{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"SPS-438: Bring Back the Mail! with James Blatch &amp; Cissy Mecca","description":"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\u2019 \u201cThree Things\u201d 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 \u2014 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 \u201cThree Things\u201d daily mindset practice: identifying something that made you happy, something that moved your work forward, and something you\u2019re looking forward to.  Links &amp;amp; Resources Mentioned  ProWritingAid (Sponsor \u2013 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; ","author_name":"The Self Publishing Show","author_url":"https:\/\/learnselfpublishing.com","html":"<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>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/199543785"}