The Written Word Podcast

A podcast for authors who want to build successful writing careers. Each episode explores the business and craft of being an author, with practical strategies for selling more books, growing your audience, and navigating the publishing world. Presented by Written Word Media.

The Written Word Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Written Word Podcast, a arts show with 0 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #33

  14 Million Copies, 7 Years, and No Publisher: What Dungeon Crawler Carl's Success Teaches Every Indie Author

  Sep 29, 202630 min

  What does it actually take to go from two people at your convention booth to 14 million copies sold and a TV deal with the creator of Family Guy? In this episode, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon do a deep dive into the rise of Matt Dinniman , the indie author behind the Dungeon Crawler Carl series , a litRPG book that no traditional publisher would have signed and that is now hitting the Amazon and New York Times bestseller lists. This is the first in a new case study series on indie authors who made it big. The lessons in this episode apply to every author, regardless of genre. What you’ll learn: How Matt started as an illustrator selling cat and dog portraits on Etsy, and why that creative foundation mattered Why he shelved Dungeon Crawler Carl in 2009, rediscovered it in 2019, and published on Royal Road before Amazon, and what that unconventional launch path taught him The audiobook narrator connection that first ignited word of mouth (and how it happened through gaming culture, not publishing) The Tipping Point framework: why starting in a small, hungry, underserved community is a faster path to critical mass than going broad The Kickstarter strategy that charged $777 to live and $666 to die, and why the financial model mattered less than the story it created How Matt used Patreon not just for revenue but as a collaborative creative process, and why the showrunner of his TV series was a Patreon subscriber before they ever met Why he sold only his print rights to Random House (keeping ebook rights entirely), and what that says about the new power of indie publishing The "village" theory of audience building: why depth of community beats breadth of reach in the early stages Why human connection is now the single biggest competitive advantage authors have in an AI-saturated world The 7-year overnight success myth, and what it means for authors grinding right now More case studies coming: Ricci and Ferol already have the next one in the works. Each author's path is different, and that's exactly the point. Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more. The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. © 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #32

  How to Get More KDP Reads, Pick a Launch Date, and Handle DRM (Questions Authors Keep Asking)

  Sep 15, 202623 min

  This episode is a milestone; the Written Word Media Podcast just hit 10,000 downloads. To celebrate, Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon are answering three of the most common questions listeners have sent in: what DRM actually is and whether you need it, when the best time to launch a book really is, and how to get more KENP reads if you're in Kindle Unlimited. What you’ll learn: What DRM (Digital Rights Management) is, the difference between hard DRM, soft DRM, and no DRM, and Amazon's new policy change that lets you update your settings midstream Why ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors) recommends against DRM for most indie authors, and the key philosophical question to ask yourself before deciding Why hard DRM is largely an illusion of protection (and what that means for your decision) What WWM's data from thousands of book launches actually shows about the best day and season to launch, and why the answer is probably not what you're hoping for The one exception to the "any day works" rule (genre-specific seasonality) Why your marketing plan matters 100x more than your launch date How running a promo (including a FreeBooksy free promo) drives KENP reads, not just downloads Why there's a lag between a promotion and when you see the KU reads hit your dashboard How WWM's promo emails call out "free on Kindle Unlimited" to prime KU readers before they hit the Amazon page Plus: listener questions are how WWM products get built. Subscriber Surge Giveaways exist because authors asked for help building their email lists. Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more. The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. © 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #30

  How to Set Up Amazon A+ Content in 30 Minutes or Less

  Aug 18, 202635 min

  Amazon A+ content is free, it's available to every KDP author regardless of exclusivity, and it can increase your conversion rate by up to 20%. Most bestselling books on Amazon already have it. If yours doesn't, this episode will change that. Ricci Wolman and Ferol Vernon walk through exactly what A+ content is, why it matters, and how to set it up, step by step, in under 30 minutes. Also: Ricci's solo owl has become a family. There is a mated pair and a fledgling. The owl vsaga continues. What you’ll learn: What Amazon A+ content actually is, and why it shows up in the middle of every New York Times bestseller's page Why A+ content is worth your time: Amazon's own data cites 8–20% conversion lift, and a higher conversion rate makes every future ad dollar go further How A+ content feeds the Amazon AI (Rufus), and why the images, colors, and alt text you upload are being read as metadata Where to find A+ content inside your KDP account (it's not where you'd expect) The three-module template that 80% of traditional publishers use: hero banner, three image blocks, and a comparison chart Words before pictures: how to write the copy for your modules (20 words max per block) and use Gemini to brainstorm if you're stuck How to create the image assets in Canva (plus a WWM template with correct dimensions, or use Gemini's image tool as an alternative The content rules you must follow: editorial reviews only, no customer reviews, no price mentions, no hyperbole unless named How to apply one set of A+ content across an entire series, so one setup covers every book Approval timeline (up to 7 days, often faster) and what to do if you're still stuck Show notes include a step-by-step blog post with screenshots, Canva templates with correct image dimensions, and module names, so you can follow along even without the video. Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more. The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. © 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #29

  How Your Book Can Become a Hollywood Movie with Maggie Marr

  Aug 4, 202635 min

  Nearly every author thinks their book would make a great movie. But how does a book actually get from the page to the screen, and what do you need to know before you sign anything? In this episode, Ferol sits down with Maggie Marr, entertainment attorney, former ICM motion picture literary agent, and author of over 20 books, for a frank inside look at how Hollywood works and how indie authors can position themselves to get there. In this episode, you’ll learn: How development executives find books, and why your reader platform matters more than your publisher What an option agreement actually means, what it costs, and what you give up during the option period Whether indie authors are at a disadvantage with Hollywood (the answer may surprise you) Rightscenter: the free tool authors can use to make their film and TV rights discoverable to studios and streamers The red flags that identify a scam "Hollywood inquiry", including the long con Maggie has seen play out in real time What a realistic film and TV deal looks like: purchase prices from $11K to $2M, EP credits, per-episode royalties, and why back-end participation is almost never worth waiting for How to get creative control as an author, and why asking for final cut is a deal-killer The contract clauses that haunt authors: perpetual attachments, shopping agreement traps, and development materials that survive an expired option What genres are hot in Hollywood right now: domestic thrillers, romanticy, and the emerging dystopian wave The three-item punch list every author should complete before lightning strikes Maggie also discusses her book Books To Film & TV: What Every Author Needs To Know , a practical guide to how books move into the film and TV space. Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more. The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. © 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #28

  How to Get Your Audiobook Discovered on Spotify (And What's Coming Next)

  Jul 21, 202635 min

  Spotify has over 600 million users, and most of them don't yet know they have access to audiobooks. In this episode, Ferol sits down with Will Dages, Head of Product at Spotify, to break down everything indie authors need to know about getting their audiobook discovered, promoted, and created on Spotify's platform. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Spotify's audiobook model works: the 15-hour monthly listening allotment, the pro-rata payout pool, and how a la carte sales compare How Spotify uses taste signals from music and podcast listening to surface audiobooks to readers who've never tried the format Why do short books and children's content now have a competitive advantage on Spotify that they don't have on credit-based models The metadata practices that actually improve discoverability, and the keyword-stuffing mistake that actively hurts you The free tools inside Spotify for Authors: promo cards, 100 redemption codes per book, and weekly demographic listening reports Spotify's new AI narration tool (in partnership with ElevenLabs): free for up to five books, ten curated voices, custom pronunciations How human narrators vs. AI narration differ, and why Will believes AI opens the door rather than closes it Page Match: the feature that syncs your physical book with the Spotify audiobook, and the 55% reading uplift and 2x completion rate it's already driving The Bookshop.org integration: how Spotify is now linking physical book purchases directly from audiobook pages Follow Along: the new feature that displays visual content (images, text threads) synced to the audio Will's closing advice for every author: it's never too late to get into audiobooks. The market is still in massive growth mode. Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more. The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. © 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Written Word Podcast. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.