No Sugarcoating the Author Business ft. Bestselling Romance Author Elizabeth O’Roark (EP554)
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The indie author realities no-one talks about (much). Bestselling romance author Elizabeth O’Roark joins us this week for one of the most refreshingly honest conversations we’ve had on the show — covering everything from her Random House deal to the indie strategies she’s quietly walked away from.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In this episode we chat about:</p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Going from medical writer to indie romance author in 2013</li>
<li>The Devil series breakout and working with publicist Nina Grinstead at Valentine PR</li>
<li>Pantser writing, rewriting every book 30 times, and writing scenes out of order</li>
<li>The honest truth about special editions, direct sales and Amazon ads for romance authors</li>
<li>Landing a two-book Random House deal — how it happened and what surprised her</li>
<li>Why KU is “like doing heroin” and the realities of going wide as a romance author</li>
<li>Cover changes, branding decisions, and learning to take feedback from other authors</li>
<li>The biggest challenge after 23 books: staying inspired</li>
<li>Voice dictation as a game-changer for writing faster</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>ABOUT ELIZABETH O’ROARK</strong></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Elizabeth O’Roark has a bunch of degrees she does not use and gave up working as a medical writer to craft grumpy, alpha heroes and the flawed women who love them.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When not writing, she likes to spend time with her three kids, who are now teenagers and wish she’d find a different way to spend time. She can be found on Facebook feverishly debating whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie and telling people to read “The Hating Game”, which she did not write but wishes she had.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="https://www.elizabethoroark.com">https://www.elizabethoroark.com</a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED:</strong></p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Elizabeth’s website: <a href="https://www.elizabethoroark.com">https://www.elizabethoroark.com</a></li>
<li>Nina Grinstead / Valentine PR: <a href="https://valentine-pr.com">https://valentine-pr.com</a></li>
<li>Natural Readers (text-to-speech for self-editing): <a href="https://www.naturalreaders.com">https://www.naturalreaders.com</a></li>
<li>Romance Author Mastermind (RAM)</li>
<li>Entangled Publishing (Devil series print deal)</li>
<li>Whitney G — author who gave the cover feedback Elizabeth credits</li>
<li>CliftonStrengths / Gallup Strengths assessment</li>
<li>Book Lovers by Emily Henry (mentioned re: trad publishing process)</li>
</ul>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">🔗 CONNECT WITH THE SPA GIRLS:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">🌐 Website & free self-publishing resources: <a href="http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com">http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com</a></p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">#SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #RomancePodcast</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast">Watch the recording on You Tube</a></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/c/SPAGirlsPodcast"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EP552-5-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3702" srcset="https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EP552-5-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EP552-5-300x169.jpg 300w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EP552-5-768x432.jpg 768w, https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/EP552-5.jpg 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">📌 IN THIS EPISODE:</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">00:00 — Introduction & welcome</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">01:15 — From medical writer to indie romance author: how it started in 2013</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">04:21 — Finding her stride: the Devil series breakout</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">06:13 — Branding, reader expectations & not bait-and-switching your audience</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">09:37 — Writing process: pantser life, writing scenes out of order, 30 rewrites</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">14:52 — Editors, beta readers & last-minute drafts</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">17:34 — The honest truth about special editions and direct sales</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">21:10 — “I’m very bad at my job”: on outsourcing what you’re not good at</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">23:24 — Building the brand: covers, website & finding a designer</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">26:12 — TikTok, Instagram & the viral video she didn’t plan for</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">27:46 — Working with a publicist (Nina Grinstead, Valentine PR)</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">30:48 — The Random House deal: how it happened and what surprised her</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">36:00 — Audio, translations & wide vs KU</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">39:10 — What readers actually love about her books</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">40:02 — Reader events, signings & the real cost of being “on”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">45:40 — Cover changes: why they matter and how to use them</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">49:27 — The biggest challenge: staying inspired after 23 books</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">52:06 — Final advice: voice dictation as a game-changer</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">54:15 — Wrap-up and where to find Elizabeth</p>
