It's no mean feat to self-publish, so in today's episode I ask the question 'do you have the right mindset to do it?' Listen to the end to hear a tip for going into bookshops and asking the question about whether they will stock your book.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstones in the 90s and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He wrote in his spare time and sometimes those writings got turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome. Nautilus, the #1 Amazon Prime TV series, was based on his treatment.

Mark was also co-presenter of the award-winning Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener and writer Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens.

You can find Mark here: https://markstaywrites.com/all-the-links/

The Green Room can be found here: https://markstaywrites.com/the-green-room/

And Creative Differences podcast can be found here: https://markstaywrites.com/the-creative-differences-podcast/

His books: SF&F and horror: https://markstaywrites.com/books/
Robot Overlords, Gollancz, 2015
The End of Magic, Unbound, 2019
The End of Dragons, Unusually Tall Stories, 2024
The End of Gods, Unusually Tall Stories, coming 2025
The Crow Folk, The Witches of Woodville I, Simon & Schuster, 2021
Babes in the Wood, The Witches of Woodville II, Simon & Schuster, 2021
The Ghost of Ivy Barn, The Witches of Woodville III, Simon & Schuster, 2022
The Holly King, The Witches of Woodville IV, Simon & Schuster, 2023
The Corn Bride, The Witches of Woodville V, Simon & Schuster, coming 2025

Film & TV:
Robot Overlords, 2014, Tempo/BFI: https://markstaywrites.com/robot-overlords/
Unwelcome, 2023, Warner Bros: https://markstaywrites.com/unwelcome/
Nautilus, 2024, Moonriver, Disney, Amazon Prime and AMC (based on my treatment): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15286302/

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

In this episode I take you through a project manager's way of approaching self-publishing, sharing different elements that you need to consider up to the point of publishing. Full disclosure, I am not an expert in self-publishing, but I am an expert in project management, having managed projects since the late 1980s.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

This week we have a panel of authors talking about self-publishing.

JM Simpson, Jo, is in a 1-2-1 interview in episode 47. Her Debut novel Sea State is set in Castleby, a fictional town in Wales (based on Tenby). It's a suspense thriller set against the backdrop of a lifeboat crew. There are now 6 books in the series which has progressed into crime and thriller territory and despite a number of offers Jo chose to self-publish. Christmas in Castleby is released on November 1st. A new series set in Scotland is planned in March 2025.

Next is Jane McParkes, the author of a new Cornish cosy crime series with an eco twist. It includes 'green' characters, ideas and solutions set against the back drop of a traditional murder mystery. The Olivia Wells Mysteries combine Jane's love of Cornwall and her interest in the environment and sustainability.

A Deadly Inheritance – book 1 - published 2023
Eco -architect Olivia Wells returns from a successful life in New York to the Cornish village of Penbartha to oversee a co-working community of eco and creative entrepreneurs in a converted railway building. There's opposition, arguments and a murder as well as a dark web of secrets and lies.

Deadly Treasures - book 2 – published 17th July 2024
It's midsummer in Penbartha and the opening night for eco-architect Olivia Wells' latest project. There's fascinating links to famous plant-hunters of Cornwall. Book 3 (Title TBC) out in 2025, and Book 4, A Penbartha Christmas Mystery - to be published Oct/Nov 2025.

And finally, Kerry Birds. By day, a mother and an environmental chemist, by night wine drinker and writer of lots of stuff, mostly domestic thrillers and contemporary romance, mood dependent. The book thing was a bit of an accident, but she thinks she likes it! Particularly as she’s surrounded by good people in the world of writing.

You can find each of them on social media - @jmsimpsonauthor on TwiX and Insta; @JaneMcParkes on Insta, Twix, Facebook and Substack; @Kerry.BWriter on TwiX

Jo mentioned an article she's written for Abbie Rutherford's blog, and you can get that here: https://www.abbie-editorial.com/to-be-or-not-to-be-self-published

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Lucy Jane Wood is a 33 year old content creator from the Wirral, living in London with her partner Adam and cat Flo. She's been making lifestyle and book content on YouTube and Instagram for ten years or so, and previously worked as a freelance writer before social media took over as her job in around 2018. You can usually find her with a giant coffee, her ridiculous cat and a good book in hand. Rewitched is her debut novel. It came out in September and is a cosy, witchy, autumnal story with a dash of romance, about rediscovering your spark when it feels as though you’ve lost it, and how real-life gets in the way of letting your magic lead the way.

You can find Lucy on YouTube as Lucy Wood or on Instagram and TwiX as @lucyjanewood

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Ever doubt yourself as a writer or author because things are not happening for you the way that they are for others? In October's Mindset Memo, the first of this new series of the Monthly Mindset Memo, I share some reality checks that will help you experience the world of writing and publishing in a more realistic way. I cover writing what we know, first drafts, six figure book deals, making money as a writer, and fairy dust (yes, fairy dust!), and get into the truth about the world of writing and being published.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Ashley is a sci-fi and fantasy author and professional astronomer. When she isn’t studying the intricacies of galaxy evolution and artificial intelligence, she’s plotting out and writing character driven speculative fiction at the intersections of queerness and neurodiversity. Ashley enjoys picking up and putting down heavy objects at the gym, playing table-top RPGs, and she developed a taste for going to raves at the age of thirty.

Title: The Potent Solution

Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy

THE POTENT SOLUTION is a historical urban fantasy, set in the gaslit streets of London in 1834. It follows an apprentice alchemist, thrown into the jaws of a deadly conspiracy after her mentor mysteriously vanishes. To prevent disaster, Charlotte Price must take on magically empowered assassins, gate-crash a society ball and track down the source of a dangerous arcane drug. But her biggest challenge is her own mind—Charlotte has ADHD and her errant attention span threatens to stop her investigation in its tracks.

@DrAshleyNova on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky and Threads

During the conversation Ashley mentioned Megan Records, and Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

A new feature on the podcast is a quarterly chat with Bookaholic Bex (@BexBookaholic on TwiX) about books, more books, and even more books.

In this episode, Bex talks about 3 books she's read, and 1 that's coming, and I add in a couple more for good measure too.

Listen in to find out what books Bex thinks everyone should be reading - or adding to the Christmas present list.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...