Self Publishing Insiders

Hosted by Draft2Digital, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Jim Azevedo, Lexi Greene

Business Marketing Arts Books EducationInterviews guests

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Episodes

299

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Brought to you from the indie author experts at Draft2Digital! Each week, Self Publishing Insiders features an interview with a new guest, covering self-publishing topics from writing and craft to marketing and promoting your books, and anything that can help you build and grow your author career. Learn about new tools, new software, new markets—and of course, all the inside information that D2D can provide! This show features interviews taken from our live D2D Spotlight, available on YouTube and Facebook. Join us, and get your questions answered during the live broadcast, when you visit D2DLive.com!

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60 recent

November 5, 202650 min

300th Episodes of SPI! Ask Us Anything!

The Draft2Digital Team is here to answer author questions about D2D, publishing, and best author practices! //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

October 29, 202654 min

The Self-Publishing Blueprint

Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, a podcaster, an international speaker, and a coach who has helped dozens of authors turn their creative dreams into reality. Daniel joins us to discuss lessons from his bestselling book, The Self-Publishing Blueprint. We'll discuss: • "The Why Framework" and setting yourself up for success at the start • Polishing your book until it's ready to publish with editing and formatting • Planning a launch and marketing plan for your book //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

October 22, 20261 hr 1 min

So You Injured Your Character. What Now?

M.T. Zimny is a young adult author in the Pacific Northwest, putting her knowledge of human physiology to use in her fantasy novels. M.T. enhances her larger than life fiction with medical realism, and she's been sharing tips with the Tiktok author community so they can do the same. We discuss: • Why medical realism can improve even fantastical settings • Common mistakes authors make when harming their characters • Forming community with other authors by sharing personal expertise //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

October 15, 202649 min

First Draft Fall: Your New Writing Challenge

Dianna Gunn decided she wanted to be a writer at eight years old. Her writing accelerated when she participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time and unlocked the power of community. Now she runs her own writing community, Weeknight Writers, who are introducing First Draft Fall, a new writing challenger for authors in need of community. We'll discuss: • The Weeknight Writers and what they offer authors • The benefits of author communities • What authors can expect from the First Draft Fall writing challenge //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

October 8, 202654 min

Setting Up an Author Newsletter

In the current attention economy, it's important to be on your readers' radars. Keeping in touch with your readers by offering them content between releases can turn readers into devoted fans. Our own Nick Thacker joins us to walk authors through setting up their newsletter. We'll dsicuss: • The benefits of maintaining an author newsletter • How to get a newsletter started from scratch • Best practices to ensure you find success with your newsletter //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

October 1, 202649 min

Author Training in the Age of AI

Publisher of Indie Author Magazine and Founder of Indie Author Training, Chelle Honiker's a passionate advocate for the success of Indie Authors. She's taking that passion into a new author education venture with indieauthortraining.com. We'll learn: • How training and education in the indie publishing space is changing • What sets Indie Author Training apart from other education platforms • How AI has made action and implementation the new metric of success //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

September 24, 202646 min

Developing Iconic Character Dynamics

Claire Taylor is a humor and mystery author and the mind behind The Liberated Writer. As a certified Enneagram practitioner and a long-time editor and story consultant, Claire helps authors understand themselves and their characters more deeply to tell iconic stories. In this episode, you'll learn: · What readers want out of character relationships · How the Enneagram framework can help you create memorable characters · How to use the personalities of your characters to create convincing relationships //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

September 17, 202653 min

Earning Five Figures as a Debut Author — Without KU!

Ashli O’Connell is the author of the historical novel Emmaline. As a debut author, she earned five figures of royalties in ten weeks— all without having her book in Kindle Unlimited. Ashli joins us to share insights into her author debut and lessons learned from her successful book launch. //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

September 10, 202652 min

YouTube for Authors with Dale L. Roberts

Dale L. Roberts is an accomplished indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale on YouTube. His specialties include book publishing, video production, public speaking, and networking. We dig into: · What authors can get out of YouTube · How to start building your platform on YouTube · What video content you should be making to help your author brand //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

September 3, 202655 min

Serialization Before Publication: Building an Author-Reader Journey

Before a novel hits shelves, some authors are inviting readers into the process—one chapter at a time. This episode explores pre-publication serialization with novelist Matty Dalrymple, who's serialized her twelfth and latest novel to subscribers. We dig into: · For authors: real-time reader feedback, revision insight, and built-in pre-launch buzz · For readers: early access, behind-the-scenes author notes, and a voice in shaping the story · Why it builds loyalty: daily engagement, milestone rewards, and a shared sense of journey between author and audience //Draft2Digital is where you grow your Indie Author Career// Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way. • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/ • Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.