Pros Talking Prose

Writing a book is hard. Publishing it is even harder. Succeeding as an author? That’s practically wizardry. Good thing you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Pros Talking Prose is your backstage pass to the writing and publishing world, hosted by seasoned pros Stacey Smekofske and Troy Lambert. We’ll help you skip the mistakes, laugh through the chaos, and build the writing career you actually want without the smoke and mirrors. New episodes every week. Therapy not included — but highly encouraged.

Pros Talking Prose is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 95 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Pros Talking Prose, a arts show with 95 episodes published.

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  Episode #94

  The Truth About Writing Advice: It Depends

  Sep 26, 20261h 48m

  There’s a LOT of writing and publishing advice out there. Follow this formula. Use this tool. Publish this way. Market your book like this, but after 100 episodes of Pros Talking Prose, we keep coming back to two words: It depends. In our 100th episode, we hand the conversation over to you. We answer questions from our listeners about writing, editing, AI, indie vs. traditional publishing, staying focused long enough to actually write the damn book, series writing, the books every writer should read, and what we’ve learned from 100 episodes of talking about the publishing industry. We also revisit some of our favorite moments, arguments, guests, questionable conversations, and lessons from the show, including a few things we’ve changed our minds about along the way. Because whether you’re trying to improve your writing craft, decide how to publish your book, build an author business, use AI responsibly, market your work, or figure out which piece of author advice you should actually listen to, there usually isn’t one universal answer. Your goals matter. Your circumstances matter. You and your story are what matters. So come celebrate 100 episodes with us (not with a greatest-hits clip show) with the kind of messy, funny, occasionally inappropriate, real-world conversation that got us here in the first place. And thank you for being the fly on the wall for 100 episodes. We’re not done yet. Follow us for more at PrintToPro.com Join us at the Wayfinder Summit Writers Retreat October 15th. https://WayfinderSummit.com Pros Talking Prose is a couple of working publishing and editing professionals talking about the information that authors really want to know. The real-life stuff. Chapters 00:00 100 Episodes of Writing, Publishing & Friendship 09:18 How AI Has Changed Writing and Publishing 14:35 Can AI Replace a Professional Book Editor? 35:04 Books Every Writer Should Read 56:22 Indie Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Where Should Authors Start? 1:16:17 How Writers Can Stop Distractions and Actually Write 1:24:40 The Biggest Mistakes Authors Make With Book Two 1:27:46 What 100 Episodes Taught Us About Writing and Publishing 1:36:05 The Truth About Writing Advice: It Depends #WritingAdvice #PublishingAdvice #IndiePublishing #SelfPublishing #WritingPodcast #AuthorBusiness #BookMarketing #WritingTips #Authors #ProsTalkingProse

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  Episode #93

  Book Marketing Has Changed. Authors Need to Change With It.

  Sep 19, 20261h 13m

  Book marketing has changed, and a lot of the advice authors are still following was built for an internet that doesn’t really exist anymore. In this episode of Pros Talking Prose, we sit down with marketing strategist Amanda Natividad, founder of Zero Click Marketing, Chief Evangelist at SparkToro, and co-author with Rand Fishkin of the upcoming book Zero Click Marketing: How to Build Brands and Earn Customers on a Traffic-Starved Web. We talk about what authors should be doing when Google sends fewer clicks, social media platforms want to keep people on-platform, AI tools are changing how people search, and traditional marketing attribution doesn’t always tell us where readers actually discovered us. And no, the answer is NOT “be everywhere.” Amanda walks us through how authors can figure out where their readers are already spending time, choose the right discovery platform, create content that actually connects to their books and brand, and stop letting algorithms dictate their entire marketing strategy. We also get into author websites, newsletters, blogs, direct sales, audience research, personal vs. author social media accounts, AI-generated content, going viral without making money, and why sometimes the best marketing goal isn’t an immediate sale. As Amanda puts it: “Find more meaning in your marketing beyond just the sales.” Oh, and somehow the Black Plague becomes a legitimate book marketing case study. Because apparently that’s where we are now. If you’re an indie author, self-published author, traditionally published author, or authorpreneur trying to figure out what book marketing looks like in 2026, this conversation will give you plenty to think about. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Welcome to Pros Talking Prose 03:55 – What Is Zero Click Marketing? 06:12 – Why Traditional SEO and Website Traffic Have Changed 10:43 – How Authors Can Find Where Their Readers Actually Are 15:54 – Audience Research and Smarter Book Marketing 20:18 – Do Author Websites and Email Lists Still Matter? 22:08 – Are Blogs Still Worth It in the Age of AI Search? 26:15 – Why Book Marketing Attribution Is Broken 29:35 – Why Author Brand Recognition Matters More Than Ever 31:14 – What “Providing Value” Actually Means for Authors 32:03 – Yes, the Black Plague Becomes a Marketing Strategy 33:52 – Should Authors Have Separate Social Media Accounts? 38:01 – How Your Own Social Media Behavior Affects Discovery 41:16 – Amanda’s Own Book Publishing and Direct Sales Strategy 48:29 – Are Authors Giving Algorithms Too Much Power? 51:55 – Authenticity vs. Valuable Content: What Matters More? 57:06 – Why Author Newsletters Still Matter 58:49 – Marketing Advice That Makes Amanda Want to Throw Something 01:04:30 – Amanda’s #1 Book Marketing Advice: Pick ONE Platform 01:06:30 – Where to Find Amanda + Zero Click Marketing LINKS & RESOURCES Amanda Natividad https://amandanat.com/ Zero Click Marketing https://zeroclickmarketing.co/ Zero Click Marketing: The Book https://zeroclickmarketing.co/book SparkToro – Audience Research https://sparktoro.com/ The Menu Newsletter Find it through Amanda’s website: https://amandanat.com/ Wayfinder Summit https://wayfindersummit.com/ Print to Pro https://printtopro.com ABOUT PROS TALKING PROSE Pros Talking Prose is where we talk honestly about writing, publishing, book marketing, author business, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable career around your books. No magic formulas. No pretending every author needs the same marketing plan. Just real conversations about writing better books, reaching readers, and building an author business that actually works. Subscribe and join us for a new conversation every week. #bookmarketingtips #AuthorMarketing #AuthorPlatform #IndieAuthors #SelfPublishing #ZeroClickMarketing #BookMarketingTips #AuthorBusiness #WritingCommunity #SocialMediaMarketing

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  Episode #92

  Authors Are Worrying About the Wrong Things

  Sep 12, 20261h 36m

  Authors spend a lot of time worrying about book sales, reviews, algorithms, trends, AI, bestseller lists, agents, publishers, other authors’ success… and a whole lot of things we can’t control. All that noise can make it very easy to lose your way. In this episode of Pros Talking Prose, Troy and Stacey talk about the difference between the things authors can control, the things they can influence, and the things they may need to simply be aware of… and let go. There is no magic formula for author success. You can control the work you do, the choices you make, and how you show up in your author career. You can influence things like sales, reviews, opportunities, and visibility, but you can’t guarantee the outcome. When authors spend too much energy chasing algorithms, trends, bestseller status, or what everyone else is doing, those things can start controlling them. If you're an indie author, self-published author, traditionally published author, or writer building a sustainable author business, this conversation is for you. RESOURCES Wayfinder Summit — A Virtual Working Retreat for Authors Less Distraction. More Direction. https://wayfindersummit.com Beyond Author Scams: Protect Yourself & Your Author Business Free live class — September 23 https://learning.printtopro.com/beyondauthorscams/ The Author Platform Operating Plan — Power Session Learn how to build and nurture an author platform around the parts you can actually control. https://learning.printtopro.com/p2p-power-session-september-session/ Plot Dude Craft Lab: Character-Driven vs. Plot-Driven Fiction September 22 with Troy Lambert https://learning.printtopro.com/character-driven-vs-plot-driven-fiction/ Better-Faster Academy — Becca Syme Events We mention Becca’s upcoming Boise workshop in October. https://classes.betterfasteracademy.com/courses/23dfb71c-aa32-47e9-bacf-88b7e4eeaa38/salespage Pros Talking Prose is the place where publishing professionals Stacey Smekofske and Troy Lambert talk shop about writing craft, indie publishing, author business, book marketing, publishing trends, AI for authors, and what it really takes to build a sustainable writing career. No magic formulas. No guaranteed bestseller promises. Just real conversations about writing, publishing, and the business of being an author. If that sounds like your kind of weird, subscribe and join us each Saturday.Keep writing. Be kind. Stay weird. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Mystery Noise We Couldn't Control 03:29 What Authors Can—and Can't—Control 10:01 Why There Is No Formula for Author Success 21:37 Book Sales, Reviews & What Authors Can Influence 27:43 Your Author Reputation Is Something You CAN Control 42:06 When Worry Starts Controlling Your Author Career 48:26 Algorithms, Trends & the Fear of Falling Behind 57:36 AI, Search & the Changing Publishing Industry 1:23:15 Stop Worrying About What Doesn't Matter 1:29:37 Don't Lose Your Way #authorbusiness #IndieAuthor #SelfPublishing #WritingCommunity #BookMarketing #AuthorLife #WritingMotivation #Publishing #WritingTips #ProsTalkingProse

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  Episode #91

  Readers Aren’t Accepting “Good Enough” Books Anymore

  Sep 5, 20261h 25m

  Readers aren’t accepting “good enough” books anymore. The quality bar in publishing has moved, and whether you publish independently, traditionally, or somewhere in between, readers are paying attention. In this episode, Stacey and Troy dig into what “professional quality” actually means today. Spoiler: professional means more than editing. A strong book is not just grammatically clean. The story must work. The cover must communicate the right promise. The formatting needs to disappear into the reading experience. Your genre expectations matter. Your presentation matters. And increasingly, readers can tell when an author has skipped the learning, rushed the process, or relied on technology to make decisions they weren’t equipped to evaluate. We also talk about how AI is raising the minimum quality floor without necessarily creating better books. AI can help create something passable, but if an author doesn’t understand story craft, cover design, editing, formatting, or reader expectations, “passable” may be exactly where the book stays. And readers are looking for more than passable. Ultimately, publishing professionally comes down to respecting the person on the other side of the book. Readers are investing their money, but more importantly, they are investing their time. Your job is to make that investment worthwhile. In this episode, we discuss: Why the publishing quality bar keeps rising Why AI can produce mediocrity surprisingly well The difference between copy editing, developmental editing, and manuscript evaluation Why readers notice poor covers and formatting—even when they can’t explain what feels wrong Why learning your craft still matters, regardless of the tools you use How genre expectations create a reader promise Why professional publishing is really about building reader trust The four things a professional book should accomplish As Stacey puts it near the end of the conversation: readers are not obligated to support your writing journey. Your responsibility is to give them an experience worth investing in. RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Wayfinder Summit — A Virtual Working Retreat for Authors Three days of focused work, community, professional guidance, networking, and practical support for authors who want to make meaningful progress. Registration begins at $30. https://WayfinderSummit.com P2P Author Business Harbor Join the conversation with other writers and publishing professionals inside our author community. https://www.skool.com/p2p-author-business-harbor/about Editing Services / Manuscript Evaluations Not sure whether your manuscript needs developmental editing, substantive editing, copy editing, or something else? Stacey breaks down the different editorial services and what each one is designed to accomplish. https://PrintToPro.com Russell Nohelty We reference Russell’s discussion about AI writing and his argument that one of the biggest problems with AI-assisted writing is using the technology before developing the craft and judgment necessary to guide it. https://www.hapitalist.com/cv/ If you enjoy conversations about the realities of writing, publishing, author business, craft, AI, and the constantly changing publishing industry, subscribe and join us each week for Pros Talking Prose. Keep writing. Stay weird. Be kind. #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthors #SelfPublishing #BookPublishing #WritingCraft #AuthorBusiness #BookEditing #PublishingTips #AIWriting

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  Episode #90

  The People Around You Can Change Your Author Career

  Aug 29, 20261h 21m

  Writing may happen alone, but building an author career doesn’t. After a whirlwind weekend at Killer Nashville, Stacey and Troy came home thinking about something that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough in publishing: the people you surround yourself with can fundamentally change the direction of your career. A conversation with a stranger can become a friendship. A friendship can become an introduction. An introduction can lead to an editor, agent, publisher, printer, collaborator, client, or simply another writer who understands exactly what this strange career feels like. In this episode of Pros Talking Prose, we talk about what healthy professional relationships actually look like in the publishing industry, and where those relationships can go wrong. We get into networking without making it feel transactional, building genuine connections at writers’ conferences, maintaining professional boundaries with editors and clients, following up when someone gives you an opportunity, and why knowing someone should never mean ignoring the proper process. We also talk candidly about the author-editor relationship. Can your editor also be your friend? Absolutely. But friendship can complicate criticism, invoices, boundaries, and those difficult conversations every good editor eventually has to have. And sometimes, the most important relationship you build has nothing to do with what that person can do for your career. Sometimes you simply need people in your corner. Because authors are not competing for one tiny piece of the publishing world. We are colleagues navigating many of the same challenges, and learning how to support, recommend, celebrate, and connect with one another can make this career a whole lot less lonely. Go to https://WayfinderSummit.com to join us at our writers' retreat in October. Find us at https://printtopro.com You can also go to our community at https://www.skool.com/p2p-author-business-harbor/about Chapters 00:00 – Back from Killer Nashville 02:00 – How Important Are Relationships in Publishing? 13:00 – How Relationships Open Doors for Authors 19:00 – Networking, Reputation & Professional Boundaries 28:00 – Publishing Companies, Printers & the Power of Real Connections 43:00 – Should You Be Friends With Your Editor? 1:07:00 – Stop Treating Other Authors Like Competition 1:13:00 – Why Writers Need Community If you’re an indie author, traditionally published author, aspiring writer, editor, publisher, or simply trying to figure out how to build a sustainable author career, subscribe to Pros Talking Prose. Every week, Stacey and Troy talk candidly about writing craft, publishing, book marketing, author business, editing, AI, and what it actually takes to stay in this industry for the long haul. #WritingCommunity #AuthorLife #IndieAuthor #Publishing #WritingTips #BookPublishing #AuthorBusiness #WritersConference #BookEditing #ProsTalkingProse

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