Superdraft – How To Write Better and Faster – with Thomas Dean Donnelly (EP#566)

Be in charge, take action, get results. 🎯 Most of us stay stuck because we’ve never actually decided what we want. Business coach Erin Marcus on working out the outcome, reverse engineering the steps, and putting a date on it. 📅 A classic replay, and all of it still applies. ✨ Her starting point is that most people don’t get what they want because they’ve never decided what it is. Others know, but don’t believe they’re allowed to have it. Either way there’s nothing to reverse engineer from, so the work becomes what Erin calls random acts of marketing. The fix is a process: Decide. Take action. Look at what came back. Decide again. Erin writes out what she wants every morning because it makes the rest of the day’s decisions easier. She works in specific outcomes rather than feelings, because feelings are vague enough to let you off the hook. Then she asks the question that stops most people: when is it happening? Put it on the calendar, then live by the calendar. There’s a long stretch for writers in the middle. Trudi once spent an hour with Erin trying to decide whether she wrote urban fantasy or paranormal romance. Erin’s read was that the decision was giving her a reason not to start. Start the book — the genre settles once the book exists. Pick a niche for now rather than forever. And a lot of the subgenre agonising exists because Amazon needs a category to sell ads against, not because readers need one. In this episode: Why most people are stuck: they haven’t decided what they want, or don’t believe they can have it Reverse engineering the steps from the outcome “Random acts of marketing” and where they come from Wanting the impossible: if the outcome depends on other people behaving, it isn’t yours to have Erin’s daily written practice, and why she does it before anything else Start with what you don’t want, if that’s easier Specific outcomes beat feelings, because vague language is where we let ourselves off the hook Be in charge, take action, get results, then decide again Why self-trust shortens the gap between deciding and doing Fear and habit: your brain’s job is to keep you alive, not to make you happy How fear turns up as overwhelm, confusion and distraction “When is it happening?” — putting it on the calendar and living by it Debriefing monthly, and after every marketing event Three or four goes is starting, not trying Recovery speed over perfection — what used to cost a year now costs a moment Observing your own behaviour without the judgement A niche for now, not forever “I don’t pivot, I iterate” — and the companies that didn’t Why subgenres matter more to Amazon’s ad categories than to your reader Reading the physical signal: what a clenched feeling tells you, and what excitement tells you Inspired action plus infinite possibilities equals inevitable results Turning away from the problem to find the answer Being lit up about your work is what gets you marketing it Your commitment to the outcome has to be bigger than your fear of the thing Writing the books and growing the business are two different skills Why none of us can see our own patterns, and who you let tell you the truth About Erin Marcus Erin Marcus is a business coach and consultant with more than 25 years of mentoring, training and coaching behind her. 🔗 Find Erin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmarcus/📌 Erin’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@ErinMarcusUntamedSuccess 📌 Note on this replay: since we recorded this in May 2023, Erin has moved on from Conquer Your Business, so the website mentioned in the episode is out of date. Find her on LinkedIn instead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinmarcus/ 🔗 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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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 #authortube #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #romancewriter #SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity

J. Gabriel Gates — who writes romantasy as G.J. Gates — has a full-time job he loves and a self-funded publishing business. He opens every book launch with a Kickstarter, and that money becomes his entire advertising budget. In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP568) he walks us through going indie after traditional publishing, writing a genre he’d never touched, and the ten-second video that reached 1.6 million people. Whether you’re changing genres, growing a social account from scratch, or working out where an ad budget is going to come from, this one is practical tips packed in: BookTok and Instagram hooks that convert, why the simplest video wins, Amazon ads to train your also-boughts, feeding Kickstarter money straight into Facebook ads, and how Jacob writes seven days a week around a day job he genuinely loves. About Jacob J. G. Gates (who also writes as J. Gabriel Gates) is the author of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi books, including the Dragons and Aces, the Luck Gods Series, The Lamplighters, The Sleepwalkers, Blood Zero Sky, and more. After receiving his B.A. in theater from Florida State University, Gates moved to Los Angeles, where he acted in a dozen national TV commercials and wrote screenplays that were optioned by Hollywood producers. He is an alum of Spalding University’s MFA in writing program, and has taught college writing at Kellogg Community College and Olivet College. He has also worked as a ghostwriter and editor. Gates is a dad of three and a city council representative in his small Michigan town. When not writing books, he works as the executive director of a prominent regional arts organization. He also enjoys live storytelling and has appeared on stage at The Moth. Some of his other interests include, running, biking, playing music, and making dumb TikTok videos. https://jgabrielgates.net| 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com BookVault (special edition printing): https://bookvault.app Monica Leonelle: https://monicaleonelle.com Canva: https://www.canva.com Authors Review Books (Jacob’s podcast): https://authorsreviewbooks.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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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

Burnt out and not writing? Bestselling paranormal romance and urban fantasy author Asa Maria Bradley went two years without finishing much of anything — and it was collaborating with other indie authors that got her writing again. In this episode we dig into anthologies, box sets, shared worlds and author collectives, and exactly how each one works for a self-published author.

Screenwriter and thriller author Thomas Dean Donnelly joins the SPA Girls Podcast to explain Superdraft, his evidence-based approach to the writing process. Learn how to separate your Creator voice from your Critic voice, beat writer’s block and imposter syndrome, use flow states to write faster, and apply the 1-3-2 drafting method to fix a sagging second act. Essential listening for indie authors and self-published writers who struggle to finish a first draft. In this episode we discuss: Why the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike pushed a 30-year screenwriter into self-publishing What screenwriters get wrong when they first write novels (hello, head hopping) Why there are hundreds of books on writing craft and almost none on writing process The marathon comparison: 70% of marathon trainees finish, but only 11-12% of NaNoWriMo starters finish a novel The Creator and the Critic — the two voices in every writer’s head, and why they’re mutually exclusive Why you have to write the bad words before you can write the good words Iteration versus inspiration, and why you need both but never at the same time Which stage of writing belongs to which voice: brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing Critic Trick #1: research — plus the IOUZ placeholder system and timed research sprints Critic Trick #2: rereading yesterday’s pages — and the voice memo workaround Critic Trick #3: the Big Idea that wants you to go back and start over Manufacturing flow: walking habits, green spaces, blue spaces and the shower effect The 1-3-2 method — write your first act, then your third act, then your second Tom’s Malcolm Chaucer spy thriller series and the cozy mysteries he’s writing as a palate cleanser About Thomas Dean Donnelly Thomas Dean Donnelly was born in New Jersey but has been living and writing in Los Angeles as a screenwriter for more than 30 years. In that time he has written on projects that have grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. He has adapted the classic works of writers such as Ray Bradbury, Clive Cussler, Stan Lee and Robert E. Howard, and worked on franchises from Voltron to Uncharted, and from Marvel’s Doctor Strange to The Walking Dead. His feature credits include Sahara starring Matthew McConaughey, and Conan the Barbarian. In 2023 he turned his hand to writing thriller novels, and now has three books in the Malcolm Chaucer series under the pen name T.D. Donnelly, with a fourth arriving in November. His book on the writing process, Superdraft, releases in September 2026. You can find him early mornings walking the beaches of Southern California, and spending time with his wife, two mostly grown children, and two very demanding guinea pigs. Find Tom at tddonnelly.com Resources mentioned SPS Live London — where Tom has delivered the Superdraft talk Superdraft: The Art and Science of Better, Faster Writing — releasing September 2026 Year of the Sheep — free prequel novella when you join Tom’s reader group Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey — Tom worked with Vogler early in his Hollywood career NaNoWriMo / National Novel Writing Month completion statistics 20Books Vegas / Author Nation — where Tom was first told to write novels 🔗 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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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 #SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity

Is your back matter costing you sales? Bestselling fantasy author Helen B. Scheuerer joins us to break down exactly how to launch a book series — from optimising your back matter for read-through, to pre-order strategy, ARC campaigns, and building a street team that generates real buzz. In this Classic Replay episode, Helen shares the launch strategies behind her book How To Launch A Successful Series. Whether you’re a new indie author planning your first book launch or a seasoned self-published author looking to level up your release strategy, you’ll walk away with practical tactics: the “rank vs bank” pre-order debate, why buffer time saves your sanity, and how to run a street team on Discord that turns readers into cheerleaders. 👤 ABOUT HELEN B. SCHEUERER: Helen B. Scheuerer is the bestselling fantasy author of The Oremere Chronicles, Curse of the Cyren Queen, and The Legends of Thezmarr. Her work has been praised for its strong, flawed female characters and action-packed plots. She also publishes advice for authors through her nonfiction series, Books For Career Authors, and has been a full-time author since 2018. 🔗 https://www.helenscheuerer.com 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED: How To Launch A Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuere How To Write A Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuerer BookFunnel (for ARC delivery): https://bookfunnel.com 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS: 🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com 🎧 Listen 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 Subscribe so you never miss an episode! #WritingCommunity #WritingPodcast

Dreaming of writing in a new genre? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP564), all four SPA Girls answer a listener’s question about switching genres as a self-published author, including how Cheryl knew it was the right time to move from contemporary romance to cozy mysteries. Whether your books aren’t selling, you’re bored with your current genre, or a new trend is calling your name, this episode gives you a 5-question framework to make the decision with confidence. Changing genres is one of the biggest decisions in an indie author career — it can mean a new pen name, new covers, new marketing, and starting your readership from scratch. We unpack when a genre switch makes sense, when a tweak to your current genre is the smarter move, and how to test a new genre before you commit. #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #AuthorTips 1️⃣ Check your motivation — are you running FROM something or stepping TOWARD something? 2️⃣ Check your relationship with your current genre — would a tweak fix it? 3️⃣ Check your timing — where are you in your career and catalogue? 4️⃣ Check your brand and readers — will they follow you? 5️⃣ Check your practical reality — so you can plan your switch for success 🔗 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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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 #

This episode was originally recorded in 2021. We’re replaying it because the advice hasn’t aged a day. Most writers don’t have a talent problem. They have a fear problem.In this Classic Replay, internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron joins Trudi, Shar, Cheryl and Wendy to talk about why fear is the real engine behind procrastination, what to actually do about it, and three publishing myths that need to die. Rachael has written more than two dozen books across thriller, mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir and nonfiction for writers. She publishes both traditionally and independently, which makes her one of the most useful people to ask about how those two paths really compare — money included. What we cover: How seven years of not writing ended with a 50,000-word NaNoWriMo draft — and a three-book deal at auction What a six-figure, three-book New York deal actually paid her per year after taxes and agent commission Why she’s never earned out a US advance, and what “earning out” really means How keeping ANZ rights separate accidentally launched her self-publishing career Why she now makes more from self-publishing than from traditional Three publishing myths worth killing: that you need a degree, that a big advance means you can quit your job, and that publishers market better than you do Ira Glass’s “gap” theory, and why your good taste is the thing making you miserable Building a “trash mountain” first draft on purpose Her revision toolbox: the sentence outline, 100 Post-its, and writing forward as if you’ve already fixed it Practical anti-procrastination tactics — the café with no Wi-Fi, the check-in buddy, the 45-minute burst Swapping your to-do list for a “ta-da list” Writing across multiple genres, and what it costs you Rachael’s one piece of advice: write “Don’t wait” on a Post-it and stick it on your computer. About Rachael HerronRachael Herron (also writing as R.H. Herron) is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of more than two dozen books. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and has taught writing extension workshops at UC Berkeley and Stanford. Her most recent novel is The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland. She lives in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Find Rachael: rachaelherron.com | How Do You Write podcast | Resources for writers Note since recording: NaNoWriMo closed as an organisation in March 2025. For a structured drafting challenge, try Sarra Cannon’s Rough Draft Challenge at roughdraftchallenge.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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on the SPA Girls Podcast You Tube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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

Why do some characters feel real enough to root for while others fall flat despite having every “correct” ingredient? In this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast (EP562), we dive into writing fear and emotion with Becca Puglisi, international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus. Becca’s writing craft books have sold over 1.4 million copies and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and universities worldwide. Becca unpacks the difference between surface-level fear and the deep, wound-driven fear that powers a character’s arc — and how to weave it through your whole story without spelling it out. We talk showing vs. telling emotion, the danger of over-aware characters who kill reader empathy, using setting to amplify feeling, how fear drives the plot through turning points and choices, and why villains weaponise fear while protagonists learn to overcome it. Whether you’re a plotter or a “messy middle” pantser, this one will change how you build characters readers can’t stop caring about. If your book isn’t working, the problem might be that you haven’t nailed your character’s fear yet. Watch On You-Tube 👤 ABOUT BECCA PUGLISI:Becca Puglisi is the bestselling co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus series (with Angela Ackerman), an international speaker and writing coach whose resources have sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide. She’s the co-founder of the Writers Helping Writers blog and One Stop for Writers, home to the Character Builder and Storyteller’s Roadmap tools. 🔗 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Writers Helping Writers blog: https://writershelpingwriters.net One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com The Fear Thesaurus (Becca’s newest release) The Emotion Thesaurus & the full thesaurus series 🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: https://www.spagirlspodcast.com🎧 Listen 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 Subscribe so you never miss an episode!

This week we’re revisiting a favourite conversation with USA Today bestselling author Brenna Aubrey — and it’s a masterclass in both bold business decisions and long-term career survival. Brenna takes us right back to the beginning: writing sprawling epic fantasy at night while her husband worked the graveyard shift, stumbling into her local RWA chapter, and the shower-thought that became her breakout gamer romance, At Any Price. Then came the moment that made her something of a self-publishing legend — her debut went to auction, two houses landed in a bidding war, and Brenna told her agent there was a third bidder: herself. She walked away from a six-figure, three-book deal to go indie… and made back more than that offer in her first year. Brenna is refreshingly honest about the long fall that can follow a big high, including the online criticism she wasn’t prepared for, and walks us through the mindset practices that brought her back (mindfulness, meditation, EFT tapping, gratitude journaling, time in nature, and Becca Syme’s strengths work), and why “anxiety lies, depression lies” became a mantra. On the business side, Brenna shares her framework for career longevity. Whether you’re weighing traditional vs indie, clawing your way out of a rough patch, or thinking about how to keep this career going for the long haul, Brenna’s warmth and honesty will leave you feeling seen — and hopeful. Watch Episode Recording on YouTube In this episode: The bidding war — and why Brenna became her own “third bidder” Trad vs indie: the scheduling, cover, and non-compete red flags that made her choose self-publishing The crash after the high, and why mindset is “a full-time job” Brenna’s practical mindset toolkit for anxiety and burnout Trying something new: co-writing, serializing, and new genres as career fuel “Series 2.0”: rebranding covers and moving wide → KU Why less-is-more back matter converts better Her one golden nugget for career longevity Links & resources mentioned: Brenna Aubrey’s website: https://brennaaubrey.net/ Becca Syme — Strengths for Writers (QuitBooks / Better-Faster Academy) Zoe York — Romance Your Brand / Series 2.0 Penny Reid (cover branding help) Headspace app; “Therapy in a Nutshell” (YouTube); EFT tapping SPA Girls episodes with Zoe York – EP#335, EP#226, EP#65 About Brenna Aubrey Brenna is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary romance featuring geek culture. Her bestselling romance series, Gaming The System, is available in eBook and print format across all vendors. When she’s not dreaming up people and worlds and writing them down, she’s also a mom, wife, teacher, avid reader, a proud geek-girl, a self-confessed gaming addict, a French-speaking Francophile, lover of nature and beautiful sunsets. Find her at www.brennaaubrey.net 🔗 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” ❤️ Watch our episode recordings on our YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast 💗 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 #authortube #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #romancewriter #SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity

Germany is the third-biggest book market in the world — and it’s still hungry for indie authors. This week we’re joined by USA Today bestselling romance author Skye MacKinnon, who returns to update us on everything that’s changed in German translations since her first appearance in 2023. Skye has more than 70 novels across three pen names, and Germany is now her biggest market worldwide. She’s just released the second edition of Self-Publishing in German, and it’s more than double the length of the original — because there was that much to update. From the collapse of IngramSpark distribution in Germany to Tolino’s new audiobook feature, from why print books still matter to how gorgeously the Germans do special editions, Skye walks us through what indie authors need to know in 2026. IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER: What’s changed in the German market since 2023 (spoiler: a lot) Why IngramSpark no longer works for German distribution — and what to use instead The Tolino Alliance: how German booksellers built a genuine Amazon alternative The fixed-price law every wide author needs to understand before publishing in Germany Why print books still sell — and why German special editions are on another level How to market in a language you don’t speak (and why you already have most of the content) Cover trends: object covers vs man-chest, and why German romance covers look different Genres that thrive in Germany — including one surprising winner (hint: Westerns) The Impressum, title protection, and other legal must-knows Why translators legally own the copyright of your translation (and why that’s fine) Reader behaviour: Lovely Books, newsletter engagement, and the Rare signing surprise Is it still worth entering the German market in 2026? Skye’s honest answer Whether you’re translation-curious or already have German books and want to sell more of them, this one’s packed with practical, up-to-date advice from someone actually doing it. 👤 ABOUT SKYE MacKINNON: Skye B. MacKinnon is a Scottish USA Today bestselling romance author who has written 70+ novels across multiple pen names, including 50 adult novels and 20 children’s books (as Isla Wynter). A former journalist, she’s been a full-time author since 2018 and has been publishing in German since 2020 — where her books have been featured in hundreds of Thalia bookstores, hit number one in Apple Books Germany’s free chart, and won the Tolino All-Star Favorites Award for Children’s Book in 2025. She’s an admin of the Wide for the Win group and consults with indie authors on breaking into the German market. 🔗 www.skyemackinnon.com 📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Self-Publishing in German: Second Edition — Skye’s book (available direct from skyemackinnon.com, plus all major retailers) Marketing German Indie Book Translations — Skye’s Facebook group for authors translating into German Tolino Alliance — the German bookseller ecosystem that’s roughly equal in size to Amazon Germany Lovely Books — the German equivalent of Goodreads Findaway Voices / InAudio — audiobook distribution Wide for the Win — Facebook group Skye admins for wide indie authors 🔗 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 #authortube #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #romancewriter #SelfPublishing #romancewriter #writingpodcast #writingcommunity