Authors' Allies

About Authors' Allies

For the past decade, I've worked closely with authors and noticed that independent authors often struggle to get exposure compared to traditionally published authors. This led me to start the Authors Allies Roundtable, a membership designed to help indie authors build their marketing skills piece by piece. From Facebook vlog to here, Books and Brew is now the Authors' Allies podcast, we'll be sharing tips and tricks for book promotion and interviewing talented authors. Be sure to subscribe and follow us on social media. #books #coffee #indieauthor #author #bookmarketing #authorsallies

Publisher

Rebecca Paciorek

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Dec 2024

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

54 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   Why Do I Feel Guilty for Resting? Ep 54

   Why do I feel guilty for resting? If you're an indie author who can't sit on the couch without hearing "you should be writing," and then can't write a word when you finally sit down, this episode is for you. Rebecca digs into where rest guilt really comes from: writing that doesn't look like work, carrying the whole business on your own shoulders, a feed full of rapid releases and 5 a.m. writing clubs, and a worth that got tied to word count somewhere along the way. Then comes the twist. Creativity research shows that rest isn't time away from your book. It's where your ideas incubate. Rebecca explains why "half-rest" keeps you stuck in creative block, and shares five gentle, practical ways to rest on purpose and get your words flowing again. She closes with a journaling prompt to help you figure out whose rules about rest you've been living by. 00:00 Couch, tea, and a guilty little voice 01:00 Welcome, and why guilt and creative block are the same loop 02:00 Why authors feel guilty for resting 02:30 Reason 1: Writing doesn't look like work 03:30 Reason 2: When you're indie, you're the whole company 04:30 Reason 3: The feed tells you to do more 05:30 Reason 4: When your worth gets tied to your word count 08:00 The twist: rest is where the ideas come from 09:00 The incubation study: why mind-wanderers came back with more ideas 10:30 The half-rest trap 11:30 Five ways out of creative block 17:00 When it might be burnout, not block 18:00 This week's journaling prompt 19:30 Join us on Skool, and a final word Guilt is a feeling, not a fact. Notice it before you obey it. Name it. "This is productivity guilt. It's not proof that I'm lazy." Load the question, then walk away. Write your stuck question at the top of a page, then do something easy: a walk, the dishes, folding laundry, cleansing your crystals. Keep a voice memo app handy. Rest all the way. Close the day on paper with three tasks for tomorrow, then actually close the laptop. Put rest on the calendar. Block it like a launch task. Rest isn't a reward for finishing the plan. It's part of the plan. Lower the bar to come back. Return with ten minutes of messy writing, a voice memo, or a quick outline instead of "write the whole chapter." If you've truly rested and the tiredness isn't lifting, or everything feels heavy (not just your writing), please be gentle with yourself and talk with your doctor or a therapist. 📓 Finish this sentence three times, without stopping to edit: "I'll let myself rest when…" Then read your answers back and ask: Whose rule is this? And is it feeding my book, or starving it? Last, write down one stuck question about your current project, and take it on a walk this week. Share what came up for you in the free Authors' Allies Roundtable on Skool! Want to learn it and do it with us? Check out the FREE tier of Authors' Allies Roundtable Marketing Membership on Skool. https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable (https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable) I often recommend products and services that I use or that have been recommended to me by people we trust. I only suggest items that I have personally used and love. In many cases an affiliate link accompanies these recommendations, (including Amazon -except for my products which are mine and not affiliate links) which provides me with a referral commission should you click through and make a purchase. This is always at no additional cost to you. RESOURCES: 📲 General Website with blog: https://pages.bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/book-marketing (https://pages.bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/book-marketing) 📘 FREE ebook: 10 Steps to Your Ultimate Book Marketing Plan: https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX (https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX) 😀📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/ (https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/) 📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/ (https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/) 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek) ⛓🌴 https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek (https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek) 📧 rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com (mailto:rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com) Would you like to apply to be a guest on the show? Go here to fill out the application. https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5 (https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5)

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Book Event Tips for Indie Authors: What Works & What Doesn't Ep 53

   Thinking about doing a book signing, a bookstore reading, or a big author event? Wondering what really happens behind the table? For the first time on the Authors' Allies Podcast, Rebecca welcomes two guests at once. Both are returning guests and members of the Authors' Allies Roundtable. Multi-book indie authors Carlie Yates and Arden Coutts share the honest side of book events, from small bookstore signings to large conventions. They talk about what to do when nobody shows up, why romance authors need thick skin, how to choose events that fit your books, and whether readings are worth the nerves. They also cover the swag readers actually keep. Rebecca adds marketing advice along the way, including her number one takeaway from the last big show: put your name on every single thing you hand out. Whether you're getting ready for your first signing or your fifteenth festival, this conversation will help you walk in prepared and walk out with more readers. Carlie Yates, "That One Writer Chick" Carlie is a professional storyteller of the indie variety. She writes contemporary romance and social issue-driven drama novels about relationships in an imperfect world. She's a Midwest mom of boys living in Ohio, and she's currently working on her 12th novel. Finding Carlie: Free Book: https://mailchi.mp/d585de1a6e8c/perfectbycarlieyates Website: https://www.carlieyates.com/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/thatonewriterchickakacarlie Swag Mentioned: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ATBSwag Arden Coutts Arden is a queer trans author based in Nebraska. They write emotionally driven fiction rooted in grief, resilience, and love. Their work spans romantic suspense, post-apocalyptic fiction, fantasy, and horror, with a strong focus on queer identity and found family. Finding Arden: www.ardencoutts.com (http://www.ardencoutts.com/) www.instagram.com/ardencoutts (http://www.instagram.com/ardencoutts) https://www.youtube.com/@ardencouttsauthor (https://www.youtube.com/@ardencouttsauthor) Freebie: https://BookHip.com/JTPHHSG (https://bookhip.com/JTPHHSG) The disco ball event (https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122126147097375456&substory_index=1421216990128023&id=61591263701998&rdid=YnqDpWFfMJFylmdF#)mentioned. Events post (https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd7sKHoDDrS/?img_index=5&exln=eG0wdXJlbWlucHdm&fbclid=IwY2xjawU8kfpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMW1ZTml2dmkwcFp4WGFXeDRzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe_-CFXmKR_4YprvERCgRUAIrnGtkruaXSV2B3oXMzjA-_2mWyMuGkEKjoRFg_aem_9cQMmr1MfMM895Ngp_wSkA) on Instagram. Upcoming events: Gilded Grove Fantasy Gala, 10/24/26, Grand Island, NE (https://allevents.in/grand-island/200029856341347?ref=sharer (https://allevents.in/grand-island/200029856341347?ref=sharer)) Meet the Author at Sower Books, Lincoln, NE, 11/14/26 (https://sowerbooksne.com/ (https://sowerbooksne.com/)) BookFest Omaha, 12/12/26-12/13/26, Omaha, NE (https://www.bookfestomaha.com/ (https://www.bookfestomaha.com/)) Want to learn it and do it with us? Check out the FREE tier of Authors' Allies Roundtable Marketing Membership on Skool. https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable (https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable) I often recommend products and services that I use or that have been recommended to me by people we trust. I only suggest items that I have personally used and love. In many cases an affiliate link accompanies these recommendations, (including Amazon -except for my products which are mine and not affiliate links) which provides me with a referral commission should you click through and make a purchase. This is always at no additional cost to you. RESOURCES: 📲 General Website with blog: https://pages.bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/book-marketing (https://pages.bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/book-marketing) 📘 FREE ebook: 10 Steps to Your Ultimate Book Marketing Plan: https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX (https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX) 😀📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/ (https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/) 📸 Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/ (https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/) 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek) ⛓🌴 https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek (https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek) 📧 rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com (mailto:rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com) Would you like to apply to be a guest on the show? Go here to fill out the application. https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5 (https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5) Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: 1WWNYVZJ3BNMUWWA

3. 

   2 Oct 2026

   52 Why Every AI Flyer Looks the Same (And How to Fix Yours in 4 Minutes)

   Ever scroll through Facebook and think the same designer made every flyer? There's a good chance that designer was ChatGPT. In this first-ever slide-show episode (so watch on YouTube if you can), Rebecca draws on 20+ years in magazine and book publishing to point out the signs that a graphic was made with AI. Then she shows you simple ways to make your promo graphics look like you again. This isn't an AI-versus-no-AI debate. It's about not blending in with every other post in the feed. Sign #1: The "barfed-on graphics" overload. Every inch is filled and there's no white space. Sign #2: The "frequent flyer" fonts. Playlist Script, Lemon Tuesday, and similar fonts show up everywhere because AI learns from designs that are already out there. Sign #3: Overused hand-drawn elements. Doodled hearts, circles, and look-alike icons. Sign #4: Brushed-edge banners. The paintbrush-stroke edge on headers and footers. Quick fix if you're short on time: Put a border or background around the AI graphic, and add your logo and name. Medium fix: Use Canva Pro's Magic Layers to split an AI graphic into editable pieces and delete the clutter. Better options: Canva templates (designed by paid artists), inexpensive Etsy templates, and free or member graphics from independent artists on Patreon and Skool. The 4-minute makeover: How Rebecca cropped one usable piece of her AI flyer, set it on a simple holiday background, and added clear text plus her branding. Her best tip for standing out: Use your own photo, keep the text simple, and Keep It Simple, Sister. Rebecca's AI policy: bluedotdigitalmarketing.com (https://bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/) | AuthorsAllies.com (https://www.authorsallies.com/) Do you have your own tips for making an AI graphic look more like you? Drop them in the comments! Want to learn it and do it with us? Check out the FREE tier of Authors' Allies Roundtable Marketing Membership on Skool.  https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable (https://www.skool.com/authors-allies-roundtable) I often recommend products and services that I use or that have been recommended to me by people we trust. I only suggest items that I have personally used and love. In many cases an affiliate link accompanies these recommendations, (including Amazon -except for my products which are mine and not affiliate links) which provides me with a referral commission should you click through and make a purchase. This is always at no additional cost to you. 📲 General Website with blog: Blue Dot Digital Marketing (https://pages.bluedotdigitalmarketing.com/book-marketing) 📘 FREE ebook: 10 Steps to Your Ultimate Book Marketing Plan: https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX (https://payhip.com/b/oiNTX) 😀📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/ (https://www.facebook.com/BlueDotCommunications/) 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/ (https://www.instagram.com/blue_dot_digital/) 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccapaciorek) ⛓🌴 https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek (https://linktr.ee/rpaciorek) 📧 rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com (mailto:rebecca@bluedotdigitalmarketing.com) Would you like to apply to be a guest on the show? Go here to fill out the application. https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5 (https://forms.gle/p7aNuDbLd49t1EPz5) Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI Graphics and Flyers 01:14 Identifying Telltale Signs of AI Graphics 02:27 The Overload of AI Graphics 07:02 Identifying Common Design Flaws 11:31 Creating Unique Graphics with AI

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

19,506

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

33

Social presence

0

YouTube

72

Engagement

32