SPS-437: Author Events - Discoverability in the Age of AI with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
Release Date: 03/05/2026
SPS-456: The Robot Read My Backlist
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the next wave of AI tools for authors, focusing on Fable and the rise of agentic AI. They explore how these new tools can ingest an author's entire backlist, create series bibles, analyse metadata, support developmental editing, and become long-term business assistants rather than simple chatbots. Along the way, they share updates on their own writing projects, discuss practical AI workflows, and look at how tools like ChatGPT's new Sites feature are rapidly changing what authors can build without...
info_outline
SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll
The Self Publishing Show
Episode Summary This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca welcome author and former music industry executive Jack Williamson to discuss what authors can learn from the entertainment industry. Jack shares how a career spanning 17 years in music, followed by psychotherapy, inspired his transition into writing fiction, and why storytelling, branding, and understanding genre expectations are essential for building an author career. The conversation explores lessons from the music business, creating immersive reader experiences, writing authentic romance, and how authors...
info_outline
SPS-454: Launching a New Series
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca dive into the latest AI developments, including changes to Claude's subscription tiers and what they mean for authors using AI in their daily workflows. They also discuss TikTok marketing, the risks of AI-generated recommendations being manipulated, and why authors need to think critically about discoverability in an AI-driven world. Cissy shares an update on her upcoming fantasy romance launch, including cover design, budgeting, and building a comprehensive launch strategy, while James reflects on book formatting...
info_outline
SPS-453: Three Questions Every Author Should Ask
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on The Self Publishing Show Live 2026 and discuss what happens after the excitement of a conference ends. They explore the importance of reviewing progress at the halfway point of the year, assessing business goals, and deciding what to focus on for the remainder of 2026. The conversation covers productivity, TikTok marketing, author accountability, using data to make better decisions, and feedback from SPS Live attendees. James also shares plans being considered for future SPS Live events, including more hands-on...
info_outline
SPS-452: Lessons from London
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca reflect on SPS Live 2026 and the Cambridge Retreat, sharing their biggest takeaways from the event and the sessions that made the biggest impact. From direct sales and BookVault strategies to AI workflows, reader engagement, advertising, TikTok marketing, and writing for commercial success, the pair discuss the practical lessons authors can apply immediately to their own publishing businesses. The episode serves as a post-conference debrief, highlighting the trends, tools, and mindset shifts that are shaping the future of...
info_outline
SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Sissy Mecca record live from SPS Live in London, surrounded by more than 500 authors from around the world. They share the atmosphere from the conference floor, discuss some of the standout sessions, and chat with special guests including volunteer coordinator Adrian Wills, Draft2Digital's Dan Wood, and Doug Pratt and Nick Harvey from the Two Indie Authors podcast. Topics include fandom building, direct sales, the future impact of AI on publishing, conference networking, and the power of community within the indie author world. Key...
info_outline
SPS-450: How to Work a Conference (Not Just Attend One) with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca share practical advice on how to work a conference rather than simply attend one, ahead of SPS Live in London. They discuss how authors can prepare in advance, choose the right sessions, network confidently, ask useful questions, and turn conference inspiration into real action afterwards. The episode also covers author scams, AI discoverability, changing AI tools, and how writers can use conferences to build meaningful connections and long-term career momentum. Key Talking Points How to prepare before arriving at a...
info_outline
SPS-449: The New Rules of Book Discovery with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
The Self Publishing Show
This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca discuss the major changes coming to Audible and ACX, including the new royalty model and updated enrolment requirements for audiobook authors. They explore what these changes could mean for indie publishers, the growing opportunities in wide audio distribution, and why authors may want to think beyond Audible. Alongside the industry discussion, there’s plenty of SPS banter covering podcast microphones, pop filters, romance conferences, and the ever-changing publishing landscape. Key Talking Points Audible’s new royalty...
info_outline
SPS-448: A Glimmer of Hope in the Age of AI with James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
The Self Publishing Show
Episode Summary James and Cissy tackle a “bits and bobs” episode covering the changing indie publishing landscape, with a focus on Amazon’s evolving AI-driven algorithms and what authors need to do to stay discoverable. They discuss why clear genre signalling, strong metadata, covers, blurbs, titles, and reader expectation alignment are becoming more important than ever. The conversation also touches on pricing psychology, the value readers place on author access and premium offers and the importance of stepping away from mental work with physical hobbies. Key Talking Points Why...
info_outline
SPS-447: You Are Your Brand with Isabelle Knight, James Blatch & Cissy Mecca
The Self Publishing Show
James and Cissy are joined by PR expert Isabelle Knight to discuss why authors are not just selling books, they are also building a brand readers can connect with. Isabelle explains how indie authors can identify their own author story, understand what sets them apart, and use that foundation across websites, newsletters, social media, events, and publicity opportunities. The episode also touches on Amazon’s AI categorisation issues, Meta ad frustrations, upcoming romance conferences, and why professional author presentation matters more than ever. Key Talking Points Why author branding...
info_outlineJames and Cissy reflect on conversations from a recent indie author mastermind in Savannah, Georgia, where the biggest topic on everyone’s mind was discoverability in the age of AI. With thousands of new titles flooding platforms like Amazon KDP every day, the hosts explore how authors can adapt - from optimising metadata for AI search to expanding audiobook distribution and experimenting with platforms like YouTube. The episode culminates in a bold proposal: introducing a publishing fee on KDP uploads to discourage low-quality AI-generated content and improve the reader experience.
Key Talking Points
- The growing discoverability crisis on Amazon as AI enables massive volumes of low-quality books to be uploaded daily.
- Practical strategies authors can use to improve AI discoverability, including consistent blurbs, Google Books previews, and optimised author websites.
- Why expanding audiobook distribution beyond exclusivity, including platforms like Spotify and YouTube - may become an important discovery tool.
- The importance of deep Amazon categories and metadata optimisation to help books surface in searches.
- James’ controversial proposal: a refundable publishing fee for KDP uploads to reduce AI-generated “content farms” and improve reader experience.
Links & Resources Mentioned
- ProWritingAid (Sponsor – code IWC15 for 15% off annual subscriptions): https://prowritingaid.com
- Reedsy (research on AI discoverability mentioned): https://reedsy.com
- Draft2Digital (library distribution discussed): https://draft2digital.com
- AI Translations Course: https://learnselfpublishing.com/aitranslations
- Self-Publishing Show Live: https://learnselfpublishing.com/spslive