Bookcast Episode 116: Twenty is the goal

In Episode 116 of The BookCast, I share my progress toward 20 published books - a milestone in indie publishing that many believe creates a sustainable writing career. I'm currently at 18 books in retail formats and on track to hit my goal this year.  

Congrats to Karen Talley on her debut Poetry collection. Grab it HERE.

I've reached 55 books toward my 100-book Goodreads challenge for 2025 (29 books ahead of schedule), and I'm excited to announce several major publishing updates: 

Ruby's Ten 10th anniversary edition is available with new covers- Booksbydlwhite.com/rubysten

The companion novella Drinks at Minks is out in all formats.

Calculated Risk is finally released through Prolific Works

Baking Bad is launching April 18. Catch the Sample Sunday snip on my blog or my substack- links are on my website- Booksbydlwhite.com/linkinbio. 

Listen for my thoughts on why the 20 books philosophy matters particularly for Black authors and what milestones might come next.

For complete show notes including my full reading list and all links mentioned: → booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/116

Transcript

DL White [00:00:14]:
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the book cast. This is episode one sixteen of my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on life as a self published author of romantic fiction that centers black love. I am your host. I'm DL White. I'm Atlanta based author of numerous novels. So many I've lost count. We'll talk about that later.

DL White [00:00:38]:
Short stories and fan fiction works. If you like this podcast and want more of it, showing your support is super simple. The very best way to support your local independently published author is to buy the books direct. I offer ebook and audiobooks. Most are at better than retail or pay what you want prices at booksbydlwhite.com/shop. I also offer print edition via my bookshop.org page, and I do earn affiliate, fees via that shop. Books ordered from bookshop. Support your local indie bookshop and me as an author and not a billionaire, and I super like that.

DL White [00:01:20]:
I need to stop for a minute, just a minute, and shout out a hearty congrats to my friend Karen Talley on her poetry collection debut. Her work is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always accessible, which is a word I appreciate in the poetry space because I don't always find poetry to be accessible, which is to be understood by, laymen who aren't steeped in metaphor and symbolism. If you are I mean, if you mean a, just say a. Dang. You know what I'm saying? Anyway, congratulations, Kaye. Find Something on the Inside by Karen Talley, an ebook or print at Amazon. I will add a link to the show notes. If I forget to do this, just go to Amazon and search Karen Talley something on the inside.

DL White [00:02:06]:
It is a great, collection. I'm at, like, 40% through, and I already have some favorites. I can't remember the title now, but I think the date was really good. And then, one of my favorites, poetry ho is in there. She hasn't included my other favorite, which is seven fifty nine, but, like, we're already pestering her for another volume, and I hope seven fifty nine shows up, because it's it's a really good one. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Let's get started because we have things to talk about today. Today is Sunday, April 6.

DL White [00:02:42]:
It is suddenly very ugly and rainy in Atlanta, which curiously makes me miss Jamaica, which is where I spent my 50 birthday. It rained every day of my trip, but, like, rain and 84 degrees, and you can just, like, sit on the patio outside your hotel room and look at the rain, hit the ocean, and read your book and drink your coffee. Like, it's not it's not a bad thing. You know what I'm saying? It's not a bad thing. Anyways, I have 1,000 mosquito bites and a mic. So I am ready to dig in, but first, join me for a be brief, brief, brief beverage. Alright, friends. Welcome back.

DL White [00:03:35]:
We begin as always with the book report because if I'm gonna do anything, I'm gonna, what, read a book. I am at 55 books of my Goodreads challenge goal to read 100 books in 2025. I'm 29 books ahead of schedule. I think it's time to edit or update my challenge goal soon coming soon. So I don't remember where I left off. The thing about skipping weeks is I forget where I left off, but we are conveniently at the beginning of a new month. So I just wanna review what I read in March and what I'm reading so far in April and what I'm planning to read in April super quick. Here we go.

DL White [00:04:17]:
In March, I got in Firstborn Girls by Bernice McFadden, Believing in You by Sharon c Cooper, The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller, the Beyond the Screen trilogy one, two, and three. Well, Beyond the Screen, Between the Lines, Beneath the Fame by Christina c Jones, Ambush by Colleen Coble, Call Me Missus Taylor by Shea Sanders, which was a bonkers good. So freaking good. Go get it. Put it into your face. They Were Her Property by Stephanie e Jones Rogers. I read that with the Stacks podcast. It was, really good.

DL White [00:04:50]:
I'm glad I reread it. I think I'm done rereading that book, though, because I'm I'm probably still mad from the first time I read it. Anyway, filled to the brim by Danielle Allen. That was a Saint Patrick's Day hot holiday hookup. Always good. The Sweetest Delivery by Tay Russ, Bent But Not Broken by Mary Monroe, which is another absolutely dumb good book. Mary put her foot in this book. I really, really enjoy this Alabama series that she has going.

DL White [00:05:21]:
This is almost better than the last one, but not I mean, well, I would say the last one is almost better than this one. This one's better than the last one. Anyway, you hear that thunder? Anyway, really good book. Bet but not broken by Mary Monroe that came out on my birthday. Thank you so much. And I read glory days by Danielle Arcedo. I'm gonna say I enjoy glory b much better, but glory days was not a bad book. It was it was really good.

DL White [00:05:50]:
In April, so far, I have read Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee, which was a really good novel. You should pick it up. I think it came out in 2023, about a woman who is recently released from jail, and she's, like, rebuilding her life and just kind of figuring out how life goes. It was a little long, but also understood why it was so long, but still it was a little long. And then, I read listen to Happy Land by Dolan Perkins Valdez, and I read this in audio. It was so, so, so good. You should pick it up. It publishes on Tuesday, April 8.

DL White [00:06:31]:
It is excellent. I really, really enjoyed it. I enjoy all of Dolan's work. Like, let's be honest. I I love all of her work. So, I mean, take my hand, just slap me across the face. This one is really, really good. Happy land is excellent.

DL White [00:06:48]:
Then on the list to read, I still have The Unlucky Ones, Black Harbor number four by Hannah Morrissey. I remember that this was getting good, but then I kinda lost track. I don't know where I am. I don't even remember what this book is about. I'm gonna try to pick it up and finish it because I want it off my list. Love, Rita, an American story of sisterhood, joy, loss, and legacy by Bridgette m Davis. Reading this because it's a memoir, and she's a friend of one of my faves. I just need to I just need to get it.

DL White [00:07:16]:
I'm so distracted by new books. I need to get this read. Then I picked up Eve Falls First by Fiona Zedd, one of my fave writing asset writers. This is I know it's a, no. It is a sapphic romance. I just can't remember the premise right now, but it's on the list. And then August Lane by Regina Black doesn't come out until July, but I begged for a copy of this. So I'm gonna not let it languish.

DL White [00:07:40]:
I'm just gonna, like, chip at it every day, and get that read. TV, podcast wise, not a whole lot going on. I didn't take notes. I know there's lots of stuff I've looked at and read and listened to. I just didn't write any of it down. And I'm sorry. So let's see here. Looking at just making sure I'm still recording.

DL White [00:08:01]:
Yes. I am. Because I got a little flash thing. Okay. Corporate gossip is a newly discovered podcast, talking about my favorite subject, which is corporate gossip. If it there is something like, salacious, if there is a scandal, if there's something juicy about our corporation, people here and there, but I love, like, business gossip. I used to love the business wars podcast by Wondery, then it just got a little bit formulaic, and I stopped listening. But, I listened to the episode on Enron because I am still obsessed by Madoff and Enron.

DL White [00:08:38]:
I might rewatch the smartest guys in the room. This one really made me miss that, documentary on Enron. It's really, really well done. But this is my one of my new favorite podcasts. I'm about to listen to the episodes on eBay and Mackenzie, and then kinda dig into what else she has going on. But I'm wildly interested. My only niche is that it seems to rely a lot on pop culture and, like, really, I I don't even wanna say niche, but I just don't I don't watch stuff like Vanderpump Rules. And in the Enron episode, she rated or or rated cast everybody as if they were characters from Vanderpump Rules, and I just had no idea what the heck she was talking about because I don't watch that show.

DL White [00:09:25]:
I don't watch the Kardashians. I don't watch, like, Real Housewives of whatever. I don't, like, I don't want the but I get I get that other people do, and I don't want the podcast to be geared toward me. But when hosts liken things to an example as if everyone has read or can understand what that example means, it kinda loses me. Like, I've never read Harry Potter. I almost said Harry Potter. I don't even know what that means. I've never read Harry Potter.

DL White [00:09:56]:
So if you say she's so Slytherin, you know, like, I have no idea what that means. I don't I don't I don't know what a muggle is. I don't know what I don't I have no idea what you're talking about. So I muddled through. I managed I managed to, to to get it. I manage I managed to get it. And then Dear Prudence, which has become a really fun Friday morning. Listen, it's questions and advice with Real Talk Solutions.

DL White [00:10:21]:
Just, you know, your regular Dear Dear Prudy, but in podcast form, really enjoy this podcast. It's like, it's my Friday morning while I make coffee, listen, totally enjoy it, and I think you will too. TV wise, I am so behind on my shows. I feel like I didn't watch them for two weeks, and so I spent, like, four hours watching TV last weekend. And this week, I didn't watch any shows because I had a huge meeting at work. So, last night, I watched, Watson and Elspeth, and I don't think Equalizer had a new episode last week, but I gotta double check. If not, there's a new episode tonight. No worries.

DL White [00:10:59]:
I will not be without my queen Latifah. I I'm trying to like Watson. I'm trying. I always watch it, but I could see myself dropping it if Morris Chestnut was not in it. There's some the premise is shaky to me. It doesn't it's not gelling for me. I don't crave the show, but I know that it's sitting there, and I haven't watched it. And so I should watch it.

DL White [00:11:28]:
When I miss it, I'm not like, oh, crap. It's not like Will Trent. When I miss Will Trent, I'm visibly upset. I have missed the last two weeks of Will Trent, and I had to go catch up. I don't crave it. And I need the Moriarty storyline to go away. I just I'm tired. I just it doesn't work.

DL White [00:11:46]:
It's it just it doesn't I don't yeah. Anyway, last Sunday's episode was good. I'll give it that. It was good. It had me up until the very end. There is like you know, there's a through line of mystery to it, and and and I guess I see, like, Sherlock's old adversaries coming through. But, again, I haven't read Sherlock, and so I don't know the lore, and I don't know I don't really even care who Mori Moriarty is. I want it to go away because it's just adding an element that I don't care about.

DL White [00:12:17]:
Am I gonna keep watching it? Yes. But I'm also gonna keep whining about Moriarty. You know what I'm saying? Papa's house, I am all caught up. There should be a new episode tomorrow, I think. I don't know. But it does it's such a good show. It's so funny. And last week, Marlon Wayans was on absolutely hysterical.

DL White [00:12:37]:
And then I learned later that Kim Wayans, directed that episode. So it was like a big old Wayans family episode. Warmed my heart. Really, really liked it. All caught up. I still need to watch Will Trent, the irrational. I don't know if there was a new episode, but if there is, I'm a catch it. I did catch up on Elsbeth.

DL White [00:12:58]:
I don't know if there's a new episode of Matlock, and I know there was a great episode of the pit. I'm I'm looking forward to getting off this mic. I'm going to warm up some dinner, and then I'm going to edit this episode while I watch the pit. And, yes, I can do two things at once, and that is what I am looking forward to. I just literally I got up to go get my mic, and I just made out my plan for the day. I'm gonna I'm gonna record, and then I'm gonna go get dinner, and I'm gonna eat, and I'm gonna edit and watch the pit. That's what I'm gonna do. And I was very excited about that because that's my life right now.

DL White [00:13:36]:
Landman, I'm still, still got that on my list. I haven't finished it, but I'm going to, and so it's gonna stay on my list until it's done. Number one on the call sheet by Apple was so good. There's two episodes, one with the leading men and one with the leading women. I'm gonna say I enjoyed the male episode a lot better than I enjoyed the women, but not by a whole ton. Like, I feel like both episodes are really focusing on the leading men and what it's what, you know, what it's like to be at the top of that call sheet, what that means to you in the industry. I feel like the the women's episode focused so much on the fact that Halle Berry is the only actress to have ever won best actress. Like, the whole episode was about that, and I just feel like the focus wasn't equal.

DL White [00:14:30]:
There were also so many more men than women. Is that, what's going on there? I did not see Regina King. Are you saying she's never been number one on a call sheet? Like, I know the movie that she did, they purposely put Chadwick Boseman at the top of the number one on the call sheet, posthumously, but, I believe Regina was number two. Like, anyway, I'm just saying. Enjoyed them both. Really super, fantastic set of episodes. They're on Apple TV. Look them up.

DL White [00:15:05]:
If you have Apple, I'm sure they will show up somewhere eventually, but I really, really enjoyed that. And then I watched this documentary on Netflix called Twister caught in the storm. It's so good if you're a weather nerd. I am a weather nerd. I love I love a disaster film. Day After Tomorrow, San Andreas, Dante's peak. I Twister, I'm all over it. I am all over it.

DL White [00:15:33]:
So this is a documentary about, the monster tornado that destroyed Joplin, Missouri. It is so good. Really, really like I was riveted. I'm just a weather nerd and maybe that's just me, but anyway, I was riveted. And now moving on to the writing and publishing updates, and I finally have substantial, substantial updates for you all. First of all, Ruby's ten, the hardcover and the paperback new covers are out and updated. I am waiting on, I'm I'm waiting on the hardback print dust jacket to come back from Lulu. I keep messing it up, and I keep having to order a set.

DL White [00:16:24]:
So I ordered from this other place called On Press, and it's perfect, but I don't have a way to, like, retail that. So I would have to, like, order 20 copies and have them here at my house and ship them out as people order, which I'm not really interested in doing. What I want is a perfect copy at a place where I can retail it. And so that's why I'm trying to get the Lulu copy perfect so that I can just put it up in the store. It will become available at bookshop.org, and you can order that and have it. But, anyway, it's out. Ruby's turned 10 on March 24. It is always a joyous occasion.

DL White [00:17:02]:
Paperback, preorders for the hardback and paperback signed, copies close tomorrow, 04/07/2025. So if you want a signed copy from me without having to accost me in the street with a copy of my book, pay preorders close April 7. So go to booksbydlwhite.com/rubiesten, and you can get your, order in for that. I'm gonna place orders for those as soon as I get my print back, my proof back from Lulu, making sure that I have everything all perfectly set up. If it's not perfect at Lulu, I'm just gonna order 10 of the copy that I have, through the other press and push those out. I I'm not I'm not waiting. I am gonna get it perfect, but I'm not waiting for Lulu. And then, I believe the paperback version, I've been working on that with Draft2Digital, and I believe that is looking good.

DL White [00:17:59]:
I should be able to get print copies of those. I'm gonna order those, as soon as it has been approved. The follow-up novella drinks at minx is out in ebook, print, and audio. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Tucking my hair behind my ear here. So that is out. Books by dlwhite.com/minx.

DL White [00:18:21]:
You can order up a copy of that. I there's, like, one or two typos in it. Leave me alone about it. I'm just I'll fix them eventually. It is out in audio, but only through me because it's not perfect. It's just out because I wanted it to be available in audio for people who would like to have it in audio. I do not know if it's ever going to be distributed elsewhere. There are some sounds in there I need to cut out.

DL White [00:18:44]:
I just I don't have the energy right now. I might just send it out to someone and have them clean it up and EQ it so that it could pass, for BookFunnel and Findaway and ACX and get it up, but that is a little bit down the road. I got too much going on right now. Calculated risk is finally out. I feel like I have been saying calculated risk is coming since November, and it is finally here. Praise Jesus. It's out. Whew.

DL White [00:19:13]:
You can pick it up at the Verve romance, prolific works book base, and HEA's exclusive romance giveaway. The link is in an easy to find place on my website, booksbydlwhite.com/calculatedrisk, or set my link in bio, booksbydlwhite.com/link in bio. It's out. Go grab it. There's 44 other novels written by black authors. We wrote them all. These are never before read, never before seen novels. I know people are losing their minds.

DL White [00:19:44]:
I lost my mind quite actually, I have quite a few of them sitting in my book funnel library to read. I'm gonna get to them. I'm gonna get to them. Before they leave that site, I'm gonna get to them. And, they are out. All you have to do it's actually optional. You don't even have to sign up for a newsletter. They're just out.

DL White [00:20:02]:
It's just to introduce you to new authors, put new authors in your face, put new books in your hands. So it will be up at that site at Prolific Works for a limited time. Please go and grab it. And others, make sure you read them. Make sure you leave reviews where you can talk about those new authors that you have found. Word-of-mouth sells books. And then lastly, I have a thing. I have a little thing, a little thing coming soon.

DL White [00:20:36]:
It's called baking bad because I think I'm funny. I did not look and see how many people have written books titled Baking Bad because I don't care. None of them are written by DL White. So don't email me and tell me, like, 27 books named Baking Bad. I don't care. It's a sweet crumbs mystery. And, here's the blurb. Once a top tier security specialist, Cassandra Morgan traded her coding skills for a pastry skills after a corporate layoff.

DL White [00:21:02]:
Struggling to keep herself afloat, she's approached by an old colleague with a dangerous proposition that she sees as her only chance to fund her future and turn the tables on those who underestimated her. So that's coming, April 18. Stay tuned for links like Goodreads links, links to my website, all that good stuff. I will have that coming up. I'm still still working on that. Still perfecting it. There is, excuse me. There is a sample Sunday up for breaking bad on my website, books by dlwhite.com/blog, as well as my substack author d l white dot substack dot com.

DL White [00:21:39]:
Read that. Enjoy it. Put it into your face. Stay tuned for links on that. This one's been a little bit of a challenge. But I'm finding because I'm a pantser, I like to, like, just sit down and, like, pound it out until I hit a wall, and then I have to step back and plan. I am finding that it's hard for me to be that kind of a writer when it comes to writing outside my genre, specifically mystery, thriller, that kind of thing, because too many details matter. Too many plot points have to interlock.

DL White [00:22:10]:
Too many breadcrumbs have to lead to a logical place. Too many things have to make sense. You know what I'm saying? But at least I don't have to choreograph a sex scene. So am I right? Right. Am I right? Anyway, so I am taking some time to make sure it just doesn't sound like nonsense, and, you will see that later this month. I'm very excited about it. And, you know, like I said, this is what I am doing to keep myself from imploding or spiraling or doom scrolling. I am reading.

DL White [00:22:41]:
I am watching. I'm listening. I'm writing. So and then I have a fan fiction update chapter 16. Music of my heart is updated at the fan fiction art fan fiction archive at nsyncfiction.com. The story is titled Music of My Heart, and I write under miss m there. It's also at my short fiction substack, short fiction by d l white dot substack dot com. I'm really getting into the story, which means I have no idea what an endpoint is for the story, and that's fine.

DL White [00:23:13]:
I was gonna read like a little, summary of that story, but I can't find where I put it because I didn't write it down. Yes, I did. So here's a little summary of where we're at so far. Music of my heart follows Zoe Chapman, a 30 year old talented songwriter and vocalist who spent years singing back up, but never taking center stage. After a disappointing meeting after a disappointing meeting with RCA Records where she's told she's just good, not amazing, finger quotes, air quotes, she gets accepted into JC Chasez's exclusive songwriting retreat in the mountains. At the retreat, Zooey finds her her voice both literally and figuratively. JC pushes her to perform at a local venue called the Treehouse where her slowed down bluesy rendition of since you've been gone by Kelly Clarkson is recorded by someone in the audience, and it goes viral. This leads to an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson show where her performance with Kelly and JC propels her into the spotlight.

DL White [00:24:19]:
Meanwhile, Zoe and JC develop a complicated romantic relationship that becomes the subject of tabloid speculation, creating tension among the other retreat participants. As the retreat enters its final week, Zoe is fielding offers from major labels while developing her capstone project, a five song EP that will showcase her artistic vision. Through it all, Zoe grapples with finding her authentic voice as an artist while navigating industry politics, her deteriorating relationship with her manager, and her deepening connection with JC. This is ultimately about a woman claiming her rightful place in the spotlight after years of hiding in the shadows. So, I'm at chapter 16. I'm super enjoying writing it. It's like kind of how I decompress for the week these days. Like, oh, it's been a really tough week.

DL White [00:25:08]:
Let me just dig into a new chapter of this because fan fiction is so, like, dreamy and and kind of, it really predicates on the what if of every situation, especially if you've ever found yourself in love with an actor or a director or a writer or a singer. Fan fiction plays directly into those fantasies and asks, what if? Like, what if that was me? What if what if I got into? What if I was in the situation? What if I was this character? How would I do that? How would that character respond to that? What would be the situation? How would it play out? It's just kind of fun. And because it's fan fiction and I can't sell it, it's very low stakes. So, so that's what's going on there. Other updates, no movement on Powder Lake 4 or missing persons, but they will be coming along. I'm not worried yet. I think I'm gonna spend the spring working on those two. So it should be fine.

DL White [00:26:06]:
What do you think my May short should be? I have done romance. I did do one in January. In February, I did grumpy Valentine. In March, I did clover for Saint Patrick's day. In April, breaking bad will be around out around Easter. It's not Easter themed, but that's when I'm timing it. So what do we think May should be? I I mean, I might toss it back to romance since that's where I'm more comfortable. I kinda have an idea in mind.

DL White [00:26:39]:
It's more women's fiction. I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. I have I have had this idea in the back of my mind for a while, which is kind of, it's popping back up, which is kind of a clue that maybe I need to, like, just put it out there and give it a shot. We're not letting things languish in our drafts anymore, especially not this year. We're not letting things sit there and wait for the perfect time and wait till it's perfect and wait till it's marketable. We're just writing it, and we're getting it out, getting it out there.

DL White [00:27:12]:
So next week, I'm gonna do a little quarterly review at books by d l y. It was supposed to be this week or last week whenever, but I just had too much life happening to really get into it. So I will plan on it being part of next week's show. And sort of tying into that is my main topic, and the title of this episode, which is 20 is the goal. The other day, my friend said to me, maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but how many books have you put out so far? And my answer was I have no idea. I honestly have I have no clue. They're coming so fast, and I have so many things I'm doing at once, and some are shorts, and some are full length, and some are just ideas, and some were on the cusp of being released, like written versus released versus shorts. I don't know.

DL White [00:28:01]:
But look, I've been busy. Okay? The the nations are burning dumpster fire, and I am trying not to let those embers fly onto me and wrap me up in it and catch me on fire as well. You know what I'm saying? My way of doing that is to indulge in art. I read a lot. I write a lot. I watch a lot. And a lot of this comes from the noted belief that if you have 20 books, you have a sizable backlist that should make you money, especially if you have series. Now my wallet laughs at that philosophy because if I make 500 a month, it's a really good month.

DL White [00:28:37]:
I still want 20 books, though. Let's talk about why. This 20 book philosophy that has been floating around indie publishing circles is not a random number pulled out of thin air. The logic goes something like with 20 books, you create multiple revenue streams, ebook, print, audio, sometimes hardback, sometimes large sometimes large print, sometimes library edition, special editions, etcetera, and so on. Every book is like its little cost center and income revenue generation tool. Right? Each book is also a potential entry point for new readers. Series are particularly powerful. Once a reader likes one book, they're likely to buy the entire series.

DL White [00:29:22]:
If you think about, like, how many times you have binged a book series because the first one or the last one hooked you, some people like me start in the middle and work our way out. However, however, sound a little like Stephen a Smith right there. However, I am here to tell you that 20 books does not automatically equal financial success. There have to be 20 good books, 20 quality books, 20 books consistently released, 20 books well marketed. That's why I market myself so much. I need you to know these books are out here. Having 20 books that no one knows about is like having a warehouse full of products with no customers. It's not about quantity.

DL White [00:30:05]:
It's about creating a sustainable ecosystem for your writing. The 20 books to 50 k movement that you might have heard about started as a community of indie authors pushing back against trad publishing models. Their core belief is that you can build a sustainable writing career by consistently producing books and diversifying your publishing strategies, but this is a big old but. Their approach isn't one size fits all. For example, they heavily emphasize exclusive platforms, and that's a hard pass for me. I want my books everywhere not locked into one platform, and I find it odd that my books being available everywhere, including Amazon, make less than books that are only available at one place. Like, why does that doesn't make sense. You know, make it make it make sense.

DL White [00:31:02]:
For black authors, this philosophy hits a little bit different. We're often fighting against systemic barriers in publishing, limited marketing, fewer review opportunities, less visibility. So building a backlist, isn't just a financial strategy. It's a form of literary resistance. Every book is a statement. Every book is a piece of our story that wasn't being told before. So I'm playing the long game. It's a numbers game, for sure.

DL White [00:31:32]:
It's the more books you have out, the more books you sell. Some of my books are part of a series like potter lake. Some are standalone. Ultimately, I'm not just counting books. I am building a body of work that reflects my voice, my experience, my community. 20 books isn't a finish line. It's a milestone on a much longer trip. It's kind of a it's a jumping off point.

DL White [00:31:55]:
Like, once I I feel like once I have 20 books, I'll really be cooking with gas. You know what I'm saying? I'm not sure what my next number goal is, but 10 at a time sounds really good to me. Me. So maybe 30 is my next goal. My initial goal was 10, and it felt really good to say I had 10 projects out. Book number 10 was a never list, and that made that book really special to me. I think it was the last time I also dedicated a book. I dedicated the book to myself.

DL White [00:32:21]:
I'm not really into dedications. I can barely do acknowledgments these days. Not that I'm not thankful to people, but it just seems like a thing we do because everyone does it. I digress. My current count of books, like projects that aren't free shorts that I put into more than one format is 18, including calculated risk. Clover is too short to be in more than one format. Breaking Bad is almost 10 k, but, like, I don't know if I'm ever if I'm gonna put a 10,000 word book in print. Like, that won't make sense.

DL White [00:32:51]:
I could put it in, like, a little collection of shorts at the end of the year, maybe. I could do it audio, maybe. Let me tell y'all. I decided that I had the brilliant idea of making a little recording story studio in my closet, But my closet is on the outside wall of the house, like, right next to the street. That's, like, kind of a main thoroughfare through our neighborhood. It is so loud in that closet. Like, it's quieter out here in my room, and I just don't understand why it's so freaking loud in the closet. It's supposed to be I mean, it's not a soundproof room, but, like, you're supposed to be you're, like, getting yours.

DL White [00:33:32]:
You're muffled by clothes and stuff, but, like, the microphone picks up. And, like, the minute I get into that room, every, like, rambling monster truck, every bus that's gonna roll by rolls by as soon as I go in that room. We live near a fire station, and there's always, like, a fire truck. Oh, somebody's missing the bus right now. There's always, like, a fire truck. Oh, they missed the bus. I'm not laughing. I'm not I'm not laughing.

DL White [00:34:00]:
They were just, like, ran past my window to where the bus that was coming by. Every fire truck, every ambulance that rolls by, lights, sirens, as soon as I walk into that room. So I don't know how much audio is gonna be coming from this microphone, but I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm actually currently trying to record calculated risk, and it's not going very well. I digress. Anyway, so where was I? Yeah. I don't know if I'm doing Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad, Baking Bad in in audio.

DL White [00:34:31]:
I don't know. But officially with shorts and all, I'm over 20, but I figure it should be 20 books that people can pick up at any retail ebook site, and I am not quite there yet. Onward. So question, if you're an author, what is your milestone goal? What does your milestone look like? Have you hit it yet? How close are you to hitting it? And what is your next goal? I'm interested. Shout me out a holler. You can reply in the comments to any of my posts about this podcast, or you can shoot me an email. It's authordl@booksbydlwhite.com. Okeydokey, smokeies.

DL White [00:35:14]:
That puts me one podcast closer to eating dinner. I'm I am actually I'm actually hungry. I have I put in some good work today. I thank you so much for joining me for today's chat. It is always, always, always a joy to sit in this chair or on this bed with this laptop desk and turn on this microphone and make you listen to me talk about reading and writing books. I welcome any comments or feedback you may have at books by d l white dot com slash book cast slash one one six or on my Substack at authordlwhite. Authordlwhite.substack.com. You'll also find full show notes and the links to all other things I talk about if they're relevant and a transcript for today's show.

DL White [00:35:56]:
Please share this podcast if you enjoyed it. And if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube or Substack, give a girl a reading. Drop a comment. Let Let me know you're listening. I'd so appreciate it. Do not forget that you can support this podcast with your book purchases at payhip.com/booksbyd0white or on my shelf at bookshop.org by spreading the good word to your friends and your family, joining the newsletter or the Substack. Links are on my website at booksbydly.com/linkinbio or by throwing some coins in the hat at bookcast.buzzsprout.com or buymeacoffee.com/booksbydlwhite. That was so many links, but do not worry.

DL White [00:36:37]:
They will all be in the show notes. Thank you so much to my monthly supporters. Your gift is so immensely useful to keeping this podcast going and to the two people who have recently sent me some coffee at buymeacoffee.com. I love you dearly. I do so appreciate your support. The book cast is written, produced, and edited by Lee, DL White. Her theme music and any sound effects are provided by Pixabay. Until we meet again, please have a superlative week.

DL White [00:37:06]:
Oh, big thunder. Enjoy your weekend, and we'll chat again soon. Bye bye.