This premiere episode of Season 2 encourages aspiring self-publishers to take action in 2026, highlighting the newly updated KDP Starter Guide and its five-step blueprint for launching a book on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. The host reflects on an eighteen-month hiatus, discusses advances in AI, Virtual Voice, and Discord communities, and teases future episodes with deeper tactical advice. Personal business milestones and a renewed focus on time management are also mentioned, setting an optimistic tone for achieving publishing success together.

In this bonus episode of KB’s Self Pub Empire, KB shares insights from attending Adepticon, a major tabletop gaming convention, and reflects on the power of capturing live experiences through podcasting. He highlights the Poorhammer podcast as a standout example of creators recording authentic, on-the-ground content that taps directly into community energy—specifically their live “Adepticon Hot Takes” episode reacting to major Warhammer announcements. KB connects this approach to broader creator and self-publishing strategies, emphasizing the importance of turning real-world experiences into evergreen content that builds trust, engagement, and long-term monetization. The episode reinforces the idea of treating every experience as fuel for a content engine and encourages creators to strategically document their journeys to move from posts to profits.

https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/

https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer

https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer

https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton

This bonus episode of KB’s Self Pub Empire serves as an energetic teaser for the upcoming Season 2 of the podcast. KB reflects on Season 1, which focused on foundational steps of self-publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing, including setup, formatting, cover design, pricing, publishing, and basic marketing. Looking ahead, Season 2 will shift toward scaling and monetization—helping authors turn published books into sustainable income through advanced KDP strategies, smarter use of AI, improved visibility tools like A+ Content and Author Central, and burnout-free marketing systems. KB also highlights existing imprints such as the Senior Dummies series, the KSquare poetry and art collections, and previews the upcoming Boiled Down Basics app and website. The episode closes with an invitation to explore resources at selfpubempire.com and a motivational call to keep writing and publishing.

🖋️📚 Unlock Your Self-Publishing Potential with Discord! 🚀✨ From connecting with fans to discovering invaluable resources, Discord is your ultimate community hub. Ready to take your book to the next level? Learn how to create your own Discord server! 💬👇 - Discord offers authors a new way to connect with their fan base.

- Initially for gamers, Discord now serves various communities with 140 million monthly active users.

- Authors like AF Kay effectively use Discord to engage with fans.

- Topics covered: Why Discord, Getting Set Up, Best Practices, Measuring Success.

- Discord can either distract or help grow a community around your content.

- It's a powerful tool for self-published authors to deepen connections and expand reach.

- Creating an interactive community boosts engagement and loyalty among fans.

Try out my free Getting Started with KDP Guide!

🎧✨ Dive into the world of storytelling with Amazon Virtual Voice! Easily create your own audiobooks and bring stories to life. 📚🔥 Ready to turn words into magic? Start now! 👉

- **Amazon virtual voice service**: Still in Beta, now over 40,000 AI-narrated books since November 2023.

- **Mixed reactions**: Critics argue it eliminates human narrators; supporters see benefits for self-publishing.

- **Advantages**: Fast, cost-effective audiobook creation; option to use human narrators later.

- **Quality concerns**: Human narrators offer better inflections and tone for bringing characters to life.

- **Audiobook market growth**: Expected CAGR of 24.4-26.3%, with market potentially tripling from $5 billion in 2022 to nearly $15 billion by 2028.

- **Step-by-step guide**:

- Open bookshelf and find eBook

- Test and select Virtual Voice

- Set Pricing

- Review with Virtual Voice Studio

- Publish Audiobook

- **Requirements for eBooks**

Free eBook: Getting started with KDP!

📚✨ Exciting News! We have the incredible Brian King joining us on the show to dive into his thrilling LitRPG series, Death and the Sword Saint! 🗡️📖 His third book just dropped in January and is already making waves on Amazon! 🌊 #LitRPG #NewRelease #AuthorInterview #BookLovers 📚💡

- Brian King discusses his LitRPG series, Death and the Sword Saint.

- The third book in the series was released in January and is available on Amazon.

- Brian gives us an overview of the story.

- Brian’s interview includes his inspiration, integrating game mechanics, and balancing world-building with character development.

- Other topics cover challenges in self-publishing, influences, reader engagement, and essential tools for writing.

- Brian also talks about his self-publishing processes and advice for aspiring authors.

Death and the Sword Saint vol 1

Death and the Sword Saint vol 2

Death and the Sword Saint vol 3

Check out my FREE Guide to Getting Started with KDP!

📚✨ Ready to publish your print book as an eBook? Here's your step-by-step guide! 🖥️➡️📝 Part 3 of my KDP series! Time to turn your manuscript into a masterpiece ✨📖 #AuthorLife #PublishingJourney #self-publishing 🌟🖋️

- Ensure the print version is ready and in an acceptable format (DOCX, HTML, RTF, plain text).

- Download Kindle Create to convert, edit, and preview your document.

- Format within Kindle Create, review headings, pages, and export to KPF or EPUB.

- Create a cover using GIMP or other tools; ideal dimensions are 1,600 x 2,560 pixels.

- Finalize details on KDP, upload KPF and cover, set price, and publish.

- For additional distribution, use Draft2Digital for wider reach.

🚀✨ Dive into the world of self-publishing with me! 📚 Hear about my journey in creating eye-catching book covers 🎨 and why getting your artwork ready for KDP is key! 🔑 Not the best artist? No worries, I share tips on placing images & designing stunning graphics. 🎆💡Check out the latest episode! 🎙️🔗#SelfPublishing #BookCovers #KDP #AuthorLife #CreativeJourney

- Hear about self-publishing and creating book covers.

- I’m not the best artist but here’s how I enjoy placing images and designing graphics.

- It’s important to get good artwork and upload it to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

- Listeners are encouraged to check out previous episodes for more context.

- There are 5 steps for creating a book cover using KDP and GIMP software.

- Step 1: Use KDP's cover creator and download the template for layout guidance.

- Step 2: Obtain high-quality artwork for front and back covers, ensuring proper resolution.

- Step 3: Understand basic features of GIMP, such as layers and image manipulation.

- Step 4: Import the KDP template into GIMP and add layers for artwork and text.

- Step 5: Add text, ensure alignment, flatten the image, and export as a PDF.

- Save the work in GIMP's native format before exporting.

- Engage with me on social media and share your self-publishing experiences.

GIMP

Check out my FREE Guide to Getting Started with KDP!

Edited with Resound