✨ May Pod-Pal Shout-Out: Two Authors’ Podcast - Wheel of Life with Adrienne Giordano

• Trusting your intuition instead of following all the writing “rules”

• Redefining success and making family a priority

• Learning from (and letting go of) others’ marketing formulas

• Finding joy with passion projects and creative freedom

• The importance of mental rest and slowing down

*Don’t miss the Supporter Episode: What Asian Dramas Teach Writers About Conflict And Emotion. Become a supporter to get all 20+ supporter episodes:

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⚡Links:

• ✨ May Pod-Pal Shout-Out: Two Authors’ Podcast - Wheel of Life with Adrienne Giordano

https://www.aimeerobinsonromance.com/

• Two Authors’ Podcast: https://pod.link/1671876768

• Create Summit: https://createsummit2026.heysummit.com/?ac=ScVPVkA8 (Affiliate Link)

• Sisters in Crime Writers’ Podcast: https://pod.link/1565859080/episode/MDEyNWVjMjctNDRiYS00N2JmLWIzYjMtYWU4MTdjZTY0NmU3

• MBP S7 E3: From Miss Marple to Modern Cozies: A Guide to Amateur Sleuth Mysteries https://www.buzzsprout.com/1311757/episodes/19071210

• Healer, Competency, and the Bodyguard Trope with Aimee Robinson https://www.buzzsprout.com/2435348/episodes/16967375

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✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Balancing writing with life changes

• Waiting for gatekeepers vs. giving yourself permission

• Using Substack for serialized fiction

• Creative marketing ideas, including membership drives and interactive reader experiences

• Incorporating graphics and interactivity

• Building community and engagement on Substack

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

• Thank you to long-time supporter: KP Turner

🎯 Got a question? We’ll answer in a Q & A episode: Send us your questions!

⚡Links:

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

https://jolietunnell.com/

Jolie Tunnell, Author ✍️

I write award-winning historical mystery series. If you love to read, you’ve come to the “write” spot. SUBscribe and get a STACK of free mystery books! 📚

• Create Summit: Get your free ticket here:

https://createsummit2026.heysummit.com/?ac=ScVPVkA8 (Affiliate link)

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Rapid release publishing strategies

• Instagram tips for authors

• Fallacies in assumptions about genre size equating to sales

• Challenges with Kickstarter fulfillment

• Diversifying author income streams, including through traditional publishing and direct sales

• Running a successful Shopify store

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

• Thanks to new supporter: 🐱Katherine Dotterer

🎱 Publishing or writing questions? We’ll answer in an upcoming Q & A episode: Send us your questions!

⚡Links:

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

• www.teeharlowe.com

• Sara Rosett mystery and thriller tropes on the Indy Author Podcast: www.theindyauthor.com/show-notes/331-sara-rosett

• Kevin McLaughlin: context around Draft2Digital fee: https://www.facebook.com/kevins.studio

• PublisherChamp

https://www.publisherchamp.com/

• ScribeCount:

https://scribecount.com/

• CrowdControl: https://apps.shopify.com/crowd-control

• Ember Mae on Simple Kickstarters: 18702381-kickstarter-for-beginners-how-to-start-small-and-launch-successfully-with-ember-mae

• Rachel Hanna on Direct Sales: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2121723/episodes/13075849-rachel-hanna-on-direct-sales-success-and-writing-women-s-fiction

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Balancing writing with a full-time job

• Challenges in marketing and ads

• Importance of book titles and tropes

• Building an email newsletter

• Finding editors and cover designers

• Success with TikTok and BookBub

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

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• Shoutout on a future episode

• Thank you to long-time supporter: Angel Lawson

• angellawson.com

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

https://www.finleydaniels.com

• Sara on The Creative Penn talking about special editions, direct sales, and low-key marketing: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/04/13/special-editions-seasonal-podcasts-and-the-art-of-low-key-book-marketing-with-sara-rosett/

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Why resilience matters more than talent or craft

• The pitfalls of tying self-worth to external validation

• Reframing the role of social media and visibility

• The archetypes of post-publication response

• Finding joy and sustainability in your writing journey

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

• Thanks to long-time supporter Tricia O’Malley

https://www.triciaomalley.com/

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

• Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• https://www.instagram.com/katherinecollettewriter/

• Free ‘long game’ strategy call: Strategy Call

• The Inner Game of Writing (mini-course)
  https://info.katherinecollette.com/the-inner-game-of-writing-2026/

• Sara on From Expertise to Authority: https://mattydalrymple.substack.com/p/from-cozies-to-coach-with-sara-rosett

• Sara with Jennifer Hilt on The Two Authors Podcast: https://thetwoauthorschatshow.podbean.com/e/tropes-with-jennifer-hilt-and-sara-rosette/

We bust five stubborn publishing myths that pressure authors into chasing perfection, spee…

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✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

We’re busting some of the most common publishing myths. But first, we catch up on life after a writing retreat: the post-draft crash, newsletter plate-spinning, and the genuine weirdness of evaluating promos when the market keeps shifting

• Honest BookBub promo numbers and why results look different now

• Why discoverability matters more than “good enough” writing

• Why you don’t need every social media platform to succeed

• Newsletters, Goodreads, and BookFunnel as practical visibility tools

• Why direct sales and Kickstarter can work even with a small audience

• Why rapid release is optional and genre dependent

• Why ads don’t require huge spend, and how AI is changing targeting

• Genre zeitgeist: how trends like cozy and romantasy impact your strategy

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

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• Shoutout on a future episode

• Thanks to long-time supporter Delaney Smith

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⚡Links:

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Alessandra Torre on Goodreads: https://open.substack.com/pub/wishidknownthenpodcast/p/alessandra-torre-on-goodreads-movie-10c?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I love a list, so I started a “How to Show You’re a Human” list and Jami chimed in with her thoughts. It has twenty concrete ways you can signal to your readers that there’s an actual human behind your books. Things like embracing your typos, sharing your research rabbit holes, leaning into your quirks, and why a slightly messy video is better than a polished one.

We talked through all of it in Episode 310 of the Wish I’d Known Then podcast

and we turned the best ideas into a free PDF you can download.

📌 Download: Real, Not AI — 20 Ways to Show You’re Human

And if you want to hear the full conversation (including why Jami was crying through her revisions while in Starbucks, which is very human), you can find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts or right here:

💙 Wish I’d Known Then podcast for writers

We’d want to know: which of the 20 resonates most with you? Or do you have a way of showing your humanity that we missed? We’d love to hear your ideas. Please share!

~ Sara, a real person with plenty of typos to prove it

We talk about how writers can stand out in a sea of AI content through leaning harder into trust, voice, and real connection. We share concrete ways to signal “I’m a real person” without forcing yourself to overshare or turn your life into content.

✨ This week’s sponsor is: Reedsy https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Why authenticity and connection matter more as AI output scales—and what history tells us about tech panic cycles

• How parasocial relationships work, where they go sideways, and how real-world interaction cuts through the noise

• Practical ways to show your humanity: imperfection, process sharing, physical objects, and curation

• Protecting your author voice and using credibility signals to build lasting reader trust

📌 Get a PDF download of all the ideas: Real, Not AI: 20 Ways Authors Signal Humanity and Build Reader Trust

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast If you’ve gotten value from the podcast and would like to share back with us, you could support the podcast. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

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We’d love to hear from you. Comments will be open on this episode in Substack: https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

⚡Links:

• Reedsy https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Patty McGree on using grammar as your paintbox:

• https://pod.link/1495247798/episode/QnV6enNwcm91dC0xODY2MDEzOA

• Joanna Penn and The Creative Penn Podcast: https://pod.link/309426367

• Thanks to long-time supporter Parker Finch:

https://parkerfinch.com/

• Jami’s Branding Workshop: https://jamiablright.com/authorworkshops

✨ This week’s sponsor is: Reedsy https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Starting out in social media marketing

• Promo strategies for book releases

• Best practices for TikTok marketing

• Cross-posting content on social platforms

• Results of paid promo vs. organic reach

• Trends in book promo content

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support

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• Private slack group

• Shoutout on a future episode

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

💙 Thank you to long-time supporter Kathleen Bailey:

https://kathleenbaileyauthor.com

✨ This week’s sponsor is: Reedsy https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Serial fiction business models

• Transitioning from fanfiction to original fiction

• Productivity and project management advice

• Community and discoverability on Substack

• Monetization methods for serials

• Legal concerns with fanfiction writing

🚨 Win a paperback copy of Trope Thesaurus: Mystery and Thriller by yours truly (Sara) and Jennifer Hilt. Comment on this episode on Substack with your favorite trope to write to be entered in the random drawing. Open until March 17, 2026.

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

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⚡Links:

• houseofyork.info

•  serial-nation.com

• scriptorium.kimbooyork.ne

• houseofyork.info

• scriptorium.kimbooyork.net

• https://newsletterninja.net/solutions/email-storytelling-pantry/

• Ingram Launches New Digital Catalog, DRC, and Ordering Platform: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99760-ingram-targets-edelweiss-with-new-catalog-drc-and-ordering-platform.html

• Thanks to long-time supporter Christa Bakker

https://christabakker.com/

• Archive of Our Own

https://archiveofourown.org

• FOOTLOOSE! https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Footloose%20(1984)/works

• Dealing with fear around AI and tech changes

• Resources for learning about AI

Links:

• Author Automations Substack

• Indie…

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✨ This week’s sponsor is: Reedsy https://reedsy.com/studio and https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Flywheel marketing instead of funnel marketing

• Building community and collaboration

• Social media burnout and challenges

• Discoverability and reader relationships

• Trends in publishing and tech for authors

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

• https://reedsy.com/studio

• https://reedsy.com/studio/templates

• Author Automations Substack

• Indie Author Training

• Indie Author Magazine

• Author Nation

• StorytellerShowcase

• ChelleHoniker.com

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Importance of reviews for book sales

• Cross-promotions and newsletter swaps

• Beta reader management with StoryOrigin

• Direct sales trends and challenges

• AI’s impact on the publishing landscape

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

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⚡Links:

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

• https://storyoriginapp.com/

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

• Tips on setting up your first Kickstarter campaign and keeping it manageable

• Making marketing personal and connecting individually with readers

• Why ditching social media is freeing

• Intuitive storytelling

• In-person event strategies

• Neurodivergence as a writing superpower

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

• embpublishing.com

• https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embermaeauthor/the-crowdfunded-author

• http://tryvellum.com/wish

304 / Are you curious how understanding grammar—not just as a set of rules but as a tool for creative expression—can transform your writing and help you find your unique author voice?

✨ This week’s sponsor is Vellum: http://tryvellum.com/wish

We talked with Patty McGee, a literary consultant and author of Not Your Granny’s Grammar to unpack why grammar isn’t about memorizing rules, but about developing your unique voice.

Patty shared tips on building foundational skills, using grammar to enhance your writing’s rhythm, and why it’s totally normal to make mistakes.

• Finding your writing voice through sentence rhythm

• Overcoming grammar embarrassment as an author

• Practical resources for learning grammar

• Effective strategies for giving and receiving feedback

• Trends in grammar and punctuation in modern writing

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes

• Shoutout on a future episode

📥 Send us a Text Message

⚡Links:

www.pattymcgee.org

http://tryvellum.com/wish

Amazon algorithm changes and tips: https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/2026/01/24/a10-sales-rankings-explained/

Joanna Penn’s 2026 trends and prediction: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/01/05/2026-trends-and-predictions-for-indie-authors-and-the-book-publishing-industry-with-joanna-penn/

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