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Book Writing & Publishing

{The Blog}

How to Update Your Book Subtitle for Better Amazon Discoverability

As an indie author, your book’s subtitle is one of the most powerful tools to boost your Amazon discoverability and attract the right readers. But many authors understandably hesitate to update their subtitles because they worry about conflicts with their book cover or don't want to confuse their audience.

Also, a subtitle that's keyword rich but sterile? That might attract eyeballs, but it doesn't always convert them into readers.

However, you can safely tweak your subtitle metadata on Amazon (and keep it true to the book's overall tone and style) to improve search rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates without changing your cover design or risking listing problems.

In this post, I'll walk you through safe subtitle update strategies designed specifically for indie authors who want to:

✅ Improve keyword targeting in Amazon’s search algorithm

✅ Increase reader interest with emotional hooks and benefits

✅ Avoid cover-listing mismatches that cause

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Ep 136: Writing a Novel While Raising Kids with Jill Beissel

Writers dream of the day they’ll hold their finished book, but few warn you about how intense the editing phase can be. In this episode, debut novelist Jill Beissel gets real about the messy, magical process of turning a rough draft into a polished novel readers will love.

Jill’s upcoming book, Glitter and Gold (out October 7!), went through what she calls “color-coded chaos”—a DIY system using highlighters, sticky notes, and sheer persistence to untangle plot issues and deepen character arcs.

She also shares what it’s like to write while raising two young kids and working full-time. Some nights she wrote 500 words, others just 50, but she kept showing up. Her writing sprints, “progress over perfection” mindset, and decision to celebrate any words written (instead of beating herself up for what she didn’t write) are what more of us need to hear.

We talk about dual timelines, beta readers, and why sometimes, the bravest thing a writer can do is shelve a manuscript after 100+ re...

Ep 135: Q&A: Kirkus Reviews, Writing with AI, and Bestseller Status

Ever feel like everyone has some secret book marketing hack? Most of those “shortcuts” are just expensive detours.

In this episode, I’m calling out three distractions that keep indie authors spinning their wheels. First up: Kirkus Reviews. Are they legit? Yes. Are they worth the price for most self-published authors? Maybe. But if you're hoping a $400 review is going to move thousands of copies, well, it probably won't.

Then we dive into the Amazon Bestseller badge obsession.

Finally, we'll talk about AI. As someone who edits A LOT of manuscripts, I can spot AI-generated content from a mile away. So can readers. In publishing, the long game truly is the shortcut.

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Ep 134: Crafting Complex Narratives with Lauren Oliver

If you’re the kind of person who devours psychological thrillers but also wants to be emotionally sucker-punched (in the best way), Lauren Oliver’s What Happened to Lucy Vale needs to be on your radar.

In this episode, Lauren takes us behind the scenes of what might be her most structurally daring novel to date. Set in a small Indiana town with a possibly-haunted house at its core, Lucy Vale unspools two eerie mysteries—one set in the past, one unraveling in real time—using both traditional storytelling and a collective “we” voice (think The Virgin Suicides meets Reddit sleuth thread).

This book took years to write, and when you hear how the pieces click into place, you’ll understand why.

Through this book, she challenges us to ask: What if we’re not always the hero in someone else’s story?

We also dive into Lauren’s writing journey, which is less “neat staircase to the top” and more “rollercoaster meets overgrown hiking trail.” She talks honestly about the pressure to st...

Ep 133: Living Proof with Tiffany Graham Charkosky

In this episode, I sit down with Tiffany Graham Charkosky to talk about her forthcoming memoir, Living Proof (October 21, Little A), a book written and shaped over years of writing and rewriting.

At just 11 years old, Tiffany lost her mother. For decades, she believed it was an unexplainable tragedy, until a DNA test unearthed information that changed everything. That discovery didn’t just reshape her understanding of her mother’s death; it also made her question what she might unknowingly pass on to her own children.

INSIDE THE EPISODE

The emotional (and editorial) decision-making around what belongs in a book
How long it took for her story to find its true shape (and why)
The surprising speed of her publishing deal once it all came together
How do we process loss as kids versus adults? And what happens when new information forces us to reinterpret our past?

Tiffany’s story is as deeply personal as it is universally relatable.

ABOUT TIFFANY

Tiffany Graham Char...

Ep 132: What Nobody Tells You About Making Your Book "Take Off"

If you’ve been chasing the magical marketing strategy that will finally make your book “take off,” welcome to the club. In this episode, I’m addressing the question nearly every author eventually asks: What does it actually take to make a book successful?

Spoiler: there’s no guaranteed formula. Even authors with six-figure advances, NYT bestsellers, or celebrity blurbs still worry their latest book won’t sell.

So what are we really buying when we shell out thousands for a publicist? Often, it’s access and visibility, not actual sales. You can land your book in front of all the right people, and still... crickets. Why? Because readers are human. Think about how long you’ve let a book sit in your online cart before clicking “buy,” even if you really wanted to read it.

Success usually requires a mix of good writing, staying power, and yes, a little luck. But maybe it’s time we stop defining success only by sales numbers. What if it’s about writing something you’re proud of? Or c...

Ep 131: The Paper Palace and Beyond with Miranda Cowley Heller

Miranda Cowley Heller's father was a book editor; her grandfather edited Jack Kerouac and was friends with Hemingway. That legacy, while inspiring, left her frozen when it came to pursuing her own writing.

Instead, she built a thriving career in publishing and TV, eventually heading up drama series at HBO. Then, in her 50s, she wrote the novel she’d been carrying around for years, The Paper Palace, which became a New York Times #1 bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick.

Now, she's returned to her first creative love—poetry—with a stunning new collection: The Deep Water Knows. “Poetry is almost like putting snapshots of your soul into the world,” she tells me.

In this episode, Miranda gets real about the myth of getting wiser with age, the vulnerability of releasing creative work into the world, and why your voice is never too late to matter.

ABOUT MIRANDA

Miranda Cowley Heller has worked as senior vice president and head of drama series at HBO, developing and overseeing ...

Ep 130: When Fiction Meets AI with Lori Gold

Author Lori Gold is pulling back the curtain on publishing, in both this conversation and her newest novel, Romantic Friction.

INSIDE THE EPISODE

⭐️ Yet another reason bestseller lists aren’t what you think (I didn't know this until I read her book!)

⭐️ A great tip for handing reviews without spiraling (or swearing off Goodreads forever)

⭐️ What AI is doing to authors' voices, and why it should concern all of us

⭐️ How writing happens even when you're not writing

⭐️ How Lori studies the bones of books she loves to make her own writing even stronger

CONNECT WITH LORI

Instagram: @lorigoldsteinbooks

Grab a copy of Romantic Friction

👉 CLICK HERE to write the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

Awesome Email Templates for Authors

From communicating with...

Ep 129: From LinkedIn to Penguin Random House with Gigi Robinson

What started as sharing her story online about living with chronic illness turned into a book deal with Penguin Random House. In this episode, Gigi Robinson shares how she leveraged consistency, relationships, and a clear vision to go from content creator to published author.

Here’s what we get into:

Why she chose to write A Kid’s Book About Chronic Illness (and how it ended up getting picked up by Penguin/DK).
The ridiculously simple promo strategy Gigi swears by: bring the book everywhere and make it part of the conversation.
Why she went the children’s book route to make a heavy topic more digestible.
Her take on promotion as storytelling, not selling.
How she filters advice from all the "experts” while staying aligned with her bigger vision.

CONNECT WITH GIGI

Website: gigirobinson.com

Instagram: @itsgigirobinson

TikTok: @itsgigirobinson

👉 CLICK HERE to write the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in th...

Ep 128: Book Publicity with Emily Florence

This week, I’m joined by publicist Emily Florence, and we’re talking about how to set publicity goals before you start chasing them, why a Today Show appearance might not sell nearly as many books as you think, and how to make your marketing feel less like shouting into the void and more like having conversations that matter.

Here’s what we get into:

Why knowing your goals (career author? credibility? visibility?) makes all the difference
The surprising truth about big media hits (and what works better)
Building an author platform that doesn’t rely on hacking the algorithm or pretending to be someone you’re not
How to build a real-deal, supportive author community (no fake “collabs” required)

👉 CLICK HERE to get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

...

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Ready to Write the Damn Book Already?

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Book Writing & Publishing

{The Blog}

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Amazon Ads for Indie Authors

Learn how to run Amazon ads that actually work—even if you’ve never touched an ad platform in your life.

Wanting to get out of your own way so you can write the damn book already?

👉 CLICK HERE to write the first draft of your nonfictio...

ABOUT TIFFANY

ABOUT MIRANDA

INSIDE THE EPISODE

CONNECT WITH LORI

Awesome Email Templates for Authors

CONNECT WITH GIGI

Ready to Write the Damn Book Already?

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