Alexa’s Publishing Chat Publishing and book marketing advice for authors
Interviews, coaching, and practical advice to help you write, publish, and sell your book, hosted by Alexa Bigwarfe. New episodes are released most Wednesdays, and every past episode is here for you to listen to.
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Difference between vanity, hybrid, traditional presses {Ep. 3}
Play Episode: Difference between vanity, hybrid, traditional presses {Ep. 3}Self-Publishing Demystified: Costs, Timelines, & What Authors Need to Know with Leanne Janzen {ep. 217}
Play Episode: Self-Publishing Demystified: Costs, Timelines, & What Authors Need to Know with Leanne Janzen {ep. 217}Getting beyond the "Icks" of Book Marketing with Alexa Bigwarfe {ep. 216}
Play Episode: Getting beyond the "Icks" of Book Marketing with Alexa Bigwarfe {ep. 216}GEO - The Big Change in Author Discoverability {ep. 218}
Play Episode: GEO - The Big Change in Author Discoverability {ep. 218}How to Spot Scams Targeting Authors & more with Patricia Marshall of Luminare Press {ep. 229}
Play Episode: How to Spot Scams Targeting Authors & more with Patricia Marshall of Luminare Press {ep. 229}Audiobooks Are No Longer Optional: The $30 Billion Shift Every Author Needs to Understand {ep. 228}
Play Episode: Audiobooks Are No Longer Optional: The $30 Billion Shift Every Author Needs to Understand {ep. 228}
All Episodes
- Latest Episode
They Just Banned Jane Eyre: Why Every Author Should Care
Jane Eyre just landed on PEN America's banned list for the first time. For Banned Books Week 2026, Alexa Bigwarfe unpacks the record 11,982 school bans, who is actually filing challenges, what's happening in South Carolina, and why authors, especially indie, YA, romantasy, and nonfiction writers, should be paying attention right now.
Play Episode: They Just Banned Jane Eyre: Why Every Author Should CareShow Notes: They Just Banned Jane Eyre: Why Every Author Should Care
Podcast Guesting for Authors: How to Pitch Hosts with Jessica Rhodes
Authors who sell books on podcasts start booking six months before launch. Jessica Rhodes founded Interview Connections, a podcast booking agency, in 2013. She explains why readers remember authors before titles, how to pitch a host without sounding like a template, and what to do if your book is already out.
Play Episode: Podcast Guesting for Authors: How to Pitch Hosts with Jessica RhodesShow Notes: Podcast Guesting for Authors: How to Pitch Hosts with Jessica Rhodes
Sell Books Direct Without a Website, feat. Chelsea Bennett
Lulu's new buy button lets authors sell books direct from a newsletter, a social bio, or a QR code at an event, with no website required. Chelsea Bennett explains the revenue math, the customer data you finally get to keep, and why print on demand starts at one copy.
Play Episode: Sell Books Direct Without a Website, feat. Chelsea BennettShow Notes: Sell Books Direct Without a Website, feat. Chelsea Bennett
Assisted Self-Publishing Done Right, with Ruth Schwartz
Ruth Schwartz has spent 14 years turning finished manuscripts into well-published books, and decades in publishing before that. She breaks down why so many self-published books look broken, what to check before you hire anyone, and how to get a print and ebook edition you are actually proud of.
Play Episode: Assisted Self-Publishing Done Right, with Ruth SchwartzShow Notes: Assisted Self-Publishing Done Right, with Ruth Schwartz
Grief Becomes Purpose: 9/11 Stories with Ann Van Hine and Holly Little
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Alexa honors two authors who transformed loss into purpose. Ann Van Hine's husband, an FDNY firefighter, never came home that day. Holly Little lost her brother. Both have written memoirs that honor the dead and help others heal. Their stories remind us why we write, and why we must be seen.
Play Episode: Grief Becomes Purpose: 9/11 Stories with Ann Van Hine and Holly LittleShow Notes: Grief Becomes Purpose: 9/11 Stories with Ann Van Hine and Holly Little
How to Get Speaking Gigs (and Keep Them) with Sasha Simmons
Speaking is half talent and half business. Sasha Simmons, founder of Speak Life LLC and author of 20 Major Keys to Establish Your Own Greatness, breaks down her SLAB framework for crafting a speech that lands, then shares the unglamorous work of actually getting booked: cold calls, persistent follow-up, and building the reel that sells you.
Play Episode: How to Get Speaking Gigs (and Keep Them) with Sasha SimmonsShow Notes: How to Get Speaking Gigs (and Keep Them) with Sasha Simmons
Bootstrap, Investors, or Crowdfunding? feat. Hannah Jacobson
Bootstrap, investors, or crowdfunding? Hannah Jacobson built Book Award Pro from a spreadsheet into the world's largest database of legitimate book awards. She and Alexa break down how to fund an author or publishing business, price your work so you stop losing money, and own the platform you build on.
Play Episode: Bootstrap, Investors, or Crowdfunding? feat. Hannah JacobsonShow Notes: Bootstrap, Investors, or Crowdfunding? feat. Hannah Jacobson
Why Your Author Income Is Stuck (And It Is Not Your Writing)
Forty-four percent of indie authors earn one hundred dollars a month or less. Usually the gap is not craft, it is structure. Alexa breaks down the four business skills separating authors who plateau from authors who compound: money systems, legal foundations, a profitable model, and new markets. Bootcamp is August 21 to 22.
Play Episode: Why Your Author Income Is Stuck (And It Is Not Your Writing)Show Notes: Why Your Author Income Is Stuck (And It Is Not Your Writing)
The Reader Is Your Co-Writer: Speculative Fiction with Heather Davis {ep. 230}
Heather Davis coaches speculative fiction writers and runs Worldshift, the conference built for the authors sci-fi and fantasy spaces keep overlooking. She and Alexa unpack why your reader is your co-writer, how genre-specific community protects a career, and what to do when your genre's sales cycle drops. For writers who want craft and business.
Play Episode: The Reader Is Your Co-Writer: Speculative Fiction with Heather Davis {ep. 230}Show Notes: The Reader Is Your Co-Writer: Speculative Fiction with Heather Davis {ep. 230}
How to Spot Scams Targeting Authors & more with Patricia Marshall of Luminare Press {ep. 229}
Patricia Marshall, CEO of Luminare Press and Lucent Book Group, reveals why publishing scams are proliferating, how authors can protect themselves, and why AI is a tool—not a shortcut. We dig into GEO, the changing landscape of book discoverability, and what indie authors truly need in their corner.
Play Episode: How to Spot Scams Targeting Authors & more with Patricia Marshall of Luminare Press {ep. 229}Show Notes: How to Spot Scams Targeting Authors & more with Patricia Marshall of Luminare Press {ep. 229}
Audiobooks Are No Longer Optional: The $30 Billion Shift Every Author Needs to Understand {ep. 228}
Audiobooks have eclipsed ebooks and are racing toward a $30 billion U.S. market by 2030. Award-winning producer Mary Catherine Jones returns to break down when to invest, what it really costs, why narration makes or breaks a book, the truth about AI voices, and how to use audio to grow your list.
Play Episode: Audiobooks Are No Longer Optional: The $30 Billion Shift Every Author Needs to Understand {ep. 228}Show Notes: Audiobooks Are No Longer Optional: The $30 Billion Shift Every Author Needs to Understand {ep. 228}
Your Voice Is the Revolution: A Raw, Unscripted Conversation About Why We Write ⭐ {ep. 227}
In this raw, unscripted episode, Alexa gets real about the state of the world in 2026 and why women's voices — in books, on stages, and in every medium — matter more than ever. A deeply personal call to action for authors, speakers, and publishing professionals who are here to make a difference.
Play Episode: Your Voice Is the Revolution: A Raw, Unscripted Conversation About Why We Write ⭐ {ep. 227}Show Notes: Your Voice Is the Revolution: A Raw, Unscripted Conversation About Why We Write ⭐ {ep. 227}
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