This episode of The Happy Writer deals with the infuriating issue of ebook returns, which seems to be so much more prevalent on Amazon than on other platforms. Why is this, can we do anything about it, and how can we not let it get to us? If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

This episode of The Happy Writer talks about self promotion, which if often an uncomfortable subject for writers. Some do too much, others do too little. But how do you know which is which? If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

When new writers ask when they should start advertising, they may be given a number of confusing, overwhelming or mutually exclusive pieces of advice. Why is this and how do you pick what's useful for you? If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

If you hang out in writers' groups, you will hear people say that book advertising list sites have stopped working. And while most people who regularly book promotions with these sites report that the results are genreally less, does that mean you shouldn't use these services? If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

This episode of The Happy Writer mentions some of the main benefits that I have experienced when selfpublishing, something that does not get talked about often enough: that you are liberated from the feeling that you have little chance of landing a deal and the world is rigged against you. You learn to not stake your emotional wellbeing on the chances or the outcome of a submission, and that makes you a happier person. Here is the article I referred to in the episode: https://www.sfwa.org/2021/12/30/breaking-into-publishing-isnt-easy-but-if-youre-not-in-america-its-even-harder/ If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

What are vanity presses? Why are they predatory? Why do people fall for them? And why will they probably never go away. If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

This episode of The Happy Writer deals with using characters who are not like you in your fiction. Should you (spoiler: you should!), what are the pitfalls and how can you avoid them? If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

This episode of The Happy Writer discusses lived experience and how it shaped and form characters and their reactions to events, and why you should use real experiences from people you know, or published experiences, to build your character's background. If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

Point of view is one of the bugbears of beginning writers, and one that, poorly handled, can make your book confusing. Without going into nitty-gritty, this episode explains the major principles and guidelines to adhere to. If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.

We hear a lot about AI narration becoming good enough for audiobooks, while thousands of writers hold high hopes of being able to press a button for an audiobook that they can sell. The reality is not quite like that, so this episode looks at the current state of AI narration and how and where you can use it. If you enjoy this show, please put some money in the tip jar at Patreon or Ko-fi. I am an author of science fiction and fantasy. You can get my books here.