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The Self Publishing Show

James Blatch
Indie Publishing
Artificial Intelligence
AI In Writing
Prowritingaid
Bookbub
AI In Publishing
Self-Publishing
Creatorwood
Etsy
Publishing Industry
Historical Romance
Amazon
Draft2digital
AI Translations
AI (artificial Intelligence)
Artificial Intelligence In Publishing
Cissy Mecca
Author Events
Bookvault
Police Work

Join James Blatch has he navigates the fast changing world of indie publishing. With the biggest guests in the industry and tips on how to stay ahead of the crowd.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes465Founded11 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusinessCareers

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Artwork for The Self Publishing Show

Latest Episodes

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca catch up from opposite sides of Europe, with Cissy joining from Sicily as she prepares for the September 29th launch of her new book.

James shares news from Learn Self-Publishing, ... more

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch is joined by author Skye McKinnon to dig into the numbers behind BookBub Featured Deals and ask whether they still offer authors the same value they once did.

Skye shares data from 28 BookBub deal... more

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca are together in Pennsylvania after celebrating the wedding of their friends Lucy Score and Tim. James even had the honour of officiating the ceremony.

There's also exciting news fo... more

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca have a packed episode of indie publishing news, starting with a significant change to Amazon's preorder rules. Authors can now set up preorders up to 18 months in advance and postpon... more

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Recent Guests

Sky McKinnon
Prolific author and promoter, active in author communities
Independent author; active in White for the Win group
Episode: SPS-465: Does BookBub Still Work?
Lucy Score
Author of Things We Never Got Over
Lucy Score Author
Episode: SPS-464: Romance Tropes That Work For Everyone
Tim Score
Partner of Lucy Score and guest at the wedding discussed in the episode
Lucy Score team
Episode: SPS-464: Romance Tropes That Work For Everyone
Michael Evans
Interview guest discussing Creatorwood and AI-driven film/TV adaptations
Creatorwood / Beyond The Book Studio
Episode: SPS-459: Your Book As An AI Movie (Part 2)
Jack Williamson
Author of Stolen Moments and Stolen Romance Series, rock star romance writer
Self-published author/rock star romance author
Episode: SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
Adrian Wills
Volunteer coordinating backstage and registration
The Self-Publishing Show Live team
Episode: SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show
Nick Harvey
Co-host of The Two Indie Authors Podcast
Two Indie Authors Podcast
Episode: SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show
Doug Pratt
Co-host of The Two Indie Authors Podcast
Two Indie Authors Podcast
Episode: SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show
Isabelle Knight
Publicist turned author-branding consultant who helps indie authors build their author brand
Build Your Author Brand
Episode: SPS-447: You Are Your Brand with Isabelle Knight, James Blatch & Cissy Mecca

Hosts

James Blatch
Host focused on practical advice and industry insights for indie publishing.
Cissy Mecca
Co-host and frequent guest; brings branding, PR, and indie publishing experience.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 510 ratings
  • Promotes AI slop

    If you are a writer look elsewhere, this show promotes AI and does not care about the craft (or any other creative craft for that matter).

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Rev. Fitz
    United States2 months ago
  • Excellent Information

    Great show, lots of useful industry information and insider tips. Nice hosts too.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Happy_Doc
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • Literary Idiots

    Ostensibly, this is a podcast about self publishing—and maybe they would not prove themselves to be such philistines if they stuck to their topic.

    After this last episode (April 2026) I had to give up and run for cover.

    One admitted he didn’t understand em-dashes, saying he thought they were called hyphens.

    The other went on to say she always skipped prologues, saying they were a sure sign the writer was a novice and not worth reading. Quite the opposite, obviously.

    If this is what self ... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    richard-at-large
    New Zealand5 months ago
  • Out or Order!!!

    I’ve followed James Blatch for several years, bought his courses and always viewed him as an authoritative voice for indie publishing.

    But I’m very concerned about his comment suggesting there is an underlying race issue about the book that was pulled by Hachette for AI content.

    Is there a race element to this? Is there anything to support the accusation that this was racism?

    There appears little else at this point to suggest this is nothing more than an author being criticised by a reader. I... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    K Chilts
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • Phenomenal advice!

    Mark has such great tools and experts on to support self-published authors with getting their work out to the world! A must listen for anyone looking to self-publish and put their books into the world.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Crown Yourself
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Mixed banter with sharp insights; some listeners desire tighter pacing.
Helpful, actionable tips for indie authors.
Strong coverage of AI, marketing, and community-building for authors.
Guests frequently bring practical, real-world case studies.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

SPS-465: Does BookBub Still Work?
Q: Can you share concrete data on how deals have performed for your books over time?
Historically, deals boosted sales into the top 100 and provided a quick payoff, but recently the extra sales per deal have dropped from about 1,600 copies to roughly 620 copies for similar promotions, indicating a substantial decline in direct effectiveness.
SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
Q: What's next after the three-book Stolen Moments/Heated Rivalry arc?
He plans to continue with more romance sub-genres, including movie star romance and potentially dark romance, informed by audience feedback and newsletter followers.
SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
Q: How do you approach PR for indie authors?
He emphasizes relationships, conferences, and a concise one-sheet; it's about knowing what to say and where to say it to engage journalists and retailers.
SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
Q: Let's talk about your writing journey. Were you always storytelling or did you have other paths before fiction?
Jack explains he always loved stories, moved from non-fiction to fiction after 2021, and drew on real experiences from the music industry to craft rock star romance.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Household Income
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Self Publishing Show

What is The Self Publishing Show about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on indie publishing, marketing, and author entrepreneurship, with a strong emphasis on practical tactics for self-publishers. Recent episodes balance hands-on workflow guidance—launch planning, metadata optimization, and AI-assisted tools—with broader industry shifts like AI's role in discovery, author branding, and community-building. A notable strength is the duo's candid banter and real-world experiments (budgets, tests, and reader engagement) that offer listeners repeatable strategies, plus occasional conference and live-event coverage that adds actionable context for audience growth and direct-sales tactics.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Self Publishing Show?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Self Publishing Show. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Self Publishing Show and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Self Publishing Show get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Self Publishing Show, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Self Publishing Show?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Self Publishing Show, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Self Publishing Show have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Self Publishing Show has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of The Self Publishing Show are there?

The Self Publishing Show launched 11 years ago and published 465 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Self Publishing Show?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Self Publishing Show?

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What guests have appeared on The Self Publishing Show?

Recent guests on The Self Publishing Show include:

1. Sky McKinnon
2. Lucy Score
3. Tim Score
4. Michael Evans
5. Jack Williamson
6. Adrian Wills
7. Nick Harvey
8. Doug Pratt

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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