Selling books at conventions sounds simple: set up a table, stack up your books, and wait for readers to arrive.

Yeah…not quite.

This week on The Indie Author Showcase, Chad shares what he’s learned from years of selling books at conventions like Monsterpalooza, WonderCon, Creep I.E., and other events. From choosing the right convention for your genre and keeping booth costs under control to getting people to actually STOP at your table, perfecting your elevator pitch, and turning a sale into a long-term reader, we dig into the lessons learned from behind the author booth.

Then it’s time for this week’s showcase: Generic Fantasy Story by David Osterman, a former writer for The Onion.

Nate, Sam, and Charlie are three decidedly unheroic teenagers who find refuge from the real world in fantasy role-playing games—until they accidentally find themselves transported into an ACTUAL fantasy world.

Dragons. Wizards. Prophecies. Quests. Horrible deaths.

And three guys who know exactly how these stories are supposed to work.

What follows is a fantasy adventure that plays with the tropes, clichés, and expectations of the genre while still delivering a surprisingly substantial fantasy quest underneath the comedy.

Does Generic Fantasy Story successfully balance a legitimate fantasy adventure with satire? Chad breaks down what worked, what could have been tightened, and why this one produced more than a few laughs.

Plus, Chad is heading to Sacramento for the Sinister Book Fair on September 27, so there will be no episode next week. The Indie Author Showcase returns in two weeks!

The Indie Author Showcase — the podcast by indie authors, for indie authors.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gave us two wildly unconventional episodes in the same season: one turned the Enterprise crew into puppets, while another dropped them into a full-blown soap opera. Both essentially play with an alternate reality where the events can ultimately be undone—but one worked for me, and the other absolutely didn’t.

This week on Indie Author Showcase, I break down the three big reasons I think the soap opera episode succeeds where the puppet episode fails: the premise, the stakes, and—most importantly—the lasting impact on the characters. It’s also a useful lesson for writers about how to make dream sequences and alternate realities actually matter to an audience.

Then, a change of pace for the Showcase. After having to DNF this week’s planned indie book, I take a look at ElevenLabs Reader, an AI text-to-speech app I’ve been using to turn ebooks and other documents into something I can listen to on the road. How good is it? Can it compete with a professionally narrated audiobook? And is the subscription price worth it?

Plus: why AI narration still struggles with pronunciation, inflection, sarcasm, and performance—and why I don’t think human audiobook narrators need to start looking for another job just yet.

Indie Author Showcase — the podcast by indie authors, for indie authors.

This week on the Indie Author Showcase, we’re talking about one of storytelling’s most dangerous tropes:

“It was all a dream.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds recently went all-in on puppets—and that wasn’t necessarily the problem. Star Trek has done weird before. The problem was revealing that none of it actually happened.

So what makes a dream episode work? Why do some dream stories have real stakes while others leave the audience wondering why they just wasted an hour? We look at examples from Star Trek: The Next Generation and break down how the Strange New Worlds puppet episode could have kept the insanity while making the dream actually matter.

Then it’s time for this week’s indie book showcase:

📚 Otto Normal’s Monsterton: The Disappearance of White Pine Beach by Danielle Michaelson, illustrated by Simon Estrada.

Eleven-year-old Otto Normal and his mother have moved to the mysterious island of Monsterton. There’s just one problem:

They’re not monsters.

Otto and his misfit monster friends set out in search of the legendary White Pine Beach—a mysterious beach rumored to change locations. But when one of their own disappears, their adventure becomes something much darker.

The book delivers a beautifully illustrated world, memorable characters, rich lore, and an A-plot that really works. But does its nonlinear storytelling, extensive use of flashbacks, and late introduction of supporting characters hurt the pacing?

We get into what worked, what didn’t, and why character development matters when you expect your audience to care about what happens to someone.

And yes: there’s a reason nobody cries over a redshirt.

Plus, I explain why I disappeared for a week—and why I came back earlier than expected.

What do you think? Can the “it was all a dream” trope ever work as a surprise ending?

Let me know in the comments!

Indie Author Showcase — the podcast by indie authors, for indie authors.

What happens to writers and artists when AI can generate books, images, and videos in seconds?

This week on The Indie Author Showcase, Chad takes another look at the AI debate—but this time, the question isn't whether AI is ethical or environmentally sustainable. It's how human creators continue to compete in a world flooded with AI-generated content.

From photography changing painting to CGI transforming animation, new technology has challenged artists before. Art didn't disappear. It evolved. Could AI force writers and artists to do the same? Chad explores why originality, creative intent, and creating something AI hasn't seen before may become increasingly important for indie creators.

Then it's time for this week's showcase: To Dye For by Greta Boris, a supernatural murder mystery featuring Imogene, a hairstylist whose unusual connection to the dead pulls her into an investigation involving a suspicious death—and possibly a serial killer.

Quirky characters, murder, humor, a reluctant heroine, and just enough supernatural weirdness make this one of Chad's favorite reads of the year so far—and an early contender for Indie Author Showcase Book of the Year.

The AI debate continues.

After the response to last week's interview with Jennifer Milne, Chad Robert Morgan tackles some of the biggest questions facing authors today:

• Should authors use AI-generated book covers?
• Where should the line be drawn between AI-assisted and AI-created work?
• Can readers trust a book with an AI cover?
• Are AI data centers really worse for the environment than streaming services?

Then it's time for this week's featured indie book:

🧟 All Dead by T. W. Brown

If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, George A. Romero, or gritty, character-driven zombie apocalypse fiction, T. W. Brown delivers a brutal and uncompromising apocalypse told through multiple interconnected storylines. Chad discusses what makes the series stand out, the unique narrative structure, and the few elements that didn't quite work for him.

Featured Book 📖 All Dead by T. W. Brown

The Indie Author Showcase is a podcast by indie authors, for indie authors, featuring honest book reviews, author interviews, publishing discussions, and tips for readers and writers alike.

If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and share. Every subscription helps support independent creators and the indie author community.

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Award-winning author Jennifer Milne joins the Indie Author Showcase to discuss her acclaimed middle-grade fantasy Plain Princess Jane, the challenges of writing while balancing family life, and what it really takes to succeed as an indie author.

In this candid conversation, we discuss:

• 📖 The inspiration behind Plain Princess Jane
• 🏆 Winning multiple literary awards
• ✍️ Why story structure is essential for every writer
• 🤖 The ongoing debate over AI-generated book covers and writing
• 📚 The realities of indie publishing and marketing
• 🎪 Book fairs, conventions, and reaching readers
• 💡 Advice for aspiring authors

Jennifer also shares her writing process, upcoming projects, and why external deadlines may be the secret to finally finishing that next novel.

Whether you're an author looking to improve your craft or a reader interested in discovering award-winning indie fiction, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest discussion.

Featured Author: Jennifer Milne Featured Book: Plain Princess Jane

If you enjoy supporting indie authors, be sure to like, subscribe, and share the podcast with fellow readers and writers.

This week on the Indie Author Showcase, Chad Robert Morgan catches up on the latest news from the indie publishing world before diving into a review of The Breeding by Avily Jerome.

In this episode:

• 📚 Review of The Breeding by Avily Jerome
• 👹 Thoughts on Creep I.E. Aftermath and the convention experience
• 🎭 Why celebrity scheduling matters for vendors
• ✍️ Updates from Scott Harper, Doug Brode, and other indie authors
• 📖 Announcement for the upcoming Sinister Book Fair
• 🎙️ Publishing and audiobook production insights from an indie author

This Week's Showcase The Breeding follows Detective Jack Davidson, who believes she's losing her mind after the death of her fiancé. As terrifying creatures only she can see begin to blur the line between trauma and reality, Jack uncovers a conspiracy involving human trafficking, demonic forces, and a mystery tied to her fiancé's final case.

Whether you're looking for your next supernatural thriller or you're an indie author interested in publishing, conventions, and book marketing, there's something here for you.

👍 If you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and leave a comment. It helps more readers discover great indie books.

In this episode of the Indie Author Showcase, Chad Robert Morgan dives into one of the biggest frustrations facing authors today: Can readers actually trust book reviews? From one-star reviews of literary classics to confusing five-star reviews that criticize the very books they praise, Chad explores why ratings often fail to tell the whole story—and proposes his own approach to what one through five stars should actually mean.

Then it's time for a nostalgic trip through some of the greatest children's books ever written, including Where the Wild Things Are, The Lorax, and The Monster at the End of This Book. Chad shares the stories that shaped his love of reading and asks listeners which classics belong on every child's bookshelf.

Finally, this week's Indie Spotlight turns to Glitch, a post-apocalyptic indie comic featuring a young scavenger, mysterious AI technology, and a promising blend of action and character development. Chad discusses what works, where the comic could improve, and why it's worth checking out.

In this episode:

• Why book reviews are more complicated than star ratings
• Chad's personal 1–5 star review philosophy
• Classic children's books every kid should experience
• Review of the indie comic Glitch
• Thoughts on storytelling, comics, and visual pacing

Whether you're an author, reader, or comic fan, this episode offers plenty to think about.

Subscribe for weekly discussions about indie books, comics, publishing, and the stories behind the stories.