Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Ruby Dixon on Craft, Sensitivity Readers, Avoiding Burnout, and Life Beyond Ice Planet Barbarians
Description
When people hear the name Ruby Dixon, blue aliens usually come to mind first, yet her catalog spans more than seventy books across fantasy, dystopian dragons, minotaurs, and villain-led worlds. Today, I chatted with my most-read author to look past the Ice Planet Barbarians phenomenon and examine the mechanics behind her prolific career.
We trace her path from corporate burnout and traditional New York publishing to launching a Kindle Unlimited serial that became an international sensation. Ruby breaks down her multi-stage revision process alongside how reader feedback reshaped her approach to cultural research and sensitivity readers. We also discuss why she rotates genres to prevent creative fatigue, her excitement for writing full-length sapphic sci-fi, and the personal inspiration behind her upcoming fantasy release.
Ruby Dixon is the New York Times bestselling author of Ice Planet Barbarians. She requires coffee to function and will show you pictures of her cats at a moment's notice -- you have been warned.
Alesia’s Top 5 Ruby Dixon Recommendations:
Bound to the Battle God (Amazon | Bookshop)
The King’s Spinster Bride (Amazon | Bookshop)
Corsairs: Bethiah (Amazon | Bookshop)
Fire in His Kiss (Amazon)
In this episode, we're discussing:
- Leaving traditional cowboy and billionaire tropes behind to write sci-fi romance strictly for herself.
- How Ice Planet Barbarians grew from a weekly serial into a global BookTok sensation translated in fifteen countries.
- Exploring the wider Rubyverse: Aspect and Anchor, Fireblood Dragons, Ice Planet Clones, and Berkley’s Royal Artifactual Guild.
- World-building craft: introducing alien terminology in small doses and layering character details during revisions.
- Ruby’s editing workflow, from flagging manuscript changes at the seventy-five percent mark to printing drafts in new fonts.
- How feedback on Callie’s Catastrophe sparked her commitment to working closely with sensitivity readers on books like Vexing Valmyr.
- Writing sapphic romance in sci-fi spaces, challenging indie sales assumptions, and teasing Colleen and Najme’s full-length story.
- Channeling personal experience with scoliosis and childhood back braces into her January release, Villain Origin Story.
CONNECT WITH RUBY DIXON:
Website & Reading Order Charts: rubydixon.com
BOOKS/AUTHORS MENTIONED:
Episode with Sayer (@wanderlandreads)
Join the We Read Smut Lounge. Want early access to next week's episode, entry into our private Discord server, two monthly virtual silent book clubs, and a free monthly e-book? Head over to our Substack and join the paid community to access goodies and get early access to episodes.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in these show notes are affiliate links. If you make a purchase or borrow a book through these links, I may earn a small commission at zero extra cost to you.
Connect with Ales