Ink vs Algorithm: The Writers' Pod
Creative writing in all forms has never been this exciting -- or frustrating. In a time when ChatGPT writes novels, TikTok “authors” go viral, and algorithms decide which stories live or die, Ink vs Algorithm is a podcast dedicated to writers who bleed ink and and publish their heart out.
Hosted by writer, ranter, and raconteur Mookie Spitz, each episode features lively conversations with flesh and blood authors who love what they do -- and hate competing with prompt-jockeys and viral Bots. Along the way more stories will be told and laughs shared, living proof the living still matter.
Whether you’re a novelist, journalist, pundit, poet, or just a cynic with a keyboard and an attitude, Ink vs Algorithm reminds us all why lived experience still matters — and how extracting and sharing it still takes relentless grit, determination, and a mountain of fought for and refined talent.
Ink vs Algorithm: The Writers' Pod
"Survey Says!" Indie Author Reality Check
In this episode of Ink vs Algorithm: The Writer’s Pod, author Mookie Spitz breaks down the 2025 Indie Author Survey from Written Word Media: a rare, data-intensive look at how over 1,300 indie authors worldwide are actually publishing, earning, marketing, and growing their business. He also reviews his review from the Outstanding Creator Awards, and correlates the two to tie a bow around the benefits of following the rules — and the fun of breaking them.
Mookie's solo pod isn’t aspirational nonsense or “write what you love and the universe will provide," but a clear-eyed tour through what really works (and what absolutely doesn’t) when you step outside traditional publishing and try to make it on your own. He walks through the survey’s most revealing findings, including:
- Why self-publishing now dominates the industry, and why that’s both a dream and a nightmare
- How much indie authors actually earn (hint: most don’t quit their day jobs)
- The brutal truth about paid advertising and why top earners reinvest nearly half their income just to stay visible
- Why email lists aren’t optional, and how they’re the backbone of every sustainable indie career
- Which genres quietly make money (romance, paranormal romance, cozy mystery), and which barely move the needle
- Why children’s books, literary fiction, and religious nonfiction struggle in the indie ecosystem
- The uncomfortable correlation between catalog size and income (60+ books is not a typo for earning $10K per month and above)
- Why covers sell books, editing keeps readers, and “just publishing” is never enough
Along the way, Mookie contrasts two kinds of writers:
- those treating indie publishing like a business; and
- those (him included) writing for creative fulfillment, curiosity, and stubborn joy
He shares firsthand lessons from LA Comic Con, real conversations with successful indie authors, hard-earned mistakes from publishing Jonnie Fazoolie & the Transfinite Reality Engine, and the uneasy tension between artistic integrity and commercial reality.
If you’re:
- an indie author trying to cut through the noise
- a writer wondering why your book isn’t selling
- an editor, cover artist, or marketer who wants to understand author behavior
- or a creative who loves the work but hates the hustle
This episode gives you facts, context, and empathy.
Bottom line: You don’t have to play the game. But if you want results, you need to understand the rules, and jump into the ring in your own way.
2025 Indie Author Survey Results
Tap here to share your opinion! Be a guest on the pod! Mookie wants to hear from you...
