Bookcast 114: Breaking Free

In Episode 114 of The Bookcast, I share my thoughts on the impact of Amazon boycotts on indie authors and how diversifying publishing platforms can protect your writing career. 

I begin with my book report, having reached 44 books toward my 100-book goal for 2025, and highlight recent reads. I provide updates on my writing projects and my plans to participate in 20K in Five Days to work on Potter Lake 4. The main focus of this episode explores the challenges authors face when exclusively tied to Amazon, especially during boycotts, and offers practical strategies for authors looking to diversify their publishing platforms and for readers seeking alternatives to Amazon.

For a full transcript of this episode, visit: booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/114

Transcript

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All right.

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Hello and welcome to episode 114 of the BookCast.

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This is my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on life as a

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self-published author of romantic fiction that centers black love.

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I'm your host, D.L.

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White,

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an Atlanta-based author of numerous novels,

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so many I have lost count,

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but we're somewhere near 20,

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like 17,

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18.

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Somewhere around there, a lot of short stories and also fan fiction works.

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If you like this podcast and want to show your support,

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it's really very simple,

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and I welcome you to do so.

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The very best way to support your local independently published author is to buy

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their books direct.

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I offer ebook and audiobooks direct from me at a better than retail price.

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You can reach my bookstore and my merch shop at booksbydlwhite.com slash shop.

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I also offer print edition via my bookshop.org shop,

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and I do earn affiliate fees via that shop.

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So books ordered from bookshop support your local indie bookstore and me as an

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author and not a billionaire,

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and I super like that.

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But they are not signed.

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They are just books print on demand.

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You buy them,

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you get them just like you would from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or wherever else,

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except you are supporting...

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an independent bookshop.

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Bookcast.buzzsprout.com has every link imaginable to follow this podcast via your

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favorite podcast app,

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including YouTube.

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You can always find the latest recording and show notes on my website at

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booksbydlwhite.com slash bookcast or my Substack at authordlwhite.substack.com.

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You can show your monetary support for this podcast,

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a gal has bills,

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you know,

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by joining my podcast supporters at bookcast.buzzsprout.com.

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And I believe there's something on there.

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As soon as it pops up, it'll ask you if you want to support the podcast.

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Or you can make a one-time or recurring gift at buymeacoffee.com slash books by D.L.

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White.

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I have a little bit of smattering of things to talk about today.

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So let's get it going.

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Today is Sunday, March 9th, 2025.

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It's raining today in Atlanta.

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And that means I'm making a hot cup of coffee or tea and I'm settling in with a good book.

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But like,

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let's be real,

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even if it was sunny,

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I would be settling in with a cool beverage and reading a book.

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But right now I have a mic and I am ready to dig in.

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First, let's take a little beverage break.

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Super.

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Fantastic.

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That was delightful.

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We begin,

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as always,

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with the book report,

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because if I'm going to do anything,

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I'm going to read a book.

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I am at book 44 of my challenge to read 100 books for 2024.

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I forgot to check how far ahead I am, but it's just assume it's a lot.

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It's a lot.

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I'm at 44 books on March 9th.

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So if you look real hard, you can...

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Thank you so much.

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Absolutely fantastic.

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I've been drooling over this book since last year,

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so the anticipation probably made it a whole lot better.

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And I got approved for the e-book galley, and I was very excited about that.

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And then I got approved for the audio galley, and I was very, very excited about that.

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It's very well performed.

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It's an excellent story.

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I really enjoy Vanessa Miller's work.

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Really good.

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I know we had a discussion recently on The American Queen.

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I liked The American Queen.

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It wasn't like, you know, oh, my God, so good.

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I like The American Queen.

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I love The Filling Station.

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It's a really good book.

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You should pick it up.

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It publishes soon this month.

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I don't know what actual date it publishes, but soon.

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I also read Believing in You by Sharon C. Cooper.

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This is book one in a new family series of the Priestley family.

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And Sharon C.

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Cooper writes a family romance series like you wouldn't believe the Jenkins family.

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I really enjoy that.

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And I think the Jenkins have a spinoff.

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And then she, of course, has the Atlanta's Finest, which is a romantic suspense series.

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I've read every I think I've read every book in Atlanta's Finest.

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She's fantastic.

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Believe Me and You is a really, really good book.

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And then I read, I finished First Born Girls by Bernice McFadden.

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I waited until release day to read this book because I just wanted to hear it.

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I wanted to hear it in my ears.

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It's good, but I got a little caveat.

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It's read by Robin Miles, who I adore.

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She's like my second favorite audiobook voice.

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This book ends not where you would expect it to end.

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It's a memoir.

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And so it just it ends in a way that makes me hope there's another volume coming

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because I wanted to know so much more about a particular part of her life.

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And it ends like right as she touches on that.

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And so I'm just I'm hoping there's another volume that goes from that point forward.

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But so lovely of Bernice McFadden to be getting into her memoir era.

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And then I read Beyond the Screen by Christina C. Jones actually got the

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audio books of this because I didn't see that they had popped up before.

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This is like a series within a series radio station.

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And so like every month is like a new episode.

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And I inadvertently started at episode number three.

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So I'm reading them all out of order, but whatever.

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They're good.

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I'm truly, truly enjoying it.

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Then those are those are romance.

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I have on my reading list entirely too many books, but y'all know how it is.

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Some things are going to fall off.

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Some things I'm going to decide I don't want to read.

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Some things I'm going to push off until I get audio.

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So on the list, I have Ambush by Colleen Coble.

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I think,

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I believe I have,

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I think this is already out and I have an audio book of it and I started it,

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but it was moving a little slow,

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so I haven't finished it.

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So this might actually fall off.

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I just, I had an arc.

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It looked good.

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It's one of those things I blame on Robin,

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who is Book Skies,

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not Book Skies,

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a Blue Skies librarian.

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I call her Blue Skies librarian.

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I used to call her Twitter's librarian,

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but then she left Twitter,

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and then I left Twitter,

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and we're both on Blue Sky now,

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but...

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I believe she had posted this up in her collection development posts.

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She's a librarian, so she posts the titles that she is adding to collection at her library.

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This looked good.

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She always, always, always wrecks my TBR, always, because the books look good.

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Of course,

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I'm reading They Were Her Property,

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White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E.

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Jones Rogers.

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I'm about 30% into this.

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This is a reread I am reading with the Stacks Podcast Book Club.

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I think this is going to be a fantastic conversation.

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The Discord is already alive with this one, so I'm looking forward to this reread.

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in a way where I could discuss this with other people.

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I read this, I believe, in 2023.

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I did a read-along with Gratia Rich Collins, who is history with her on Instagram.

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We did a read of this and had a really good discussion.

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So I'm interested in rehashing that.

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I'm probably still mad about this book.

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And then Beneath the Fame and Between the Lines, which are the first two books in the W.A.W.G.

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series.

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the series within a series by Christina C. Jones.

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So I'm going to get those.

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I'll probably knock those out today because they're short.

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They're like three hours and they're audio.

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So I can do stuff like fold the pile of laundry that I need to fold while I'm listening.

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Legacy of Lies by Lou Paper.

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I don't even know what this is about.

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It's just a book that looked good.

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I added it to my list.

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I don't know.

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The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey.

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No idea.

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It just looked good.

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I might or might not read them.

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You know, I am worried about it.

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Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben.

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I am not big into Harlan Coben.

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I'm trying to be big into Harlan Coben.

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So I grabbed an ARC, which will make me read it.

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We'll see how far I get.

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It might fall off.

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And then Breaking the Dark, a Jessica Jones Marvel crime novel by Delisa Jewell.

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I don't think I've ever read Elisa Jewell before, but we'll see how it goes.

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I recognize the name, so I snatch it up.

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And then I'm really looking forward to Bent But Not Broken by Mary Monroe.

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I will definitely read this book.

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I may wait for audio, though.

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This one comes out on my birthday, so I'm considering it a birthday present.

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And I'm

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So I may wait for audio on that.

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I might see if we get any audio arcs because they almost always will grant me an arc,

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an audio arc.

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So we'll see.

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I am still waiting on Sean A. Cosby.

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King of Flames?

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King of Ashes.

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That book is coming out later this year, and I have requested an advanced review copy.

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We'll see if I get it.

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I was turned down for Kennedy Ryan's next one,

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but it don't matter because I'm going to get it anyway,

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TV-wise.

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There's nothing really new popping up for me.

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I'm caught up on almost everything, including Papa's House with Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans 2.

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I did end up adding Watson to my lineup after last week.

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I got off the mic, did my editing and uploading, and I loaded up a few episodes.

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And in these perilous times, I deserve to look at Moore's Chestnut once a week.

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I think I deserve.

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I would love to look at Sterling K.

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Brown every week,

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but I literally cannot handle Paradise right now.

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I have watched the first two episodes.

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I said, first of all, I'm confused.

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Second of all, this is too much for me right now.

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I am politically thrilled enough on a daily basis.

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It's also why I have not watched the rest of Man and Secretary.

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I'm waiting for The Diplomat season three this fall,

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and I hope I can handle it when it comes out.

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But I'm not doing anything political right now.

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I just can't.

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There's also like a new series with Angela Bassett.

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It's politically, I want to watch it, but

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I don't know.

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It might not happen.

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It might not happen.

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First of all, the premise doesn't make sense.

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Something happens and they call a president out of retirement to investigate.

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And why would they call a president out of retirement?

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Because like the president, it doesn't make sense.

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The premise doesn't make sense.

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Somebody help me.

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Anyway, that's coming out on Netflix.

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It's Angela Bassett.

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So I might drag myself through it.

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But also...

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It doesn't make sense.

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There was no new Irrational this week, but I am caught up on everything else.

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Equalizer, Watson, Elsbeth, Matlock, The Pit.

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I'm good.

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I do need to finish Landman.

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I have loved the season so far.

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It's so, so good.

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It's got like that grit I really like,

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but there's only one season and I'm not ready for it to be over.

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Billy Bob Thornton is a master.

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I love him in this role.

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I love him in this series.

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I also love the lawyer character.

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Forget her name.

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She's fantastic.

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I really like her.

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But there's only one season.

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I haven't heard anything about a season two, and I don't want it to end yet.

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So I'm kind of holding out.

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I think I have like three episodes before that season's over.

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I have not watched any more of Bailin Out Loud or Scamanda.

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I mean, I think I'll just pick those up

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Catch as catch can.

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I don't know where that phrase comes from.

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It just came out of my mouth.

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I'm looking through my podcast because I thought maybe I should add podcasts to this roundup.

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I haven't added anything particularly amazing to my regular lineup.

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I'm not averse to checking out a new episode of a good show,

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but it takes more than one epi for me to add it to my weekly listens.

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Like I'm a regular Three Guys On person, Three Guys On podcast.

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um look them up on patreon most of their stuff is behind the paywall but they do

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have one free episode a week and the occasional um the occasional week well they'll

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they'll put the behind the paywall episode up for everybody but for the most part

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the good stuff is behind the paywall i am i am two episodes a week two to three

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episodes four episodes a week actually if they do a woke files um

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I'm a Three Guys On person.

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It's my personality at some point.

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And then I have like a long list of shows I watch every week,

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every Monday,

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Smart List,

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every Wednesday,

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The Stacks Pod.

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You know, Thanks for Asking with Nora McInerney.

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All that stuff pops up like regularly.

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Those are my regular shows.

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I am watching a lot of the Book Funnel podcast on YouTube.

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It's been really good.

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The episode with

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um with katie cross i have watched multiple times i'm taking notes i'm trying to

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figure out like what in her strategy i can rework to make mine work better so um i

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am in that i mentioned katie cross a lot but she's she's like like becca sime

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territory it's a person i talk about a lot because what they have to say really

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helps me figure out what i'm doing

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I do have a list of the podcasts I watch regularly on my link in my bio,

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booksbydlwhite.com slash link in bio.

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It's pretty extensive,

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and check that regularly because I'm going to be updating it pretty soon with

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anything new I find that I think other people really need to get into.

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I really need to update that because I do have some podcasts on that list that I –

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am listening to regularly now,

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especially like some scam podcasts like Scam Factory and some that I need to remove

(00:14:33):
that I'm just not listening to anymore and some that I have just put on hiatus like

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Hashtag Sisters in Law and Stacey Abrams podcast.

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I love them both.

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I just cannot.

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I can't do it.

(00:14:44):
On the writing and publishing update front,

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So I'll update sales at the end of March like I did at the end of February.

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I don't think I will go quite so nerdy for February, for March, but, you know, it's fun.

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I do like to look at numbers.

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I want the most information possible to compare one month to another.

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But I did upload Grumpy Valentine to major retailers last week.

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I did get a nice bump from that this week.

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We'll see where we get to at the end of March,

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but I don't think it'll top February,

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which is saying a lot because in February,

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I did not have that book on the major retailers.

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So if I only get like a little bit of a bump from adding it to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo,

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I feel like my direct sales strategy worked really well then for that book because I made

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multiple hundreds on that release without it being on a major platform.

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I am taking a break from writing to let my brain rest a little bit.

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But first, before that, I did write a very short, steamy St.

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Patrick's Day story called Clover that you'll get if you are a member of my short

(00:15:54):
fiction Substack.

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So feel free to join up today.

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It's shortfictionbydlwhite.substack.com.

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You'll also get access to my first serial novel on that platform.

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It's called Same Time Next Week.

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It's an interracial rock star romance.

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It's really good if I say so myself.

(00:16:10):
It's complete and it is available to paid subscribers.

(00:16:16):
Go ahead and join right up.

(00:16:17):
It's five bucks a month.

(00:16:18):
You get so much good stuff over there.

(00:16:20):
If you don't want to join the Substack, it's no big deal.

(00:16:23):
Clover is available on my store for 99 cents on March 17th.

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I will warn you, it is short.

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It's 8,900 steamy words.

(00:16:31):
And of course,

(00:16:31):
make sure you're on the newsletter list so you get a heads up on anything new that

(00:16:35):
is coming.

(00:16:38):
Ruby's 10 update first pass edits are done.

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That was an ordeal.

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That was a lot.

(00:16:44):
I will tell you,

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I reached out to my editor last summer to ask her about editing this book because

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she's strictly romance,

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really.

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I mean, some lit fic, but really mostly romance and a lot of steamy romance.

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And so I kind of

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asked if she would edit this book.

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It's a women's fiction novel,

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but I hope that there was enough mess in the book that she was able to get through it.

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There's not a whole lot of sex in it.

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It's just like this mess and drama and interpersonal relationships and girlfriend stuff.

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And, um,

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At several points in the book, she said that I owe her a lot of steamy scenes from now on.

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So I got to get to work on that.

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So second pass edits should be on the way for that book.

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And then the second hardcover test was a fail.

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Everything was shifted too far to the right.

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So I did make some corrections.

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I corrected the font on the cover and on the spine and on the back.

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And then I just shifted everything way too far to the right.

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So shift it back over to the left.

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But I'm going to wait to order another test until I have final edits and I can look

(00:17:57):
at the most updated version when I order another version.

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So the next time after I get this test back,

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the next time I order books will be when I order the set that I'm going to have

(00:18:09):
here at the house to sell and give away.

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And then everybody else is just going to have to order them from Lulu.

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So I wish I could just get the cover,

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but they have to print the whole book and send it to me,

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which I despise,

(00:18:24):
but whatever.

(00:18:25):
I did go ahead and send my mom the first hardback edition of Brunch at Rubies,

(00:18:31):
even though I needed to correct it a little bit.

(00:18:33):
I went ahead and sent it to her.

(00:18:35):
So she has the first official hardback edition to Brunch at Rubies that's ever been printed.

(00:18:42):
And I also sent her a copy of Grumpy Valentine.

(00:18:44):
And

(00:18:45):
paperback because she does insist on getting a hard copy of every book I put in print.

(00:18:50):
Yes.

(00:18:52):
I don't have any further update on Calculated Risk.

(00:18:54):
It's uploaded.

(00:18:55):
All I know is that it will be available in April via Prolific Works.

(00:18:59):
I hope to have more information on that before next week's show.

(00:19:04):
Cross your fingers and your toes,

(00:19:06):
all the things,

(00:19:07):
because I am also eager to know what's going on with this book.

(00:19:10):
Um,

(00:19:12):
I don't think that I literally don't think I could be a trad pub author because I

(00:19:17):
have so little information and it's driving me nuts to not be able to make these

(00:19:22):
decisions for myself.

(00:19:25):
But I'm hoping the exposure is going to be worth it.

(00:19:30):
So cross all the things.

(00:19:34):
So Word Makers is shut down, but 20K in five days lives on.

(00:19:40):
It's coming up March 19th through the 23rd.

(00:19:42):
And I didn't think I was going to participate because I don't have a new book to write,

(00:19:46):
but of course I have a new book to write.

(00:19:48):
I always have a new book to write.

(00:19:50):
So I am going to join in mostly because my boss will be out of town and we'll have

(00:19:55):
a lot of downtime.

(00:19:57):
And I plan to get a big chunk of Powder Lake 4 down on the page so I can edit the

(00:20:02):
crap out of it over the summer and

(00:20:04):
Get it to my editor for a possible Labor Day weekend release.

(00:20:08):
I might also dig into Missing Persons just for some variety since I want that to be

(00:20:13):
out in the summer,

(00:20:13):
like July or August,

(00:20:15):
which means I need to get it to my editor at the end of April,

(00:20:18):
like early June.

(00:20:20):
So for writing projects,

(00:20:21):
that's it for right now,

(00:20:23):
unless I just get a wild hair up my behind,

(00:20:25):
which is want to happen.

(00:20:28):
Sometimes like on Wednesdays, I'll do a prompt or something and post that.

(00:20:32):
And then I'm like, hey, this could be more.

(00:20:34):
Let's just go ahead and write it.

(00:20:36):
It happens.

(00:20:37):
Until I figure out what's going on with Ruby's 10, I'm on a break until 20K in five days.

(00:20:43):
So it'll be like a nice 10 days for my brain to just rest.

(00:20:47):
No creating, no editing, just like chill out until, until, until I get...

(00:20:53):
final edits back from Rubies.

(00:20:57):
So that's going to be going on.

(00:20:58):
And then I do have Drinks at Minx,

(00:21:01):
which is like the little Brunch at Rubies follow-up that you can't read unless you

(00:21:05):
have read Brunch at Rubies.

(00:21:07):
So I got to figure out what I'm doing with that.

(00:21:10):
But it's...

(00:21:12):
going to be ready to go as soon as Rubies is ready.

(00:21:15):
I'm also prepping for the Black Romance Book Fest at the end of May.

(00:21:21):
Pre-orders are open, and I'm on a panel.

(00:21:24):
So I've added a link to my pre-order form to the link in bio on my website,

(00:21:29):
and I'll put up a post on my blog,

(00:21:31):
on my site,

(00:21:31):
and my substack.

(00:21:32):
So there's a static place to check for my signing times and locations and the panel

(00:21:37):
time and locations.

(00:21:38):
I'm really excited

(00:21:39):
Really excited.

(00:21:40):
I actually just went through my pre-order list this morning,

(00:21:44):
updated my cover photos,

(00:21:46):
created some bundles.

(00:21:48):
I'm really excited.

(00:21:49):
So if you are coming,

(00:21:50):
it is a sold-out event,

(00:21:52):
but if you have a ticket and you are coming and you would like to pre-order books,

(00:21:57):
especially the bundles,

(00:21:58):
the Black Diamond Bay bundle,

(00:22:00):
the Potter Lake bundle,

(00:22:01):
or you can get both books in the Rubies series,

(00:22:05):
going to be the original cover's

(00:22:08):
I believe unless,

(00:22:09):
unless,

(00:22:09):
unless I am able to get print copies of Brush It Rubies in the new cover by the end

(00:22:16):
of May,

(00:22:16):
there's no reason I shouldn't be able to,

(00:22:18):
but I just...

(00:22:20):
I just want to launch this before I start announcing more stuff and adding more

(00:22:24):
stuff to my pre-order link.

(00:22:28):
Anyway,

(00:22:28):
if you want bundles,

(00:22:30):
if you want books and you want to pay for them now and just pick them up at the Fest,

(00:22:35):
look up my pre-order form and...

(00:22:39):
get it taken care of so that I can just have your books waiting for you and we can

(00:22:43):
reserve all that hemming and hawing time for like hugging and chatting.

(00:22:48):
If you are coming and you have a ticket, please come find me.

(00:22:51):
Please introduce yourself.

(00:22:52):
I will not recognize your face because all I know is that little like little circle

(00:22:57):
on Instagram or blue sky or wherever we know each other.

(00:23:00):
I will not recognize you.

(00:23:03):
Please just introduce yourself.

(00:23:04):
I will probably recognize your name.

(00:23:06):
If I don't, I will pretend that I know you.

(00:23:09):
And we'll hug and chat it out.

(00:23:11):
I think that's about it for like housekeeping, book stuff, events, all that good stuff.

(00:23:19):
I want to talk a little bit this week about the economic boycott specifically.

(00:23:25):
Amazon.

(00:23:26):
This is an issue almost outside of the economic boycotts of retailers,

(00:23:31):
but it affects the author's fear so much because so many of us depend on royalties

(00:23:36):
from KDP.

(00:23:37):
Even those of us that aren't exclusive to Amazon find they are the biggest piece of

(00:23:41):
the pie chart when we're looking at revenue.

(00:23:43):
And while authors like me,

(00:23:45):
like Katie Cross,

(00:23:46):
like Alex House are leading the way in direct sales,

(00:23:49):
it takes so much to pull readers away from that monster of a platform.

(00:23:54):
So let's dig into it.

(00:23:57):
Talking honestly about why Amazon exclusivity is so tempting,

(00:24:01):
it's the biggest bookstore in the nation.

(00:24:03):
Probably not the world.

(00:24:04):
I think Kobo is huge in Canada.

(00:24:07):
But the page reads from Kindle Unlimited can feel a little bit like free money when

(00:24:12):
you first start out.

(00:24:13):
Amazon's algorithms really boost your visibility when you're all in with them.

(00:24:17):
And countdown deals and free book promotions are only available to those exclusive authors.

(00:24:22):
But there's a whole other side to this.

(00:24:25):
And I'm talking to authors who have just made $7 for the entire month.

(00:24:29):
I saw it yesterday, like a dashboard.

(00:24:32):
They've made $7 for March.

(00:24:34):
It's March 9th.

(00:24:35):
Some of us are like,

(00:24:38):
Some of us are in like the triple digits by March 9th.

(00:24:41):
$7 is devastating.

(00:24:42):
That's not even enough for a meal.

(00:24:44):
When Amazon's your only income stream,

(00:24:46):
you live and die by their rules,

(00:24:47):
and one algorithm change can tank your income overnight.

(00:24:50):
When readers boycott Amazon, exclusive authors have nowhere else to send them.

(00:24:56):
I mean, we can do paperback, but...

(00:24:58):
ebook readers read ebooks.

(00:25:01):
So I'm hearing from a lot of authors who are caught in the crossfire of the Amazon boycott.

(00:25:08):
Some are seeing their sales drop by half practically overnight.

(00:25:13):
This is a thing that happens like something big whips up and then everybody just

(00:25:18):
jumps on a bandwagon before figuring out what's really going on.

(00:25:21):
The stress is real.

(00:25:23):
Like imagine not knowing if you can pay your bills next month because the company

(00:25:26):
you don't control is facing a boycott.

(00:25:28):
A lot of authors feel really trapped in a system that is not really working for them.

(00:25:33):
There's a real fear about leaving Amazon or even leaving Amazon exclusivity.

(00:25:38):
It's like stepping off a cliff.

(00:25:41):
What if my readers don't follow me to other platforms?

(00:25:44):
That's very real.

(00:25:46):
Building a presence on Kobo or Apple Books or Barnes & Noble or even BookFunnel

(00:25:50):
feels like starting over from scratch because it is.

(00:25:53):
Let me be real, because it is.

(00:25:55):
Managing multiple platforms sounds like a technical nightmare to a lot of authors,

(00:25:59):
but staying exclusive to Amazon is really becoming more risky every day,

(00:26:04):
I feel.

(00:26:06):
publishing on a

(00:26:26):
Kobo Plus is growing really fast, especially outside the U.S.

(00:26:30):
They are here in the U.S.

(00:26:31):
They're just not as big.

(00:26:33):
I find the author selection there to be lacking.

(00:26:36):
So if you are wide and you are not on Kobo Plus,

(00:26:39):
I implore you to get on it because we've got to get,

(00:26:42):
especially our Black authors,

(00:26:44):
up on Kobo Plus.

(00:26:45):
Kobo readers tend to buy different types of books, I think, than Amazon readers.

(00:26:49):
Their subscription model pays pretty fairly.

(00:26:52):
You're not fighting for scraps from a limited pot.

(00:26:55):
There are some genres that are going to be oversaturated on Amazon,

(00:26:59):
but they're wide open on Kobo Plus.

(00:27:01):
Kobo has a strong market in countries where Amazon isn't dominant.

(00:27:05):
The biggest, biggest, biggest thing about Kobo Plus is it doesn't require exclusivity.

(00:27:10):
And if you pay for Couple Plus, you can pay for e-book and audio.

(00:27:15):
So you could pay $11.99 a month and get unlimited e-books and unlimited audio.

(00:27:21):
When I sell direct, I keep 95% of my money instead of 70%.

(00:27:27):
or less because my 99 cent books, I only get 35% of that.

(00:27:32):
And I have to pay to deliver that book to you.

(00:27:34):
So I actually know who my readers are.

(00:27:36):
I can contact them directly.

(00:27:37):
I can create a special bundle, special coupon deals that Amazon would never allow.

(00:27:42):
No one can take my direct sales platform away from me.

(00:27:46):
It's mine.

(00:27:48):
So I want to talk about practical steps for authors who want to get off of this merry-go-round.

(00:27:53):
And I know a

(00:27:57):
I can't sell direct because I don't have room for inventory.

(00:28:01):
I don't have, I can't, I don't know how to, I can't, money and stuff.

(00:28:04):
And let me just tell you, it doesn't take a whole lot of money.

(00:28:09):
You do not have to sell paperback direct.

(00:28:11):
You can just sell e-books direct.

(00:28:13):
Like what I wouldn't give to just spend $199,

(00:28:17):
$299,

(00:28:19):
$499,

(00:28:19):
$699 on an e-book and know that author got paid for that right now,

(00:28:19):
today.

(00:28:24):
tomorrow instead of knowing I bought an e-book today and that author will not see

(00:28:29):
that money until the end of May.

(00:28:31):
That's ridiculous.

(00:28:32):
That's ridiculous to me.

(00:28:35):
So you don't have to go all in at once.

(00:28:38):
try taking one book wide when its KDP term ends.

(00:28:42):
Use that one book as your experiment and track how it does.

(00:28:45):
Join some Facebook groups for white authors.

(00:28:47):
The advice there is gold.

(00:28:49):
Set realistic goals for what success might look like in the first three to six months.

(00:28:53):
It does take time because Amazon algorithm is strong.

(00:28:58):
They've had years of building it up.

(00:29:00):
They've had years of watching you shop.

(00:29:01):
They know you.

(00:29:03):
Kobo don't know you.

(00:29:04):
Barnes & Noble don't know you.

(00:29:05):
Apple Books don't know you.

(00:29:06):
So they

(00:29:07):
They're not serving anything up to you.

(00:29:08):
There's no magic algorithm.

(00:29:10):
Every store needs slightly different keywords and categories.

(00:29:14):
Take time to optimize them.

(00:29:16):
Dig into that.

(00:29:17):
I know.

(00:29:17):
I know it's work.

(00:29:19):
I know it's work.

(00:29:20):
Because Amazon's doing all that work for you.

(00:29:22):
But take advantage of promotions specific to each store.

(00:29:26):
Kobo has opportunities.

(00:29:28):
Apple has opportunities.

(00:29:29):
Barnes & Noble has opportunities.

(00:29:31):
And if you don't want to do that individually, go

(00:29:33):
dig into an aggregator like direct draft to digital because I go direct to Amazon

(00:29:42):
and Google Play and BookFunnel.

(00:29:44):
Everything else is through draft to digital.

(00:29:46):
Every other retail is served through draft to digital.

(00:29:50):
And like

(00:29:51):
I would say every other week I get an opportunity to join a Draft2Digital promotion

(00:29:55):
for some kind of holiday or,

(00:29:58):
you know,

(00:29:58):
Apple Books is running this special.

(00:30:01):
Pick a book and throw it in there.

(00:30:03):
Kobo is running that special.

(00:30:04):
Pick a book and throw it in there.

(00:30:05):
Like they make it so easy for readers by creating these special deals.

(00:30:12):
Then it's easy.

(00:30:13):
You just throw the book in there and they do the work for you.

(00:30:15):
You can learn the quirks of every platform.

(00:30:17):
Apple Books loves pre-orders, for example.

(00:30:20):
Make it easy for your readers by creating direct links to each platform.

(00:30:23):
This is where having a link in bio or something on your website or like a books to read,

(00:30:29):
you know,

(00:30:31):
link shortener that just serves up your book everywhere they can buy it.

(00:30:35):
Let readers choose wherever they want to do.

(00:30:38):
I think the single click to purchase model of

(00:30:45):
You know, days before, before we had all these other platforms, I think that's long gone.

(00:30:50):
I think readers are used to now having to make several clicks to get to where they want.

(00:30:56):
And so that doesn't hurt as much anymore.

(00:30:57):
You don't need a fancy website to sell direct.

(00:31:01):
There are services like Payhip or BookFunnel.

(00:31:03):
They make this really simple.

(00:31:04):
All you need is a link.

(00:31:05):
All you need is a link because we're all on the Internet, right?

(00:31:08):
We are all chronically online.

(00:31:10):
That's all you need.

(00:31:11):
Your email list is gold for direct sales.

(00:31:13):
So focus on growing that.

(00:31:14):
That's something I'm really,

(00:31:16):
really working on because I've been I'm in this game for 10 years now and my email

(00:31:21):
list is not big.

(00:31:24):
really not like it's smaller than you think it is.

(00:31:27):
Offer something special to direct buyers like bonus content, early access, discounts.

(00:31:33):
Tell your story about why buying direct helps you.

(00:31:36):
Readers want to support the authors that they love.

(00:31:39):
That's why it's really important that if you have anything you can sell direct,

(00:31:44):
get it up,

(00:31:44):
get it going,

(00:31:45):
let your readers know because they want to support you.

(00:31:48):
And a lot of them aren't shopping Amazon right now.

(00:31:51):
Find a way to give them what they want without it being on Amazon.

(00:31:55):
I personally have joined several groups designed to connect readers with direct-selling authors.

(00:32:01):
I'm a member of Buy Direct from Authors.com,

(00:32:04):
Indie Audiobooks Direct,

(00:32:06):
Romance Bookworms,

(00:32:07):
also known as Zoeybub.

(00:32:09):
These are all pretty much run by Facebook groups.

(00:32:13):
I also use paid newsletters like Fussy Librarian, Written Word Media.

(00:32:17):
They do Free Booksy and Bargain Booksy and like Red Hot something or others.

(00:32:22):
A number of newsletters you can sign up just through Written Word Media to help readers,

(00:32:27):
to help read your readers outside of Amazon.

(00:32:31):
Yes, it does take work to get noticed this way.

(00:32:34):
I promise you the freedom from being under Amazon's thumb makes it worth the effort.

(00:32:40):
I work with a guy named Eppert.

(00:32:42):
It makes it worth the effort.

(00:32:43):
I hear from a lot of Amazon authors.

(00:32:49):
They're direct to Amazon.

(00:32:50):
They're exclusive with Amazon.

(00:32:51):
I guess for me...

(00:32:54):
I rail so hard against it because when I was exclusive,

(00:32:58):
it was like the first three weeks were like gangbusters.

(00:33:00):
And then it just fell off a cliff.

(00:33:02):
And then I couldn't pay people to read those pages.

(00:33:07):
And then I couldn't sell that book anywhere else.

(00:33:09):
And it had to stick there for three months because you couldn't at that time pull it out early.

(00:33:14):
And so every once in a while,

(00:33:16):
I toy with just writing something and slapping it in KU and leaving it there.

(00:33:22):
But

(00:33:24):
not while people are boycotting Amazon right now.

(00:33:28):
patience.

(00:33:29):
It really takes time and effort,

(00:33:31):
but not too much effort,

(00:33:32):
like a couple,

(00:33:33):
you know,

(00:33:33):
a couple of minutes a day.

(00:33:34):
Spend like 10 minutes a day building your presence on new platforms.

(00:33:38):
Set aside some money if you can to cushion the transition period.

(00:33:43):
Tell your existing readers why you're expanding and how they can follow you.

(00:33:47):
Use tools like Draft2Digital or PublishDrive to simplify managing multiple platforms.

(00:33:55):
As well, I'm a big proponent of Scribe

(00:33:58):
scribe count that will measure your sales, that will also measure your ad spend.

(00:34:04):
If you are spending money on ads,

(00:34:06):
it will pretty much track every dollar you're spending or bringing in to let you

(00:34:11):
know how much your book business is or isn't making.

(00:34:15):
I want to talk directly to readers for just a quick second.

(00:34:20):
That Kindle device makes it so easy to just stick with Amazon, right?

(00:34:24):
I'm a Kindle reader.

(00:34:26):
I'm not boycotting Amazon.

(00:34:30):
I have reasons, but I'm not.

(00:34:33):
I'm a Kindle reader.

(00:34:34):
I will publish direct first,

(00:34:36):
but when I buy a book,

(00:34:37):
I buy it on Amazon because that's where I read.

(00:34:40):
Amazon has designed their system to keep you in their world.

(00:34:44):
But you could be missing out on a lot of great books.

(00:34:48):
The way you buy books directly impacts which authors can make a living on their writing.

(00:34:53):
Your reading habits have real power to change the publishing landscape.

(00:34:58):
You'll find authors and books that aren't available in Knoll Unlimited on other platforms.

(00:35:03):
Your library, Hoopla, Kobo, Apple...

(00:35:07):
Barnes & Noble, Nook, Book Funnel, if you are buying direct.

(00:35:12):
There's so many apps and such out there, especially at your author websites.

(00:35:19):
You'll find a lot of really good deals.

(00:35:22):
You don't need a new device.

(00:35:24):
You can get free apps from Kobo, Apple,

(00:35:27):
Others, they work fine on your phone.

(00:35:29):
They work fine on your tablet.

(00:35:30):
A lot of readers tell me they prefer the Kobo or the Apple Books reading experience

(00:35:35):
once they try it.

(00:35:36):
I'm not one of those readers.

(00:35:37):
I'm very much a Kindle reader.

(00:35:39):
Even if I buy it from BookFunnel, I'm going to send it over to my Kindle app so I can read it.

(00:35:44):
I'll read it on my phone.

(00:35:45):
I'll read it on my Kindle Fire.

(00:35:46):
I might read it on my iPad.

(00:35:50):
That's me.

(00:35:51):
That's my personal thing.

(00:35:52):
But I also like to diversify where I'm getting that from.

(00:35:56):
I love I'll get an audiobook from Spotify because I am a premium subscriber.

(00:36:03):
So I get 15 free audiobook hours.

(00:36:05):
I save a lot of audiobooks there when I have some free time and I don't have

(00:36:10):
anything else pending.

(00:36:11):
I'll roll through there and see what I got going.

(00:36:12):
Listen to an audiobook on Spotify.

(00:36:14):
Everand is like $11 a month, I believe now.

(00:36:18):
E-books and audio you can get on Everand.

(00:36:20):
Hoopla, you get through your local library.

(00:36:22):
Libby, you get through your local library.

(00:36:25):
So many other ways to get books.

(00:36:29):
And I pay for Kindle Unlimited.

(00:36:32):
And I pay for Audible.

(00:36:33):
But I also pay for Libby.

(00:36:36):
I mean, not Libby, but Libro.fm.

(00:36:38):
Like my main audiobook platform is Libro.

(00:36:41):
And I...

(00:36:42):
pay for kindle unlimited for those books that are going to be exclusive i pay for

(00:36:46):
audible premium because there's audiobooks that are going to be exclusive i also

(00:36:51):
shop at chirp for like discount audiobooks so like you can diversify your shopping

(00:36:58):
and i look everywhere until i know i can't find that book anywhere else and then i

(00:37:06):
will get it from amazon

(00:37:08):
So try just downloading one alternative reading app this week.

(00:37:13):
Just try something different.

(00:37:15):
Check if your favorite authors sell direct.

(00:37:17):
You might get perks and they get better pay.

(00:37:19):
Ask your library to stock books from various platforms and in multiple formats.

(00:37:23):
And when you find great books outside of Amazon, tell your friends about them.

(00:37:28):
It helps authors.

(00:37:30):
Even your Amazon-exclusive authors, it helps us all.

(00:37:36):
Building a career that lasts means not being at the mercy of one single company.

(00:37:41):
It's very important to me that the majority of my revenue does not come from Amazon.

(00:37:45):
I've been trying for years,

(00:37:47):
probably since about 2019,

(00:37:49):
to get out from under Amazon's fist,

(00:37:52):
and I'm finally at a point where I'm making more direct decisions

(00:37:55):
than I am from Amazon.

(00:37:56):
It's not much, it's not much, but I'm making more direct than I am from Amazon.

(00:38:00):
I also have way more control and I'm addicted to that.

(00:38:04):
Even if I made less,

(00:38:05):
I like having the control and I have the ability to ramp up where I feel like I

(00:38:09):
don't with Amazon.

(00:38:11):
The authors who will thrive going forward are the ones who control their own destiny.

(00:38:14):
Multiple income streams create stability that exclusive publishing cannot match.

(00:38:20):
There's no one-size-fits-all approach.

(00:38:23):
You need to find what works for you, for your books, for your readers.

(00:38:26):
But take some time this week to really look at your publishing strategy,

(00:38:31):
because even the smallest steps toward diversification will help protect your

(00:38:36):
author business.

(00:38:37):
You can connect with other authors who are publishing wide.

(00:38:40):
Their experience is invaluable, and

(00:38:43):
The doors to my email inbox and my direct messages are always open.

(00:38:48):
Make your decisions based on facts and data, not fear of the unknown.

(00:38:51):
For example, it doesn't take a big fancy website to sell direct.

(00:38:55):
You can go to payhip.com.

(00:38:57):
It's free.

(00:38:57):
You can build out a whole entire website on payhip.com built around selling books for free.

(00:39:05):
They take 5% of whatever you make.

(00:39:09):
That's so much better,

(00:39:11):
so much better than paying Amazon 70 to 30 percent of what you're making.

(00:39:17):
Isn't that so much better?

(00:39:19):
Anyhow, thanks for listening.

(00:39:20):
I hope it gives you some food for thought about your publishing journey.

(00:39:24):
Your writing career is yours to control.

(00:39:28):
Don't let Amazon control.

(00:39:30):
Like, don't let them run you.

(00:39:31):
You know what I'm saying?

(00:39:33):
Don't let them run you.

(00:39:33):
That brings us to the end of today's show.

(00:39:36):
So I will bid you adieu because I have books to read and other stuff going on.

(00:39:43):
So I will thank you for joining me for today's chat.

(00:39:47):
I really enjoy having you all here.

(00:39:48):
Even if you weren't here.

(00:39:50):
feel like I would just talk to myself but I like knowing I'm talking to people I

(00:39:54):
welcome any of your comments or feedback at booksbydlwhite.com booksbydlwhite.com

(00:40:01):
slash bookcast slash 114 you'll find full show notes

(00:40:06):
and links to anything I talked about if relevant and a transcript for today's show.

(00:40:10):
Please share this podcast if you enjoyed the episode.

(00:40:13):
If you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please give a girl a rating.

(00:40:17):
I would so appreciate it.

(00:40:18):
Don't forget you can support this podcast with your book purchases at payhip.com

(00:40:23):
slash books by DL White by spreading the good word by joining the newsletter or the

(00:40:27):
sub stack.

(00:40:28):
Links to all that are on my website at booksbydlwhite.com slash link in bio.

(00:40:33):
You can also throw some coins in the hat

(00:40:41):
Thank you so much to my monthly supporters and my occasional gifters.

(00:40:47):
You are currently covering my Buzzsprout subscription.

(00:40:50):
I really appreciate that.

(00:40:52):
Every little bit really does help.

(00:40:54):
The book cast is written, produced, and edited by me, D.L.

(00:40:57):
White.

(00:40:57):
Our theme music and any sound effects are provided by Pixabay.

(00:41:01):
I will be back next week.

(00:41:02):
Until then, please enjoy this weekend.

(00:41:04):
Have a superlative week, and we'll chat again soon.

(00:41:07):
Bye-bye.

(00:41:36):
Hello.