Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. <a href="https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack</a>: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome<br /><br />Today’s guest is author and entrepreneur Ali Kriegsman, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her path through traditional publishing, burnout, rejection—and ultimately choosing to self-publish her debut novel "The Raise" on her own terms.<br /><br />In this episode, Ali breaks down what it really took to launch a book without a traditional publisher: owning 100% of her rights, deciding not to invest in PR, building a highly visual TikTok-driven campaign, and treating herself as the CEO of her own book launch—and it WORKED. Ali even earned the Reese's Book Club stamp of approval!<br /><br />Ali opens up about the ego hit of not selling her novel on submission, the mindset shift required to embrace self-publishing, and how redefining success helped her rebuild confidence in her creative work. We also dig into the realities of book marketing, the trade-offs between traditional and self-publishing, genre confusion, rights ownership, audiobook decisions, and why writers have to decide what they’re optimizing for—whether that’s bestseller lists, longevity, or adaptation potential.<br /><br />Subscribe to Ali’s Substack <a href="https://alikriegsman.substack.com/welcome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Motives</a>, follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alikriegs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> @alikriegs, and buy your copy of <i>The Raise</i> on <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/85623/9781662962493" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bookshop.org</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/4qcBsDw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon</a>, or wherever books are sold!<br /><br />The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/courtneykocak/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram @courtneykocak</a> and <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/courtneykocak.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bluesky @courtneykocak.bsky.social</a>. For more, check out her website <a href="https://courtneykocak.com/links" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">courtneykocak.com</a>.<br /><b></b><br /><b></b><b>Courtney is teaching some upcoming workshops you might be interested in:</b><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><br /><ul><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-make-2026-your-best-writing-year-yet-manifest-your-writing-goals-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to Make 2026 Your Best Writing Year Yet: Manifest Your Writing Goals</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-make-2026-your-best-writing-year-yet-manifest-your-writing-goals-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak</li><li><a href="https://www.courtneykocak.com/store/new-years-newsletter-pitch-party-extravaganza-2026" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Year’s Newsletter &amp; Pitch Party Extravaganza</a> (use code BLEEDERS for $100 off): https://www.courtneykocak.com/store/new-years-newsletter-pitch-party-extravaganza-2026</li><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-build-a-platform-for-writers-who-shudder-at-the-thought-zoom-seminar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to Build a “Platform” for Writers Who Shudder at the Thought</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-build-a-platform-for-writers-who-shudder-at-the-thought-zoom-seminar</li><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Start a Newsletter to Supercharge Your Platform, Network and Business</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminar</li><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/land-big-bylines-by-writing-for-columns-zoom-seminar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Land Big Bylines by Writing for Columns</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/land-big-bylines-by-writing-for-columns-zoom-seminar</li><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-podcast-workshop-courtney-kocak" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">So You Want to Start a Podcast?</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-podcast-workshop-courtney-kocak</li><li><a href="https://writingworkshops.com/products/edit-elevate-revision-intensive-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Edit &amp; Elevate: Revision Intensive</a>: https://writingworkshops.com/products/edit-elevate-revision-intensive-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak</li></ul>