The behind-the-scenes of self-publishing and writing with Elodie Nowodazkij, indie author of first kisses, second chances, things that scare the crap out of her and things that make her laugh out loud. Since 2014, Elodie has been riding the roller coaster of self-publishing, celebrating victories and weathering storms. Join her as she shares the candid ups and downs of her self-publishing career and strives to provide invaluable insights for both aspiring authors and curious readers with a touch of humor and a French accent.
A self-published author's diary
Claim This Podcastby Elodie Nowodazkij
5.0(7 reviews)
106 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
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Podcast Overview
The behind-the-scenes of self-publishing and writing with Elodie Nowodazkij, indie author of first kisses, second chances, things that scare the crap out of her and things that make her laugh out loud. Since 2014, Elodie has been riding the roller coaster of self-publishing, celebrating victories and weathering storms. Join her as she shares the candid ups and downs of her self-publishing career and strives to provide invaluable insights for both aspiring authors and curious readers with a touch of humor and a French accent.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/31/2021
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Recent Episodes
July 2, 2026
My EU VAT Saga As A Self-Published Author: What I Learned (and Got Wrong Info About) from Amazon KDP Support
<p>If you're an indie author self-publishing wide, or specifically on Amazon KDP, and you're based in the EU, this episode is for you (or at least, it's for you to commiserate with me). I walk through my ongoing, unresolved, and occasionally maddening experience trying to figure out EU VAT reporting for my Amazon royalties as a Belgian-registered sole proprietor and US citizen self-employed author.</p><p><strong>Topics covered in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Amazon KDP's EU VAT Invoices requirement and the self-billing agreement, and why that option isn't showing up in my account</li><li>What actually happened during a two-hour Amazon KDP support chat, including an agent who left mid-conversation and wrong information about my tax forms</li><li>Why a US citizen living abroad still has to file a W-9, not a W-8BEN, no matter where they live</li><li>What I found digging through KDP's own (and partly outdated) VAT help pages</li><li>The next step I've identified but haven't tackled yet: submitting VAT invoices to Amazon manually</li><li>A Patreon update: three new paid tiers now live (Emotional Support Crew, Spicy Pickles, and Raccoon Author), and what free members and newsletter subscribers can still expect</li><li>An early audiobook release for # Sweets For Love, going out chapter by chapter on Patreon</li><li>A Barnes & Noble payment update and a quick note on my ongoing TikTok experiment</li></ul><p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> This episode is not tax, VAT, or legal advice. It's a personal account of one indie author's experience. Please consult a qualified tax advisor, VAT specialist, or your local tax authority for guidance specific to your situation.</p><p>Stick around for the blooper reel. I still cannot say "EU VAT" cleanly.</p><p><strong>Links mentioned:</strong></p><ul><li>Patreon (with the Raccoon Author tier): <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membership" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membership</a></li><li>FAQ VAT (old document I think): <a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZJMEVQJPYBGJ8Z7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZJMEVQJPYBGJ8Z7</a></li><li>FAQ VAT (newer FAQ): <a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZU8XMCDUGR6PM7F" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZU8XMCDUGR6PM7F</a></li></ul><ul><li>Contact: elodie AT elodienow.com </li></ul>
June 18, 2026
Numbers: A TikTok Experiment As an Indie Author (the yay, the nay, and what it costs), pre-order numbers and more
<p>This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).</p><p>The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. </p><p>I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.</p><p>Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.</p><p>And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to <a href="mailto:elodie@elodienow.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">elodie@elodienow.com</a>. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)</p><p>If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.</p><ul><li><strong>BeccaCon</strong> + Becca Syme's <strong>Write Better-Faster</strong> Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: <a href="https://betterfasteracademy.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://betterfasteracademy.com</a> (Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts</a>)</li><li><strong>Wide for the Win</strong> Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/</li><li><strong>L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You"</strong> (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: <a href="https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-you" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-you</a></li><li><strong>Jami Albright — </strong><strong>The Summer That Changed Us</strong> — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): <a href="https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW</a> — jamialbright.com</li></ul><ul><li><strong>My Christmas Wish-List</strong> (preorder, now July 31st): <a href="https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish</a></li><li><strong>Cancer Is Not My Brand</strong> (preorder): <a href="https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/</a></li><li><strong>Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas</strong>: <a href="https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat</a></li><li><strong>A New Year's Eve Like No Other</strong> (third in the Nick & Em series): <a href="https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOther" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOther</a></li><li>French editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les Autres</li></ul><p>If the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.</p><p>www.elodienowodazkij.com</p><p>www.elodienow.com </p>
June 11, 2026
Writing and revising, Author Taxes & the Emergency Room: 3 Days in My Self-Published Life
<p>I had different plans for this episode. And then I ended up in a Belgian ER at 6:45 in the morning with hives and a lip that decided to start swelling. So... change of plans.</p><p>This week, I'm taking you behind the scenes of three days in my life as a self-published author: the writing, the taxes, and yes, the ER.</p><p>I talk about:</p><ul><li>My ER stories as a writer (and former cancer patient) in three countries (the US, France, and Belgium) and how those experiences end up in my books, including the nurses who made everything easier (hi to the one who called me Bebe)</li><li>Finding the small good moments even in crappy situations, and why sometimes that's easier said than done</li><li>Why I moved the preorder date for # My Christmas Wish-List to the end of July (spoiler: there was just no way)</li><li>Bringing Plato (our beagle who we said goodbye to in 2025 ) into My Christmas Wish List, and how writing him helped me get back into the story</li><li>Revision talk: digging deeper into character voice, the "worst and best" to make characters more three-dimensional, a scene more alive and why knowing where the dog is in every scene actually matters</li><li>The Belgian VAT saga continues (I called the FinMin help line, I sent an email, I wait)</li></ul><p>And Cancer Is Not My Brand is now up for preorder! What a wonderful way to announce it. Such a nice segue.</p><p>Links mentioned in this episode:</p><ul><li>Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand: <a href="https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/</a></li><li>Preorder My Christmas Wish-List (now coming end of July): <a href="https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish</a></li><li>Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: <a href="https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat</a></li><li>Becca Syme's QuitCast for Writers — "Why We Want You to Prioritize Your Health This Year as Authors" (also on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/beccasyme" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ1Lm5o3IcI)</a></li><li>The Creative Penn — "Writing Through Grief and Rebooting an Indie Author Business" with Jami Albright: <a href="https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/06/01/writing-through-grief-and-rebooting-an-indie-author-business-with-jami-albright/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/06/01/writing-through-grief-and-rebooting-an-indie-author-business-with-jami-albright/</a></li><li>Jami Albright's website (and her book The Summer That Changed Us): <strong>Steel Magnolias</strong> meets <strong>Schitt’s Creek</strong> with the heart of <strong>This is Us.</strong><a href="https://jamialbright.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://jamialbright.com </a></li></ul><p>Choose your favorite e-retailer <a href="https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW</a></p><ul><li>Susan Dennard on writing more than one book at once "Finishing what You Start": <a href="https://stdennard.substack.com/p/finishing-what-you-start" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://stdennard.substack.com/p/finishing-what-you-start</a></li></ul><p>Tell me where you're listening from! Email me at <a href="mailto:elodie@elodienow.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">elodie@elodienow.com</a></p><ul><li>My websites: <a href="https://www.elodienowodazkij.com " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.elodienowodazkij.com </a>and <a href="https://www.elodienow.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.elodienow.com</a></li></ul><ul><li>My Substack: <a href="https://elodienowodazkij.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://elodienowodazkij.substack.com/</a></li><li>My YouTube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@authorelodienowodazkij" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/@authorelodienowodazkij</a></li><li>My Patreon: Elodie's Writing Nook <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook</a></li></ul><p>Thank you so much for listening from the US to Nigeria, Hong Kong to Lithuania, Belgium and France and Germany (and hi Alex, hi Maman, hi Gisela). I hope your socks are fluffy, and if you're writing, that the words are flowing. </p><p>Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.</p>
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