The Indy Author Podcast

Matty Dalrymple talks with Kris Austin about WHAT DRAFT2DIGITAL'S NEW FEES MEAN FOR INDIE AUTHORS, including how the new $20 activation fee and $12 annual maintenance fee are designed to break the business model of scammers and bad actors; why AI-generated spam pushed Draft2Digital and retailers to act; why Amazon distribution is now invite-only; how print-on-demand change tokens and the 90-day rule work; why the maintenance fee is waived for authors earning over $100 a year; and the new Bookshop.org partnership that lets indie bookstores sell indie ebooks.
Interview video at https://tinyurl.com/TIA349YT
Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (subscribers get exclusive content and benefits)
If you find the information in this episode useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!
https://substack.com/@mattydalrymple
https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor
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https://theindyauthor.substack.com/
Kris Austin is the co-founder and CEO of Draft2Digital, one of the world's largest digital publishing and distribution platforms for self-published authors and independent publishers. Since its founding in 2012, Draft2Digital has grown to support over 300,000 authors from around the globe who have collectively released over 1 million titles.
Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jane Friedman about LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR BOOK RIGHTS DEALS, including why publishers are increasingly licensing selected rights from successful indie authors, the sales and reader-engagement signals that attract their attention, how to build a business that creates future opportunities, what to negotiate in a rights contract, and how to recognize scams or partners who offer too little value.
 
Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts
Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (subscribers get exclusive content and benefits)
 
If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!
https://substack.com/@mattydalrymple
https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple
 
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs and received a starred review from Library Journal.
 
Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jessie Kwak about USING MAGPIE MODE TO GATHER AND CONNECT IDEAS, including collecting creative sparks before you know exactly where they belong, finding patterns among seemingly unrelated notes, building a practical system for capturing and reviewing ideas, applying the process to both fiction and nonfiction, and knowing when a shiny object enriches the book rather than distracting from it.
Interview video at https://tinyurl.com/TIA347YT
Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (subscribers get exclusive content and benefits)
If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!
https://theindyauthor.substack.com/
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple
https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor
Jessie Kwak is an author, book coach, and nonfiction book ghostwriter living in Portland, Oregon. When she's not writing, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, and exploring the Pacific Northwest (and beyond). She has written over 20 books, including thriller novels, two series of space scoundrel sci-fi crime novels, and a handful of productivity books including FROM CHAOS TO CREATIVITY and FROM BIG IDEA TO BOOK.
Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as The Indy Author, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Mark Leslie Lefebvre about BUILDING AN AUTHENTIC AUTHOR BRAND, including how your brand already exists whether or not you have consciously shaped it, using reader feedback and comparable authors to identify your strongest brand signals, balancing consistency with experimentation, and connecting authentically with readers without sharing more of your personal life than feels comfortable.
 
Interview video at https://tinyurl.com/TIA346YT
Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (subscribers get exclusive content and benefits)
 
If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!
https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple
 
Mark Leslie Lefebvre's first short story was published in 1992, the same year he started working in the book industry. He has published over thirty-five books under the name Mark Leslie that include thrillers and fiction, paranormal non-fiction and anthologies. Under his full name, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, he writes books to help authors navigate publishing. His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital, and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College's Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program. Mark lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
 
Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.

Matty Dalrymple talks with Kevin Hall about BOOK MARKETING ON A BUDGET, including how to pitch print publications, radio stations, and libraries with a brief, targeted email; why alumni associations are an overlooked goldmine for book exposure; how to navigate paid media opportunities; and the three Cs—collaboration, community, and consistency—that underpin sustainable, low-cost author marketing.
 
Interview video at https://www.youtube.com/@TheIndyAuthorPodcast/podcasts
Show notes at https://theindyauthor.substack.com/ (subscribers get exclusive content and benefits).
 
If you find the information in this video useful, please consider supporting The Indy Author!
https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple
 
Kevin M. Hall is a memoirist, storyteller, and independent author of four multi-genre, non-fiction books, including his latest: Book Marketing on a Budget – Simple Steps for New Authors. After a 40+ year career in corporate America he began writing, inspired by his grandchildren's questions about what it was like when he was growing up. He favors lived experience over theory and steady progress over hype, sharing practical, low-cost strategies that help authors reach readers through outreach, relationships, and consistency.
 
Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers, beginning with ROCK PAPER SCISSORS; the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels, beginning with THE SENSE OF DEATH; and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. More at mattydalrymple.com. Matty also writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage, and shares what she's learned on THE INDY AUTHOR PODCAST. She writes nonfiction books for authors; her articles have appeared in Writer's Digest magazine; and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors. More at theindyauthor.com. She also guides professionals in building their presence through a sideline or second act through her platform From Expertise to Authority. More at theindyauthor.com/authority.