Indie Writers Club

James and Cissy dive into the evolving AI conversation, reacting to viral commentary about whether artificial intelligence will truly replace white-collar jobs and what that means for writers. They explore the difference between superficial and deep AI usage, the economics behind tech industry messaging, and how authors can adapt rather than resist. They also discuss the irreplaceable value of in-person author events, relationship building, and why conferences continue to be career accelerators in an increasingly digital industry.

Key Talking Points
- A viral “Stay Human” TikTok challenges the narrative that AI will eliminate white-collar jobs, reframing it a...

James and Cissy welcome Robin Bennett Freebairn back to the show to discuss how he’s successfully expanded his nonfiction “birth year” book series into the gifting market via Etsy. Robin shares how selling direct through a marketplace platform has rapidly grown into a major revenue stream, now rivalling Amazon income and explains the practical realities of becoming not just an author, but a retailer. From managing stock and print runs to offering gift wrap and personalised editions, this episode dives deep into how indie authors can future-proof their businesses by building human connection, diversifying platforms, and embracing direct sales...

The Self-Publishing Show enters a new era as James Blatch officially introduces his new co-host, romance author Cecilia “Cissy” Mecca. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore Cissy’s indie journey, from mediaeval romance to paranormal and contemporary pivots, her decision to consolidate pen names, and the realities of building a sustainable author career. The episode also dives into the latest AI controversy in the romance world, discussing reader backlash, industry adaptation, and why platform-building may matter more than ever in an AI-powered marketplace.

Show notes: 

James Blatch returns after an 18-month hiatus to relaunch the Self-Publishing Show and outline its new direction. In this solo episode, he reflects on why the show paused, what changed during that time with the Indie Writers Club, and how the podcast will evolve going forward with a new co-host. James also shares his clear, pragmatic stance on AI in publishing, discusses AI translations for authors, and previews upcoming projects, courses, and live events for the indie publishing community.

Key Talking Points:

In this heartfelt exit interview, Cara Clare reflects on her journey as a co-host of the Indie Writers Club alongside James Blatch. They discuss the significance of the podcast in their personal and professional growth, the exciting announcement of the Novel Beginnings contest aimed at supporting new writers, and the transition to the Self-Publishing Show. The conversation also delves into the nuances of writing spice, the complexity of emotions in storytelling, and the challenges of exploring different genres. As they wrap up, both express gratitude for their time together and the friendships formed through the podcast.

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club podcast, James Blatch and Cara Claire discuss the transition of Cara's writing project, 'The Chatterley Affair', into the marketing phase. And delve into a detailed critique of the film adaptation of 'Hamlet', comparing it to the original book. 

The conversation highlights the importance of character development, emotional engagement, and the role of directors and authors in film adaptations, culminating in a discussion about audience reactions and the overall impact of the film.

USEFUL LINKS:

Hamnet 5 Star Review from The i: https://inews.co.uk/culture/f...

In this third-to-last episode of the IWC Podcast, we will look at the Anthropic (Claude AI) settlement on offer to some authors. We'll explain what needs to happen by you if your name is on the official list and what your options are.

This is the link I refer to in the show:

https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/ - this is the only official settlement website.

USEFUL LINKS:
Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15
https://www.prowritingaid.com

Join our Patreon for exclusive access...

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club, Cara talks us through her launch strategy for a standalone book (a Chatterly retelling with vampires and spice!).

This is one of the toughest challenges for indies. Our process generally relies on series and readthrough, but with the many options emerging for exploiting your book (translations, special editions etc) might this be a future strategy we can all follow?

**** WARNING - NSFW - WE DO DISCUSS SPICE SCENES ****

USEFUL LINKS:

Join the AI Translations course waitlist:

https://www.learnselfpublishing...

This week Cara and I review the current happenings in the world of indie and we briefly discuss our own plans for 2026.

And at 43.47 (if you want to skip ahead) Cara makes a sad announcement :(

We both wish you a Happy New Year and here's to an enjoyable, fun 2026!

James.

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara a...

In this festive episode of the Indie Writers Club, James Blatch and Cara Clare discuss the challenges of taking downtime during the holiday season while managing their writing businesses. They reflect on sales trends during Christmas, share personal experiences with marketing strategies, and delve into the impact of TikTok's algorithm changes on book promotion. The conversation also highlights success stories in indie publishing, the implications of AI in translations, and innovative book launch strategies. Finally, they share their favourite Christmas movies, emphasising the nostalgia and comfort these films bring during the holiday season.


Takeaways

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In this week's episode Cara and James are joined by Robin Bennett-Freebairn whose non-fiction gift books are flying off the virtual Etsy shelves. This has big implications for special editions and box sets, especially at this time of year.

USEFUL LINKS:
Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15
https://www.prowritingaid.com

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.
https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

In part two of a look back at 2025, Cara and James discuss where we are with AI acceptance (spoiler, a dwindling band of holdouts very much exist). We also discuss direct selling as one of the big expansion areas for indies.

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

In this episode Jame & Cara start to look back on a fast moving year for indie publishing. They touch on AI Translations, one of the big breakthrough areas, the mythical A10 Amazon Algorithm and plenty of other chat!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

We are joined by the multi-talented Adam Beswick (AP Beswick) to talk empire building.

Adam has used TikTok to build a loyal following of readers and he now focuses on selling direct to them, using TikTok Shop and TikTok Lives. He's an evangelist for the platform and he has a fantastic mindset. It's a great chat!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As...

It's NovelNovember and we're both drafting a new novel!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

This week Cara & James touch on the subject of influencers and how to use them. James also talks about the coming AI storm for ads, he reports on AuthorNation and rants about the cost of living!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

In this week's episode, James reports from AuthorNation, indie publishing's largest conference. The talk is of new technology, a recent slump in ads effectiveness and the possibility of more seismic changes to come!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

This week we delve into the intriguing world of ghost writing. You might know Cara is/has been, a professional ghost writer and she spills the beans on this industry that takes place largely in the shadows.

We also touch on the sudden epidemic of author scams using AI to highly personalise the first approaches.

USEFUL LINKS:
Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15
https://www.prowritingaid.com

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss...

This week we have a bona fide guest! Cissy Mecca is a close friend and fellow author whose work I'm constantly admiring—she's brilliant at finding innovative ways to streamline our publishing workflow. (And she's an incredible writer, too.)

We recently stayed together in Florence, and I was fascinated watching her receive her daily structure from her assistant "Pedro." Turns out Pedro isn't a person at all, but an AI she's trained to organize her entire work life, freeing her up to focus on the creativity she loves.

I've already started training my own AI, Pr...

We discuss the the state of Trad vs Indie after a couple of comments from notable authors and commentators and come to an interesting conclusion!

Also - it's possible Taylor Swift is secretly self-publishing poetry on Amazon KDP! We look at the evidence and implications...

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15

https://www.prowritingaid.com

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub...

Much has happened behind the scenes of the Facebook Ads Manager and so james is setting out a series of tests. spending money on various combinations of Adv+ and manual targeting to see what's working now.

James also reveals the finalists for the 2025 Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award without giving away any judging secrets!

USEFUL LINKS:

Get 15% of annual plans at our sponsor ProWritingAid by using code IWC15 

https://www.prowritingaid.com

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As w...

It's Friday! It's the Indie Writers Club!

We continue our deep dive into the new era of searching using AI.

Even if you are dead set against all things AI - you cannot ignore the fact that readers will be searching for your books using AI in the future. That means you need to adapt the way you describe your books, where you list them and a host of other things.

If you want to learn more on this subject, I'd encourage you to sign up to Reedys's Ricardo Fayet's newsletter here: https...

The era of keywords and Google searches is coming to an end. Searching through a longer form conversation with an AI is already taking over. That means we need to get our blurbs and book packages ready for the new era.

James & Cara discuss the take-aways from NINC including Ricardo Fayet's talk on GEO.

USEFUL LINKS:

Ricardo's Blog: indiewritersclub.com/ricardo

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

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In episode 55, James reports from the Floridian beach where he's attending the annual NINC conference. He and Cara also report some encouraging signs from their Facebook Ads campaigns.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. 

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Making the switch from hobbyist to full-time author is a dream for many. But it comes with its own challenges. From two of us who have become full time self-employed, we go through some of the pitfalls and areas to think about.

USEFUL LINKS:

Self Publishing Launchpad is open for enrolment:

https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

It's part 2 of our discussion about generating income from audio versions of your books. We talk about the AI options among other things, and James has a mini rant about the opposition many authors still face, because they use the latest technology which is available to all.

USEFUL LINKS:

 
ElevenLabs: https://www.indiewritersclub.com/elevenlabs

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

We take a two episode dive into audio books. In the first part we discuss the options facing indies, such as wide or exclusive, self produce or collaborate etc.

USEFUL LINKS:

 Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career. 

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Self Publishing Launchpad Waitlist:

https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad

There's no correct way to plot, but here are our suggestions.

Mentioned in the pod were my 5 points to note during plotting - see below the links.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

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Novel November - a new way to write a novel in November

https://prowritingaid.com/novel-november

Five Plotting Points to help Guide You:

1.     Conf...

Episode 50 is a good time to take stock of the industry and discuss the latest developments that can affect our indie world.

Useful links:

LSP Launchpad Course waitlist:
https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/launchpad

Get your ticket for SPS Live:
https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.
https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Let's talk about the author platform you need to build. This episode covers those crucial foundation months as you start out.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

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Welcome to episode 48 of the Indie Writers Club. This week Cara (spicy romance, romance) and James Blatch (thrillers) discuss Facebook (Meta) Ads. For years they have reigned supreme as the goto resource to drive readers to Amazon. But are they still working for writers?

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

And join James for a live webinar on book packaging with AuthorNation on Weds 6th August: https://www.indiewritersclub...

In this episode we deep dive into the process and strategy for launching your English language books into global markets. 

We recommend scribeshadow.com (they are not a sponsor, this is a genuine recommendation). You can use our referral code IWC50 for 50% off your first month.

You download a free PDF that contains the key points from the discussion and it has a couple of useful appendices on Amazon categories in German and Dutch and a guide to pricing in Brazil and Mexico.

Head here to grab your copy: indiewritersclub.com/t...

I'll confess, I love using AI for various parts of my marketing and editing, but even as an advocate of what AI can do for us writers, even I know there is a dark side.

I experienced that recently with an email and in this episode we talk about how scammers are always one-step ahead.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

In this episode of the Indie Writers Club, James and Cara discuss various aspects of writing, the use of AI in manuscript critiques, and the impact of translations on indie publishing. They explore the benefits of using tools like ProWritingAid, the importance of character development, and the themes that resonate within their stories. The conversation also touches on the supportive nature of the indie writing community and the exciting potential of expanding into foreign markets through translations.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and...

In this episode, Cara and James reflect on their recent experiences at the first IWC Writers' Retreat and the SPS Live conference.

They discuss the networking opportunities, feedback from workshop sessions, and the sense of community among indie writers.

Useful links:

Join our Patreon for exclusive access including Live Q&As with James & Cara and your chance to discuss your writing career.

https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

Check out Julia's videos from our retreat: https://www.youtube.com/@suzybussell

It's the Indie Writers Club with Cara & James! This week we talk editing/revising/rewriting, whatever you call it. Some of us love it (me) some hate it (Cara) but we all have to do it!

Big thanks to our sponsors prowritingaid.com, who make the entire process SO much easier (use code IWC15 for 15% off annual plans).
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Do you listen to music? Work on a sofa? Write at 5am or midnight? In this episode we discuss the various ways we can create an atmosphere conducive to creativity and productivity. 
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Join our Patreon: https://www.indiewritersclub.com/support

It might sound counter intuitive, but in this episode we'll use Cal Newport's guide to productivity to show that working less and working better is the future.

It will take a mindset change to shake off the notion that we 'need to be busy' in order to be productive.

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Episode Links:

Please check out Cal's two books on productivity:

Deep Work: https://mybook.to/deepwork-cal-newport 

Slow Productivity: https://mybook.to/slow-productivity