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Write! Grow! Launch!

Write! Grow! Launch!

Written by: Christina Kaye
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 If you’re tired of vague advice and publishing myths, you’re in the right place. Write! Grow! Launch! is a top-ranked podcast for indie authors who want profitable self-publishing, real strategy, and zero BS. Season 4 starts now.Copyright 2026 Write! Grow! Launch! Art Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Ep 5: HOT TOPIC! Why You Absolutely Must Pick One Genre If You Want To Be A Successful Indie Author!

    Ep 5: HOT TOPIC! Why You Absolutely Must Pick One Genre If You Want To Be A Successful Indie Author!
    Feb 16 2026

    What would happen if Taylor Swift’s next album dropped, and it was death metal?

    The truth is, while a tiny handful of her millions of die-hard fans MIGHT think it’s cool, the vast majority, and I mean 99.999%, would revolt. That may seem like an absurd thing to imagine, but it’s exactly what many indie authors try to pull off daily, then wonder why they aren’t selling books.

    That’s exactly why this week, on Write! Grow! Launch!, I’m going to slow things down a smidge and give you the no BS, no holding back TRUTH to why I (and any expert worth their weight in gold) shout from the rooftops that, “No! You cannot write and publish across different genres under the same name and expect to be successful. It will not work.”

    And before you decide NOT to listen to this episode because you think I’m wrong without hearing the WHY behind what I’m telling you, just know that this one episode could quite literally change the entire trajectory of your publishing career…especially if you take what I teach you to heart.

    This episode may spark quite the debate, just as it does every time I post about this, send a newsletter, or talk about it on any platform. But if even one indie author listens, heeds my advice, and it helps them finally realize their dream, it’s every bit worth it for me.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    · What it actually means to “niche down” for indie authors.

    · How choosing one genre to write is the biggest marketing decision you’ll make

    · Why choosing one genre isn’t stifling your creativity or limiting you like you think

    · How you can choose your genre/niche even if you “love all kinds of books”

    · What’s at stake if you don’t niche down and choose your subgenre

    · How this is not a forever rule and how you can one day write whatever you want

    KEY TAKEAWAY

    The thought of niching down and writing and publishing in one genre only is understandably uncomfortable for many indie authors, but it isn’t forever. One day, you’ll have the freedom of time, energy, and finances to create as many different brands to write under as you can manage. But if you want to build a sustainable, profitable career in self-publishing, you have to accept the fact that this is what works in 2026, and it’s how you’re 1000X more likely to be discovered by the right audience of readers, for them to buy your book and read it, and most importantly, to love it and share it with their fellow avid readers in that same genre.

    RESOURCES & LINKS

    Learn More About Me: https://christinakaye.com/

    My Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com

    Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial

    Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/christinakayeofficial

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristinaKayeOfficial

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinakayeofficial/

    SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THIS SHOW

    If you enjoyed this episode, follow and/or subscribe to Write! Grow! Launch! wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss future episodes on successfully self-publishing, profitably launching your book, and building a sustainable indie author career…without burnout or BS.
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    15 mins
  • Ep 4: Discovering Your WHY (and How to Make Yourself Stand Out and Be Seen) with Indie Author EJ Yerzack

    Ep 4: Discovering Your WHY (and How to Make Yourself Stand Out and Be Seen) with Indie Author EJ Yerzack
    Feb 9 2026

    If you don’t know your WHY, you’ll simply blend in with the thousands of other people writing in your niche, and that’s a very bad thing!

    This week, I’m sitting down with bestselling indie author, EJ Yerzak, to talk about one of the most overlooked steps any author should take early in their career, which is to discover your WHY.

    What exactly do I mean by this? I mean, every author needs to figure out WHY they write what they write, why they want to share their story, and why they think they have a platform to tell it in the first place.

    If you don’t know and lean into your WHY and figure out what sets you apart from all the other romantasy, rom com, or thriller authors (whichever genre you write in), you’ll blend in with the herd, and that is how you and your book get lost in the noise.

    If you feel like no one is seeing or hearing you, no matter how many times you post or send emails, then, this episode is a MUST-LISTEN for you!

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    · Why it’s so important to figure out your “WHY” as an author

    · How to determine your WHY and what is your unique selling point

    · How EJ Yerzack gambled big on his WHY and how it paid off

    · The steps you can take TODAY to figure out what makes you unique

    THE CORE FRAMEWORK

    Step 1: Understanding what it means to know your “WHY”

    We’ll talk about why it’s almost impossible in 2026 to just be another writer of X genre and why figuring out your unique story and selling points is what will make you stand out from all the thousands of other authors writing in your space.

    Step 2: Figure out your WHY and lean into it

    Hear how EJ figured out a way to make his WHY loud and clear in a way that paid off big-time. He found a unique way to share his story and get the word out about his book, as well as making sure he stood out from everyone else. And it paid off in spades.

    RESOURCES & LINKS

    Learn More About Me: https://christinakaye.com/

    Learn More About EJ Yerzak & His Books: @indiebooktok

    My Course (The Bestselling Indie Author Playbook): https://bit.ly/49HT4AB

    My Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com

    Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial

    Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/christinakayeofficial

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristinaKayeOfficial

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinakayeofficial/

    SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THIS SHOW

    If you enjoyed this episode, follow and/or subscribe to Write! Grow! Launch! wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss future episodes on successfully self-publishing, profitably launching your book, and building a sustainable indie author career…without burnout or BS.
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    27 mins
  • Ep 3: Why Your Social Media Content Isn't Selling Books (And What To Do About It Starting Now)!

    Ep 3: Why Your Social Media Content Isn't Selling Books (And What To Do About It Starting Now)!
    Feb 2 2026
    One of the biggest myths in the indie author world is that your online content should be all about writing, your book itself, your journey, connecting with other authors, but…In Episode 3, I will explain exactly why this is entirely outdated advice that doesn’t work, never has, and never will…and what you can do starting now to create better content that is far more likely to attract readers and convert them to buyers and fans of your book! There is nothing at all wrong with supporting the indie author community. In fact, the support of our community can make a huge difference in keeping us motivated and moving forward toward our dreams. After all, as the 17th century poet, John Donne famously said, “No man is an island.” The problem is that too many indie authors are still creating social media content from an author viewpoint that is aimed at their fellow indies and hoping it will magically lead to sales. Spoiler Alert! It won’t.The good news is all you need is one hard, immediate pivot in your approach to social media marketing to turn things around entirely!What You’ll Learn in This Episode· The two biggest missteps indie authors make when creating social media content· Why posting content that is author community centered is actually turning away readers· The kind of social media content that actually attracts your ideal readers (with examples)· How to come up with ideas for social media that is far more likely to convert to sales· What you should do starting today to create better, more compelling, sales-worthy postsTHE CORE FRAMEWORK Step 1: Accept That Your Platform is For Selling, Not Making FriendsYou should support indies by reposting, engaging with their content, tagging them when appropriate. But you must also understand the difference between how you show up on social media as a content creator versus how you show up as a casual consumer of content. Your content on your platform should be for, about, and aimed at no one but your target audience of readers. Step 2: Changing Your Mindset on Social MediaClear your mind of the antiquated idea that building a community is how you sell your books. Replace it with a mindset that while yes, writers do read books, too, it’s all about each person’s intentions when scrolling through content! Your target audience is looking for posts that speak to them, and if the first few seconds of your post makes it clear that it isn’t for them, they keep scrolling. Step 3: Be Intentional and Purposeful With Every Post Before you take the next step, make sure you are 1000% confident in your brand and the genre in which you write and publish. Then, get as comfy cozy as you can with those people who are avid readers of that genre, and even the specific niche (subgenre) your books fall into. Spend time scouring platforms as a reader, not a writer, and pay close attention to what kind of content those readers are posting and engaging with most. And finally, create a content plan filled with those kinds of ideas and from now on, post in a way that shows up as another rabid fan of (insert genre) books!KEY TAKEAWAYOnce you change your mindset and pivot the way you think about and post your own content on social media, here’s where the magic begins…because if you’re consistently showing up on TikTok, Instagram, etc. as someone who just loves dark romantasy books, your readers will notice you more, connect with you, relate to you, and begin to support you. And believe it or not, if you do this for at least 90 days before you publish, you will never have to beg anyone to buy your books. Instead, you simply share the good news of your launch with your new reader besties, and they will show up for you, support you, and buy your books!RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS· Take a 1 – 2 day “break” from posting on social media to turn things around· Spend at least 20 minutes each day consuming content about your niche of books· Create a spreadsheet to track all the ideas you come up with as you are scrolling· Update your social media profiles to make it clear that you write in X genre· Create a content plan each week with 3-5 posts per day that are reader-facing· When you start posting again, keep your Ideal Reader Avatar front and center alwaysRESOURCES & LINKSFREE Content Plan Creation ChatGPT Prompt: https://bit.ly/49UxDxy Social Media Profile Optimization Infographic: https://bit.ly/4bqPH3r Learn More About Me: https://christinakaye.com/ My Course (The Bestselling Indie Author Playbook): https://bit.ly/49HT4ABMy Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial Facebook: https://facebook.com/...
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    17 mins
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