The Written Word Podcast

The holiday season isn't just one big shopping rush; it's three distinct marketing windows, and indie authors can win all three. In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down the full holiday timeline, from Black Friday through mid-January, and give you a concrete plan for each phase so you can sell more books and start the new year strong.

What you’ll learn:

• The "Turkey 10" (Nov 21–30): why this is the time to discount, stack promos, and send more email than you think you're allowed to
• The Holiday Hustle (Dec 1–shipping cutoffs): how to lean into gifting season, move physical inventory, and use urgency messaging
• The Golden Window (Dec 26–mid-January): why ad costs drop, gift cards flood the market, and this is the single best window for launches and launches
• What NOT to do in each phase, including the #1 mistake that leaves authors scrambling
• Why Small Business Saturday is a hidden gem for authors

Whether you're planning your first holiday push or looking to level up your strategy, this episode is your playbook. Don't wait; inventory at promo sites sells out fast.

For more holiday marketing tips and the companion infographic cheat sheet, check out the Written Word Media blog at http://writtenwordmedia.com/learn.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit http://writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your book cover is the first thing every reader sees, and according to Ricardo Fayet, co-founder and CMO of Reedsy, most indie authors are getting it wrong. In this episode, Ferol Vernon sits down with Ricardo for a no-nonsense conversation about what actually makes a cover sell, how to work with a professional cover designer, when to consider recovering, and why the text on your cover matters more than the image. Ricardo has helped hundreds of authors land on the Sunday Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists and has literally written the book on book marketing. He brings the same candor and data-backed thinking he's known for at conferences like NINC and AuthorNation to everything in this episode.

What you’ll learn:

• Why your cover isn't just a design decision, but your single most important marketing asset
• The three elements every cover needs to get right (and Ricardo's top three pet peeves when authors get them wrong)
• What the text on your cover is actually doing, and why it matters more than the image
• How AI is changing cover design and the copyright question every author needs to understand
• Why cover design requests on Reedsy grew 40% from 2025 to 2026, despite AI image generation
• The genre-fit vs. stand-out debate, and Ricardo's answer to the million-dollar question
• When to recover a book and what to try first before spending the money
• How to write a cover design brief that prevents 90% of the problems authors run into
• What to do when you hate the first concepts a designer sends you
• Why you should always ask your cover designer for the background image, and what to do with it

Want to dive deeper? Ricardo and his team publish free guides on cover design, hiring designers, and more at http://reedsy.com/blog.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit http://writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

What does it actually take to go from two people at your convention booth to 14 million copies sold and a TV deal with the creator of Family Guy? In this episode, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon do a deep dive into the rise of Matt Dinniman, the indie author behind the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, a litRPG book that no traditional publisher would have signed and that is now hitting the Amazon and New York Times bestseller lists. This is the first in a new case study series on indie authors who made it big. The lessons in this episode apply to every author, regardless of genre.

What you’ll learn:

• How Matt started as an illustrator selling cat and dog portraits on Etsy, and why that creative foundation mattered
• Why he shelved Dungeon Crawler Carl in 2009, rediscovered it in 2019, and published on Royal Road before Amazon, and what that unconventional launch path taught him
• The audiobook narrator connection that first ignited word of mouth (and how it happened through gaming culture, not publishing)
• The Tipping Point framework: why starting in a small, hungry, underserved community is a faster path to critical mass than going broad
• The Kickstarter strategy that charged $777 to live and $666 to die, and why the financial model mattered less than the story it created
• How Matt used Patreon not just for revenue but as a collaborative creative process, and why the showrunner of his TV series was a Patreon subscriber before they ever met
• Why he sold only his print rights to Random House (keeping ebook rights entirely), and what that says about the new power of indie publishing
• The "village" theory of audience building: why depth of community beats breadth of reach in the early stages
• Why human connection is now the single biggest competitive advantage authors have in an AI-saturated world
• The 7-year overnight success myth, and what it means for authors grinding right now

More case studies coming: Ricci and Ferol already have the next one in the works. Each author's path is different, and that's exactly the point.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit http://writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

This episode is a milestone; the Written Word Media Podcast just hit 10,000 downloads. To celebrate, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon are answering three of the most common questions listeners have sent in: what DRM actually is and whether you need it, when the best time to launch a book really is, and how to get more KENP reads if you're in Kindle Unlimited.

What you’ll learn:

• What DRM (Digital Rights Management) is, the difference between hard DRM, soft DRM, and no DRM, and Amazon's new policy change that lets you update your settings midstream
• Why ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors) recommends against DRM for most indie authors, and the key philosophical question to ask yourself before deciding
• Why hard DRM is largely an illusion of protection (and what that means for your decision)
• What WWM's data from thousands of book launches actually shows about the best day and season to launch, and why the answer is probably not what you're hoping for
• The one exception to the "any day works" rule (genre-specific seasonality)
• Why your marketing plan matters 100x more than your launch date
• How running a promo (including a FreeBooksy free promo) drives KENP reads, not just downloads
• Why there's a lag between a promotion and when you see the KU reads hit your dashboard
• How WWM's promo emails call out "free on Kindle Unlimited" to prime KU readers before they hit the Amazon page

Plus: listener questions are how WWM products get built. Subscriber Surge Giveaways exist because authors asked for help building their email lists.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit http://writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your email list is your most valuable asset as an author, but how do you actually grow it beyond people who already know you? The answer is a lead magnet: free content you offer in exchange for an email address. In this episode, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon break down the full system: what to give away, where to host it, how to deliver it, and how to drive traffic.

What you’ll learn:

• The difference between a lead magnet and a reader magnet, and why you need both (one reaches strangers, one converts existing readers)
• What to give away: chapter, novella, or full book, and why novellas hit the sweet spot for most authors
• The KDP Select caveat: why giving away a full book can violate exclusivity terms and what to do instead
• The 4 components of a working lead magnet system: content, landing page, delivery, and traffic
• The best tool for author-specific lead magnet delivery, and why BookFunnel handles customer service so you don't have to
• How to use Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) to drive lead magnet sign-ups starting at $5/day
• Free traffic options: newsletter swaps and group promos, plus their real limitations
• The biggest mistake authors make after running a successful lead magnet campaign (and it's not the ad)
• What your landing page actually needs to say (spoiler: very little — keep it simple)
• A preview of WWM's new Reader Reach Lead Magnet product (coming soon!)

Also: the Pacific Northwest trip recap, three new national parks checked off, and Ricci's first marmot sighting.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Amazon A+ content is free, it's available to every KDP author regardless of exclusivity, and it can increase your conversion rate by up to 20%. Most bestselling books on Amazon already have it. If yours doesn't, this episode will change that. Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon walk through exactly what A+ content is, why it matters, and how to set it up, step by step, in under 30 minutes.

Also: Ricci's solo owl has become a family. There is a mated pair and a fledgling. The owl vsaga continues. 🦉

What you’ll learn:

• What Amazon A+ content actually is, and why it shows up in the middle of every New York Times bestseller's page
• Why A+ content is worth your time: Amazon's own data cites 8–20% conversion lift, and a higher conversion rate makes every future ad dollar go further
• How A+ content feeds the Amazon AI (Rufus), and why the images, colors, and alt text you upload are being read as metadata
• Where to find A+ content inside your KDP account (it's not where you'd expect)
• The three-module template that 80% of traditional publishers use: hero banner, three image blocks, and a comparison chart
• Words before pictures: how to write the copy for your modules (20 words max per block) and use Gemini to brainstorm if you're stuck
• How to create the image assets in Canva (plus a WWM template with correct dimensions, or use Gemini's image tool as an alternative
• The content rules you must follow: editorial reviews only, no customer reviews, no price mentions, no hyperbole unless named
• How to apply one set of A+ content across an entire series, so one setup covers every book
• Approval timeline (up to 7 days, often faster) and what to do if you're still stuck

Show notes include a step-by-step blog post with screenshots, Canva templates with correct image dimensions, and module names, so you can follow along even without the video.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nearly every author thinks their book would make a great movie. But how does a book actually get from the page to the screen, and what do you need to know before you sign anything? In this episode, Ferol sits down with Maggie Marr, entertainment attorney, former ICM motion picture literary agent, and author of over 20 books, for a frank inside look at how Hollywood works and how indie authors can position themselves to get there.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How development executives find books, and why your reader platform matters more than your publisher
• What an option agreement actually means, what it costs, and what you give up during the option period
• Whether indie authors are at a disadvantage with Hollywood (the answer may surprise you)
• Rightscenter: the free tool authors can use to make their film and TV rights discoverable to studios and streamers
• The red flags that identify a scam "Hollywood inquiry", including the long con Maggie has seen play out in real time
• What a realistic film and TV deal looks like: purchase prices from $11K to $2M, EP credits, per-episode royalties, and why back-end participation is almost never worth waiting for
• How to get creative control as an author, and why asking for final cut is a deal-killer
• The contract clauses that haunt authors: perpetual attachments, shopping agreement traps, and development materials that survive an expired option
• What genres are hot in Hollywood right now: domestic thrillers, romanticy, and the emerging dystopian wave
• The three-item punch list every author should complete before lightning strikes

Maggie also discusses her book Books To Film & TV: What Every Author Needs To Know, a practical guide to how books move into the film and TV space.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Spotify has over 600 million users, and most of them don't yet know they have access to audiobooks. In this episode, Ferol sits down with Will Dages, Head of Product at Spotify, to break down everything indie authors need to know about getting their audiobook discovered, promoted, and created on Spotify's platform.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Spotify's audiobook model works: the 15-hour monthly listening allotment, the pro-rata payout pool, and how a la carte sales compare
• How Spotify uses taste signals from music and podcast listening to surface audiobooks to readers who've never tried the format
• Why do short books and children's content now have a competitive advantage on Spotify that they don't have on credit-based models
• The metadata practices that actually improve discoverability, and the keyword-stuffing mistake that actively hurts you
• The free tools inside Spotify for Authors: promo cards, 100 redemption codes per book, and weekly demographic listening reports
• Spotify's new AI narration tool (in partnership with ElevenLabs): free for up to five books, ten curated voices, custom pronunciations
• How human narrators vs. AI narration differ, and why Will believes AI opens the door rather than closes it
• Page Match: the feature that syncs your physical book with the Spotify audiobook, and the 55% reading uplift and 2x completion rate it's already driving
• The Bookshop.org integration: how Spotify is now linking physical book purchases directly from audiobook pages
• Follow Along: the new feature that displays visual content (images, text threads) synced to the audio

Will's closing advice for every author: it's never too late to get into audiobooks. The market is still in massive growth mode.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Every indie author eventually needs help: a cover designer, an editor, a website builder, a marketing assistant. But hiring the wrong freelancer (or being a difficult client yourself) can cost you time, money, and a cover you hate. In this episode, Ricci Wolman sits down with Maari Casey, CEO of Uncompany, to break down exactly how to find, hire, brief, and manage freelancers, from the first Google search to the signed contract to navigating a missed deadline.

What you’ll learn:

• How to write a scope of work tight enough to find the right freelancer, and the one "start at the end" trick that cuts the guesswork
• Where to find freelancers: Reedsy (built for authors), Fiverr, Upwork, and curated agencies, and when each makes sense
• How to set your budget and why you should always go in a little lower than your real number
• What the standard revision rounds look like for design vs. editing, and why two to three is the magic number
• The three questions to ask in every freelancer interview (and the red flags that should end the conversation)
• What should be in every contract: payment terms, revision rounds, timeline, and the ownership clause that authors always forget
• How to give feedback when the first draft is nothing like what you wanted (without blowing up the relationship)
• Why telling your designer what you hate is more useful than showing them what you love
• The one thing clients do that makes good freelancers not want to work with them again
• How to handle a missed deadline or a freelancer who goes silent

Maari also shares the Uncompany blog's free templates for scopes, briefs, and conflict management, built specifically for people navigating freelance relationships.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Is the indie author market actually as tough as the forums make it sound? Written Word Media surveyed nearly 600 authors at the midpoint of 2026, and the data tells a more nuanced story than the doom-and-gloom. In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down the survey findings and identify the five things that optimistic, growing authors are doing differently.

What you’ll learn:

• The headline sentiment data: how many authors report growing vs. declining businesses halfway through 2026
• Why the authors whose businesses are thriving are writing more (not less) and the psychological reason that strategy works
• Why author newsletters are still the top owned-channel investment among the optimistic group (and how Written Word Media's Subscriber Surge Giveaways can help you build yours)
• Which paid ad platforms are still delivering (Amazon ads and Meta), and why the optimistic authors haven't abandoned them
• The catalog monetization plays winning authors are making: box sets, translations (AI-assisted), and human-narrated audiobooks
• How growing authors are using AI as a workflow tool, and how that attitude differs sharply from authors who are struggling
• Why KDP Select vs. wide turns out to be statistically irrelevant to business optimism (46% vs. 47%)
• What changed between the end-of-year survey and the mid-year survey: algorithm anxiety is way up, and AI went from background noise to center stage

Also covered: Ricci's quote-on-the-wall take on optimism vs. pessimism, and why data says there's a real reason for both.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

What does a CEO who's run social media campaigns for Nike, IKEA, Samsung, and Crocs think authors should be doing on social right now? In this episode, Ferol sits down with Jim Tobin, CEO of Ignite Social Media, founder of influencer marketing agency Carusele, and a two-time published author, for a frank, tactical conversation about what's actually working in social media today and how indie authors can apply it.

What you’ll learn:

• Why social discovery has overtaken Google search, and what that means for how readers find books in 2026
• The three-second hook rule: how to stop the scroll before the algorithm even decides to show your content
• Why negative hooks outperform positive hooks (and how to use this without being clickbait)
• The Organish® strategy: how to put $5–$25 behind your content to reach 5–20x more people, and why this beats influencer outreach on a small budget
• The carousel comeback: why image carousels are now outperforming Reels on Instagram and LinkedIn
• How to approach BookTok influencers with zero budget, and what to say (and not say) when you do have a few hundred dollars
• Why lo-fi, behind-the-scenes content is beating polished production right now
• How to think about pre-launch vs. post-launch content, and why "mystery posts" are a waste of your audience's attention
• The 30-minutes-a-week social strategy: where to spend your time if that's all you have
• •Stampede Social: the tool that lets you DM a link to anyone who comments a keyword on your post
• The biggest mistake Jim sees on social, and it's not what you think

Jim also covers TikTok Shops, cross-platform content strategy, using trending audio, and how to connect your social presence to your email list.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Podcasts build the kind of trust with listeners that almost no other marketing channel can match, and authors are uniquely positioned to leverage that. In this episode, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon draw on nearly a year of hosting the Written Word Media Podcast to break down how authors can use podcasting as a genuine reader-building tool, whether that means guesting on other shows or launching their own.

What you’ll learn:

• The psychology behind why podcast listeners trust hosts so deeply, and why that trust transfers directly to book sales (parasocial relationships explained)
• Why an imperfect, stumbling podcast appearance is often more powerful than a polished blog post
• How to find the right shows to pitch as a guest, and the filter every author needs to apply before reaching out
• Exactly what to include in your guest pitch email to get a "yes" from a host (hint: it's not "I'd love to talk about my book")
• How to prep for a guest appearance: questions in advance, bio tips, gear basics, and the sign-off strategy that turns listeners into readers
• How to decide whether to start your own podcast, and the commitment level that separates the 5% who stick with it from everyone else
• The frequency mistake Ricci and Ferol almost made (and what their launch producer talked them out of)
• Why podcasting, like publishing a book, is a long game, and what realistic traction timelines actually look like

Also in this episode: Ricci's woodland owl update. 🦉 She's seen it three times now (a photo may or may not appear in the show notes).

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

YouTube isn't just for cooking tutorials and gaming walkthroughs; it might be one of the most powerful book marketing tools authors aren't using. In this episode, Ferol sits down with Dale Roberts, host of Self-Publishing with Dale and one of the most-watched voices in the indie author space, to break down exactly how authors can build a YouTube presence that actually connects with readers and sells books.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The separate-profile research hack that lets YouTube train its own algorithm to show you exactly what your ideal readers are watching
• The three types of YouTube content (long form, Shorts, and live video), and why you should try all three before committing to one
• Why fiction authors don't have to talk about writing craft, and the smarter content angle most are missing
• The "seeding" strategy: how many videos to have ready before you ever go public
• The single biggest mistake Dale sees authors make on YouTube (hint: it's not gear or lighting)
• What gear actually matters, and the one purchase to prioritize if you have a limited budget
• A surprising new YouTube feature that's showing up in the Shorts shelf without recording a single video
• How pen name authors can build a YouTube presence without revealing their real identity
• What's changed on YouTube in the last year or two, and why human creators have an edge right now

Dale also shares the story of building four fully monetized YouTube channels over 10 years, starting completely by accident in 2016.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Readers are increasingly using AI to find their next book, and if your title isn't showing up in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, you're missing a growing discovery channel. In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down exactly how the three major AI engines find and recommend books, why most indie authors are invisible to them right now, and what you can do about it.

What you’ll learn:

• The difference between SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and why it matters for book discoverability
• Why Gemini is the most actionable AI engine for authors, and the one Google Play trick that KDP Select authors can use without violating terms
• The critical 10% preview rule: how to get your KU book into the Google Books ecosystem without losing your Amazon exclusivity
• Why ChatGPT and Claude favor books that look traditionally published, and how indie authors can mimic that signal
• The FAQ strategy: one simple addition to your book page that makes it dramatically easier for AI to recommend your title
• How Reddit and YouTube factor into AI book discovery, and how to approach both without getting banned or ignored
• A difficulty-ranked to-do list: from easy wins you can do today to advanced moves worth investing in

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Most authors never consider the speaking stage, but according to Jess Ekstrom, it might be the most powerful income stream they're missing.

In this episode, Ricci sits down with Jess Ekstrom, Forbes Top Motivational Speaker, founder of Headbands of Hope, and creator of Mic Drop Workshop, to break down exactly how authors (yes, even fiction authors!) can turn their stories and expertise into paid keynote speaking careers.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the "you're either a speaker OR an author" myth is dead wrong, and how doing both makes you better at each
• How fiction authors can build keynote careers even when they're not speaking to other authors
• The "transformation promise" framework, the one question that unlocks your entire speaking pitch
• How to find speaking gigs and build inbound opportunities through LinkedIn and social media
• What speaking actually pays, from beginner rates ($500–$5K) to seasoned speakers ($35K+)
• The halo effect: how speaking can drive book sales (80% of Jess's first book sales came from stages)
• Why community is the secret weapon for building a sustainable speaking career

Jess also shares details on her new book, Making It Without Losing It (out May 2026), and the upcoming Mic Drop Workshop Boot Camp starting April 20th.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting local press coverage can feel like shouting into a void, but what if you knew exactly what editors were looking for?

In this episode, Ricci sits down with Rory Gillis, owner of Triangle Media Partners and publisher of several regional magazines including Chapel Hill Magazine, Durham Magazine, Heart of NC Weddings, and The Triangle Weekender. Rory pulls back the curtain on how local publications actually decide what to cover and gives indie authors a clear, actionable roadmap for getting featured.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How local editors source stories and what makes a pitch rise to the top of a very full inbox
• Why editorial themes and calendars are your secret weapon — and how to find them on any publication's website
• What to include in your pitch package to make an editor's job as easy as possible
• Why your book launch isn't the only hook — and how to pitch a book that came out years ago
• The power of the byline: how pitching yourself as a columnist can open the door to book coverage
• Why "polite persistence" is not annoying — it's expected (and sometimes pays off two years later!)
• The no-nos that instantly tank your pitch, straight from the editors themselves
• What one author did to get featured that Rory still remembers years later
• Rory's step-by-step action item checklist for authors ready to pursue local press

Whether you're in a major metro or a small town, your local media landscape is full of opportunities. This episode will help you find them and pitch them the right way.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Amazon just changed the rules — again. The A10 algorithm update is here, and if you've been running your book marketing the same way you were a year ago, it's time to take a second look.

In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down exactly what changed with the Amazon A10 update — drawing on an actual academic paper about the technology powering it — and translate it into three clear, actionable things indie authors need to do differently. From how Amazon now reads your book page (literally, including your cover), to why external traffic suddenly matters way more than Amazon ads, to why spreading your marketing over several days beats a single-day spike. This episode is your practical guide to navigating the new landscape.

What you’ll learn:

• Why keyword stuffing your book description is now actively hurting you
• How Amazon's AI can literally "see" your book cover and why cover-genre alignment is now algorithmic, not just stylistic
• Why A+ content and dwell time are suddenly critical ranking factors
• How external traffic (email, social, promo sites) now outweighs Amazon ads
• Why consistent sales over multiple days beat a one-day spike
• How series authors are benefiting from the new algorithm and how standalone authors can adapt

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

KU or wide? It's the great debate of indie publishing — and it usually generates more opinions than answers.

In this episode, Ricci and Ferol cut through the noise and break down exactly how both paths work, backed by real data from Written Word Media's 2025 author survey. They walk through the mechanics of KDP Select, how Kindle Unlimited page reads and payouts actually work, what the January 2026 global fund number ($62.2 million) means for exclusive authors, and what going wide really looks like in practice — from managing multiple platforms to choosing between distributors. Spoiler: 38% of authors are all-in on Amazon, 30% are fully wide, and 32% are somewhere in between. There's no universal right answer, but there is a smarter way to figure out what works for you.

What you'll learn:

• How KDP and KDP Select actually work — and why it's really just a 90-day commitment
• The real trade-offs of Kindle Unlimited, including page read payouts (KENP), countdown deals, and free promo days
• Why the KDP Select global fund has grown from $2.5M (2014) to $62.2M (January 2026)
• What "going wide" actually looks like and how to manage multiple platforms
• Draft2Digital vs. PublishDrive — which distributor model makes sense for your business
• What our 2025 author survey data says about what authors are actually choosing

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your first book didn't become a bestseller overnight? You're actually right on track.

In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down one of the most important patterns we see year after year in our reader surveys: authors with bigger catalogs earn significantly more money. But it's not just about writing more books—it's about understanding how your backlist creates sustainable income. Whether you're a one-book author wondering what's next or a seasoned writer looking to understand the business better, this episode will help you think strategically about your author career and the power of your growing catalog.

What you'll learn:

• Why readers who love your work can't spend more if you only have one book
• How catalog size directly impacts your marketing effectiveness
• The real math behind lifetime customer value
• Alternative products beyond just writing more books (audiobooks, translations, merchandise, and more)
• How to decide if you're building a hobby or a business—and why both are valid choices

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

In this data-packed episode, Ricci and Ferol dive into the results of Written Word Media's brand-new reader survey with nearly 3,000 responses from across all five brands. This isn't recycled industry advice or third-party reports - it's fresh, empirical data straight from the voracious readers who matter most to indie authors. Together, they unpack surprising stats about reader volume, discovery channels, and what readers genuinely want from the authors they love. From the shocking percentage of readers consuming 100+ books per year to the personal details readers crave (hint: pets came up a lot!), this episode delivers actionable insights that will transform how you think about book marketing, reader connection, and building your author platform in 2026.

You'll Learn:

• Why 31% of readers consume over 100 books per year - and what this means for your marketing strategy
• The 80% loyalty rule that changes everything about free book promotions and first-in-series launches
• Where readers actually discover books in 2026 (Amazon and email newsletters still dominate, but there are surprises)
• Why social media advertising isn't resonating with readers - and what they're seeking instead
• The truth about AI for book discovery: readers aren't using it and don't want to
• What readers genuinely want to know about you as an author - from pets to vacations (but skip the politics!)
• How readers track their reading habits, including the surprisingly popular pen-and-paper method

Whether you're launching your first book or optimizing your author platform, these insights will help you connect more authentically with readers and make smarter marketing decisions. The data proves it: books are still magic, and millions of readers are out there actively looking for their next favorite author.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit http://writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

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