Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Substack TV, Spotify, and a £50,000 ‘reader-led’ writing prize. Then, stick around for a chat with Samantha Sotto Yambao!
Samantha Sotto Yambao is a professional daydreamer, aspiring time traveler, and speculative fiction writer based in Manila. She is the Sunday Times, USA Today, and Indie List Bestselling author of Water Moon, Before Ever After, Love and Gravity, A Dream of Trees, and The Beginning of Always.
Join us live on Feb 5 @ 1pm ET! https://bit.ly/WIPLive226
Meeting ID: 867 0031 3844 | Passcode: 851563
Check it out!
Samantha Sotto Yambao – https://samanthasotto.com/
The Elsewhere Express – https://samanthasotto.com/products/elsewhere-express
Introducing the Substack TV app, now in beta – https://on.substack.com/p/introducing-the-substack-tv-app-now
£50,000 ‘reader-led’ writing prize launched
Spotify is quietly developing a game-changing feature for book lovers
https://www.androidpolice.com/spotify-is-quietly-developing-a-game-changing-feature-for-book-lovers
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about a new bestseller list, Matthew McConaughey, and how artists can reclaim foreign rights. Then, stick around for a chat with Bekah Brinkmeier!
Bekah Brinkmeier is a USA Today Bestselling author and ghostwriter of more than 90 novels. She works with AutoCrit as an instructor and author coach, leading Team Plantser in the Novel 90 Writing Challenge. She loves helping writers untangle their ideas, build confidence, and turn rough drafts into finished books. When she’s not coaching or writing, she speaks at conferences and on podcasts about writing with ADHD, strategy, full-time author life, and book marketing.
Check it out!
Bekah Brinkmeier: https://www.autocrit.com/self-publishing-101-course/
AutoCrit: https://www.autocrit.com/
Appeals Court Rules That Artists Can Reclaim Foreign Rights – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2026/01/appeals-court-rules-that-artists-can-reclaim-foreign-rights/
Independent Publishers Caucus Launches Bestseller List with ABA – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99435-independent-publishers-caucus-launches-bestseller-list-with-aba.html
Matthew McConaughey Trademarks Himself to Fight AI Misuse https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/matthew-mcconaughey-trademarks-himself-to-fight-ai-misuse-8ffe76a9?st=zXhJRB
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Audible, Robert Munsch, and 2026 social media trends. Then, stick around for a chat with Amy Suto!
Amy Suto: I’ve devoted my life to the art of storytelling. I graduated from USC’s presitigious film school with a BFA in Writing for Screen and Television. I worked my way up the ranks from agency assistant to being able to write my own episode of TV, fully immersing myself in the art of writing fast-paced thrillers for global audiences. In my spare time, I also created a live events company (Kingdom of Pavement) that I would pivot to a scripted podcast company when the pandemic hit.
In 2021, I started traveling the world with friends and leaned even further into my work as a freelance memoir ghostwriter.
These days, I balance my freelance work with my own career as a romantasy author. I’ve published three books so far: my how-to book Six-Figure Freelance Writer: A Holistic Guide on Finding Freedom in Freelancing, The Nomad Detective: Volume I, and my debut romantasy novel The Ash Trials.
Check it out!
Amy Suto: https://www.amysuto.com/
Write for Money and Power: https://www.amysuto.com/desk-of-amy-suto/press-release-new-book-write-for-money-and-power-by-bestselling-author-amy-suto
Audible Tests In-App Promo Videos – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2026/01/audible-tests-in-app-promo-videos/#:~:text=In%20December%2C%20Audible%20began%20testing,about%20half%20of%20Audible%20users.
Watch for These 2026 Social Media Trends – https://janefriedman.com/watch-for-these-2026-social-media-trends
Expect Many More Books From the Love You Forever Author – https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/robert-munsch-plans-for-50-books-to-be-published-after-hes-gone
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about best-selling books and genres, and cultural works becoming public domain in 2026. Then, stick around for a chat with Christopher Locke!
Christopher Locke is the Director of Membership & Member Services at IBPA. He assists the more than 3,000 IBPA members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures.
Check it out!
Christopher Locke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lockechristopher/
IBPA: https://www.ibpa-online.org/
Dragons, Sex and the Bible: What Drove the Book Business This Year – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/books/book-sales-trends-2025.html
The Best-Selling Backlist Books of 2025 – https://bookriot.com/the-best-selling-backlist-books-of-2025/
The cultural works becoming public domain in 2026, from Betty Boop to Nancy Drew – https://www.npr.org/2025/12/26/nx-s1-5649395/public-domain-2026-copyright-betty-boop-pluto
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.