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SPA Girls Podcast

SPA Girls podcast - self publishing for authors
SPA Girls Podcast
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363 episodes

  • SPA Girls Podcast

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP545 – Six Figures Writing Short Romance with Sadie King (Classic Replay)

    24/03/2026 | 1h 6 mins.
    Classic replay of an inspiring episode we recorded in August ’23 with SADIE KING, a hugely successful author of more than 120 short romances.
    ***
    USA Today Bestseller, Sadie King has grown her publishing business from zero to six figures in less than four years, writing short instalove romances. Knowing her reader’s journey is vital to her success.

    In this episode we discuss Sadie’s: 

    short romance publishing strategy

    rapid release strategy

    targeted wordcounts for Amazon Kindle’s 60m, 90m and 2 hour reads categories

    Techniques for writing short fiction

    Gaining visibility especially when you’re just starting out

    Keep readers hooked from one book to the next

    Crafting a funnel for readers.

    Must-have scenes in short romance

    Making paid advertising work for short fiction

    Sadie’s “must have” scenes for short romance:

    Quick meet cute

    Thrown together

    Get to the steam fast (1 – 3 steamy scenes)

    Conflict

    Resolution

    Epilogue

    She is currently writing 16k – 20k words with 1500 words (approx) per chapter; 2.99 price point

    Resources mentioned:

    Sadie’s non-fiction book, Writing Short Romance for Pleasure & Profit, is a must-read for those writing short romance.

    Writing Short Romance for Pleasure and Profit: How I Became a Six Figure Author Writing Short Romance

    About Sadie King

    Sadie King is a USA Today Best Selling Author of over 120 short and steamy romance books and novellas. She loves to write about military heroes and the sassy curvy women who steal their hearts. Sadie lives in New Zealand with her ex-military husband and raucous young son. When she’s not writing she loves catching waves with her son, hanging out at the beach, and drinking good wine, preferably with a book in hand.
    Visit authorsadieking.com

    🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

    🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

    🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

    💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

    #WritingCommunity #WritingPodcast
  • SPA Girls Podcast

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP544 – 5 Tips To Harness Trends

    18/03/2026 | 47 mins.
    From incorporating popular tropes to social media trends, the SPA Girls have a robust discussion around what they’re doing to harness trends to reach more readers and sell more books!

    Links mentioned:
    Melanie Harlow’s Harlot Authors group https://www.facebook.com/groups/630439937160840
    The Bestseller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers
    Theodora Taylor’s Substack https://7figurefiction.substack.com/p/better-butter
    Lillian Lark https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep510/

    🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:

    🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com

    🎧 Subscribe to our weekly episodes on your favourite podcast app — search “SPA Girls Podcast”

    💗 This podcast is supported by our amazing Patreon community! ⭐ Join at the $10 tier for access to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group where we discuss marketing, writing, and answer your burning questions: http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

    #WritingCommunity #WritingPodcast
  • SPA Girls Podcast

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP543 – Use Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence with Lisa Cron (Classic Replay)

    12/03/2026 | 1h 6 mins.
    Want to hook your readers from the very first sentence? This episode is for you!
    This is a fantastic Classic Replay of an interview we recorded with Lisa Cron a few years back.

    Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of: Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence, Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere), and most recently, Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade and Change Minds in Business and in Life

    She explains what actually keeps readers turning pages, why both pantsing AND plotting can lead you astray, and how to build a riveting novel from the inside out. If you’ve ever wasted months on pages that go nowhere, and want to really connect with readers, this one’s a must listen/re-listen!

    About Lisa

    Lisa Cron is a story coach and the author of: 

    Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence

    Story Genius: How To Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages that Go Nowhere) 

    And most recently, Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade and Change Minds in Business and in Life, all three published by Ten Speed Press.

    Her 7 hour video class Wired for Story can be found at CreativeLive.com.

    Her video tutorial Writing Fundamentals: The Craft of Story can be found at Lynda.com.

    Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency.

    Since 2006, she’s been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and been on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative in New York City.

    Lisa works with writers, nonprofits, educators and organizations, helping them master the unparalleled power of story, so they can move people to action – whether that action is turning the pages of a compelling novel, or taking to the streets to change the world for the better. Or both!

    Lisa’s website: http://wiredforstory.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!
  • SPA Girls Podcast

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP542 – Using AI Assistance for Authors – with Alessandra Torre

    04/03/2026 | 1h 8 mins.
    AI is a hot discussion point in the author community these days, and we’re joined again by bestselling author and educator, Alessandra Torre, to help us unpack this topic.

    At the outset, we acknowledge that this is a difficult topic to cover. From feeling fear to excitement and everything in between, authors cannot deny the reality of the new technologies arriving (and the “new language” around it which can be confusing.)

    So we start by asking how Alessandra approaches AI use from her perspective as an indie author who has written and published more than 35 books over many years, founded Inkers Con and is the CEO of Authors AI. She shares her definition of generative AI, assistive AI and responsibility, and how authors could use it for non-creative assistance.

    This is a meaty episode and one we hope listeners will take something from no matter how they feel about the topic and we’re grateful to Alessandra for joining us!

    About Alessandra
    Alessandra Torre is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 35 novels, and does not use AI to write. However she does have some great ideas for using AI tools to help with the marketing specializing in contemporary romance and domestic suspense, more recently writing as A.R. Torre. She is a prominent hybrid author, speaker, and founder of Inkers Con and the CEO of Authors AI.

    https://authors.ai/about/

    Resources mentioned:
    The Bestseller Code: Anatomy Of The Blockbuster Novel by Jodie Archer and Matthew L Jockers
    Fiction Analysis Tool Marlowe AI https://authors.ai/marlowe/
    https://www.authorscale.com/

    https://app.scribeshadow.com/manage-books

    Brave New Bookshelf Podcast https://bravenewbookshelf.com/
    Inkers Con https://inkerscon.com/2026-digital-conference/#GetStarted

    💗 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!
  • SPA Girls Podcast

    SPA Girls Podcast – EP541 – Interview with Kaye Kennedy: Launch To Success

    24/02/2026 | 1h 12 mins.
    Well worth a re-listen, this episode was originally recorded a few years ago when romance and romantic suspense author, Kaye Kennedy, scaled her author business from zero to a million page reads in just six months. Kaye utilized her business skills to launch in a focussed way that was truly inspiring (then and now).

    Kaye has continued publishing with incredible success and has also added being an author coach and psychic medium to her impressive resume!

    See our original show notes here: https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep283-interview-with-kaye-kennedy/

    About Kaye

    Kaye Kennedy is the author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels featuring everyday heroes who love hard and make love harder. If you like steamy and soulful reads that will break your heart and put it back together again, then her stories are for you.

    Kaye is an author coach and psychic medium by day and a romance novelist by night! She wrote her first book in the fourth grade, filling a marble notebook, and hooking her on creative writing. She earned her degree in English Literature and taught college composition & literature classes before switching gears entirely and becoming an entrepreneur, starting several businesses. Having always been a voracious reader, devouring three to four books per week, Kaye knew it would only be a matter of time before she saw her name on a book’s byline. 

    If you’re an author who is looking to level up, Kaye can help you get there by offering divine guidance and by removing energetic blockages that may be holding you back. 

    Not only is Kaye an author, she’s a psychic medium, personal and professional development coach, Reiki Master, and an ordained minister. With over ten years of experience, she has performed more than a thousand readings for people all over the world. Her additional certifications in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT – Tapping), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) give her a breadth of skills to utilize in order to best assist her clients. 

    In addition, Kaye has been an entrepreneur in various industries for nearly fifteen years. Her experience led her to become a business development and branding coach for numerous small businesses. For the past 3 years, she has been working almost exclusively with authors.

    While originally from New York, Kaye has lived in New Hampshire and Florida, but now calls Connecticut home. She is battling an invisible illness and resides with her rescue mutt turned service dog, Zeus, who is a character in Burning for Secrets. When she isn’t writing, she’s out paddling on the water, indulging in a beach read, checking out a brewery, or feeding her wanderlust.

    Find her at: https://www.kayekennedy.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!

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