Coffee With Cole: The Digital Writing Podcast

Episode Summary – "Writer Q&A: How To Be A Successful Fiction Author"

Host: Nicolas Cole
Release Date: October 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Q&A-focused episode, Nicolas Cole answers a range of thoughtful questions posed by listener Sebastian about becoming a successful fiction author in today's digital landscape. From the nuances of pen names, testing markets, and content cadence, to building audiences and monetization methods, Cole offers candid, actionable insights rooted in his own experience as a prolific digital writer and self-publisher.

The episode is especially practical for fiction writers looking to break through commercially, with a particular emphasis on building volume, focusing on fundamentals, and demystifying distractions like list-building or niche concerns early on.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pen Names & Author Positioning

Timestamp: 01:00–05:30

• Core Advice:
  Decide if you want to build a unified author brand under your real name or operate like a publishing house with multiple pen names.

  • Unified brand (e.g., James Patterson): All genres and types of writing under one name.
  • Multiple pen names: Useful if you want to orchestrate books in various genres without being the central author, especially with AI-generated content.

• Video Game Analogy:

  “Which character are you more likely to see success on? A character that you invest all your time and energy into, or five different characters?... If you only had one character, that character would be the one that leveled the fastest.” (03:10)

• Cole’s Preference:
  He prefers investing all effort into one name for deeper long-term benefits and personal enjoyment.

2. How To Test What Sells Fast in Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Timestamp: 05:30–13:40

• Nonfiction:

  • Easy to test via articles, blog posts, viral content.
  • Example: Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point originated from a successful article.

• Fiction:

  • Testing is trickier; short stories/ideas can be shared via Medium, Substack, but results aren’t as immediate or clear.
  • Key question: Are you “Amazon exclusive” or “going wide” (multiple platforms)?
    • Amazon exclusive: Publish as many (shorter) works as possible—Amazon categorizes by Short Reads (e.g., under 15 minutes, 30 minutes, under an hour).
    • Going wide: Less about volume, more about combining with social content.

• Universal Principle:

  “All roads in fiction lead back to you want to produce as much as possible and there’s really no other way around it.” (13:26)

3. Publishing Cadence—How Fast is Too Fast?

Timestamp: 13:40–18:58

• Ideal Cadence:

  • Typically, a book every 1–3 months is the norm for successful indie authors.
  • A book a month is ambitious, possible with tools like Reedsy for formatting and affordable cover design via Upwork/Fiverr.
  • AI can accelerate output further, but Cole cautions against overproduction.

• Cole’s Realization:

  “If you’re doing a book once a year, that’s not enough.... If you really want to enter the self-published game, the typical cadence is somewhere in the ballpark of a book every one to three months.” (15:33)

• On Premature Worrying:
  Don’t solve problems you don’t have yet; focus on consistent output first.

4. Niche Experimentation Without Confusing Readers/Algorithm

Timestamp: 18:58–22:30

• Cole’s Take:
  Don’t overthink niche or audience confusion at the start—produce what excites you and iterate based on response.

  • Early on, you likely have no audience to “confuse.”
  • Niche clarity comes from doing, not pre-planning.

• Personal Anecdote:

  “The first ebook I ever published... was called Skinny to Shredded. It was about fitness. That’s what I was into. Then I shifted... The answer always reveals itself.” (20:55)

5. When to Start Building Email Lists & Social Presence

Timestamp: 22:30–26:55

• Reality Check:

  • Early-stage writers should focus exclusively on writing and publishing.
  • At writer conferences, top-earning authors often have negligible email/social followings—success comes from publishing volume.
  • Email lists and social media matter more after a strong book catalogue is established.

• Common Mistake:

  “Writers love researching everything that surrounds the writing as a way of avoiding the one thing that matters, which is writing.” (23:40)

6. Creating a Vertical Product Ladder to Maximize LTV

Timestamp: 26:55–32:10

• “Problem You Don’t Have Yet,” But…

  • Think in tiers:
    • Traffic/nurture (social content/newsletter)
    • Paid subscription (newsletter, Patreon)
    • Standalone books
    • Digital products/courses (e.g., “How I Write”)

• Underpricing Alert:
  Many fiction authors undervalue their talent (e.g., $1/month Discords).

Cole’s Framework:

• Start with books library first, then layer in subscription, products, and services.

• Reality:

  “Nobody’s going to want to buy your course… if you’re not writing books… all roads lead back to… producing books in volume.” (31:20)

7. Most Valuable Skills for Author Success

Timestamp: 32:10–38:00

• #1 Priority:
  Writing books—nothing matters more.

• #2 Priority:
  Understanding business models (subscription, upsell, patreon, coaching, digital products).

• Expand Your Knowledge:
  Cole studies other business sectors (e-commerce, coaching) for models that can apply to author business.

• Diverse Monetization Examples:

  “I have generated over a million dollars in eight different business models as a writer. So they all work.” (35:45)

• Every Option is Viable:
  Find the model you enjoy and that provides real value to your audience.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Building Under One Name:

  “The more other characters you create, the more your time and energy and focus and resource gets split.” (02:45)

• On the Importance of Volume:

  “It is 100% a game of volume and becoming proficient in the skill of writing books. Everything else comes second to that.” (37:25)

• On Avoiding Distractions:

  “If you want to be an author, literally nothing else matters in the beginning except writing books and writing a lot of them and getting good at it.” (23:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00 — Pen names and positioning
• 05:30 — Testing what sells in nonfiction and fiction
• 13:40 — How fast to publish; book-a-month cadence
• 18:58 — Experimenting with niche
• 22:30 — When to build email/social audience
• 26:55 — Creating vertical product ladders
• 32:10 — Which author skills matter most

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize writing books and building a robust catalog above all else; every diversification or marketing tactic comes after.
• Don’t get hung up on niche, audience-building, or monetization before you have books to sell.
• Consistency and volume are critical to breaking through, especially on Amazon.
• The “business model” skillset is a powerful complement to writing chops once you have the fundamentals.
• Experiment and let success points reveal your unique direction over time—don’t expect clarity from the outset.

For Listeners

If you have further questions, Cole encourages sending them via his newsletter, Commercial Fiction Club, or social platforms. Listener questions are central to future Q&A episodes.

Episode Tone:
Candid, pragmatic, motivational—no-nonsense guidance with an entrepreneur’s mindset tailored for fiction authors aiming for commercial success.