The Authorpreneur Podcast - Writing & Self Publishing Tips

TAP050: The Beginner's Guide to Value Shifts or Turning a Scene

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIf you're new to writing, you've probably read the title of this episode and thought, "Oh, great, my scenes need to turn, no...

BTS059: Writing Wins, Book Piracy, and Self-Publishing Struggles

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textToday, I'm bringing you my 2024 writing update, and honestly, it's been quite the year. I've got some wins to celebrate, lik...

TAP049: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story with Douglas Vigliotti

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWhat can Aristotle teach modern novelists? In this episode, I chat with Douglas Vigliotti about his book Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timele...

TAP048, Getting Into Reading, Its Hidden Benefits and the Books For Men Podcast with Douglas Vigliotti

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this episode, I chat with Douglas Vigliotti about getting into reading, its hidden benefits and the Books For Men Podcast. Please note t...

BTS058: Burnout, Thyroid Issues and Other Health Scares, Plus My Podcast Plans

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIts been a while—fourteen months and a few days to be exact. In this hopefully short, update-style episode, I'll share the decision ...

TAP047, What is a Story Beat? | How to Write Great Scenes

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAs I wrote the outline and script for the show on value shifts, I realised that there is a smaller unit of story that I need to discuss tha...

TAP046, End Your Scenes with Cliffhangers | How to Write Great Scenes

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo you've probably read the title of this episode and thought, what do cliffhangers have to do with outlining? I'm so glad you as...

BTS057, A Year in Review and Self Publishing Products I Loved in 2023

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI'm back again. And yes, it's been sixteen weeks since I released an episode of the podcast. Between now and November, I took Dec...

TAP045, The Anatomy of a Scene: Goal, Tension, Conflict and Stakes | How to Write Great Scenes

11 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, how do you write a great scene? But not just a great scene but a scene that keeps a reader engaged and turning the pages, no matter wha...

BTS056, AI-Generated Images, Designing Your Own Book Cover, Declining Free Downloads, and Struggling to Write Book Three

28 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI'm back. And yes, it's been sixteen weeks since I released an episode of the podcast. Originally, I took the summer off because ...

BTS055, My Experiment with Tempting Readers to Impulse Buy the Second Book in My Series. Did It Work?

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, I have a confession to make. Actually, I've been struggling to sell paid books. Sure, I can give them away for free, but paid is a...

BTS054, Changes to the KDP Print Pricing, New Categories in KDP, and a Solution to My Series Mistakes

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn the April Behind the Scenes Author Diary, I mentioned that I screwed up my amateur sleuth mystery series; well, a solution might be at h...

BTS053, The 100th Podcast Episode: Ask Me Anything on Writing, Revision, Editing, and Self Publishing

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textHonestly, I can't believe I made it this far; it's mind-blowing. I know that's cliche, but it's how I feel when I see t...

BTS052, I Screwed Up My Series and Reaching a New Level of Appreciation for Draft2Digital

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the ninety-ninth episode of the Authorpreneur Podcast. Yes, I'm doing the countdown thing—I know, it's super dorky, ...

TAP044, News From My Editor: My Experience Writing into the Dark (Part 2)

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the ninety-eighth episode of the Authorpreneur Podcast. Honestly, I can't believe that my podcast has come this far. But, b...

TAP043, A Tale of Two Novels: My Experience Writing into the Dark

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn February, I finished writing the Locked Room into the Dark, and I'll discuss how I achieved this, along with the response of my fav...

BTS051, Writing a Locked Room Mystery, Author Book Readings, and Tech Issues Galore

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this episode, discuss what I've been doing in February. I also share my frustrations about a tech fail and newfound thoughts on thi...

BTS050, More Experiments with Ad Stacking

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, I decided to list Suspicion for free and promote it using various newsletter book promotion services ahead of the release of the second...

BTS049, A Year in Review and Self Publishing Products I Loved in 2022

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis year, I've decided to start my podcast by looking back at everything I achieved in 2022. After that, I will discuss the products ...

An Update on My Three Act Structure Scrivener Template

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn an upcoming episode of the authorpreneur podcast, I discuss how I stopped supplying my three-act structure Scrivener template to my emai...

TAP042, Troy Lambert Discusses Plotting and Story Organisation Techniques with Plottr

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textA few weeks ago, I received an email from Plottr letting me know they were interested in chatting with me on my podcast about plotting and ...

TAP041, What is a scene? All Your Questions Answered

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAre you confused about scenes and chapters? Do you write scenes that aren't working, and you wonder why?In this first instalment of th...

BTS048, Trademarking My Podcast Name, Publishing Books, Mixed Feelings About ARC services, and Designing Covers

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt's been a while since I filmed or recorded a Behind the Scenes Author Diary Update—so that's what I'm going to do. In th...

TAP040, Writing From a Character's Point of View

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textNow that you've chosen the right point of view for your story, you're finally ready to put pen to page and start writing or outli...

TAP039, Point of View: Which One is Right for Your Story

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textBefore you put pen to page, you need to decide which point of view is right for your story. In this show, I will discuss point-of-view in w...

TAP038, Dave Chesson Discusses Writing, Editing, Formatting, and Collaborating with Atticus

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn previous podcast episodes, I've mentioned that I want this podcast to be free of interviews unless they are about how an author wri...

TAP037, How I Edit the Outline of a Novel Before Writing the First Draft

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you've created an outline for your novel. And now, you're ready to start writing. Diving into writing the first draft seems l...

TAP036, From Idea to Outline: How to Outline a Novel (Part 3 of 3)

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the third instalment of my mini-series on how I outline a novel. For those of you who are unaware, in the first episode, I discu...

TAP035, From Idea to Outline: How to Outline a Novel (Part 2 of 3)

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the second instalment of my three-part mini-series on how I outline a novel. For those of you who are unaware, I discuss how I g...

TAP034, From Idea to Outline: How to Outline a Novel (Part 1 of 3)

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSince 2014, I've written two novellas, one short story, and two full-length novels, three of which I have self-published. One novel is...

TAP033, The Case for Outlining, Outlining Pitfalls, and Overcoming Writing Obstacles

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textBefore I dive into discussing how to outline a novel or the planning phase of writing, I thought it would be best to ask an obvious but non...

BTS047, Issues with Apple Books, Cover Redesigns, and The Results of Using Advanced Reader Services

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThroughout the preorder and launch period of the release of The Candidate, I experienced a series of frustrating issues with Apple Books. W...

BTS046, Preparing for My Book Release, Snarky Reviews and Why I No Longer Recommend Etsy to Creative Businesses

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAs November flips open on my calendar, so does the launch date for my novella. In amongst the busyness of preparing for my book release, I ...

BTS045, Working with a Professional Editor and Preparing to Self Publish

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThe writing has come to an end. And the line editing and proofreading phases are underway. In the final hours of editing, I made a story de...

TAP032, How Do You Write Fiction with Michaelbrent Collings

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textUp until now, I've wanted the seasons of this podcast to be evergreen and act as a resource on how to write a particular element of a ...

BTS044, Revision is Like Pulling Teeth and Working with a Professional Editor

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textRevision is like pulling teeth. Well, that's how it feels to me at the moment. I'm so over revising this story. But at the same t...

TAP031, Write a Novel with Genre Expectations in Mind (Part 2 of 2)

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the final instalment of this two-part mini-series on how to write a novel with genre expectations in mind. There's nothing ...

TAP030, Write a Novel with Genre Expectations in Mind (Part 1 of 2)

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWriting to market or writing with genre expectations in mind is often seen as a dirty word. And I think there are a few misconceptions, lar...

TAP029, What to Expect from Season Three of the Authorpreneur Podcast

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAt the start of season two, I started off with the best of intentions. Just like this episode, I set the expectations for the season. And t...

BTS043, Revising a Murder Mystery, Creating a Book Marketing Plan, and Feeling Scared to Self Publish

25 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn the last two weeks of August, I started revising a murder mystery novella. Also, during this period, I created a book marketing plan for...

BTS042, Preparing a Murder Mystery Novel for Beta Readers and Juggling Multiple Manuscripts

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textDuring the first two weeks of August, I focused my time on preparing a murder mystery novel for beta readers; then, as I waited for feedbac...

BTS041, A Writing Update, Fussy Librarian Book Promotions, and The Best Beta Reader Software

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIf you listened to the previous episodes of this podcast, you'd know that I've been struggling to finish my next novel. By now, y...

BTS040, Low Budget Book Promotions Gone Wrong

25 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textDuring May and June, I experimented with more low-budget book promotions on a 99-cent sale on my first-in-series novella, Missing. Naturall...

BTS039, Writing Multiple Books at Once, Low Budget Promotions, and Multiple Streams of Income

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textFor some reason, I put off sharing this author diary update because I believed I didn't do that much writing, and I was a little embar...

BTS038, Story Origin Newsletter Swaps, Price Matching an eBook on Amazon and Lifting a Preorder Penalty on Amazon

29 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThe results of my very first story origin newsletter swap are in, and it's not what I expected. As I cast my mind back, I decided whet...

BTS037, Writing to Market, Book Formatting Services and Hiring an Alpha Reader on Fiverr

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAfter much deliberation, I come to terms with my struggles with the notion of whether I should continue to write more books in the James La...

BTS036, The Best Decision I've Ever Made

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAfter months of frustration with the slow speed of my website, I took the plunge and moved web hosts. And in this episode, I discuss the dr...

A Quick Guide on How to Get Interviewed on Podcasts for Fiction Authors

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThe problem with helpful book marketing suggestions like"get interviewed on podcasts" is no one actually tells you how to create ...

BTS035, Developing a Writing Habit After Months of Struggling

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI’m super excited to announce that I’ve finally developed a writing habit after months of struggling. And in this episode, I share the ...

BTS034, Struggling to Write Book Two in a Series and the Results of My Free Book Promotion on Kobo

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJuly was full of surprises. A well-known free ebook platform shared my novella with its audience. And I’m going to share the results of t...

BTS033, Opting out of KU, My First Free Promotion on Kobo, and Outlining a Short Story

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn June, I made the decision to opt out of Kindle Unlimited, and I don’t regret trying it out. Due to this experience, I’ve learned a f...

BTS032, Publishing a Second Edition of a Mystery Novel and Using Book Blogging Tours as a New Author

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textNow that the rewrites of the second edition Missing are finished, during May, I prepared the new edition for publication. And in this episo...

BTS031, Rewrite a Self-Published Novel, Using a Paid Beta Reader, Book Blogging Tours, and My Second Bargain Booksy Promo

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt’s official: I'm rewriting a self-publish novel only a few months after its initial release. And that book is Missing. In this epi...

BTS030, Frustrations with Publishing Wide, Trying Something New, and Dealing with Negative Feedback

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textDuring the first two weeks in March, I made a decision that I never thought that I would make, even after careful consideration. Essentiall...

BTS029, Writing Beats within Scenes, Scene Blocking and Experimenting with First and Third Person POV in a Novel

25 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textDuring the first two weeks in March, I both struggled and made progress with rewriting book two. At the same time, I also failed to meet an...

An Update: I'm Back From My Hiatus

05 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI’m back from my hiatus. Due to the pandemic and the lockdown situation in London, and my husband working from home, I paused the podcast...

BTS028, Book Blogging Tours, MailerLite Frustrations, and Rewriting a Thriller Novel

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textDuring the last week in February, I faced the infamous chicken or the egg scenario that every author faces—book reviews or sales. And I h...

BTS027, My Revision Plans for Book Two, A Huge Tech Fail, More Amazon Ads, and a Book Promo Update

29 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThere’s light at the end of the tunnel for the second book in my James Lalonde series. I’ve made a tonne of progress this week on fixin...

BTS026, I've Written a Pile of Garbage, Amazon Ads, and Book Promo Results

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThere’s no polite way to say this, but I’ve realised that I’ve written a pile of garbage and may need to completely rewrite the secon...

BTS025, Experiments in Book Launching and Book Marketing as a New Author

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textJust to let you know, this behind-the-scenes podcast diary was recorded on February 17, so this diary episode is primarily me looking back ...

BTS024, Getting Ready to Publish a Thriller Novella, Translating a Novel in French, and Changes to the Podcast

17 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textComing up in this episode, I’m going to discuss where I’m at in the publishing process for Missing, my thoughts and plans on how I’ll...

BTS023, KDP Select or Going Wide: Which is Better for the New Self-Published Authors?

23 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textOver the years, there has been a big push by some well-meaning people to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket and publish their books...

BTS022, Ask Me Anything on Writing and Self-Editing

29 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, I looked at my podcast in the iTunes store the other day; not only did I realise that I have a few reviews, but I also noticed that thi...

BTS021, Migrating Away from MailChimp and Merging My Two Websites

15 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textComing up in this show, I discuss why I migrated away from MailChimp and the steps involved. And, I also discuss my decision to merge my au...

BTS020, Hiring a Professional Editor, Revising Book Two, and Writing a Short Story

11 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textComing up in this show, I discuss how I hired a line editor and proofreader for my thriller novella, Missing, and my plans for book two. An...

BTS019, Self-Editing a Novel and Hiring a Professional Beta Reader

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIt’s been one of those weeks. You know, that week that starts off crappy and turns into a nightmare. But, the week eventually redeemed it...

TAP028, 5 Tips for Structuring a Story with the Hero’s Journey (Part 4 of 4)

26 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the final instalment of this mini-series on how to structure a story using the Hero’s Journey. In this show, I will share five...

BTS018, Revision with AutoCrit, Back to Blogging, and Professional Beta Reading

24 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textLast week, my revisions for Missing became analytical, thanks to the AutoCrit software. I’m also getting back to blogging my novella afte...

BTS017, I'm Sharing My Business and Writing Goals With You for the Next Quarter

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI think accountability is a beautiful thing. And I realise that’s a super nerdy thing to say. So, what do I mean by accountability? Basic...

TAP027, How to Structure a Story Using the Hero's Journey (Part 3 of 4)

07 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve fleshed out your story idea for the first and second act using the Hero’s Journey, and now your story has reached the cusp b...

TAP026, How to Structure a Story Using the Hero's Journey (Part 2 of 4)

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve started to plot out ideas for your story using the Hero’s Journey, and you’ve reached the end of the first act. But now yo...

BTS016, Writer's Insecurity, Revising a Thriller Novel, Editing a Nonfiction Book, and Starting a New Series

23 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, I started filming weekly writing Vlogs on my YouTube channel after remembering this had helped with my productivity and making time for...

TAP025, How to Structure a Story Using the Hero's Journey (Part 1 of 4)

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve listened to the episodes on Three-Act Structure and discovered that it didn’t quite suit the story you’re trying to tell. ...

BTS015, Ask Me Anything on Writing and Story Structure

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textWelcome to the first-ever bonus episode of the podcast. As you can probably guess by the title, this is my first-ever episode on Ask Me Any...

BTS014, My Top 5 First Draft Mistakes

02 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textNow that I’m well into revising the first draft of Missing, I’ve decided to share with you the top 5 first-draft mistakes I made as I w...

TAP024, How to Write the Denouement Scenes for Your Novel

09 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve reached the end of the climactic sequence of your novel, and you’re wondering how to give your story a satisfying conclusion...

BTS013, Lessons in Revising a Novella and a Goal Setting Update

07 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAt the start of January, I shared my revision plans for my thriller novella, Missing. It’s been a month since that show. So, I’ve decid...

TAP023, How to Write the Hero at the Mercy of the Villain Scene in a Novel

24 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve reached the climactic sequence, and you’re wondering how to make these final scenes the most dramatic part of your novel; th...

BTS012, I'm Sharing My Business and Writing Goals for 2019 with You

17 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAs I look back over the last few years, I’ve noticed I have a bit of a problem. And that problem has to do with focus. Yep, my inner crea...

TAP022, How to Write the Climactic Sequence of a Novel

15 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve reached the third act of your novel, and you’re wondering how to write an unforgettable climactic moment. The real secret is...

BTS011, How to Revise a Novel in a Month

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI’ve been thinking about the upcoming revision stage of the writing process for my thriller novella. My inner writing nerd wants to write...

TAP021, How to Choose the Right Ending for Your Story

27 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAs I was preparing the notes for what I thought was going to be the next episode of the Authorpreneur Podcast, I realised that I needed to ...

BTS010, I'm Back with an Update On Writing, Reading, and Podcasting

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, I’m back after another podcasting hiatus. Yay! And I have a few announcements, both personal and writing-related, that I can’t wai...

BTS009, My Australia Trip, A Free Scrivener Tutorial, and Blogging a Novella

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textThis episode of my behind-the-scenes podcast diary is going to be a casual writing update because it's been a while since the last epi...

TAP020, How to Write the Dark Night of the Soul Scene of a Novel

26 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you’ve reached the start of the third act of your outline or in your first draft, and you’re not sure how to propel your protagonis...

TAP019, How to Write the Second Half of the Second Act of a Novel

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAre you struggling to write the second half of the second act of your story? You already know there’s a Midpoint and the Dark Night of th...

TAP018, How to Write the Midpoint of a Novel

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIs the middle of your story dragging? Are you halfway through writing your manuscript and not sure where to go from there? If you said yes ...

BTS008, How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Out of that Writing Slump

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI’m super excited to announce that I’ve finally stopped procrastinating and overcome my writing slump. Yay! Before I share seven tips o...

BTS007, Writing Fiction, Non-fiction, and Dabbling with Dictation

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this behind-the-scenes podcast diary, I discuss my plans and changes to the podcast going forward. As the podcast diary suggests, I give...

TAP017, How to Write the Rising Action Scenes in a Novel

08 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAre you struggling to figure out how to write the rising action scenes in your novel? I remember when I first started writing and using the...

BTS006, Blogging as an Unpublished Fiction Author

19 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI was recently listening to an episode of a podcast that was discussing how to build a platform as an unpublished author. Coincidentally, I...

TAP016, How to Write the First Plot Point or the Point of No Return Scene

15 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo you've brainstormed ideas for the three plot points in the first act of your story, and you're now wondering how to transition...

BTS005, I'm Sharing My Writing and Business Goals for February With You

12 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAt the beginning of January, I shared my writing and business goals for the year, just like every other entrepreneur, writer, and blogger. ...

TAP015, How to Write the Inciting Incident Scene

08 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you've created a great narrative hook and an ordinary world scene for your story, and you're thinking, 'What next?'...

TAP014, How to Write a Great Ordinary World Scene

25 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textAre you struggling to figure out how to start your novel? Quite often, we place much emphasis on the first sentence or paragraph and not on...

BTS004, The Truth About Why You Are Struggling with Productivity as a Writer

01 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textIn this episode of my behind-the-scenes video diary, I share my experience of struggling with productivity as a writer and my process of re...

TAP013, How to Write a Great Structural Hook for Your Novel

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, how do you start a story? How do you hook the reader from the very first page? In the literary world, there is a lot of talk about how ...

BTS003, Alpha Readers, Writers Insecurity, and Relaunching a Non-Fiction Book

25 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI must confess this last fortnight didn’t go exactly to plan. I started the two weeks off with the best of intentions to revise Immunity,...

TAP012, What is Three Act Structure?

21 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textSo, you've got a story idea that you can't wait to write, and you're wondering, how do you write a good story? Is there a st...

BTS002, Revision is My New Reality

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Send a textI'm going to keep this episode short and sweet and just stick to all things writing and book-related. But, I will point out that I&apo...