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Episodes
The Author’s Voice, Candy, Colleen, and Peter, talk with each other and guests about how writers can take their book from Blank Page to Bestseller. From published authors to industry professionals and everyone in between, Blank Page to Bestseller sheds light on the many facets of the publishing industry.
Episodes
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
In this week's episode we talk popularity. They say that life is not a popularity contest but it certainly is in the publishing world! This week we talk about the popularity of print books and share what makes some characters so popular.
Biz Buzz Segment
The Popularity of Print Books
There is nothing quite like cracking open a fresh book . Whether it's a hard back treasure or an easy reading trae paperback, print books are still all the rage. Even with the increased popularity of ebooks and audiobooks, print books have maintained their popularity with readers and publishers alike. What makes this format so popular?
Tales and Threads Segment
What Makes Your Characters Loveable?
Why do readers fall in love with your book? It's your characters!
This month, CaZ talks about the importance of having characters your readers will love. What makes a lovable character? What are some popular characters beloved by their fans? And most importantly, how can you take those traits and add them to your characters?
Timestamp
Biz Buzz: The Popularity of Print Books (3:28)
Tales and Threads: What makes your characters lovable? (25:52)
Watch on YouTube
What Makes Your Characters LOVEABLE?
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn - Threads
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Biz Buzz Segment
Was your book used to train AI?
Peter, Colleen, and CaZ talk about the recent news, originally from The Atlantic, which published a database of books Meta used to train their AI. This news came about from a lawsuit filed against Meta alleging they trained their AI using Library Genesis (LibGen) which is a collection of books, journals, articles, etc. which is normally paywalled but are available for free.
We also talk about a great organization where we heard about this first, The Author's Guild. This is an organization which provides resources, news, and collective action for authors and writers.
Check out all the links mentioned in the show below and be sure to follow The Author's Guild to stay up-to-date with news that affects authors.
Timestamp
Biz Buzz: Was Your Book Used to Train AI? (3:38)
Episode Links
Meta's Massive AI Training Book Heist: What Authors Need to Know - The Author's Guild
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI - The Atlantic
Library Genesis - Wikipedia
Ethics for Artificial Intelligence Books - Five Books
Previous Episodes on AI
Can I, or Should I, Use AI As An Author
AI, Marketing, and The Constant Change In Tech
AI and the NaNoWriMo Controversy (An Upate)
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn - Threads
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Biz Buzz Segment
Intro to Marketing
What does it take to market you book?
It's never too early to begin to market your book and it's not too late start either! We talk about the entry-level marketing tactics that every authors should look at when marketing their book.
Conversations with Colleen
Building Your Author Brand - Part 1
Colleen is back with a brand new Conversations with Colleen segment this month where she introduces a three-part series on building your author brand. In the first part of the series Colleen talks about lead generation and you can turn readers into rabid fans.
One of the best ways to capture fans is through a landing page. Colleen talks about the different types of landing pages and how anyone can start with just a single webpage to grow their fandom.
Below are a few links to landing pages that Colleen mentions in her segment.
Landing Page Example Links
Sandy Phillips Kirkham Author Page
James Clear Lead Generation Page
Timestamp
Biz Buzz: Intro to Marketing (3:04)
Conversations with Colleen: Building Your Author Brand (14:22)
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn - Threads
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Biz Buzz Segment
What It Takes To Be A Bestseller
Do you know what it means to be a bestseller? Did you know there are a variety of bestseller lists? Is the author a bestseller or the book? We dive into the many facets of bestseller lists in this week's Biz Buzz segment.
Whether you are a writer or a reader, it's important to understand what the term bestseller means.
Tales and Threads
Storytelling Agency
CaZ is back again with a great Tales and Threads segment focused on one word: agency.
What does it mean for your character to have agency? Do your characters freely make their own path throughout the story? How do they navigate the situations and choices they face?
Learn why agency is a crucial factor in creating characters your readers will connect with. You might even find your book on one of those bestseller lists!
Timestamp
Biz Buzz: Bestseller Lists (3:25)
Tales and Threads: Storytelling Agency (20:38)
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn - Threads
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Did Amazon remove their downloads? Amazon recently made a change to how readers can download books but it's not as bad as some might think.
Biz Buzz Segment
Catching Up On Amazon
So what the heck is going on with Amazon? This week we take a closer look at some big news which may not really be big news coming from Amazon - They are no longer allowing you to download ebooks to devices through the use of a USB cord.
Plus, are readers boycotting Amazon? We discuss some interesting discussion found on Threads, what authors are seeing themselves, and how authors can adapt if they need.
Timestamps
Biz Buzz: Catching Up on Amazon (2:49)
In-Episode Links
Going Wide Vs. Staying Exclusive
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn - Threads
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
What does it take to publish your book? We have a great episode for authors this week! Our Biz Buzz breaks the myth behind going wide in distribution and Tara Hayes joins Colleen for a special guest interview.
Biz Buzz Segment
Going Wide Vs. Stay Exclusive
What does it mean to go wide in publishing? What does being exclusive mean? When talking about self-publishing, especially in terms of distribution, there are many terms authors and publishers throw out. We seek to set a firm definition of these terms and share how authors can benefit from each option. What is your preferred method of distribution?
Guest Interview w/ Tara Hayes
Colleen and Tara share stories from publishing
Colleen is joined by Tara Hayes for this week's guest interview segment. Tara is a fellow author and service provider herself who works with authors to help tell their own story. Tara and Colleen talk about their own writing and publishing journeys and how Tara works with authors in her daily life. Plus, it wouldn't be an interview with Colleen with talking a little about editing!
Want to connect with Tara and read her book? Links can be found down below.
Timestamps
Biz Buzz: Going Wide Vs. Staying Exclusive (3:04)
Guest Interview: Tara Hayes (31:11)
Tara Hayes Links
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Biz Buzz Segment
What's On Your Back Cover?
How do you sell your book, especially your physical book? YOUR COVER!
This week's Biz Buzz segment is a from an older episode where we talk about what goes on the back of your book. Colleen takes the non-fiction perspective and CaZ shares the fiction perspective. There are a few common areas readers look for on the back of your book and even if you only have an e-book, will still be popular so you don't want to miss them!
Conversations with Colleen
The Front and Back Matter
Colleen is back with her second installment of Conversations with Colleen. This month, she's talking about what is included in a a published book outside of the story proper. From your cover page through your index and from the copyright page to the back cover, there are crucial parts of your book you need to focus on to make your book professional.
Timestamps
Biz Buzz: What's On Your Back Cover? (2:46)
Conversations with Colleen: The Front and Back Matter (32:11)
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
What is going on with the writing and publishing industry? Change and innovation are always happening.
Biz Buzz Segment
We talk about what we're most looking forward to in the upcoming year in the industry as a whole and within The Author's Voice specifically. From the change in book blurbs (from last week's episode) to the return of the library, and much more, there are many great things in store for the upcoming calendar year.
Tales & Threads
CaZ is back again with a brand new Tales and Threads segment on the show this week. This segment delves into the allure of fiction! Who doesn't enjoy drifting off to a place of fantasy into the mysteries of a legal thriller?
Don't forget, all of our monthly segments like CaZ's Tales and Threads are found on our YouTube channel! Watch her video on The Allure of Fiction now on YouTube
Timestamps
Biz Buzz: What's Happening in 2025 (3:09)
Tales & Threads: The Allure of Fiction (28:40)
The Author's Voice Links
NOW ON SALE! - The Write Way: Conversations with Publishing Pros
Follow us The Author's Voice on social: Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
Watch all of our Biz Buzz segments and more on YouTube
Learn more about The Author's Voice on our website: theauthorsvoice.org
The Author's Voice
The Author's Voice is the premier online training platform for authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs looking to add a new revenue stream in their business. Whether you are an author looking to publish your book or an administrative assistant looking to expand your business by working with authors and speakers, we have the training programs to help you become a Certified Publishing Professional.