Why Writing Your Book is Your Ultimate Power Move in 2026
Cara Says It All
Cara Alwill
4.8 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Amanda Frances for a real, unfiltered conversation about what it actually looks like to become an author today—and why self-publishing is no longer the "alternative"… it's the power move.
Between the two of us, we've sold hundreds of thousands of books, built global audiences, and turned our writing into real businesses. And at one point, we both had the same realization:
We don't need permission.
In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the publishing industry, breaking down the myths, and showing you what's actually possible when you decide to do it your way.
If you've been thinking about writing a book, sitting on an idea, or waiting to be chosen...this is your sign.
In this episode, we talk about:
- The biggest myths about traditional publishing
- What book deals really look like behind the scenes
- Why self-publishing gives you more control, ownership, and income
- How to turn your book into a long-term asset (not just a one-time project)
- The identity shift required to become a visible, paid author
- What to do if you want to start writing your book now
This episode is for you if:
- You have a book idea you haven't acted on
- You've been waiting for a publisher, agent, or "right time"
- You want to build a brand, business, or platform through your writing
- You're ready to stop playing small and actually put your work into the world
Ready to become a self-published author?
If this episode spoke to you, Self-Published was created for exactly this moment.
Inside, you'll learn how to write, publish, and sell your book—on your terms.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Kara Says It All, the show where we drop the script and say what we really think. |
| 0:06.4 | I'm Kara Alwill, your host and go-to for unfiltered conversations on life, love, business, creativity, and everything that shapes us. |
| 0:16.6 | Here we believe that the power to create your own story starts now. No filters, no apologies. |
| 0:23.6 | Whether you're here for inspiration, a laugh, or a perspective shift, buckle up because we're |
| 0:29.0 | going deep and keeping it real. Welcome to the conversation. |
| 0:36.6 | Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the show. Today's episode is a special one. I'm sitting down with my friend Amanda Francis, someone who like me has built a wildly successful career as a self-published author. Between the two of us, we have sold hundreds of thousands of books. We built global audiences and we've turned our words into |
| 0:55.4 | real businesses without waiting for permission. We've both been in the rooms. We've had the |
| 1:00.0 | conversations. We've seen how traditional publishing actually works from the inside. And at a certain |
| 1:04.9 | point, we both have the same realization. We don't need it. So in this episode, we are pulling back the curtain on what it looks |
| 1:12.4 | like to write, publish, and sell your own book. And why self-publishing isn't the backup plan, |
| 1:17.9 | it's the power move. If you have ever thought about writing a book, if you're maybe in the |
| 1:22.8 | middle of writing a book, and you don't know which direction you want to go in. If you have been waiting to be |
| 1:28.6 | chosen, or if you just know, you have something to say, this episode is going to hit. Let's get |
| 1:34.3 | into it. Hello, everyone. We are so happy to be with you today. So happy to be here, Amanda, |
| 1:42.7 | we're doing this again, which is awesome. I feel like we |
| 1:45.3 | get to touch base on the topic of self-publishing, kind of like yearly and so much changes in |
| 1:51.9 | the industry, so much changes in our own lives, in our own businesses. So it's really cool to kind |
| 1:57.4 | to get to join everyone and talk about this from the 2026 perspective. |
| 2:03.3 | I know. And it's like so much changes, but so much stays the same. Yeah. Yeah. Like the basics of |
| 2:11.0 | everyone needs a book. You need to write it. You need to get into the world. It's going to amplify |
| 2:15.7 | everything you do, everything you want. I mean, that has get it into the world. It's going to amplify everything you do, |
| 2:22.9 | everything you want. I mean, that has remained very consistent. Yeah. And I think what's remained consistent forever, I mean, at least it's been almost 15 years since I first started to |
... |
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