Self-Publishing with Dale

The Self-Publishing with Dale Podcast operates as a weekly news brief for indie authors, with Dale L. Roberts covering KDP changes, platform updates, and tool launches as they happen. Dale has been a full-time indie author and content creator since 2014, building a parallel YouTube channel with 100,000+ subscribers alongside the podcast — making this one of the few shows where audio and video carry equal weight in the same creator's ecosystem.

What You Get#

• Breaking news coverage: Dale regularly releases episodes within days of major industry announcements — KDP royalty changes, keyword rule updates, and new tool launches get covered before most newsletters catch up.
• Tool and platform reviews: Practical evaluations of new publishing tools and updates to established platforms including KDP, Publisher Rocket, Spotify for Authors, and formatting apps.
• Short, focused episodes: Most episodes run 20-25 minutes, structuring complex topics into digestible weekly updates rather than extended deep dives.
• YouTube companion content: Many episodes have corresponding YouTube videos, letting listeners choose their preferred format for the same content — rare among indie author podcasts.

Who It's For#

• KDP-focused authors: Dale's Amazon-first perspective means KDP gets thorough, rapid coverage — ideal for authors who earn primarily through Kindle and print-on-demand.
• New indie authors: The accessible format and practical focus make this a reliable starting point for authors building their first self-publishing workflow.
• Tool evaluators: Authors researching specific publishing software or platform capabilities will find regular, comparative coverage that goes beyond marketing copy.

Pricing: Free on all major podcast platforms and YouTube.

Strengths#

• News velocity: Dale often covers breaking KDP and Amazon changes within a week — faster than monthly newsletters and most larger publications.
• Long-running archive: 317+ episodes (latest #317 published May 8, 2026) span years of indie publishing news coverage including multiple Amazon algorithm shifts. Note the Libsyn RSS feed only exposes the most recent ~16 episodes and Apple Podcasts caches ~101 — older episodes are not retrievable from the live feed, only via the show's own archive.
• Ecosystem integration: The Substack newsletter and YouTube channel create multiple ways to engage with the same content, making it easy to stay current in your preferred format.

Limitations#

• Amazon-centric coverage: Authors who publish wide (Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble) will find the Amazon focus limiting. Wide publishing, direct sales strategy, and non-Amazon ad platforms get minimal coverage.
• Surface-level treatment of complex topics: The short-form format means topics like building an ad funnel or setting up a direct sales store receive introductory rather than strategic treatment.
• No community element: The show functions as a solo-host broadcast without forums, listener communities, or call-in segments.

Alternatives#

For a wider perspective across multiple platforms, the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast covers international markets and non-Amazon publishing in depth. For deeper advertising strategy, Sell More Books Show (Bryan Cohen, H. Claire Taylor) focuses more on marketing tactics than news coverage. The Self Publishing Show takes a longer-form interview approach that pairs well with Dale's short-news format.