The Written Word Podcast

How to Get More KDP Reads, Pick a Launch Date, and Handle DRM (Questions Authors Keep Asking)

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

How to Turn Free Content Into New Readers: The Author's Guide to Lead Magnets

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 yo

How to Set Up Amazon A+ Content in 30 Minutes or Less

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

How Your Book Can Become a Hollywood Movie with Maggie Marr

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

How to Get Your Audiobook Discovered on Spotify (And What's Coming Next)

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 S

The Author's Guide to Hiring Freelancers (Cover Designers, Editors, and More) with Maari Casey

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 cli

How Authors are Growing in 2026 (Mid-Year Survey Results)

Is the indie author market actually as tough as the forums make it sound? Written Word Media surveyed nearly 600 authors at the midpoint of 2026, and the data tells a mor

Social Media for Authors with Jim Tobin: An Insider's Playbook from a Social Media Pioneer

What does a CEO who's run social media campaigns for Nike, IKEA, Samsung, and Crocs think authors should be doing on social right now? In this episode, Ferol sits down wi

How to Use Podcasts to Grow Your Author Business (Lessons from One Year of Podcasting)

Podcasts build the kind of trust with listeners that almost no other marketing channel can match, and authors are uniquely positioned to leverage that. In this episode, R

What Authors Can Learn from Dale Roberts’ YouTube Playbook

YouTube isn't just for cooking tutorials and gaming walkthroughs; it might be one of the most powerful book marketing tools authors aren't using. In this episode, Ferol s

Your Book Is Invisible to AI (Here's How to Fix It)

Readers are increasingly using AI to find their next book, and if your title isn't showing up in ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, you're missing a growing discovery channel. I

From Page to Stage with Jess Ekstrom: How to Get Paid as an Author Speaker

Most authors never consider the speaking stage, but according to Jess Ekstrom, it might be the most powerful income stream they're missing. In this episode, Ricci sits d

How to Get Your Book Featured in Local Media (Without a Publicist)

Getting local press coverage can feel like shouting into a void, but what if you knew exactly what editors were looking for? In this episode, Ricci sits down with Rory G

The Amazon A10 Update: 3 Things Every Indie Author Needs to Know

Amazon just changed the rules — again. The A10 algorithm update is here, and if you've been running your book marketing the same way you were a year ago, it's time to tak

KU vs Wide: What the Data Actually Says (No Ideology Allowed)

KU or wide? It's the great debate of indie publishing — and it usually generates more opinions than answers. In this episode, Ricci and Ferol cut through the noise and b

From First Book to Sustainable Sales

Your first book didn't become a bestseller overnight? You're actually right on track.  In this episode, Ricci and Ferol break down one of the most important patterns we

What 3,000 Readers Want Indie Authors to Know

In this data-packed episode, Ricci and Ferol dive into the results of Written Word Media's brand-new reader survey with nearly 3,000 responses from across all five brands

Top Author Trends in 2026 (Part II)

Ricci and Ferol wrap up their 2026 book industry trends analysis by diving into the final two themes: discovery and sovereignty. They explore how book discovery is shifti

Top Author Trends in 2026 (Part 1)

It's December which means it’s also trends season – you’ve probably received your Spotify wrapped as well as a wrapped from almost every other app you have! With that spi

How to Avoid Scams: What Authors Need to Know

In this essential PSA-style episode, Ricci and Ferol break down the growing wave of scams targeting authors — and how to protect yourself. From “too good to be true” book