If you’ve ever felt like you were posting into thin air… you’re not alone.

This episode is the BTA Fridays™ – Breaking the Algorithm™ Year in Review, and it’s also the last Friday of 2025. So I wanted to pause and actually name what we built—because this series didn’t come from “content ideas.” It came from a real place.

It came from being tired of chasing trends.
Tired of hoping the algorithm would be kind.
Tired of being told to “build your platform” with no roadmap attached.

So I built one.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/V_gN9kT6dXQ

What BTA Fridays™ is (and why it exists)

BTA Fridays™ – Breaking the Algorithm™ is where indie authors stop chasing trends and start building strategy, visibility, and confidence.

And when I say “algorithm,” I’m not just talking about TikTok or Instagram.

I’m talking about the industry algorithm that tells indie authors:

• Pay first, maybe get results later
• Be grateful for any attention
• Don’t ask questions
• Don’t set boundaries
• Don’t protect your time, money, or energy

We’re not doing that here.

We’re building something real—on purpose.

2025 milestones: when BTA started and what we covered

BTA Fridays™ premiered July 11, 2025, and I’ve shown up every single Friday since.

That’s 25 Fridays of testing strategies outside the feed and sharing what I learned in real time—so other indie authors don’t have to get burned the same way.

Over those 25 Fridays, we talked about:

• Email
• How to pitch
• How I got scammed
• Anthologies
• Vision board parties
• Buying fake followers
• The 12x12 indie author challenge
• Audiobooks on a budget
• Goodreads ads
• BookBub
• Book festivals
• Book awards
• The Indie Author Toolkit
• Substack
• Threads
• What worked and what didn’t

Every episode is still live, so you can go back, binge, and apply what fits your season.

The BTA roadmap: three buckets that cover everything

When I looked back from July 11th to now, I noticed something I didn’t see in the moment.

Every single topic we covered falls into one of three buckets:

1) Protect your time, money, and energy

This is the bucket that keeps indie authors from getting played.

We talked about:

• scams and red flags
• anthologies that overpromise
• buying followers and why vanity metrics can cost you
• book festivals that don’t make financial sense
• book awards that are really pay-to-play

The lesson is simple:

Your time, your money, and your energy are resources. Protect them.

Rule of thumb: if you feel pressured or rushed into spending money because you’re “going to miss out,” hit pause. Then decide from a clear place—not a panicked one.

2) Build your author infrastructure

This is the part nobody wants to talk about because it’s not “exciting,” but it’s what makes an indie author career sustainable.

We talked about:

• Email lists (ownership)
• Substack (direct connection to readers)
• Threads (real conversation and networking)
• The Indie Author Toolkit (professional setup when you pitch)
• 12x12 as consistency, not a trend
• Vision board strategy rooted in clarity, not wishful thinking

You can’t build a long-term author career on platforms you don’t own.

You don’t own social media. You rent space there.

But your email list, your Substack, your systems, your toolkit—that’s infrastructure.

3) Reach real readers

This is the shift most indie authors need:

From “How do I get more views?”
To “How do I get my book in front of people who actually want to read what I wrote?”

We dug into:

• Goodreads ads
• BookBub realities
• Book festivals (choosing wisely)
• Audiobooks on a budget

None of these are magic buttons. But they are real ways to meet readers where they already are and layer your visibility with intention.

Pitching, email, and not begging for exposure

A major thread throughout BTA Fridays™ has been this:

Indie authors deserve to move with confidence.

We talked about:

• how to pitch without begging
• how to send emails that respect people’s time
• how to think about collaboration without clout-chasing
• how to reset your approach when your strategy needs an upgrade

At the center of that is the Indie Author Toolkit idea. Because if you want to build like an entrepreneur, you need tools, systems, and boundaries—not just motivation.

You need to treat your work like it matters—because it does.

What BTA taught me (personally)

This series tested my consistency.

Every single Friday since July 11th:

• whether the numbers were low
• whether I felt confident or doubtful
• whether I was tired or energized

I still showed up.

And that is a win.

Because consistency shows up long before the metrics do.

BTA Fridays™ taught me:

• my voice matters even when the numbers are quiet
• indie authors need real talk, not recycled advice
• there is always another way to build—even when it feels like nobody is watching

Use BTA Fridays™ as your binge-plan (based on your season)

If you’re new here, don’t start randomly. Start strategically.

If you’re burnt out on the money side

Start with:

• how I got scammed
• buying fake followers
• book awards
• anthologies

If you’re scattered or overwhelmed

Start with:

• email
• Substack
• Indie Author Toolkit
• 12x12
• vision board party

If you’re ready to push your book harder

Start with:

• Goodreads ads
• BookBub
• book festivals
• audiobooks on a budget

Pick one lane.
Take notes.
Try one thing at a time.
Then come back next Friday and keep building.

And as always: Let’s build real and break the algorithm together.

Quick links (Bright Headed Publishing)

Be a guest on The Author’s Mic™ (Mondays):
https://brightheadedpublishing.com

Download the free 44-page guide So You Wanna Write a Book:
https://brightheadedpublishing.com

Support my books (Weight For It is also an audiobook):
https://brightheadedpublishing.com

Join or pitch the Indie Reader Society (IRS) (under the “More” tab):
https://brightheadedpublishing.com