“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 authors to bring their publishing goals to life.

It was the third book in her first series which really took off and she’s been incredibly successful ever since. 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. 

Celeste defines her Author Village as her own network of fellow author peers who lend friendship, support, feedback, writing and business advice. They’re like-minded people who she trusts and respects. 

What a village offers:
– anthology opportunities
– increased business
– newsletter swaps, Facebook group takeovers, etc

Some ways to find your author village:
attend in-person author events and signings and conferences

Join author Facebook groups such as Millionaire Author Mastermind (https://www.facebook.com/groups/millionaireauthormastermind/),

or Renee Rose’s – Abundance Mindset For Authors (https://www.facebook.com/groups/abundancemindsetforauthors/)
To find more, search within Facebook for your own genre group

Find Celeste at: https://www.celestebarclay.com/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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-driven “unfair advantage” that few others can claim.

Website: https://www.bookgeeksmedia.com/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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 (Kindlepreneur, Publisher Rocket, Atticus) to help them grow but thrive in their business.

Lorna knows many authors struggle with systems, organization, and the business side of being a writer. She’s seen what actually works to get books into readers’ hands and to build sustainable writing careers.

Now, she focuses on teaching authors how to:

• Work effectively with assistants
• Create simple systems and processes to free up time
• Shift into the mindset of a healthy, entrepreneurial author

In short, she helps writers stop drowning in the “business stuff” so they can get back to what they love most: writing!

Find her at www.lornakbailey.com

Resources mentioned
Lorna’s course: Indie Author Empire https://www.lornakbailey.com/the-indie-author-empire
20Booksto50K Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k

Notion https://www.notion.com/
Trello www.trello.com

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Happy New Year from The SPA Girls! 🎉 Whether you wrote one chapter or one hundred in 2025, we’re so proud of you. Here’s to fresh pages, new stories, and another year of chasing your author dreams together. Let’s make 2026 your best publishing year yet!

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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 

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode! 

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 LucyMonroe.com

https://lucymonroeauthor.substack.com

https://www.facebook.com/LucyMonroe.Romance

Resources mentioned:

Andi Durrant interview on Beyond The Booth
https://youtu.be/OuuGu-ecrBY?si=_kSgZJaTOu6hEHhT

Romance Writers of New Zealand
https://www.romancewriters.co.nz/

Written Word Media https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/

Bookfunnel https://bookfunnel.com/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

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 her Psy-Changeling series, Slave to Sensation, was named as one of the New York Public Library’s 125 books from the last 125 years that inspire a lifelong love of reading.

Born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand, Nalini was first published in 2003. Her books are both traditionally and indie published and have sold millions of copies worldwide with translations in multiple languages.
Visit Nalini’s website at www.NaliniSingh.com and make sure to sign up for her newsletter to receive a monthly reading goodies especially for subscribers.

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, historical fiction author and writing instructor.

We’re diving into how dictation can totally transform the way you write: think faster drafts, more creative flow, and less stress on your body. Sarah has written 13 books solely by speaking words into her smartphone. Once she switched from typing her first drafts to dictating them, she doubled her writing speed.

A tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Sarah also shares her advice on writing Native American characters with truth and respect.

About Sarah

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer is an award-winning historical fiction author and writing instructor. She’s published 19 books and is also the host of The Confident Fiction Author podcast. She’s been featured on The Creative Penn podcast, Jane Friedman’s blog, Writer’s Digest magazine, and at InkersCon 2025. Plus, of course, the SPA Girls Podcast! 😉She’s also taught over 800 fiction authors how to dictate their novels through her Dictation Bootcamp for Authors and Fictation™ Digital Courses.

Links:

Sarah’s substack “The Five Minute Fictation Club”
https://www.fictioncourses.com/

https://www.sarahelisabethwrites.com/
The Confident Author Podcast https://www.fictioncourses.com/podcast
”Fictation” – the art of dictating your fiction https://www.fictioncourses.com/fictation

Scrivener for IOS app

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!