1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 James and Cissy discuss new marketing insights and mindset strategies for indie authors navigating an increasingly complex publishing landscape. From experimenting with BookBub ads and improving AI-assisted translations to analysing breakout success in romance adaptations, the conversation explores how authors can stay competitive in a crowded market. Cissy also shares a creative direct-to-reader marketing tactic, sending postcards to readers, as a way to build stronger audience relationships beyond digital platforms. The episode concludes with the hosts’ “Three Things” mindset practice, a simple daily habit designed to help authors maintain perspective, gratitude, and motivation in a challenging creative career. Key Talking Points How BookBub ads and promotional pricing strategies can create long-tail sales effects beyond the initial campaign. Lessons learned from improving AI-assisted translations and the impact of higher-quality translations on international book sales. Why certain romance stories and adaptations suddenly explode in popularity — and what authors can learn from those breakout successes. Creative marketing experiments, including&amp;nbsp;sending postcards and physical mail to readers&amp;nbsp;to build stronger audience connections. The “Three Things” daily mindset practice: identifying something that made you happy, something that moved your work forward, and something you’re looking forward to. Links &amp;amp; Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid (Sponsor – code&amp;nbsp;IWC15&amp;nbsp;for 15% off annual subscriptions) https://prowritingaid.com AI Translations Course https://learnselfpublishing.com/aitranslations BookBub Advertising Platform https://bookbub.com/ads James Blatch's donation link: http://jamesblatch.com/marathon&amp;nbsp; The Self Publishing Show 2026 https://www.learnselfpublishing.com/spslive Heated Rivalry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35495073/ &amp;nbsp; The Self Publishing Show https://learnselfpublishing.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/40410455/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/199543785