SPA Girls Podcast

The SPA Girls Podcast (SPA = Self Publishing Authors) has run weekly since 2015 — one of the longest-running indie author podcasts still producing original content with its original hosts. All four co-hosts are full-time fiction authors based in New Zealand: Wendy Vella (Amazon bestseller, 2+ million books sold, 40+ published novels), Cheryl Phipps (USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, publishes cozy mysteries as C.A. Phipps), Shar Barratt, and Trudi Jaye. Together they've published 140+ books and operate active publishing businesses while producing the show weekly.

What You Get#

• Peer advice from working authors: All four hosts run active publishing businesses — success stories and struggles reflect current experience, not coaching theory or platform positioning.
• Fiction-focused episodes: Topics include direct sales setup, reader engagement, genre marketing, cover design, craft, and author mindset — oriented toward romance and genre fiction rather than nonfiction.
• Guest interviews: The show brings in USA Today and NYT bestselling authors, successful indie authors, and genre specialists spanning romance, paranormal, science fiction, and contemporary fiction.
• Four-host dynamic: The conversational multi-host format creates natural debate and varying perspectives that solo-host shows cannot replicate.

Who It's For#

• Genre fiction authors: Romance, paranormal, thriller, and fantasy authors will find the most directly applicable advice, given the hosts' publishing backgrounds and guest roster.
• Direct sales explorers: The SPA Girls have covered direct-to-reader sales strategy (Shopify, Payhip, reader funnels) extensively as the trend has grown among fiction authors.
• Authors who want community warmth: The show has cultivated a loyal listener base with consistent audience interaction, functioning as a community touchpoint rather than a passive content feed.

Pricing: Free. A Patreon membership ($10/month tier) unlocks access to a private mastermind group for authors and bonus community content.

Strengths#

• Ten years of consistent weekly output: 552+ episodes since 2015 with the same hosting team — EP#520 commemorated the 10-year milestone in October 2025 — represents a rarity in the indie podcast landscape, where most shows end within two years.
• Apple Podcasts rating of 4.7/5 (106 ratings): Consistently high listener ratings with a review count well above the indie author podcast norm, reflecting durable trust in peer-based practical advice.
• Deep direct sales coverage: As author-direct sales have grown, the SPA Girls have stayed ahead of the curve with how-tos and results reporting rather than surface-level overviews.

Limitations#

• Fiction-only focus: Nonfiction, memoir, and business-book authors will find limited relevance. The hosts' expertise and guest selection are firmly grounded in genre fiction.
• New Zealand perspective: All hosts are based in New Zealand, which occasionally creates framing differences around US or UK market-specific platforms and reader behavior.
• Less granular on paid ads: While the show covers advertising topics, it is less detailed on Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads mechanics than dedicated marketing shows.

Alternatives#

For a craft-only fiction focus without marketing content, Helping Writers Become Authors (K.M. Weiland) covers story structure in depth. For a broader international indie author base with cross-platform coverage, the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast reaches beyond the New Zealand fiction community. Sell More Books Show offers more Amazon Ads depth for genre fiction authors focused on that platform.