Read and Write with Natasha

Natasha Tynes
  • 5.0 (18)
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This podcast discusses writing life, reviews books, and interviews authors and industry professionals. 

  1. Guest Podcasting For Authors

    5D AGO

    Guest Podcasting For Authors

    Want your book and brand to break past your own audience?  I sat down with SEO strategist and author Brandon Leibowitz to map the fastest path: guest podcasting. Brandon lays out how stepping onto trusted shows earns the backlinks and third‑party mentions that search engines crave, while also unlocking new readers who arrive pre‑warmed by the host's credibility. We dig into why backlinks still power rankings, how to turn each interview into an evergreen content engine, and where AI changes the game. Brandon explains the growing split between what Google values and what LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini surface, and why consistent third‑party coverage now influences both. You'll hear practical tactics for authors: creating audience‑specific pages on your site, avoiding duplicate content traps, using Google Keyword Planner to validate titles, and funneling readers with smart bonuses and QR codes to build your email list. Brandon also shares the scrappy methods he used to land 300 shows: simple Google operators to find podcasts with real SEO value, plus directories like Podmatch and Listen Notes. We get candid about self‑publishing his new book, The Power of Guest Podcasting, from editing and formatting hurdles to a last‑minute KDP launch that still hit #1 in Amazon's podcasting category. If you've wondered whether to start your own show or double down on guesting, this conversation makes the case for building trust first and growing your ecosystem on its back. Subscribe for more conversations that help writers and creators grow with clear, modern marketing.  If you found value, leave a quick review and share this episode with an author who needs fresh eyes on their SEO. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    47 min
  2. Building Books In Colombia; Selling Stories To The World

    FEB 22

    Building Books In Colombia; Selling Stories To The World

    Richard McColl is a British writer, publisher, and podcaster who built something entirely his own in Colombia, and the lessons he's learned apply wherever you're trying to get your work into the world. In this conversation, we dig into Fuller Vigil, his boutique indie press publishing English-language books about Colombia with tight prose, lived experience, and beautiful design.  You can watch the Video Interview here.  Richard breaks down the actual business of independent publishing, printing locally, stocking the shops where readers actually buy, using KDP strategically for reach, and measuring success by community and events rather than vanity metrics. Distribution is expanding to the UK, with the US next. It's a masterclass in building small and building smart. Colombia Calling, his weekly podcast, is part of the same ecosystem — pairing a rigorous ten-minute news brief with in-depth interviews, sustained by a Patreon community that gets early access, explainers, and book discounts. Richard talks about what it really takes to build an audience that trusts you, and why that trust is the foundation on which everything else runs. We also get into the writing itself,  how place shapes story, how to go beyond the obvious narrative everyone expects, and what it means to publish books that represent a country on its own terms rather than through someone else's lens. He closes with advice every writer needs to hear: don't quit the day job too soon, collect contacts like currency, evolve your plan, grow thick skin, and make peace with the fact that you won't switch off.  Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    41 min
  3. How This Author Turned a Subway Moment Into a Book That Redesigns Your Day

    JAN 28

    How This Author Turned a Subway Moment Into a Book That Redesigns Your Day

    A single moment on a New York subway platform can flip a life.  That’s where author and coach Deborah Mallow decided to stop living by default and design days that actually felt good. We invited her to share how that choice turned into a practical, design-forward guide: Six Steps to Fewer Days That Suck. We walk through each step with real-world examples. Start with the decision to change, then strip away the habits that feed worry and fear.  Feed your mindset with bravery, not doubt. Take action with balance so your progress is sustainable, and choose an attitude that reflects the self you want to project. Finally, make the commitment to stay the course when results wobble.  Deborah grounds every step in accessible brain science, how cortisol shapes mornings, why negativity bias traps our focus, and how small rituals like a self-hug, a smile, and a one-line affirmation can trigger endorphins and set a positive pattern for the day. As a designer, Deborah built her book for how we actually consume content: fast, visual, and memorable.  Double-page spreads deliver quotes, questions, mantras, and start-now activities you can use in minutes. She also pulls back the curtain on her self-publishing strategy, from combining Amazon with IngramSpark to sourcing a cover from Big Five talent and planning bulk sales that bring positivity into workplaces. It’s a masterclass in aligning creative vision with smart distribution, all while protecting your voice. If you’re ready to enjoy more and worry less, you’ll leave with a morning micro-ritual, a clearer sense of purpose, and a repeatable way to reduce the days that drain you.  Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    35 min
  4. Find Your People Before You Find Your Publisher

    JAN 26

    Find Your People Before You Find Your Publisher

    A late-night encounter with a fantasy novel lit the fuse, and Richie Billing walked away from law to chase the kind of storytelling that steals your sleep.  We sit down with Richie to unpack the leap, the grind, and the systems that make a modern writing life possible without the smoke and mirrors. If you’ve wondered how authors really pay the bills, this candid, generous conversation gives you the roadmap and the reality check. We get specific about the money. Richie breaks down why per-book royalties rarely add up, how crowded discount markets distort expectations, and why volume alone can’t be the goal. Instead, he shows how to find your readers by leaning into comparisons, build a list with SEO that quietly compounds, and use honest, relationship-first emails to turn casual subscribers into committed fans.  He also opens up about Patreon: simple tiers, low friction pricing, and benefits designed for how people actually read—downloadable ebooks, immersive web readers, and bonus audio—so support becomes recurring, not a one-off. The creative experiments are wild and smart. Richie explains how he self-published a novella with an original soundtrack—QR codes in print and tappable links in ebooks—where each character’s theme mirrors their emotional arc.  He also shares “local-first” marketing tactics, from community events to QR stickers that cut through online noise. We dig into his podcast playbook, the real limits of monetizing audio without scale, and the crucial shift from making content for writers to serving readers who will buy your fiction.  Along the way, we talk about writing routines around full-time work, class barriers in publishing, and why a weekly web novel can blend drafting, feedback, and momentum. Don't miss this fascinating episode, filled with golden nuggets. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    33 min
  5. How A Daily 'Thought Of The Day' Grew Into A Global Humor Book Series

    JAN 22

    How A Daily 'Thought Of The Day' Grew Into A Global Humor Book Series

    In this episode, W G Williams takes us inside the moment he stopped chasing agents, embraced a hybrid publisher, and brought 20 Years of Internet Humor and Other Interesting Things to life without losing the warmth that kept readers coming back for decades. We explore the nuts and bolts: sourcing stories from readers, editing for clarity and broad appeal, and verifying originality rather than recycling copyrighted material from the web.  Bill walks through why he organizes nearly 200 entries alphabetically to keep tone and topics varied, how he credits contributors for transparency, and why short, self-contained stories make the book perfect for five-minute reading sprints.  He shares candid lessons on marketing as an author-operator—leveraging word of mouth, live events, simple social posts, and the power of online retail to attract new readers and even new publishing offers after the fact. You’ll also hear how Bill balances a full-time career with a daily creative routine, stays a week ahead on content, and plans themed volumes dedicated to kids, aging, marriage, and more.  If you’ve wondered whether hybrid publishing can be both rigorous and empowering, or how micro-stories can cut through a loud news cycle with a little levity and a lot of heart, this conversation offers a practical blueprint and a gentle nudge to keep going. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    31 min
  6. Inside Christian Fiction’s Rise And Reach With David Gregory

    JAN 16

    Inside Christian Fiction’s Rise And Reach With David Gregory

    A skeptic sits down to dinner with Jesus at a quiet Italian restaurant, and a half-million readers later, David Gregory finds himself at the center of Christian fiction’s unlikely boom.  I invited David to unpack how a self-published novella became a national bestseller, why some faith-forward stories cross into the mainstream, and what it really takes to write novels that don’t preach yet still carry a clear message. We get practical fast: what qualifies a book as Christian fiction, how to keep theology organic to the plot, and why readers bristle when characters pause for sermons.  David shares behind-the-scenes moments from Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, the ripple effects of The Shack and the Left Behind series, and the ongoing shelving debate that keeps many faith-based novels in the religion aisle instead of general fiction.  We also talk audience realities—why women 35+ dominate the category, how teens still respond when the story sings, and the surprising power of simple word of mouth over trend-chasing tactics. Then we zoom out to the business. David explains the platform-first logic of today’s publishers, why he returned to self-publishing after major-house launches, and what has and hasn’t moved the needle for discoverability.  He teases new projects, including a fable-like work for all ages and screen adaptations of The Last Christian and One of Us, a contemporary retelling of the gospels through the life of Manuel, a Mexican American mechanic. If you care about faith, fiction, or the craft of making both feel real, this conversation will change how you think about story. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    38 min
  7. Writing the Body: Christopher Lee Maher on Publishing and Reclaiming Health

    JAN 13

    Writing the Body: Christopher Lee Maher on Publishing and Reclaiming Health

    Christopher Lee Maher is the author of Free for Life, a book born not from theory but from a personal reckoning. After years as a Navy SEAL, Christopher looked physically elite yet struggled with insomnia, chronic pain, and nervous system overload. His book documents the system he built to understand why strong bodies break down—and how to restore them. In this episode, Christopher unpacks the core ideas behind Free for Life and the method he calls True Body Intelligence, which addresses stress and distortion across the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual body. He explains how prolonged exposure to cold and high stress shortened muscle chains, disrupted sleep, and trapped tension in the nervous system—and how most fitness routines unknowingly make this worse. We talk through the practical framework at the heart of the book: using all three muscle contractions—concentric, eccentric, and isometric—to lengthen tissue, stabilize joints, and release stored stress. Christopher shares why most workouts overtrain one contraction, how slowing the lowering phase can change everything, and why daily “resets” matter more than intensity. We also zoom out to the author journey. Christopher reflects on self-publishing Free for Life, choosing a slow, values-driven marketing strategy, and prioritizing purpose over visibility. This conversation is for writers and authors interested in embodied knowledge, meaningful nonfiction, and what it looks like to build a book—and a body—around long-term integrity rather than quick wins. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    38 min
  8. Building Authority and Revenue With Audiobooks

    JAN 6

    Building Authority and Revenue With Audiobooks

    Ready to turn your book into a voice that moves people—and moves your business forward? In this episode, I sit down with audiobook coach and producer Robert Lane to unpack how nonfiction authors can confidently narrate their own audiobooks from a simple home setup and publish professionally on major platforms. If you’ve ever thought, “I hate how my voice sounds,” or worried that your accent might hold you back, this conversation reframes your voice as a brand asset. Robert shares practical tools to help you sound clear, conversational, and engaging, without trying to sound like someone else. We break down what goes into a professional audiobook: confidence-building narration coaching, pacing that keeps listeners hooked, and production essentials such as clean edits, noise control, and adherence to exact specs for Audible, Amazon, and Apple. We also explore who should self-narrate, when hiring a voice actor makes sense (especially for character-heavy fiction), and how to build an effective at-home studio—with the right mic, closed-back headphones, and an acoustic space that works (yes, even a closet). We also address the key question about AI narration. Robert explains why synthetic voices still miss emotional timing and subtext—and how cutting corners here can quietly damage your author brand. Finally, we dig into the business case. Audiobooks continue to outperform ebooks in revenue growth, but the smartest authors don’t rely on royalties alone. Learn how to use your audiobook as a high-credibility calling card to land paid speaking gigs, organizational sales, and cross-format bundles.  If you’re serious about reaching more readers, sounding like yourself, and building a durable revenue engine around your book, this episode delivers the mindset, workflow, and roadmap. Have a comment? Text me! Support the show 📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck? Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

    34 min
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5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

This podcast discusses writing life, reviews books, and interviews authors and industry professionals. 

Information

  • Creator
    Natasha Tynes
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Read and Write with Natasha
  • Show Website
    Read and Write with Natasha