A late-night encounter with a fantasy novel lit the fuse, and Richie Billing walked away from law to chase the kind of storytelling that steals your sleep.

We sit down with Richie to unpack the leap, the grind, and the systems that make a modern writing life possible without the smoke and mirrors. If you’ve wondered how authors really pay the bills, this candid, generous conversation gives you the roadmap and the reality check.

We get specific about the money. Richie breaks down why per-book royalties rarely add up, how crowded discount markets distort expectations, and why volume alone can’t be the goal. Instead, he shows how to find your readers by leaning into comparisons, build a list with SEO that quietly compounds, and use honest, relationship-first emails to turn casual subscribers into committed fans.

He also opens up about Patreon: simple tiers, low friction pricing, and benefits designed for how people actually read—downloadable ebooks, immersive web readers, and bonus audio—so support becomes recurring, not a one-off.

The creative experiments are wild and smart. Richie explains how he self-published a novella with an original soundtrack—QR codes in print and tappable links in ebooks—where each character’s theme mirrors their emotional arc.

He also shares “local-first” marketing tactics, from community events to QR stickers that cut through online noise. We dig into his podcast playbook, the real limits of monetizing audio without scale, and the crucial shift from making content for writers to serving readers who will buy your fiction.

Along the way, we talk about writing routines around full-time work, class barriers in publishing, and why a weekly web novel can blend drafting, feedback, and momentum.
Don't miss this fascinating episode, filled with golden nuggets.

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In this episode, W G Williams takes us inside the moment he stopped chasing agents, embraced a hybrid publisher, and brought 20 Years of Internet Humor and Other Interesting Things to life without losing the warmth that kept readers coming back for decades.

We explore the nuts and bolts: sourcing stories from readers, editing for clarity and broad appeal, and verifying originality rather than recycling copyrighted material from the web.

Bill walks through why he organizes nearly 200 entries alphabetically to keep tone and topics varied, how he credits contributors for transparency, and why short, self-contained stories make the book perfect for five-minute reading sprints.

He shares candid lessons on marketing as an author-operator—leveraging word of mouth, live events, simple social posts, and the power of online retail to attract new readers and even new publishing offers after the fact.

You’ll also hear how Bill balances a full-time career with a daily creative routine, stays a week ahead on content, and plans themed volumes dedicated to kids, aging, marriage, and more.

If you’ve wondered whether hybrid publishing can be both rigorous and empowering, or how micro-stories can cut through a loud news cycle with a little levity and a lot of heart, this conversation offers a practical blueprint and a gentle nudge to keep going.

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📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck?

Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.

A skeptic sits down to dinner with Jesus at a quiet Italian restaurant, and a half-million readers later, David Gregory finds himself at the center of Christian fiction’s unlikely boom.

I invited David to unpack how a self-published novella became a national bestseller, why some faith-forward stories cross into the mainstream, and what it really takes to write novels that don’t preach yet still carry a clear message.

We get practical fast: what qualifies a book as Christian fiction, how to keep theology organic to the plot, and why readers bristle when characters pause for sermons.

David shares behind-the-scenes moments from Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, the ripple effects of The Shack and the Left Behind series, and the ongoing shelving debate that keeps many faith-based novels in the religion aisle instead of general fiction.

We also talk audience realities—why women 35+ dominate the category, how teens still respond when the story sings, and the surprising power of simple word of mouth over trend-chasing tactics.

Then we zoom out to the business. David explains the platform-first logic of today’s publishers, why he returned to self-publishing after major-house launches, and what has and hasn’t moved the needle for discoverability.

He teases new projects, including a fable-like work for all ages and screen adaptations of The Last Christian and One of Us, a contemporary retelling of the gospels through the life of Manuel, a Mexican American mechanic. If you care about faith, fiction, or the craft of making both feel real, this conversation will change how you think about story.

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Support the show

📚 Writing a book and feeling stuck?

Subscribe to Read and Write with Natasha on Substack for practical guidance, honest conversations, and behind-the-scenes insights on finishing your book—from idea to final draft.