you should be on there, the difference between a profile and a page, and get the hard word on the do's and don'ts of facebook.

• October 2, 2015Guest Interview, Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP03 – Interview With Author Wendy Vella

  This week we have an interview with one of our own - SPA Girl member Wendy Vella. Wendy has been self publishing since 2013, and she now has 14 titles and has been included in three box sets. She's sold over 100,000 copies of her books, and at the beginning of this year took the plunge and went full time as an indie author. We interview her on her road to success, where and when she writes, and what it took to make it all happen.

• October 2, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP02 – Finding The Time To Write

  Do you want to write, but struggle to find the time in your busy schedule? In this episode we offer some ideas, suggestions and practical tips on how to make it happen!

• October 2, 2015Self-Publishing Process & Tools

  SPA Girls Podcast – EP01 – Introducing The SPA Girls

  We're four New Zealand-based romance authors, who are trying out self publishing online through stores like Amazon, Kobo and iBooks, and we want to give you a few of the tips, tricks and tales of the things we've learned along the way. Designed with the newbie in mind, we take you from the very beginning, answering those questions you were too embarrassed to ask - basically helping you to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that we (sometimes) fell into. Thanks for joining us!