The Written Word Podcast

What does it take to go from Hollywood film sets to a #1 bestselling novel, without a major publisher? Actress, producer, and author Christy Scott Cashman has done exactly that, twice.In this episode, Ferol sits down with Christy, known for her roles in American Hustle, Joy, and Ted 2, to talk about her journey from screenwriting to debut novelist, the hard truths about traditional publishing, and how she built her own independent team to bring The Truth About Horses and her new novel What Happened in Beulah into the world.What you’ll learn:How Christy transitioned from Hollywood actress and producer to award-winning debut novelistWhy three major literary agents passed on The Truth About Horses, and what she did nextThe "publish and pray" trap, and why she chose to build her own a la carte marketing team insteadWhat she learned from independent filmmaking that every indie author needs to hearHow her novel was optioned by actress Jane Seymour, and the story behind that connectionThe launch party detail that made everything come together Her nonprofit YouthINK and why creativity mentorship for young people drives everything she doesThe one piece of advice she gives every writer who feels stuckWhether you're a first-time writer or a published author looking to think differently about your next launch, Christy's story is equal parts inspiring and practical.Learn more about Christy at christycashman.com and follow her on social @cashman.christyWant 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.

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 toThe Holiday Hustle (Dec 1–shipping cutoffs): how to lean into gifting season, move physical inventory, and use urgency messagingThe 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 launchesWhat NOT to do in each phase, including the #1 mistake that leaves authors scramblingWhy Small Business Saturday is a hidden gem for authorsWhether 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 writtenwordmedia.com/learn.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 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 assetThe 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 imageHow AI is changing cover design and the copyright question every author needs to understandWhy cover design requests on Reedsy grew 40% from 2025 to 2026, despite AI image generationThe genre-fit vs. stand-out debate, and Ricardo's answer to the million-dollar questionWhen to recover a book and what to try first before spending the moneyHow to write a cover design brief that prevents 90% of the problems authors run intoWhat to do when you hate the first concepts a designer sends youWhy you should always ask your cover designer for the background image, and what to do with itWant to dive deeper? Ricardo and his team publish free guides on cover design, hiring designers, and more at reedsy.com/blog.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 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 matteredWhy 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 himThe 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 broadThe Kickstarter strategy that charged $777 to live and $666 to die, and why the financial model mattered less than the story it createdHow 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 metWhy he sold only his print rights to Random House (keeping ebook rights entirely), and what that says about the new power of indie publishingThe "village" theory of audience building: why depth of community beats breadth of reach in the early stagesWhy human connection is now the single biggest competitive advantage authors have in an AI-saturated worldThe 7-year overnight success myth, and what it means for authors grinding right nowMore 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 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 midstreamWhy ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors) recommends against DRM for most indie authors, and the key philosophical question to ask yourself before decidingWhy 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 forThe one exception to the "any day works" rule (genre-specific seasonality)Why your marketing plan matters 100x more than your launch dateHow running a promo (including a FreeBooksy free promo) drives KENP reads, not just downloadsWhy there's a lag between a promotion and when you see the KU reads hit your dashboardHow WWM's promo emails call out "free on Kindle Unlimited" to prime KU readers before they hit the Amazon pagePlus: 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 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 authorsThe KDP Select caveat: why giving away a full book can violate exclusivity terms and what to do insteadThe 4 components of a working lead magnet system: content, landing page, delivery, and trafficThe best tool for author-specific lead magnet delivery, and why BookFunnel handles customer service so you don't have toHow to use Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) to drive lead magnet sign-ups starting at $5/dayFree traffic options: newsletter swaps and group promos, plus their real limitationsThe 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 pageWhy 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 furtherHow A+ content feeds the Amazon AI (Rufus), and why the images, colors, and alt text you upload are being read as metadataWhere 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 chartWords before pictures: how to write the copy for your modules (20 words max per block) and use Gemini to brainstorm if you're stuckHow to create the image assets in Canva (plus a WWM template with correct dimensions, or use Gemini's image tool as an alternativeThe content rules you must follow: editorial reviews only, no customer reviews, no price mentions, no hyperbole unless namedHow to apply one set of A+ content across an entire series, so one setup covers every bookApproval timeline (up to 7 days, often faster) and what to do if you're still stuckShow 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 publisherWhat an option agreement actually means, what it costs, and what you give up during the option periodWhether 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 streamersThe red flags that identify a scam "Hollywood inquiry", including the long con Maggie has seen play out in real timeWhat 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 forHow to get creative control as an author, and why asking for final cut is a deal-killerThe contract clauses that haunt authors: perpetual attachments, shopping agreement traps, and development materials that survive an expired optionWhat genres are hot in Hollywood right now: domestic thrillers, romanticy, and the emerging dystopian waveThe three-item punch list every author should complete before lightning strikesMaggie 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 compareHow Spotify uses taste signals from music and podcast listening to surface audiobooks to readers who've never tried the formatWhy do short books and children's content now have a competitive advantage on Spotify that they don't have on credit-based modelsThe metadata practices that actually improve discoverability, and the keyword-stuffing mistake that actively hurts youThe free tools inside Spotify for Authors: promo cards, 100 redemption codes per book, and weekly demographic listening reportsSpotify's new AI narration tool (in partnership with ElevenLabs): free for up to five books, ten curated voices, custom pronunciationsHow human narrators vs. AI narration differ, and why Will believes AI opens the door rather than closes itPage Match: the feature that syncs your physical book with the Spotify audiobook, and the 55% reading uplift and 2x completion rate it's already drivingThe Bookshop.org integration: how Spotify is now linking physical book purchases directly from audiobook pagesFollow Along: the new feature that displays visual content (images, text threads) synced to the audioWill'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 guessworkWhere to find freelancers: Reedsy (built for authors), Fiverr, Upwork, and curated agencies, and when each makes senseHow to set your budget and why you should always go in a little lower than your real numberWhat the standard revision rounds look like for design vs. editing, and why two to three is the magic numberThe 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 forgetHow 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 loveThe one thing clients do that makes good freelancers not want to work with them againHow to handle a missed deadline or a freelancer who goes silentMaari 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.