Spa Girls Podcast

Got a backlist gathering dust? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP# 548), we dig into how to breathe new life into your older books and get them earning again. Most indie authors pour all their energy into the next release and forget that their backlist is the engine that funds everything — so we’re walking through exactly what to refresh, what to promote, and how to bundle older titles so they keep working for you. Whether you’ve got three books or thirty sitting quietly on Amazon, this episode gives you a practical checklist to get them moving again. We cover cover refreshes, blurb fixes, metadata clean-ups, bonus content for newsletter growth, ad strategies, and the bundling tricks that turn old books into new income. #SelfPublishing #BacklistMarketing #IndieAuthor

Romance writers gather ’round – Kait Nolan, bestselling author of smart, sassy, small town Southern romance is in the SPA! This is a classic replay of an awesome episode we recorded with Kait a couple of years ago, and well worth a relisten. These days Kait not just writes small town romance, but also romantic suspense (as Harper Jackson), and her writing and marketing advice is spot on! About Kait Nolan Kait Nolan is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin’, and can wield a ‘Bless your heart’ like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world’s most perfect food. When she’s not writing, reading, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off. You can check out her darker alter ego Harper Jackson for romantic suspense.Find her at : kaitnolan.com

She’s back! NYT #1 Bestseller, Lucy Score last joined us back in March 2021 , before Things We Never Got Over launched her into the stratosphere! In this episode, Lucy talks about what her breakout moment actually looked like from the inside, how she’s navigated the shift from working author to household name (and instant #1 NYT Bestseller), and what’s stayed surprisingly the same. We dig into the practical stuff , including her evolving covers, brand-building, the Riley Thorn series, and advice for emerging authors. Plus the mindset it takes to keep showing up at the page when the pressure (and the audience) keeps growing. Lucy is just as genuine and delightful behind the scenes as she is in public, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for her success (and why this is the third time she’s been on the show!). Whether you’re deep in your publishing journey or just getting started, this honest, fun and inspiring conversation is a must-listen (or watch). ABOUT LUCY SCORE Lucy Score is an instant #

Classic replay of an inspiring episode we recorded in August ’23 with SADIE KING, a hugely successful author of more than 120 short romances.***USA Today Bestseller, Sadie King has grown her publishing business from zero to six figures in less than four years, writing short instalove romances. Knowing her reader’s journey is vital to her success. In this episode we discuss Sadie’s:  short romance publishing strategy rapid release strategy targeted wordcounts for Amazon Kindle’s 60m, 90m and 2 hour reads categories Techniques for writing short fiction Gaining visibility especially when you’re just starting out Keep readers hooked from one book to the next Crafting a funnel for readers. Must-have scenes in short romance Making paid advertising work for short fiction Sadie’s “must have” scenes for short romance: Quick meet cute Thrown together Get to the steam fast (1 – 3 steamy scenes) Conflict Resolution Epilogue She is currently writing 16k – 20k words with 1500 words (approx) per chapter; 2.99

From incorporating popular tropes to social media trends, the SPA Girls have a robust discussion around what they’re doing to harness trends to reach more readers and sell more books! Links mentioned:Melanie Harlow’s Harlot Authors group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630439937160840The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L JockersTheodora Taylor’s Substack https://7figurefiction.substack.com/p/better-butterLillian Lark https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep510/

Want to hook your readers from the very first sentence? This episode is for you!This is a fantastic Classic Replay of an interview we recorded with Lisa Cron a few years back. Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of: Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence, Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere), and most recently, Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade and Change Minds in Business and in Life She explains what actually keeps readers turning pages, why both pantsing AND plotting can lead you astray, and how to build a riveting novel from the inside out. If you’ve ever wasted months on pages that go nowhere, and want to really connect with readers, this one’s a must listen/re-listen! About Lisa Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of:  Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain

AI is a hot discussion point in the author community these days, and we’re joined again by bestselling author and educator, Alessandra Torre, to help us unpack this topic. At the outset, we acknowledge that this is a difficult topic to cover. From feeling fear to excitement and everything in between, authors cannot deny the reality of the new technologies arriving (and the “new language” around it which can be confusing.) So we start by asking how Alessandra approaches AI use from her perspective as an indie author who has written and published more than 35 books over many years, founded Inkers Con and is the CEO of Authors AI. She shares her definition of generative AI, assistive AI and responsibility, and how authors could use it for non-creative assistance. This is a meaty episode and one we hope listeners will take something from no matter how they feel about the topic and we’re grateful to Alessandra for joining us! About AlessandraAlessandra Torre is a New York Times, USA Today,

Well worth a re-listen, this episode was originally recorded a few years ago when romance and romantic suspense author, Kaye Kennedy, scaled her author business from zero to a million page reads in just six months. Kaye utilized her business skills to launch in a focussed way that was truly inspiring (then and now). Kaye has continued publishing with incredible success and has also added being an author coach and psychic medium to her impressive resume! See our original show notes here: https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep283-interview-with-kaye-kennedy/ About Kaye Kaye Kennedy is the author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels featuring everyday heroes who love hard and make love harder. If you like steamy and soulful reads that will break your heart and put it back together again, then her stories are for you. Kaye is an author coach and psychic medium by day and a romance novelist by night! She wrote her first book in the fourth grade, filling a marble notebook, a

Part Two of TwoListen to Part One here “Currently …. we’re at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you’re a new or established author doesn’t matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances.” ~ Nicholas Erik Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the publishing world — right down to us as individual authors. Now this isn’t a pro or anti AI episode — it’s about understanding how we as authors can adapt to these technology shifts, overcome our pain points through technology, and how the companies we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis are utilizing it. Nick makes a really compelling case that the next three years could be a once-in-a-career moment to level up, and he’s got this beautifully simple framework for cutting through the noise and focusing on what actually moves the needle. And we had so much to talk about that — for the first ti

Part One of Two “Currently …. we’re at a unique industry-wide inflection point. Whether you’re a new or established author doesn’t matter. You have the opportunity to grow your career much faster than under normal circumstances.” ~ Nicholas Erik Nicholas Erik joins us again with fantastic insight into the impact technology is having on the publishing world — right down to us as individual authors. Now this isn’t a pro or anti AI episode — it’s about understanding how we as authors can adapt to these technology shifts, overcome our pain points through technology, and how the companies we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis are utilizing it. Nick makes a really compelling case that the next three years could be a once-in-a-career moment to level up, and he’s got this beautifully simple framework for cutting through the noise and focusing on what actually moves the needle. And we had so much to talk about that — for the first time in a long time — we&

“The hardest part is the first step – be brave enough to reach out!“ A lot of us are introverts and the idea of “networking” gives us chills (and not in a good way). Historical Romance author, Celeste Barclay, recorded this show with us a few years ago. Her advice is just as relevant now, as building your author community will help ride out the ups and downs of this wild self-publishing ride! Celeste Barclay books combine history and heat. She has a created a connected world that brings all her series together, so readers never have to say goodbye to their favorite characters. Before becoming a full-time author, Celeste was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Teaching Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating rich historical romances that bring the steam. She also a speaker and teaches writing and publishing as well as working with with aspiring and emerging author

We are delighted to welcome book ads and strategy consultant for authors & publishers, Janet Margot, to talk all things Amazon Strategy for Authors including approaching it with the right mindset.Janet covers best practices for building a solid Amazon strategy for authors, metadata, packaging inside and out, when and how to start Amazon Ads and the “ads advice” she sees that is the opposite of helpful to indies.”Amazon ads are a feedback loop: what Amazon thinks and what customers think about your book” ~ Janet Margot About Janet Margot Janet doesn’t just understand the Amazon Ads platform—she helped build it. During her ten-year tenure at Amazon, she owned the advertiser experience for books and spearheaded its international expansion.Today, Janet leads Book Geeks Media, where she translates elite tech algorithms into actionable growth for independent authors. By combining a decades-long media career (Condé Nast, Lonely Planet) with insider platform knowledge, she provides authors with a data-driv

Have you always wanted to write a cozy mystery but don’t know where to start? This classic replay we recorded a few years back with Nancy J. Cohen will get you going!Cozy Mysteries are hugely popular with readers and authors alike, and Nancy J. Cohen shares her fantastic advice for writing the successful cozy. Alongside her fiction, Nancy has also written the acclaimed “how to” for cozies “Writing The Cozy Mystery”, so we’re thrilled she agreed to give us the scoop on all things cozy. ABOUT NANCY: Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. These books have won numerous awards along with her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Florida Romance Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Florida Chapter. When not busy writing, she enjoys cooking, fine dining, cruising and visiting Disney World. Visit her at NancyJCohen.com

Getting Organized: Business Systems For Authors with Lorna K. Bailey Self-published a book? Congratulations you’re now running an author business (whether you want to or not). Whether you have 5 books or 50, being an author is a LOT of plate-juggling. This episode we talk to the amazing Lorna K Bailey who as worked with bestselling authors and entrepreneurs, helping them organise and systemize their processes so they can manage their energy, focus on what they do best: creating and building their career. This is a packed episode with a lot of great tips on systems, strategies and processes including: How to know when you’re ready to hire help How to find the right VA for you The difference between energy management and time management Building Systems Yourself To Maximize Efficiency and Minimize Your Stress Tools to use About Lorna K Bailey Lorna Bailey has been an Executive Virtual Assistant since 2014 working behind the scenes for bestselling authors and entrepreneurs including Dave Chesson (Kindlepreneu

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. This classic replay of an interview we originally recorded in August 2020 is just what we need to get our mindset right for the new year and how to be productive without burning ourselves out! As someone who has made a quantum leap (going from barely making 6-figures to making $700k in one year, then onto 7-figures) and has lived to tell about it, Amira knows exactly what tactical strategies and mindset shifts are required to get out of your own way, live life on your own terms, and master the art of achieving any goal you set your mind to. Learn more about Amira at: https://www.TheUnstoppableWoman.com

Happy New Year from The SPA Girls!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the SPA Girls! It’s time to check off our 2025 Publishing Naughty or Nice list for what worked, and what really didn’t!

Lee Savino is a whirlwind of positive energy, and this classic replay of an episode we recorded with her a few years ago will inspire and motivate you – we guarantee it! Lee Savino is a seven-figure romance author with multiple USA Today and Top 100 Amazon bestsellers who also has coached multiple authors. She has extensive expertise in selling direct, going wide, rapid releasing, and branding, as well as less commonly explored (but extremely lucrative) areas such as translations.  Lee’s website: https://www.leesavino.com/author-advice/ Join her Millionaire Author Mastermind Facebook group Listen to the Six Figure Author Experiment with Russell Nohelty Courses:  The Seven Figure Author course 

From Traditional To Indie – USA Today Bestseller Lucy Monroe shares her publishing journey, mindset and marketing wisdom, and business strategy advice – especially useful for rolling with the publishing-world ups and downs! About Lucy With more than 12.5 million copies of my books in print worldwide, Lucy Monroe is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author with over 90 published novels. After a long and fulfilling career in traditional publishing, she made the leap to indie—and has never looked back. The freedom to write the stories she loves (and that her readers devour!) has been an absolute joy. Her spicy Syndicate Rules mafia romance series is packed with morally gray alpha heroes, fierce heroines, and all the spice my characters demand. She writew contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance—some with suspense, all with heart, heat, and high emotion. A voracious reader, and a passionate romance fangirl, Lucy loves chatting books (hers or yours!) on social media. Find her at LucyM

Every book you write is part of a world and you need to know as much as possible about the world before you start writing—but be prepared to pivot! So how do you build a fictional world (whether contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, or historical etc) that sets your story up well and captures readers imaginations? A long-time friend of the SPA Girls, Nalini Singh talked with us about worldbuilding in 2022 and her evergreen craft advice is just as relevant today! New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series of paranormal romances, Nalini also writes New Zealand-set thrillers, the next one coming out in January 2026, Such A Perfect Family. Her contemporary romances include the Rock Kiss and Hard Play series, the latter of which revolves around a rugby-loving family in Auckland. Nalini’s books have hit the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller lists numerous times over the past two decades. The first book in h