Novel Marketing: Recent Episodes
Thomas Umstattd Jr.
Discover what the shift in music preferences signals and how to apply it to your writing and marketing.
The post Zeitgeist: Why Gen Z Is Abandoning Hip-Hop Radio for Country Music appeared first on Author Media.
Libro.fm expands ebooks to 5,000 indie stores, while AI disrupts a $2 million book auction. HarperCollins grows 15%, Fable reaches 5 million users, and AI fiction nears 30% of Amazon’s genre catalog.
The post AI Fiction Seizes 27.5% of KDP’s Genre Catalog appeared first on Author Media.
If a reader Googled your name right now, what would come up? An abandoned LinkedIn profile from a career you left behind? A neglected Goodreads page? An insurance agent in Albuquerque who happens to share your name?
There's only one number-one spot on Google, and if you don't claim it for your name, someone else will. The good news is that your most powerful tool for winning that spot is the one piece of the internet you fully control. It’s your author website.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Jason Barnard, digital marketing expert who has spent more than a decade teaching Google and AI who people are.
You'll learn:
- The overlooked page on your website that Google checks first.
- The Wikipedia alternative that is easier to write and curate
- How you can get Jason’s robust SEO audit of your site, for free
Whether your website needs a little fine tuning or you’re building one for the first time, listen in or check out the blog version to find out what you should prioritize and what you can stop stressing about.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/seo-for-author-websites-the-only-guide-you-need-in-2026/
AuthorMedia.social link:
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/PNpmOklWm8M
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You know you need an email list. You've heard about reader magnets and maybe you even have one, but you're stuck at a handful of subscribers, wondering how other authors build lists of tens of thousands of engaged readers who actually buy their books.
Damon J. Courtney knows how. He's an author and the creator of BookFunnel, a service that helps authors grow their email lists and deliver many types of digital products to readers.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn
- Whether you need a "lead magnet" or a "reader magnet" (there’s a distinction nobody talks about)
- How readers can get tech support when downloading your ebook or audiobook
- How to give a free copy of your ebook or audiobook when you’re meeting people in person
- How to tip the scales toward having readers buy directly from you rather than Amazon (so you can keep more profit)
Whether you’re looking to grow your email list, distribute ebooks and audiobooks, or sell directly from your own website, listen in or read the blog version to discover how BookFunnel can make each of those author tasks easy.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/
AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/
YT Link: https://youtu.be/qLxqq4bKh1g
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Every month, traditional publishers lose more ground to indie authors.
One reason it’s happening is that in trad publishing, a committee or the highest-paid person in the room makes the call on book covers, marketing copy, and even what they suppose readers might like. Both get it wrong far more often than they want to admit.
Most indie authors aren't much better off. They just swap the highest-paid person’s opinion for their own, and trust their own gut on covers, titles, and blurbs.
But savvy authors skip this guessing game entirely. They test everything, and they're outselling everyone else.
In this week’s episode, USA Today best-selling author Steve Piper sits down with Thomas to break down exactly how split testing works.
You’ll discover:
- How many ideas you should test to find a viable one
- What kinds of book-related assets work for split testing
- The sneaky metric that fools most authors into thinking their split-tested ads are working
If you need help choosing a title, cover, or copy, or if you’re wondering why your ads aren’t working, listen in or read the blog version to find out how you can know for sure what will work.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses/
AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses
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For most of publishing history, creating an audiobook meant writing a check for thousands of dollars and hoping you'd earn it back in sales. Because of the expense, many authors decided it wasn't worth the risk. So, they skipped audio entirely.
Here's the problem. That decision now backfires in a way nobody saw coming.
The number one sign that a book was written by AI isn't bad writing. It's the missing audiobook.
In this week’s episode, audiobook expert Derek Doepker will map out exactly how to avoid that trap. We discuss the five tiers of audiobooks.
You’ll discover
- Why skipping the priciest tier might be the smartest move for some authors
- Which budget-friendly option still makes your book look unmistakably human-written
- The tier almost no author is using, even though it’s cheaper and sounds like a full production
Listen to the full episode to get the complete map of all five audiobook tiers, so you can pick the right one for your book and your sales goals.
Blog link:
https://www.authormedia.com/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish/
Authormedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish
YT Link:
https://youtu.be/oEYxV2iE-iM
YT Collab Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCB_jQHE1Jz8f2Gq40_zZz2w/collaboration/UCT-0HmBAtZpaLX2liUNebiQ
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You will die.
It could be today, it could be 15 years from now, but no one lives forever. Your books, however, can outlive you. In fact, seventy years after you're gone, they’ll live in the public domain.
That means your grandchildren's grandchildren could end up responsible for your intellectual property. Most authors have done zero planning for what happens to their books, passwords, and royalties when they're no longer around to manage them.
In this week’s episode, attorney Kelley Way (one of the rare lawyers who practices both estate planning and copyright law) joins us to map out exactly what every author needs to know before it's too late.
You'll learn:
- The one document your heirs are powerless to undo, even if they hate the deal you made with your publisher.
- Why giving your book away for free after you die might be the single best thing you can do for it.
- The unglamorous, ten-dollar-a-month tool that prevents more estate disasters than any will or trust ever could.
Listen in or read the blog version to make sure your books don't end up in a paper prison, where your hard work can no longer make an impact.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die/
AuthorMediaSocial link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die
YT Link: https://youtu.be/eJjYPCqKPbw
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What do you do if your Amazon account gets suspended but you didn’t do anything wrong?
Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't care if you're innocent.
That's not pessimism. It's strategy.
Once you understand what Amazon cares about (hint: it's not you, the law, or fairness), you can start speaking a language they respond to.
In this week’s episode, I spoke with Lesley Hensell, co-founder of one of the largest Amazon consulting firms in the world. She has helped thousands of authors claw their accounts back from suspension, and she knows Amazon's enforcement machine like the back of her hand.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- The one thing you must include in the first two sentences of any email to Amazon (skip it and they won't even look up your account)
- Whether you should admit to something you didn't do to get your account reinstated
- The subject line trick that makes Amazon's executive team read it, and why most authors do wrong
If your account has never been suspended, this episode is still for you. Prevention is easier than recovery. Listen in or read the blog version to find out what you’re doing right now that could get you flagged.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors/
Author Media social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors
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Is hiring a publicist a waste of money or not?
A typical book publicist charges between $3,000 and $10,000 per month, and they often require a three-month minimum. At $3 of profit per book, you'd need to sell 5,000 copies just to break even. Most PR campaigns don't come close to selling 5,000 copies.
But the publicist gets paid either way, while the author takes all the risk.
Here's what most authors don't know: the access publicists used to sell is now free.
There are tens of thousands of podcasts looking for guests, and you don't need a gatekeeper to get in. You just need to know how to pitch a podcast.
In this week's episode, Podcast Hall of Famer Dave Jackson shares exactly how to do that. You’ll learn
- What makes a host delete your pitch after reading one sentence
- How to identify podcasts that will yield the best results for sales and growing your readership.
- How to nail the interview and get invited back (hint: you’ll need the right microphone and the right content)
- Which tools can save you time and headache
If you want to spread the word about your book but don’t want to spend the money hiring a public relations professional, listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/authors-pr-playbook-how-to-get-media-coverage-without-a-publicist/
Guest: Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting, Podcast Hall of Fame) Topic: Earned media for authors, with podcast guesting as the core strategy
YT Link: https://youtu.be/r14ixF0WLJU
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Do you feel like an imposter as a writer?
You probably are. Most authors who experience imposter syndrome are imposters, but they don't have to be!
As the saying goes, “There are no good writers; just bad writers who didn’t quit.”
Every author starts off as a bad writer. To make a living at writing you must improve through hard work, determination, and training.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Chris Fox, author of over 80 books and three million copies sold.
You'll learn:
- Why not knowing your reader's emotional motivation is costing you sales
- How word order affects your readers experience
- How Grammarly is making your writing worse
- How authors accidentally protect their characters and ruin their books.
If something isn’t clicking with your writing, listen in or read the blog version to find out what you should be looking for and how you can fix it.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox/
Authormedia.social: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox
YT Link: https://youtu.be/DanstjzQs6A
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Are your book sales stuck? Maybe sales have slowed. Maybe your launch never took off. Or maybe you're spending money on ads without seeing results.
This week on Novel Marketing, Amazon ad specialist Bryan Canter explains how "promo stacking" can revive a struggling book and put it in front of new readers.
You'll learn:
- What promo stacking is and why it works
- Which promotions deliver the best ROI for your genre
- The ideal order and timing for each promotion
- How promo stacking can generate more reader reviews
Whether your book launched last month or five years ago, you’ll learn how promo stacking can rescue a dead book and reach new readers when you listen in or read the blog version.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-a-promo-stacking/
AuthorMedia Social Link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-promo-stacking
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/v2KN46pdbRw
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Instead of a guest interview or a marketing deep-dive, in this week’s episode I'm inviting you to something I've spent years building for authors who want to be taken seriously.
You’ll discover:
How you can get lifetime access to my $249 course this month for $0
How you can get your questions answered by me live on a monthly basis
How you can get my digital doppelgänger (ie. AI Thomas) to answer your questions faster and (sometimes better) than I can.
Listen to this short episode or read the blog version to take advantage of these benefits before the end of the month.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-im-giving-away-a-249-course-this-month/
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A writers conference with no pitch appointments, no breakout tracks, and no recordings? What’s left? A conference that sold out last year! The Novel Marketing Conference is different, and every single attendee that responded to our survey said they were glad they came in 2026.
In this week's episode, I break down exactly why I removed those traditional writers conference elements and what we added instead. Here are three things you'll learn:
- Which feature past attendees consistently name as the most valuable part of the entire weekend.
- Which parts of the Novel Marketing method you can only learn in person at the conference.
- What we’re adding to Thursday night’s ice-cream social in 2027!
The 2027 conference is already filling up. Super tickets are gone, but standard and gallery tickets are still available. Don’t wait to secure your spot. There's a live count of available tickets at NovelMarketingConference.com. When they're gone, they're gone.
Listen to the full episode, read the blog version, or watch on YouTube to get the complete schedule and see why this might be the best investment you make in your writing career this year.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/announcing-the-2027-novel-marketing-conference/
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Have you ever finished a book you loved, handed it to a friend, and heard back, "It was fine"?
That disconnect has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It has everything to do with a principle C.S. Lewis understood well enough to write classics that have endured for decades.
In this week's episode, I sat down with bestselling novelist Angela Hunt to break down the four ancient loves that drive all fiction, and how mastering them can help you produce a bestseller and a classic.
You’ll learn
- The type of love almost every genre needs more of, and why the most violent stories need it most.
- How the loneliness epidemic is creating a massive hunger in readers, and which type of love lonely readers are yearning for.
- The type of love that makes for a classic but is hardest to write and easiest to botch. Get it wrong and your climax feels cheesy. Get it right and readers won't shut up about your book.
We also explore the dark side of each love and how to use that tension to propel your plot forward.
If the stakes in your story aren’t working or you’re sick of cheap, salacious storylines, listen in or read the blog version to learn how to incorporate these four types of love into your story. This one might change how you outline your next book or build your characters.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-four-loves-that-drive-fiction/
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The difference between making thousands of dollars on your next book and losing money can come down to a few cents per click.
If your ads generate even a few pennies of net profit, you can run them until you've sold tens of thousands of books. But if you're losing money, no amount of spending will fix it.
In this week's episode, David Gaughran, a veteran of digital advertising, joins me to talk about how to make your book advertising actually pay you back.
Here's a taste of what you’ll learn:
- Why the authors spending the most on Facebook ads are often doing it wrong (and what to do instead)
- The marketing asset that makes every advertising endeavor more profitable
- How to reach your exact readers on Facebook now that author targeting is gone
Listen in or read the blog version to discover how to approach book advertising strategically. You will feel more confident about when to advertise and when to invest your time (and dollars) elsewhere.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran/
Author Media.social link: (Live at 11:02 AM on May 6) https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran
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We’ve arrived! It’s the 500th episode of Novel Marketing.
To celebrate, I’m giving away the MacBook Neo I reviewed a few episodes ago, but I’m also revealing my worst takes and biggest mistakes over the past 500 episodes.
Some of those takes were correct, but when circumstances changed, the advice was no longer good. But sometimes, I was wrong from the start. Gather ‘round and hear the tale of the evolution of the host and his book marketing advice.
Listen in or read the blog to find out which pieces of advice have stood the test of time (and always will) and which pieces you can cast off like a crumpled first draft.
And don’t forget to enter to win the MacBook Neo! You can find links and details on the blog or YouTube.
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Most authors can tell you their royalties but not their net profit per book. They spend money on ads, see sales come in, and assume things are fine. But are they? Sales and profit are not the same thing.
How can you find out if you’re making money or just making sales?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Eiri Theodorou, founder of Publisher Champ, an analytics platform used by over 25,000 authors.
You’ll learn
- How one of Amazon’s metrics is somewhat misleading (and how to find the truth)
- How you can track real-world marketing (like speaking and interviews) in a dashboard
- How to find out if your best-selling book is masking problems with your other books.
If you want to stop guessing about your profitability, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be able to invest in marketing with more certainty and become truly profitable.
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There’s a culture shift underway that most authors aren’t seeing. Even traditional publishers can’t figure out why their titles are resonating. If your book isn’t selling, it could be a cover or craft problem, but it might be a zeitgeist problem.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from fantasy and LitRPG author Seth Ring. We discuss the biggest cultural shift in storytelling in two decades and what it means for your books.
You’ll discover
- What’s become of the morally conflicted anti-hero trope
- What readers are tired of and hungry for
- A sure-fire way to write a story that resonates for this new zeitgeist
This cultural shift puts authors in a uniquely strategic place. If you want to make an impact with your writing and bring hope and change to the world through stories, it’s your time to shine. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-thats-making-indie-authors-rich/
AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-that-s-making-indie-authors-rich
YouTube Link:
https://youtu.be/zVz0pd-P3TU
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I bought and tested Apple's cheapest laptop so you don't have to.
I stress-tested the MacBook Neo with a 250,000-word document, ran every major writing app, and pushed the machine to its limits. Whether the Neo is right for you depends on what you use your computer to do, because authors do more than just type words into a word processor.
In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, you’ll learn
- What you should look for (and ignore) when buying a laptop in 2026
- Which laptops I recommend for authors, podcasters, and PC users
- Whether the MacBook Neo is the right choice for you as an author
- Which laptop I will not recommend in 2026
Listen in or read the blog version to find out which machine is the best bang for your buck and your use cases as an author.
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Your author friends are lying to you about your book cover.
Well, not on purpose. They can’t help it.
When authors are trying to pick a book cover, they often ask their friends which cover they like best. But that strategy doesn’t work because your friends look too closely. They think about your feelings. They vote based on which cover has more votes.
But your cover isn’t for your friends.
It’s for strangers.
In this week’s episode, we unpack why beautiful covers, which are loved by your friends, fail to help your book sell. You’ll hear how one author made his losing ads profitable without rewriting a single word of his book.
In this week’s episode you’ll learn
- What makes a cover “good”
- How you can get accurate data on what will make readers click to buy
- How much you’ll need to spend to get a cover that sells
If your ads aren’t working, it may be time to examine the elements of your cover. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.
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Many authors say reader magnets don’t work anymore. But when done right, a good reader magnet can grow your email list from zero to thousands of subscribers before your first book even launches.
In this episode, you’ll hear from author, podcaster, and producer of the Novel Marketing podcast, Laurie Christine, who built an email list of thousands using various reader magnet strategies, all while writing for Christian moms and middle-grade boys.
You’ll discover:
- How many reader magnets you actually need
- The surprising promotion strategy that yielded more than 500 solid subscribers
- How to create reader magnets that attract buyers, not just freebie seekers
- A tool to help you discover which reader magnets may work for you
You’ll also learn how you can use reader magnets to refine your message, craft, and audience before publishing your first book.
Listen in or read the blog version to learn techniques for building (or growing) an email list regardless of where you are in your writing journey.
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Do you ever wish you had a team of writing, publishing, or marketing professionals to consult? Do you wish you had an assistant to help with the business and marketing side of writing?
What if you could have both for less than the cost of a couple of lattes?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear about the newest additions to the Novel Marketing Patron Toolbox, a growing suite of practical tools designed specifically for authors like you.
Inside this episode, you’ll discover:
- New editing tools that can help you at each stage of the editing process
- New business tools to help you create an overall strategy and analyze results
- New book promotion tools to help you connect with new readers
- And many more
Whether you’re producing an audiobook, building a fictional world, planning classroom resources, or have questions for an agent or a CPA, these tools are designed to save you time, sharpen your strategy, and give you a head start before working with real human professionals.
Listen in or read the blog version to learn more.
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Is your writing a hobby or a profession? The answer to that question changes everything.
Many authors claim to be professionals but act like hobbyists. They write what they want instead of what readers will pay for. They try to fit a finished book into a genre instead of studying the genre first. They publish without a marketing plan or budget and are shocked by low sales and few reviews.
They expect professional results from a hobbyist approach.
If that sounds familiar, there’s good news. You can choose the professional path.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author and podcaster Joanna Penn, who hosts the longest-running indie publishing podcast.
You’ll discover:
- How to build a sustainable author career in an era of AI
- Which marketing activities you should choose and which to ignore
- Business principles that apply to your writing career
- How to use AI to do the business tasks you dislike so you have more time for creativity and storytelling
To learn how to build a sustainable author business in an era of rapid change, listen in or read the blog version.
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If your book isn’t selling, it may not be your writing.
It may be your metadata.
In this week’s episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, you’ll hear from Dave Chesson, creator of Publisher Rocket, and learn about the hidden engine behind book sales on Amazon.
Even if your book is well-written and professionally edited, Amazon doesn’t read your book. It reads your metadata. And if your metadata is unclear, inconsistent, or confusing, Amazon won’t show your book to readers, even if it’s amazing.
In this episode you’ll learn:
- What your book’s metadata is
- Where you can manage it (and make it most effective!)
- How to include the most effective elements and language in your metadata
- And common metadata mistakes to avoid
If you want your book to show up in search results, convert better when readers click, and avoid the dark recesses of the “miscellaneous shelf,” listen in or read the blog version.
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Many authors assume book formatting is complicated, expensive, or something only professionals can handle.
In this week’s episode, I talk with Bryan Canter about why that assumption is outdated, and how tools like Vellum have changed what authors can do. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to pay a pro or learn to format your book’s interior yourself, this conversation will give you clarity.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- When you should format the book or reader magnet and when you should hire a pro
- How Vellum can prevent common design mistakes
- How you can update back matter, fix typos, add reader magnets as needed
Listen to the episode or read the blog version to see how Vellum can save you money, time, and headache when formatting your next book or reader magnet.
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American Taxes, pay too little and you go to jail. Pay too much and you lose the money you need to reach more readers with advertising and promotion. If your records feel like a mess of Amazon deposits, Ingram payments, Kickstarter funds, affiliate income, coaching fees and dozens of random expenses you’re not alone.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from a CPA who works specifically with authors, about how to handle bookkeeping and taxes with confidence. Seth Norris welcome to the Novel Marketing Podcast!
- You’ll learn:
A simple bookkeeping rhythm that prevents tax-time chaos.
How the IRS decides if your writing is a business or a hobby.
The most common mistake that costs authors the most money.
Discover how to simplify your approach and how to avoid paying more taxes than you actually owe.
If you want to keep more money for advertising, marketing, or feeding your family, stop treating taxes like a deadline of doom. Instead, listen in or read the blog version.
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Do you ever feel like your book is taking forever to write?
Maybe you’ve been working on the same manuscript for years, and then you look up and see other authors publishing a book a year, or more. How do they do it?
In this week’s episode, I ask Jerry B. Jenkins that very question. He has sold more than 73 million books, including his mega-bestselling Left Behind series, and he breaks down the habits and mindset that helped him produce quality work on deadline for decades.
You’ll discover:
- A practical way to establish a writing schedule
- The counterintuitive way to combat procrastination
- One way to silence your inner editor without eliminating it completely
If you’re ready to get out of your own way, build a sustainable writing rhythm, and finish what you start, you’ll want to hear this one.
Listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can finish your book and write better books for the rest of your writing career.
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Most authors begin writing as a solitary pursuit and soon realize they don’t know other writers or industry professionals who can help them grow. So how do you go from a solitary outsider to a connected insider who knows designers, editors, marketers, and more?
In this week’s episode, we talk with Dale L. Roberts, an award-winning indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale, about how genuine networking can strengthen your career and relationships.
In this interview, you’ll discover:
- How to reframe your mindset about networking (it shouldn’t feel sleazy)
- How to follow up after conferences and events without feeling awkward
- Simple habits for remembering names and details so people feel seen and valued
- When (and how) to make introductions inside your network
If you’ve ever wondered how successful authors seem to know so many industry experts, this conversation will give you practical, real-world networking tips to help you build and facilitate mutually beneficial publishing connections.
Listen in or read the blog version to discover 12 tips to help you connect generously, authentically, and for the long haul.
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If you ask a bestselling novelist how long it took to go from aspiring writer to published success, the answer is usually about ten years. One reason it takes so long is that most authors learn about writing in a haphazard way. They read a blog post here, listen to a podcast there, attend a conference where they receive a firehose of information, and then watch YouTube videos hoping to fill in the gaps.
It is an overwhelming way to learn. If you have ever felt overwhelmed by everything you need to know about publishing, you know exactly what this feels like.
But what if you could cut that ten-year learning curve in half?
In our latest podcast episode, I talk with Christy Award Hall of Fame author James L. Rubart about the Five-Year Plan for Becoming a Professional Author. It’s a step-by-step training approach designed to help fiction writers build skills in the right order (without the overwhelm).
This isn’t a “shortcut” or gimmick course. It’s a craft-first path that helps writers avoid wasted years, bad habits, and out-of-order learning.
In this week’s episode, you’ll discover:
- Why most authors stall out
- How to accelerate the mastery of storytelling
- What separates “good” writers from professional-level authors in the current publishing landscape
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re developing your craft in the smartest way possible, or where you should start, listen in or read the blog version.
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ChatGPT used to be the go-to AI for authors, but it's no longer the best choice for every task. New models like Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok are outperforming it in specific areas, from creative writing to research to automation.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from The Nerdy Novelist, Jason Hamilton. We discuss which AI tools work best for your writing, your budget, and your genre.
You’ll learn
- Which tools can help expedite your research
- Which AI models help you write the best dialogue
- How open-source models can spur fresh fiction ideas and structures
To stay up to date on which models can help you with various parts of your writing and marketing (and which can’t), listen in or read the blog version to feel confident experimenting with new platforms.
- What does ChatGPT Actually Know About Your Book?
- AI Optimization for Authors
- Book Promotion in 2025: How AI Gives Authors More Time to Write
- TikTok, Iran, and AI: What Authors Need to Know Now
- The Author’s Guide to AI with Joanna Penn
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I am not a big fan of Substack for novelists. Most novelists are better off using the free version of Kit and WordPress. However, Substack is a completely different story for nonfiction authors.
If you’re a nonfiction author who wants to grow your platform without juggling five different tech tools, this week’s Novel Marketing episode is for you.
In this week’s episode, I talk with screenwriter and Substack superuser James Cary about how nonfiction authors can use Substack to attract readers, deepen engagement, and earn recurring income.
You’ll learn
- When Substack is (and isn’t) a good fit for authors
- How to get your first 100+ subscribers
- When and whether to monetize your Substack
If you’ve been wondering whether you should start a Substack or what to do with the one you already have, listen in or read the blog version to get help on your decision and guidance on your plan.
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Hardcover books are back. Beautiful, premium, collector-quality editions are gaining momentum with readers who want books that look and feel special. But how do you know if you should create a premium hardcover edition of your book?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author Paul Millerd, who created a luxury edition of his bestselling book. We dig into the strategy, psychology, risks, and rewards behind premium hardbacks and whether they make financial sense.
You’ll learn:
- How to know if your book is a good candidate for a premium edition
- What it costs to produce a premium hardcover (and what you can charge for it)
- How different readers view different price points
If you’ve ever wondered whether a premium edition could elevate your brand, thrill your readers, or create a new revenue stream, listen in or read the blog version to find out.
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Authors talk about “the algorithm” the way the little aliens in Toy Story talk about “the claw.” Does the algorithm randomly choose your book, or is someone else controlling the claw?
In this week’s episode, you’ll discover what we know about how Amazon decides which books to show, and how to get your book in front of the readers most likely to love it.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Amazon “decides” which book recommendations to give shoppers
- Which readers you should persuade to click Amazon’s “buy now” button, and which you should sell to yourself
- How Amazon’s algorithm is changing and tips to help you adapt your strategy
If your book is on Amazon, this episode is not optional listening. Poor optimization can quietly poison the recommendation engine against you. Listen in or read the blog version to keep your book in front of your Timothy.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Lately, I’ve been getting swamped with emails from authors asking about Shopify. Many are losing money and wondering what went wrong and how to fix it.
Here’s the truth most authors don’t want to hear: Shopify is usually a bad deal for most authors.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn
✅ Why Shopify sounds so good but often backfires
✅ The math behind why most authors lose money by using it
✅ Better alternatives that save time, stress, and money
Shopify is lauded as an attractive option for authors, but for most, it becomes a drain for your time and money. Before you decide on an ecommerce platform, listen in or read the blog version and find out what actually works better for authors.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Are you wasting money, time, and paper by using the wrong printer?
Before you buy your next printer, make sure it has the features every author needs. The wrong setup can cost you hundreds of dollars a year or, worse, stop working altogether when your Wi-Fi service fails.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:
- The critical printer features authors need
- How to cut your paper use (and clutter) in half
- How to make your printer more reliable and easier to use
- The subtle trap you must avoid when purchasing a home printer
Save money, space, and sanity by getting the right printer. Read the blog version to get links to my recommendations, or listen to the podcast to make your next printer purchase a smart one.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment in publishing for a decade, and for many readers, an audiobook signals a real, human-written book. In fact, audiobook sales have recently outpaced ebook sales!
Now is the time to get your book on audio. But where do you even begin?
In this week’s episode, audiobook consultant Bryan Canter gives us an overview of the entire process of how ACX (Audiobook Creative Exchange) works and how to publish your book on audio without blowing your budget.
You’ll learn
- Who should (or shouldn’t) narrate your book
- How much it’s likely to cost (it might be less than you think!)
- How to get started (and who can help you!)
If you know you need an audiobook, listen in or read the blog version to learn the ACX basics, pick the right narrator, and avoid costly mistakes. Your future listeners are waiting. 🎧
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Many authors make the mistake of writing a book first and then trying to find readers. This is backwards and rarely works. However, if you follow these three steps, your book will be set up for success.
- Step #1: Identify your target reader.
- Step #2: Start growing an audience of readers like that person.
- Step #3: Launch your book.
But how do you find your Timothy? How do you grow your audience? And how do you write the kind of book they'll love?
In this week's episode, you'll hear from Josiah DeGraaf, a fantasy author and program director of the Young Writers Workshop, who did exactly that. He found his Timothy, added thousands of subscribers to his mailing list before publishing his first novel, and wrote the book his readers wanted. That strategy set him up for a wildly successful Kickstarter launch and a strong Amazon release.
In this interview, you'll discover
- How to determine who your target reader is
- Strategies to get you from 0 subscribers to 1,000+
- How to write a book that your readers feel was written just for them.
If you want to launch your book to an eager audience instead of crickets, listen in or read the blog version.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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The faster you write, the more books you can publish and the more money you can make from your writing.
We all type slower than we speak, and if you’re typing and creating a story at the same time, you type even slower. But what if you could regularly produce 50 words or more per minute? You’d be able to write a 120,000-word book in a 40-hour work week!
Authors who can write that fast all use dictation. So why do so many authors hesitate to use it?
If you’ve ever tried dictation and felt awkward, slow, or tangled up in the tech, you’re not alone. In this week’s episode, dictation expert Sarah Sawyer shows us the calm, practical way to ease into dictation so it feels natural and actually helps you write more.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Which tech tools make it easy? (Hint: You probably already have them!)
- Techniques that help synchronize your creativity, brain, and mouth
- How dictation can propel your writing and possibly save your health
Audio & Blog Versions
For authors, dictation can skyrocket writing speed. Listen in or read the blog version to find out which tools and strategies will help you master the skill and write faster.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Giving away your hard work for free doesn’t seem to make good business sense. So why do authors give away ebooks for free?
What if “free” didn’t kill your revenue, but primed it? In this week’s episode, we’ll dig into the permafree strategy with Dale Roberts, author of Secrets of the Permafree Book.
You’ll learn:
- Where permafree works (and where it flops)
- How to make Amazon price-match a free book
- How to determine whether the permafree strategy is working for you
- Which kinds of standalone books might benefit from being permafree
If you’ve got a strong series and a tight budget, permafree may be the fastest path from obscurity to discovery. Listen in or read the blog version to see if it will work for your book or books.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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So you wrote a good book, but you can’t seem to get reviews. Do you just throw up your hands? Why do reviews and ratings even matter?
Well, the more reviews a book has, the better it will sell and the more reviews it will get. Without the social proof of reviews, readers scroll past your book listing, algorithms ignore you, and sales flatline.
So, how do you get more book reviews?
In this week’s episode, we’ll hear from Joe Walter of Independent Book Review. You’ll learn
- Three different kinds of reviews that can help your book gain visibility
- How ratings and reviews differ (and the easiest places to get each)
- Which tools can make the process of gathering reviews more efficient
No reviews = no trust = no sales. Find out how to fix that. Listen in or read the blog version and learn to use book ratings and reviews to increase your author credibility, book visibility, and sales.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Most authors either avoid AI or use it badly. Let’s fix that.
Authors who learn to use AI find that they have more time to write better books.
In this week’s episode, Joanna Penn and I break down where to start, which tools are actually worth using, and how to get useful output instead of bland tasteless, voiceless, AI slop.
You’ll learn
- How to prompt ChatGPT like a coworker
- The best tools for images, deep research reports, audio, and marketing tasks
- Ways to use AI that you probably haven’t considered before
- The most important AI prompting tip you will ever learn
Listen now or read the blog version to learn how AI can do tasks you hate, sharpen your author voice, and give you more time to do the creative work you wanted to do when you first started writing.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Every author needs editorial feedback. But not all feedback is good.
If you accept every edit, you risk losing your voice and writing something bland. If you ignore all edits, you risk writing something sloppy that readers won’t buy. So how do you know which edits to take and which to toss?
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:
- 7 “Bewares” to help you sort out good and bad editorial suggestions
- Whether AI or human editors are helpful or hurtful
- How to develop good tastes that guide your writing voice
Editing is supposed to sharpen your writing, not smother your voice. Listen in or read the blog version to find out when you should (and shouldn’t) ignore feedback.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Most writing conferences teach you how to write a better book or how to pursue a literary agent. But what if you have already written a great book and you need help selling it? Is there a conference for you?
Yes! Announcing the 2026 Novel Marketing Conference, a live, in-person event focused on helping you market and sell more books.
The 2026 conference is packed with innovations you won’t find anywhere else:
- 100% live, interactive sessions
- A small group of writers who write in your genre
- Guidance on creating a customized plan for your upcoming year
- Excellent teaching by experts
You’ll leave the conference with a 100-page workbook full of actionable steps to grow your author platform, increase book sales, and start the year with a clear plan.
🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale now through September 30, 2025. Prices start at just $299, and our limited number of Super Tickets are going fast, so reserve your spot today at NovelMarketingConference.com.
Listen in to hear more details or read the blog version to see the tentative schedule as well as photos from past conferences.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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If you write picture books, chapter books, or middle-grade fiction, you know the challenge: kids read your books, but adults buy them.
So how can you let young readers know about your books? Where can you connect with your readers? By meeting them in person in school classrooms!
In this week's episode, award-winning author Becca Wierwille shares how school visits became her best book marketing strategy and how you can start doing them too.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- How to get your first (and second!) school visit
- What to include in your presentation to keep students engaged and coming back for more
- How to make it easy for school administrators to say "Yes!" to your visit
School visits are fun! Listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can connect with young readers, positively impact schools, and sell more books.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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What’s up with ruthless heroes and romantasy?
And what if the real reason your book isn’t selling has nothing to do with your writing and everything to do with the zeitgeist?
In this week’s Novel Marketing episode, we’re featuring an episode of Author Update. We unpack the massive cultural shift that's changing what readers crave. From romantasy's domination to the hunger for noble dark heroes, we explore what sells and why in the new "spirit of the age."
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- The future of books with morally gray, sword-wielding protagonists
- How Gen Z’s love for brutal heroes reveals a deeper desire
- What the shift from grimdark to noble bright means for your next story
Listen in or read the blog version to dive into the vibes shaping the future of fiction.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Ever wonder how some authors consistently sell a thousand books a month?
What marketing tactics are they using? How can I get those results too?
In the latest episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, I talk with Susan Neal, author of nine books and CEO of the Christian Indie Publishing Association. Susan shares how she layers her marketing efforts—from podcast interviews to press releases—to drive book sales month after month.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll learn:
- Which tactics helped her sell 7,000 books in 8 months
- How to successfully pitch podcasts, blogs, and media outlets
- How to avoid common author mistakes that hinder sales
Whether you’re launching your first book or looking to grow sales of your back list, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be inspired by Susan’s method and eager to try her tactics.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Publicity has always been important for authors. Mark Twain promoted his books by writing letters to the paper, and even Agatha Christie, who was known for being very private, still did interviews with prominent newspapers.
Yet some authors think this kind of publicity is old-fashioned. In a world dominated by social media, do we even need traditional PR anymore?
If you've ever wondered how to get your book featured in the media—or whether it's even worth trying—you won’t want to miss this episode of Novel Marketing.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from veteran publicist Marika Flatt from PR by the Book to talk about:
- Whether or not traditional media still matters
- The difference between earned media, paid media, and everything in between
- What mistakes to avoid when giving interviews
- The surprising way Good Morning America and Joe Rogan differ when it comes to book sales
Whether you’re ready to hire a PR firm or just want to understand how media can help spread the word about your book, listen in or read the blog version of this episode.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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You’ve optimized your book for AI, updated your website, polished your metadata, maybe even watched our AI Optimization for Authors episode.
But how do you know if any of it is working?
In this week’s episode, you’ll discover how to measure your AI optimization success. Because the hard truth is that if ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini doesn’t know your book exists, it won’t recommend it to readers.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
How to find out if AI has read your book
Which LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok know about your book
A new tool that shows how visible your book is to AI
If you’re a Novel Marketing patron, you already have access to exclusive tools that test the “big six” AIs and help you pinpoint what to improve.
For your book to rise, AI must recognize it.
Listen or read about how these tools work, and then unlock the tools at www.PatronToolbox.com
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Well, this is embarrassing.
After 12 years of teaching authors how to build better websites, I realized I’ve never covered the most important page on your site: your book page.
Your book’s webpage isn’t just for selling your book anymore. It’s now key to showing up in Google search results and getting recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:
- The biggest mistake authors make when creating book pages (and the easy fix!)
- The elements your book page must have to help AI and human searchers
- What your book page needs to outrank Amazon and Barnes & Noble
- The critical section most authors skip
Your book deserves a better web presence, and your readers deserve an easy way to find it. Listen in or read the blog version to learn how to design an effective page that helps readers discover you and your books.
https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-create-sales-optimized-book-pages-for-your-author-website/
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The publishing industry is facing significant challenges. We just went through a major zeitgeist shift, and reader preferences radically changed. AI also showed up in a big way, so it should be no surprise that several traditional publishers are struggling to adapt.
What happens to you and your book if your publisher goes bankrupt? How will you know if your publisher is headed that way?
In this week’s episode, we uncover eight warning signs your publisher might be on the brink and what you can do now to protect your rights, royalties, and your book’s future.
Tune in to learn:
• The #1 red flag that predicts publisher collapse
• What you can do to ensure your book doesn’t end up in publishing purgatory
• How you can sustain your readership and career through a publisher bankruptcy
Whether you’re with a small press or a major house, listen in or read the blog version to learn the signs of publisher bankruptcy. If you’re on alert, you can avoid some major hindrances to your career.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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You work hard to create content for your audience. But how do you get more mileage and reach out of each piece you create?
One way is to adapt your content for another platform. I recently started adapting my podcast into a YouTube channel.
But how do you do that?
I learned the hard way how not to do it.
To gain traction on YouTube, you have to respect YouTube as a platform. You can't just shovel your podcast audio onto it and expect good results.
I had an interesting conversation about this on the School of Podcasting hosted by Dave Jackson. Dave has been podcasting for 25 years, and we discussed the differences between YouTube and podcasting and how to successfully adapt a podcast to YouTube.
If you've ever wanted to get more mileage out of your content, this week's episode is for you.
You'll learn:
- How YouTube viewers behave differently from podcast listeners, and what that means for your content
- When is a good time to launch your YouTube channel
- The secret ingredients that make titles and thumbnails perform well
Whether you're launching a new YouTube channel or trying to grow an existing one, listen in or read the blog post to discover how to avoid common pitfalls and grow your audience with confidence.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Have you been dreaming about publishing a book that actually sells?
The hard truth is that most authors fail because they jump straight into writing. They spend months writing a book only to find out later they made a key mistake, and nobody wants to buy the book.
I've helped thousands of authors go from blank page to profitable launch, and in this week's episode, I'm giving you the roadmap. You'll learn my complete six-step process as well as how to avoid common pitfalls and rookie mistakes.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- The first thing you should do (even before writing chapter one)
- Which people and tools can help you polish your manuscript (and the right order to use them)
- How you can get free lifetime access to my course How to Get Published (Only in June!)
If you're serious about publishing a book that sells, this is the episode you can't afford to miss.
Listen in or read the blog version to learn how to successfully publish a book and avoid common mistakes.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Have you ever followed popular marketing advice that worked wonders for someone else but completely fell flat for you? Or have you watched another author succeed with a strategy you were told would never work?
That’s because book marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all.
In this week’s episode, I talk with USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty about Author Ecosystems—a framework that helps you understand the type of author you are and which marketing strategies are most likely to work for you.
You’ll discover:
- Why some authors succeed with rapid release while others succeed with traditional launches
- How to identify your own ecosystem and tailor your marketing strategy accordingly
- Which types of authors complement one another best
Whether you’re struggling to gain traction or just want to work smarter, this conversation will give you clarity and direction.
Listen in or check out the blog post to find links to the Author Ecosystems quiz and other resources to help you determine where you fit in the author ecosystem. It’s a great place to start.
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Most authors are thinking about AI the wrong way. AI isn’t really a tool for writing books, but it’s quickly becoming the most powerful tool for selling them. Even if you’re not using LLMs like ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, or Claude, your readers are.
In fact, today, readers across the globe asked AI, “What book should I read next?”
Did ChatGPT recommend your book? How can you make sure it does?
If your book isn’t showing up in AI-generated recommendations, this week’s episode will tell you how you can make it happen.
Tune in to discover:
- Which of your digital assets is the most important AI optimization tool
- How to structure your website’s book pages so AI can read and understand them
- Which social media platforms AI trains on (and where your book info should be!)
Soon, there will be two types of authors: those recommended by AI and those wondering why their sales plummeted.
Don’t be left wondering why your sales took a dive! Listen in or read the blog version of this episode to help readers more easily discover your book with all the new search options they’re using.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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What if you had a toolbox filled with over 30 expert-level resources to help you sell more books and spend less time marketing?
In this week’s episode, I reveal the suite of powerful tools I’ve built to simplify writing and marketing for authors like you. From crafting irresistible blurbs to designing reader magnet covers, optimizing email campaigns, and even generating book launch plans, these tools are changing the game.
In this episode, you’ll discover tools to help you:
· Get almost any book marketing question answered (by “me”)
· Generate killer book blurbs in minutes
· Create a professional-looking cover for your reader magnet
· Generate a reader magnet (and other resources) for your book or topic
If you’ve ever wished for a personal assistant who works 24/7 and has more than 30 tools to advance your career, save you time, and sell your book, this episode is for you!
Listen in or read the blog version (with links!) to discover this innovative suite of tools that can streamline your work and give you more time to write.
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Are you leaving money on the table every time you share a link to your book?
In this week’s episode, we talk with Jesse Lakes, co-founder of Geniuslink, to explore how universal book links and affiliate marketing can help you reach more readers and earn extra income.
You’ll learn:
- Why Amazon.com links could be costing you sales
- The tools that make it easy to start earning today (and keep you compliant!)
- How to future-proof your book links
You’ve already done the work to write the book and make it available online. Now, make your book links work harder for you.
Listen in or check out the blog version (with all the links) to find your roadmap to universal book links.
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Without advertising, most books only sell to the author’s friends, family, and neighbors. People across the country or across town may never hear about your book. Amazon ads can help you reach beyond your social bubble.
Many authors think they need a series to make ads work, but that’s not true. You can run profitable ads even if you only have one book published.
In the latest episode of Novel Marketing, you’ll hear from author and Amazon advertiser Scott LaPierre. We discuss proven strategies to reach readers beyond your network and turn clicks into sales.
You’ll learn
- Which type of ads are most efficient for a stand-alone book
- How you can work smarter, not harder when setting up your ads
- How much you should spend on ads to get good data about whether they’re working for you
Listen in or read the blog version to get actionable tips and start advertising to unlock the power of Amazon’s search engine to boost your book’s visibility and sales.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Publishing is changing faster than ever before. New AI tools are dropping every time you turn around, and the way authors write, publish, and sell books is being rewritten in real-time.
On Novel Marketing has been committed to sharing evergreen marketing principles that do not change, which is why it's become such a trusted resource for authors.
However, this strategy has left many authors on their own to sort out weekly publishing news. The result is that they find a lot of sensationalistic hearsay that spreads on author Facebook groups.
So, I asked myself, "How do I connect my audience with reliable publishing news while maintaining the evergreen nature of the podcast?"
With a brand-new show called Author Update!
Author Update is where we break down the latest news in publishing, from Amazon feature rollouts to global events that could affect book printing. We go beyond the headlines to talk about what it means for you as an author.
This week on Novel Marketing, we're sharing an episode of Author Update so you can get a taste of what the new show is like.
We'll cover
- Amazon AI-Powered Search
- Tariffs on Books
- The New "Read Sample" Option on Amazon
- The Economy
- China's American Book Ban
- How to Sound Smart
- And much more!
Blog & Audio Version
Listen in or read the blog version of this episode to go beyond the headlines and find out what these changes mean for you as an author.
P.S. Author Update now airs live on YouTube Fridays at 4 PM Central and is available on all major podcast apps.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Too many writers waste hundreds or thousands of dollars on laptop features they’ll never use. Worse yet, some struggle along with outdated, unreliable machines that sabotage their creativity and productivity.
Here’s what tech companies don’t want you to know: That pricey laptop with all the bells and whistles? Most of those features are totally useless for authors.
This week’s episode is my 2025 Laptop Buying Guide for Authors. You’ll discover:
• Why the processor everyone obsesses over barely matters for writers • Why most professional authors choose Apple • What to avoid when shopping for your next laptop • Links to my laptop recommendations for every budget
As a tech nerd who’s been building computers since age 12 and helping thousands of authors over the last 15 years, I’ll cut through the hype and show you what really matters.
Listen in or read the blog version and finally get a laptop that works for you, not against you.
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Description & Times
Building an email list made up of more than friends and family can feel impossible, especially before you've launched your first book. Eventually, you have to attract strangers. But how?
How do you convince strangers to join your email list?
We've been using a surprisingly effective method for years, yet I have never dedicated an entire podcast to it.
In this week's episode, you'll hear from author Kelly Jo Wilson, who grew her email list to over 7,000 subscribers using a surprising tool (hint: it's not ads).
You'll learn:
- How to turn giveaways into a powerful email growth engine using KingSumo
- How to attract your ideal readers (not just freebie hunters)
- How to collaborate with other authors to multiply your reach and your results
No matter what genre you write, Kelly's strategy is very reproducible. Listen in or read the blog version for ideas on how to grow your network, serve your readers, and grow your audience.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Are you having trouble starting or finishing your writing? A subtle and sinister phenomenon may be keeping you from success. It may even be the reason your book is not finished yet. It might be why your book isn’t selling.
What is it? Procrastination.
You can’t beat procrastination by hustling harder; you need a plan that’s smarter.
So, how do you escape the procrastination prison? One step at a time.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn 10 practical steps to help you overcome distractions, reclaim your focus, and take your next step without burning out.
You’ll discover:
✅ One easy (but hard) step that will instantly free up mental space for writing
✅ How to determine what your next action should be
✅ Tools to keep you focused, motivated, and on schedule
✅ A new Novel Marketing challenge that will get you started…for free!
Listen in or read the blog version to find out how to beat procrastination and get back to your meaningful work.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Blog version: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-craft-a-cancel-proof-marketing-strategy/
A few years ago, getting canceled could end your career. But author cancel culture has changed. Now, it can supercharge book sales.
But how?
In this week’s episode of Novel Marketing, I spoke with book marketer Christine Eriksen about how an indie author used an unplanned controversy as a powerful book marketing tool…and lived to tell about it.
You'll learn:
✅ Why cancel culture is changing and how it could affect you
✅ How to navigate controversy without losing your readers or your sanity
✅ A unique strategy for social media that works for a few authors
Don’t let fear of the cancel mob prevent you from doing the work you’re called to do. Learn how to craft a marketing strategy that can withstand an online firestorm.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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How effective is your author website? In this week’s episode of Novel Marketing, I review the websites of top Christian Historical Romance authors, analyzing what they’re doing well and where they could improve. From SEO wins to missed opportunities, you’ll discover practical ways to enhance your own website.
Find out:
What bestselling authors get right about website design
Common mistakes that could cost you readers and sales
Simple fixes to improve SEO, navigation, and revenue
Listen in or read the blog version to explore strengths and weaknesses in website design and functionality that you can apply today. This episode is an experiment! Let me know if you’d like to hear more website reviews in future episodes!
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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It’s 2025, and authors are at war over AI. Some are embracing it, others are retreating to bunkers, and a few think it’s just another passing fad. But amid all the controversy, most authors are missing out on the AI advantage that everyone can agree on: AI can help you market your books, which gives you more time to write.
Most of us became authors because we love writing, not because we love marketing. But what if AI could handle some of the heavy lifting for you? What if you could spend less time on book promotion and more time crafting stories?
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Alexander Macris, an author, game creator, and expert in AI-powered marketing. We discuss:
The AI tools that help authors sell more books (without replacing their creativity)
How to use AI to improve book descriptions, pitches, and cover designs
The surprising way AI can analyze your data to help you serve your readers
Listen in or read the blog version to learn how you can use AI to reclaim your writing time! I’d love to hear your thoughts! Have you used AI in your marketing? Join the conversation in AuthorMedia.Social, a no-drama space where authors share their AI experiences with civility and curiosity.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Science fiction is changing, and so are its readers. The cultural landscape that shaped the last 40 years of sci-fi is shifting, including thoughts about wokeness, AI, WWIII, population, and more. If you're still writing about overused and cliched sci-fi themes, you're missing the mark.
In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, we explore:
- Why climate-change narratives are losing their grip on sci-fi readers
- How population change can impact the next big sci-fi stories
- The new role of AI in the sci-fi genre
- How today's global conflicts hint at the future of war in sci-fi
Understanding these shifts will help you write more compelling stories that stand out in a genre desperate for fresh perspectives. Listen in or read the blog version to dive into the essentials of writing a sci-fi novel amidst evolving themes like population collapse and AI advancements.
https://www.authormedia.com/the-sci-fi-zeitgeist-has-shifted-what-authors-need-to-know/
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https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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To indie publish or traditionally publish? That is the question.
For years, indie publishing was seen as a fallback for authors who couldn’t land a traditional contract. But times have changed. Many indie authors now outsell and out-earn their traditionally published counterparts.
And yet, while many traditionally published authors are switching to indie, it’s far less common to see a successful indie author sign with a major publisher.
What would make an indie author turn down a traditional publishing deal?
I spoke with Scott LaPierre, an author and conference speaker, to find out.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
- The biggest myths about traditional publishing
- How signing a contract affected book sales
- Traditional publishing’s take on pricing and marketing
- The cost of getting your rights back and why it matters
Scott gives a first-hand account of working as a traditional and indie author and where he landed after experiencing both routes.
If you’ve ever wondered which path is right for you and your book, listen in or read the blog version of our conversation.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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If you’re thinking about writing a book series, you might want to reconsider, especially if you’re a new author. That’s not to say you should never write a series, but it can be a risky endeavor, and I can prove it with math.
In this week’s episode, I break down why writing a series may limit your potential readership. You’ll learn:
- The four steps every reader must take for your sequel to sell well
- The math behind why sequels struggle to sell
- The hidden dangers of "battered reader syndrome" and how it affects new authors
- A pre-series strategy for new authors
If you’ve ever wondered whether you should commit to a series or focus on standalones, listen in or read the blog post for a fresh perspective and a smarter strategy.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Have you ever set up a book table and stacked your books neatly, only to walk away with disappointing sales? You're not alone.
But there is a better way to sell books from your book table at in-person events.
In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, I sit down with Sarah Hickner, an expert in book table sales, to uncover:
- Common mistakes authors make at book tables (and how to avoid them)
- Simple tricks to draw readers in without feeling pushy
- How to use giveaways, bundles, and book covers to boost sales
- Why in-person events aren't just about selling books
Whether you're an introvert or a seasoned seller, listen in or read the blog version to learn how to set up an eye-catching table, use giveaways effectively, craft the perfect pitch, and avoid common mistakes that cost authors sales.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Congrats on getting booked for a podcast interview! Whether you’re promoting your book or lead magnet, your audio quality on the podcast can make or break your credibility.
In our latest episode, we share pro tips on:
- How to prepare for your interview (beyond just showing up)
- Microphone techniques that make you sound like a pro
- The gear you need (that doesn’t break the bank)
- What to do after the interview is done
I’ve been podcasting since 2007, I’ve tested a lot of gear, and I’ve made some classic podcast blunders. This episode will help you avoid those mistakes, sound professional, and have fun.
Whether you’re planning a podcast tour for your book launch or wanting to purchase your first microphone, listen in or read the blog to learn how to make the most of your podcast guest opportunities.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Serialized fiction has been captivating readers for centuries, from nightly bedtime stories to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations to modern writers on platforms like Royal Road and Wattpad.
In this episode, I interview bestselling author Seth Ring, who shares how serialized fiction helped him write 25+ books, build a dedicated fanbase, hone his craft, and achieve financial success.
Discover:
- The benefits of writing serialized stories
- The key differences between Wattpad, Royal Road, and other serial writing platforms
- What serialized fiction means for the future of publishing
Whether you’re curious about trying serialized fiction or wonder if your genre is a good fit, this conversation will give you insight and direction.
Blog & Audio Version
Listen in or check out the blog version to discover the methods and advantages of writing in installments for your readers.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Where is publishing headed in 2025? Are we witnessing the end of traditional publishing or the birth of something new?
In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, we’re unpacking:
- The surprising trends reshaping the industry.
- Why successful indie authors are rejecting six-figure advances.
- How romantasy, premium books, and shifting political preferences are transforming bestseller lists.
And of course, we can’t ignore AI. We'll even see what AI has to say about the future of publishing and whether it can be taken seriously or not.Listen in or check out the blog version to discover what’s next for authors in 2025 and how you can adapt.
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
https://novelmarketingconference.com/
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Many authors feel stuck. They're toiling away in obscurity, and none of their promotion efforts seem to go anywhere.Success in publishing is as much about who you know as what you know. And sometimes, the lack of knowing the right people keeps you from finding success.We still live in a world that's run by human people, and your connection to those humans will lead to your success. If the word networking makes you feel awkward, you need to change your mindset.Networking is about relationships.So, how do you network with other authors, influencers, industry professionals, and customers at the bookstore? And how do you network in a way that makes you and the person you're connecting with feel amazing?I asked Steve Garrity. He's spent more than 20 years in sales and leadership. He coaches and develops others to thrive, and he is the author of the upcoming book Greatfruit: How Cancer Led to Living a More Fruitful Life. His book is currently live on Kickstarter and has raised over $10,000 in preorders.In this week's episode, you'll discover
· How to change your mindset about networking
· How to stop worrying about what to say when meeting people
· Tools and tips for building and maintaining relationships in your networkListen in or read the blog version of this episode to gain the courage and tools to connect with people and bless them.
2024 Novel Marketing Conference
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Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless task of writing, publishing, and marketing your book? From deciding which software to use for writing to figuring out how to keep track of all the characters in your story, the choices can feel paralyzing, and the number of things that need to be done can be very overwhelming.
Besides your writing tasks, you have the business side of things: scheduling meetings, tracking your finances, recording book sales, running ads, and figuring out if your business is actually profitable.
If just thinking about your to-do list is raising your blood pressure, it's time for you to take control and reduce your stress by learning a technique called project management.
In this week's episode, I spoke with Lorna K. Bailey. She's been an executive author's assistant since 2014, and she's helped many top authors grow their sales and increase their focus on writing.
We talked about
· How to organize and prioritize your to-do list
· The benefits and differences between digital and paper calendars
· Tips for effective scheduling that helps you achieve your goals
Listen in or read the blog version to discover how project management techniques can help you tackle the overwhelming task of writing, publishing, and marketing your books.
2024 Novel Marketing Conference
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Your author platform is your ability to spread the word about your book. As an indie author, your platform is directly linked with how large your book launch can be. Bigger platforms lead to bigger launches. All else being equal, traditional publishers always prefer large-platform authors to authors with no platform.
So, how do you grow your author platform?
This week’s episode is a webinar I recently presented.
You’ll learn
· Two myths about author platform
· What you’ll need to build an enduring platform
· Answers to three common questions from authors about email, social media, and money.
Listen in or read the blog post to learn why having a solid author platform is crucial for indie and traditional authors. Find out how to build a platform that will give your book the best chance for success.
2024 Novel Marketing Conference
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Is your website’s Contact page serving your readers and web visitors?
In the past, authors simply shared their email addresses on their websites. But that opened the door to a flood of spam, which drowned out real messages from readers.
Connecting with your readers is essential to building your readership, so you can’t simply remove your email address from your website. But how do you create an effective Contact page that helps readers connect but keeps spammers out?
In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss the best practices for creating a contact page that truly works.
You’ll learn
- Which “Contact” page elements are necessary
- How to help readers to contact you by their preferred method
- How to keep spammers out of your inbox
Listen in or read the blog version to learn how to create a successful author contact page and form that helps readers and influencers find you and makes spammers leave you alone.
2024 Novel Marketing Conference
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Choosing the right setting can supercharge your book sales. Some people read a book just for its setting. A good setting can lead to spin-off products like board games, art books, coloring books, calendars, comic books, and even movies.
Setting not only turns people on to a story, but it also turns people off.
Every author must answer the question, “How can I place my story in a setting that readers want to spend time in?” And the answer to that question is an art and practice called worldbuilding.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Seth Ring, an author and expert worldbuilder. He co-hosts the WorldCraft Club podcast and teaches people how to build the worlds for their stories.
You’ll learn
- Three techniques for building a captivating world
- How to choose the right setting for your readers
- How setting can impact sales and reader enjoyment
Listen in or check out the blog to discover the power of creating immersive settings that captivate readers, leave a lasting impact, and boost book sales.
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Sometimes in marketing, it pays to zig when everyone else is zagging. In this digital age, when authors race to do everything online, it's easy to forget the magic of face-to-face interactions. Personal connections can transform your relationship with your readers and fellow authors.
A book festival is a fantastic way to meet with readers and writers at the same time in real life. But what is a book festival, and how can you organize one?
In this week's episode, I asked Dave Cohen to talk with us about book festivals. He's a British writer with more than four decades of experience writing comedy for the BBC. He saw a void in his community and stepped up to the plate for readers and authors_._ You'll learn
· What a book festival is
· Three types of book festivals (and which might fit your book best)
· How the format could boost your book sales
If you've wished for an in-person venue to sell books and connect with readers and authors, listen in or read the blog version and see how you might be able to grant your own wish.
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As Yoda says, “Difficult to see the future is.” But difficult is not impossible. Causes have effects, and the more you have a sense of the rhythms of the past, the better you can sense the future.
If it takes you two years to write a book, you owe it to yourself to ask, “What kinds of books will be popular in two years?” Reader preferences change over time, but sometimes they change rapidly. If you don’t keep up, you may get stuck writing a book people no longer want to read.
So, how can you determine what will be popular in a few years?
In this week’s episode, I speak with Alexander Macris about how history’s cyclical patterns can give us clues about what types of literature will resonate in the future. You’ll learn
- Why certain themes and plots are failing miserably in our current moment
- Where to find past ideas that are likely to resonate in the future
- Why certain themes resonate at different times in history
Listen in or read the blog version of this episode to get a head start on writing a book with themes that will resonate with readers in the future.
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Has inflation eaten away at your book profits? Perhaps you want to start advertising and need some margin. Or maybe readers are not taking you seriously with your book's current low price.
You need to raise the price of your book, but how should you do it?
Most authors raise prices quietly. One day, the price just goes up, and they hope no one notices. But that approach is a massive mistake and a missed opportunity.
A future price increase is a rare opportunity, and in this week's episode, you'll learn how to
- Increase your price the right way
- Gain favor with readers by announcing a price increase
- Make the current price seem like a bargain
Listen in or read the blog version of this episode to discover how you can do a kindness for your readers, help them take action, and sell more books at a higher price with a reverse coupon.
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The last time I visited Barnes and Noble, I marveled at the comic book section. Western comic books only filled a couple of shelves, while around the corner, there was an entire aisle of manga comic books.
I wondered, “Why is Eastern manga so much more popular than Western comic books from DC and Marvel?” As I investigated, I discovered an interesting and shockingly ancient answer.
Western storytelling is typically based on the three-act structure, which dates back to Aristotle. But one ancient story structure that dates back to the time of oral storytelling and is still popular in the East, yet it appeals to modern Western readers.
Many Western storytellers have rediscovered it and used it to write some of the most enduring bestsellers in the English language, including Pride and Prejudice, Goodnight Moon, and Dracula.
In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss
- A story structure based on only two acts
- How to create a two-act structure for a sentence or a series
- How this structure might rescue a story you’ve been struggling to finish
Listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to learn about this ancient story structure and how can you use it to make your book more appealing to readers.
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Reader magnets are like real magnets. Sometimes, they aren't very magnetic, and other times, they're so magnetic that we can rapidly grow an email list of tens of thousands of readers.
A reader magnet is supposed to magnetically draw readers onto your list so that when you have a book to announce, lots of folks are ready and eager to learn more or buy.
But what if your reader magnet doesn't seem to be working?
In this week's episode, I interviewed Jonathan Shuerger to learn how his company, The Strategic Author, can help authors target their ideal market and create super magnetic reader magnets.
You'll learn
- How to gather intelligence on your target reader
- What questions you should ask to gather useful data
- How to use that intel to create a reader magnet they'll love
Listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to discover why your reader magnet might not be having the impact you want and how you can make it more attractive.
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Are your book sales starting to dip a bit? Perhaps your book sales were once great and are now starting to fall. You may see this drop in sales for several reasons, but you don’t have to stand by and watch them drop indefinitely.
Most bestselling books see their highest sales during the pre-order period, followed by the launch month, and then experience a slow, steady decline. But you can extend a book sales lifecycle.
In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about
- Why your sales may be declining
- Which sales problems you can fix (or not)
- How to reinvigorate your sales (sometimes with very little extra investment!)
Listen in or check out the blog post to discover why your sales might drop and get a robust list of marketing strategies to boost them back up.
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The Holy Grail for many authors is to write a popular book series where readers of book one go on to read book two and so on. Writing a popular book series provides many marketing advantages, namely that your advertising is far more profitable.
But writing a series is also risky. Generally, you can only sell subsequent books to folks who purchased, read, and enjoyed the first book in the series.
For some authors, writing books in a series has shackled their otherwise good books to a relatively unappealing freshman effort.
So, how do you know if your book is a good fit for a series?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Kristina Stanley, best-selling, award-winning author and the founder of Fictionary.co. We discuss
- Two types of series
- How to know if your idea can sustain a series
- Strategies for release and promotion of books in a series
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to learn about the many marketing advantages a completed series provides and how you can write a successful series.
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I'm excited to announce that tickets are now for sale for the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference. The conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 17th and 18th. This event is not a typical writer's conference where you learn how to write and publish a book. Our conference is focused on book marketing, and our goal is to help you make 2025 the best year of your author career so far!
In this episode, you'll find out
· Three special ingredients that make the Novel Marketing Conference unique
· How this year's conference will differ from last year's
· Why we've made certain deliberate choices for this year's conference
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to get details about the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference.
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Authors often refer to their books as "babies." As I've worked in the publishing world with authors and now that we are awaiting the birth of our fourth child, I'm starting to see a lot of similarities between birthing a book baby and a human baby.
We can learn a lot about delivering a book baby by looking at the process of delivering a real baby. In this week's episode, you'll gain insight on
- The author's experience in each stage of book-baby development
- How to cover the expenses related to holding your book baby for the first time
- How to nourish your book baby and promote healthy growth
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to find out what to expect when publishing a book and what your "book baby" needs for a healthy gestation, birth, and life.
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Novelists often struggle with what to write or say in their email newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. Unpublished novelists often feel like they have nothing to talk about, and published authors know readers tire of constant book promotion emails.
So, what should novelists write about?
Writing a novel is a bit like woodworking. When you craft something from wood, you often have leftover pieces of lumber you can use elsewhere.
Savvy carpenters and writers know how to put the leftovers to use.
A novelist's leftover lumber is research!
In this week's episode, we'll visit with a historical novelist about how you can repurpose research.
You'll discover
- How to share your research in a way that interests your readers
- Logistical tips for conducting research on-site
- How to engage readers in different stages of your book's development
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode. You might discover you have plenty of interesting bits about your novel to share with your readers.
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You probably know that offering a reader magnet on your website is imperative to growing your email list, tantalizing readers with a sample of your writing, and eventually getting them to buy your book.
If you write novels, your reader magnet should be a short story, but if you don’t know how to write a great one, you’ll miss out on the many advantages short stories provide.
In this week’s episode, Steve Diamond, author and cohost of the Writer Dojo podcast, and I discuss the art of writing short stories.
You’ll learn
- The biggest mistake authors make when publishing short stories
- How short story techniques differ from those used in long-form pieces
- Two exercises that will build your short-story-writing muscles
Listen in or read the blog version to discover all the ways writing short stories can benefit you, and learn to write a great one.
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Your website is one of your most critical book marketing assets. It’s where you manage your online reputation, grow your email list, and sell books. But before you build a website, you need web hosting.
You have thousands of web hosting options, which can feel a bit overwhelming. How do you know what kind of host you need for your website?
In this week’s episode, you’ll discover
- What a web host does for your website
- Which kind of web hosting is best for authors (and which to avoid!)
- How much you should (or shouldn’t) spend on web hosting
If you’ve been wanting to build a website or have considered switching web hosts, listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode for some recommendations on finding the best service for your situation.
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Feeling overwhelmed by book marketing can lead authors to look for shortcuts. Shortcuts lead to expensive complications. Expensive complications lead to dead ends. Dead ends lead to suffering. Yoda would call this “The path to the dark side.”
Does this sound familiar? How do you escape this overwhelming cycle?
There are ten different stressors that can lead to book-marketing overwhelm. Most authors face at least one, and if you are completely overwhelmed, you may be facing all of them.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:
- Ten factors that may be causing your marketing stress
- How free courses may be contributing to your overwhelm
- How to improve your publishing vocabulary
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to discover which stressors are hounding you and how to implement simple solutions to mitigate your marketing stress.
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Being an author requires you to have hundreds of online accounts for different software and services. Websites such as Amazon, ConvertKit, Publisher Rocket, Patreon, K-lytics, Bookvault, AuthorMedia.social, AuthorsXP, BookBub, Kickstarter, Teachable, Bluehost, WordPress, Grammarly, and Plottr (to name a few) all require a username and password.
Some authors avoid using helpful tools simply because they don’t want to create and remember yet another username and password. It seems like too much hassle, and their writing and publishing efficiency and quality suffer as a result.
But what if there was a simple way to eliminate your password problems? There is!
In this week’s episode you’ll learn
- Four password mistakes to avoid
- Which tools provide password security
- My recommendation (which has changed in recent years)
If you’re ready to eliminate your password problems, listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to find password peace of mind.
You can become a patron at NovelMarketing.com/patron.
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Can you make a living as an author without selling through Amazon? Many authors wonder.
Amazon is the sole revenue source for many indie authors, but Amazon’s algorithms can disable your KDP accounts and cut off your income without any human reviewing the action.
Authors find themselves pleading with a computer to reactivate their accounts while their livelihoods hang in the balance. While this scenario is rare, it does occur.
That’s why some authors connect with their readers without relying on Amazon. How do you do that, and what type of author can pull it off?
In this week’s episode, Connor Boyack shares his strategy for success and sustainability as a career author.
You’ll learn
- How to earn income from your books outside of Amazon’s ecosystem
- How to increase your profit margins without increasing costs
- How to attract and connect with the right kinds of readers
Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out how Connor’s reproducible strategy can also work for you.
You can become a patron at NovelMarketing.com/patron.
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With the rise of AI authors, how do you prove you are a human author? Most authors prove their humanity with their names and photos. Your identity protects you from being called a bot writer.
But what if you use a pen name? Will AI bring the age of pen names to an end?
While pen names are going out of style, there are some reasons you might still consider using one.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn seven reasons authors use pen names and if those reasons still make sense in an era where your verifiable humanity has become a marketing asset.
You’ll learn
- When it makes sense to use a pen name
- Whether a pen name can protect your true identity
- What a pen name does to your metadata
There are several great reasons (and a few bad ones) to use an author pen name. If you’re still trying to decide what your author name should be, or if you’ve used a pen name for years, this episode will give you some direction, so listen in or check out the blog version today.
You can become a patron at NovelMarketing.com/patron.
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I remember watching Steve Jobs's keynote presentation for the original iPhone. This magical new device, he said, would revolutionize our productivity.
And at first, it did.
But then, along came apps. Soon, user experiences were scientifically optimized to be as addictive as possible. An author's productive output is inversely correlated with time spent on the phone.
In this week's episode, we'll talk about how to spend less time on your phone and more time writing. You'll learn
- How to boss your phone instead of letting your phone boss you.
- A revolutionary setting change that may drastically reduce your desire to look at your phone
- How to use your phone to write more productively
Listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to discover ten tips for leveraging your phone to increase your productivity and limiting its ability to keep you from writing your book.
You can become a patron at NovelMarketing.com/patron.
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Authors around the world are trying to reduce their reliance on Amazon. However, most of us still use and like Amazon. In fact, many authors earn most of their money from Amazon. But any company with a 90% market share can't be fully trusted.
One way indie authors can reduce their reliance on Amazon is by selling directly from their own author websites. Selling directly provides protection from the changes at an international company. It allows you to retain more money, control, and flexibility over pricing, bundling, and so much more.
In this week's episode, you'll learn about a new service called Bookvault that can print your special edition hardback, help you sell directly to readers, and take care of order fulfillment.
You'll learn
- Which specialty features Bookvault offers that KDP and Ingram don't
- How to sell directly to your readers (and keep more profit!)
- How Bookvault can help with order fulfillment
- How you can get a free upload from Bookvault
Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out how you can print high-quality hardbacks, outsource fulfillment, and sell directly from your author website, all without using Amazon.
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One key to becoming a bestselling author is the selling. And one element of sales is the sales pitch. Some authors think pitches are only to be used for pitching agents at writers conferences, but you can actually use a sales pitch whenever you talk about your book.
Your sales pitch convinces readers to care about and read your book. The stronger your pitch, the better your sales.
I’ve talked a lot about pitching novels in the past, but in this week’s episode, we’ll discuss a powerful recipe for pitching nonfiction that works so well that it can even work for fiction.
You’ll learn
- What elements you’ll need to write a compelling pitch
- Four formulas for writing your pitch
- How the formulas are used for different books
In the blog post version of this episode, you can download the 8-page companion worksheet to help you discover which pitch formula works best for you and use it as a guide for writing a great sales pitch for your book.
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My first DOS computer had no mouse. Its screen had two colors: green and white. Today, computers have mice and complex graphics, and there is no need to be a computer programmer in order to use a computer.
Technology gets easier to use each year. Even though it's easier than it used to be, sometimes you still need help. Many authors find that the biggest obstacle keeping them from writing, publishing, or marketing is technology.
Authors lacking technical sophistication often get pulled into overpriced schemes like hybrid publishing and struggle to succeed.
So, how can you learn to learn technology?
In this week's episode, you will learn the keys to
- viewing technology as less scary and more fun
- conquering your fear of technology
- learning how to learn a new technology
If you're ready to have a little fun and fewer tech headaches, listen in or check out the blog version of this episode and learn how to master technology.
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A few months ago, we released an episode called The Starving Author: How to Market Books When You Have No Money.
After the episode aired, several authors asked me a similar question: “What do we do if we do have money to spend?” You see, not all authors are starving. Some writers have spent years saving money, and they want to know how to get the best return on that money when they invest it in book marketing.
So, how do you supercharge book sales if you have money to spend?
In this week's episode, we’ll discuss marketing opportunities available to authors with a sizable marketing budget. You’ll learn
- Where to spend your marketing money before you publish
- Which marketing opportunities are more available to authors with money to spend
- How a publishing team can help you
If you have a bigger budget for book marketing, opportunities abound. Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out which marketing expenses will yield the best return on your investment.
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Author Media has a list of over 10,000 subscribers, and around half of them open our emails, which means our open rates hover around 50%. That’s a high open rate!
It’s partly because new subscribers join our email list through webinars I present for writers and authors. By the end of each webinar, attendees know enough to want to open emails from Author Media and me. Plus, the comments, questions, and polls associated with the webinar allow me to get to know my audience better.
If you want to get to know your “Timothy” and grow your email list by adding subscribers who want to open your emails, it might be time for you to host a webinar.
But how do you deliver webinars readers want to attend?
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn 12 tips for hosting educational and entertaining webinars people want to attend.
You’ll learn
- How to capture and retain your attendees’ attention
- How much time to spend on your presentation or Q&A
- What to do after the webinar to continue to the attendees
Listen in or check out the blog version to find out how you can build an email list full of your “Timothys” and grow an engaged tribe through hosting an author webinar.
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An Uber driver's most valuable asset is his car. A photographer's camera is critical. An Uber driver with a broken car can't make money, and a photographer with a cheap camera will slowly starve.
What is the critical tool for an author? What tool will help you earn money and keep you from starving?
Your laptop!
You write, edit, and promote your book on your laptop. A reliable, compatible computer is key to your success. Put another way, an old, unreliable computer is a terrible liability.
Investing in a good laptop is not just a smart move, it's a potential tax-deductible business expense for professional authors.
But how do you know what kind of laptop is best for you?
In this week's episode, you'll find out:
- What kind of speed and storage an author's laptop needs
- What to avoid when buying a laptop
- What you don't need in a laptop
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to find out what kind of computer will best help you in your writing career.
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When readers browse Amazon, they have already decided to purchase a book. The only question is: Which book will they choose? What if there was a way to reach readers at this pivotal moment and persuade them to pick your book from the list they're considering?
There is! It is called Amazon Advertising, and it has become one of the most popular forms of book promotion for indie authors.
However, many authors feel intimidated by the idea of running Amazon ads.
In this week's episode, you'll hear from Alana Terry, a USA Today bestselling author of over 40 books and Amazon ads expert.
You'll discover
- Why Amazon ads might be a good place to start
- Six steps to quickly create your first ad
- How to determine whether your ads are working
- And much more
If you've wanted to sell more books on Amazon but have felt overwhelmed by the process of running ads, listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to find out the quickest way to get started.
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The tools we use for writing have evolved over the centuries, from quill and inkpot to the printing press, to the word processor to AI. Recent developments in AI tools for writers have sparked everything from laughable images to controversy and fear.
Is AI evil? Is it safe?
In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss what you need to know about AI in our current day. You’ll learn
- How (and how early) it developed
- What threats it poses to writers
- What advantages it offers
- How to wield it for good in the world
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to learn what to watch for and how AI can increase your writing output and improve your craft.
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Almost every traditionally published book goes up for preorder before it comes out. However, the advice surrounding preorders can be confusing for indie authors. Some indies say preorders are critical. Others say having a preorder for your book can hurt sales.
Who is right?
Should you set up a preorder for your book? Are preorders a good idea or a bad idea?
Preorders can help or hurt, depending on what kind of author you are.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:
- What kind of author is helped by a preorder
- Why preorders are so important for some authors
- How to make the most of your preorder window
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to learn the benefits and drawbacks of making your book available for preorder before its launch date.
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You’ve heard me talk about the Five Ps of Marketing, and in this week’s episode, we tackle the third P: Place. In other words, where should you sell your book?
Many authors struggle to find the right place to sell their books. Whether you're an indie or traditional author, you must discover the best places to sell.
So, how can you unlock the power of place for your book?
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why the location where you sell your book is important and powerful
- Three case studies on authors who have maximized sales in the right places
- Online and offline places where you can sell your book
Selling your book in the right place is important for connecting with the right readers and making sales. Listen in or check out the blog post to find out how place impacts your book sales.
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The term "self-publishing" doesn't mean that you sit in a cabin in the woods all by yourself and emerge with a published book as if you'd done it all singlehandedly.
It's rare to find one person who has all the skills required to turn an idea into a physical book. We need cover designers, formatters, web designers, assistants, and more. You might be self-publishing, but you will need some help.
But what if you don't know anyone who can help? Where can you find skilled professionals who can produce the high-quality work your book deserves?
I asked Ricardo Fayet, the cofounder of Reedsy, a curated community of book professionals
In this week's episode, you'll learn
- How to search Reedsy to find experienced professionals who specialize in your genre
- How Reedsy vets the professionals in their marketplace
- How Reedsy makes money and saves you money at the same time
Listen in to discover how Reedsy can help indie and traditional authors create beautiful, compelling, and marketable books, and find all the related links in the blog version.
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This year marks the end of an era.
The Book Launch Blueprint is entering its seventh and final year. Since we began offering it in 2018, it has been one of our most popular courses.
Launching a book is one strategy that works well for indie and traditional as well as fiction and nonfiction.
But why is a book launch so important?
In this week’s episode, you’ll discover
- Who needs a book launch (and who doesn’t)
- Other methods that work for some authors
- What a successful book launch does for your book and your career
- What we'll cover in this year's final Book Launch Blueprint
Registration for the final cohort of the Book Launch Blueprint course is now open.
- Registration Closes: Friday, April 12
- Live Student Orientation: Friday, April 12.
- Course Begins: Monday, April 15
- Course Concludes: Friday, May 10
Listen in to learn a few book launch secrets and get an overview of the course, or check out the blog version of this episode.
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How much money does it cost to become a professional author?
Any profession will cost you when you're just getting started. If you're broke, I recommend listening to my episode titled The Starving Author: How to Market Books Without Money.
Assuming you have some money, you need a spending plan. But how much money do you need to budget for the first five years of your writing career? I asked Kent Sanders, host of The Profitable Writer Podcast and founder of the Profitable Writer Community, a membership group that serves writers and helps them become more profitable.
In this week's episode, you'll learn
- How much money to set aside for writing-related expenses
- What writing tools and investments yield the best return for authors
- Which expenses you can avoid early in your career
Listen to the podcast or read the blog version, and be sure to ask your questions and leave your comments on AuthorMedia.social.
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Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for connecting with readers and selling books. Obviously, you want a lot of email subscribers, but it doesn't matter how many subscribers you have if they don't open and read your emails.
How do you craft the kind of emails that capture your reader's attention and help you sell more books?
In this week's episode, you'll learn
- Three elements that make readers open your emails
- Which element is least important
- What to write in your email newsletter
If you don't yet have your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers, listen in, and you'll be on your way to 1,000 subscribers. Be sure to check out the blog version for a long list of links related to growing your email list.
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A few years ago, the popular buzzword in the author world was "tribe." Building a tribe of readers was seen as the key to success. Reader relationships are still important for authors, so why did the term "tribe" go out of fashion?
Having a tribe of readers is still an incredible asset that will help you sell your books and raise your profile amongst readers, but you need to know how and where to build a tribe if you want it to grow.
In this week's episode, you'll learn:
- The difference between a platform and a tribe
- Why authors need a tribe
- How large your tribe needs to be
- Where to gather your tribe to ensure a positive experience
If you've been wondering how to listen to your Timothy or eavesdrop on a conversation between several of your target readers, listen in to find out how and where to build your tribe or check out the blog version of this episode.
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Two authors recently asked me the same question: “What should I do if I have no money for book marketing?"
It’s a question that requires exploration and evaluation. If you have the same question, you may be at a crossroads. You have two options if you want to write but have no money for marketing.
In this week’s episode, we’ll examine the two paths forward from the no-money conundrum. You’ll discover
- Whether money spent on writing is an expense or an investment
- How to turn the “expensive option” into the “budget option”
- How and where to invest your time when you don’t have the funds for publishing
If you feel stuck because you want to write but you have no money to fund your writing, listen in and discover your next steps forward, and be sure to check out the blog version with all the links and articles I reference.
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Are you thinking about quitting publishing or writing? You started full of energy and optimism, but it has been a hard road, and you feel tired.
Should you quit? My answer may surprise you.
Maybe you should.
Publishing is an industry where almost everyone has a financial incentive to see you keep going. People in the publishing industry don’t earn money if you quit. But there is a lot of money to be made by telling writers exactly what they want to hear: “You will be the next bestseller and hottest thing in publishing!! Just keep paying for coaching, edits, covers, and conferences! Eventually, you will be a star!”
Writing will cost you time and money.
How do you decide if it’s time to quit or keep going?
Only a handful of writers die at their keyboards, which means we all quit eventually. But how do you know if it’s time?
In this week’s episode, you’ll answer five clarifying questions to help you know whether it’s time to press on or bow out.
You’ll learn:
- Two uncomfortable publishing realities
- When the time is right (or wrong)
- What you need to invest or cut to achieve your ultimate goal
Listen in or check out the blog post to answer these five clarifying questions that will guide your decision.
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Do you long to see your story on the big screen? If so, I have good news.
Every streaming platform is desperate for new content to give them the edge in the ongoing streaming wars, and traditional TV stations and movie companies are as prolific as ever. Even radio stations and theaters are looking for new content.
But how do you turn a 100,000-word novel, which would be a 12-hour audiobook, into a two-hour movie? Is that even possible? Where do you begin?
Few things boost a book's sales like a giant Hollywood marketing campaign for the movie based on a book.
But how do you turn your book into a screenplay?
I asked Charles Harris in this week's episode. He's a bestselling author and award-winning director who's helped hundreds of authors turn their novels into screenplays.
You'll discover
- Differences between writing a book and a screenplay
- Techniques to distill your novel into a much shorter screenplay
- What kind of novel makes a good screenplay
Listen in or check out the blog post to discover the important differences between writing for the page and the screen and find out how to turn your novel into a screenplay.
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Google Chrome is the most popular web browser, but if you're just using basic Chrome, you're missing out on some amazing time-saving tools and assistance.
Wouldn't it be great if you had an assistant who could correct a typo in your email before you hit send? How much time would you save if you didn't have to think of a new password for every account? Would you get fewer headaches if you didn't have to scroll past obnoxious ads as you research?
Chrome extensions are tools that can help solve all of those problems! They can make you more productive, improve your writing, and give you more time to write.
But with more than 137,000 Chrome extensions available, how do you know which will be best for you?
In this week's episode, I'll recommend six specific Chrome extensions every author needs in 2024. If Chrome isn't your default browser, don't worry. Other browsers offer many of the same extensions.
Listen in and find out how you can leverage these tools to save time, reduce stress, and give you more time to write. Check out the blog version here.
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For those outside the publishing industry, the inner workings of the industry are wrapped in mystery.
- How do books get published?
- Who decides which books to publish?
- How well are books selling?
- How much money do authors really make?
In secretive industries, information is typically leaked through hacks, whistleblowers, and court cases. Cases involving big publishers rarely go to trial because big companies dislike having their secrets publicized.
But when one of the largest publishers in the history of publishing was taken to court by the Department of Justice, we got a rare peek behind the scenes.
Some of the best journalistic coverage of the DOJ v. PRH case came from Jane Friedman’s Hot Sheet newsletter, and in this week’s episode, I interviewed Jane Friedman about the trial and what we learned.
You’ll find out
- The scoop behind some astonishing and controversial stats
- How publishers decide which titles are allotted a marketing budget
- The biggest challenge traditional publishers have to solve soon
Listen in or check out the blog post for insight into traditional publishing secrets, challenges, and methods.
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Did you know that one in five Novel Marketing listeners lives outside the United States?
Authors living overseas view America as the land of plenty because there are so many American readers. However, foreign authors often struggle to sell their books in America. Why? These United States are made up of 11 ethno-geographic regions, each with its own culture. Your book will resonate with one region more than others, but how do you find out where it will sell?
In this week’s episode, which will be our last episode of 2023, you'll learn about the vast differences between the 11 American nations, as categorized by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations.
You’ll find out
- Which regions are underserved by authors and publishers
- Which regions require nearly flawless writing
- Which regions will resonate with the themes and characters in your book
Knowing how Americans are different from each other culturally can help you craft more interesting and believable American characters. It is also key to crafting marketing messages that resonate with American buyers.
The key to writing for American readers is to know which readers you are trying to reach. If you aim between two targets, you will miss them both. Listen in so you can target readers from the region where your book will resonate most. Read more in the blog post version of this episode.
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Most authors build their websites on WordPress, partly because of its powerful and enormous plugin repository. A plugin is like an app for your website. Each of WordPress’s nearly 60,000 plugins can add specific functionality to your website. But how do you know which ones you need and which to avoid?
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn
- Three categories of WordPress plugins
- How to tell if a free plugin is good (or not!)
- Which plugins your author website needs
- Which plugins you should avoid
If you’ve been overwhelmed by the number of plugins available or haven’t yet added any to your website, listen in to find out where to start and which ones you need. Read more at the blog version of this episode.
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For the last 11 years, audiobooks have seen double-digit sales growth year over year.
The audiobook market is now $1.8 billion.
That means audiobooks are no longer an optional, nice-to-have feature when you launch your book.
But how do you make an audiobook? Should you read it yourself or hire a narrator?
In this week’s episode, Scott Sigler walks us through the steps of turning your book into
an audiobook, and you’ll discover you have several good options. You’ll learn how to
- Write a book that sounds good to listeners
- Edit with an audiobook-first mindset
- Find and work with a narrator
- Record the book yourself
Whether you’re in the beginning stages of writing your manuscript or a few months from launch, you’ll want to listen in to find out how offering an audiobook can validate the quality of your book and increase your sales in all formats. Read more in the blog version of this episode.
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When I was in college, I experimented with cooking Asian food, but my stovetop-cooked rice never tasted very good. Then, one of my Asian friends introduced me to the right tool for the job: a rice cooker. Its only function was to perfectly cook rice, and it worked every time.
While I never got good at cooking Asian food, I always had great rice because I had the right tool for the job.
When we're cooking up books, many of us waste time doing things the hard way because we don't have the right tools for the job. But it's hard to find the right tool if you don't know it exists.
In this week's episode, I am the guest! Derek Doepker interviewed me about tools that make writing and marketing easier. The interview first aired on the Bestseller Secrets Summit, and Derek kindly agreed to let me share a portion of that interview on Novel Marketing.
You'll discover
- Two tools every author must have
- A tool that saved me 106 hours (and can save you hours, too!)
- Tools to reduce your password-security stress
- And more!
If you're losing time or simply want to fine-tune your writing systems, listen in or read the blog version about these time-saving tools for authors.
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So you're thinking about self-publishing a book.
You've heard self-published authors can make more money, control the content and design, and have better access to marketing data.
But self-publishing a book can be daunting. There are so many factors involved: writing, editing, formatting, finding a cover designer, uploading to Amazon, setting up a sales page, and promoting your book.
Self-publishing, also known as indie publishing, is not for the faint of heart.
But sometimes the overwhelm comes from not understanding how the process works.
In this week's episode, we remove some of the overwhelm by talking with James Blatch, who has been helping authors self-publish for years.
You'll learn
- Which tasks you need to focus on at the beginning of your career
- Which tasks you must learn later
- Which task you need to begin long before you publish
- How to get your book on Amazon without paying someone else thousands of dollars
Listen in and learn the seven critical steps to successfully self-publishing your book, and find out how to excel at each step of the process. Read the blog version here.
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Black Friday marketing phenomenon is an opportunity, but it's also a threat.
In this week's episode, I share some powerful tips to supercharge your book sales!
You'll learn
- What motivates people to buy books on Black Friday
- Which book promotion tactics work best on the big day
- Three mistakes to avoid when running your holiday promotion
- What to do if Black Friday marketing stresses you out!
Black Friday isn't technically a holiday, but you can still maximize your book sales while readers are in the buying mood. Click here to read the blog version.
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There is a new scam targeting authors.
An enterprising scammer can use AI to write a book similar to your writing style. They can use an AI-generated cover similar to yours, and publish the book with a pen name that also happens to be yours.
Sometimes, Amazon even puts this fraudulent book in your Author Central account so customers see the AI book you didn’t write listed with the books you did write.
The crazy thing about this attack is that it might not be illegal.
It is such a new type of attack that there is no name for it yet. But in this week’s episode, I will call it “reputation theft.” Reputation theft is where someone you don’t know uses your name and style to sell their own books.
How do you protect yourself from reputation theft?
How do you navigate the many legal dilemmas authors face in this age of AI-assisted writing?
I invited literary lawyer Lloyd Jassin to guide us through this legal forest. He’s a publishing insider who tells us.
- The difference between copyright and trademark
- Which tool is best for protecting your name and work
- What you can do if you’ve been attacked by “reputation theft”
Listen in and learn how to protect your writing from copyright infringement and which legal tools can help you deal with AI-generated fraudulent versions of your books. Read more...
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How much should your book cost? Your answer is critical to your book's success and your career as an author.
Authors have a wide range of pricing options, from free ebooks to $200 collector's editions. You might be wondering, "What is the best price for my book?" but that is actually the wrong question.
Instead, you should ask, "What are the best prices for my book?"
In https://www.authormedia.com/book-marketing-101-price/, you'll learn how your book's price impacts sales and discover 14 strategies for finding the optimum price for your book.
You'll learn:
- How pricing affects your reader's perception of your book's value
- When to price your book higher and lower
- Why free works for some authors
discover how to price your book throughout its life cycle and determine which strategies work best for your genre and book.
https://www.authormedia.com/book-marketing-101-price/.
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New York City is home to the Big Five publishers and the newspaper that publishes the New York Times bestseller list. Publishing culture is concentrated in New York City.
But since most of the gatekeepers, publishers, and agents live in New York City, many authors ask, "Don't I need to comply with New York values in order to succeed in publishing?"
In this week's episode, we'll hear from Larry Correia, who ran into that conundrum and has modeled a solution for everyone asking that same question. He's now a New York Times bestselling author of more than 25 novels, 50 short works, and two collections.
Larry tells us
- How and why he started writing for a niche audience.
- How he handled feedback from traditional publishers
- Whose feedback helped him thrill his readers most
- How authenticity and passion have fueled his creativity and career
Listen in this week to find out how to be an authentic author, sell more books, and expand your writing career by finding and writing for a specific group of readers. Read the blog version here.
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"Most authors sell most of their books on Amazon, and while Amazon has helped indie authors become publishers, they take a large bite of your profits.
But there is a way to earn more money on each book sale and connect with your readers via email. You can sell direct from your website.
If you’ve listened to Novel Marketing for a long time, you know I haven’t been a fan of authors selling direct from their websites because it was expensive, required technical sophistication, and tended to be a time-suck.
But in the last decade, the cost of selling directly online has decreased. Selling direct now makes sense for many authors, and in this week’s episode, we talk about it with Joanna Penn.
Joanna tells us:
- how buyer behavior has changed
- which web store tools work best for certain authors
- how all book formats can be easily delivered to readers
- how to create beautiful editions
With the explosion of AI and a slew of paperbacks and ebooks for sale online, this episode will teach you how to make your book stand out and earn more money per sale at the same time."
Click here to read the blog version.
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Success in publishing requires more than just writing a great book. It requires people. People to publish your book, talk about it, buy it, and recommend it.
People. People. People.
Some authors struggle in their careers simply because they are isolated.
How do you connect with people who can help make your book successful?
My grandparents’ generation called this “winning friends and influencing people.” My generation calls it “networking,” which strikes fear in the hearts of many writers.
One essential tool to help you get comfortable introducing yourself as a writer and talking about your work is your pitch.
In this week’s episode, Thomas Umstattd interviews Lindsey Hughes, who is a pitch master, having worked with Disney and major animation franchises.
You can find the blog version along with links to everything we talk about here.
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Novel Marketing turns 10 years old on September 30th, 2024! In this episode, Thomas Umstattd Jr. and James L. Rubart share highlights and lessons learned from 10 years of Novel Marketing.
You can find the blog post version of this episode, along with links to everything we talk about here.
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Find out how running a Kickstarter campaign for your book can solve one of indie authors' biggest challenges.
You can find the blog version of this episode here.
The post How Karyne Norton Successfully Kickstarted Her Book in 1 Hour appeared first on Author Media.
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Find out how the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference will help you apply your book-marketing knowledge and facilitate in-person connections.
The post Announcing the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference appeared first on Author Media.
Learn what types of events are available and discover how to pick the best writers conference for your stage in the publishing journey.
The post Workshops, Retreats, and Pitches: How to pick the best writers conference for you appeared first on Author Media.
If your book isn't a good product, marketing gets harder. Find out whose opinion counts and learn to create a good book readers want to buy and read.
The post Book Marketing 101: Product appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how running your own independent publishing company compares with publishing with a small house and how you can start your own company.
The post From Passion to Print: How to Run an Independent Publishing Company appeared first on Author Media.
Authors dream of having a book club pick their book to read and discuss. Find out how to make your book book-club-friendly.
The post How to Get Book Clubs to Pick YOUR Book appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how a free tool can help improve your book description, increase your sales, and improve the effectiveness of your Amazon sales page.
The post From Book Blurb to Bestseller: How to Craft Compelling Amazon Descriptions With Dave Chesson appeared first on Author Media.
Find out how the actors and screenwriters strikes will affect authors and provide some unprecedented opportunities.
The post How the Hollywood Strikes Will Help (& Hurt!) Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Find out the advantages and limitations of Substack for authors with various platform-building strategies.
The post Substack for Authors: An Exciting Opportunity or Just Hype? appeared first on Author Media.
If your publishing journey is sapping your bank account, learn how working as an author assistant will help you earn and learn simultaneously.
The post How to Make Money as an Author Assistant appeared first on Author Media.
Avoid author burn out by establishing a sustainable publishing pace for the next 20 years. Learn how and when to plan your publishing tasks.
The post The Tortoise Release Method: Why Slow and Steady Beats Rapid Release appeared first on Author Media.
Find out how to market your book in the four stages of its lifecycle and how to extend book sales on older books.
The post The Lifecycle of a Book: How to Extend Your Book’s Life With Effective Marketing appeared first on Author Media.
I have crepe myrtle trees in my front yard that have grown out of control. A neighbor noticed and gave me some tips on how to prune them to a manageable size. I took her advice and pruned the trees aggressively, but soon they were out of control again. Again, my neighbor came by and […]
The post Trim to Win: Why Saying ‘No’ is Crucial for Publishing Success: A Pruning Story appeared first on Author Media.
Find out if it's better to create an author brand that is good or big. Discover the difference between the two and which should come first.
The post Good Brands Vs. Big Brands appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to optimize that tiny window to grab your reader within the first 50 pages and convince them to finish your book.
The post The Power of First Impressions: How to Hook Readers in the First 50 Pages appeared first on Author Media.
Last week, we talked about how good website data can help you “listen” to your readers. While your readers don’t speak audibly through data, their actions speak louder than words. Observing your readers’ actions on your website gives you spectacular insight into what they want.
But another revolutionary technique will tell you what your readers want.
You ask them!
Believe it or not, readers have preferences. Listening to your readers’ preferences will help you make your books more appealing and your marketing more resonant.
If you feel stuck in your marketing, platform, or sales growth, you might need a better understanding of what your readers want. If you’ve never surveyed your readers, your lack of knowledge about their preferences may be hampering your growth.
Sometimes catering to your readers’ preferences requires only tiny tweaks and can eliminate little irritations that are torpedoing your success. You can easily listen and learn from a handful of readers by having a conversation over coffee or on the phone.
But how do you listen to hundreds or even thousands of readers? You create a reader survey.
The purpose of the reader survey is to help you take action. You want to know which tweaks will lead to a massive increase in reader satisfaction and list growth.
Please remember that reader surveys are only helpful for authors who care what their readers think. Some authors simply want to write what’s on their heart regardless of whether readers like it.
If that’s you, this episode probably won’t help you. If you don’t value reader preferences and don’t care about serving them better, then there’s no point in surveying them.
Consider creating a reader survey if you care about thrilling and serving your readers and want to adapt your writing and marketing to their preferences.
Tips on Creating Readers SurveysShort and Simple is BetterReaders don’t want a long, intensive survey. A handful of strategically chosen questions will often unlock your writing and marketing.
A good statistical sampling requires a lot of answers. The fewer questions you ask, the more answers you’ll get and the more valid the answers will be.
Reward Survey Participants ProperlyConsider offering a prize to one lucky person who completes the survey, but be sure to choose a prize that interests your specific fans. If strangers or people outside your audience take your survey, your data will be skewed.
The key to an author’s success is to thrill a passionate, core readership that will talk about your books to their friends. You don’t want to incentivize random strangers with a generic Amazon gift card because their feedback won’t help you make positive changes for your current readers.
What kind of incentive should I offer my survey participants?If you’re already published, you can offer an autographed hardback collection of your most recent series or entire catalog.
It’s a great incentive because the only person interested in a hardback collection of your books would be an existing reader who’s already a fan of your writing. That’s the kind of fan who will be eager to give you feedback.
Practicing What I PreachI surveyed Novel Marketing listeners five years ago, but this week, I created a new listener survey. To incentivize my current listeners to take the survey, I’m giving away five free one-on-one marketing consultations with me to five listeners (or readers) who complete the survey.
Ready to take the survey? Start here.
Normally, I’d assign a value for price anchoring purposes, but I’m not currently taking any paid consultation appointments. Completing this survey is the only way to schedule an individual consultation with me right now.
How to Create a Reader SurveyGoogle Forms is a free and powerful tool that comes with Google Docs. I’ve been using it for years, and it’s the tool I recommend to most authors.
What types of question formats can I create?Short Answer and Paragraph AnswerI like to include a couple of open-ended questions at the end of a survey so readers can type what’s on their minds. The downside of these free-written answers is that they can’t be compiled into a graph or chart.
Multiple Choice, Check Box, and Drop DownAnswers to your multiple-choice, checkbox, and drop-down type questions can be compiled into a chart. The charts Google produces from reader data will tell you, for example, what percentage of survey participants think your books are coming out too slowly or too quickly.
It’s much easier to read and analyze data from the graphs than to dig through dozens or thousands of short answers to manually compile the data.
Multiple choice, check box, and drop-down type questions are easier for people to answer. As an author, you’re comfortable writing out answers, but many people are not. They’re not confident in their use of grammar, especially when writing to an author, so they may not want to type a lot. If they respond on their phones, they really don’t want to type a long answer.
What’s the difference between multiple-choice and checkbox questions?I used both types of questions in my reader survey.
In one of my checkbox questions, I ask, “What topics would you like to hear more about?” Then I provided a list of different topics with checkboxes beside each one.
The next question says, “What would you like to hear less about?” I’ve listed the same topics with checkboxes. You can select one or more responses to both questions. If you’re tired of hearing about a certain topic, you can check the box beside it.
What if their answer isn’t on the list you provide?Google Forms has an “other” feature that allows respondents to type their own answers when they check the “other” box. Including an “other” option in your list allows readers to help you brainstorm other ideas.
Unfortunately, “other” answers show up in the pie chart as tiny slivers since people rarely type the exact same words. The “other” responses break the chart, but it’s nice to provide that option for certain kinds of questions.
I like Google Forms because of the flexibility it offers. I can combine the check box questions with the short answer question through the “other” feature.
Do I need to make all the questions required?Google Forms lets you choose whether a question is required or not. I try not to require answers if I don’t have to. I’d rather somebody skip a question they don’t want to answer than skip the entire survey because an answer is required.
Thankfully, you can change that setting on a question-by-question basis.
What if I don’t want a reader to answer all the questions?Google Forms allows you to create numbered sections for the questions. Respondents can skip sections based on how they answer previous sections.
For example, in my survey, I ask, “What kind of writing do you do primarily?”
I provide the following options as answers to that question:
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Children/MG/YA
If somebody selects “Fiction,” they’re taken to another section that asks which fiction genre they write.
Knowing the makeup of my audience will help me determine what kinds of illustrations and examples I should use in my content.
Besides that, I also want to know whether I’m hitting topics that benefit you in your genre.
However, I only want answers from my fiction listeners because marketing techniques for romance, sci-fi, and historical fiction vary.
On the other hand, nonfiction marketing techniques don’t shift much from genre to genre, so I don’t want to bore nonfiction respondents with questions that don’t apply to them.
The feature I’ve used is called “Go to section based on answer.” The answer you select will determine which section you go to next. If you answer Nonfiction, Children/MG/YA, or Memoir, you’ll be taken to section four. But respondents who choose Fiction will be taken to section three.
What do I do with the survey I created?Once you have created your survey in Google Forms, click the giant, purple “Send” button, which allows you to embed it on your website or send a link.
I recommend copying the link and sending it in an email to your subscribers.
When the answers come in, Google Forms will give me some nice charts and graphs. I can also review the answers on a per-person basis as opposed to an aggregate of how everyone answered.
Google Forms allows you to export the information into Google Sheets, which is Google’s version of Excel. Your other option is to download the information as an Excel file.
Few authors need a spreadsheet to torture this data. Most people will find the charts and graphs sufficient.
What kinds of questions should I ask?First, determine what you actually need to know.
What are you willing to change?Remember that the purpose of a reader survey is to help you make changes. If you’re not going to change something, don’t ask questions related to that thing.
For example, the biggest source of negative feedback for this podcast is the fact that I don’t hide my religion.
Some people don’t like that I am a Christian, and they’ll leave one-star reviews on Apple podcasts because of it.
I could ask listeners, “Should I change how I present myself in the show?” But since I’m not going to start hiding my Christianity, I didn’t include that question on my survey, because I wouldn’t change it regardless of what kind of feedback I received.
However, I did include an optional question about where listeners lean politically. Do you lean left, right, or please-don’t-talk-to-me-about-politics?
I included the question because marketing touches politics, and I want to know what language and examples to use as I teach. But I made that question optional because some people are sensitive about it.
I could guess how people lean, but I don’t want to base my guess on the handful of loud, passionate people who don’t represent the larger group of listeners.
A reader survey will help you determine whether the folks who are passionate enough to email you represent the group accurately.
What do you already know?Don’t ask questions to which you already know the answers. For example, don’t ask whether people have purchased your book. Independent authors can easily see their sales reports on Amazon. If you’re traditionally published, you can get that information from your publisher.
Both of those sources of sales data will be more accurate than reader responses about whether they’ve bought your book.
Be Cautious About Using Push PollingPush polling purposely works questions into a survey to try to get people to take action.
For example, if I were push polling, I might ask, “Are you a patron yet?” I already know how many patrons I have. In fact, the number of patrons I have is publicly available. The only reason to include that question would be to get respondents to feel like they’re missing out or to remind them to become a patron.
That’s not a good use of a survey. Approach your survey from honest curiosity. Don’t use it as an opportunity to needle people into taking action. That’s not to say you shouldn’t encourage people to leave reviews or buy your book. You can and should ask for reviews and sales, but don’t use the survey to do it.
What topics should I ask about?The ReaderHow many books do you read each year? This question helps you understand how much competition you’re facing for the reader’s attention. Writing a third book won’t increase your sales if your readers only read two books per year. If you didn’t know they only read two books annually, you might work hard to write twice as fast but become discouraged when readers don’t buy more books.
On the other hand, maybe they’re reading lots of books every year, and they’d love to read more from you. Only a survey will help you know which direction to take.
Where do you prefer to buy books?It’s important to ask where they prefer to buy books and not where they actually buy them. Maybe they buy books on Amazon but prefer to buy from their local bookstore. Maybe they prefer to listen to audiobooks on Audible, so they’ll buy on Amazon.
What is your preferred book format?If you’ve only published paper books and ebooks, you’ve been excluding audiobook listeners. People who only listen to audiobooks probably won’t be on your list anyway because you don’t offer their preferred format.
Other readers are indifferent about which format they read. If they read on a Kindle, listen to audiobooks, and buy paper books, they may not have a strong preference. However, if you learn that your readers prefer to listen, you might gain the confidence to spend the money to publish an audiobook.
If you’re already offering all three formats, you don’t need to ask because it won’t cause you to make changes.
How old are you?The age range or average age of your readers may help you make decisions about various elements in your book.
What is your gender?Some genres lean heavily toward one gender or the other. Romance, for example, is read largely by women. Both men and women widely enjoy sci-fi. However, when you get deeper into sci-fi subgenres, men generally lean toward military sci-fi, whereas women typically lean toward sci-fi subgenres with romantic threads.
Again, if you’ve already decided you’re writing romance, you probably don’t need to ask this question.
Where do you lean politically? The political leanings of your target market impact your marketing decisions. Many a marketing blunder is made when companies don’t know the politics of their customers and inadvertently make them angry.
It’s fine to be political, especially if the point of your writing is to educate or convince your audience. You want to decide to discuss politics on purpose.
If you’re wrestling with navigating certain political issues, ask your readers what they think. Maybe they don’t want you to discuss a political issue, but you feel it’s necessary. If that’s the case, at least you’re deciding on purpose with knowledge.
Reader feedback matters, but it doesn’t control you.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
You get to decide, but there’s a big difference between taking a principled stand, knowing you’ll get pushback and being blindsided because you had no idea the pushback was coming. You want to open your eyes to the world as it is not how you want it to be.
What were your favorite books of the last year? Allow responses to this question to be open-ended. Don’t provide a checklist of options. Many of your readers may be reading books you’ve never heard of. By reading their favorite books, you can discern what themes and characters resonate with them.
Who are your favorite authors?Your readers may know of authors you haven’t heard of or read yet.
If all your readers love Lord of the Rings and you’ve never read it, start reading the books! If you love the books, you can discuss them freely and even use examples and metaphors from the stories as you communicate with your readers.
If you do not like Lord of the Rings, ask your readers what they loved about it. Either way, you’ll gain a better understanding of your readers.
The BookQuestions about your book will help you discover how your book is resonating with readers and which parts resonate best.
What was your favorite part of my book?Ask which parts of the book spoke to them or made them excited. They’ll usually remember the most emotionally engaging scenes or characters.
What was your least favorite part of the book?If your readers are vibing with four of your five plot lines, you’ll want to know which one they have to grind through. Maybe you can rewrite it or delete it to improve your story.
Who is your favorite character?Use the check box question feature to list your most popular characters so readers can easily remember character names and check the boxes.
If there’s one character most people don’t love, analyze the data to learn why. Perhaps the character is supposed to be unlikeable, and you’ve accomplished your goal.
Who is your least favorite character?You don’t have to kill off the least favorite character, but reader feedback will help you understand which characters should get more chapters.
What is your preferred release frequency? Do they want a book from you every year, every quarter, or every month? If you can’t release a book every month, don’t provide that as an option.
Maybe they only read one book per year at the beach, so it doesn’t matter how many your write and release. Perhaps you’ll learn that your readers would buy more books if you could write faster. Either way, that information will help you make decisions.
The PromotionYou can also ask questions about your marketing and platform. Since you’ll be emailing this survey link to readers on your email list, you can find out how to make your emails more interesting and useful to them.
How often do you want email updates?Reader responses about frequency may lighten your email-writing load or cause you to adjust how often you send emails.
What are your LEAST favorite topics in my emails?Answers to this question will tell you which episodes or emails readers regularly skip. You can redirect your energy from less useful topics to more useful topics.
What is your most burning question? Use the short answer or paragraph question format to ask this as an open-ended question. Often, readers will give you great ideas for future emails or episodes. Questions like this will generate content ideas that will resonate because readers asked for them specifically.
Sometimes people wade through the whole survey just to get to the open-ended paragraph box to tell you one thing. Be sure to provide the opportunity for them to write freely. The feedback you receive may be transformational.
What are your favorite topics in my emails?Mary Demuth used to write a little prayer for her readers at the end of every email. When she surveyed her readers about their favorite part of her newsletter, she learned that everyone loved the prayer.
After discussing her findings with her mastermind group, she decided to launch the Pray Every Day podcast, which has millions of downloads and has become far more popular than her email newsletter.
Warnings About Readers SurveysNot all feedback is helpful.Reader feedback is valuable and important, but it doesn’t necessarily dictate the direction of your career. The feedback is not in control. You are in control.
Data informs you, but it doesn’t control you.
Thomas Umastattd, Jr.
Get feedback from the right people.Don’t offer a $100 Amazon gift card to a bunch of strangers for completing the survey. Strangers don’t know who you are or what you write, and their feedback will not be helpful. In fact, they may simply click random answers to complete the survey just so they can be entered to win.
Don’t implement the wrong solutions.As you read through the short answer feedback, you’ll find that people often identify a problem or irritation and propose a solution. You want to know about the problem, but you don’t have to implement a reader’s solution. An editor will help you find better story solutions than a reader will.
Negative feedback is difficult to hear. In fact, the threat of negative feedback may be why you haven’t sent a reader survey before.
Most of your feedback will be positive, but a handful of negative comments can still help you improve your story or content.
When my listeners complained about the audio quality in the early episodes of the Novel Marketing podcast, I started learning about microphones. I discovered my listeners were right, and my audio quality was bad! I educated myself and bought a better microphone and a mixer.
When people answer survey questions, they are describing themselves, not you. Even when they are talking about your book, they are still talking about themselves. The word most frequently used in book reviews is “I.”
Realize this feedback isn’t an indictment on you. It’s a description of your readers, and you can choose to accommodate them or not. Reader feedback doesn’t determine whether your book is good or bad. It simply tells you whether your book fits those particular readers.
I could take a vegan to the best barbecue restaurant in Texas, and they would hate it. The barbecue might be fantastic, but it isn’t the right fit for a vegan.
A survey informs your decisions but does not control them. The data you collect will make your marketing more effective and your book more resonant.
June is Patrons Appreciation Month!Once a year, I thank my patrons by offering a bonus beyond the free patrons-only episode.
This year, I’m giving away my course Publishing A to Z. It’s a collection of everything I learned about publishing from my years as a marketing director and literary agent.
The course will help you discover whether indie or traditional publishing best suits you and your book. Here’s a hint: neither is the “easier” path. Both require a lot of work from the author, but one path or the other may play to your strengths better.
You will learn the following:
- The pros and cons of traditional publishing
- The pros and cons of independent (self) publishing.
- How to Publish Your Book Independently
- How to Get Traditionally Published
- How to Get a Literary Agent
- And so much more!
Publishing A to Z is normally $299, but it’s free for patrons this month. You can become a patron for as little as $4.00 per month. You could cancel at the end of Patron Appreciation Month, and you’d still get to keep the course, but I hope you’ll stick around.
You’ll be more motivated to listen to the episodes and to put the information into practice when you start paying for it. Where your money is, your heart will be also.
Become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Featured PatronLauricia Matuska, author of The Healer’s Rune
Three hundred years after a great war shattered the Council of Races, the warrior Rüddan have all but eradicated their cousins, the faerie Aethel and enslaved mortal Humanity. In order to save her people from being wiped out by the Rüddan, Sabine, a Human healer, must overcome generations of bitterness, suspicion, and fear and forge an alliance among enemy races. But what chance does she have when one of those races is extinct and her dreams of freedom threaten every remaining race on the planet?
Related Episodes* How to Find Your Readers * How to Find Your Timothy * Everything Authors Need to Know About K-Lytics * 10 Classic Branding Blunders Authors Make (and how to avoid them)
The post The Amazing Power of Reader Surveys appeared first on Author Media.
Can you answer any of the following questions about your website stats?
- How many people visit your website each month?
- What pages are most popular?
- Which blog topics generate the most traffic?
- Which articles do people spend the most time reading?
Knowing the answers to these questions makes attracting an agent or publisher easier. They will ask about your website stats, and if you don’t have the answer, you will look like an amateur.
If you plan to indie publish, knowing the answers to those questions will help you sell more books. Website statistics tell you if your website is working or irritating readers, and you’ll gain readers by thrilling them rather than irritating them.
The key to effective marketing is to measure. Your website is the hub of your online book promotion, and if you don’t have good website data, your data on other promotional efforts won’t be as useful.
How do you get good stats for your website? In this article, I’ll recommend two tools to generate stats about your WordPress website. They work together like your eyes. With both, you can see clearly, but even one working eye (or web data tool) will save you from blindness.
Many of the older analytics tools such as Monster Insights and Exact Metrics have become far less useful in recent years, so I no longer recommend them. They have become terrible tools, and any useful data will cost you $400 per year.
That’s not worth it for most authors, especially when similar free or almost free options are available.
Tool #1: JetpackWhat does Jetpack do? Jetpack is the Swiss Army Knife of plugins. It replaces the need for at least half-a-dozen other plugins, so I’ve fallen in love with it. Although it went through an awkward adolescence, it’s now a mature tool that almost every website needs. It’s been drastically improved and has become more powerful with these features:
- Stats
- Speed Boost
- Contact Form
- Related Posts
- Security
- Backups
- Super Search
Why is Jetpack important?Spam will ruin your blog comments if you don’t have a filter. Readers get frustrated when you don’t have a contact form, and if your site loads slowly, people will leave. Jetpack remedies these problems.
Why is Jetpack the best?Jetpack is made by Automattic, the company behind WordPress. They have the best developers and the most money to fund their development. If you install the other plugins we’re recommending, the free version of Jetpack is all you need.
Get JetpackMost impressive of all is their new stats engine. When they notified their users, I immediately activated the new stats engine, and I am in love with how beautiful and simple the stats are.
Many authors install Google Analytics on their websites but don’t know how to check or read the data it collects. The dashboard is full of overwhelming numbers and terms, so it doesn’t help authors answer the questions they should care about.
Jetpack, on the other hand, is simple. Most people already have Jetpack on their WordPress websites. You simply push a button to turn it on.
The downside is that Jetpack doesn’t collect data until you turn it on. If you’ve just activated it, you won’t get meaningful data until it’s had several weeks to collect numbers. But once you have those weeks of data, Jetpack will give you useful information:
- How many views did your website have today?
- Which day is your best overall traffic day?
- What time do most people visit your blog?
- How many total views have you had since you created your website?
- How many comments are you getting?
- Which posts get the most comments?
Jetpack even installs a small version of itself on your actual WordPress dashboard, so you don’t have to visit a separate website to view your stats. You can see the past week’s traffic as soon as you log in to your website.
My big web traffic day is always the day I send out the email about the new blog post.
This chart allows me to see my most popular days. I can also toggle between days, months, and years to see which month and year have been the most popular.
I have 15 years of Google Analytics data but only three weeks of Jetpack data.
Jetpack has offered stats for a long time, but the interface hasn’t been good until recently, so I only recently turned it on.
Even if you’re not planning to publish your book for years, historical data is helpful, so turn on Jetpack right away. The collection of data over time will give you a sense of your site’s traffic patterns.
This bigger, more robust view is handy. You can see how many views, visitors, and comments we had on that day and where the traffic came from.
These data points are helpful for any advertising, promotion, or list-building campaign.
How do web visitors find your website?If you’re trying to build your list or get people to a landing page, you’ll be able to see whether you’re getting more traffic from AuthorsXP or a podcast interview. When another website sends a visitor to yours, it’s called a referrer, and Jetpack easily displays those stats.
You can see how many people came from search engines and social networks. You might be surprised to learn how little traffic comes from the social networks. The referrer data will show whether your time spent on Facebook translates into website visits. Jetpack will show you which pages and posts are visited most often.
Where in the world do your website visitors live?Jetpack even provides a map showing which countries your visitors come from. It’s not particularly useful information for most authors since your own country will have the most visitors, but it is interesting.
I have more visitors from India and Nigeria than from Australia. That’s interesting information, but it doesn’t help me make marketing decisions.
Where do website visitors go when they leave your site?Your Jetpack report will also show where people are headed when they leave your website. If a visitor leaves your website, where are they going? What links on your website do they click to go somewhere else?
This feature lets you see how many clicks you’re sending to Amazon to buy your book, which is incredibly useful. If you’re getting a lot of website traffic, but no one clicks through to Amazon, something’s wrong, and Jetpack will tell you so.
Insights PageBesides data about your web traffic, Jetpack also provides an Insights page which gives you a year-in-review look at your stats.
The 2023 Year in Review shows your total number of posts, words, likes, comments, and subscribers. All-time Highlights will tell you the all-time total number of views, visitors, posts, and comments.
Most Popular Day and Hour shows which day of the week and hour of the day your site gets the most traffic. You can even discover which day of the year was your busiest traffic day.
Much of that is interesting, but it’s not super useful.
Tags & Categories
Jetpack’s data on tags and categories is where the magic happens. The tags and categories report tells you which category of your blog is most popular with your website visitors. Bloggers want to know which topics are most useful to their readers.
Perhaps you rotate between blogging about parenting, budgeting, and home improvement. The Tags and Categories data will allow you to see which topic gets the most traffic.
Maybe you’ll discover that most of your readers want your home improvement posts. That doesn’t mean you have to stop blogging about parenting and budgeting, but the data will help you learn why your audience visits your website.
The tags and category data could be very useful if you’ve categorized your posts well.
Google Analytics won’t give you that same information without 12 hours of work and a ton of technical sophistication. Google Analytics shows you which pages perform well, but it won’t aggregate that data based on category or author.
Besides aggregating all that great data, Jetpack is easy to install. You may already have it on your website. If you do, find Jetpack in the sidebar of your WordPress dashboard, go to “Settings,” and click “Activate.” When you toggle it to green, Jetpack will start collecting visitor data.
If you don’t have Jetpack, click “Plugins” in your WordPress dashboard sidebar, and then click “Add New Plugin.” Type “Jetpack” in the search field and follow the prompts to install.
Jetpack has some premium features you can pay for, which makes you their customer and not their product, but the basic stats are available in the free version.
Tool # 2: Site Kit by GoogleI have been increasingly frustrated with Google Analytics for WordPress websites, especially with their new universal analytics engine. Monster Insights and Exact Metrics used to help interpret and display the data, but in the last few years, both have changed their business models and crippled their plugins. Neither plugin is worth $400 per year unless you’re buying a lot of Google pay-per-click ads, but most authors aren’t.
Site Kit is free because it’s made by Google. I suspect Google realized that 60% of all websites run WordPress, and the third-party plugins for putting Google Analytics on WordPress were awful. True to form, Google decided to make its own.
Site Kit makes it easy to put Google Analytics on your website, and it gives you useful charts inside your website. Instead of going to google.com/analytics to navigate that maze of numbers and terms, Site Kit provides simple analytics in WordPress.
It also connects with Google Search Console, which means your WordPress dashboard will display the words people are typing in the search bar to find your website. You’ll see what terms you’re ranking for on Google. Search term information has always been available through Google Search Console, but it’s much easier to access in your WordPress dashboard.
Site Kit also installs a dashboard on your website. One slightly irritating difference between Site Kit and Jetpack is that Jetpack’s default chart is for the last seven days, and Site Kit’s default is for the last 28 days.
Once you have Site Kit installed, click “View your Site Kit Dashboard,” and you’ll see it set up with four different categories: Traffic, Content, Speed, and Monetization.
TrafficTraffic tells you how many people are coming to your website, which Jetpack also tracks. You can also see what percentage of web visitors come to your website directly, through organic search, or by being referred from other websites or social media.
Interestingly, my website only gets 1.4% of its traffic from social media. We get 76% of our traffic from Google searches.
Further down, you’ll see numbers for
- total impressions
- total clicks
- unique visitors
Jetpack provides most of the same data, but if you plan to publish traditionally, you need to know that most people will only trust Google’s web stats. Google Analytics has been around for nearly 20 years, and it’s considered the gold standard for analytics. However, savvy publishing professionals will trust Jetpack, especially as more people discover how good it has become.
Site Kit provides one metric Jetpack doesn’t, and it’s an important one for bloggers, podcasters, and authors.
Session DurationSession duration tells you how long people stay on a webpage. It also tracks the bounce rate, which tells how many people came to that webpage and left without clicking anything.
The bounce rate is a completely useless metric for authors. A web visitor might read your entire article for five minutes or more, enjoy their time, and never click anything on your website. When they’re done, they’ll leave your website.
Technically, since they didn’t click anything, their visit would be considered a “bounce,” but it was a perfectly positive encounter for the user. They found what they were looking for on your website and left happy.
Bounce rates serve e-commerce websites that want customers to click. Clicks indicate a positive customer encounter.
But a high bounce rate is not necessarily bad for bloggers and authors. You need to know how much time people are spending on your websites.
If people click away after ten seconds, they’re not finding what they want. On the other hand, if they’re spending two or three minutes reading your page, it’s a great sign.
Session duration data helps you know whether visitors found answers to their questions in your blog posts.
As you start collecting the data, you’ll see which posts, articles, and pages hold people’s attention.
SpeedAgain, site speed information has always been available through other websites, but Site Kit makes it easy and convenient to find. It also shows you how fast your site loads on mobile and desktop.
Jetpack doesn’t offer site speed stats. Interestingly, Jetpack offers tools to speed up your website. If your website is slow, you may want to enable more of Jetpack’s features to speed up your website.
Site speed is important because faster-loading sites rank higher on Google. If you rank higher, more people will visit and explore your site. People get irritated by slow websites, so Google places slower sites lower in the rankings.
MonetizationThe monetization data is only useful if you run Google ads on your website to earn money from page views. I don’t run ads on AuthorMedia.com for other people’s products, even though I could make money doing it.
If you want to offset your hosting costs by running ads, Site Kit will make that process easier with their set-up wizard.
Before you run Google ads, realize that you don’t choose which ads appear on your website. Google places ads on your website, and they might place an ad for a product you don’t approve of.
I have strong opinions about what I recommend, so I choose not to run Google ads. But if you’re interested in monetizing your website with Google ads, Site Kit will help.
Running Jetpack by Automattic and Site Kit by Google will give you a complete picture of your website without leaving WordPress.
How do I get real-time data about my website?Only Google Analytics will show you real-time data about how many people are using your website at any moment. I don’t find real-time data particularly helpful for making decisions, although watching the traffic after you email your list about a new blog post can be fun.
Google Analytics was built for e-commerce websites, and most of its information isn’t particularly useful for authors, bloggers, or podcasters. On the other hand, Site Kit displays the information you care about right on your website.
If you’ve been using Google Analytics for years, as most authors have, you’ll have access to great charts and graphs as soon as you enable Site Kit because it has already been tracking the data.
If you don’t collect the data, you can’t ask it questions later on. But good data will make your marketing more effective. Effective marketing requires less time and money. If you feel exhausted, or if promoting your book sounds exhausting, you probably don’t have good analytics. You may be wasting a lot of effort doing things that don’t matter.
When you track your data and measure your marketing, you’ll get a feel for what’s working and what’s not. Then you can focus on efficient and effective marketing tactics and have more energy and money. That’s a great bargain.
If your data reveals that you don’t have many website visitors, I have a course that can help you make your website more attractive to readers.
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This course gives you access to an exclusive space inside AuthorMedia.social, where you can post website questions and share your website for feedback. Feel free to post a link to your website for feedback after completing the course.
Featured PatronsJenny Fratzke Future has written a non-stop, action-oriented Christian Suspense about friendship and forgiveness in Montana. Learn more at jennyfratzke.com.
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
If you can’t afford to become a patron but still want to help the show, you can! Just leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or Audible.
The post How to Get Good Website Stats appeared first on Author Media.
Many of our podcast listeners hear Novel Marketing through a podcast app on their phones. Other Novel Marketing fans read the blog version of each episode. While I often refer to the blog version as “show notes,” our approach to creating the blog version of the Novel Marketing podcast has developed over time to be more than just show notes.
We now create a blog version of the podcast content, and the process requires far more than a click of a button. We don’t simply copy an AI transcript and paste it into WordPress. It takes quite a bit of work to create a weekly blog version of the podcast, especially if we want that blog post to rank on Google.
How do you take an audio interview and turn it into a search-optimized blog post?
While we do use AI in the first step, we have a very real human intelligence who takes that AI transcript and turns it into a blog post. Shauna Letellier is an author, copywriter, speaker, and Bible teacher. She’s written three books and numerous articles, and she is the “blogifier” of podcast episodes at Author Media.
Why should we turn our audio content into blog posts?Learning StylesShauna: If we’re going to serve our audience, it’s important to remember that people have different learning styles. Some prefer to listen, while others prefer to read.
Time ConstraintsPeople also have different time constraints. If you have a desk job where you have to listen for customers, you can’t listen to a podcast, but you may be able to read a blog post during the slow parts of your day. Other people have more drive time when they can listen to podcasts.
Shareability A blog post is also more shareable than a podcast episode. It’s much easier to copy the URL of a blog post and paste it into a text, email, or social media post.
It’s harder to share a podcast. I might send you an Apple podcast link, but you might listen on Spotify. If we don’t use the same app, you’ll have to create an account or download a new app, and by that time, you’re probably not going to listen at all.
Thomas: We’ve had blog posts go viral because a social network will pick it up. People post about it on Facebook or Twitter, and we’ll see a spike in the stats for the blog version. However, that rarely translates to a spike in the podcast download stats for the audio version.
The listening audience is very stable. We’ll have about the same number of listeners from one episode to the next, but the blog post audience can increase or decrease from week to week.
We also send an email alerting people about the new blog post, and that email is very forwardable. People forward those emails to their friends and colleagues. If we didn’t have the blog post, our content wouldn’t be nearly as shareable, and our listener-growth rate would be much lower.
SearchabilityShauna: It’s much easier to search a website than a podcast when you’re looking for a specific piece of information.
In our AuthorMedia.social community, people will often ask specific questions like, “What episode was it where Thomas mentioned the book All Marketers are Liars?”
The podcast episode wasn’t necessarily about that author or book, but let’s say you only remember the title. You can’t search the audio content, but you can search the website by typing “all marketers are liars” into the search bar at the top of the page.
The search will pull up every podcast episode where Thomas has referred to that book, as long as it was included in the transcript or the final blog post.
I use the search bar at the top of NovelMarketing.com multiple times every day.
If you ask a question in the community, I am probably back here by the search bar typing in your question and sorting through the results. Searchability is a huge advantage of having a text version of your audio content.
Google TrafficThomas: Besides our website being searchable inside the site, it’s also searchable by Google. Google sends us traffic because we’ve published blogs.
Google is very biased against podcasts, and it doesn’t even like podcast transcripts. Some people say posting a podcast transcript on your website will help Google will send you traffic, but I’ve never seen numbers that prove it.
If you want to get traffic from Google, you have to publish more than a transcript. It has to be a blog post.
ESL FriendlyThomas: A blog version also makes the content more accessible to people around the world. The analytics of the audio version are dominated by English countries.
If you’re a native English speaker, listening to audio may be even easier than reading it on a screen. But for people who speak English as a second language, listening can be tricky. Some of our guests have an accent that may make listening even more difficult.
Our blog analytics say that the sixth most popular country is Nigeria, followed by the Philippines and then India. Some of those readers may be native English speakers, but others may not speak English well. The text version is much easier to comprehend for non-native speakers.
Google Translate will also translate that text version into the local language. A blog version makes the content accessible to more people.
CommentsThomas: Another advantage of a blog is that people leave comments. There’s no easy way to comment on a podcast. Podcast listeners will sometimes reply to the emails we send, but our blog readers tend to leave comments on the blog at AuthorMedia.com.
Shauna: Sometimes, they leave super helpful comments. We’ve only started adding multiple images in the past year or two, and a few years ago, one reader commented on a cover design post and said, “A whole blog post and not a single book cover?” And I thought, “Yeah, we really dropped the ball—or dropped the book cover—on that one.”
We went back and added those book cover images, and it really increased the value of the post.
What tools can I use for audio transcription? Thomas: We run the audio through Descript (Affiliate Link), HappyScribe , or Sonix.ai(Affiliate Link). We’ve used all those services, and they produce fairly comparable transcripts. Each service delivers an AI-generated transcript of the audio, but it’s not a blog post. It’s a huge block of text.
Before you get the audio, I do an initial content pass in Descript, where I take out some of the bunny trails and filler. If I can remove the five most boring minutes from an interview, the average interestingness of that interview goes up dramatically. It makes the episode more appealing.
A one-hour interview might be cut to 40 minutes of audio. That 40-minute audio file goes to you and to William, who cleans it up further, sweetens it, and does his processing.
Shauna: Are you doubly offended when I then cut something from your cut version?
Thomas: No. I like having “Easter eggs” in the audio version, which is a little bit longer. Listeners typically want a more in-depth conversation with a bit more color and context. Blog readers want to get straight to the facts.
I want there to be something special in the podcast version because I enjoy the podcast version. I’m a podcast-first kind of person, and I want the podcast to have value that the blog post doesn’t and vice versa.
How do you turn an AI-generated transcript into a blog post?Shauna: An AI-generated transcript is accurate in that it records nearly every word that was spoken, but it is not an enjoyable or easy read. If you posted the transcript on your blog or website, people would bounce. They might try to wade through a sentence or two, and then they would be off.
A sample block of AI generated text from a podcast to turn into a blog post
The tools transcribe how spoken words sound.
- “Because” is transcribed as “cuz.”
- “Going to” is transcribed as “gonna.”
- “Want to” is transcribed as “wanna.”
- “Kind of” is transcribed as “kinda.”
Those words are easily corrected through the find and replace feature, but other words require more individual care and correction.
AI does not know how to handle proper pronouns. For instance, Thomas Umstattd becomes
- Thomas instant
- Thomas umm stamp
- Thomas Amstat
AI is always fumbling with book titles and author names.
Thomas: Proper nouns are often the most important piece of information somebody’s looking for in the show notes.
If you’ve listened to a podcast and you’re wondering about that transcription service I recommended, but AI didn’t transcribe the name properly, the transcript becomes useless. The piece of information you need isn’t available in the pure AI transcript version.
How do you navigate turning spoken paragraphs into written paragraphs?Thomas: Most people don’t talk in complete sentences. Their ideas roll together. Descript gives you some punctuation and paragraph breaks, but they don’t always work. How do you take a paragraph of words and turn them onto sentences?
Shauna: I always begin by listening to the entire interview so that I get the tone and direction of the whole thing.
A lot of what I do is rearrange information. We tend to circle back to a topic when we speak. We might be talking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) here, and then later, we might circle back to it and refer to a great book or course on SEO.
That doesn’t work in the blog version. I typically take that comment from later and put it with the first SEO paragraph.
We often talk about “editing” the transcript, but I would say I do less editing and more rewriting.
Sometimes a whole spoken paragraph can be reworded into a single sentence. For example, a guest might say:
“I read this book called Unbroken, and I don’t remember who wrote it, but it was about this Olympian turned POW, and I can’t remember his name either, but I do remember that the first paragraph, that book was absolutely breathtaking and really painted a great picture in my mind.”
That’s how we would hear it.
After listening to that long sentence, I would look up the title and the author and write one sentence instead of three.
“The opening paragraphs of Unbroken by Lauren Hillebrand provide a stellar example of concrete writing.”
Instead of 50 words, you have 15.
Thomas: The blog is a more focused version of the text because it’s been adapted. It’s like adapting a book for a film. Filmmakers often cut characters to simplify the story. They only have two hours to tell a story that an audiobook tells in 15.
How do you use headings to make it easy for readers to scan a blog post?Thomas: After you’ve rewritten, rearranged, cut, and focused the text, it’s still not a blog post.
A good blog post uses headings. How do you add headings to the blog to make it more scannable?
Shauna: I do find it a little tricky to add headings to an interview. Usually, I look at the general topic of those few paragraphs and try to boil it down to a few words or a question.
For example, we were just talking about AI transcription tools earlier. I might give that section the heading, “What tools can I use for audio transcription?”
Beneath that heading, I’ll put the paragraph where you talked about Descript (Affiliate Link), HappyScribe (Affiliate Link), or Sonix.ai(Affiliate Link).
When people are scanning, they often have a question they want answered. When they see their question in a heading, they think, “Hey, I have that question!” Headings make it easy for readers to find answers and information quickly and easily.
The reader can scan that paragraph about tools and find all the blue and underlined links to the tools.
The Yoast SEO plugin we use prompts you to insert a heading every 300 words. That doesn’t always work out nicely with interviews, but headings do break up the text for the reader.
Headings also get extra “points,” so to speak, from Google. All parts of your blog post are indexed by search engines, but your headings have a little more weight. Think of your headings as an outline.
H1 (Heading 1): The title of your post.
H2 (Heading 2): The questions that the following paragraphs answer.
H3 (Heading 3): The sub-points of your H2 sections.
What the above transcript looks like after being converted to a blog post.
It’s a bit easier to use headings in a solo episode because Thomas works from an outline and has already done much of the work of writing the headings.
Thomas: Our typical episode is 40 minutes long, but the average amount of time a web visitor spends reading a blog post version is between five and seven minutes.
Readers jump in and out of the content. The heading has to sell the next 300 words and convince somebody it’s worth reading. They’re skimming and trying to find the most interesting bits. Your headings shouldn’t describe the content. Headings should sell the content.
Humans and Google use headings to find pertinent information.
If you’re trying to rank for a certain phrase, you should put that phrase in your H1 heading, which is the post title in WordPress. WordPress will then put the phrase in the title tag.
What else can you do to make a blog post scannable?Thomas: There’s more to a blog post than headings and texts. You can add other elements to break up the text and make it more readable.
BulletsThomas: People love bullets in blog posts. How and where do you add bullets?
Many times, I use bullets to break up a sentence with a series of words separated by commas and a coordinating conjunction.
Depending on how much is explained after each term, you could list the term and the brief explanation as a bullet (See above bulleted list of wanna, gonna, kinda, etc.)
If there’s a lot of explanation for each term or sub-point, I would make each term a heading and then put a brief paragraph underneath.
Thomas: Bullets add breathability and white space. The text looks less intimidating for a rushed reader. People are often rushed when they’re reading a blog post. They’re looking for specific information, so they’re more intentional and have a higher expectation that they’ll find the information they want.
People often listen to podcasts in the background in a more relaxed way. They might listen while they’re doing dishes, walking, or driving.
Bullets allow you to adapt your content to readers.
ImagesShauna: Thomas sometimes begins a podcast with a strong metaphor, which makes it easy to find a relevant photo. For example, he often talks about the concept of reaping and sowing, so it’s easy to find an image with seeds in the ground.
I look for metaphors that would paint a picture in someone’s mind, but it’s sometimes hard to find pictures that aren’t silly or cheesy.
Thomas: It’s very tempting to use an image of a typewriter for every blog post, so we have to fight that temptation.
If you can’t find a photo that helps people visualize your metaphors or content, it might be an indication that your blog post isn’t ready yet. If you’re articulating concrete ideas, the photos should be easy to add.
By outsourcing this part of our process, I’m doing myself a bit of a disservice because I don’t see where I’ve neglected to add clear metaphors.
Where do you find stock photos?Thomas: We get our stock photos primarily from DepositPhotos.com (Affiliate Link). You’ll find cheaper and more expensive options, but DepositPhotos is my current go-to source for stock photos.
Diagrams or ChartsA blog is stronger than a podcast when you’re referencing data or a chart. Sometimes, in a podcast, I have to go out of my way to talk through a statistic or describe what a chart looks like.
In the blog version, we can just insert the chart. Readers can see the graph right there on the blog.
Shauna: Sometimes, I create graphics or charts to insert.
You often refer to the four quadrants of being “time-rich” and “cash-poor.” That’s a really difficult paragraph to read because the terminology is not familiar. A while back, I created a graphic of those four quadrants so it would be easier for readers to scan.
An example of a diagram.
Book CoversThomas: Book covers are an obvious choice to use in a blog post about publishing and writing. When I use a lot of books as examples in the audio content, the blog post images take care of themselves. Plus, authors love it when you feature their book cover in your blog post.
If you’re starting a podcast about Amish romance to review a different author or book in each episode, you can add the book covers to your blog post and link them to Amazon so readers can click the image and purchase the book.
Your readers and authors will love that.
Quotes and Pull QuotesThomas: Recently, I’ve noticed you using pull quotes. You’ll pull out a single sentence and let it float in its own line as a quote, which really breaks up the paragraphs.
I’m always curious about what you’ll pick as the key quote. So how do you go about picking which quotes to highlight?
Shauna: Usually, I pick short and pithy quotes that jump out to me.
You often say, “You can’t fix a bad book with good marketing.”
Good marketing helps a bad book fail faster.
(this is an example of a pull quote)
Those short, pithy, or memorable sentences make great pull quotes.
Thomas: You can highlight a sentence, click the little pull-quote icon, and WordPress will handle the design of it automatically.
You can also quote longer sentences or direct quotes from another source with the WordPress quote feature. If you’re quoting somebody else, you can set off their words with the quote feature to make it obvious that these are the words of whoever you’re quoting (See quote about Unbroken above).
When do you pull the text from the audio transcription tool into a word processor like Google Docs or Microsoft Word?Shauna: After I listen to the episode, I export it as a Word doc before I make any changes. I’m familiar with Word, and I know where all the tools are, so that feels faster and more efficient to me.
I keep the audio version open in a window beside my Word document.
If Descript hasn’t given me the right word, and I can’t understand what the speaker is saying, I’ll play it multiple times and sometimes do a Google search to try and figure it out. If I can’t, I have to email Thomas and ask about it.
When do you put the Microsoft Word version into WordPress?Shauna: I usually make three passes.
- First Pass: Rearrange information and reword sentences as needed.
- Second Pass: Correct typos I overlooked or introduced.
- Third Pass: Run it through Grammarly and accept or reject each suggested change.
I am to the point where I cannot and do not publish anything, whether it’s a social media post or an email of my own or yours, without running it through Grammarly. Grammarly is not perfect, but it is better than my eyeballs. I am terrible at catching my own typos.
Grammarly will catch silly things I miss. However, Grammarly is still AI and still requires human influence. If you have the word peruse or pursue and they’re both spelled right, Grammarly won’t pick it up, but a human will.
After considering each of Grammarly’s suggestions, I copy the text from Grammarly and paste it into WordPress, where I do all the formatting.
A lot of times during that first and second pass, I’ll add headings. I might notice a long chunk of text, and I know Yoast will want a heading, so I will bold the heading text and then add the H2 formatting later in WordPress.
There are some quick keyboard shortcuts in WordPress that let you turn a line into an H2 heading, and it’s quite a bit faster to do it with those shortcut keys.
I’m also adding images, pull quotes, and bullets in WordPress. By that time, I start to get a feel for how the post will appear on someone’s computer screen. I feel like I’m tweaking it until it goes live and sometimes after.
Thomas: Sometimes I make tweaks too.
How does our mindset need to change when going from print to digital?Thomas:The ability to edit a digital publication is a big worldview shift for some writers. When you’re printing a hundred thousand copies of a book, the manuscript has to be perfect. Trees will be cut down to make your book, so you need to make sure there are no mistakes.
But you can tweak blog posts any time. I’ll update or expand posts we published years ago. If you find a better way of phrasing what you’re saying, why not put that better phrasing on there? A good website is constantly edited and updated.
No one benefits from errors or typos left on a web page.
Shauna: It’s a huge advantage. It also takes a bit of the pressure off.
Thomas: Occasionally, readers will point out inaccuracies or information that need clarification. We can easily make those changes in the blog post, but the audio is frozen. Editing the audio is a hassle.
The blog version can evolve quite a bit. If a post gets a lot of attention over time, it may be edited a lot, but the audio is still frozen.
These are not transcripts. This is a blog post version of the content of the audio, and that’s an important distinction. It’s why our blog is so much more popular than a pure transcript. It’s an adaptation of the audio version.
Shauna: Adaptation is a good word.
When I first started, I struggled to find the balance between using the speaker’s words verbatim and trying to accurately represent their thought while knowing there was a more concise way to word it.
I had to wrestle through that a bit. The fact that it’s not a transcript and it is an adaptation gives me the freedom to make it more readable.
I want to enjoy a piece of reading and not have to struggle through it. Human influence makes it more readable. AI transcription services won’t add puns, inside jokes, or writer humor. Those elements make the writing pleasant to read, and humans can connect with it.
Blogification or Amanuensis?Thomas: In many ways, what you’re doing with the audio is the act of an amanuensis, which is a word that’s fallen out of use.
In the days of the Roman Empire, Marcus Tullius Tiro, invented shorthand, some of which we still use today.
The books of the Bible were written using this method as well. The apostle Paul would dictate the letter to his amanuensis, who would write his words in shorthand. It was the ancient equivalent of the audio recording.
The amanuensis would write the letter again in regular script and often add his own flourishes. We know this because occasionally Paul would pull the quill out of his hand and say, “See as I write this in my own hand.” In some of Paul’s letters, the amanuensis would send his own greetings.
We get a glimpse into a time when Paul and his amanuensis worked together to craft a letter.
This approach is becoming more popular with authors, except that many authors act as their own amanuensis through dictation software. They speak the first draft while pacing back and forth. Later, they clean up the text.
Many podcasters find that it’s worth the work to have a blog version to help grow their audiences faster.
Shauna: The blog version only increases the shareability, searchability, and visual interest. It adds a lot of value to the content. It also serves as a way to repurpose your work. After you’ve created an informative piece of content, you can offer it as a podcast, blog post, or extra credit in a course.
Thomas: Those blog posts can also be compiled and turned into eBooks and reader magnets.
What encouragement do you have for a podcaster who wants to turn a 30-minute episode into a blog post?Shauna: Give yourself some grace and plenty of time. I have done the math on this several times, and that first pass takes me about one hour to rearrange, reword, and rewrite ten minutes of audio.
If you want to create a blog post from your 30-minute podcast, allow yourself at least three hours, and probably more, for the first time. You just wade through it one sentence at a time.
Over time, you’ll begin to anticipate your own verbal quirks or habits and be able to work with your text faster. I think it would be hard to edit your own transcript, and I can’t say I am looking forward to editing my own transcript this week.
Thomas: The process may be painful, but it’s worth it.
If you’re starting a podcast, I recommend doing your own podcast editing for the first few episodes. If you have to delete every “um,” you will say “um” less. Over time, you’ll start to identify your filler phrases.
If you never do that, you never really get a chance to improve. These tasks are very outsourceable, so you can easily hire someone later. But if you’re involved in learning how to turn a podcast episode into a blog post, your podcast will only get better.
Thomas: If you want to connect with Shauna and pick her brain, you can find her at AuthorMedia.social. Since she’s listened to all my episodes multiple times, she is often the one with answers to people’s questions there.
Connect with Shauna directly through her website.
Need Help Building Your Platform?Obscure No More is a complete guide to building an author platform. It covers methods of platform building, like blogging, podcasting, search engine optimization, and other methods that don’t rely on social media.
If you want my help building your platform and connecting with readers, check out Obscure No More. This course comes with live office-hours calls and short, focused training videos that cover every aspect of building your cancel-proof platform. Learn more about Obscure No More at AuthorMedia.com.
Featured PatronsNew May Patrons:
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Related Episodes* How to Record Your Own Audiobook Using Hindenburg Narrator * How to Sound Great As a Podcast Guest * 11 Places to Get Free and Legal Photos for Your Blog * How to Always Write Better Than Chat GPT
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An elderly author recently asked me how retired authors can make the most of the time they have left. It’s an insightful question, and the truth is, we all need to be asking that question because we are all going to die. It’s the ultimate statistic: 10 out of 10 people die.
Any of us could die at any time. Some people who think they will die soon live on for decades. Others who think they will live forever leave this Earth all too soon.
Making the most of your time isn’t just for retired authors. It’s for everyone who wants to make the most of their writing time before they die.
How do you make the most of your final years as an author?
I started working with authors when I was in college. For a long time, I was the youngest person at all the writers conferences. Now that my hair has started greying, I realize I’m rarely the youngest person in the room.
Over the years, I’ve worked with authors of all ages, and I have learned by watching successful, older authors.
“I’m too old to write.”First, let’s address the common objection that “I’m too old to write.” Frankly, it’s not true and only serves as an excuse to get out of writing.
Early in my career, I taught a week-long class on writing and marketing. Throughout the week, the students built websites and started blogs. One of my students was an 86-year-old WWII vet.
The 30 and 40-year-olds were rolling along, but the 60-year-olds were whining about how hard the technology was. Meanwhile, the WWII vet was quietly blazing ahead.
By the end of the class, he had made more progress than some of the 60-something authors because he wasn’t afraid. What is a new blog compared to the Nazis? He knew the only thing between him and success was hard work, so he didn’t make excuses or complain. He had what his generation would have called grit.
I had a lot of respect for that man. Seeing his work ethic made it obvious why we won the war.
Are you too old to write? No. You can write if you are willing to put in the work. The rules don’t change just because you are older.
Advantages of AgeIn fact, with age comes several writing advantages.
WealthAccording to the United States Federal Reserve, in 2016, the wealthiest age group in America was over the age of 75. According to the Fed, the average 75-year-old had a net worth of $1.1 million. The median net worth of the same age group was $281,600. The next wealthiest age group was between 65 and 74, followed by those 55 to 65.
The data reports that people get wealthier as they age. Their homes appreciate. They pay off mortgages and put money in savings.
The younger someone is, the poorer they tend to be. My toddlers, for example, feel rich if they have paper money rather than just coins. According to the Fed, people under the age of 35 had a median net worth of just $12,000.
Most people over the age of 65 are what economists would define as “independently wealthy.” An independently wealthy person’s passive income exceeds their passive expenses. Or put another way, an independently wealthy person doesn’t need to work a day job to cover their bills. The more common term for this situation is “retired.” If you are not independently wealthy, you must keep working to cover your bills.
If you don’t need to work a day job to pay your bills, you’ll find it easier to write.
In addition, seniors receive discounts, government-subsidized healthcare, and subsidized prescription medications. In the United States, people of retirement age also get checks from the government every month.
This is not to say every elderly person is rich and every young person is poor. But statistically speaking, the older you are, the higher your net worth. For most people, that fact is self-evident. How wealthy are you now compared to 20 years ago? Are you in more or less debt? Do you have more or less money in savings?
Are you “rich” or “poor”?Many elderly people complain about being “poor,” but they are often “poor” in the same way a Jane Austin character is “poor.” Jane Austen’s “poor” characters may not have as much money as the “rich” characters, but they still have enough money to not need a job. If you own a house and a car and have money in the bank, you are not what most of the world would describe as poor.
Wealth is a great advantage in publishing. The wealthier you are, the more options you have as an author. You can hire multiple professionals to elevate your writing and marketing.
TimeWriters in their later decades also have the advantage of available time. Many cash-rich workers are time-poor because they work long hours to earn money. The high-rolling lawyer who works 80 hours per week might have a lot of money, but he has no available time.
Retirees tend to be rich in both money and time.
Writing is a time-consuming activity. Authors need time to study, write, and promote. The more time you invest in your writing, the more successful you will be.
ExperienceYoung people can learn the craft of writing, but they often lack life experience, which makes it harder for them to craft believable characters. The more life you’ve lived, the more life experience you can draw from when writing your book.
Life experience benefits fiction and nonfiction writers. In nonfiction, your life experience also gives you credibility. When I talk about my dad, a CPA who has worked with authors for nearly 40 years, people sit up and take notice. Experience commands respect.
ChallengesGrowing old is not all roses and butterflies. Some challenges make writing harder.
HealthIn general, health declines with age. And poor health consumes your time and money, compounding your writing challenges. Energy levels also tend to decline over time.
CaregivingSome authors find their regular writing routing rearranged when they become a caregiver for a parent or spouse. It’s hard to write when your spouse has dementia.
Caregiving most often affects people in their sixties. Their parents may need to be cared for, and their kids and grandkids may need to move back in.
Caregiving doesn’t need to derail your writing. Many successful authors are caregivers. Tricia Goyer has her mother and grandmother living with her and still writes multiple books every year. Even C.S. Lewis was a caretaker.
TravelWhen I ran my web design agency, client travel was the biggest reason for website launch delays. We needed our client’s feedback on a webpage, but they were on a cruise, or in Alaska, or visiting their grandkids. Travel is a wonderful gift, but realize that choosing to travel is choosing not to spend that time and money writing.
Shrinking Social NetworkThe more friends you have, the easier it is to spread the word about your new book. But as you age, you outlive more and more of your friends. As your friends die, your social network shrinks.
But a shrinking social network is not inevitable. In fact, being an author is a great way to make new friends.
EntitlementThe biggest challenge that many retired authors face is a sense of entitlement. This can manifest itself in several ways:
Entitled authors say things like “I don’t need to:
- do the hard work to hone my craft.”
- write the book for my reader.”
- follow the rules.”
- learn how to market my book.”
- learn how to use technology.”
When you were younger, the key to success was to be humble and hard-working. The keys to success don’t change just because you age. That’s why the 86-year-old WWII vet succeeded when entitled baby boomers struggled. He was humble enough to learn and hard-working enough to do the work.
Many older authors think they should take shortcuts because they don’t know how much time they have left, but that is often a mistake. People who promise you quick results are often scammers. Remember what your dad used to say back in the day: “There’s never time to do it right but always time to do it twice.”
The shortcut is a path filled with foxes, wolves, and pitfalls.
Identify Your GoalHow do you overcome the challenges and find publishing success? The first step is to determine what success is for you.
Most retirees I’ve worked with fit into one of three categories:
- Writing to Leave a Legacy
- Writing as a Hobby
- Writing for a Living
Let me be clear, all three of these motivations are worthy goals. You want to be clear about your goal because it will affect how you measure success.
Legacy writers measure success by whether they create a book to leave for their children. Hobbyists measure success by whether they enjoy the process of writing amazing books. Career writers measure success by sales numbers.
Clarify your goal so you can measure your success by the proper metric.
Goal #1: Writing to Leave a LegacyYou will die, but your book might live forever. Writing to leave a legacy is about leaving something behind after you’re gone. Legacy authors typically want to write a single book and not multiple books. They are not motivated by money or by sales numbers. Recording their story is more important than enjoying the writing process.
Goal #2: Writing as a HobbyHobby writers enjoy writing for its own sake. Sometimes hobbyists get their start as legacy writers who discover they enjoy writing and want to keep at it. Other times a hobbyist has always wanted to write but never had the time until they retired. Instead of playing golf, they write.
Writing is an excellent hobby for retirees because it keeps your mind sharp and allows you to make new friends while leaving a legacy. It’s also not as physically taxing as mountain biking or tennis.
Goal #3: Writing as a CareerAccording to the Harvard Business Review, retiring shortens your life expectancy. Some older authors treat writing like a second career. They may enjoy writing and want to leave a legacy, but they also want to work hard and earn money. They may even know that working hard and making sacrifices might extend their lifespan. The difference between hobbyists and career writers is the number of sacrifices they are willing to make for their writing.
Tips for Legacy WritersMost of these tips for legacy writers also apply to hobbyists and professionals.
Determine a TimelineGo to this website to calculate your life expectancy based on statistical research. If you have months to live, your options will be different than if you have decades left. Having an idea of how much time you have left will help you make the most of your time.
If you are in your seventies, you may still have decades of writing ahead of you. Don’t feel rushed into cutting corners.
Create a BudgetKnowing how much time you have left is the first step in putting together a time budget.
I also recommend creating a financial budget. How much money are you willing to spend to make your book a reality? Discuss your budget with your spouse to ensure you are on the same page.
For more on budgeting, see How to Launch Your Book on a Budget.
If money is no object, and you don’t want to bother learning to write, you could spend $50,000 to work with a turnkey operation like Renown Publishing, which will interview you and write the book for you.
Most legacy authors prefer a more balanced investment between time and money.
Hire ProfessionalsSince you aren’t planning to write multiple books, you may want to hire professionals rather than learn to do things yourself. Consider hiring professionals for typesetting, cover design, editing, and more.
You can find freelancers on the AuthorMedia.social job board. We have an amazing community of hirable authors and professionals who will help you with almost every step of the publishing process.
Hiring professionals is much cheaper than contracting with a turnkey operation like Renown.
Tips for Hobby WritersRead Books on CraftImproving your writing craft is part of the fun of writing. One of the best ways to improve is by reading books on craft. One of the major elements of the 5-Year Plan is a five-year reading plan of craft books. There are many great books on writing, so keep reading!
Start a Critique GroupParticipating in a critique group can be one of the most enjoyable parts of being a writer. Getting feedback, making friends, eating donuts, and drinking coffee contribute to the fun.
Sadly, many authors don’t have a critique group near them, but that’s where retired authors can shine. As a retiree, you are “time rich.” It is easier for you to organize a critique group than for the author with small children. You don’t have to be an amazing writer to start a critique group. You just need to be willing to put in the work. If you want help starting a critique group, check out my course, How to Start a Writers Group.
Attend Writers ConferencesOne of the biggest benefits of being a writer is having opportunities to make new friends at writers conferences. You may even connect with the first members of the critique group you decided to start. Conferences are also a great way to learn from and connect with industry professionals.
Subscribe to Podcasts About WritingA quick Google search for writing podcasts will give you a list of some great podcasts about writing that will help you get better faster. Subscribe to podcasts through a podcast app on your phone. I recommend the free app PocketCasts which is available on iPhone and Android.
Once you get PocketCasts on your phone, go into the app and subscribe to some podcasts about writing. New episodes will begin to appear on your phone automatically.
Some podcasts I recommend are:
- Writing Excuses
- Writers Dojo
- Christian Publishing Show
- Novel Marketing
Invest in a New ComputerPart of the fun of any hobby is spending money on the hobby. Playing golf is a great excuse to buy new clubs. Consider your writing hobby your excuse to upgrade your dying laptop for a new one that works well. You can find my laptop recommendations here.
Invest in SoftwareAs a hobbyist writer, you’ll probably want to learn to do your own typesetting. That means investing in tools like Scrivener, Vellum, and ProWritingAid (Affiliate Link). These tools will make book writing easier.
Tips for Career WritersWhat must you do to make your writing more than a hobby?
Write Every DayI know one author in his 80s who writes “morning pages” every day. Every morning he reads his Bible, prays, and then writes three pages of whatever is on his mind. These three pages are in addition to the writing he has planned for the day. Morning pages serve to keep his writing sharp.
Writing morning pages is a popular practice among authors of all ages, but he finds it particularly helpful as he gets older.
Keep Up with Your GenreIf you want to write the kind of books people want to buy, you need to keep up with the kind of books they’re already buying. If you write cozy romance, read the bestselling cozy romance books. Just remember, you’ll need to do your genre reading in addition to your craft reading.
Turn off the TVDid your parents spend their final years watching TV from morning until night? The cost of TV-watching is everything else they could have done with their time. Remember how you told your kids that too much TV would rot their brains? Listen to your younger self and turn off the TV.
Invest in EducationProfessionals consider education to be an investment. Educate yourself by taking courses on craft, publishing, and marketing. Improving your skills in technology, writing, and marketing will increase your chances of success as a professional writer.
I have a course on how to “get good” with technology that’s part of Obscure No More. Authors of all ages have found it life-changing.
SacrificeSuccess requires sacrifice. You may need to sacrifice your TV time or a trip to Europe. Perhaps the prize of leisure is not worth the cost. But if you are willing to make sacrifices, you will be surprised by what you can accomplish.
Study BusinessOne thing that separates hobbyists from professionals is that professionals become business savvy. For example, as a professional author, you may be able to take advantage of tax deductions. If you want to learn more about the business side of writing, check out my course, the Tax & Business Guide for Authors.
Final ThoughtsBe encouraged! You are never too old to write and thrive in publishing. Remember that the rules for success don’t change just because you are older. You may have more money and time than someone in their twenties, but you still need to work hard to succeed.
If you give minimum effort or take shortcuts, you will get minimum results. However, if you work hard and focus on thrilling your Timothy, you will reap what you sow.
If you want help building your platform, my course Obscure No More will help you grow your email list, influence, and notoriety. If you feel like you are writing in obscurity, Obscure No More will show you the path forward.
Featured PatronsMarissa Shrock, author of Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind
One night, Bobbi Sue Baxter spots what looks like an alien. A blinding light flashes, and when Bobbi Sue can see again, the creature has vanished. She says nothing, but when well-known townsman Ross Garland is found shot dead in the area where she saw the figure, Bobbi Sue knows she can’t stay quiet. She has no idea more excitement than she’s ever wanted is about to come after her.
Related Episodes* SMART Goals the Key to Marketing Success * How to Start a Local Writers Group * How to Spend LESS Time Marketing Your Book
The post How to Thrive as an Author in Your Twilight Years appeared first on Author Media.
When it comes to the success of your book, one person is more important than everyone else. He determines whether readers will enjoy your book. He determines if word of mouth will spread. He is ultimately funding your whole project. His name is Timothy.
Who is Timothy, and where do you find him?
I talk about Timothy a lot, but somehow, I’ve never recorded an episode or written about him.
Avatar, Persona, or Timothy?AvatarMost companies have what they call a customer avatar, a fictional amalgamation of their target customer. Some companies even print out life-sized stock photos of their customer and bring her to meetings just to make sure they’re keeping her interests in mind.
Radio stations also have a listener avatar that the hosts and DJs talk to between songs. If you think the DJ is talking directly to you, I don’t mean to disappoint you, but they’re not. They’re talking to their avatar, and you happen to be smack dab in the middle of their target audience.
PersonaWhen I ran a web design agency, I took hundreds of authors through a persona worksheet. In a one-on-one meeting, I’d ask them to describe their target reader and ideal website visitor. I encouraged the author to print out a stock photo of their target reader and tape the photo to their computer monitor.
I no longer recommend this practice.
To create a persona, almost every author would simply describe themselves in generic terms. If I was talking to a 45-year-old man, he would say he was writing to “men between the ages of 30 and 50.” If I was talking to a 60-year-old woman, she would say she was writing to “women between the ages of 40 and 70.”
It turns out most authors weren’t describing readers at all. They were describing themselves. At the end of the persona exercise, they had created an imaginary version of themselves who liked everything they wrote. Creating an imaginary friend didn’t help authors make better marketing decisions.
And yet, personas and customer avatars are incredibly helpful for companies. So why didn’t the persona exercise work for most authors?
The Problem with Personas and AvatarsI concluded that creating a reader avatar didn’t work for authors because they couldn’t afford the market research that big companies use to create good customer avatars.
Marketing-centric companies often invest in market research to develop their customer avatars. Sales-centric companies have salespeople who spend hundreds of hours talking to customers. Salespeople are well acquainted with customers and can help companies build an accurate avatar based on their experience. Market research and customer interaction give companies enough information to create useful fictional representations of their target customers.
In contrast, beginning authors don’t spend much time talking to their target readers. Authors aren’t typically involved in book clubs. They don’t interview readers or buy market research data from companies like K-lytics (Affiliate Link), even though I highly recommend K-lytics. Instead, authors look inside themselves, searching for information that can only be found by looking outward toward others.
Searching for your reader avatar by looking inside yourself is like trying to drive a car by looking only at the dashboard. While it’s important to monitor your speed and RPMs, if you don’t look out the windshield, you will crash.
Marketing blindness leads to poor decisions.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
Poor decisions mean wasted money, wasted time, and well-written books that don’t sell well.
TimothyA few of the authors we worked with had great reader personas, and over time, I realized those authors had one thing in common: they based their personas on actual people. Instead of describing themselves, they described an actual human they knew in real life.
When I researched my hypothesis further, I discovered that writing to a single human was a common practice among bestselling authors. In fact, many bestselling authors dedicate their books to that one specific person.
The Hobbit was written by J.R.R. Tolkien for his son Christopher. Steven King writes his books specifically to thrill his wife.
It turns out the practice of writing a book for a specific person goes back thousands of years. For example, many of the books in the Bible were written to specific people.
The biblical book of First Timothy was written to a man named Timothy. While the book initially had an audience of one, billions of people have read and enjoyed the book over the centuries.
But having a specific target reader is not merely a helpful marketing tip.
Writing to a Specific Reader Improves Your WritingBland generalities water down good writing.
Having a specific audience gives your book an approachability and readability that it wouldn’t have otherwise. Specificity promotes clarity and focus, which make a book more approachable for more people.
Identifying a specific reader helps you know how technical or sophisticated you should be. You can ask, “Would Timothy understand this word?” and “Would Timothy like this metaphor?”
Writing to a Timothy also makes writing less scary. You’re not writing for a crowd of scary strangers. You are writing to Timothy, someone you know and like!
Identifying your real-life target reader also helps you climb out of a season of writer’s block.
I eventually stopped advising authors to create a fictional persona and print a stock photo. Instead, I urged them to write to one real-life human and tape a photo of that real person to the computer monitor.
Once I changed my advice, I saw several changes.
Some authors discovered that they had no idea who they were really writing for. Those who struggled to identify a Timothy realized their book was in trouble, and they were able to save it before it was published.
Other authors found that having a real-life target reader changed everything.
Why?
Because you can talk to actual human beings, you can ask them questions and listen for answers. An actual person can read your draft and provide feedback. Authors who began communicating with their real-life Timothy wrote better books. Their marketing became more focused and effective. Websites, blogs, and podcasts got more visitors, readers, and listeners. In short, identifying a Timothy helped authors become more successful.
Won’t writing to one person limit my audience? I get this question mostly from authors who haven’t sold many copies. The answer is no.
Writing to a specific person is like speaking to the person in the back of the room while giving a speech. If the person in the back can hear you, everyone else can too.
The reality is that if you are writing your book to no one in specific, your book is for no one. You can’t write a book for everyone, so you have to write your book for someone.
The real question behind this question is, “Can’t I just write a book for myself? Why do I have to write the book for the reader?” And this is the real crux of the issue. If you want other people to buy your book, you can’t simply write for yourself.
The reader is your customer!
Your reader is parting with hard-earned money to buy your book. If you want readers to pay for your book, you need to write one they’re willing to pay for.
Let go of your pride and serve your reader.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
If you want to journal to work through your issues, that is great! But don’t expect people to pay to read your journal.
Professional vs. AmateurThe difference between a professional and an amateur is money. The word professional comes from the Latin word pecūnia, which means money. A professional works for money. The word amateur comes from the Latin word amor, which means love.
If you write for the love of writing, you are an amateur. If you write for money, you are a professional. Don’t shoot the messenger! These words and definitions have existed for thousands of years.
It’s important to note that professionals who earn money by writing still enjoy their work. Most professional authors enjoy writing, but since their writing puts food on the table, they know they must write books people are willing to pay for.
If you want to write because you love writing, that’s wonderful! But if that is the case, the writing itself needs to be your reward. If you write for the love of writing and experience the process as its own reward, don’t judge yourself if your book doesn’t find commercial success. That wasn’t your goal. An amateur writer is primarily concerned with whether they enjoyed writing the book and loved the finished product. Sales shouldn’t matter because it is not about money.
Just remember that your landlord doesn’t accept “love of writing” as payment, so don’t quit your day job.
I see authors become discouraged when they approach writing as an amateur but judge their success by professional metrics. If you are a hobbyist, the book is a success if you had fun writing it. If you are a professional, the book is a success if readers pay to read it.
I worked with one author who was unwilling to accept feedback on his book and marketing. He wanted to do things his way, and he didn’t care about readers. Later, he was angry that his book didn’t sell. The problem was that he wrote the book for himself and not for a reader. No wonder readers didn’t want to buy it. It wasn’t written for them.
Some people see authors as elite aristocrats who look down on lowly peasant readers, but I don’t. I view writing as a job. Writers aren’t nobler than mechanics. In fact, people probably need a working car more than they need a book. So, if you want to be a professional working writer, get off your high horse and write the kind of book people want to read.
The only thing standing between many authors and success is pride. When you realize it is not all about you, you can find commercial success.
The better you serve your customers, the more customers you will have.
Can’t I just hire an editor instead?When I urge authors to find a Timothy, they often object and say, “I’ll hire a professional editor instead,” but that objection reveals that the author doesn’t realize what editors do.
Timothy and your other beta readers are advocates for all your readers. They know what your specific readers want in a story. Beta readers like Timothy can easily point out problems in your story, but they often propose terrible solutions.
A beta reader is like a driver who takes his car to a mechanic. They each know how to use the thing, but they don’t know how to fix it.
A driver might say to a mechanic, “My car is squeaking when I come to a quick stop, so I think it needs more oil.” The feedback that the car is squeaking is important feedback. The proposed solution, “add more oil,” is useless. A skilled mechanic will know the problem is likely with the brakes, and he’ll also have the know-how to fix them.
Car chassis repair. SelectiveTimothy’s Job vs. an Editor’s JobBeta readers will tell you things like, “I didn’t like the protagonist. I think you should make him blonde.” An unlikable protagonist is a real problem, but changing his hair color is not a real solution. A good editor can help you fix the problem and make your protagonist more likable.
But you still need Timothy and other beta readers to point out problems because your editor may not know your specific sub-genre or audience. An editor helps you come up with great solutions to problems your readers point out.
Here is an extreme example that illustrates the point. Imagine you are writing for children. Children are terrible editors, but they know what they like in a book. You wouldn’t hire a child to edit your book, but you want to pick a specific child to be your Timothy. If part of your book is boring or confusing to Timothy, your editor can help you fix it.
As it is with children, so it is with all kinds of readers.
What to Look for in a TimothyLook for the following qualities when you’re trying to find your Timothy.
A ReaderSome people simply are not readers, and no book will change that. Don’t choose a non-reader to be your Timothy.
Timothy must be a reader. Remember, he represents all your readers.
Let’s say your Timothy hates romance novels, but you want to write romance. In order to write a romance that Timothy likes, you’ll have to break a lot of romance novel conventions to please Timothy, and by doing so, no typical romance readers will want to buy your book. Only Timothy will like it. Choose a Timothy who already reads and loves the genre you want to write.
I will add one caveat. By thrilling a Timothy who is currently underserved by other authors, you could create a new genre and find a profitable niche.
You know an underserved Timothy because he has a lot of unfinished books in his house. He wants to be a reader, but he just hasn’t found any books he likes.
If someone doesn’t own a bookshelf, don’t make that person your Timothy.
A FanThe best Timothy is someone who likes your writing more than they like you. Family members are not ideal target readers because they may hesitate to critique your writing for fear of hurting your feelings or damaging the relationship.
A family member could possibly be your Timothy, but only if they are disagreeable enough to tell you when they hate something. Steven King’s wife is disagreeable in the best way. She tells him when the story isn’t working. Kids also make great Timothys because they typically have no problem telling you your book is boring.
Your grandmother, who just wants you to be happy, probably wouldn’t be a good Timothy.
An Experimenter Find a Timothy who is willing to be a beta reader. Beta readers read early drafts of your book and tell you what needs to be improved. They point out problems, and then editors help you find solutions. Authors usually have multiple beta readers, but your Timothy is the most important one. If some of your beta readers think your book is too fast-paced, but Timothy thinks it’s too slow-paced, go with Timothy’s opinion. Timothy is the tiebreaker.
I found my Timothy. Now what?Hopefully, you’ve decided to write to a Timothy, and you probably have someone in mind. The next step is to ask him or her for permission to make them your target reader. I think this step is important because the difference between a friend and a stalker is consent.
Follow Timothy on GoodreadsTimothy’s Goodreads profile will tell you what he is reading and what he thinks about the books he has finished. Read Timothy’s favorite books in your genre. Then look at the books he rated with one or two stars. Try to discover what he didn’t like about them.
Ask Timothy QuestionsTake Timothy out for coffee and ask him lots of questions. Don’t pitch your book. Your conversation with Timothy is your opportunity to listen for what Timothy wants in a good story.
Here are some questions to get the conversation started:
- What are your favorite movies? Why? His answers will tell you what he is looking for in a good story.
- If money were no object, where in the world would you travel? Timothy’s answer could be a great location for your next story.
- What is your favorite era in history? If you write historical fiction, consider writing about that time period in your next book.
- What books are you reading right now? Read those books too.
As Timothy is answering these questions, listen for his
- Hopes
- Dreams
- Frustrations
- Loves
- Politics
Determine Timothy’s PoliticsCurrently, there are three political factions in America: (1) Democrats, (2) Please-Don’t-Talk-to-Me-About-Politics types, and (3) Republicans. You can target Timothy’s faction and maybe one faction to the right or left. Maybe. But the Please-Don’t-Talk-to-Me-About-Politics types are growing more hostile to politics of any kind.
No one that I know of can create something new that targets all three.
Democrats and Republicans don’t read the same books anymore. They also don’t watch the same movies, drive the same cars, or drink the same beer. In fact, where I live, you can often tell a woman’s political affiliation just by her hairstyle.
Realize that by picking a Timothy, you are picking a political faction and moral system. If Timothy is a Democrat, don’t post photos of your gun collection on social media. If Timothy is a Please-Don’t-Talk-to-Me-About-Politics type, don’t change your avatar for the current cause. If Timothy is a Republican, don’t share your pronouns.
Should I follow Timothy on social media?You can follow Timothy on social media, but you must realize that people are not their true selves on social media. If social media is your only connection to Timothy, you won’t know him well enough to craft stories that will make his heart sing. There is no replacement for knowing someone in real life.
Timothy is Your Cheat CodeWith 1,000 new books released each day, many authors wonder how they can stand out. Writing to a real, human, representative reader that you know in real life is how you can make your book stand out. Millions of authors are writing for themselves instead of their readers. Writing for a Timothy is like a cheat code. As more readers see your book and say, “Finally a book for me,” your book will quickly climb the bestseller lists.
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Related Episodes* How to Find Your Readers * Why do good books fail to sell while poorly written books fly off the shelves? * How to Get to Know Your Readers
The post How to Find Your Timothy appeared first on Author Media.
The emails you send new subscribers in the first weeks after they subscribe are critical. Those first emails help your new subscriber decide whether to stay on your list or unsubscribe.
If you send a new subscriber the same email you’re sending to your long-time subscribers, list your new subscriber may feel like they’ve been thrust into a conversation without any introductions. Imagine stepping into a conversation at a party without knowing the people who are talking. It’s awkward at a dinner party, and it leads to unsubscribes online.
So how do you introduce yourself to new subscribers and make them feel comfortable with the conversation and eager to stick around? With an onboarding sequence.
An onboarding drip sequence allows you to introduce yourself, get to know your readers, and grow your list.
But what do you write in your emails that makes people want to stay?
Caleb Breaky is a marketing consultant who has helped hundreds of authors create great onboarding drip sequences, write books, build platforms, win contracts, and transform the world through the written word. He’s also an award-winning author and the publisher at Renowned Publishing.
What is a drip sequence? Caleb: A typical email newsletter tells subscribers what has happened since the last newsletter.
A drip sequence acts like a front door readers can walk through to meet you. It’s a series of strategically planned and written emails that allow readers to find out about you, your passion, and your mission. Your emails tell a story in a way that readers can see themselves in your story.
If you’re planning a dinner party, you’ve thought about where your guests will park, where your dogs will be when the doorbell rings, and how you’ll introduce yourself and your other guests.
A great email marketing sequence does the same thing. It feels incredibly personal, but it’s all automated. If you tried to do it all personally and manually, it would be impossibly overwhelming.
Thomas: A drip sequence differs from a regular email in Outlook or Gmail because you use an email service provider that can automate your sequence.
A drip sequence is a timed series of emails you’ve pre-written that “drip” out over time. Each email is delivered at intervals, just as water drips at intervals, based on when the person subscribes.
If you get one new subscriber today, your drip sequence will automatically send one email to your new subscriber the next day. They’ll receive the second email in your sequence two days after they subscribe. Three or four days later, they’ll get the third email. You can determine how much time should pass between emails, but each one sends automatically at the predetermined interval to each new subscriber.
There are different types of drip sequences, but almost everyone starts with an onboarding sequence.
Why is an onboarding sequence important?A group of young children getting on the schoolbusCaleb: When bring people on board, I want them to see my passion. My onboarding sequence is very story driven because I want to connect with people as a human. Connecting with humans as a human works better than any tactic or strategy.
In my first onboarding email, I send a GIF of myself waving (using BombBomb), and I link it to a quick one-minute video of myself talking about the email or the takeaway.
That video helps break through the screens that divide us and helps us connect. It communicates, “I’m here for this relationship. I’ll introduce myself, and hopefully, my content will bring you value.”
Thomas: Your introduction emails are important. Readers won’t care about your regular newsletter if they don’t know who you are and what you offer.
If they signed up to receive your lead magnet but don’t necessarily know who you are, your first emails can explain what you do, how you help people, and what you write about.
Many authors are surprised to learn that a good drip sequence leads to some unsubscribes. If your introduction tells readers that you write military science fiction and they prefer space opera, they will unsubscribe.
Believe it or not, you want some people to unsubscribe!
If they’re never going to buy your book or read your emails, why pay your email service provider to keep them on your list?
It’s better to have 1,000 subscribers who will all buy your book than 10,000 subscribers with only 1,000 who will buy your book. Those 9,000 inactive subscribers aren’t reading your emails or clicking links, so your ISP may think your emails are spam.
If subscribers open your emails, click the links, and reply, the email services notice. They’ll consider your email a “high engagement email,” and they’ll be more likely to deliver it to your subscribers’ inboxes.
Readers who aren’t a good fit for your books dilute your list and decrease the deliverability of your emails, which may keep your greatest fans from receiving your emails at all.
Caleb: Unsubscribes can be a gift because you want to serve the people you were meant to serve. Let them know you’re inviting them on a journey and you’re excited to serve them. You’ll also want to let them know that they’re free to unsubscribe if they’re not interested. Clear communication helps you both.
What should I write in my onboarding sequence emails?IntroductionThomas: In your first email, you can introduce yourself, explain what you write, and talk about your genre and the kinds of stories you like.
Why I WriteIn your second email, explain why you write. Tell about loving to play in the woods as a child and imagining stories about elves and fairies. Then you can say, “Now that I’m writing those stories, I love to share them with you.”
Every author starts writing for a different reason, and the more interesting and unique your story is, the more authentic it will be.
If the story of how you started writing sounds like it could be somebody else’s story, you’re not being specific enough. What’s the why behind why you write?
It doesn’t have to be long, but if it’s an interesting and well-told story, people will stick around and enjoy the email. Don’t give away the ending at the beginning, though. Follow the storytelling rules even when telling a true story.
Caleb: My story is that I was sitting in a coffee shop in 2012 with a man named Thomas, and he told me that readers read for education, entertainment, and escape. I still remember that.
My favorite email sequence is one I wrote in the voice of the villain in my thriller series. Every email in that sequence came from him. The villain would talk about me, which made it easy to be self-deprecating and funny.
Just don’t be boring. Seek a relationship. Have fun. Don’t be boring.
Thomas: Your email sequence can be as long as you want. One author I know created a 365-day sequence of daily devotional readings. That’s a massive sequence, but yours can range from two emails to 365.
Books You Will LoveMost authors can’t write as fast as their readers plow through books. You can serve your readers by recommending books they’ll love in your genre. If you’re writing fantasies like Brandon Sanderson, recommend your favorite Sanderson books.
You might also recommend the order in which to read his books because readers are always wondering where to start.
Promoting other books is good for your readers, and you don’t even have to get permission from other authors. The most important thing is to make sure your readers will love the books you recommend. The book recommendation email is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have good taste and can help people find a good read.
Once you become a trusted source for book recommendations, readers will be more likely to buy and read your book when you recommend it.
Caleb: I love the idea of authors helping authors. You’d be surprised what little acts of kindness lead to. Don’t be afraid to recommend another author’s book. Relationships may form between you and other authors. When you share each other’s books, you become integral to one another’s marketing plans.
Questions for the ReaderThomas: One of my favorite emails in my onboarding sequence has questions for the reader. I like to ask, “What is your biggest pet peeve with marketing?” or “Tell me about your book.”
When readers respond, I get to learn about my listeners. Their answers help me craft more helpful episodes.
If you write fiction, you can ask, “What is your favorite thriller?” If everyone keeps mentioning a Jim Butcher book, then you should make sure you’ve read his books.
Emails that ask for a response from readers are helpful in several ways:
- Asking questions can educate you about who your subscribers are.
- Email correspondence will help readers remember you.
- Readers you’ve replied to will be more likely to open and read your emails in the future.
- It develops the relationship.
- After about three emails and responses, their email service provider will always send your emails to their inbox rather than their spam box.
Remember that your email correspondence is a dialogue that requires talking and listening. If you only talk, readers get irritated and unsubscribe. But if they’re part of the conversation, they’ll be ready to listen to you. They know you’ll have something interesting to say. Plus, their responses will inform your future newsletters.
Caleb: If I had it to do over, I would focus more on starting those little conversations.
Automation helps get things started, but if you correspond with people individually, you will develop raving fans. It happens organically.
When people would email me asking when my next book was coming out, I would respond in the voice of my villain. It was a blast.
Once you start these relationships, you suddenly have fans who follow you because you interact. They’re a part of the story. Your reader ceases to be some nebulous Amazon purchase that you never see. They become people who are being impacted by the entertainment, education, or escape you provide. It becomes so much fun.
Questions About the GenreCaleb: If you write in a genre with a handsome hero, ask your readers, “Who are the three most handsome heroes in fiction today?”
Or you might ask, “What character did the most sacrificial thing in the fiction you’ve read?”
Smash Hit NewsletterThomas: If you get a lot of responses from a newsletter, you can use that same newsletter as part of your email sequence. Reusing a hit newsletter is a great way to get more than one use from a good piece of content. Your newsletter subscribers probably won’t reread your email in six months. But you can add it to your sequence, and every new subscriber will read that email.
WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)Caleb: When your readers see an email coming in, they wonder, “What’s in it for me?” When you set up your sequence, make sure you know what’s in it for your reader. If you answer that question first, you’ll be on a natural trajectory to start a relational dialogue.
Start with what’s important to your reader, and eventually, the topic will turn toward your books or characters.
Thomas: If you’ve been writing for a few years, you probably have multiple reader magnets. In one of your drip sequence emails, you can say, “Here are other short stories that are my gift to you.” People will want to keep that email and click those links because there’s value for them.
Notice that we haven’t talked about selling your book yet.
You can pitch the books you’ve written at some point, but that shouldn’t be the first email. Let the relationship grow first.
You might mention your most recent book in the first email because some people may wonder which book is your most recent. But don’t dump all 30 titles in your first email.
Since this is an onboarding sequence, you might consider writing one email per book. Instead of providing a bullet list of your titles, pitch one of your books at a time. Briefly explain why the book would be interesting to your new reader. You could even use your back cover copy.
That kind of email is helpful, especially if you provide guidance on which book to read first.
I enjoyed Ender’s Game and wanted to read them in the right order, but I had to go through this stupid time chart to find out which book to read next. It was so confusing. The authors missed an opportunity to just tell me which book I should read next.
Create emails that help your reader and get them excited about stepping into the story.
As you interact with your subscribers, you’ll get more ideas about what they find helpful. Come up with ideas that are unique to your book and readers.
Be weird in all the right ways, and you’ll write great emails.
What are some other types of email drip sequences?Thomas: You wrote emails from your villain, which is fun but may not be a great option for an onboarding sequence. When readers first join your email list, they may not be familiar with your characters.
However, if people are familiar with your characters, they will love to get a series of emails from the evil villain. Suddenly, they’ll be anticipating the next email!
What are some other email sequences an author could put together?
Book Launch or Launch Team SequenceYou might want to create a book launch or launch team email sequence to gear up for your book launch. Begin with an email that says, “Click here if you want to be the first to receive this and get the word out about this epic tale.” When they click, they’ll be added to a “launch team” list and receive exclusive content, videos, and updates that will help them share about your book.
Thomas: Since those emails are pre-written, they’re also adaptable. You can use your launch sequence as a template for your next book launch so that you don’t have to start from scratch.
Caleb: A drip sequence can be written to solicit different kinds of responses from readers. Start the conversation, warm up the relationship, and then ask the person to respond.
At that point, you have assembled a group of readers who are comfortable engaging back and forth with you.
Segmenting SequenceYou might create a sequence that ends with a call to action or an ask. You might ask readers to
- Buy your book
- Give one, get one
- Take a photo of the book and share it on social media.
As they respond, you can sort readers into categories, such as “social media user” or “give one get one.” When you create a list made up of the “social media user,” you’re segmenting your list. Segmenting allows you to send more targeted emails in the future, which leads to more sales.
Thomas: Segmenting your list can be relatively easy, depending on which platform you’re using. ConvertKit (Affiliate Link) is my favorite and makes segmenting very easy. You can create multiple tags, and different subscribers can have multiple tags attached to their profiles.
For example, if you write fiction and nonfiction, you can tag them as such accordingly. That way, you can send emails based on their interests.
ConvertKit has a feature called a link trigger. If you add a trigger to a link, anyone who clicks that link in your email essentially tags themselves. You can even set it up so the newly tagged subscriber starts receiving a sequence right after they are tagged.
You could send an email saying, “Hey, would you like to get the Diary of the Evil Villain emails?” To answer the question, they must click “yes” or “no.” Both answers would have a link trigger. For example, if the subscriber clicks “Yes,” ConvertKit will tag them and start sending the sequence you set up.
It’s all automated, and you don’t have to do anything on a per-person basis. It’s really scalable.
Caleb: Right now, some authors are intrigued by the technical aspects, and some are groaning. It isn’t very hard to set up, but you do have to take the time to do it. Once you do, the software makes it easy.
Thomas: My biggest technical tip is to get away from MailChimp. MailChimp is terrible for automation. I have yet to meet an author who has successfully used automation with MailChimp and still likes MailChimp at the end of that process.
If you’re unsure which email service provider to use, check out our episode comparing MailChimp, ConvertKit, and MailerLite.
MailerLite is popular with authors on a small budget because automated sequences are included in the free plan. ConvertKit only allows them with a paid plan. I encourage you to be the customer. Pay for what you use. Taking freebies can get you into trouble if you’re not careful. With that said, MailerLite is a perfectly good company, and their free plan is the most powerful in terms of automations.
Offboarding SequenceSome authors create a list-cleaning or offboarding sequence, but opinions differ on whether those sequences are a good or bad idea.
Caleb: I think offboarding sequences are it’s great. Literary agents will look at the engagement rates of your email list. You might have 15,000 subscribers, but if none of them open your emails, you just have a number and not an audience.
One of the best ways to increase your engagement is to clean your list of subscribers who haven’t opened an email in six months or so. Without those unengaged readers diluting your list, your open and click rates will increase. Agents will see that you have an engaged list.
I’m a firm believer in offboarding.
Thomas: I’m starting to change my view on offboarding sequences. I used to agree with the case you made, and I still do in extreme situations. But I now see offboarding sequences as a traumatic event. It’s like chemotherapy; sometimes it’s the only thing you can do, but it’s very traumatic.
Some authors are very aggressive and offboard unengaged people every three months. They’re demanding a level of attention from their subscribers. But if someone only opens one email per year because they only want to buy your book when it comes out, you still want that person on your list!
You don’t want to unsubscribe them through your offboarding sequence just because they haven’t opened an email in six months.
Sometimes you purge thousands of people from your list, and your open rate doesn’t change.
On the other hand, if you’ve been gathering emails for 20 years, it might be a good idea to purge inactive subscribers. It will save you money and improve your open rates.
But I’ve noticed a kind of poverty mindset in some authors where they’re terrified to have anybody on their list who’s not a raving fan. I think that ends up hurting your sales in the long run.
I’ve taken subscribers through an offboarding sequence. I’ve also had those readers email me saying, “What do you want from me? I read your emails. I just don’t click every link.”
Some readers have felt hurt by an offboarding email saying, “You’re about to be unsubscribed.” They write to me and say, “Why are you kicking me off the list? I’ve just been sick.” Then they tell me a long, apologetic story about why they haven’t opened emails.
That’s not the kind of relationship I want to foster. I now think of offboarding and list cleaning as a last resort.
If you’re sending emails weekly or monthly, your list will be relatively clean simply because you’re keeping it active.
Caleb: That’s hard to argue with.
I tend to clean my list annually. I say, “I want to make sure I am providing you the best value and not clogging up your inbox. If you want book launch announcements (or whatever you provide), click here so you continue to receive them.”
But I agree with you. I wouldn’t want to send emails that sounded like, “Hey, you didn’t come to my birthday party, and you didn’t wish me a happy half-birthday.”
Thomas: Plus, some people have images disabled for their email or have set up stringent privacy settings. They may be opening your emails, but the software can’t track them.
If you create an offboarding sequence, be gentle, especially with those initial emails.
What are some mistakes authors make with their onboarding sequences? Asking for a Sale Too SoonAs we’ve already mentioned, you need to facilitate a relationship before you ask for a sale.
Creating Content that Becomes StagnantIn one of my launch sequences, I embedded my book cover image at the top of the email. Every email had that image at the top, and after about three emails, people weren’t even seeing it anymore.
Don’t Assume the SaleWrite emails that provide a reason for someone to buy. If your book is on sale, tell your readers, “The book is currently on sale until Friday!” Don’t assume they’ll click on your linked book cover and make a purchase just because you’ve provided a lot of free content. That’s not how our brains work.
Thomas: Treat your readers the way you want authors to treat you.
If you get emails that annoy you, don’t send emails like that. Whether you’re writing newsletters, onboarding emails, or offboarding emails, send the kind of emails you would be excited to receive.
If you’re writing fiction, talk about books, movies, and TV shows in your genre. Don’t just talk about your own books all the time. Talk about what your readers are reading and answer the questions they care about.
If you talk about what they care about, they’ll want to talk to you because you care about the same things.
Do you have any final advice or encouragement?Caleb:
- Make your sequences about people.
- Evaluate what causes you to stay subscribed to certain emails.
- Be honest with yourself and do more of that.
- Commit to learning and commit yourself to do for your readers what you want other authors to do for you.
Thomas: To connect with Caleb and see his onboarding sequence for his book, visit GetTheString.com.
Caleb: It’s been a while since I’ve updated that onboarding sequence since I’ve been running a business for the past ten years.
Thomas: You bring up a good point. Authors need to revisit their onboarding sequences occasionally, especially if they’ve released several books since you first wrote your sequences emails.
You can also subscribe to your own onboarding sequence so you’ll get your own emails. Since my emails include a question for the reader, I receive responses that remind me of what my emails say. Often, I can see my original email below their response. If I see a typo, I can go correct it.
Over time, your sequence just gets better.
Featured PatronKamuela Kaneshiro, author of Legends from the Pacific: Book 1
Have you ever been curious about Asian and Pacific Folklore? Like what the brothers Grim did with Germanic folklore, Kamuela Kaneshiro has spent years doing with folktales from all around the Pacific. Join Hawaii’s Goddess of Fire, Pele, in her search for sanctuary. Confront the Philippine’s shape-shifting vampire. Battle the dreaded Wendigo. And more!
If you want to write an epic fantasy but need some fresh folklore ideas to pull from, then grab your copy on Amazon or LegendsFromThePacific.com now. Legends From The Pacific is also a podcast! You can listen at LegendsFromThePacific.com.
Related Episodes* How to Pick the Right Email Marketing Service for You * How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign * How to Increase Your Email Delivery
The post How to Take Advantage of Email Drip Marketing as an Author appeared first on Author Media.
If you want readers to buy your book, you must convince them your book is better than all the other books in your genre that they could buy. You even need to persuade them that your book will be more entertaining than their favorite streaming show. And if you want them to recommend your book, they need to want to read it right away.
A strong pitch will make readers want to buy and read your book ASAP. And if your pitch is clear and easy to repeat, readers will use your wording to recommend your book to their friends.
But many authors are afraid to talk about their books. They don’t know what to say or worry about sounding like a used car salesman. More often, authors ramble about their books, using long paragraphs to describe them rather than short, compelling sentences.
How do you pitch your book? How do you talk about it in a way that makes people want to buy it?
Charles Harris has worked with hundreds of authors and screenwriters to help them perfect their pitches. He is a director of the UK Society of Authors and has used his pitching method to become a best-selling author and an international award-winning writer-director.
Why is crafting a pitch so hard for authors?Thomas: Many authors find that crafting a pitch is some of the hardest writing they do. Why is writing a paragraph harder than writing an entire book?
Charles: Distilling 70,000 words into a sentence or two is hard. It’s tough, but it’s important.
Pitching: The Great AcceleratorA good pitch accelerates all parts of your career. It accelerates your ability to sell to readers, publishers, agents, and movie or TV companies. But creating a good pitch also helps you develop the idea in the first place.
The better your pitch is at the beginning of your writing process, the better you’ll be able to develop the fundamental idea you are writing about. A strong pitch will also accelerate your ability to work with cover designers, marketing professionals, or PR people. No matter who you talk to, you’ll always be using a pitch.
When should you write a pitch for your book?Thomas: You’re talking about creating the pitch for the book before writing the book. That requires a mindset shift.
Many authors write their books and then try to create a pitch. But writing the pitch first allows you to get feedback on whether the book is worth writing in the first place. It may also help you tweak your idea and make the book better.
I occasionally offer an online pitch practice in conjunction with a writers conference. Before the conference, writers will practice their pitches on me, and I’ll provide feedback. In almost every instance, at least a few authors realize they need to rewrite their books. Sometimes their protagonist isn’t active enough. Other times, the antagonist doesn’t have a clear motivation. Some books have a major structural problem.
When authors perfect the pitch before they write the book, they find it easier to write a book that delivers on the promise of the pitch.
Charles: I run workshops in pitching for writers, authors, and screenwriters, and I always begin by saying, “Probably 90% of you will leave this workshop with a well-developed pitch and will rewrite your manuscript or screenplay.” In fact, that’s a lie because 100% of the participants will. I’ve never found anyone who doesn’t.
I do it myself for my own books. I can’t write anything if I haven’t got the pitch to start with. I need that reassurance that I’m writing something that’s going somewhere.
Having said that, I’ll rewrite the pitch throughout the writing process as I get to know my book better.
Thomas: That back-and-forth process is very healthy, but it’s not very romantic. It’s more romantic to believe you can descend into your cave and emerge with a pristine artifact that shimmers in the sunlight.
But that’s not how writing works.
If you want other people to buy and read your book, it must be commercially viable. It must connect with what other people want. Writing the pitch forces you to think about the reader much sooner in the process.
Charles: Developing a pitch first is helpful, but not all writers do that.
Pantsers tend to develop their pitches during the second-draft stage. After they’ve got all the mess on the paper, they can determine what kind of story they have.
I’ve done that in the past. One of my most successful screenplays was something I couldn’t work out in a pitch. I ended up banging it all down to see what I had. I needed a pitch to guide the edit, and I found it in that second stage.
Your Pitch is a ConversationWriting a pitch is difficult, but it’s not as hard as some people think. You don’t have to create a wonderful piece of language or a perfectly polished three-word sentence that encapsulates everything.
A pitch is conversational. Before we get into the details of genre, we have to realize that a pitch is, fundamentally, having a conversation.
Your reader will talk to other readers. They’ll ask one another, “What book were you reading that you thought was so good?” Readers won’t answer with a pearl of wisdom in three words, but they’re not going to spend 90 minutes describing the book either.
Thomas: Think about the way you talk about books with other people. When you love a book, you tell your friends, “You’ve got to read this book! It’s a…” and then you essentially give a pitch for the book.
As an author, you’re trying to create the rest of that sentence so people can use it in a conversation.
When one friend recommends a book to another, they explain why they liked it.
I recently recommended the movie Puss in Boots because it had one of the best villains I’ve seen on screen. That’s how I described it. If I were writing a pitch for the film, I would’ve said, “This villain is worth making a movie about. It’s worth a screenplay.”
Five Steps to Writing a Great Pitch for Your BookCharles: That’s a great way to pitch. There are many ways to pitch.
When I’m doing a workshop, I teach people to think about the following aspects of their stories when pitching. Publishing professionals and agents will be listening for the following elements.
- A: Appropriate
- B: Budget-able
- C: Cinematic
- D: Different
- E: Employable
A is for AppropriateThe person listening to your pitch will ask, “Is this book appropriate for me?” It’s the question of genre. They want to know whether they’d be interested and what emotions it will create.
They’re asking, “Do I feel like laughing or crying? Do I feel like love or danger?”
Thomas: This first element of the genre, or appropriateness for the readers, also earns you their attention so you can give them the rest of the letters or the rest of the pitch. If the genre fits, they’ll be interested in the rest of your pitch.
For example, if you say, “It’s a romance,” but your reader isn’t in the mood for romance, they stop listening. It’s beneficial for the reader and the author because you can immediately move on to the next book or the next reader who might be interested.
Charles: If you’re pitching professionally to an agent, publisher, or film producer, you’ll have done your research. You’ll know whether they publish rom-coms or not.
But sometimes companies change directions.
I encourage writers to begin a pitch meeting by asking the professional what they’re publishing or producing currently. They may have always done romcoms, but perhaps they want to move into thrillers.
Thomas: When pitching in a professional context, you’re also pitching a working relationship with yourself. If they’re going to work with you, they’ll have to interact with you on an ongoing basis, so a personal connection becomes very valuable.
Pitching a professional is different than pitching a reader in that way. Readers are asking whether yours is a book they want to buy. A publisher or producer is asking if your book is one they want to contract and if you are the kind of person they want to work with.
B is for BudgetableCharles: Budgetable isa horrible word, but it means the professionals are asking, “Can I make this movie for the budget that I’m likely to be able to raise by selling it?”
Producers are asking:
- How much should I sell this movie?
- Who will come and watch it?
- Will it be in the big cinemas or on an obscure cable channel at 3:00 AM?
The answers to those questions will affect their budget.
Thomas: The same questions apply to books as well.
For example, if you’re a famous person like the Prince of England and want to write a memoir, a publisher can spend any amount of money hiring ghostwriters, editors, and others who can do all the work to create your book.
Since you’re the Prince of England, the publisher knows they’ll make their money back in sales.
However, if you’re an obscure person, you’ll have to convince a publisher that they won’t have to spend more money on your book than they’ll get out of it.
Every book proposal is effectively a business plan. It must make the case to a traditional publisher that the book is worth publishing because it costs money to publish books.
Charles: It certainly applies to readers too.
Readers ask, “Do I want to invest my time in this book?” Some people only want to read short books, while others only want long ones.
Thomas: Readers are thinking, “I’ll never get back the 10 hours I spent reading your book,” so they need to know it’s worth their time.
C is for CinematicCharles: A good pitch should create images in the listener’s mind. When a publisher or producer hears your pitch, they should be thinking, “I can imagine that happening.”
It’s basically craft, but “cinematic” sounds more exciting and reminds writers to write the book pitch using words that create images in the listener’s mind.
D is for DifferentCharles: Your book must be different from others in your genre, but interestingly it must still be appropriate (A) to the genre. The A we discussed is about how similar your book is to others, but at the same time, it must be somewhat different.
If it’s not different, it won’t stand out.
Thomas: In business school, we’d call that “a tension to manage rather than a problem to solve.”
Your book must be different enough to be worth reading. If it’s exactly like something I’ve already read, I’ll just read that book again.
On the other hand, if it’s so different that it’s not what I’m looking for, I’m not interested in it.
Beginning authors find this tension difficult to manage when they haven’t read enough books in their genre. They might have read the most popular books in their genre, but they haven’t read the B-tier books that voracious readers find.
You don’t have to be an avid fantasy reader to enjoy Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.
Fantasy authors should be familiar with what’s been published in the past year. What are people buying right now? Develop fluency in your genre by reading lots of books, and you’ll get a sense of how different or appropriate your book is.
Don’t stop with reading romance or merely historical romance. Read all the books published this year in the sub-sub-genre, such as “Edwardian England historical romance.” Compare those with your Edwardian England historical romance novel.
If you haven’t read any of those books, how will you know if your book is appropriate and different? How will you write a pitch for your book that stands out? You have to discover that by reading your specific genre and becoming familiar with reader expectations.
Charles: Good authors read voraciously.
It’s also a matter of sparking the Broca area of the brain that reacts to different and interesting things. Without that element, your pitch will probably fall flat. I highly recommend your episode on Broca.
E is for EmployablePublishing professionals also ask, “Why should I be interested in this writer?”
What makes you the perfect person to write this book?
Thomas: When you’re pitching an agent or an editor, they’ll often ask, “What other ideas do you have?” They’re thinking, “If this book is a hit, we’ll want to publish another book by this author.”
Your employability is often determined by whether you have multiple book ideas related to the one you’re pitching. If your first romance is popular, publishers want to know you can write another romance.
When you discuss your ideas, the publisher may get more excited about your fourth idea. If they believe they could get your fourth idea through pub board in a week, they’ll ask for a proposal on that one.
Editors, agents, publishers, and readers want to know you’re not a one-trick pony.
Do I write a Short Pitch, Long Pitch or Logline?Charles: We are using the word “pitch” to mean those short, compelling sentences readers use when talking at the water cooler.
Some people talk about pitching in a longer format. In a pitch meeting, you’d go into much more detail, but your single sentence is still at the core of it.
Sometimes people call the short pitch a logline.
I recommend creating a personal logline as well. It will help you with your employability factor.
When you get that horrible question, “What do you do?” you can answer with a short logline.
I use different personal loglines in different circumstances. For example, I might say, “I am an award-winning writer-director, now writing novels.” If I talk to a potential reader, I might say, “I’m a novelist who writes political thrillers, and I’ve got two out at the moment.”
Prepare a few personal loglines that describe yourself.
A Pitch TemplateThomas: Walk us through your default formula for creating a good pitch for a book.
Charles: Well, basically, it goes why, who, what, and maybe how. Sometimes you have to include when and where, but sometimes you don’t.
Why?Your listener wants to know why they should continue listening to your pitch.
“It is a…”You begin with the words, “It is a…” and then say the genre.
- It’s a romantic comedy.
- It’s a science fiction action movie.
- It’s a historical romance.
In just a few words, you’ve already told the person whether it’s worth them listening. You’ve also set up their expectation. Sometimes I hear people pitch, and after three sentences, or sometimes a whole paragraph, I have no idea whether they’re pitching a comedy or a tragedy.
You want to set up the mood. If you set it up as a comedy, people will be listening for the funny side of it.
“It is a [genre] about…” After you’ve set up the genre, go straight into the protagonist’s character arc.
Take the movie Terminator, for example. If you look at the character arc, you’ll see it’s about a woman who initially can’t stand up for herself. She can’t even stand up to a flatmate, but by the end of the story, she’s wearing army fatigues and is about to give birth to the guy who’ll save the human race.
That’s a big character arc.
I would start by saying, “It’s a science fiction action adventure movie about a woman who initially can’t stand up for herself.”
Begin with the Character’s FlawYou start with the character’s flaw because that also provides a reason for your listener to keep listening.
Emotional engagement usually comes from the character’s flaw. Most of us won’t be pursued by a homicidal robot trying to kill us, but we may have to learn to stand up for ourselves. So that’s where we engage as human beings.
What?The what is the first turning point of your story.
One writer says that books are simply three disasters and an ending.
The first disaster is your inciting incident that kicks off the story. The second disaster happens at the end of 30 minutes in a movie or 70 pages into a book. It’s the first turning point that pushes readers into the main story and asks the big story question.
In Terminator, the first turning point is when the protagonist discovers she’s being pursued by this homicidal, indestructible robot that’s trying to kill all the people with her name.
So that’s the next bit of my pitch.
“It is a [genre] about [a flawed character] who [first turning point]…”“It’s a science fiction action movie about a woman who can’t stand up for herself, who discovers she’s being pursued by a homicidal, indestructible robot that’s trying to kill all the people with her name.”
In the what, you say what the character is trying to do or what they’re trying to escape.
Your what will power most of the movie or story.
When? And Where?Depending on your pitch, you may want to add when and where, if those elements are particularly special. If it’s historical, you’ll need to say, “In the reign of Charles II” or “During the time of the Declaration of Independence.”
Perhaps you’ll include the setting of Alaska or Hawaii if that’s particularly important to the story.
What about who?You’ll notice I haven’t used names.
Unless you pitch a true story about somebody important, I wouldn’t use the name because that’s one more thing your listener has to remember. Humans can only remember about seven things at a time, so don’t clog up your listener’s brain with unnecessary information. It’s not important for the person you’re pitching to know that the character’s name is Sarah Connor.
On the other hand, it would be important to name the person you’re writing about if you were telling a true story about Gandhi.
Thomas: That is true for the first book in a series, but it changes for the sequel. People who watched Terminator have an emotional connection with Sarah Connor. When you pitch the sequel, people will want to know Sara Connor is trapped in an insane asylum.
But if I don’t know who the character is, I don’t care about their name.
Wrapping Up the PitchCharles: If you can tie a nice little bow on the end of your pitch, it’s powerful. If you can jump to the end of the character arc and end with an ironic twist, you’ll create even more reason for your listener to want more.
For example, if we jump to the end of Sarah Connor’s character arc, we could end the pitch by saying, “By the end of it, she’s a better killer than the robot himself.”
Your completed pitch would read as follows:
It’s a science fiction action adventure movie about a woman who can’t stand up for herself who’s being pursued by this homicidal, indestructible robot. By the end, she becomes a better killing machine than he is.
The last part gives a nice little ironic sense of the character arc. It’s not always essential, but it’s nice. It becomes particularly important when you’re pitching to a professional.
Pitch Practice: A Sample Pitch from ThomasThomas: While you were talking, I followed your guidelines and put together a pitch.
I’m going to give you this pitch, and then I want you to tell me how I can improve it.
Pitch: It’s a romantic comedy about a recently divorced couple who get trapped together on a deserted island where they must learn to work together in order to survive.
Charles: I like that. I can see pictures already, which is good. While there have been movies made about people trapped on a deserted island, I can’t think an identical storyline.
I would want to know more about their flaws.
What do they have to overcome to learn to work together? Is one of them very uptight?
Of course, I’m just brainstorming and understand that’s a bit cliché. But the flaws they have will tell me how fresh your idea is. If you come up with stale flaws, I’ll be put off.
The hardest part is portraying a character’s inner story and flaws.
In some way, the character’s flaws will be your own. A good story requires you to dig into yourself to excavate the ideas and flaws that are meaningful for you. That’s key to making your pitch come to life.
Thomas: Readers are satisfied with a comedy that has an ending where the main character has become a better person. Readers are satisfied with a tragedy when the main character suffers the consequences of not becoming a better person.
Well-executed tragedies have staying power because they resonate powerfully.
A meaningful transformation requires a meaningful flaw. Your characters need to have a real challenge the audience can relate to.
Let’s say your character’s biggest challenge is having too much money and managing their financial portfolio is stressful. That’s a real challenge some people have, but not many people can relate.
If you’re writing a story like Richie Rich that allows readers to escape to the world of the wealthy, you won’t include all the boring nitty-gritty meetings with accountants. You’d write about the fun of having a mansion and a butler.
If you want to write a story people can relate to, you need to understand yourself and your struggles.
If your character is struggling with pride, and you struggle with pride, you can work a lot more nuance into their flaw because you can conduct your own research by examining your own flaws. But you also need to know what your audience can relate to.
Breaking the RulesCharles: At the same time, you should also realize there are three genres that don’t focus on the character’s flaw: adventure, satire, and a series. In those three instances, you can sometimes get away with undeveloped flaws or flaws that aren’t important.
AdventureFor example, we don’t really care about James Bond’s flaws. In fact, when they try to bring them in, they rarely work because the story is about the fun.
Indiana Jones fears snakes, but the story isn’t about that.
People sometimes get hung up on trying to make the flaws work, but if they’re writing an adventure story, the main character doesn’t need a character arc. You compensate for the lack of character arc by writing lots of fun scenes in interesting settings.
Thomas: You also give the character lots of external challenges. James Bond faces more external challenges in one scene than a normal person has in a lifetime. Half the characters in Indiana Jones are trying to kill him.
Since there’s so much external conflict, those characters don’t need internal conflict to make the story interesting. Adding an internal conflict would actually distract from the adventure.
Imagine if Indiana Jones had to stop and wrestle with an inner conflict. “Should I shoot the guy with the sword? I don’t know. I shot a swordsman in my past, but he turned out to be a good guy, so I don’t know what to do.”
It doesn’t work at all. Just have him shoot the guy with the sword.
Charles: I teach workshops on breaking the rules. That’s one instance where you can get away with breaking a rule. You can break the character arc rule by invoking the other rule of adding more action.
SatireThe whole point of satire is that nobody gets over their flaws. They’re stuck.
In Bonfire of the Vanities, for example, you don’t expect anyone to improve as a person. That would kill the comedy of it. The characters have flaws but no arc.
SeriesYou can also overlook the character arc in a series, but I’m not talking about a series like Hunger Games, which is one story told in three books.
A series that can break the character flaw rule is more like a police series where every new book starts with the main character finding out he has a new case to deal with.
There’s a mini character arc throughout the book or episode, but in the next book, the character is back where he started with a new case to solve. You may have a character who grows from book to book, but it’s not a massive part of the story.
Rite of Passage or Coming of AgeIn a rite-of-passage or coming-of-age story, on the other hand, the character flaw is the whole story.
What the character does is actually the least important part of the story, which often presents a problem for authors who are trying to write a book pitch. It’s hard to determine the what of the story when it’s primarily about the character’s flaw.
Thomas: It’s also important to know what your primary conflict is. There are five classic story conflicts:
- Man vs. Man
- Man vs. Himself
- Man vs. Society
- Man vs. God
- Man vs. Nature
Most books have elements of all those conflicts, but you need to identify your primary conflict because that will help you make the story more interesting.
Charles: I often help authors find their focus when writing a pitch for their books. Most good writers have lots of ideas.
My first novel was a multi-strand story. When I was trying to work out how to pitch it, I started with the sentence, “It’s not a who-done-it. It’s what they did after it.” I thought that was nice, but it didn’t tell you much about the story. On the other hand, I couldn’t tell all the different strands of the story in my pitch either.
Over time, I started reading my reviews and noticed that people were calling it a thriller. I realized it was actually a political thriller. I refined my pitch to focus more on the main character (a journalist) and what he was trying to do (save his job). He comes across the biggest scoop of his career, but to make it work, he has to tell a lie and then a bigger lie. Before he knows it, he’s putting a young child’s life at risk.
That’s the fundamental pitch for my book, The Breaking of Liam Glass. It focuses on the journalist, the lie he tells, and the danger or jeopardy he creates.
Thomas: Staying true to one genre also makes it easier to create a pitch.
It’s easier to pitch a true adventure than an adventure/comedy/romance. If you’re mixing genres, you have to deal with two different pitch formulations at the same time.
The Princess Bride is a classic example of mixing genres. It didn’t do well in theaters because the marketing team didn’t know how to pitch it.
Is it a children’s story? Is it a romance? Is it an adventure? Is it a fantasy?
It had so many strands they didn’t know what to focus on.
It wasn’t until people started renting the VHS that the movie became popular. It came out right as the VHS revolution came about. There weren’t many movies to rent, so the multi-strand Princess Bride lucked out and became a hit.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t write a cross-genre book, but if it’s your first book, writing a pure single-genre book will make writing and pitching easier.
Charles: You’re probably right about pitching your first book as a single genre, particularly if you are going indie and you’ve chosen a popular genre.
But having said that, there is a good argument for having a cross-genre book. The second genre gives it an extra “oomph.”
Romantic comedy is cross-genre by its nature. Terminator is a science fiction adventure. As long as you’re clear on where it sits on that Venn diagram, I think you could pitch it.
What about including character names in your pitch?Thomas: In every pitch example you’ve given, you’ve never mentioned more than two characters. Authors often make the mistake of including too many characters in their pitches. They’ve created a dozen characters they love, and they want to mention them all in the pitch.
But readers don’t need to know about all those people. Focus on the protagonist and maybe the antagonist.
Charles: And along with that, discard all the setup. Most people spend the first five minutes telling me everything that goes into the beginning of the book. But you don’t need any of that.
Having said that, you’ve just raised a very interesting question.
How do you write a pitch for a a multi-character book? Thomas: How do you pitch Avengers?
Charles: How do you pitch Ocean’s 11? How do you pitch Crash?
If you have a multi-character story, you’ll need to find what I call the nutshell that encompasses everything. Find the one thing they have in common.
The movie Crash (2004) was set in Los Angeles. It had 12 characters with eight running storylines crisscrossing, but they all had to do with a race in Los Angeles. That’s what you would pitch.
It’s like pitching a series. You pitch the overriding thematic issues, and then you might give one of the strands or episodes as an example that demonstrates the theme.
Thomas: That is a totally different pitch formulation. You’re effectively pitching the theme of the story rather than giving a classic character-based pitch.
Can you give us an example of how to write a theme-based pitch for your book? Charles: The series House isabout a fundamentally brilliant pathologist who cannot relate to people. In every episode, he gets an unimaginably difficult case to treat. He has to work out what the disease is with the help and hindrance of all the people around him who are trying to turn him into more of a human being. Other people just hate him for not being very human. Then I would give an example of an episode.
There’s an even better way to pitch House, though. You could say, “It’s Sherlock Holmes in a hospital.”
Thomas: That’s exactly what it is. The real-life person who inspired Sherlock Holmes in the 1800s was actually a physician.
Speaking of Sherlock Holmes in a hospital, your book is called Jaws in Space. In your book, you walk people through this process.
Charles, give us your pitch for a book on pitching books.Charles: Two screenwriters went into a producer and said, “Jaws in space.” The producer got out his checkbook and said, “Write me that script.”
And “Jaws in Space” became the movie Alien. It has become famous for the three-word pitch.
Pitching is the great accelerator. My book contains anecdotes, stories, and recipes for dealing with different issues. It’s aimed mostly at the movie and TV industry, but nearly everything applies equally to fiction and nonfiction books.
Thomas: If you can learn how to pitch a $50 million film, pitching a $50,000 book becomes easy.
Learning pitch techniques from the film industry gives authors an edge. Jaws in Space will help you learn how to pitch to editors, agents, or regular readers by describing why they would love your story.
Charles: I’ve got a free Jaws in Space Pitch Workbook based on the material in Jaws in Space. You can download it for free if you don’t mind joining my email list, where I do book and film reviews and the odd article on writing and pitching.
Connect with Charles Harris at his website.
Featured PatronsNew March 2023 Patrons:
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Related Episodes* How to Craft a Compelling Elevator Pitch for Your Book * How to Pitch Your Novel * Write Bestselling Pitches by Avoiding These 10 Copywriting Mistakes
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A few months ago, Wired Magazine contacted author Brandon Sanderson to ask if they could do a major piece about him. Sanderson agreed. He took the journalist out for dinner and answered his questions. He even let the journalist stay at his house, meet his family, and talk with his kids.
The whole time, the journalist was friendly and constantly asked questions.
If you know anything about journalists, you know how this story ends. When the article came out last week, it was one of the most mean-spirited hit pieces I have ever read.
The journalist seemed frustrated that Sanderson had no skeletons in his closet. Brandon Sanderson is happily married. He loves to write and talk about writing. His readers love him and his books. He makes millions of dollars writing eight hours per day every day. How boring!
The journalist, frustrated that Sanderson didn’t say anything incriminating, attacked Sanderson’s writing, family, appearance, religion, fans, city, and even his taste in food! The article dripped with condescension and envy. Sanderson’s fans were described as “smelly man boys.” Sanderson’s children were described as having “bad taste.” The Wired journalist talks about Sanderson’s wife, Emily, multiple times but refuses to name her, calling her “the wife” at one point.
If I could summarize the article in one sentence, it would be this: “How dare this nerd write nerdy books for fellow nerds! Doesn’t he have taste?”
Imagine how blindsided Brandon Sanderson must have felt to read that article after showing the journalist such kindness. Imagine how it would feel to see your children publicly ridiculed simply because they’re your children. All the while, you haven’t done or said anything wrong or stupid.
Interacting with the media is tricky.
Authors want publicity for their books. They want help spreading the word. They long to see their books on TV, in magazines, and on websites. But most reporters don’t care about authors or books. They care about attention. Journalists get paid for clicks and page views, and if they can get more attention by attacking you, they will.
- How do you handle a hostile media interview?
- How do you avoid giving the media something to use against you?
- How do you get the media to share your message rather than twisting it?
Media ExperienceMy first media interview occurred when I was in high school. I had purchased 50 tickets for the opening night of the Lord of the Rings movie, and I re-sold them to my high school friends. We all showed up to the theater in costumes, and when one of the local TV stations heard, they wanted to interview me for the nightly news.
Since then, I’ve either been interviewed or had my photo published in the San Antonio Express-News, Texas Tribune, Austin American-Statesman, and World News, among others. My photo was once on the front page of the Houston Chronicle, and our local NBC affiliate once sent a news crew to my office for an interview. Later, they interviewed me at my house. I also gave many radio and podcast interviews when my book came out.
I would estimate that perhaps half of the media coverage was published by reporters who disagreed with me. Some of them were hostile.
I’ve had experience interacting with the media and have talked with many journalists. I also completed political media training back when I thought I would have a political career.
In this article, I want to share what I have learned about interacting with the media.
All Publicity is Good PublicityIf you are trying to sell books, all publicity is good publicity. The hit piece on Sanderson definitely attracted attention and made Wired a lot of money, which was their goal.
But Brandon Sanderson’s fans are in a tizzy over that article. YouTube videos criticizing the article and defending Sanderson have amassed hundreds of thousands of views. Once people saw Sanderson’s gracious response to the Wired article, even more readers rallied to defend him.
I read one Tweet (please embed) from someone who said they were going to start reading Brandon Sanderson’s books after reading his gracious response to the article.
I am going to start reading you work after reading this response to a negative article. (I don’t understand the need for people who are not fans of or familiar with genres are compelled to critique them)
Your compassion is moving. Thank you. Any advice what I should read 1st?— Rod Hillen (@yendorcire) March 24, 2023
From a book-sales perspective, even this negative article was positive.
If you have an opportunity to be interviewed, don’t shy away from it just because it might be a hostile media interview, but think twice before you allow a reporter, even a senior editor at Wired, to be around your kids.
Brandon Sanderson is one of the most successful authors alive. He’s the most popular fantasy author. No mean-spirited hit piece can change his readers’ love for him and his writing.
With all that preamble out of the way, here are some tips for interacting with journalists.
Understand What Journalists WantJournalists are biased against boring. As the old saying goes, “If it bleeds, it leads,” so reporters constantly search for the angle that shows the most blood. If you want the media to talk about you, you must be interesting.
Journalists are also looking for the unusual. “Dog Bites Man” is a boring story, but “Man Bites Dog” will get clicks.
You must provide an interesting or unusual story if you want media coverage.
The media loves interesting, and interesting can sometimes be as simple as speaking without saying “uh.” Clear, simple sentences get published in print and aired on TV.
In one of my TV interviews, the reporter asked all kinds of questions. Finally, I said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” As soon as I said it, I knew it would be the quote they used, and sure enough, that’s what ran on the news that night.
Practicing your talking points before your interview will make your answers more concise.
To calm your nerves, practice your talking points by giving interviews on friendly podcasts so you get comfortable answering questions.
Don’t Trust NiceEvery journalist I have ever interacted with has been incredibly friendly… to my face. Wired’s senior editor was nice to Sanderson’s face, and Brandon had no idea a hit piece was on the way.
But you must internalize this truth: journalists don’t care about you. They care about the story. To a reporter, you’re just a source. They’re friendly because they want you to relax, lower your guard, and naturally provide an interesting quote.
If you are crying in your front yard because your house burned down, a journalist will interview you about how you feel, but they will never follow up the next day to help clean up. Remember, they make money telling people about your burning house. It’s their job, and you are yet another sad story they can share to get clicks or views that pay.
This struck home to me when I bumped into a journalist the day after she interviewed me. During our interview, she was super friendly. But the next day, I was a non-person to her. She had her quote, and I didn’t matter.
Some journalists are nice, but there is no way to know if a reporter is being genuinely friendly.
One CBS Radio reporter who interviewed me was nice to me even after the interview. The day after the interview, we were both at an ongoing event and would chat cordially from time to time. While I was acting friendly, I always had my guard up because I knew he was there for work. Everything is on the record unless you have a friend in common.
The Medium is the MessagePublic relations people often say, “The medium is the message.” In other words, how the message is conveyed is as important as what is said. For example, how you look on TV is as important (if not more important) than what you say. How you sound on a podcast or radio show is as important as what you say.
In the historic presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon, people who listened to the debate on the radio thought Nixon won. On camera, however, Nixon was sweaty and nervous. Kennedy, on the other hand, was wearing makeup and looked calm and collected. Voters who watched the debate thought Kennedy won.
The medium also influences what the journalist is looking for. A long-form podcast may want you to give a 30-minute explanation of a topic. A TV interview may need a 30-second explanation of that same topic.
In order to provide a 30-minute explanation, you need to be well-versed in the details of that topic. A 30-second sound bite requires you to know how to distill your main point into a simple statement.
A newspaper reporter may be looking for “one good sentence” from you. TV reporters don’t want context or nuance. They want focused heat. If you want reporters to quote you, be brief.
TV personalities who are used to soundbite communication often struggle on long-form shows like The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan asks tough questions and gives his guests as much time as they want to answer. His episodes regularly last three hours.
When you practice, you need to practice for the medium as much as you practice your message.
Keep Your Cool If you lose your mind and start shouting at the journalist, that will be the clip they’ll use.
For TV interviews, your smile is key, especially when you’re hit with hard questions. The camera will focus on you, and the audience will take their cues from you. Smile confidently, even if you are angry, afraid, or anxious. It’s easier to act your way into a new feeling than to feel your way into a new action.
Forcing yourself to smile will help you keep your emotions under control. You don’t want to publicly lose your cool. More practice will make you less likely to get flustered.
Keep Your Own RecordingI once worked with an author who had been a state representative. He was so tired of being misquoted by the media that he brought his own tape recorder to interviews. When the journalist turned on her tape recorder, he turned on his and set it next to hers. Once he started keeping a recording, he magically stopped being misquoted.
Nowadays, you don’t need a tape recorder because you can use your phone.
Journalists can lose face for misquoting sources. If you don’t have your own recording, any discrepancies will be a he-said-she-said situation, and the journalist will get the benefit of the doubt. But if you have your own recording, the journalist knows you have evidence against them if they misquote you.
If a journalist ever objects to you recording the conversation, stand up and leave. Keeping your own recording won’t keep them from being hostile or attacking you, but it can prevent them from lying about what you said.
Pause Before RespondingMost interactions with the media are pre-recorded and highly edited so journalists can shape the narrative and hone the presentation. If your interview is pre-recorded, take time to pause and collect your thoughts before answering a question.
If you do, you’ll often give a better, clearer quote, which the journalist wants. Your pause will also reduce the likelihood of you saying something stupid, which is what you want. Learning to pause and collect your thoughts takes practice.
If your interview is live, you’ll need to maintain the pace of the conversation, which also requires practice. Friendly podcast interviews will help you learn to maintain the pace of a live interview.
Don’t Repeat “Poison” WordsPeople don’t watch TV or listen to the radio very carefully. Their worlds are full of distractions, from kids in the car to the constant ping of the phone. Diverted attention means people don’t hear what you think they’re hearing.
For example, in order to process a negative word or phrase a person must focus. If you say, “I’m not a crook,” the word that jumps out is “crook.” PR professionals are trained never to repeat a “poison” word like crook. Instead, they state the same information positively: “I’m an honest man.”
Instead of saying, “The toxins leaking from our train cars into the water will be fully cleaned up.” You should say, “We are committed to ensuring that the water is 100% clean.”
Your distracted audience will hear the first sentence as “toxins water.” The same distracted listener will hear the second sentence as “water clean.” Even though the substance of the two sentences is the same, people will hear them differently.
Don’t say, “I don’t use a ghostwriter.” Instead, say, “I wrote every word myself.”
Do Your ResearchPreparation and practice are key to success. You will be far more motivated to prepare for the interview if you know it will be a hostile media interview.
Do your research because you don’t want to be ambushed. What publication is requesting the interview? What kind of articles do they typically write? How have they treated people like you in the past?
Are they my kind of nerd? Wired nerds are different from sci-fi nerds. According to the Wired article, the day Brandon Sanderson broke the record for the biggest Kickstarter campaign in the world, no one at Wired had any idea who he was. Not all nerds are the same.
Identify Your GoalBefore agreeing to an interview request, be clear about your goals. For example, if your goal is to promote your upcoming book, mention it by name in every answer. That way, no matter which answer the reporter publishes, it will include a shout-out to your book.
If you don’t think accepting the interview will help your goals, decline. It’s a free country, and journalists can’t force you to give a quote.
Ask Your Own QuestionsBefore your interview starts, ask questions about the publication’s target audience. Ask about the goal of the article. Try to get a feel for the angle the journalist is aiming for. Sometimes their answers will be coy, and sometimes they will be direct.
One reporter told me, “I keep getting this certain kind of sound bite. But what I need is this other kind of sound bite.” I got him the recording he needed, and he used it in his news report.
Some folks have a romantic notion that journalists follow the facts wherever they lead, but I’ve never met a journalist like that.
When I took journalism in college, the other students didn’t want to follow the facts. They wanted to change the world. Unbiased journalism is an aspirational myth. Most journalists start with an angle or opinion they want to present. To use the modern vernacular, they have a narrative they want to support.
Realize that the journalist has a narrative they are trying to support by interviewing you. If you know that angle going in, you can give the reporter what she wants if you share her goal.
If you and the journalist have opposing goals, you’ll know what to avoid. It’s important to find out whether the journalist wants to ridicule your religion, genre, or fans before you give the interview.
How do you thwart the journalist’s opposing goal? Remember that journalists are biased against boring. When they ask about private or protected topics, give answers that are as boring as possible. Give them nothing to use against you and stay on message. Effective communicators can use interest as a weapon. Choose the direction of the interview by giving interesting answers to the things you want the journalist to cover.
Don’t Neglect the Minor LeaguesOne of the practices I teach in my course How to Get Booked as a Podcast Guest is called “trading up the chain,” which I learned from the excellent book, Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. Despite its sensational title, it’s the most useful PR book I’ve ever read.
Trading up the chain, as I teach it, is a method of stepping up the podcast ladder.
Begin your media tour by giving interviews on small, start-up podcasts with few listeners. In that more obscure environment, you’ll be able to practice in relative safety. You’ll still get nervous before your first interview, but you’ll be less nervous about ten podcast listeners than 10 million. As you improve your skills on those smaller podcasts, you can start pitching larger shows.
By the time you’re giving TV and radio interviews, you’ll have the experience of interviewing with different hosts and answering various questions. By being faithful in the small shows, you prove your ability to trade up to the big shows.
Additionally, getting booked on a big show is easier if the host knows you were a good guest on smaller podcasts.
Difficult Questions Give You a Chance to ShineI once had a hostile media interview with a journalist who didn’t care for my book. He hit me with one hard question after another. But by that time in my author journey, I had been in many similar interviews and had been asked similar questions. I was prepared with good answers.
As the interview progressed, he softened. I may have even won him over to my side. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head as the tone and content of his questions changed. Interviews like that make all the work worth it because if you aren’t willing to stand behind your ideas, who will?
Reporters ask tough questions because it’s their job. Answering their tough questions is your job. You can’t hit the ball if you’re afraid of the pitcher.
The Cost of Success is Notoriety Obscurity comes with safety. If no one knows who you are, no one wants to learn more about you.
But the more books you sell, the more envious people, even journalists, will become. Envy leads to curiosity, which leads to media exposure.
Envy leads to curiosity, which leads to media exposure.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
If you don’t want the notoriety of being an author, consider becoming an editor. Editors are often paid better and rarely have to worry about journalistic hit pieces.
Finally, we shouldn’t blame journalists for giving us sensationalistic hit pieces because that is what we click on, read, and share with our friends. We may be tempted to get high and mighty and look down on journalists for giving us what we have asked for, but writing articles people want to read is their job.
If you want to read a great interview with Brandon Sanderson, I recommend this article by Esquire Magazine. It was published around the same time as the Wired article but was much more even-handed.
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GPT-4 Just came out, and it’s a major upgrade from GPT 3.5, which powered ChatGPT. With just one update, GPT went from scoring in the bottom 10% of students taking the bar exam to the top 10%. GPT is improving dramatically every year.
Microsoft announced that they have started rolling out GPT to Microsoft Word. One day soon, you’ll click “update” in Word and find a “Write” button that has GPT powers. And don’t expect the US copyright office to protect you from competing with authors using GPT to augment their writing. Soon, everyone who wants to write quickly will use it just like everyone uses spell-check.
GPT likely scores better than you could on the bar exam or a calculus test, which may not matter much to you. But since you are a writer, how can you ensure that GPT will never write a better book than you?
How does GPT “write” and how can you write better?To understand how to write better than GPT, we must understand its core limitations.
GPT is a mimic. It is like a parrot that repeats words but doesn’t understand them. GPT can write a book similar to the 50 bestselling books in a genre, but it doesn’t understand why those books were successful.
This brings up an important question:
Why do people read books? Why are the bestsellers bestsellers?
Why do people read fiction? Why do people read romance? Why do they gravitate to timeless plots like Beauty and the Beast, even after thousands of years of reading similar plots?
GPT can never understand why, and frankly, most humans don’t know why either. But once you know why, you will be equipped to always write better than GPT and AI writing machines, even though they are quickly and continually improving.
We won’t have time to talk about why each reader likes each book, but we will hit the most popular genres to get your mental gears turning.
To help us on this journey, I tapped Christy Award winner and bestselling author of more than 150 books in multiple genres, Angela Hunt. Her books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. She is the author of Writing Lessons from the Front and a friend of the Novel Marketing show.
In this episode, Angela and I will discuss some of the most popular genres and talk about the core psychological reason readers read books in that genre. Spoiler alert: we may have different opinions about aspects of various genres.
Reader Expectations RuleThomas: When we write novels, we need to know who we are writing to, but we also need to understand what readers want a story to do for them. When they read a certain genre, what mood do they want to experience during and after reading?
Angela: I asked people on my Facebook page about their general reasons for reading and got various answers:
- Relaxation
- Nothing good on TV
- World travel and time travel (curiosity about how people lived in a different time and world)
- Escape from reality
- To live vicariously through the protagonist
- To understand others and their lives
- To remember—historical fiction
Why do people read dystopian?Thomas: Dystopian starts with an idea, philosophy, or religion and follows it to its logical conclusion. Communism seems like a good idea until you read Animal Farm.
Dystopian is typically a tragedy where the protagonist fails and often dies. If it’s not a fun read, why do people read dystopian?
Curiosity.
Curiosity makes us who we are as humans. We want to know, even if that knowledge forces us out of paradise. Curiosity is a core psychological motivation. Given the choice between ignorant bliss and the knowledge of good and evil, humans reach for the forbidden fruit every time.
Dystopian is the fruit that opens our eyes to evil. It allows us to see the wolves dressed as sheep and the dangers of seemingly innocent ideas.
Curiosity is the number one reason people read. Most readers of nonfiction books are motivated to read because of the psychological motivator of curiosity.
Angela: I think you’re right about dystopian scratching the curiosity itch to know what another world is like. We have a yearning for knowledge about how other worlds or ideologies work. That’s why books like 1984 and Animal Farm were required reading in high school.
We see the same phenomenon in more recent stories like The Hunger Games, where the system is set up to take advantage of the less privileged people. Freedom is nonexistent, and suffering is everywhere. Dystopian fiction shows us the natural consequences of our ideologies as they’re lived out.
Thomas: I would argue that The Hunger Games explores the evils of decadence. The protagonists are the victims of decadence, just as ancient Roman slaves and gladiators were the victims of Roman decadence.
Some stories like Quo Vadis are all about the Romans, but The Hunger Games are about the folks fighting in the arena, so to speak. Dystopian stories aren’t merely making the point that “things are sad in the future.” They explore or debunk an ideology. The Hunger Games takes the shine off decadence.
Many books touch multiple genres, and I think The Hunger Games touches the adventure genre because many of the scenes are adventures.
Why do people read mysteries?In dystopian stories, the question of the good or evil ideology lies outside the book, but in mysteries, the question lies inside the story. Reading the book is like solving a puzzle, and the reader participates in figuring it out. Many mystery readers have a deep desire for the world to be in order. Solving a puzzle (or a mystery) is emotionally satisfying because it brings order to chaos. Mysteries start with chaos and end in order as the question is answered and justice is done.
Readers love Sherlock Holmes not because he is smart but because he brings order to chaos.
Mystery scratches the curiosity itch, and keeping the question inside the book allows the reader to stay in paradise and participate in solving the puzzle, helping to bring order to chaos. In that way, mysteries are fun to read.
Angela: Mysteries usually open with the murder of a character we don’t know and aren’t emotionally invested in. A mystery is a puzzle. People love mysteries because they love to challenge their minds, learn something new along the way, and achieve the goal of figuring out “who done it.”
Why do people read thrillers? Thomas: Humans can be both predator and prey. Lions ate humans, and humans ate lions.
The dynamic between predator and prey is often demonstrated in children’s games. For example, in the game of Tag, one child is the predator known as “it,” and the other children are the prey who run away. Hide and Seek is similar, except the prey hides instead of running.
My kids love the game Boom, Boom, Boom, where I pretend to be a giant and chase them around the house saying, “Boom, boom, boom!” When I catch them, I tickle them. Dads have probably been playing a version of the game since the dawn of time.
Thrillers are the game of Tag in story form. Typically, the protagonist starts as the prey, and at some point in the story, they become “it” and start chasing the antagonist. Sometimes the roles flip back and forth.
The thriller genre can be summarized in one line from a Rambo movie: “You’re not hunting him. He’s hunting you.” The interplay between predator and prey is at the heart of what makes a book a thriller. Suddenly the protagonist gets some knowledge or power, and the antagonist becomes afraid of the protagonist. It’s when James Bond starts chasing the villain rather than the villain chasing James Bond.
Angela: Thrillers and mysteries both fall under the umbrella of the suspense genre because they both bring order, but a thriller is a race between good and evil. A good character faces an evil character, and they battle throughout the story until the big confrontation. Throughout the story, the villain will have had more intellect, money, power, and opportunities than the good guy.
But in the end, good conquers evil through some virtue. It’s a morality tale at its core.
Even early children’s stories like Peter Rabbit teach children not to do dangerous things or visit dangerous places because danger has serious consequences. Mr. McGregor ate Peter’s father after all!
Why do people read suspense?Thomas: The most basic form of competition is a race. Suspense is a race against a clock, a competitor, or both. Give your protagonist and antagonist a strong motivation to get something, and then throw obstacles in their paths as they race to overcome them and be the first to obtain the goal.
One key to good suspense is adding twists and turns to the race. The 100-meter dash is not an interesting race. Barring a photo finish, you can determine the winner of the 100-meter dash before runners cross the finish line.
Twists, turns, obstacles, and blind corners make a suspense novel un-put-downable because you can’t tell whether Indiana Jones will get to the Holy Grail before the Nazis.
But suspense is satisfying. You’re anticipating and enjoying the adventure of watching the race.
As an author, you can incorporate race or suspense elements into thrillers, mysteries, or any other genre. Characters may be racing against a person, but they could also be racing against the clock.
Maybe your character has only seven days to find and disarm the bomb before it goes off. Perhaps the beloved plans to marry the wrong man in seven days, so your protagonist has a week to break up the wedding.
Adding a ticking clock of some sort adds tension to your story and gives it the race element.
Angela: Those stories have other commonalities, such as the best friend who helps the main character three-quarters of the way through the journey and then suddenly betrays her.
Thomas: Understanding these psychological motivations will inform your writing and help you know when to add those elements. GPT will add those elements randomly, but you can do it on purpose, knowing why overcoming the obstacles is fun.
You are not a node on the internet. You are a human, and you can insert that joy because you understand there’s a childlike joy in knowing that it’s fun to save the world.
Why do people read science fiction?Most modern science fiction is actually dystopian. True science fiction is rare. In true science fiction stories, like the Jetsons and Star Trek, everyone is rich and has dignity and purpose. Star Trek has a strict meritocracy where the best, most competent people have the jobs that require the most competence. Everyone is in exactly the right role.
These utopian science fiction stories are paradise. Humans long for a break from the broken world that they live in. They want to spend time in a paradise world where the struggles are external. In Star Trek, the struggles are outside The Enterprise, and the ship is a place of safety, competence, opulence, and plenty.
Science fiction started as a very optimistic genre based on the underlying belief that things are getting better and will continue to get better. Reading this kind of fiction is a welcome break from the real world.
Science fiction is like the Garden of Eden. Dystopian is like the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil that takes us out of the garden. We read science fiction when we want to feel optimistic. We read dystopian when we want to know the truth.
Angela: It’s utopian versus dystopian.
In high school, I loved the science fiction of Isaac Asimov and Michael Crichton. Crichton’s Andromeda Strain wasn’t utopian because it was about what happens when we overstep our bounds and start messing with nature, and nature bites back. We see the same theme in Jurassic Park.
I found that theme a lot in what I would call science fiction. It’s not necessarily planetary exploration, but it deals with science, particularly medical science.
Thomas: In terms of the psychological motivators, I would put Jurassic Park and much of Michael Crichton’s work in the dystopian genre because he’s exploring chaos theory.
As Malcolm is preaching chaos theory, dinosaurs are nibbling on the bars of the room. He’s lying in the medical bed talking about chaos theory.
Because Jurassic Park shows the bad things that happen when we try to over-control nature, it may be placed on the science fiction shelf. The GPT robots will think, “This is science fiction, just like all the other science fiction,” but it actually has a fundamental difference.
Dystopian science fiction or science fiction with dystopian elements is far more popular. Star Wars is very dystopian. The aesthetic design of it communicates that the former greatness has fallen. All the ships are run down and broken, the locations are messy, and most of the people are poor and suffering.
Star Trek, on the other hand, has lots of shiny ships, things work, the cities are beautiful, and the story has a much more optimistic worldview.
Different genres go in and out of fashion. Right now, people are feeling melancholy and pessimistic, so dystopian elements resonate with people more. If you follow the pendulum theory of cultural proclivities, in 20 to 40 years, that milieu will shift, and it’ll be just the opposite.
Why do people read epic fantasy?To Effect Change Through ChoicesAs humans, we want to believe that we matter and our choices make a difference. The core element of fantasy is that human choices matter. Fantasy tends to start with a character who is a nobody with no power. (Harry Potter living under the stairs; Frodo Baggins living with his uncle; Eragon the poor peasant, etc.)
By the end of the story, that little person who didn’t matter has become the most important person in the story world. When Frodo fights with Gollum on Mount Doom, he and Gollum are the most important people in the world. They determine the fate of all races of Middle Earth.
Many humans aspire to take the journey from nothing and nobody to something and somebody.
Something deep within us wants dragons to be real, but even more than that, we want to believe that dragons can be slain. The world is a scary place, and we want to feel brave. Epic fantasy can give us that feeling.
To Experience Magic as RealHumans long to escape the mundane. Something inside us wants to believe in magic, elves, vampires, and wizards.
Historically, one difference between science fiction and fantasy is morality. Fantasy used to have clear morality. Elves good, Orcs bad. For example, Dungeons and Dragons has a moral system built into the core of the game.
Lawful Good Matrix
Science Fiction, on the other hand, has complicated morality. The Klingons are not evil, and the Vulcans are not good. With this view, Star Wars is a space fantasy with space wizards, rather than true science fiction. It is also more dystopian than utopian.
Angela: I actually don’t like fantasy, so as you were explaining, I was trying to psychoanalyze myself. Why wouldn’t I like to think my choices matter? I don’t know. I used to think I didn’t like fantasy because I was so pragmatic and practical. All my novels are rooted in reality.
But I think you have a point. Everybody feels special in some way, and we get irked when the world doesn’t realize how special we are. If we publicize our feelings, then we’re full-blown narcissists, but I think you’re right about why fantasy appeals to people.
Thomas: On the nature-versus-nurture or free-will-versus-predestination spectrum, where do you land? I’m curious if that impacts whether you believe your choices matter.
Angela: I’m firmly in the camp that God is sovereign, and everything is predetermined. That probably does impact my feelings for the genre.
Thomas: Whether you’re religious or not, the debate is basically the same. Religious communities use the terms free will and predestination, and scientific communities use the terms nature and nurture. In both communities, people argue on both sides.
The epic fantasy genre allows you to talk about that core debate. Am I the way I am because of my choices or my environment and other people’s (or beings’) choices? Epic fantasy allows you to explore that question.
I think the core of epic fantasy is the desire for free will to be real, and epic fantasy lets me feel that it is, even if deep down I believe I’m a product of my environment.
Angela: To clarify, I believe we have free will on our plane of existence, but I also believe there’s a higher plane of existence than ours where we can’t control everything. There are limits to human abilities, and maybe that’s the belief I can’t suspend.
Thomas: No one is a fan of all of these genres.
When you’re writing a novel, you need to know who you’re writing to and what mood they want to experience while reading.
GPT can’t ask those questions, but you can. The answers to those questions will help you refocus on what makes your book work.
Why do people read romance? (Beauty and the Beast plots)Angela: Romance is the most popular genre in the world, but I’m not particularly keen on romance either. I like books with romantic elements. I’m happily married and believe in love and marriage, but a book whose sole purpose is to get a guy and girl together so they live happily ever after doesn’t appeal to me. I’d rather pick up something else.
Thomas: I think we need to separate romance into sub-genres.
The theme song lyrics in Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast call the story a “tale as old as time.” And it’s true. You can find beauty-and-the-beast tales in the murky ancient history of humanity. You’ll even find one in the Bible!
Why has this beauty-and-the-beast type plot captivated readers of the Book of Ruth, Cupid and Psyche, Pride and Prejudice, as well as millions of Disney movie viewers?
What is the appeal? Here is my theory:
Some women long to feel beautiful, wanted, safe, and rich. Ruth falls in love with Boaz’s food and wealth before falling in love with him. Elizabeth Bennet falls in love with Mr. Darcy’s house before falling in love with Darcy. Belle first falls in love with Beast’s books.
After they fall in love, the woman helps civilize the man. Beast learns table manners, Darcy learns humility, and Boaz learns he is not too old for love. These stories resonate with readers because women have a civilizing effect on men. It’s as true today as when a woman first handed a man a bar of soap in the ancient past.
In beauty-and-the-beast stories, order is brought to chaos. The man brings order (provision, protection, preference) to the woman’s chaos, and the woman brings order (civilization) to the man’s chaos. When the story is done well, this plot structure is emotionally satisfying.
When Beast jumps between Belle and the wolves, the viewer finally starts rooting for Beast. Beast is the villain, but he transitions to the hero, and Belle follows him home and cares for his needs. It’s unattractive for a man to hide behind his woman in the face of danger. But it’s attractive when the man gets between the woman and danger.
Angela: I disagree that the woman is attracted to the man’s books, wealth, or house. Love is about the person, not about the things. The books may have attracted Belle to Beast’s palace. Sometimes a man’s physical attractiveness draws a woman. Still, women in romances always see the man as a beast, not necessarily in appearance, but in manners, understanding, or lack thereof.
In romances, a woman is drawn to the man, but she has to “tame him” so that the man can be who the woman needs him to be, which he probably would’ve been all along if she could have seen past his beastliness. But as I said, romance is not my genre.
Thomas: It’s not my genre either, but if you’re reading this and you think we’ve missed something, please comment below the blog post or in the comments at AuthorMedia.social so that other romance readers and writers can chime in and help us all write better than ChatGPT.
Why do readers read romantic comedies?Thomas: While beauty-and-the-beast stories tend to be serious, romantic comedies focus on how silly romantic love can be. While men and women are similar in many ways, they are also incredibly different. Differences lead to relational confusion, which makes readers laugh.
Bawdy humor is one of the oldest forms of humor. Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is still funny today.
While romance is deadly serious and a core element of human survival, it is also ridiculously funny.
Angela: Men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. It’s always been that way and always will be.
Why do people read monster hunter books?Thomas: The beauty-and-the-beast plot is structured from the woman’s perspective. The male perspective on that same sort of story is a monster hunter book.
A man dreams of protecting his family from bad guys. In the movie, A Christmas Story, even young Ralphie daydreams of shooting burglars with his Red Ryder BB Gun.
You can also see the protector’s daydream come to life when Conan the Barbarian puts himself between the monster and the woman in danger.
The modern story that plays to this fantasy is Monster Hunter International. In the MHI books, rednecks with shotguns keep the world safe from vampires, zombies, and all manner of evil creatures.
Angela: I cannot think of a romance where the man is the main character, and the story is told from his point of view. I think a man demonstrates his love for his wife or child by defending their honor or physical safety.
In Liam Neeson’s movie series Taken, he proves his love by showing, “You’re not gonna take my daughter or my wife.” Technically those movies aren’t romances. They’re thrillers because he always goes after the bad guys to rescue his beloved person.
Maybe thrillers are romances for men.
Angela Hunt
Why do people read coming-of-age stories?I want to make the distinction that coming-of-age is a plot structure, and YA is an audience. Any of the above genres could be written for a YA audience. Coming-of-age is a type of plot targeted toward younger readers.
Coming-of-age stories have fallen out of fashion to some extent. Ancient people viewed manhood and adulthood as two different things. You could be an adult male, but being a man was something else entirely.
Ancient cultures often had a process that involved great rituals that celebrated the boy’s entrance into manhood. Such rites of passage are still practiced in tribal cultures around the world and in the Jewish celebration of a bar mitzvah.
A coming-of-age story where the main character is male offers an answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a man?”
The story of Old Yeller answers that question. Being a man is about learning how to do the difficult thing to protect your family. When the young man’s beloved dog gets rabies, he has to protect his family from harm. Rabies was dangerous, especially in that setting when there was no rabies shot. He didn’t want to shoot the dog, but the painful thing was the right thing to do.
But that is not a popular genre today. Even the idea that manhood is separate from being an adult male has become very controversial.
Angela: To me, a coming-of-age story is when a person tells a story, either in real-time or as an extended flashback, of a time in their life when they matured and learned an important life lesson. There are lots of coming-of-age stories for women.
To Kill a Mockingbird comes to mind since the story is told from Scout’s point of view about that summer when she learned so many lessons.
Another female coming-of-age novel was, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Bloom.
Thomas: If you’re thinking of a book that’s a perfect example, please drop the title and your thoughts in the comments of this post at AuthorMedia.social or in the comments below the blog post.
Your Advantage Over GPTHopefully, your gears have started turning, and this conversation has triggered an emotional response. Whether you’re happy, sad, or angry, your emotional response is your competitive advantage that will help you write better than GPT. Robots can’t have or provide an emotional reaction.
Angela: Novels are emotional journeys that people want to learn from, and that’s one of the most important things to remember as you strive to write a better story than GPT can.
Thomas: Whatever genre you write, figure out why people read books in your genre. If your book scratches the itch that people have for reading, you’ll out-write the robots. You’ll also be better able to pitch, sell, and convince readers to try your book.
You can’t fix a bad book with good marketing. If you don’t write the kind of book that people want to read, none of the rest of it matters. GPT can write a grammatically correct book with good prose, but it can’t understand what readers want and why.
Once you write a good book that people want, you’ll write a better book than GPT ever could, and everything else gets easier.
Books on Craft Help You Write Better Than GPTIf you need help writing a good book, I highly recommend Angela Hunt’s excellent book on craft called Writing Lessons from the Front, a 10-book volume of writing lessons. “Lessons cover plot structure, characterization, point of view, evoking emotion, self-editing, creating and maintaining tension, writing historical fiction, writing the children’s picture book, plans and processes to get your book finished, self-publishing, and a complete writer’s checklist that will take you from prewriting to publication, including details on how to publish on Kindle Direct Publishing.”
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Related Episodes* AI Tools for Authors * AI Book Covers & ChatGPT * Why do good books fail to sell while poorly written books fly off the shelves?
The post How to Always Write Better Than Chat GPT appeared first on Author Media.
Hosting an author webinar is a powerful tool for connecting with your readers and growing your email list. About half of all my new email subscribers have joined my list through a webinar. After they’ve spent an hour hearing my voice, seeing my face, and interacting with me live, they know who I am, open my emails, and stay subscribed for a long time.
Webinars are also a great way to listen to your audience. A typical Novel Marketing podcast episode will generate a few comments per episode. My typical webinar brings in a few comments per minute. That’s more than 100 comments during a 60-minute webinar. The comments, questions, and polls make hosting a webinar a great opportunity to get to know my audience better.
Webinars are also great for calling people to action, be that donating to a nonprofit, buying your book, signing up for your course, or backing your Kickstarter campaign. Most of my course sales come from people who first attended a live webinar.
Hosting a webinar can be a powerful tool, but it requires proper preparation. If you don’t prepare, you may end up talking to an empty room and wasting your valuable time.
How to Host an Author WebinarHow do you prepare the kind of webinar readers want to attend?
This is the second episode in my ongoing series about author webinars. The first is How to Look and Sound Professional on Zoom, Webinars, and Podcasts.
It’s important to understand that webinars tend to work best for nonfiction authors. Some novelists can make webinars work, but fiction readers usually prefer livestreams.
Webinars vs. LivestreamsLivestreams Livestreams are live videos typically viewed through “free” platforms like Facebook or YouTube. They are open to the public and don’t require registration to attend. Live events are low-attendance events where people come and go throughout the event. A well-executed livestream can gain viewers as the video progresses if the algorithms pick it up. Novelists often host their launch parties through livestreams.
However, most livestreams, especially on Facebook, get very few viewers. I host an annual livestream for a nonprofit that has 150,000 Facebook followers. The maximum number of viewers we’ve had at one time tops out around 100, regardless of when we host the livestream. Even though I have a much smaller total audience, I can get far more viewers on one of my Author Media webinars.
Fewer people watch Facebook livestreams because Facebook has de-prioritized livestreams in the algorithm ever since the Christchurch shooting was livestreamed.
It’s also important for authors to remember that Facebook shares data with Amazon, and Amazon sometimes deletes book reviews from readers who gathered on a Facebook livestream and then left reviews for a particular book. I don’t recommend Facebook livestreams if you want a high review count.
That said, we have an old episode about Facebook Live, but keep in mind that it was recorded before the data sharing between Facebook and Amazon was widely understood.
WebinarsBy contrast, webinars, require attendees to sign up with their email addresses, which is why they are so good for email list growth. Webinars are hosted on a separate website or app and are not streamed to YouTube or Facebook. Furthermore, webinars are “appointment” events with high attendance that trends downward over time as people leave the webinar. Unlike livestreams, people don’t tend to come and go from a webinar.
While livestreams are always free to attend, webinars can be either paid or free. A virtual summit is often a collection of webinars, one right after another. One author I follow recently hosted an author webinar that cost $750 to attend. And no, that is not overpriced for his topic and audience. He writes about geopolitics, and if you want to know how the war in Ukraine will impact your factory, he is your go-to guy.
Livestreams are background events people listen to while doing something else, while webinars are foreground events, where you have the attendee’s full attention.
While livestreams come with the assumption that Facebook or YouTube will bring you viewers, webinars offer no such illusion. The only way to get people to attend your webinar is to invite them yourself.
How to Get People to Attend Your Author WebinarThe first challenge you must overcome is getting people to want to attend your webinar. Your webinar needs to be so appealing that people
- want to sign up for it
- add it to their calendar
- actually show up live
A simple webinar announcement will not accomplish those three things. However, the following four steps will help you get people to attend.
Step 1: Pick a TimothyWhen you know exactly who will benefit from your webinar and who you want to help, the rest of these steps will be much easier.
Choose a targeted attendee, an actual human, to represent everyone you want to attend. This is a practice I call “picking a Timothy.”
Once you have picked your Timothy, you need to ask him the following questions:
- What does he want?
- What pain does he have?
- How can you start to alleviate his pain with a webinar?
Authors who struggle to get attendees have often skipped this step. Instead, they make the mistake of targeting a general, generic audience of “women between ages 20 and 55 who like to read my genre.”
Step 2: Write a Painkilling TitleYour webinar’s title must make a clear promise. When your promise is directly connected to your Timothy’s pain point, more people will sign up. You can present your webinar as a vitamin or a painkiller. You will curate a targeted email list of the right kind of readers much faster if you present your webinar as a painkiller.
If your books help people with finances, you could title your webinar “How to Create a Budget.” Everyone knows they need a budget, just like everyone knows they need to take vitamins. But most people forget to take vitamins. Have you taken your vitamins today?
To create a painkilling title, you must return to the first step.
- Who is your target attendee?
- What pain is he in?
- How can your webinar start to relieve his pain?
If your Timothy is drowning in debt and considering bankruptcy, he probably needs a budget to regain control of his finances. However, he may not know or believe a budget will help.
A painkilling title would be “How to Create a Debt-Shrinking Budget” or “How to Avoid Bankruptcy.”
Webinars for NovelistsIf you write fiction, create an entertaining webinar title. Let your target reader know how the webinar will be exciting, thrilling, or hilarious.
Your fiction webinar could also be a time to react to something in popular media.
For example, I once helped Kathy Tyers host an author webinar where we speculated about the plot of the next Star Wars film. Kathy had written a few Star Wars books back in the day, so we speculated about what might go into the sequel trilogy. The webinar was well attended and grew Kathy’s email list. Unfortunately, the folks at Disney did not attend and took the franchise in a completely different direction.
Step 3: Write a Compelling DescriptionMost webinar landing pages have three elements:
- Title
- Image
- Description
Your description is a paragraph or two that offers details about the webinar. However, the description is not where you describe what attendees will learn. A compelling description is where you promise a transformation your attendees will experience.
Think of this as a menu item. Don’t talk about the recipe. Talk about how great it will taste. Only mention the ingredients if they make the dish sound delicious.
Step 4: Spread the WordNow that your signup page is ready, it is time to spread the word.
Promote to Your Own Email ListWhen I host a webinar for my email subscribers, I get 500-800 people registered and add around 100 new email addresses to my list each time. I gain those new subscribers even if I only promote it to people who are already subscribed.
My list grows because my subscribers forward the webinar invite to their friends and colleagues. Several literary agents have even told me they require their clients to attend my webinars.
Find a Partner One way to get more people to attend your webinar is to partner with someone else who has a following that would be interested in the information you present. When I partner with someone on a webinar, I typically share the proceeds of course sales with the other host through my affiliate program. If you want to learn more about this approach, check out my episode on affiliate marketing.
You could also trade webinars with a similar author. In a webinar swap, the other author hosts a webinar where you talk to their audience. Then you host a webinar where they talk to yours. You could also host a joint webinar for both of your audiences together.
When I host with a partner, we typically both answer questions at the end, which can be its own draw for the attendees.
Webinar Partnership for NovelistsIf you are a novelist, you could team up with another fiction author and react to a TV show after each episode comes out.
AdvertiseWebinar gurus often talk about advertising to get webinar attendees. If you’re selling a mid- to large-ticket product or course, offering a free initial webinar is a great way to introduce strangers to your product.
During your free webinar, you can blow their socks off with your expertise and helpfulness and then sell them your product. This strategy takes a potential customer through the attract, engage, and convert process in a short period of time.
Unfortunately, this approach is too expensive to work for most authors when the book is the product.
If it costs you $100 to get 100 strangers to sign up for your webinar, and 3% of them go on to buy your book, you will spend around $35 per person to sell a copy of your book. Those numbers don’t make financial sense when you’re selling a $20 book.
On the other hand, if you’re selling a $1,000 course, you would happily pay $35 to acquire a new student.
Dynamic Content InsertionIf you have a podcast with Buzzsprout, you can dynamically insert audio at the beginning and end of your podcast episodes. You could record a 30-second pitch for your webinar and insert it before each of your past episodes. When the webinar is over, you can remove the pitch. I recently tried this approach on my other podcast, the Christian Publishing Show, and saw a record number of signups.
Dynamic content insertion is a great way to convert podcast listeners into email list subscribers.
Some Novel Marketing listeners don’t know that I regularly host webinars because they aren’t yet email subscribers. I haven’t added dynamic content to Novel Marketing because Blubrry hasn’t offered dynamic content insertion until recently. Now that it’s an option, you may start hearing dynamic content soon.
Now that you know how to get attendees, how do you prepare a stellar presentation?
How to Prep Attention Retaining SlidesOne challenge of hosting an author webinar is that the world wide web is just one tab away. If you don’t prepare engaging visuals to accompany your presentation, you may have your audience’s ears but not their eyes. When this happens, your presentation moves from foreground listening to background noise, and at that point, it might as well be a livestream. Attendees won’t buy your book if they only listen to you as background noise.
To make my webinars visually interesting, I use lots and lots of slides.
High-Frequency SlidesMy two most popular webinars are 40 minutes long and have 142 and 91 slides. That means I advance to a new slide every 20 to 30 seconds.
If that seems fast, realize that TV shows cut to a new camera angle every 3 to 7 seconds.
If you show the same slide for a whole minute, people will get bored and click on a different tab. I have decent audience retention on my webinars due in large part to my slide frequency.
To increase your slide count, use only one idea per slide.
One Idea Per SlideIf you have a PowerPoint slide listing three bullet points, you’d typically show that slide for 60 seconds or more. However, if you gave each bullet point its own slide, you’d have three slides, and you could advance through them every 20 seconds.
With one idea per slide, you’ll find it much easier to find a relevant image that will explain or illustrate the idea on your slide. Using more slides and images means you’ll need to spend some money on stock photos, but good stock photos are well worth the investment.
Almost all of my stock photos are from DepositPhotos.com (Affiliate Link) and NounProject.com. I would rather pay money to find a good stock photo quickly than spend hours trying to find a free stock photo. That said, if you want free stock photos, I recommend Unsplash.com.
To learn how to design incredible slides, check out the books Beyond Bullet Points and Presentation Zen (Affiliate Links). Both books have given my talks a competitive advantage over other conference presentations. That competitive edge allowed me to travel the world in my twenties to teach authors twice my age.
Use Images for Your MetaphorsIf you have difficulty figuring out what image to use, lean on your metaphors. For example, if one bullet point says that life without a budget is like digging a hole, use a photo of a man digging a hole while you speak about that point.
If you don’t have any good metaphors, add them! They will spice up your talk and make it more memorable.
High-Density InterestWhen designing slides for in-person events, you must keep them simple so people in the back of the room can still understand them.
But on a webinar, everyone is in the front row, so you can use a more complex slide. Normally, showing a chart or graph is a big presentation no-no. Presentation Zen warns against it, and Beyond Bullet Points has clear guidelines for doing it right.
On a webinar, you might be able to get away with it, but don’t go crazy with charts. Remember, every slide must be interesting. I still avoid using charts and graphs, even when my presentations are online.
Embrace Presenter ViewYour presentation notes are like your underwear; they are for your personal use and not for the public to see.
Don’t put your speaking text on the slide. You’d be better off using no slides than reading your presentation from a slide. Your face is far more interesting than your notes.
Keynote and PowerPoint have Presenter view, which allows you alone to view the notes attached to each slide. Presenter view allows me to pare down my word count on each slide to a single word or phrase. Sometimes I show a photo slide with no words at all. All my notes are in Presenter view, where only I can see them.
To use Presenter view for a webinar, you will need two monitors. One screen to “share” and one to view. Purchasing a second monitor is one of the cheapest ways to dramatically increase your productivity and the effectiveness of your webinar.
Create PollsIn every public webinar I host, I create polls because I want to adapt my presentation to the audience. I want to know whether the audience is made up of beginners or more advanced writers. I don’t want to bore attendees with things they already know, but I also don’t want to talk over their heads and use terms they don’t understand.
As you prepare your presentation, think about what you need to know about your audience to make the presentation more applicable to them.
Which is the Best Platform for Hosting an Author WebinarZoom – The Classic MistakePros:
- You know how to use Zoom
- Your audience knows how to use Zoom
- Zoom is cheap
Cons:
- Doesn’t have good call-to-action support
- Doesn’t have a good registration flow
- Doesn’t feel like a special event
- No email reminders
- No question voting
- Zoom fatigue
Bottom Line:
- Adequate for short events of up to about 25 people.
Zoom Webinars – The Expensive Option No One UsesPros:
- You know how to use Zoom
- Your audience knows how to use Zoom
- Reliable
Cons:
- Expensive at $690/year
- Doesn’t have good call-to-action button support
- Doesn’t feel like a special event
- Zoom fatigue
- No question voting
Bottom Line:
- There are better solutions for less money.
Crowdcast – What I UsePros:
- Best audience interaction controls (chat, polls, questions, voting on questions)
- Easy to bring audience members “on stage”
- Scales to 1,000 attendees very well
- Great stage control
- Patreon integration
- Paid events supported
- Event links turn into replay links
Cons:
- Expensive. Starts at $49/month
Bottom Line:
- I use Crowdcast because the pros are worth the expense. If you’d like to use Crowdcast, please consider signing up with my affiliate link for Crowdcast.
Streamyard – Best Audio Quality for PodcastersPros:
- More special than Zoom
- Double-ended recordings for the best recording quality
- Giveaway tool
Cons:
- Geared toward simultaneous livestreaming to YouTube and Facebook rather than hosting a webinar.
- No question interface
- No question voting
Bottom Line:
- Perhaps the best choice if recording quality is important to you.
Affiliate Link for Streamyard
Webinar Platforms I’ve Heard Good Things About* Webinar Ninja: Very expensive, but all the features are there. * WebinarJam: This used to be the budget option, but now it’s comparable to Crowdcast.
Webinar Platforms I Hate for Hosting Author Webinars* GoToWebinar: Expensive and dated software that is buggy. * Webex: Dated, buggy software
SponsorIf you want to see one of my webinars, view my most recent free webinar about launching a book.
Speaking of book launches, registration is now open for the Book Launch Blueprint! Registration closes on April 14, 2023, so don’t delay.
Book Launch Blueprint
If you Google “How to Launch a Book,” you’ll get over 500 million results. That’s a problem.
Why? Because it’s hard to know which sites offer sage advice and which ones are wannabes.
You can’t afford to spend your time (or money) on programs that are little more than wishful thinking. You need proven strategies to successfully launch your book into the stratosphere, and that’s precisely why we created the Book Launch Blueprint.
The Book Launch Blueprint is a 28-day, interactive course developed by Novel Marketing host Thomas Umstattd Jr. (that’s me!) and Christy Hall of Fame author James L. Rubart.
You will learn exactly how to make your book launch a resounding triumph.
Learn more at BookLaunch.fun.
Featured PatronJennifer Lamont Leo, author of The Rose Keeper
During the Great Depression, a spoiled socialite must suddenly find a way to support herself and her child. Can she turn a homemade recipe for skin tonic into a livelihood?
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Personal UpdateJack, our baby, is now walking! Toddling around the house saying “go-go” is his favorite thing to do. He loves going places and doing whatever his big brother and sister are doing, especially if whatever they are doing is something he is not big enough to do. Jack is a very busy toddler.
In completely unrelated news, if any of you could recommend a good house cleaning service, do let me know.
Related Episodes* How To Sell A Ton More Books With Public Speaking * How to Get Better at Public Speaking with Jane Jenkins Herlong * How to Look and Sound Professional on Zoom, Webinars, and Podcasts
The post How to Prepare for Hosting Your First Author Webinar appeared first on Author Media.
Thirty days. That’s all you’ve got.
Do it wrong, and you’re toast. Do it right, and it’s crème brûlée that will last for months, maybe even years.
What 30 days are we talking about? The first 30 days after you make your book available to the world.
During the first 30 days after your release, bookstores decide whether to keep your book on the shelves. If you have a strong launch, bookstores will continue to stock your book and order more copies. If you have a bad launch, even the books you think you sold will be returned unsold.
Only during the first 30 days post-release can you earn the #1 New Release badge on Amazon. For 30 days, readers won’t judge you for not having reviews.
As you can see, your book’s first 30 days will determine its success. So how can you set yourself set you up for success? You conduct a strong book launch.
Are book launches still important in 2023? Let me answer with a metaphor. An airplane uses half its fuel climbing to cruising altitude and the other half flying to its destination. Planes ascend to 30,000 feet using half the fuel in ten minutes. It uses the remaining half of the fuel over the next five hours. If you don’t get to cruising altitude quickly, your trip does not end well.
An author’s ten-minute ascent, which requires a lot of fuel and work, is the first 30 days after a book is released. That first month is when bookstores decide whether to order more books. It’s when readers see whether anyone has reviewed your book. It’s when radio shows, TV shows, podcasts, and blogs are willing to interview you about your book. It’s when the word-of-mouth buzz spreads fast.
Even if you’re traditionally published, you’re expected to know how to launch a book and play a significant role in executing your publisher’s marketing plan.
If you’re publishing as an indie, knowing how to launch a book is an absolute necessity. It’s not optional. If you want to sell more than 15 copies of your book, you must learn how to attract attention to yourself and your book and get yourself to cruising altitude.
In this overview, we’ll hit the highlights of our annual course, the Book Launch Blueprint. Even if you don’t take the course (we’d love to have you!), you’ll learn principles and ideas you can apply to give your book the best chance for success.
Book Launch Blueprint 6.0We’ve hosted the Book Launch Blueprint for six years, and each year we’ve updated the course and made improvements. We’ve also learned several main reasons authors love the course.
What has made the course so popular?Cohort ModelUnlike my other courses, which are self-paced, the Book Launch Blueprint takes students through each day’s content together. All students are in a community where they encourage each other and give feedback on that day’s homework.
Daily HomeworkEach day you are building your own book launch plan. At the end of the 28-day course, you’ll have a customized plan for how to launch a book. We provide cooking classes and the pantry so you can develop the perfect launch recipe for your book.
Mix of Polished Training and Live Q&A Each morning, you’ll get a pre-recorded video and a homework assignment. Later in the day, either Thomas or Jim will host live office hours to answer your questions. By the end of the day, you’ll know the material and how to apply it to your book.
The Course Works! Authors who complete the Book Launch Blueprint and put it into practice have significantly better launches than those who don’t. The course often pays for itself in boosted book sales. It is fun to hear students report on which bestseller statuses they hit in the subsequent months. Check out past student testimonials at Book Launch Blueprint.
It’s Inspiring, Encouraging, and Rich with MaterialStudents commonly go through the course again in the following years because they enjoyed it so much the first time. Course graduates who take the course for a second or third time often share insights and examples of what worked and what didn’t. You can tap into their experiences and learn from them. In a sense, you’ll get instruction from Jim and me, as well as our alumni.
CommunityIn our private online community, you can brainstorm with other former and current students. After the course concludes, you’ll still have access to the community with all its past and recent threads and conversations.
Buy Once, Keep Forever. Once you purchase this course, you have it forever. As an alumnus, you’ll automatically receive access to all future upgrades, updates, and improvements. Every session is recorded, so you can return to specific topics at any time. Our alumni sometimes even join us for our live office hours.
Encouragement, Encouragement, EncouragementWriting, publishing, and launching a book is not easy, but our students have been highly supportive of each other. While we can’t guarantee that, the odds are good that your fellow students will also be supportive.
The Downside You Need to Know AboutThe reality is that this course isn’t for everyone. It’s not for hobbyists. The Book Launch Blueprint is for serious authors. It requires a serious commitment of time and emotional energy.
Time CommitmentWe encourage students to set aside at least two hours per day to watch the core lesson video, do the homework, and interact with fellow students in our private community and on the live office hours call.
Live office hours last for a couple of hours each day. While attendance is optional, you’ll find tremendous value in having your specific questions answered. You don’t have to stay for the entire time, but Jim and I tend to stick around until every question has been answered.
The more time you can devote to applying the course material and interacting with the community, the more value you will get from the course.
Course OverviewEach module of the four-week course is based on a weekly theme.
- Week 1: Ready
- Week 2: Set
- Week 3: Go
- Week 4: Run
We provide videos that present the material clearly, and then we follow up with interactive office hours when you can get your questions answered.
You’ll get a video lesson and homework assignment on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Office hours will be held each day at various times to accommodate students in other time zones.
On Wednesdays, you’ll have a catch-up day, and Jim and I will host office hours together. You’ll have no new assignments or videos on Wednesdays.
You may also notice that the sessions below are offered in pairs. The first session in the couplet offers big-picture instruction on a topic, while the second session digs into the nitty-gritty details.
Week 1: ReadyMonday: Session #1 How to Sell YourselfIf you feel guilty promoting your book, your book launch will fail. All the book promotion techniques in the world won’t help you if, deep down, you feel like a bad person for promoting your book. You must believe your book will improve your readers’ lives through entertainment, education, or escape. Everything else in your book launch plan depends on your mindset about promotion.
Tuesday: Session #2 Branding If you don’t know who you are as a writer, your reader won’t be able to tell either. Your brand must be apparent in your writing, website, and books. We will help you discover your brand.
The term brand can put people off, but it’s really just a modern word for the ancient concept of reputation or “having a name.” You’ve already been building a reputation, and now it’s time to do it with purpose and intention. (Fair warning: there is a lot of homework for the branding session.)
Wednesday: Break and Catch-UpWednesdays will always be a day to catch up on homework or videos. During regular daily office hours, we limit questions to the day’s topic. But on Wednesdays, you can ask any launch-related question.
Thursday: Session #3 From Tech Timid to Tech Savvy: How to Master Any Technology You’ll have to interact with some new technologies during your book launch. If you see yourself as “non-techy,” you’ll limit yourself. Our technology module will help you tackle those technologies and make every step of your launch easier.
Friday: Session #4 How to Maximize the Impact of Your Website After we’ve taken the terror out of technology on Thursday, we’ll tackle building your own website. Many of our students who have never built a website find that by the end of this week, their own website is live on the internet!
Week 2: SetMonday: Session #5 How to Build a Rabid Tribe of FansYou’re passionate about your topic and probably love talking about your book and spreading the word. But you’re just one person. What if you could clone yourself 50 or 500 times so that people all over the country and the world were talking about your book? A rabid tribe of fans will do that for you if you begin by serving them well.
The better you serve your email subscribers, blog readers, or podcast listeners, the more they will love you. The more they love you, the more wildly supportive they will be.
Tuesday: Session #6 How to Create a Launch TeamOnce you have a rabid tribe of fans, you can organize them and help them spread the word about your book through a launch team. I give away most of my content for free, but learning how to launch a book with the Novel Marketing method is something you can only get by taking this course.
Typical launch teams are inefficient and ineffective. They’re better than doing nothing, but the Novel Marketing Book Launch Method offers a more effective approach. The good news is that it does not involve sending free books to launch team members or managing Facebook groups. And it works incredibly well.
Wednesday: Break and Catch-UpThursday: Session #7 How to Write Bestselling Marketing Copy
Marketing copy is everything you write about your book. It’s the back cover blurb, blogs, and even podcasts. Good marketing helps you talk succinctly about your book in a way that makes a stranger want to buy it.
Learning to write good marketing copy is a skill that will serve you well throughout your career. Jim teaches this session, and as someone who’s written over 1,000 radio and TV ads and web copy, he knows how to help you write copy that sells.
Friday: Session #8 How to Use Email to Launch Your BookThis session focuses on how to leverage the email list you already have. If you have fewer than 500 subscribers, I encourage you to sign up for my other course, Obscure No More, which is about platform-building.
Our email session gives you specific instructions about what to write in your emails. The quality of the emails you send at the beginning of your launch will dictate the number of book sales you have in the first week.
Week 3: GoMonday: Session #9 How to Use Goodreads to Find Your Readers and Sell More BooksGoodreads is a great way to connect with hordes of raving fans. It is a tool to help readers find new books. By serving readers, you can grow your readership.
You can start using Goodreads as a reader right away so you can learn how it works before you start using it as an author.
Tuesday: Session #10 Amazon Optimization for AuthorsPresenting your book professionally on Amazon is imperative for good book sales. You might write a great email that causes someone to click on your Amazon page, but if your cover or description is confusing or poorly done, you’ll lose the sale. You’ll learn how to optimize your Amazon page so that it converts well.
Wednesday: Break and Catch-UpThursday: Session #11 How to Use Marketing Psychology to Create a Frenzy for Your Book (New for 2023!)Understanding the psychology of a launch helps you to generate tactics that no one else is using. Once you understand why people take action and the reasons behind a sales frenzy, you can customize your book launch plan accordingly.
Friday: Session #12 How to Have a Wildly Successful Launch DayThis is your book baby’s birthday! Your launch day is the first of those all-important 30 days. We’ll teach you how to launch your book with effective launch day fun. Since our method doesn’t rely solely on online tactics, we offer ideas you can implement in the real world that generate real money.
Many authors host an in-person launch party to thank their supporters, connect with local readers, and sell books.
Week 4: RunMonday: Session #13 How to Create a Media Editorial CalendarProfessional authors need an editorial calendar. If your launch is like a parade to celebrate and announce your book, you need all the floats lined up at once. If they’re not lined up in order, it’s just normal traffic, not a parade.
An editorial calendar allows you to schedule pieces of content in a strategic and structured way. Very few authors take the time to create an editorial calendar for their launches, but those who do have a major advantage over the others. Create a written plan for your guest posts, articles, and blog posts.
Tuesday: Session #14 How to Write Winning Content for Guest Posts and ArticlesWhether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, you need to know how to write a blog post because people read blogs differently than books. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, you’ll learn how to create a blog post that people want to read.
Wednesday: Break and Catch-UpThursday: Session #15 How to Go on a Media Tour (Updated for 2023)
We’ll focus on tips for looking and sounding professional on podcasts, radio shows, video calls, and TV.
You’ll learn how to pitch the media, nail the interview, and thrill the audience. You’ll need to pitch months before your release, so it’s best to start scheduling these early in your process.
Most indie authors launch their books the day it’s ready. But launching too soon is a major blunder that robs you of opportunities. Authors who launch too soon don’t have the parade set up. They don’t have the frenzy activated, and they don’t have the media interviews scheduled.
You often need your finished book in hand to secure media interviews. Journalists, podcasters, and radio hosts want to see or read your book before interviewing you. If you launch it right away, you’ve missed your chance to give them early access.
Friday: Session #16 How to Grow Momentum During the Next 30 Days (Updated for 2023)
If you learn how to launch a book and have a good launch, your book will continue to sell. In those first 30 days, many books sell more than half their total sales. For some books, it’s even more. A stronger launch begets increased word-of-mouth marketing, which leads to more ongoing sales. We’ll talk about how to maintain that momentum in the months following your launch.
During the office hours of this final session, we’ll host an online graduation party!
How much does the course cost?The Book Launch Blueprint is not for hobbyist writers or dabblers. We built this course for professional authors who view effective book promotion as an investment. This course will require an investment of your time and money, but it is a wise investment.
Most authors botch the first book launch, learning everything the hard way. They have to write a second book to get a second shot to launch well, which is an expensive way to learn! You’ll spend less time and money if you learn to do it correctly the first time.
Our previous students have seen incredible results. By investing time in the course, they learn how to avoid wasting time on marketing tactics that don’t help sell books (like social media). They typically sell so many extra books the course ends up making them money.
Hiring a PR firm to launch your book will cost between $3,000 and $10,000, and PR firms tend to focus on getting you booked on radio shows. Even if you have $10,000 to hire a PR firm, I’d still recommend doing it yourself. You could use a portion of that budget to hire an assistant to help you schedule. You’ll be able to schedule your own interviews on radio, TV, and podcasts.
The Book Launch Blueprint is not $10,000 or $3,000, or even $1,200, where similar courses are priced. The Book Launch Blueprint is an investment of just $899.
Bonuses: Additional Courses Bundled with the Book Launch Blueprint How to Get Booked as a Podcast GuestCourse.* ($249) * Marketing Psychology Course ($299) * Art of Persuasion Course ($49) * The Ultimate Crowdfunding Course for Authors ($99) * Jim’s talk on how to go deeper in your writing to give readers an emotional experience (which is what they really want). ($49) * Over $700 in bonuses!
When does it start?Registration closes on April 14, 2023. We’ll also host a class orientation on April 14, which will be open to the public. It will be your last chance to ask questions about signing up before registration ends.
The first day of the course is Monday, April 17. It concludes on May 12, but you still have lifetime access to the videos and the community after the last day of the course.
If you’ve taken the course in the past, you don’t need to do anything to sign up again. You’ll automatically receive the same emails new students are receiving.
Where can I sign up?AuthorMedia.com/courses or at Book Launch Blueprint.
FAQsQ: You say we need to block out two hours a day. What does that look like? A: Each morning, you’ll receive an email with the day’s video and homework. Typically, you’ll spend about 30 minutes watching the teaching, 30 minutes doing the homework, and an hour on the live office hours call. Some videos are longer, and others are shorter. Certain days have a lot of homework, while others have none. In the past, some students have spent far more than two hours per day, and others have spent less.
Q: Is it too soon (or too late) for me to take the course?A: The Book Launch Blueprint is most useful if you have a book launching within the next two years. If you’re farther out than that, I encourage you to sign up for Obscure No More instead. It’s cheaper and more focused on building your platform.
If you’ve already launched your book and you’re hoping to relaunch, this course is probably not for you. The magic of a book launch is lost once a book is older than 30 days. The best thing you can do to boost your backlist sales is write a new book. Your new book re-energizes people’s interest in your previous books. We do not cover those strategies in this course.
Q: What time zone is the course in?A: With students from around the world, we like to vary the times of our live office hours. Most often, we’ll host them at 4:00 PM Central time. Occasionally, we’ll schedule office hours at 10:00 AM Central and 7:00 PM Central to accommodate people in other time zones.
Q: Do I have to pay in US currency?A: This year we’re trying to accommodate you with currency conversion. The dollar is strong right now, which makes the course more expensive for folks in other countries. If you’re outside the United States, email me before you sign up. We may have a coupon code to help with the exchange rate.
Featured PatronsEloise Whyte, author of Soul Inspirationz
You’ll gain a new relationship with Jesus as you trust him to be your confidant, healer, and life-giving friend.
The post The 2023 Book Launch Blueprint appeared first on Author Media.
A few weeks ago, we discussed how to look good on Zoom calls and webinars. In that episode, I talked about how using a relatively new iPhone as your webcam on a relatively new Mac was dramatically better than using $700 worth of lights and webcams.
A couple of weeks later, we discussed how an economic war between China and Taiwan would cause iPhone and MacBook production to cease since the A16 and M2 chips are made in Taiwan, and the phones and laptops are assembled in China. At the end of the episode, I said I hoped that China and Taiwan would continue to get along, but in case they don’t, listeners using older devices should upgrade before it’s too late.
Both episodes gave a compelling reason to upgrade your laptop and iPhone.
But which pitch was more effective? Which caused you to act? The potential money savings or the threat of being unable to get the device you need?
After the episode about the potential shortage of chips and devices, so many listeners asked me for laptop recommendations that I’ve had to add laptops to my recommendations page.
The second pitch relied on a psychological phenomenon called loss aversion. Loss aversion describes the phenomenon that causes most people to feel losses twice as strongly as they feel gains. I wish I could say I had planned these two episodes as a case study, but it just worked out.
For authors, loss aversion can make it harder to sell books. You must convince readers that your book won’t waste their time and they won’t feel guilty buying it. Your cover and blurb must convince readers that they will finish the book and feel great after reading it.
Used correctly, loss aversion can help increase rather than decrease sales. So how do you turn loss aversion into an ally? How do you use loss aversion to supercharge your book sales, increase margins, and build goodwill with readers?
Ethical Marketing PsychologyWhen I talk about Marketing Psychology, I like to start by discussing ethics.
Marketing psychology can influence people’s behavior in ways they don’t realize. It is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used for good or evil. A scalpel in a surgeon’s hand is a life-saving tool, but in the hand of a murderer, it brings death. As you become more influential, you must seriously consider how you can use your influence ethically. Handle marketing tools and your readers with care.
I’m about to put a scalpel in your hands, and I want you to be able to use it with a good conscience. So how do you know you are using loss aversion ethically?
Here are a couple of ancient ethical guidelines.
First: Do Not LiePsychology + deception = poison. To make good decisions, people need to know the truth. If you shade the truth, you make it harder for people to make good decisions. If you feel the need to deceive people in order to sell something, stop selling that thing.
Second: Do Unto OthersThe second rule of thumb is the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We all need help making good decisions. You appreciate receiving help to make good decisions, but you feel cheated or manipulated if deception causes you to make a bad decision.
Use the power of marketing psychology to help people make decisions that are in their own best interest.
Interestingly, helping people make good decisions about your book relates to your craft. Your book needs to be so good that you can promote it with a clear conscience, knowing that it’s in your reader’s best interest to buy and read. If your book is boring or makes people feel gross inside, your book doesn’t need better marketing. It needs a rewrite!
The Science Behind Loss Aversion MarketingIn a famous loss aversion classroom experiment often conducted by psychology professors, professors randomly distribute coffee mugs to half the students and give the other half nothing. Students with mugs are asked how much they would be willing to sell their mugs for. Students without mugs are asked how much they would be willing to pay for a mug.
You would think that the students’ prices would be pretty close. But that is not the case. Students with mugs value the mug more because it is their mug, and losing it is painful. They want to be compensated for the value of the mug and the psychological pain of losing it. This phenomenon is called the endowment effect.
There has been a lot of research around this, and losses are generally valued at twice that of gains.
But loss aversion also scales with the size of the loss. If someone flipped a coin and told you, “Tales, you lose $1.00, and heads, you win $2.00,” you might take the offer since the mathematical value of the bet is $1.00. But most people would not take that same bet if the stakes were $10k and $20k. The pain of losing the money is too great, even with even odds of twice that amount.
Check out this excellent Wikipedia article for more details on loss aversion.
Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t need a scientist to tell me losing money is painful. What does this have to do with book marketing?”
For most people, buying a book feels risky.
Most Americans don’t buy or read books.
Image Source: Seth’s Blog.Most authors have difficulty believing that most Americans don’t read books. As an author, your house is full of books, and you constantly buy more. But most people are not like you because, for them, buying a book feels risky.
People Feel Guilty About Not Finishing BooksWell-meaning parents and teachers pile guilt trips on children who don’t finish books. They are made to feel like they have failed the book rather than feeling that the book has failed them.
They’ll carry this guilt with them for the rest of their lives.
In adulthood, that shelf of unfinished books feels like evidence of moral failure. A little voice whispers, “If you were a better person, you would finish all those books, you worthless worm.”
This little voice spews a poisonous lie that is bad for readers and authors.
Voracious readers and frequent book buyers realize they don’t have to finish an unenjoyable book and thus enjoy buying books. Forcing yourself to read an unenjoyable book only makes you hate reading.
If you feel guilty when you don’t finish a book, I hereby permit you not to finish the books you don’t enjoy. The world is filled with amazing books, and life is too short to waste time reading bad ones.
Books Are Time ExpensiveHave you ever finished a book and thought, “What a waste of time. I’ll never get back the ten hours I wasted on this book.” What a horrible feeling!
Time loss is perhaps the worst kind of loss. Losing money can be painful, but you can always make more money. You can’t make more time. Lost time has the subtle taste of death.
If a reader experiences the acrid taste of wasted time, they’ll run from that feeling for the rest of their life. Readers are averse to the loss of time and feelings of guilt.
How do authors keep loss aversion marketing from torpedoing sales? Tactic #1: Reduce the Risk with FreeLosing money is painful. How would you feel if I asked you to pay a few dollars to listen to this podcast episode? Surely this episode is worth at least one cup of coffee. If the information helps you sell a lot more books, it could easily be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. But the pain of paying even a tiny fee is so high that most people won’t do it.
That’s why this podcast is free. A tiny fraction of listeners support via Patreon, but they typically become patrons only after listening to many free episodes. The free episodes convince them that the extra patrons-only episode is worth paying for.
Speaking of which, in our most recent patrons-only episode, we talked about the following:
- Kickstarter
- How to jolt sales for older novels
- How to reach influencers
- BookFunnel vs. StoryOrigin
- And a lot more!
I had more fun during that live episode than I’ve had in a long time. If you become a patron, you get access to the replay.
So how do you help people overcome their fear of paying money? Give them a free taste first.
Free ChapterImagine you are at the grocery store, and a lady is handing out samples of fresh strawberries. After you taste one ripe strawberry, you suddenly want to buy a whole box.
This free sample strategy is why physical bookstores allow readers to browse the books. You can walk into a bookstore, take a book from the shelf, sit in the in-store coffee shop, and start reading right then and there. Why do bookstores allow that when they want to sell books? Bookstores know that the more you read and the further you get into the book, you start to feel like the book is yours. It becomes your book.
After a while, you’re not thinking about the cost of the book. You’re thinking that you can’t leave that book in the store because you must find out how it ends. Amazon knows this strategy works, which is why they strongly encourage you to make the first chapter of your book available for Kindle Instant Preview. Kindle Instant Preview boosts sales because the sample gives readers the confidence to buy.
In fact, I recommend embedding Kindle Instant Preview on the book page on your website, which you can do easily with MyBookTable.
Readers expect to be able to read the first chapter for free. If you don’t offer a free chapter, you appear to be hiding something.
Free Short StoryGive readers a free taste of your writing by offering a short story. A short story is more than a tiny sample bite. It’s a complete meal. Most authors use their short stories as reader magnets by requiring readers to sign up for email updates to get the short story. Offering short stories as reader magnets allows you to grow your email list and simultaneously provide people with a sample of your writing.
Learn more about reader magnets and short stories in the following episodes:
- How to Grow Your Email List Using Delicious Reader Magnets with Tammi Labrecque
- How to Create a Reader Magnet
- How to Write Short Stories with James Scott Bell
Free PulsingOne way to make purchasing your book less scary is to get your readers’ friends to start talking about the book. How do you get them to talk about the book? Give it to them for free, of course! Making your book free for a short time can be an incredible way to reignite buzz for an older book that has dropped out of the conversation. This tactic is called free pulsing, and you can learn how to employ it by listening to our episode on free pulsing your book.
When you free pulse, you offer your book for free for a few days at a time and then promote that price drop on websites like BookBub. The price drop creates a surge of downloads that causes an echo boom in paid sales as people who read the book for free tell their friends about it. The book sounds so good that their friends don’t mind paying after the free promotion is over.
PermafreeThe ultimate form of offering a book for free is to make it permanently free. The permafree strategy tends to work best for the first book in a long addictive series of novels that are hard to put down.
Customers get addicted because their first “hit” is free. It’s perhaps the only thing authors and drug dealers share in common.
If you have a series of three or more books with characters readers fall in love with and cliffhanger endings, you may see your overall revenue increase when you offer the first book for free.
A free book eliminates the pain of losing money and not finishing the book. People typically don’t feel bad about not finishing a free book.
Offering a book for free is one way to keep loss aversion from nibbling away at your sales.
Tactic #2: Reverse CouponsBut loss aversion doesn’t need to be an enemy. It can also help motivate your readers to buy your book now and not later. A reverse coupon can help toward that aim, particularly when you need to raise the price of your book.
But why would you need to raise your price?
InflationInflation is high right now, and despite the political spin you hear, inflation is not going down. While topline inflation is growing slower, the core inflation growth rate is on the rise again. Inflation works like interest in that it compounds. A 6% inflation rate over four years is the same as having 26% inflation for one year. A 26% increase is the difference between a $4.99 ebook and a $5.99 ebook.
Or put another way, each year you keep your book price the same, you get a 6% pay cut. And that pay cut compounds year over year.
Eventually, you’ll have to raise your book’s price, especially if you want to advertise profitably.
The Sales Boosting Way to Raise PricesHow will you raise the price? Will you do it quietly in the dead of night and hope no one notices?
For the love of good book sales, no! A thousand times, no!
If you plan to raise the price, blow a trumpet first. Announce to your email list, “At the end of the month, the price of my ebook is increasing from $4.99 to $5.99. This is your last chance to get it before the price goes up.”
Readers will know they are about to lose the opportunity to buy your book at the current low price, which makes inaction feel like a loss.
Suddenly, loss aversion has become that author’s friend. Knowing the price will increase adds valuable urgency and anchoring, which inspires readers to take action.
But is this ethical? Let’s look at our two rules.
HonestyThe tactic of announcing a future price increase is honest. If you tell everyone you will raise the price, you must follow through.
Golden RuleDoes it follow the golden rule? I think so. Wouldn’t you prefer that a gas station posted both today’s price and tomorrow’s higher price? If that’s how you would like to be treated, you should treat others with that same consideration.
I recently offered a reverse coupon on my course Obscure No More as it came out of beta. You may remember I made a lot of noise about the beta discount going away. I gave everyone two months of notice about the price change and sent frequent reminders. As a result, we had the best sales months Author Media has ever experienced. Zero authors have complained about the increase because they all had plenty of time to purchase before the price went up.
In this case, the price increase was not due to inflation. From the beginning, I had planned to charge full price once the course was ready. I may need to raise the price again in the future due to inflation, but before I do, you better believe I will blow a trumpet and give everyone a chance to get the pre-inflation price.
Loss Aversion: The Power Behind ScarcityIn a previous Marketing Psychology episode, we talked about the social trigger of scarcity. Part of the psychological power behind scarcity is loss aversion. If you offer only 100 tickets for a special live event you’re hosting for readers, those tickets are scarce. If a reader doesn’t buy a ticket before they sell out, they have lost the opportunity to attend that event forever.
The same is true for a limited-edition hardback. If readers don’t buy a copy before they sell out, their chance is lost.
Now that you understand loss aversion, I encourage you to re-listen to my scarcity episode. You may glean new insights now that you know about loss aversion.
Unethical Loss Aversion: Yoyo TacticsI recently heard about a marketing tactic that made me sick. Car dealerships sometimes sell a car and hide the fact that the sale is not final in the fine print. The dealership will then “yoyo” the car buyer back into the dealership, telling them their loan was not approved. Back at the dealership, the buyer learns the price has increased, and the loan terms have gotten worse.
But this information is only revealed after the buyer has bonded with the car. Suddenly, they don’t feel like they’re buying a new car. They feel the urgency to save the car they already have. With this manipulative tactic, car dealers wring tens of thousands of dollars out of buyers.
Car dealerships are so slimy, and Tesla is wise to avoid them. Sometimes I wonder if the rise of Tesla is due in part to the perk of buying a car without having to interact with a dealership. But I digress.
To learn more about yoyoing, check out this article from NPR. NPR missed the psychological angle to the story, but they provided many heartbreaking examples.
Yoyoing is unethical. It breaks both of our ethical rules. Car buyers are deceived into believing they have purchased the car when they really haven’t. Dealerships also violate the Golden Rule, as no one wants to be yoyoed back into a car dealership.
Compare this with a pet shelter that allows you to pet sit a shelter dog for a weekend. The shelter (and perhaps even the dog) hopes that loss aversion will kick in and that returning the dog on Monday will feel like losing your dog.
Is the pet shelter method ethical? I think so because it doesn’t break our rules. It’s honest. Pet sitters know the shelter is trying to get them to adopt a dog.
It also follows the Golden Rule. The ability to return the dog is a kindness! If a pet sitter and the dog don’t click, the sitter is not forced to keep the dog. After all, the pet sitter only agreed to pet sit for a weekend.
Sponsor: NEW COURSE Marketing Psychology for AuthorsI am putting the final touches on a brand-new course called Marketing Psychology for Authors. While you can buy the stand-alone course, you may already have access to it. I’ve decided to include it for free in both the Book Launch Blueprint and Obscure No More.
If you are a previous Book Launch Blueprint student or a current Obscure No More student, you already have access to this course at no additional cost to you!
If you were on the fence about registering for the Book Launch Blueprint this year, remember that you’re not likely to find a course on the marketing psychology behind effective book promotion anywhere else.
Featured PatronCLR Peterson, author of Lucia’s Renaissance
Heresy is fatal in late Renaissance Italy, so only a suicidal zealot would so much as whisper the name of Martin Luther. But after Luther’s ideas ignite a young girl’s faith, she must choose–abandon her beliefs or risk her life in the turbulent world of late sixteenth-century Italy.
The post Why Most People Are Afraid to Buy Books appeared first on Author Media.
In some ways, marketing a book written for adults is easy. Most of the time, the reader is also the buyer. If you can convince readers to try your book, they become your customers. But to market a children’s book is very different.
Kids don’t have money to spend, and most book-buying decisions are made by the adults, like parents, librarians, or teachers.
Marketing strategies used for adult audiences often do not work for children’s books. Some are even illegal! While adults will purchase hundreds of ebooks for their Kindles, children prefer reading print books. While authors can reach adult audiences via online advertising, children typically are not shopping for books online.
How can you market a children’s book in an online-everything world?So, how can you successfully market your children’s books in today’s world of online everything?
I asked Karen Inglis, who has mastered the art of self-publishing and marketing her children’s books. She is an international bestselling author. Her time travel adventure, The Secret Lake, has sold over half a million copies in English and has been translated into ten languages. She is successfully making a living as an indie children’s author, so when she says something works, it works.
How did you get started writing books for children?Thomas: You’re making a full-time living writing and publishing books for children without the help of a traditional publisher. How did you get started?
Karen: Well, I started fairly late on. I had written for years, but when my children were little and I read books to them, I’d think, “That one’s good,” or “That one’s not so good.” I got inspired and started penning some rhyming picture books.
During that period, I visited a friend who had just moved into an apartment that backed onto the communal gardens of Notting Hill. I walked out there and saw all the children playing in that very safe space, surrounded by big Victorian houses, and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be magical if they could meet the children who lived and played here a hundred years ago?”
That’s how I was inspired to write The Secret Lake. It was the first of my longer non-picture books. It was very much a story from my heart.
I believed in the project, but it took a long time for it to take off. In fact, in the early days, I sent it to traditional publishers before the days of the internet. I waited six weeks and got the rejection letters back saying it was either the wrong length, too traditional or not modern enough. I’d meant to write a traditional non-modern adventure because I didn’t think enough traditional adventure stories were available.
Thomas: I 100% agree.
My wife and I have three children, five and under, and we buy hundreds of children’s books. Many books we buy are out-of-print, older books because we don’t like modern books. We don’t want to read “a is for activist.” We want to read Goodnight Moon and older, traditional adventures because our kids love those.
Karen: I know what you mean.
After a few rejections, I put the manuscript in a box, and it stayed there for about ten years. I used to look at the box and think, “What a shame. No one’s ever going hear that story about the secret lake.”
Then in 2010, I had a year-long sabbatical from my consulting job, and when I pulled the story out and read through it, I thought, “This is good, but it needs a bit of editing.” I did some editing with a work colleague who’s a huge reader and had kids.
I was about to send it to the Writers and Artist Yearbook, and I went online to get the latest version. That’s when I started seeing things about self-publishing.
Ten years earlier, I had investigated whether there was any way I could publish the book myself and immediately discovered that I would have to order 2,000 copies to get the unit cost low enough to make sense. So I forgot about it.
But suddenly, I saw all this information about self-publishing and something called Create Space. I noticed lots of people in the States were self-publishing, but not many here in the UK were. Certainly, no children’s authors were self-publishing.
I started asking questions in the Create Space community and quickly decided that I liked the idea of doing it myself.
Thomas: CreateSpace is now called Amazon KDP Print.
Initially, you considered offset printing, where you have to order thousands of copies to get the unit cost low enough to make a profit. Plus, you’d have a garage full of books.
With Amazon KDP’s print-on-demand service, the unit cost is the same no matter how many units you order because they’re printed on demand.
Karen: I self-published The Secret Lake in 2011, but it was not an overnight success. It was a success in the sense that Kindle was in its very early days. And after I spent many hours formatting it for MOBI without any of the modern tools, I finally uploaded it to Kindle just before Christmas of 2012.
It sold about 60 copies on Christmas Day, and I thought, “Who are all these people buying this book?” I didn’t know anyone who was buying digital children’s books at the time.
After those initial sales, there was a lull. Even though the book was available on Amazon, no one was going to happen upon it. At that time, there was no way to advertise.
It was a slow burn in the early days for several years. My marketing efforts involved going into schools, contacting schools, and slowly building my brand that way. I could talk about the book on Twitter, but those people were not kids, and I realized I’d have to start with an event in my local library.
Start LocalPeople ask me about marketing to kids, and I still advise them to start locally. Establish your brand locally because that gives you material to share on your website and social media channels. People get to see what you’ve been doing at the library or your local bookshop.
I also printed flyers with the front cover of The Secret Lake to distribute to local cafes where I knew parents took their kids. By advertising locally, you are supporting your local community. My flyer said that the book was available at the library and bookshops.
I also contacted the local press to let them know the book had a local connection since the front cover of The Secret Lake was inspired by a pond called Still Pond in Richmond Park, close to where we live.
I also spoke to magazines in Notting Hill because there was a Notting Hill collection.
I was doing all that traditional media when the book first came out, and traditional media is still a very effective marketing tool for children’s authors today.
You’ll want to contact schools and visit because that’s where you’ll gain word-of-mouth momentum. If the children like your books, they’ll tell other children about them. Their parents will tell each other about it. Teachers and librarians will share the information. It is a slow burn.
As you meet people, you can ask if they’d be very kind and leave a review for you on Amazon because if you’re advertising on Amazon, you’ll need some reviews up there. But that old-school stuff hasn’t changed and is still important today.
In fact, I was doing a free event last night for the school my sons attended, and I was talking about children’s publishing. It’s all good PR to keep your brand out there.
Thomas: Authors are eager to jump straight into online advertising, but it’s helpful to sell your first 500 copies one-on-one or to small groups. The benefit of selling in person is that it forces you to talk with your readers. Speaking at a school forces you to interact with children, and you learn how to talk to kids in a way they find interesting.
Speak for Free (At First)Karen: I tell beginning authors to build their confidence by offering free events. As a rule, you should charge for your events once you’re established.
But when you’re starting, offer to do a free event in exchange for being able to send home order slips in case children, or parents want to order a book.
A big, wealthy, private school is within walking distance from my house. They asked if I would speak to the children but said I couldn’t sell books.
Even though I couldn’t sell books, I decided to do it anyway to build my confidence. They wanted me to come at six times to speak to different grade levels.
Each time I spoke to a different group of children, I learned what did and didn’t work when presenting to them. At times, I realized I had gone on for too long and needed to break it up and ask questions.
It was very helpful for me. All those early, free events will help you hone your skills for speaking to more people and doing more events.
Thomas: I completely agree. I really believe in speaking for free when you’re getting started. Once you’re in demand and starting to get tired because of all your free events, then you can start charging.
The only way to become a public speaker is to speak publicly. Practice is the key. Knowing what a good speech is and delivering a good speech that connects with an audience takes practice.
Giving the same talk six times helped you hone your message, which came in handy later when you were doing other marketing activities. Your early speaking gigs laid the foundation for your future marketing.
Knowing how to buy an Amazon or Facebook ad is the easy part. The tricky part is knowing what to put in the text to make people want to click and buy the book. You must learn to describe your book with less than ten compelling words that pique interest and cause people to click.
Karen: When you’re doing free events, you do have to be careful because it can make it awkward for people who are charging. There is an unspoken rule which says, “Only speak for free when you’re starting. Don’t make a big habit of it.”
There’s a huge amount of work involved in planning school events because of all the emails that go back and forth for scheduling and ordering.
Your sales depend on how engaged and organized your school contact person is. Some are on the ball, and others aren’t. The efficiency of your contact person often determines how many books you are likely to sell that day, assuming you have a good book.
The quality of the marketing materials you provide should make it as simple as possible for them to promote your book to the parents.
How do you reach out to schools?Thomas: How do you approach the schools to get the name of that contact person?
Karen: I start by calling to get the name of the literacy coordinator. Sometimes it’s a teacher, and sometimes it’s a librarian. Other times you’ll speak to a lady in the office who won’t let you speak to anyone beyond her.
I also tailor my emails to include a couple of thumbnail book cover images and some information to make them look interesting. Then I follow up with a phone call.
There’s a lot of disappointment involved. They often don’t get back to you, or they say they will, and then they don’t. When you follow up, you may learn that the teacher you were working with has left.
Over the years, I’ve learned not to take it personally. Teachers and school staff are incredibly busy. They’re not trying to keep you out. They just have so many things going on.
The process requires you to have thick skin, but if you are consistently targeting audiences correctly with an obvious and attractive pitch about what you can offer, you will have some success.
Thomas: You have to know what they want. They’re not in the business of booking authors. They’re in the business of educating children, so you need to convince them that you will make their job of educating children easier and that you will be easy to work with.
Having a real author speak to the children is the sort of thing that makes the school look good to parents too.
In most organizations, the people doing the work rarely make purchasing decisions. That second-grade teacher doesn’t necessarily have the authority to spend $50 on booking an author. She’d need approvals and signatures from three different bosses.
But if you’re offering to present for free, all that complexity is suddenly removed.
Certainly, professional authors should get paid, but if you only get $50, it might not be worth the complexity the fee adds.
On the other hand, some conferences are used to booking speakers. The person booking speakers has the authority to negotiate pricing.
When should an author contact a school?Karen: It’s good to contact schools before they finalize their budgets for the following year so they can plan for the expense of paying you as a speaker.
If the school has budget restrictions, you can offer an agreement where you’ll speak for a reduced fee in return for being able to sell a certain number of books at a discounted price.
Thomas: I know many authors who do that. Since they’re buying their books for $3.00-$4.00 per copy, they can discount them from the $15.00 regular price to $10.00 and still make a profit.
Karen: That’s how the traditional publishing model works. Many authors are looking towards the direct-selling model, and I think that number will grow in 2023.
Thomas: For most authors, offset printing is a mistake because they end up with a garage full of books.
But if you’re selling hundreds of books every month, you can work with a fulfillment company, and then those 2,000 books are in your fulfillment company’s garage. They’re putting the books in boxes and shipping them to the customers for you.
Full-color picture books are expensive to print on demand, so it may be worth looking at offset printing to reduce your per-unit cost.
Karen: When The Secret Lake started to take off in the UK, I knew people would start asking for it in the bookshops. But at the time, it was being printed through Ingram Spark and took weeks to ship to the UK. The UK bookshops could get them, but never very quickly.
So, I started doing offset printing for about 500 copies. Then I ordered 2,000 offset copies through a company called Clays, which prints for many traditional publishers. That’s improved the delivery time, and now bookshops can get them within 24 hours.
I ought to be doing something similar in the states, but at the moment, I’m not.
Thomas: If you’re curious about offset printing, listen to our episode that compares offset printing to print-on-demand.
I recommend visiting your local offset printer. The big printers won’t care about you because you’re a small fry. But local companies that print mail pieces and catalogs can print regular books. They enjoy working with authors because printing books is more fulfilling than printing junk mail.
Most authors I know have found it easy to work with a local printer. They typically spoke to the same person every time they called. Building that relationship helped them understand the print process and made it easier for the printer and the author to understand the other’s needs.
If you don’t think there’s a printer in your town, search Google Maps and look for printers around your post office.
How did you go from selling a few books each month to thousands?Karen: From 2011 to 2018, I sold about 7,000 copies through school visits, local bookshops, and some Amazon sales.
But the big game changer came when Amazon opened up advertising. As soon as there was a whiff that we could advertise, I was in there trying to find out how.
I didn’t have many book reviews at that stage because children’s book reviews come slower. Plus, I sold most of my books at events, and people who buy a book in person don’t typically leave a review online.
But in all my books, I’ve always included a very nice message saying, “If you enjoyed this book, it would mean a lot to me if you could take a moment to leave a short review on Amazon or your preferred retailer online.”
In 2018, I was finally able to get onto Amazon UK advertising. I had a feeling that the UK ads would have an effect because the book is set in the UK. And they certainly did. When those ads started appearing, I saw the book’s sales increase significantly.
I was also considering changing the book cover at that time, but I was afraid if I changed the cover, Amazon would take them off sale. That’s what they used to do in the olden days.
Thomas: When traditional publishers order thousands of offset print copies from China, it takes a long time and a lot of hassle to make changes to the book. But with print-on-demand technology, you simply upload a new image, and the next copy will be printed with the new cover.
Many books with poor sales have either poor covers or back cover copy. The writing on the inside doesn’t get the chance to prove itself because no one gets past the cover and the copy.
If you’re a new indie author, don’t be afraid to let go of the first cover you were so involved in designing.
When you start advertising, you may discover that the cover you designed doesn’t work to hook a reader. Be willing to let go of your original cover and experiment with more effective cover designs. A more effective cover will mean more clicks and more money to cover the cost of your ads.
Karen: Covers also change over time. The Secret Lake’s cover was well-received when it first came out, but by 2018 it started to strike me as a bit old-fashioned. It was definitely ripe for updating.
Thomas: Just because you’re writing a classic story doesn’t mean you have an old-fashioned cover. Your cover should convey accurately how fun and interesting the book is. That look changes with time. The Chronicles of Narnia have had four or five sets of covers. Lord of the Rings has had dozens of covers.
Karen: In the summer of 2018, sales took off in the UK, and then slowly and surely, they started to take off in the States. For the longest time, I only had 45 reviews, but now I have more than 16,000 organic reviews, which are based on the readers’ enjoyment of the story. I’ve never ever done a giveaway in exchange for reviews or paid for any reviews.
People often ask how I sell so many books, and I think it’s because a good story sells. Children love it, and it appeals to adults as well. When they share it with friends, that helps. Getting those reviews helped a lot, too.
But just because advertising is available to you, don’t think it’s the only thing you should do. Building your brand gradually and locally by word of mouth will help you get reviews and benefit you long-term.
For example, our village was hosting an event for the 50th anniversary of the World Cup. They wanted to hire vendor tables to go along with the event. I had a book called Eeek! The Runaway Alien, which featured an alien who runs away from space to Earth because he’s mad about soccer and the World Cup.
My table cost me £15, and I probably only sold 30 books, so my hourly rate for profit was extremely low. But two wonderful things happened.
First, a very well-known player was there, and I got a photo of him with me and my book Eeek, which I posted on my social media outlets.
Second, I received a letter from a parent saying, “My daughter bought a copy of your book, The Secret Lake, at the event. She loves it, and we are asking her school if you can come and do an event.” Subsequently, I got a booking for £350 to do a World Book Day event there.
Thomas: Hand-selling a book in person reaps far more benefits than an online sale because you make a personal connection, and that relationship can lead to really good things.
Advertising Vs. MarketingThomas: A lot of people confuse advertising and marketing.
Marketing is a mix of things you can do to promote your books and brand.
Advertising is specifically money you spend to put your book in front of people.
It’s risky to spend your own money on advertising. Many authors spend $1,000 advertising and only earn back $500. When they see they’re losing money, they quit advertising. Other authors lose money but continue to buy advertising simply because they want their book to sell copies, even if it means losing money.
But if you want to get to 16,000 reviews and sell millions of copies, you must be able to advertise profitably.
Your early days of presenting to students gave you an edge over other authors who didn’t take the time to listen to their readers and customers. But because you did, you knew how to present your book in a way that made people want to read it.
Karen: Advertising is a whole learning curve in itself. In the olden days, we had to learn how to format a book before all those wonderful tools came along. Then we suddenly needed to become experts in advertising.
It’s challenging for children’s authors because beyond having to promote directly to our audiences, many of the webinars on making profitable ads are focused on ebooks, and we’re selling print books.
I had to figure out my own Advertising Cost of Sales (ACOS) for a print book because it’s completely different than an ebook.
You must be willing to learn and spend time doing those things. I talk about those things in my book How to Self-Publish and Market a Children’s Book.
Thomas: If you want to indie publish your children’s book, I highly recommend Karen’s book. The most cost-effective education you’ll ever get for your publishing career is to buy books on publishing. You can spend a lot of money on courses, but a book is far cheaper.
To learn more about advertising, listen to the following Novel Marketing episodes:
- Facebook Advertising for AuthorsAmazon Advertising
- Marketing 101: Ten Advertising Terms You Need to Know
- How to Create Powerful Ads for Authors Who Hate Math! with Chris Fox
- How To Split Test Your Book Title Ideas With Facebook Ads
If you want to advertise successfully, you have to be willing to dig into the numbers to do it well. If you’re happy to lose money, you’ll eventually lose all your money, and that’s not the path to success.
If you’re doing this right, the money you’re spending on ads brings back more money, so you can send out more money. A profitable ad campaign creates a flywheel that gets you 16,000 ratings.
If you’re losing money with your advertising, you’ve got to make some changes.
You may need to change the cover or the blurb, but maybe the book’s not the right fit for your market, and you need to write another book. You learn all of that from the great data you get from advertising.
It’s very sobering at first, but it can help you make informed decisions.
Test Your StoryKaren: I’d also suggest making sure you have a good story.
I took a course with a freelancer who was the head of Penguin Children’s in the UK at the time.
A few years later, I contacted her and asked for a manuscript appraisal. She told me it was a great story but suggested I start it differently. Then she told me all the things I’d done wrong. I made many changes to my original story, but those changes made it better.
No matter how good your blurb or cover is, if the story doesn’t enthrall children, you won’t be able to sell it well.
I tell beginning children’s authors to put their story away for a couple of weeks, then come back to it. You’ll be able to see what’s not working. After you fix it and make changes, try to get some children or teachers to read it, and then give them a simple questionnaire after they read it.
- Which part did you enjoy?
- How many stars would you give it out of 10?
- Were there any bits you didn’t enjoy?
- What parts did you not understand?
- When did you get bored?
You don’t need them to write an essay, but if you make it easy for them to give you feedback, you could make some very profitable changes without having to pay a professional editor right away. The children and teachers will probably point to the parts you knew weren’t working anyway.
Don’t hire an illustrator or pay for any illustrations to be done until you’ve got your story mapped out so that you know where the pages are going to turn and potentially what illustrations would go there.
If you read a lot, you’ll know when you want the page to turn, and that will inform where the images go. Even if you only have stickman drawings, you can ask a parent to try and read it to their child. Ask them to let you know what they think of the picture placement so you get a sense of whether the kids will be engaged with the story.
If the kids aren’t engaged in the story, you don’t want to pay an illustrator to come up with a load of illustrations that will eventually be changed as the story changes.
Thomas: When you’re reading to kids and sense they’re losing interest, you might have to add voices or a bit of vocal drama to help get through the boring bits. But if you’re testing the story on children, you don’t want to add all that drama. You need to know if the story stands on its own.
If you start to lose the kids at a certain page, make a note to fix it and make it much more interesting.
How would you encourage a children’s author who doesn’t know where to start?Thomas: What encouragement do you have for someone who has finished a children’s book but hasn’t done anything with it because it all seems too overwhelming?
Karen: First, put it in a drawer for a couple of weeks, and then come back and read it.
Second, try to find a group of kids in your target age group. Before that, make sure you know what age group you’re writing for. The target age group will inform the length, theme, plot complexity, and character ages. You discover the target age group by reading lots of children’s books from your library.
Third, contact a teacher, librarian, or parent and ask them to read it with their children and give you feedback. You may also want to get feedback from the children, preferably children you don’t know personally. If they know you, they may be hesitant, to be honest about the boring parts. Or perhaps their parents would tell them what they could and couldn’t say.
Finally, hire a professional editor to do the copy editing. If you are in the UK, I would look for one at Writer’s Advice Center for Children’s Books or other online places like Reedsy. You want an editor who is familiar with editing children’s books specifically.
Thomas: I encourage you to check out Karen’s books. She’s one of the most successful children’s authors in terms of books sold. She’s doing well in the States, despite the fact she doesn’t live here.
Connect with Karen and see her children’s books at KarenInglisAuthor.com, and then check out her nonfiction book How to Self-Publish and Market Children’s Books.
The post How to Successfully Market a Children’s Book appeared first on Author Media.
Normally, I focus on timeless topics, which marketers call “evergreen” content. For example, my episode about Brandon Sanderson’s writing method to restfully write multiple books every year should be as relevant in ten years as it was two weeks ago.
But occasionally, I delve into current events and their impact on authors. In these days of wars, rumors of wars, spy balloons, and pandemics, what will be the impact on publishing?
I used to host a drive-time news radio show where I analyzed and discussed the news. I also spend an embarrassing amount of time studying history, and sometimes, I just need to share what I see.
The Four Horsemen Historically, the four horsemen of the apocalypse have ridden together. War, famine, plague, and death tend to have a causal effect on one another. For example, war causes famine and plague, both of which lead to death. By the same token, plague could cause death, leading to famine and then war as people fight over what little food remains.
In the past several years, we’ve heard the hoofbeats of the four more modern horsemen.
“Pandemic” is the modern term for “plague,” and the Covid pandemic has led to Covid deaths.
War has visited Europe, and there are indications it may visit Asia next.
Famine has visited Africa. “Supply chain issue” is a modern term for what the ancients would have called “famine.” For example, an “egg famine” and “egg supply chain issues” mean fewer and more expensive eggs. Most people survive famines because food is still technically available but becomes very expensive. Another modern word for famine is “inflation.”
Modern Translations of The Four Horsemen* Famine -> Inflation * Plague -> Pandemic * Death -> Population Decline * War -> War Never Changes
This translation guide allows us to learn from our ancestors who lived through the same kind of hardships we experience today.
Whenever a politician or media personality says “unprecedented,” I roll my eyes. Current events are only unprecedented if you don’t know your history. There is nothing new under the sun.
Typically, hardships caused by the four horsemen are less intense than you think, but they last longer than expected. For example, everyone thinks the troops will be home by Christmas, and they are disappointed every December. We want to believe the next harvest will restore food supplies, but for some reason, the prices remain high.
Good Books Help Readers Plow Through Tough TimesAuthors continue to write books, even during tough times. Famously, Florence Villani kept writing during the Black Death and died mid-sentence. He kept writing to the end.
More often, times of suffering give birth to enduring works of literature. C.S. Lewis’s most famous works were written during and shortly after WWII. In fact, one of his books was read over the air during the Blitz as bombs fell on London.
Gathered around the radioVictor Hugo wrote Les Misérables after living through the riots he describes in his book. Frankenstein was written during the year without a summer, a massive global climate event that darkened the skies with a winter that lasted all year. The result was global famine and civil unrest.
Storytellers help us endure difficult times. Their tales of dragons remind us that dragons can be defeated. Their tales of suffering remind us that pain can be endured. We all need those reminders when the nights are long, death walks the streets, and enemies gather beyond the horizon.
Your work as a writer is vital because the pen is mightier than the sword.
But in this age of the four modern horsemen, your pen may be at risk. The tools you use to write and record may be in danger.
Supply Chain Issues Could Mean Equipment Shortages for AuthorsSmartphone Shortages Every cellphone and laptop requires a chip, and 90% of high-end chips are created in Taiwan. While the chips are made in Taiwan, most smartphones are assembled in China.
China and Taiwan must work together for nearly all smartphones to exist, but they are also the two countries most likely to go to war.
Remember when you couldn’t buy a new car because of a chip shortage? Those chips were basic 80nm chips manufactured in many countries, and we still experienced the effects of the shortage. Imagine how much worse the effects of a smartphone chip shortage would be since the 3nm and 5nm chips used in smartphones are currently only made in Taiwan.
Your iPhone may have been designed in California, but it was assembled by Foxconn in China using chips made by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) in Taiwan. A war between China and Taiwan, even an economic war, would mean that cellphone production for almost all cellphones would cease.
New cellphones would vanish from store shelves around the world as people would race to replace old phones before the new ones sold out. The price of a new phone would skyrocket. People are so addicted to their phones that they will pay thousands of dollars for a phone.
The days of buying a new smartphone for less than $1,000 will seem like a golden era to people who have to live through an economic war between China and Taiwan.
I hope China and Taiwan continue to get along, but we must face the world as it is, not as we want it to be. Currently, both countries are preparing for war.
Laptop Shortages What is true for phones is also true, to a lesser extent, for computers. Most computer chips are created in Taiwan, while most computers are assembled in China. But neither computer chips nor computers are manufactured exclusively in either country.
Apple is particularly exposed, though, since 90% of Apple products are made in China, and 100% of Apple laptops are assembled in China.
Guess who makes the new Apple Silicon M1 and M2 chips? TSMC in Taiwan. TSMC also makes the A-series chips for the iPhone and iPad.
One difference between phones and computers is Intel Corp. Intel manufacturers left China in 2021 and now manufacture chips mostly in the United States. An economic war between Taiwan and China would be good for Intel as it would step in to fill the gap.
Intel is not a big player in phone chips, but they are a big player in laptop and desktop chips. Apple might have to switch back to using Intel chips if the war was bad enough.
Kindle ShortagesThe Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Fire use the ARM chip made by TSMC in Taiwan, and both are assembled in China. While demand for ereaders is lower, the supply chain issues that affect phones would also affect ereaders. In the event of an economic war between China and Taiwan, expect ereaders to go out of stock and stay out of stock.
Book and Paper Shortages are Less LikelyPopular, traditionally printed books are often printed in China, which is part of the reason for the delay in traditionally printed books.
Indie books, on the other hand, are printed on demand in local warehouses around the world. If you order an indie book in the UK, it is printed in the UK. If you order one in the US, it is printed in the US.
Traditionally published authors have more exposure to China-related supply chain issues than indie authors. But indie authors are still at risk.
China is the world’s largest producer of pulp and paper. The United States is the second largest producer, but China specializes in certain kinds of paper. For example, Bible paper is mostly made in China, whereas the US focuses on making cardboard for the billions of Amazon boxes.
The United States is a net exporter of pulp, so if trade is disrupted, domestic paper production would be relatively unaffected.
China, a net importer of woodchip (to make pulp), sources wood from Vietnam and Australia. China does not source significant timber, pulp, or paper from Taiwan, so an economic war between Taiwan and China shouldn’t directly affect Chinese paper or book production.
If the United States responded to a conflict by placing sanctions on China, those sanctions could include paper and or printed books. The US recently added a 7.5% tariff on Chinese printed books, and the war hasn’t even started.
Three Potential Possibilities I should point out that the tech supply chain disruptions would happen regardless of whether the United States (or any other country for that matter) joins the war. Taiwan and China work together to make electronics. If they stop working together, no electronics.
As I see it, we have three potential outcomes:
Potential 1: China and Taiwan Continue to Get AlongThe best-case scenario is for China and Taiwan to get along so the status quo will be protected. Hurray!
Potential 2: War Between China, Taiwan, and the USAIn 1943 you couldn’t buy a new Ford because the Ford factories were converted into tank factories. If you wrecked your car in 1943, you had to find a used car to replace it since Ford wasn’t manufacturing new vehicles.
If Taiwan and China go to war, and the United States joins the war, expect US chip makers to get busy making smart bombs rather than smartphones.
It’s hard to determine the probability of the USA entering a war between China and Taiwan. Historically, America has been hesitant to enter great power conflicts. Going to war with a small country like Vietnam or Iraq is one thing, but going to war with a major power is another.
When America does jump into great power conflicts, they tend to sit on the sidelines for a few years. If America follows the historical pattern, Taiwan (or Ukraine) would need to fight alone with American guns and bullets for several years before the US would send troops to help.
The British had to fight alone in both world wars before America joined them. Napoleon also had to fight alone for ten years before America joined the War of 1812.
That said, every time President Biden has been asked if we would join a war between China and Taiwan, he has said we would. However, after each statement, someone in the Whitehouse walked back the president’s statement.
Predictions about whether America would join a war depend on whether you think Biden is telling the truth and if you think he is calling the shots regarding foreign policy.
No American president can pull the country into a great power war without popular support. Roosevelt and Wilson wanted to join the world wars sooner, but they lacked popular support and had to wait for a casus belli.
Clearly, a war between China and the United States is the worst-case scenario.
Potential 3: Economic War Between China and TaiwanThe third possibility is some sort of economic war between China and Taiwan, which would shut down economic cooperation between the two countries. Global smartphone production would cease, but since the US would not be using its own electronics factories to make smart bombs, it could ramp up domestic smartphone production.
Building a factory and training workers capable of assembling cellphones takes a long time. The only smartphone manufacturer in the United States is already expecting long delays in sourcing parts, even though the war has not started.
Of the three potential outcomes, I see an economic war between China and Taiwan as the most likely. China really wants control over Taiwan, but the American military is really scary. One American aircraft carrier can hold over 75 airplanes. If one American aircraft carrier were its own country, it would have the 50th largest air force in the world. America always keeps at least one aircraft carrier patrolling around Taiwan. We also have ten more aircraft carriers “around.”
If the United States Navy were its own nation, it would have the second-largest air force in the world, and it would still be larger than China’s.
China does not want a war with America. As long as they are convinced that a war with Taiwan is also a war with the US, they should try to avoid it. But it only takes one misjudgment or misunderstanding to trigger a war. Not that China would do anything to provoke the Americans, like floating a spy balloon over our nuclear launch sites right before a major diplomatic meeting.
Bottom LineIn the event of a war, people will want to read books, and the United States could continue producing paper books with our domestic sources of pulp and paper.
Authors with new computers that will continue to work amid massive electronics supply chain issues will be best positioned to thrive. Authors currently squeezing out the last few months of life from a half-dead laptop will struggle if an economic war between Taiwan and China breaks out.
If you don’t think your phone and laptop will last another five years, consider upgrading now while the prices are low. My wife and I just got new phones, and I got all new computers last year. I want to continue producing this podcast for years, even if I can’t buy new computer equipment.
Wars and rumors of wars abound. It pays to prepare, but it doesn’t pay to worry. As Jesus once said, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?”
So, buy a new computer or phone if you need to, and then get back to work. Your book isn’t going to write itself, and it may be just what people need in the coming years. Hopefully, nothing will change, and you’ll have upgraded a little sooner than needed.
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If you want to connect with other authors, discuss these supply chain issues, or disagree with my geopolitical analysis, we genuinely want to hear from you. I love talking about geopolitics. Remember, I used to host a radio show.
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Related Episodes* 15 Publishing Industry Predictions for 2013 * 2012 Publishing Predictions * Readers Are Changing What They Read (and what to do about it) * How to Market Books to Homeschool Families with Tricia Goyer
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Artificial Intelligence tools have received a lot of hype in the news recently.
You may have heard about the AI writing tool, ChatGPT, which successfully passed written exams from prestigious law and business schools. College professors are wringing their hands, wondering if they’ll be able to trust a student’s term paper ever again.
Then a piece of AI-generated artwork slipped past judges at the Colorado State Fair last fall and won a first-place ribbon.
The world is debating. Is it fair or ethical for artificial intelligence to write an exam paper or win an award? Is the Robot Apocalypse upon us? Or is there still hope for humanity?
What do all these new AI tools mean for authors? Is it “cheating” to use AI software to write your book or design your book cover? Will authors who do NOT use AI tools lag behind their competitors?
I did a rundown of AI tools for authors last year and a deep dive into Sudowrite, one of the better AI writing tools. With all the buzz about AI recently, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the topic.
Then I saw that one of our Novel Marketing listeners, Danny F. Santos, was doing incredible things with AI and had posted about his experience on AuthorMedia.social.
Danny writes high fantasy novels and has used AI to design book covers and help craft the content for his Aeonlith Series. I asked him about his experience using AI.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: I first saw you were dabbling with AI when you asked for feedback on your eight book covers. You didn’t tell us they were AI-generated, but you asked everyone to vote on which cover was best.
How did you create such good-looking book covers using AI tools?Danny F. Santos: It takes a little while to understand the language of AI prompts.
Thomas: By “prompts,” you mean the descriptive text you type in the text box of the AI generator. Users input their ideas into the text box, and the AI generator outputs the art.
There’s no magic button that can read your mind and produce a great cover. You must learn how to talk to the computer in a way the computer can understand. You must inspire it. The spark of creativity that ignites the fire still exists in the human mind. The real skill is in creating prompts the computer can interpret.
How do you create a prompt to get the AI going in the right direction?Danny: You basically describe what you see in your mind and write it out.
The more complex aspect is that if you say you want a character to have red eyes, the AI will think you want the image to be red. It’ll make everything red, even though you might want the character wearing blue clothes.
Much of it is trial and error until you get something approaching what you’re looking for. It will never give you exactly what you’re looking for because it generates so many possibilities.
I used Midjourney to generate the art because it’s more illustrative. It looks a bit more like a painting. In my genre, that style usually performs best.
Each AI tool has its own flavor. I believe DALL-E produces more of a stock photo look.
Thomas: As I looked at your covers, I could tell you were exploring.
You knew you wanted your protagonist, a red-haired girl, on your cover but didn’t know what other elements you wanted.
How do you then choose which AI-generated cover you’ll use?Danny: My original idea was to narrow down the choices through groupthink. After that, I planned to do an A/B split test using Facebook advertising.
After the voting, I narrowed it down to two covers, but I forgot I had another cover I wanted to introduce into the competition. I decided to add the third cover to my Facebook ad campaign and run an A/B/C split test.
The cover that wasn’t part of the original voting was the one that received the most clicks by a large margin.
Thomas: In an A/B/C split test, Facebook will show your target audience all three versions of your cover. Then they will monitor which version gets the most clicks.
You can see how many impressions and clicks it received and the clickthrough rates for each. Facebook will eventually decide which is performing best and just show that ad.
In my experience, the split-test winner is not necessarily the one I like best. It’s usually the one that readers like the best. A split test is a great way to get rapid feedback.
How much did you spend on the ads for the split test?
Danny: I spent $50-$60. It was enough to get about 1,000 views per cover, which was my goal.
Thomas: That is such an effective strategy. For $50, I don’t know why every author doesn’t run split-test ads.
I remember talking with the marketing director at one of the largest publishing companies in the country. When I told him about this technique of split-testing covers, he had never heard of it.
I was dumbfounded. They chose their covers based on the highest-paid person’s opinion, and they didn’t use any testing. Even though they had spent $50,000 on the advance, they didn’t spend $50 to see if what they had chosen was the best-performing cover. It boggles my mind.
Indie authors may believe they don’t have access to the best marketing tools, but in reality, indies may be using better techniques than the biggest traditional publishing companies.
Danny: I had five covers for my second book in the series, and none of them were doing very well. The split test for book one got a 7.5% clickthrough rate, but everything else got 3%.
I figured I’d try and generate more covers and start testing those against what I had. I created about ten new covers to test. The cover that won wasn’t even part of the original grouping that I asked people to pick from.
Thomas: Since you were using AI, it was financially feasible to generate ten new covers. All your covers look illustrated. They look hand-drawn by a human even though AI generates them.
Having an illustrator draw ten different covers would cost you a lot of money. Even traditional publishers wouldn’t be willing to spend what that would cost. And yet, by using AI tools, you could affordably generate new covers. You didn’t need thousands of dollars to get it done. You simply went back to Midjourney and fiddled with your inputs.
How did you change your prompt inputs from the first grouping to the second?Thomas: What did you change from the first group of covers, which weren’t working, to the second wave? What words did you change?
Danny: To be honest, I didn’t use any different words. I used the exact same prompt every single time until an image worked. All the images looked very different.
Many people think you press a button and get what you want, but much of what Midjourney generates is unusable. AI is notoriously terrible with hands, and it’s a little bit terrifying. Sometimes you’ll see someone with 12 fingers, so you can’t use that. I come from a graphic design background and have illustrative abilities, so I could fix that, but it’s a lot of work.
Sometimes if you’re really unlucky, you’ll have an arm turning into a torso with a head growing out of it. It gets grotesque.
You have to spend hours and hours generating AI images so that there will be a few good images to choose from.
Thomas: Initially, you input a paragraph describing the scene. “I want two people on a book cover, and the girl has red hair and a blue shirt.” Then you copied and pasted that same paragraph, clicked “generate” again, and got different images.
Some authors make the mistake of only clicking “generate” once. They might describe the scene, click generate, and get the monstrosity of a hand with 12 fingers. After one click, they determine AI is dumb, and everyone recommending it is stupid. If they had just clicked “generate” one more time on that same input, they might have seen a good version the next time.
It requires a real shift in thinking. In the past, it was very expensive to contract an artist. The structure of the design was fitted around maximizing the illustrator’s time.
Using AI requires the same kind of shift in thinking that happened when we moved from printing on paper to publishing on the web.
Paper was expensive, so the design techniques involved squishing as much information on a page as possible so you didn’t waste paper.
For example, we’d design the text to wrap around the photo so that we use all the available space on the paper. Magazines and newspapers used text-wrapping.
When people started designing websites, they used the same text-wrapping technique, but it wasn’t necessary. Space is unlimited online, and you don’t pay per page.
The limiting factor in web design is people’s attention. White space helps reset people’s attention and provides some visual breathing room. People will spend more time reading your article if you don’t wrap the text.
That shift in thinking is often difficult because those old rules existed for old reasons. AI is changing the rules. It’s like going from a typewriter to a word processor. Editing a typewritten draft was painful and expensive, but with a word processor, editing is comparatively easy.
If AI generates a new image every time, how do you keep your character consistent from cover to cover?Danny: One of the downsides of using AI is that there is no way to do that. I’ve tested it quite extensively. It doesn’t generate the same image even if you describe the hooked nose or full lips. You just have to generate a lot of images and hope it looks similar.
I have a reader magnet on my website, and the male character on that cover is supposed to be the same male character on the second book cover. It’s similar enough, but there is no way to make it exactly the same.
In some ways, the best way for authors to use AI is to A/B test several covers on Facebook and then go to an illustrator and say, “Paint this image as close as you can, and this is what the character should look like.” For each subsequent book cover, you’d return to the same illustrator. When you provide a designer with the AI image, they’ll have the color palettes and composition and can create a much better final product than the AI could.
Thomas: You’re basically using AI to generate an in-depth design document.
You can take your AI-generated image to an illustrator and ask them to fix certain elements the AI got wrong.
It’s important to note that the mainstream use of AI won’t make humans obsolete. In the United States, there are twice as many job openings as people looking for jobs. If the robots are coming for our jobs, they’re moving slowly.
Past technological revolutions may have made some jobs obsolete, but they have also shifted jobs around. Often, technological advances create more and different kinds of jobs.
AI isn’t necessarily putting illustrators out of their jobs, but it is changing their jobs. An illustrator used to talk to a client to figure out what they wanted, and those conversations were often points of frustration. The client and designer each had a mental picture of the design, and as they discussed their mental images, they seemed to be on the same page. But when the designer painted the image he’d imagined, the client was often unhappy because it didn’t match the picture in their own head.
AI-generated images could potentially help reduce some friction while still leaving room for the creativity and skill of the designer.
How does AI handle typography?Thomas: Your covers have strong typography. I assume that you didn’t do this with, Midjourney. Did you add it later?
Danny: Yes. I did the typography.
As I mentioned, I come from a graphic design background. I did a lot of graphic manipulation for the actual images. The images generated by AI weren’t ready to stick on a cover.
One of the prompts I used was “movie poster” and “book cover.” Wording like that will give you compositions that look great. Unfortunately, they’ll also have gibberish lettering. It’s weird. The images look best with those prompts, but you have to remove the nonsensical lettering in Photoshop. It’s not layered, so you have to manipulate it manually.
Thomas: By the time we get the next two or three versions of DALL-E, they’ll have figured out how to remove gibberish letters from the book cover.
Danny: I’m still waiting for five-finger hands, so hopefully they’ll do that too.
The AI-generated images made the protagonist too short, and there was too much white space at the top, so I had to fix that.
The faces weren’t exactly right either. To upscale the faces, I found a script called GFPGAN that you load into your own Google Drive. It can be used to upscale old photos. I saw a YouTube video where someone used it with DALL-E to clean up faces, and it looked really good.
Even the resolution sizes aren’t great for print, so I had to use another AI program to upscale the resolution, making a low-resolution image high-resolution. There are many free services that upscale AI images.
Creating a book cover using AI-generated art requires a lot of understanding and work. Editing the image requires many additional steps before you have a suitable image.
Thomas: When using AI, it’s important to understand you can and should use multiple AI tools for different tasks. Danny used one tool to create the initial image, another to generally upscale that image, and a third tool to specifically upscale the faces.
It’s like going from using hand tools to power tools. Once you start using power tools, you have a power drill, a power saw, and a power screwdriver. Just because each tool uses a battery doesn’t mean you use them in the same way. AI is a set of tools.
What tips do you have for someone who wants to use Midjourney to design a book cover?
Danny: Midjourney is great for developing ideas. If you’re trying to create a new character, you can input characteristics like “black hair and blue eyes,” and it’ll create a character for you.
Scenes generated by Midjourney.If you want to write a scene set in a tavern, you can input “low-lit tavern candles on the table,” and it’ll create a tavern environment. You just describe what you’ve seen. It’s a great little shortcut if you have writer’s block.
Thomas: In film, they use the same technique and call it storyboarding. A storyboard is like a comic book picture of the scene. Alfred Hitchcock was famous for storyboarding the whole movie ahead of time. He actually thought the filming was boring cause he’d already solved all of the scenes in the storyboard.
Hiring a storyboard artist is expensive. But you can use Midjourney to create storyboards for your scenes. It will help you write a detailed scene.
Midjourney doesn’t replace you or do your work, but it helps you do better work than you’d have done otherwise. You know how to describe a tavern, but Midjourney gives you more ideas and helps you think differently.
How did you use ChatGPT to write your book?Danny: I used ChatGPT for writing a separate four-book series that had been noodling around in the back of my head. I knew the main character and had some story beats, but I hadn’t had time to outline the series or do the world-building.
I wondered how I could use ChatGPT to get the series written and out the door.
I spent two days playing around with it, and by the end of the weekend, I had the main outline for four books. It was incredible. What normally takes me a couple of months to brainstorm was done in two days. It was mind-blowing.
What did you learn from playing around with ChatGPT?Thomas: Wow. What do you mean by playing around with it? What were you doing?
Danny: You have to figure out how to talk to the AI. For example, if you want an outline, you have to ask it to “provide an outline based on the following synopsis.” If you say, “outline the following synopsis,” it might write exactly what you wrote, which is not helpful.
But if you provide a detailed outline, it’ll fill in some details in interesting ways you didn’t expect. Some ideas make sense for how the story should go, but most of the stuff it generates isn’t useful.
Most of the time, it’ll inspire something else in your mind. You may not like the words it generated, but you may like the direction it took, and you can modify that.
The great thing about ChatGPT is that it remembers what you’ve said or written before. You can tell it, “I don’t like this, rewrite it, and include these details.” You’ll just keep developing it with more detailed guidance.
Thomas: It’s like having an enthusiastic brainstorming partner who loves your ideas and riffs off them. Even though most of their ideas aren’t helpful, they’re enthused to participate in the process.
Danny: Everyone knows Alexandre Dumas wrote the Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. But people don’t realize those books were co-written with Auguste Maquet.
Maquet was never given credit for the 18 books they wrote together. He tried to sue the publisher, but the courts voted against him. He never got his name on those books, but he was the one who outlined the stories.
I’m approaching ChatGPT in a similar way. It’s my Auguste Maquet, and with its help, I developed the story. I’ll change things as I write because that’s the writing process.
Does ChatGPT write the chapter based on the outline, or do you?Thomas: Do you ask ChatGPT to use the outline to generate a chapter, or do you write the chapter on your own?
Danny: You could use it to generate a chapter. I usually tell it to generate ten chapter titles. It’ll give you ideas about breaking that story into ten chapters and how the book could be outlined.
I’ll probably write more than ten chapters, but the chapter titles it generates will provide a sequence. I tried using it to write the chapters, but the prose is awful, and the dialog is too on-point. ChatGPT uses no subtext.
Thomas: I mentioned that ChatGPT was able to pass college exams, but when you read the article, you’ll see it received a C grade. It’s not that great.
Future versions of ChatGPT will be better, but they will never replace the beauty a human brings to a piece of writing, especially when it comes to subtext and saying two things at once.
You could use AI to write a book, but you’ll have to constantly judge the quality and accuracy of the content it produces.
Much of what you’re doing is judging. You have to know what good prose and good book covers look like. You looked at hundreds of terrible covers to get those eight dazzling covers. Then you judged which eight you’d post on AuthorMedia.social. You couldn’t have tested hundreds of covers on Facebook.
Danny: No. AI provides a good, quick way to sketch things in, to rough it in. Michelangelo’s first hour sculpting David only gave an approximation of what a human would look like. He had to take it the rest of the way himself.
Learning how to talk to AI takes a lot of work and research. It doesn’t have a context unless you provide one.
If you ask it to write a story without giving it direction, it’ll generate a princess in a tower because that’s all it knows. It won’t add any of that creative spark that makes a story pop, nor will it have a good voice. People read books because they like the author’s voice. You cannot get that from ChatGPT or Sudowrite.
Thomas: Both tools provide rudimentary writing.
How do you become fluent in AI-speak so you can help the computer understand what you want?Danny: Midjourney has an entire community behind it. In the community tab, you can see what other people use for prompts. As people share their prompts alongside the image Midjourney produced, you start to understand why Midjourney is creating an image in a certain way.
For instance, if you include “volumetric lighting” as part of the prompt, those images will have a smoky background, as if things are disappearing into the mist. You can catalog that for future use when you need an image with that effect.
If you want something to look more real, you can use a term like “ultra-realistic.” My best advice is to observe what other people are doing. Test it out and see what the outcomes are. If it doesn’t work, just play with it, and figure out why it gave you what it did.
Thomas: Midjourney’s community is run through Discord. I think that’s one reason Midjourney is winning the market share battle, especially with authors. You can use Midjourney for free and get a certain number of prompts free, but you have to publicly share your prompts and the results so other people can learn too.
Danny: As you use it, your vocabulary develops and becomes a little more second-nature. It’s literally just learning the language so you can speak to AI.
ChatGPT is a little easier to talk to because you can just ask it questions.
You can input a synopsis or chapter and ask ChatGPT questions about it, such as, “What are three other things the main character could be doing in this scene?” It will generate three ideas for you.
If you’ve written a boring scene, ChatGPT will provide some concepts you can play around with. Maybe none of them will work, but it’ll give you something to consider.
AI and EthicsThomas: That brings up the ethical questions. Technically you can say, “Give me a cover inspired by Rembrandt,” and it will give you a Rembrandt-style image. Rembrandt has been dead for a long time, and his work is in the public domain. People probably won’t be mad about your Rembrandt-style cover.
But you could also choose a living artist and say, “Write a Danny-Santos-style book, and if ChatGPT had been fed Dany Santos books in the past, it would produce something similar. However, Danny F. Santos wouldn’t get any money or credit.
Some artists are suing Deviant Art, which has made its art library available to train these AI algorithms.
What are your thoughts on the ethics surrounding AI? Thomas: How would you feel If I published a Danny-Santos-inspired book cover?
Danny: This is sticky territory. I don’t have a good answer because it’s so new. I hope people use it as a tool to inspire creativity and not to copy other authors.
I don’t want to write a Brandon Sanderson book. I want to write a Danny F. Santos book. At some point, you might get the AI to spit out a Sanderson novel and put your name on it. I do not do that.
Thomas: While the application is new and weird, the ethical framework is not. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s a good ethical heuristic that’s helpful in this context.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a good ethical heuristic that’s helpful in this context.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
Would you want somebody using AI to steal your style? Probably not.
Do you mind if somebody uses AI where your work is included in the millions of pieces of writing it’s pulling from? Probably not. But if it’s specifically copying Thomas Umstattd’s style, that feels more like a violation.
The Golden Rule is a good guide for navigating the new weirdness.
Danny: Works fully generated by AI are not covered under copyright. Several court cases have addressed the issue. The most famous one was the monkey that took a picture of itself. PETA wanted the monkey to get the photo credit, but the courts ruled that only humans could have copyrights.
If you create an entirely AI-generated book, you can’t copyright it under your name.
Thomas: I hope that will discourage people from going 100% AI because that’s certainly not what we recommend.
Don’t flood Amazon with a bunch of 100% AI books. ChatGPT very recently rolled out a tool that can detect AI text. It’s a reverse-engineered version of ChatGPT that uses the predictive algorithm to guess the likelihood of whether that text was AI-generated. It may set the world on fire because people will see whether social media comments are real or AI-generated. It will be a little mind-boggling when people realize how much of their online interaction is with bots. That’s my hot take. You can fact-check me on that a year from now.
Approach AI the same way Danny did. If you get a terrible image or paragraph, don’t view it as a failure. View it as learning how to use the tool.
The more you learn about how to interact with AI tools, the easier they’ll be to use. You don’t want to wake up one day to find that everybody else can write books faster and better than you because they know how to use the tools, and you’re playing catchup.
Danny: I’m glad you brought up speed because I ran some numbers.
A tool like Sudowrite helps me write a first draft 16% faster. It’s not much faster because you must wait for it to generate ideas. It’s pretty quick, but you still have to wait. It’ll generate several ideas, and sometimes they’re unusable. You can’t use AI to plow through a first draft.
However, when I use dictation tools, I’m 63% faster. You’ll write books faster using dictation than you will using current AI tools.
Thomas: I see authors using Sudowrite (Affiliate Link) to help with the brainstorming and dictation to help with speed.
Dictation, which is also AI, turns your voice into text. It’s simpler AI that’s far more popular. Many authors are playing around with dictation right now.
When a technology is new, there are many different ways to use it.
For instance, 100 years ago we knew flying was possible because we had two competing technologies for flying: zeppelins and airplanes. Both were incredibly dangerous for people.
Airplanes were 100% fatal, but people had survived a zeppelin crash (the Hindenburg). At that time, people thought that zeppelin technology would win the flight-technology race. Today, the Goodyear blimp is the only well-known zeppelin.
Which do you think has a better impact on the quality of the writing?Danny: Sudowrite is better. My favorite tool in their suite is “Show Don’t Tell.”
In my first drafts, I typically tell more than I show. When I finish the draft, I can select the “telling” and ask Sudowrite to “show don’t tell.” It provides some descriptive wording, and I edit the description according to my voice.
Thomas: ChatGPT may be a fad, and dictation may win out. But I think ChatGPT will get faster. The prompts will get better, but the dictation technology will also improve.
Give it a try. Play with it. Just don’t write it off.
Connect with Danny F. Santos and check out his book covers at his website, DannyFSantos.com.
Featured PatronKamuela Kaneshiro, author of Legends from the Pacific: Book 1
“Have you ever been curious about Asian and Pacific Folklore? Join Hawaii’s Goddess of fire, Pele, in her search for sanctuary. Confront the Philippine’s shape-shifting vampire. Fight beside Samoa’s Goddess of War. Embrace exile with the Goddess of Bats. Battle the dreaded Wendigo. And witness Hawaii’s Ocean Goddess get vengeance against her sister, Pele.
These collected stories influenced cultures, formed beliefs, explained the unknown, and spread throughout the world to become Legends from the Pacific. Get your copy on Amazon or LegendsFromThePacific.com now.”
Legends from the Pacific is also a podcast! You can listen at LegendsFromThePacific.com.
Kamuela’s heritage (part Asian/Native Hawaiian) and history (raised in Honolulu) make him the ideal host for his podcast, Legends from the Pacific.”
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Related Episodes* AI Tools for Authors * How to Work with an AI Writing Assistant * Book Cover Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Marketing
The post ChatGPT & Midjourney for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Firm handshakes, sharp dressing, smiles, and eye contact were sure signs of a confident professional. But in this age of fist bumps and Zoom calls, many first impressions are made over a screen. Authors who know how to look and sound professional on screen for a webinar have an advantage.
As your author career progresses, you’ll spend more and more time on camera, and presenting yourself as a professional on screen is critical to your ongoing success.
Most authors use their laptops’ built-in microphones and cameras and hope for the best.
If you want an edge over most authors and want to look and sound professional on camera, a little know-how can set you apart. Improving the quality of your video can open doors for you and help readers, gatekeepers, and critics see you as a serious author and not an imposter.
What simple tricks will take your videos from amateur to professional quality?
How to Look Professional on a WebinarThe first thing people will notice is your appearance. Before they click play, they will see you. So let’s talk about how to look good on video calls or webinars.
Use a Good WebcamI’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the webcam on your expensive, brand-new laptop is terrible. The problem is physics. Your laptop lid is too thin for a good lens. It just can’t capture enough light to make a good image, so the laptop manufacturer has to use a small, low-quality camera.
Here are some examples to show you what I mean.
Built-in WebcamTaken with the default Apple laptop webcam. Notice how blurry and dull the image is. Almost all Macs use this 720p camera and there is no way to make the image look good.The default Apple laptop webcam produces a blurry and dull image. Almost all Macs use this 720p camera, and you cannot make the webcam image look professional enough for a webinar.
Expensive Facecam ProThis image was taken with the $300 Elgato Facecam Pro using $400 of Elgato Key Lights (Affiliate Links).
How the $300 Elgato Facecam Pro looks using $400 worth of Elgato Key Lights (Affiliate Links).
An expensive webcam and lights will produce a better image than your default camera with no lights. But what if there was a way to get this high-quality, professional look for your next webinar without spending hundreds of dollars?
Webcam In Your PocketTaken with my iPhone as a webcam using Apple’s new feature with my key lights off. For this image, I used my iPhone as a webcam. This is with my key lights turned off. I’m using Apple’s new feature.
In 2020, Apple realized their computers had terrible cameras and Apple users looked terrible on Zoom calls. To improve Apple’s reputation and their users’ camera quality, they released a new feature called Continuity Camera. Continuity Camera mode turns your iPhone XR (or newer) into a webcam.
Can you believe it? The best webcam you can buy is already in your pocket!
You don’t need to spend $700 on Elgato gear. You only need a $20 laptop mount or desktop mount (Affiliate Links) to mount your phone on top of your monitor.
If you have a PC and an iPhone, you can use your phone as a webcam using Elgato Epoccam.
If you have an Android, you can turn it into a PC webcam with Droidcam.
There is no way I know of to use an android phone as a camera on a Mac.
Invest in Studio LightsIf you can’t use your phone as a camera, you may want to invest in studio lights.
Taken with the Elgato Facecam Pro WITHOUT using the Elgato Key Light. Notice how muted the colors are compared to how the same scene with my iPhone above.This is how the Elgato Facecam Pro looks WITHOUT using the Elgato Key Light. Notice how muted the colors are compared to the same shot taken with my iPhone above.
If you are…past a certain age…avoid the temptation to buy a small ring light. Small ring lights tend to be flattering for younger faces and less flattering for older faces.
I recommend a large soft light like the Elgato Key Light (Affiliate Link). Large light sources emit a softer light that hides wrinkles and other age markers. The Elgato Key Light also lets you tweak the brightness and color temperature to get the right amount of light on your face.
If you do get a ring light, buy a large one. The larger the light source, the softer the light.
If you use an iPhone as your webcam, you don’t need a key light. Instead of spending $200 on a key light, consider buying an old iPhone 12 to use as your permanent webcam. Since you won’t use it as a phone, even a preowned iPhone with a cracked screen will work as a webcam.
Wear Solid ColorsI remember being surprised when I saw my photo in the Austin newspaper. I had attended a political protest, and photojournalists had been taking my photo all day, so the photo wasn’t surprising. The biggest surprise was that I was wearing a solid, light blue dress shirt in the photo.
But I didn’t own a solid light blue dress shirt.
That day I wore my white shirt with navy stripes. But don’t worry. It wasn’t a bizarre fake news conspiracy to change my shirt color for the newspaper.
Digital cameras use a technology called compression to fit gigabytes of visual data into an image that is only a few megabytes in size. During the decompression process, errors enter the photo, and the decompression algorithm tries to filter out the errors. That algorithm had interpreted my stripes as a visual error, and “error corrected” the white and navy blue stripes into a solid light blue.
These decompression errors can create a strange shimmer effect that is visually distracting. Avoid wearing stripes or patterns as your “TV” outfit.
Put The Light in Front of YouIf you have a window behind you, your face will be in shadow.
Taken with the $300 Facecam Pro with window light behind me.Here is how I look on the $300 Facecam Pro with a window behind me.
Since the light through the window is so bright, the camera is trying to focus on what’s outside the window. As a result, the scene in the foreground is dark. To prevent this from happening, I normally cover the windows with blackout curtains when I’m recording. Blackout curtains can also muffle sounds from noisy neighbors.
Here is how that same “open window” scene looks when I use my iPhone as my webcam.
That same scene when I use my iPhone as my webcam.My face is still in shadow, but you will probably only notice if you look for it. The iPhone uses an advanced neural engine to light different parts of the scene differently. Think of it as super HDR.
As you arrange your writing space, place most of the light in front of you and behind the webcam.
Brand Your Background No one wants to see your messy office or bedroom as the backdrop of your video. Blurring the background doesn’t help much because people are Zoom savvy and know you’re blurring your background because of the laundry behind you. Plus, you won’t always be able to use Zoom to obscure the background.
If you don’t know what to use as a background, consider bookshelves full of books. A full bookshelf will help brand you as an author and has the bonus benefit of being very good for acoustics. Full bookshelves block sound and deaden echoes.
I went to a used bookstore and purchased several old encyclopedia sets, and I think they look sharp on the shelves behind me.
Be a bit creative with your background. Bookshelves can feel generic. If you write fantasy, mount swords on the wall behind you, or buy a fancy wardrobe. Your options are only limited by your space, imagination, and budget.
Raise the Camera to Look Thinner They say the camera adds ten pounds when the camera angle comes from below your nose. The lower the camera, the more chins you appear to have.
Camera height is one reason laptop webcam angles are so unflattering. To comfortably type, your laptop must sit at arm height, which puts the microphone and camera at chest height, shooting up your nose. This “up the nose” camera angle is not flattering for anyone.
Next time you see an influencer taking a selfie, watch how high they hold the camera. The higher angle is more flattering.
A camera looking slightly down on you will make you look thinner, while a camera looking up at you will make you look heavier. To avoid the camera-induced heaviness, arrange your laptop on a stack of books, or mount your camera on a large external monitor on a high stand.
Use Soft Lighting to Look Younger
In general, more light is better for a better image, but be careful! Harsh overhead lights can make you look old and tired as they darken the bags under your eyes and accentuate your wrinkles.
If the overhead light is the only light in the room, your eyebrows will put your eyes in shadow, giving you a creepy, untrustworthy look.
I bought five standing Tågarp floor lamps from Ikea for $12 each and spread them around my office, behind and beside my desk. These lights bounce off the walls, filling the room with diffused, wrinkle-hiding light for only $60. They work wonders with my iPhone webcam.
Look At The Camera, Not at Your Computer ScreenLooking at the camera is the hardest tip for me to implement. When I am presenting, I tend to look at my face in the video or at my notes. But for the best presentation, you should look directly into the camera. People expect you to look at them, and the more off-axis your eye line is, the more disorienting your video will be for viewers.
I have spent a small fortune on teleprompters, and sadly I have found no live webinar setup worth recommending.
The best practice is to look into the camera as much as possible. If your eyes wander to a certain element of your screen, put that element as close to the camera as possible.
How to Sound Professional on a Video CallOnce your video looks sharp, you’ll want to address your sound quality.
PracticeWith practice, you will stutter less, use fewer filler words, and avoid unnecessary repetition. Eliminating vocal clutter will make you sound smart, authoritative, and compelling.
I try to practice a new talk on my family before I deliver it to an online audience. I connect my laptop to the TV and present as if I were at a business meeting. If my presentation can hold a four-year-old’s attention, it can hold the attention of a stressed, distracted webinar attendee.
Remember, the only reason someone will watch your webinar is that it’s the most interesting thing on the internet for them at that time.
Use a Real Microphone The microphone built into your laptop may be good enough for a Zoom call, but it won’t sound professional on a webinar. For years I’ve been recommending the Samson Q2u, the best $70 microphone on the market. But now, I recommend the Samson Q9u (Affiliate Links). It’s more expensive but sounds much better and looks better on camera. Either microphone will sound immeasurably better than the built-in microphone on your computer.
Using a microphone arm to hold the Samson mic may allow you to keep the microphone out of the video picture while keeping it close to your mouth for that rich proximity effect sound.
You could also use a lapel mic. I found this USB lapel microphone (Affiliate Link), which I haven’t tested yet, but it looks like it could work.
Wear HeadphonesEcho is caused when audio comes out of the speaker and goes back into the microphone. The internet delay turns this phenomenon into an echo rather than the whine you often hear from a microphone on stage when you’re listening in person.
To prevent echo in a video call, use software echo cancellation. Zoom uses echo cancellation by default, but more professional tools allow hosts to turn echo cancellation off.
Why would you want to turn echo cancelation off? Because removing the bad echo also removes some of the good audio frequencies. Removing echo cancellation gives the video a hollow, empty sound.
Professionals eliminate the echo in the first place by requiring everyone on camera to wear headphones or earbuds. I currently use the Sony MDR7506 (Affiliate Link) headphones, which provide better sound than earbuds.
If you prefer something less conspicuous than bulky headphones, you can wear earbuds. The MEE audio M6 Sport Wired Earbuds (Affiliate Link) are nearly invisible and cost around $15.
Avoid Gaming HeadsetsYou may be tempted to use a gaming headset. Authors with teenage sons often get these for Christmas or borrow them from the family Xbox. Unfortunately, the frequency response in gaming headsets lacks depth and makes voices, especially female voices, sound unnecessarily shrill. You don’t notice it while gaming, but that shrill sound is not good for professional video.
Bottom Line: Gaming headsets are designed to make the game’s sound effects sound good. They do not make your voice sound good.
Raise Your Eyebrows and SmileIt is easy to sound tired, especially if you were up with the kids all night and have been sitting at your computer all day (Ask me how I know!). Forcing yourself to sound artificially energetic will cause you to sound like a hyper car salesman.
Instead, focus on your facial expression. Raise your eyebrows and smile.
Pulling your face up adds energy to your voice in an authentic-sounding way.
Experiment with it right now.
- Pretend to be super tired.
- Droop your shoulders and relax your face.
- Now, say something.
Hear how that sounds? Now raise your eyebrows and smile. How does that sound?
As the adage goes, “It is easier to act your way into a new way of feeling than it is to feel your way into a new way of acting.” You have full control over your actions. Even if the feelings never follow, at least you will have given a high-energy presentation because you put energy into your face. Your audience deserves your best, even if you don’t feel your best.
Advanced TechniquesIf live video is a major part of your platform, you may want to invest more time and money into advanced techniques to further improve your video quality.
Get a Sit and Stand DeskI use the Bekant sit/stand desk from Ikea. It allows me to present standing up, which improves my presentation energy. It is harder to maintain high energy while sitting. That said, I often have to present when I’m sick, so having the option to sit has been a lifesaver.
If you are new to standing desks, you’ll want to get an anti-fatigue floor mat (Affiliate Link) to stand on. The floor mat will save you some back and foot pain. People who don’t know this trick often give up on their standing desks due to back pain.
Recording LightMost authors record video calls in a home filled with noisy humans.
The easiest way to silently send your family the “Quiet Please” signal is with an $8 door knob hanger like this one (Affiliate Link). A door knob hanger is inconspicuous and can keep people from barging into the room, but people may not notice it.
Since I live with small energetic children, I need something more obvious than a door hanger. I used one of my Tågarp floor lamps from Ikea and put a red light bulb (Affiliate Link) in it. I then connected the lamp to a Phillips Hue Smart Plug (Affiliate Link), which allows me to turn the red light on and off from my desk. This setup cost about $60, and I like it so much that I added a second recording light downstairs. With the push of a button, I can bathe the whole house in the “Please be quiet” light.
Our toddlers call this the “quiet light.” When it is on, they are supposed to be quiet.Our toddlers call this the “quiet light.” When it is on, they are supposed to be quiet.
Buy a Solid Core DoorA quiet light won’t work for pets or extremely upset toddlers. To acoustically isolate my office for video calls, I replaced the hollow bedroom door with a solid core door. The solid core door blocks about 80% of child noise. Installing a door is a big project, but it might be worth it. Another option is to fill your door with insulating spray foam.
Final ThoughtsI’ve just given you a lot of tips to improve your audio and video. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry. Most authors know none of this information, so even if you only implement one tip, it will give you a major advantage. Feel free to take it slow and improve your setup over time.
If you can only implement one tip, you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck by using your phone as your webcam. The difference will be dazzling!
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With this course, you will learn how to become a sought-after podcast guest with access to thought leaders and readers alike.
If you are ready to get your book the attention it deserves, this course is for you.
Featured PatronsNew January Patrons:
- Lisa Baker
- Sophie du Bois
- Nikki Hertzler
- Anni
- Jen Richards
- Susan Macias
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Related Episodes* How to Sound Great As a Podcast Guest * How to Get Booked for Guest Podcast Interviews Overview * How to Start an Author Podcast
The post How to Look and Sound Professional on Webinars, Podcasts, and Video Calls appeared first on Author Media.
Imagine you’re walking down the street and seeing a restaurant with a huge crowd outside, straining to see and hear the live musicians inside. Across the street, you see a solo guitarist with a few coins in his open guitar case.
Which musical performance do you think is better? Most people would choose the performer with the audience.
Scientists have long studied this phenomenon called social proof. People want to do what they see other people doing.
They want to read what they see other people reading.
In a similar way, readers find out which books are popular by looking for social proof in the form of reviews. You’ve probably done it yourself. When you see one book with five reviews and another with 500, which do you lean toward?
But it’s not just readers who are looking for social proof.
Amazon also places books with more reviews higher in their search engine rankings. Reviews make securing a slot on promo sites like Book Bub easier. The Goodreads promotion engine only kicks in after a book has 300 reviews.
To paraphrase the Matthew Effect, we might say, “To him who has reviews, more reviews will be given. But to him who has no reviews, no reviews will be given.”
But how do you get those first book reviews that lead to more reviews?
I asked Derek Dopeker, who is an expert at getting book reviews.
He went from being a broke valet to a bestselling author and successful marketing strategist. He’s sold over 100,000 books using low-cost marketing strategies. Now he shares these strategies with fellow authors to help them to turn their passion for writing into a successful career.
How do you get more reviews for your book?Derek: We can break it down into three main parts.
Find Ideal ReadersConnect with people who want to read a book like yours and are open to leaving a review.
Get Readers to Agree to Leave Reviews You’ll have to reach out and ask people to review your book and get them to say, “Yes! I’ll leave a review.”
Get Readers to Write and Post Their ReviewsOften, readers promise to leave a review as part of an early reader team or launch team, but they just don’t follow through.
The weeks fly by, and you want to say, “Can you hurry up and leave that review?”
It feels awkward. You’re trying to nudge readers and follow up, but you feel like they’re doing you a favor, so you don’t want to twist their arm too much. By the same token, you need those reviews.
How do you get people to follow through?
As you might know, incentivizing people to leave a review goes against Amazon’s terms of service. For example, you can’t tell readers you’ll give them a prize or bonus if they leave a review. Besides being a violation of Amazon’s terms of service, you’d end up with biased reviews.
Ask Your Email Subscribers for ReviewsThomas: The size of your email list correlates to the number of reviews you’ll get. Many of the tactics we’ll explore are dependent on the author being able to ask their readers for reviews in various ways.
To get more reviews, you need to ask the right person in the right way. If you can’t communicate directly with your readers, getting reviews is much harder.
Starting and growing your email list is critical for selling books, but it’s also important for getting book reviews.
Derek: Whatever you do to build your email list, make sure you connect with the right people. You want quality readers who are a good fit for your writing. As you communicate through email, they’ll get to know, like, and trust you and the material you’re writing.
Thomas: The right readers are more likely to buy your book, open your emails, and write a review. They are your real fans.
If you want to learn more about building your email list, start by checking out the following episodes:
- How to Build an Email List Before Your First Book Comes Out Using Short Stories
- How to Grow Your Email List Using Delicious Reader Magnets with Tammi Labrecque
- How Jason Porterfield Grew His Email List from 0 to 6,000 in One Year
- How to Use QR Codes to Boost Book Sales & Grow Your Email List
Send a Request for Book ReviewsDerek: When you’ve found someone who is an ideal reader for your book, then you make the request. You could ask the people on your email list, book review bloggers, or YouTubers who review books.
The key to getting any of those people to say “yes” is to personalize each email.
If you’re writing to a book blogger, you might say, “I checked out your blog and love what you’re doing. I like what you said about a particular book in that blog post.”
A tailored email lets the person know you are a human, not a spambot. Take time to learn about the blogger or podcaster and add a personal element to your pitch.
After your personalized intro, transition into the information and request by saying, “I have a book you might enjoy, and these are the reasons I think you might like it.” You want to hook them with why they’d want to read your book.
Don’t merely say, “Hey, I have a new sci-fi thriller book coming out. Do you want a free copy?” People can find tens of thousands of free books in every genre. A free copy is not an incentive. You need to hook them with a short little hook formula.
Hook Formula #1For example, you might say, “If you’re a fan of X, Y, and Z books, you’ll probably enjoy this book too.” X, Y, and Z could be three similar authors, books, or descriptors.
Mr. Ballen has a YouTube channel where he tells stories. To find his ideal viewer, he asks, “Are you a fan of the strange, dark, and mysterious?” His fans know exactly what they’re in for.
Since I write personal development books, I might say, “If you’re a fan of Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, or John Asraf, you might dig my book.”
Use descriptors, wording, authors, or books that clearly communicate the genre where your book fits.
Hook Formula #2You can take a different angle and say, “If you hate X, you’ll love my book.”
I saw a review for the show The Expanse that said, “If you hate unrealistic plots and improbable dialogue, you’ll enjoy the show.”
You’ll need to use specific descriptors. You can’t simply say, “If you hate boring books and love entertaining books.” That’s far too vague.
Find out if there’s a trope people are tired of. One romance author student I talked to was annoyed by helpless heroines. She might say, “If you’re tired of helpless heroines and love a strong, empowered heroine, this book is for you.”
Think about what makes your book unique. What do you stand against? What are you in favor of?
Specificity Attracts the Right ReadersThomas: Don’t worry about turning off the wrong readers. Not everyone wants what you’re offering. You want to attract only the right readers. The more specific your pitch, the more powerful it will be.
Derek: Remember, these formulas are simply prompts to get you started. You certainly shouldn’t use all of them in the same pitch.
The idea is to add specific elements so the right reader can identify whether your book is a good fit for them. At the same time, those elements will repel the wrong readers who won’t enjoy your book.
All your marketing will be clearer and simpler if you can identify the following:
- Who is my book for?
- Who is my book not for?
For example, I wrote a book on habits. In my marketing, I might say, “Now look, this book does not dive deep into scientific studies on habit creation. This is not hundreds of pages of in-depth research. If you want something that gets right to the point, this book is for people who are in a hurry and want actionable steps.”
I’d work to make that more concise, but I begin by considering who my book is and isn’t written for. It’s not for people who want to read in-depth scientific research.
I did the research and distilled it into the most practical action steps so you can immediately apply them.
Some people want all the research; others just want the applicable steps. By articulating who it is and isn’t for, I’m attracting the right kind of readers and preventing bad reviews from people who might be angry that I didn’t explain all the science behind it.
What should I do about a one-star review?No matter how clear you are, you’ll probably always have one-star reviews.
One of my one-star reviews is from someone who thought I was Deepak Chopra instead of Derek Doepker. I don’t know what to do about that other than use it to get a chuckle from my readers.
If you get some negative or silly reviews where you can tell the person just wasn’t a good fit for the book, you can use it in your marketing.
Case Studies in Leveraging One-Star ReviewsSnowbird MountainSnowbird Mountain is a ski resort that has created a whole ad campaign from its one-star reviews. One ad features a gorgeous snow-covered ski slope and the text of a one-star review that says, “I’ve heard Snowbird is a tough mountain, but this is ridiculous. It felt like every trail was a steep chute or littered with tree wells. How is anyone supposed to ride in that? Not fun!” -Greg, Los Angles, CA
Their ad used a one-star review to show that they’re not trying to attract beginners. Snowbird is for advanced skiers who want the challenge of a tough mountain.
Austin DrafthouseThomas: A local movie theater in Austin called the Alamo Drafthouse has a strict no-talking policy. For years, they had an ad that played before the movie began. It was a voicemail from an angry customer who’d been kicked out of the theater for talking during the movie. After they played her voicemail, the screen said, “Talk. Get kicked out.”
That’s the entire ad.
They sent the clear message that if you like to talk during the movie, you should not come to that theatre. They know who they’re appealing to. People who like the Alamo Drafthouse like the no-talking rule. They’re also glad it makes the talkers mad enough to go to AMC.
Let Your Fans Defend YouThe other advantage of sharing one-star reviews with your audience is that it can motivate them to leave five-star reviews, especially if you make it obvious. You could say, “If you disagree with this reviewer, be sure to leave your review.”
Some authors anticipate their first one-star review. They know it will provoke an emotional response in their fans, and if they share that review with their email subscribers, they’ll get a surge of positive reviews.
A strong emotional response will prompt people to leave a review. Their strong feelings motivate them to act and put forth the effort. If they have a powerful emotional experience at the end of the book that makes them angry, happy, or excited, they’ll be far more likely to leave a review.
Think about the things you’ve reviewed on Amazon. You’ve probably reviewed the things you’ve loved (five stars) and the things you’ve hated (one star).
Derek: This is a microcosm of the bigger marketing picture. When you understand how to get reviews, you learn how to pitch your book. You’re learning how to repel the wrong people, and attract the right people.
A negative review can activate your fans. Read some of the one-star reviews of one of your favorite books, and see if you aren’t emotionally motivated to leave a review.
You’re Not the Only OneI really like the book Made to Stick. It was such a great book I couldn’t imagine anyone would leave a bad review. One day, I got curious and looked to see if there were negative reviews. There were, and they made me angry. I wanted to let people know it was a really good book.
Sharing a negative review with your fans may cause them to come to your defense and leave a positive review.
Thomas: When your friend is insulted, you might take it personally and come to their defense. You want your readers to have that same passionate reaction to your book.
What do you do when people promise to leave a book review but don’t follow through?Derek: I strategically do not ask them to leave a review. For example, before you ask for a review, you might just start a conversation and say, “How are you enjoying the book so far?”
Whether you ask in a one-to-one email, a group email to your list, or an early reader group, you’ll get written responses that might work as reviews or testimonials.
You’re deliberately not asking for a review, and therefore they don’t feel such pressure to write a certain kind of review.
Start a Conversation via EmailSneak it in, so to speak, with a disarming question, “How are you enjoying the book so far?” You’ll probably get a variety of responses.
“I haven’t started.”When you ask, they might answer, “I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet,” in which case they’re not ready to write a review.
“Couldn’t put it down because…“Another person might answer, “It was amazing. I stayed up all night reading it. I love what you said about the topic.” In their answer, they’ve basically written a review without consciously thinking, “I’m writing you a review.”
When I get a response like that, I say, “Thank you so much for the positive feedback. I’m glad you loved it. Would you be willing to take seven seconds to copy and paste what you wrote here as a review wherever you purchase the book?”
It’s so easy for them that they do it. To reduce friction and make it even easier, you can link directly to the Amazon review page for that book if they bought the book from Amazon.
Thomas: Use caution, though. If you get too many reviews from a certain link, it looks inauthentic to Amazon’s system. Ask people to review, but if you send everybody to the Amazon review page, Amazon’s anti-spam system will catch that.
But I love the approach of asking what they thought about the book. It relieves the stress of staring at that blank white box on Amazon and trying to figure out what to write by perusing other reviews.
Your approach will yield good, unique, and authentic reviews. And if somebody says they hated the book, you don’t ask them to leave a review.
“I loved it but can’t articulate my thoughts.“Derek: Sometimes, a reader will go on and on. I can see a review there, but it needs to be cleaned up a little. I might clean it up for them and say, “What I’m hearing you say is basically….” then I send them the cleaned-up version and ask, “If this is accurate, would you be willing to copy and paste it as a review?”
“It was good. That is all.“Other readers might simply answer, “Yeah. The book was great.” That’s not really a review, but it’s a start. At that point, you can follow up with some questions.
- “I’m glad you enjoyed it. What specifically did you think was great about it?”
- “What would you say to someone who’s considering purchasing the book?”
- “Who was your favorite character?”
- “Which lesson was most practical?”
- “What element was most helpful?
- “What made you think differently?”
- “What did you like?”
- “What would have made it better?”
- “What did you disagree with?”
Thomas: Chances are they didn’t disagree with anything, but it’ll get them thinking about the book in a new way that will trigger more conversation.
Derek: I call this the bridge method because you build a bridge between reading the book and leaving a review.
How and Where to Incentivize Readers Derek: Again, you should never incentivize someone to leave a review on Amazon, but there’s no issue with asking for feedback in an email.
Questionnaire for FeedbackYou might ask readers to fill out a questionnaire just like a company might have customers fill out a feedback form.
You can say, “I have a book coming out, and if you’re willing to take five minutes to answer this questionnaire, I’ll enter you into a drawing.”
You’re not asking them to leave a review on Amazon. You’re simply asking them to fill out a questionnaire. You can incentivize them to fill out the questionnaire, and they often end up writing a good review somewhere in there.
At that point, you can say, “Hey, I love what you said here. Would you be willing to take seven seconds to copy and paste it as a review?”
Reviews as TestimonialsYou can also ask permission to use some of their wording as a testimonial in your marketing.
You may want to put a deadline on the questionnaire, especially when you have a book launch coming up. When you set a deadline, you can follow up with a reminder, and it doesn’t sound like you’re hounding your readers. Instead, you’re saying, “I don’t want you to miss out on this cool prize.”
Thomas: Surveying your readers benefits you as an author, even if you’re not asking them to leave a review at the end. Getting a sense of who they are and what they want is helpful. You may discover that your readers are different than you think. They might not match the ideal reader in your head.
Derek: If you find someone who is passionate about your book and seems to be a huge fan, see if you can get them on a Zoom call for 15-30 minutes. Some people would love the opportunity to share their opinions and feelings. During the call, ask some of those clarifying questions. When you can see their face, you can observe how they respond and feel their energy.
I’ve done that before. Now, when I’m writing or marketing, I think of that real person I connected with and write directly to that person.
Include a Request in the Back MatterThomas: Include a letter to the reader at the end of your book asking for feedback and encouraging their review.
If you publish wide, meaning your book is available in marketplaces beyond Amazon, customize your letter to the reader. If you use Vellum to create your books, you can customize the letter for each platform. For the Kobo book, your request for a review in the back matter will link to the review page on Kobo. If you only link to Amazon in the back matter, you’ll lose reviews from all the readers on Kobo and iBooks.
If you link to the store where they bought the book, they can tap their device and go straight to the review page. That reduces the friction and will increase the likelihood of them leaving a review.
Provide Instructions for Leaving a Book ReviewDerek: Leaving a review might seem easy to you, but it could be totally foreign to someone else. Maybe they’ve never done it before or don’t remember exactly how to do it.
To make it easy, record a video showing them how to leave a review on the various platforms.
Anticipate their objections or obstacles, and then consider ways you could help.
Ask for ReferralsIf someone left a great review or sent you a positive message, ask if they know of anyone else who might be interested in the book. Your current fans can be a source of new fans.
It’s an easy offer for them. They do not have to sell your book for you. They’re just inviting a friend to join your early reader group. Leverage your existing fans to invite more readers.
Send a Personal Thank-You NoteThomas: If someone left you a great review, send a personal message thanking them. You might say, “Hey Joe, I saw you left a review on Amazon. Thank you so much.”
Joe will be far more likely to leave you another review in the future. Imagine how you would feel if your favorite author sent you a personal note of thanks for leaving them a review. Remember that you’re building long-term relationships with your fans.
Ask Readers to Join the CauseDerek: Since I write nonfiction, I might say, “If you enjoy this book, would you share it with others so they can get the same benefits?”
Give them a reason to share that allows them to be part of a cause or mission. When you do, sharing ceases to be a chore. Instead, it’s a way to serve their friends.
When I ask for reviews, it’s not purely self-serving. I’m thinking of ways to help more people and help the right people. When I think of it that way, marketing becomes a further act of service.
Thomas: Not every book is a good fit for every reader, but if there’s a religious angle, political angle, or cause that your book can connect to, then you’re not asking somebody to review a book. You’re asking them to join the cause.
Nonprofit fundraisers use the same method. They don’t ask you to donate money to a nonprofit. They ask you to help feed starving children.
Focus on the benefit the book is bringing about in the world. People want to be a part of that.
If your book is entertainment and not connected with a cause, it’s okay. You can still get reviews. But if it does have that angle, you may be tempted to be embarrassed about the angle.
Don’t be embarrassed that your book is religious or that your political feelings have worked their way into your story. Those are strengths. Other people who agree with you will rally to your book and leave reviews.
Invite readers to join the cause by leaving a review.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
One Thing at a TimeDerek: Realize that you’re not necessarily making all these requests at once.
- Start a back-and-forth correspondence via email, and only ask one thing at a time.
- Don’t bombard readers with too many requests. Marketing is usually one particular call to action.
- Don’t send a long to-do list. Think of it as a conversation that begins with “How are you enjoying the book so far?”
Thomas: Agreed. Don’t put all your requests in one email. A good conversation goes back and forth.
Several years ago, L.A. had a 4th of July fireworks show where there was a mix-up, and all the fireworks went off at once. They launched 30 minutes of fireworks in one big boom, and everyone left disappointed. It was really sad.
Just as a good firework show has loud and quiet moments, interacting with readers involves listening and speaking. It requires patience and respect. Respect your readers and treat them like real people.
A Book Review ChallengeDerek: I’m offering a five-day Get More Book Reviews Challenge (Thomas’s Affiliate Link), where I walk you through the steps we’ve discussed here. In this challenge, you’ll learn exactly how to get reviews for your fiction or nonfiction book, whether you’ve yet to launch or been published for years.
Connect with Derek and learn more about his Get More Book Reviews Challenge (Thomas’s Affiliate Link), which comes with a money-back guarantee and is reasonably priced at $20.
What encouragement do you have for authors seeking book reviews?Derek: I was working with an author who was having difficulty getting her opt-in page to work. As we dug deeper, I realized she was hesitant to ask for reviews because she didn’t want it to be a burden.
She had published multiple books and worked as an author for years. I talked her through it, and she sent the email requesting reviews. In the responses she received, her readers were so excited. They didn’t see it as an annoyance but as an opportunity. They were happy to leave reviews.
That shifted her mindset from one of intrusion to one of service. Whether you’re requesting reviews or offering your book to the world, remember that you have a gift, and you’re offering a service. Not everyone’s going to get it, and that’s okay. The people who need your book will be so grateful you told them about it.
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Related Episodes* How to Get More Book Reviews with Jim Kukral * Where Negative Book Reviews Come From And How to Make Them Go Away * How to Write Book Reviews Readers Will Want to Read
The post How to Get More Book Reviews With Derek Doepker appeared first on Author Media.
The Middle Ages were rough for European farmers. They were trying to grow crops on fields that had been used for hundreds or even thousands of years. They knew farming “exhausted the field,” but they didn’t know why. As a result, nearly half of the fields had to be left fallow every year so they could rest.
Leaving half the fields fallow was terribly inefficient, and Europe had frequent famines as a result.
How fruitful is the field of your writing?
- Do you feel tired?
- Does your mind feel tired?
- Do you feel like a field that just can’t yield what it used to?
How can you prevent writer burnout?If so, I have good news. Our ancestors made a discovery in the 1700s that massively increased crop yields, and the same method can work for your creative writing today.
In fact, prolific author Brandon Sanderson uses this method to outwrite and outsell his competitors.
If you want to write better and faster with a rested mind, you need a primer in crop rotation to prevent writer burnout.
The ProblemBefore discussing Sanderson’s crop rotation method, we must review the problem. Why did those European farm fields become exhausted?
Nitrogen Depletion To produce crops, soil needs three primary nutrients: potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Cereal crops, like wheat and corn, are particularly hungry for nitrogen. If you plant wheat in the same field year after year, eventually, the ground will run out of nitrogen, and wheat won’t grow.
Pests and WeedsAdditionally, many critters like to eat wheat. Wheat-eating weevils and microbes will poison the crop. Every year the field is planted to wheat, more pests gather to devour and destroy the crop.
The Solution: Crop RotationCrop rotation can solve both problems with crop rotation.
Legumes like peas, beans, and peanuts don’t take nitrogen from the soil. They actually put nitrogen back in the soil. If you grow a nitrogen-fixing crop like beans for a year, the soil will have more nitrogen than in the year prior.
That’s right. A nitrogen-depleted field is more rested after a year of growing legumes than after a year of being left fallow. With some experimentation, 17th-century agriculturalists found the ideal rotation of crops called the Norfolk four-course rotation.
In Britain, farmers rotated crops in this order: legumes, cereals, root crops, and barley. The specific crops varied by region depending on soil and climate.
With this new system, a British farmer could grow twice as much food as his grandfather could grow on the same field. And that farmer’s grandson could grow twice again on the same land. This British Agricultural Revolution laid the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution, which was just around the corner.
When hands were freed from working fields, brains were freed to invent new machines.
Famines became a historic relic rather than an annual threat. Instead of experiencing famines, British schoolchildren studied them in school.
How does the crop rotation method improve the productivity of your writing and prevent writers from burning out?
Cereals: WritingCereal crops, like wheat and corn, were the glory crops. Cereals were the primary source of calories and a reliable source of cash. With the constant threat of famine on the continent, there was always a market for surplus wheat.
An author’s “glory crop” is the actual writing. Your written words are your sustaining cereal.
Root Crops: EditingAfter a year of cereal crops, wheat-eating pests got comfy and invited their friends to the field. But cereal-eating pests don’t typically eat root crops like carrots and turnips. When farmers rotated to root crops, the cereal-loving pathogens died off throughout the year.
The year of growing root crops also gave the farmer a year to wage war on the previous year’s weeds.
For most authors, editing uses a different part of the brain than writing. Think about your own experience. After an intense editing session, you’re fatigued in a different way than after an intense writing session. Switching up your writing tasks will help prevent writers like you from burnout.
Barley: MarketingFinally, farmers planted barley, which was mainly used as animal feed. This four-course rotation produced more food for humans and animals. Before crop rotation was introduced, many farm animals had to be slaughtered in the fall because farmers lacked adequate feed to last the winter.
But those animals were necessary to run the farm in the spring. Oxen pulled plows. Chickens turned kitchen scraps into eggs and fertilizer, and cows turned barley into calorie-dense milk. Keeping the farm animals alive through winter was important for human survival.
In this metaphor, your farm animals are your marketing. You don’t want to kill your marketing between books.
Most authors are introverts who find interacting with strangers to be exhausting.
But spreading the word about your book involves interacting with people. If you want more readers than you had for your last book, you must interact with strangers.
Even if you are introverted, you’ve probably been locked in a room writing and editing for a long time, so you’ll probably feel more ready to interact with readers.
Marketing requires a different part of your brain and a lot more social interaction. Marketing is a great break from editing and writing, and can help prevent burnout. By the time you’re done with your book launch marketing, you’re probably emotionally tired and ready for solitude, which is fine because next up in the writer rotation is solitude.
Legumes: Planning & EducationAfter a marketing season, most authors need a break before they jump back into writing. But if they “rest” by watching TV, they rarely feel emotionally rested. Watching TV is like leaving the fields fallow. It’s better than nothing but not as restful as planting nitrogen-fixing legumes.
In this metaphor, a writer’s legumes are Education and Planning. Or, if you want a single word, “preparation.”
Have you ever noticed that reading a craft book sparks ideas you’re eager to try when you start writing again? Most authors read craft books with a pen and notepad nearby to capture the great ideas they’re reading about. Preparation is one more tool in your rotation that can prevent writing burnout .
Planning can have the same effect, especially for more experienced authors. Your planning might include research, outlining, world-building, or character-creation. The more preparation you do, the more nitrogen your soil will have, which makes for an unbelievable harvest. By the time you’re done planning, you’ll be chomping at the bit, ready to jump back into writing.
And now our crop rotation cycle is complete. Each phase fires you up for the next phase, and ‘round and ‘round it goes.
If you follow this method, each book you write will be easier than the last.
Brandon Sanderson’s Crop RotationBrandon Sanderson rests the writing side of his brain by editing a different project. Sanderson rotates between four different books, each of which is at a different stage of development.
Here is an example of his rotation in 2016:
- Oathbringer: first draft
- White Sand: proofread
- Edgedancer: first draft
- The Dark Talent: copyedit
Once he finished the Dark Talent copyedit, he would return to Oathbringer to start on the second draft.
Sanderson switches books and phases, which allows his mind and the book to rest. He rests by working. He just rotates what he is working on, so his work is restful.
By the time he’s done working on the last three books, he’s eager to return to work on the first book.
On Brandon Sanderson’s website, you will see progress bars for the four books he is working on. He doesn’t work on all four at the same time. He rotates between them in a way that is restful and invigorating.
His method of work rotation is one reason he can out-produce his two biggest competitors combined. You could make the case that his competitors, Patric Rothfus and George RR Martin, are nitrogen-depleted fields. They are leaving their fields fallow, hoping it will help the yield. They don’t realize that working on more projects on a rotating basis would rejuvenate their writing faster than not writing at all.
The James Patterson’s Industrial Farming MethodLet’s compare Sanderson’s method with James Patterson’s. Patterson is also a prolific writer, but he uses a different method to prevent burnout (and to make a lot of money).
Modern farmers don’t rely on crop rotation anymore. Instead of planting legumes to fix nitrogen, they buy nitrogen fertilizer. Instead of planting root crops to fight weeds, they buy pesticides.
While Patterson rotates between projects, he also works with a team of authors to produce his books. He outlines the story, but another author writes the rough draft. Patterson makes notes for changes, but another writer implements them. He has marketing ideas but employs a team of marketing people to promote his books.
The industrial approach is very productive but also very expensive. If you want a million-dollar team developing and promoting your books, you need a million dollars to pay them. In reality, Patterson’s team costs more than a million dollars annually, especially if you include everyone in the publishing house working on his projects.
This industrial approach only works for authors who are already successful.
You don’t have to use Patterson’s method to succeed. Just as modern organic farmers rely on crop rotation to fight pests, modern authors who happily do everything themselves can also be productive. However, they can continue doing things themselves because they don’t do everything at once.
Agricultural field covered by snowWinter Grass: EmailBesides the four-course rotation, farmers also plant winter grass. Most crops are planted in spring and harvested in fall, which leaves the land barren in the winter. Barren land is vulnerable to erosion and doesn’t produce anything. Many farmers plant winter grass to reduce erosion between the fall harvest and spring planting.
Before planting in the spring, they plow up mature winter grass, mixing the plant into the soil and turning it into green manure. The decomposing plant adds nutrients to the soil. Between each crop rotation year, the land reaps the benefits of winter grass.
Winter grass grows in the coldest season when nothing else does. If you plant winter grass in the spring, it will compete with your main crop and reduce your yields.
As an author, your winter grass is your email.
Do Email LastThe easiest tip to implement in this episode is to do email last. Write, edit, market, or plan before you check your email. Saving email for the end of your workday will dramatically improve your productivity.
Do email last.
Thomas Umstattd, Jr.
Many traditionally published authors have their email notifications turned on. Throughout the day, email dings. It’s distracting and takes them out of the zone. Email habits tend to form in the early days of a traditional author’s career when they were waiting to hear from agents and editors.
Answering emails all day long is like planting winter grass in the spring. It chokes the good writing you’re trying to do.
The best time to check your email is in the winter of your day when you are too tired to do anything else.
For the love of productive writing, turn off your email notifications so you can focus on the task at hand and prevent the depletion of your creativity keep you from burnout.
Write So You Can Write MoreIf you are slowly depleting your mental soil, writing will get harder and harder, despite the fact that you’re becoming a more practiced writer. Depletion is frustrating and causes many writers to burn out and give up.
On the other hand, if you leave the soil more revitalized than the year before, you can cultivate an incredibly productive field. With this crop rotation method, you can increase your creative fertility by doing the right things at the right time.
Ideal crop rotation depends on the climate and soil. The four crops vary from place to place. Some soils are not suited for wheat, even with ideal rotation.
Your soil and crop rotation will differ from Brandon Sanderson’s, who has tweaked his rhythm over time.
How do you find the right rotation to prevent writer burnout?How do you find the rhythm that works best for you? Experiment. Some authors rotate within a single day. They draft book #1 in the morning and edit book #2 in the afternoon. Others work on the draft of book #1 for a day and then edit book #2 the next day. Brandon Sanderson works in two-week or eight-week sprints, depending on the book’s length.
Experiment to learn what works best for you.
Remember, the more you focus on your work, the more you can focus on your rest. Every day can be a rest day if your work is focused enough.
Bodybuilders know that leg day is also the day they rest their arms. But they also have days where they rest everything.
Even with good crop rotation, leaving a field fallow occasionally can be a good idea. Sometimes you just need to take a break, and that is ok. But if you need a lot of breaks, it could be a sign you need to add more rotation between projects to make your rest more restful.
Sometimes, the best rest is working on something else.
Find Your Rhythm with The Five-Year PlanIf you want more help finding your rotation schedule, check out the Five-Year Plan. The course is built on a five-year rhythm of writing, editing, marketing, and education. It also guides you to the best craft books at the right time so you can develop your craft faster.
I crafted this plan with bestselling and award-winning author James L. Rubart.
The Five-Year Plan is a step-by-step guide for your writing career. Learn what to do in each quarter of the year to avoid the mistakes that hijack success for most authors. Set yourself up for success. After five years of following a prescribed rhythm, you will know enough to create your rhythm moving forward. Learn more at NovelMarketing.com/courses.
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Related Episodes* Productivity Tips for Authors With Joanna Penn * How to Write Faster and Better with Chris Fox * How to Write More Productively
The post Brandon Sanderson’s Crop Rotation Method for Restful Rapid Writing appeared first on Author Media.
After you finish the final edits of your novel, it’s time to launch your book into the world. But how do you get readers so excited about your book that they can’t wait to buy it and tell their friends? How do you create hype for your novel?
Many first-time authors make the mistake of rushing to upload their books to Amazon and then kicking back, waiting for readers to flock to their books. But nothing magical happens when you upload your book to Amazon. In fact, nobody even knows it’s there unless you tell them.
I asked author C.J. Milacci how she got readers excited about her debut YA novel. C.J. writes stories for teens and young adults with heart-pounding action and hope. She is an active member of the Novel Marketing community and has participated in the Book Launch Blueprint as well as The Five-Year Plan.
Why did you start writing?Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: How did you get started writing?
C.J. Milacci: I started writing because I was working with the youth ministry at my church and asking the girls about the books they were reading.
I started reading some of the titles they mentioned, and I could see why they liked them. The books were exciting. But inevitably, I’d feel depressed when I finished reading because they had such hard, dark endings. The books also included a lot of inappropriate content that I couldn’t believe a teen was reading. I felt it was so inappropriate that I could barely read it as an adult.
I was looking for a well-written, exciting, engaging alternative that would bring hope and Christian worldview values. I had a hard time finding that kind of book, so I decided to learn how to write one myself.
I wanted to thrill my young adults and teens with incredible stories woven with deeper truths and a good message without all the doom and gloom.
Thomas: I love that you started with your target reader and not with a story that was burning in your heart. You wanted to write the kind of book they already liked but one that wouldn’t leave them depressed.
Young women are more depressed now than they’ve ever been in recorded history.
Your aim is very noble, and from a marketing perspective, it’s very savvy. Writing for a specific reader with a particular need makes every other book marketing task easier because you know your reader.
C.J.: Half of the girls I was talking to were already depressed and struggling. As I read what they were reading, I knew those books were certainly not helping them feel better about life or the world. Those girls and their needs have definitely been the motivating factor for me from day one.
What did your writing process look like?Thomas: What did your writing process look like?
C.J.: I started like many other writers. I wrote the first draft and thought I was done. Then, shortly after that, I came to the hard realization that the first draft was awful.
I love learning, so I started to read books on the craft of writing. I wanted my book to be well-written, so I looked for ways to improve the craft of writing. I went to writer’s conferences. I took courses. I started to learn, develop, and grow as a writer.
I learned how to write faster and better, and that process changed the first book I wrote. There are seeds from that first story in Recruit of Talionis, but that first book isn’t one I want anyone to see.
I’ve written many things since then, and it’s been a process, but I’ve learned, grown, and become a stronger writer through it.
Thomas: One sign that you’re ready to publish a book is that you finally have eyes to see that your first book is actually so bad it’s unpublishable. That’s why the ninth commandment of book marketing is, “Thou shalt not publish thine first book first.”
A writer who is still finishing their first book is probably certain it’s a masterpiece. They don’t yet realize that their first book is for learning about the process of writing a book and building confidence.
Your first book is practice, but it’s not wasted.
For example, you were able to use the best parts of your first book and build a new and better story around them.
C.J.: Yes, exactly.
Thomas: A new author tends to think of their first book as a pearl, but it’s simply a grain of sand that can become a pearl if the author puts in the work.
How did The Five-Year Plan help you improve your craft? C.J.: I signed up about two years ago, so I’m not finished, but I did an accelerated version of it. I condensed it into a shorter term by reading a lot of craft books and writing a lot of short stories within a few months. Through AuthorMedia.social, I’ve connected with other authors taking the course, and they keep me accountable.
Thomas: The Five-Year Plan has been around for almost five years, and nobody does it at the recommended pace. Everyone does it faster or slower than the outlined schedule, which is kind of funny. The idea behind the course was to help authors maintain a recommended pace of growth.
What did you learn from The Five-Year Plan?Thomas: What did you learn in the course that you weren’t already learning beforehand?
C.J.: The course curates some of the best information and brings it together in one place. There are so many craft books, novels, and nonfiction books available. It’s nice to have a list of the best books I should be reading.
Writing the short stories was helpful.
You recommend listening to certain early episodes of Writing Excuses. I’d heard of the podcast before, but the course prompted me to actually do the exercises.
Then, instead of having information overload, I could apply what I learned to the short stories I wrote. That’s one of the best parts of The Five-Year Plan.
I still re-listen to the modules and reread the books because I find the reminders so incredibly helpful.
Thomas: As you grow as an author, you start noticing more when you read other books.
When you first learn to read, you don’t understand why the sentences are structured in a certain way. You can’t spot foreshadowing. But after a while, you start to see when and why an author is using certain techniques.
How did you begin writing Recruit of Talionis?C.J.: I became a much faster writer because of the exercises in the course. I also grew more disciplined. Even on the days I don’t want to write, I can sit down and push through the first few difficult minutes before getting into that writing flow.
I can write every day and do things I couldn’t do before. I wrote my second book, Recruit of Talionis, much faster than I wrote the first one.
Is it possible to write a book even when you don’t feel like writing?Thomas: Do you mean to tell me it’s possible to write even when you don’t feel like writing?
C.J.: Yes, I know. I didn’t want to believe it either, but it is possible.
Thomas: Self-control is real, folks. It’s not a myth. You can control yourself and do things even when you don’t feel like it. You may not have power over anyone else, but you have power over yourself if you choose to wield it. You can learn more about getting into a flow state of writing in my episode on How to Write Faster and Better.
Authors who earn their living writing learn to treat their writing like a real job. You do a real job whether you feel like it or not.
It’s not a hobby.
It’s one thing to go to the ski slope on your vacation because you want to. It’s another thing to go to the ski slope 100 days in a row to teach tourists how to ski.
Treat your writing like a job, even if it’s something that most people think is all fun. Most people would think that skiing every day is fun, but a ski instructor does a real job that involves hard work.
What did you do after you finished Recruit of Talionis?Thomas: Did you just upload it to Amazon and move on to the next thing?
C.J.: No, not at all. I might have if not for the Novel Marketing podcast and your courses and writers groups. I’ve learned that uploading immediately is not the way to go.
After a lot of deliberation, I decided to go the indie publishing route. But I wanted my indie book to look as professional as possible. I hired a cover designer who was amazing to work with, and she produced a cover I could never have produced on my own.
I worked with editors like Jon Shuerger, who’s a Marine. He reviewed the military elements in my book and told me everything I did wrong, which was extensive. Apparently, my version of the military is not accurate. He shredded my book and said it was well-written but inaccurate.
So, I rewrote it.
It was hard. It’s like not wanting to go to the gym and work out, but later, when you’re stronger, and you feel better, you know it was all worth it.
That’s what happened with my edits. I went to the “gym” every day and killed myself, but I came out on the other end with a book I was far more excited to share with people. It just was stronger, cleaner, and better because it had gone through those edits.
Next, I hired a line editor, proofreader, and beta readers. I gave different parts of the book to my critique groups so I could get feedback on certain scenes.
I tried to let as many people as I could into the process so that I wasn’t creating in a bubble. Since so many people have touched the book and given input, it became something I could never have created on my own.
I never was in the military. I don’t know that perspective, but some readers have said, “Hey, I was in the military, and I felt like your military aspects were really accurate.” That thrilled me because I knew that wouldn’t have happened on my own.
Bringing others into the process helped me produce the best possible product to send into the world.
Thomas: Reality is different than research. If your main character is a physician, you should probably have a physician do an edit.
You had an advantage in that Jon Shuerger is both an editor and a former Marine, so he could act as a sensitivity reader, giving you feedback and recommendations.
But not everyone will have that perfect fit. Don’t feel like you have to find that magical person.
For example, you may not be able to find an astronaut who is also an editor to give feedback on your space scenes. But there is possibly an astronaut who could potentially read your book, point out problems, and help you find a believable solution.
I really appreciate authors who do the work to get it right. For example, I’m from Texas, and everybody here knows how guns work. But many authors who aren’t from Texas don’t know how guns work and don’t bother to learn before they write about guns in their novels.
It’s irritating to people who know, but I have noticed that it’s improving. It’s much easier to get feedback from experts than it was 30 years ago.
Why did you put your book on Kickstarter before publishing it?C.J.: I decided to do a Kickstarter because of your advice. I took your Ultimate Crowdfunding Course, and since Jon Shuerger also did a Kickstarter, I talked to him about it through the course community group.
The more I learned about it, the more intrigued I became. It seemed like an interesting way to start your book’s life.
A Kickstarter campaign allows a connection with your readers that just doesn’t happen when you only launch it on Amazon. I know every one of my Kickstarter backers. I can message them and give them extras and other fun stuff.
The idea hooked me, and it ended up working well for me. Plus, I enjoyed the process.
Thomas: A Kickstarter campaign allows you to earn more money from your super fans.
I backed your Kickstarter at $20, which is more than I would have spent buying your audiobook, which would have cost me a $10 Audible credit.
When you crowdfund with Kickstarter, you can enter your launch with money on hand and a lot of confidence.
How much money did your Kickstarter raise?C.J.: About $8,600.
Thomas: You had 131 backers and raised $8,600, which averages to $65 per backer. That was probably enough to cover most of the editing. Were you in the black when you launched on Amazon?
C.J.: Yes, but not by a lot because I’d purchased extra author copies.
Thomas: That’s a great way to start your Amazon launch. You’re in the black, your print books are paid for, and when you sell those books, you’ll make a good profit. That’s the beauty of a Kickstarter, and you don’t have to sell that many copies.
Kickstarter doesn’t undermine your potential Amazon sales. The one drawback is that your 131 backers will probably be the first to leave reviews on Amazon. Since they didn’t purchase on Amazon, their reviews won’t be verified.
People love to be part of something special. They want their names printed in the book, and they’re willing to pay a premium for it. You didn’t cajole them or pressure them into backing your campaign. You just invited them and said, “I’m writing a book for this reason, and I’d love your help to make it happen.”
People got on board to help you launch your book.
What did you do for your novel’s book launch?C.J.: I went through the Book Launch Blueprint and took excessive notes, and then I applied what I learned.
I shared the book with my email list. Then I built my launch team, which ended up being awesome. They were one of the biggest factors that made my launch go well.
Did you use the Book Launch Blueprint method, where members have to buy a copy of your book to join the team?C.J.: I did.
Thomas: You’re the first person I’ve interviewed on the podcast who use has used this method that I recommend.
The classic book launch model recommends that authors give each launch team member a copy of the book for free.
I don’t recommend that, and I get more pushback on that one thing than everything else.
What were the results of asking members to buy a copy of the novel to join the book launch team? C.J.: They were really excited to be a part of the launch. I had people from all over the country, and it didn’t seem like it was a hardship to buy the ebook.
I offered the ebook at a lower price at the beginning of my launch so they could buy it for $3.00 instead of $6.00. They were all excited to purchase and share about it.
They had to invest a little of their hard-earned money. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s still notable that they bought in. I think it almost made them feel as though they were tied to the success or failure in a deeper way than if I had just sent them a free copy.
Thomas: As Jesus said, “Where your money is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
When you ask somebody to be on your launch team, you’re asking for several hours of work. Their time is worth far more than $3.00. If they’re not willing to spend $3.00, then either they don’t value their time, or they weren’t really planning to participate. They just wanted a free book.
I’m a huge advocate for this method, and I talk about it in the Book Launch Blueprint. It’s based on solid human psychology. Giving someone a $5.00 book is not a strong incentive if their time is at all valuable.
If they value their time, they won’t be motivated by a free ebook that they have to disclose in their Amazon reviews, which also hurts your algorithm rankings.
C.J.: The Book Launch Blueprint method worked well for me. My launch team has been amazing. They’ve gone above and beyond. I live in Pennsylvania, but they have been hanging posters in coffee shops in Montana and Arizona. They’re leaving reviews, and they’re excited about it.
It’s been a bit humbling in many ways but also so exciting to see their excitement catch on.
Thomas: One of the most satisfying results of writing my book was receiving wedding pictures from people who read the book. They included the book in one of their wedding photos.
It’s funny because I didn’t do that when I got married. I probably should have.
What else did you do to prepare for the book launch?C.J.: I set up my Amazon and my Goodreads author pages far in advance, so it was all up and running. Because I did a Kickstarter, Goodreads approved me as an author before the book was published on Amazon. I had my book on pre-order early enough to allow that to happen.
I did all my category and keyword research with Publisher Rocket.
I did every little detail I could do in advance so I could set my book up for success in the best possible way.
One of the guys on AuthorMedia.social has published many nonfiction books, and he was in one of my writer groups. I asked if I could pick his brain. I combined what I learned from him with what I learned in the Book Launch Blueprint.
Thomas: That makes me so happy! I created AuthorMedia.social to be a place where writers learn from each other. You’re learning how to make it work for you.
And you know what? I’m not right all the time.
Some of the things that I say may be right for some authors, but they won’t be right for other authors. You found a mix of strategies that played to your strengths and your audience.
I don’t know much about teen girls except that they’re experiencing depression and anxiety in record numbers.
I couldn’t help you tweak your message for that audience, but you know that audience well!
You have to interpret what you’re learning from all these sources and adapt it to connect with teen girls in a way that works.
Did you do anything off-the-wall to reach these young ladies?C.J.: I don’t know if it’s considered off-the-wall, but I’ve created character quizzes and character personality quizzes. Teens like that kind of thing. They’ll do the quizzes to find out which character they’re like or which Harry Potter house they’re in. They’re curious about that.
Teens have asked me which character I’m like because they assume I’m doing those quizzes all the time as well. Those quizzes have been great, and they’ve brought in additional readers and email list subscribers.
I’ve also accepted speaking engagements wherever I could, but again, that’s not really off-the-wall.
I did a workshop with the Young Writers Workshop. They let me host one of their office hours and talk to the students who are interested in writing.
It was a blast. I connected with a ton of kids that way. They joined my email list and asked me questions. They’re excited about the book, so that’s been neat.
Perhaps my most off-the-wall thing is happening right now during the launch month. I hosted a game I called “Where In The World Is Recruit Of Talionis.”
People can take pictures of themselves with the book and send me their pictures. I have a gallery on my website this month, and people can win prizes for buying the book and photographing themselves with it in different places around the world.
Thomas: So, if a reader is on vacation visiting the Taj Mahal, they can take a photo of the book at the Taj Mahal.
That’s a fun, creative way to connect with readers, and frankly, it’s a great way to do social media. I don’t know if you’re encouraging them to post photos on social media or not, but instead of you creating photos to share on social media, you’ve created an excuse for other people to take photos they can share on social media. You reap the benefits, and it doesn’t cost you any extra time.
Did you do a book launch party for your novel?C.J.: Yes. I hosted an in-person launch party. Two of my friends are entrepreneurs who are excited about my writing. They were pushing me to have a launch party, and then The Book Launch Blueprint recommended it too. You said it was a great way to connect with people and get excited about the book’s release.
We planned an open house on launch day, and I had no idea who would come.
It ended up being so much fun. More people than I expected showed up. They asked me to do a reading, and it ended up being really worthwhile.
One of the most surprising things has been seeing that men are interested in my book. And after I did the reading, several of my friends’ husbands purchased a copy because they wanted to read it.
Thomas: Your launch party is a great opportunity to sell your author copies, which you bought at a great price, for full retail price.
The launch party is also emotionally rewarding. If nobody comes, nobody knows that nobody came. It’s very safe to fail.
The surprising thing about writing for your “Timothy,” or your target reader, is that it’s not exclusionary.
The fact that you have a red dot on the middle of the target actually makes people want to be a part of it.
If you put the velvet rope in front of the door, suddenly, more people want to go through the door. Writing for a specific reader gives your writing clarity, but it also makes it appealing in a powerful way.
People don’t want to be excluded or feel left out, so even if they’re not in your stated target audience, they still want to read.
C.J.: It’s true. The diversity of readers emailing, commenting, and leaving reviews has been the most surprising part of the process. Many of them say they’ve read it in two days. It’s a long book.
I even had an 11-year-old reader who was younger than my target. It’s a clean book, so moms are willing to let their kids read it, and they’re devouring it.
None of that was in my head when I wrote the book. I wrote for the teen to 20-something girls who struggle with depression and need hope in this crazy world.
Thomas: Speaking on behalf of the population who’s not a teenage girl, I can tell you they don’t have the market on depression and anxiety.
Depression and anxiety are common ailments. Many people are struggling. A book that provides a solution or even a short hiatus can be a lifesaver.
What have you learned about growing an email list of young people?Thomas: I get a lot of pushback from YA novelists when I push email list growth as a strategy. They say that kids use social media instead of email.
What have you observed? Do your readers use email?
C.J.: I used to think the same thing, but I’ve found that if they care about something, they will open and respond to their email.
I’m personally shocked. But even yesterday, I spoke at a homeschool event and talked with a 14-year-old girl afterward.
When her mom found out I had an email list, she said, “Oh, I’ll have her sign up for it. She’s going to absolutely love getting emails from you.”
I thought, “Oh wow. She’s 14, and her mom’s saying she’ll read my emails.”
The challenge is to find ways to make sure they care about what’s in the email.
Teens want to know you care about them. If I can communicate that I write because I want them to experience hope in their crazy lives, they can sense I care, and they’re ready to hear what I have to say.
Thomas: Having a clearly defined audience helps you write the kind of email they want to open. You’re not writing a generic email to generic readers. You’re writing an email for teenage girls, and that audience will influence your voice and topic. If the topic isn’t interesting to a teenage girl, don’t send it!
If they get used to receiving interesting emails from you, they’ll look forward to reading them as soon as they get them.
What were the results of your book launch?Thomas: You followed the recommendations and did the work. What kind of results did you see during those first weeks after the book was released?
C.J.: I was blown away because I had wondered if my Kickstarter backers were the only ones who would buy. However, I hit Number-One Bestseller in multiple categories of new releases.
I was most excited when a friend sent me a screenshot of my book listed at #7 right under a Brandon Sanderson book. My mind was blown.
I couldn’t believe it. I asked people to type in keywords to search for my book, and my book started ranking on the first page of search results. Even if you looked up very general keywords grandmas might use, like “teen and young adult books,” my book was coming up on the first page. It worked. Books were selling, and people were excited and leaving reviews.
The fruit was born after all the time of sowing the seed.
That faithfulness to do the little things paid off in the end.
Thomas: That’s another technique we teach in the Book Launch Blueprint. If your launch team members buy your book, you can leverage their search to amplify your search ranking on Amazon’s search engine.
Listen to my interview with Dave Chesson to learn more about How to Rank in Amazon’s Search Results.
I’m not surprised by your success. When you went through the Book Launch Blueprint, you attended every session of office hours, which is our Q&A portion. You had a question every day, and you got your money’s worth from the course.
Where you sow, there you will reap. And if you sow abundantly, you’ll reap abundantly. If you’re willing to put in the work, you’ll see the results.
What would you do again next time, and what would you do differently?C.J.: I’d do all the things we’ve talked about, which are the basics. I’d do everything you teach in Book Launch Blueprint.
One thing I’d do differently is to make sure all the technical issues are ironed out before launch day. I had a major tech issue with Ingram Spark, and since it was an upload issue, it really affected things on launch day.
I also wish I had set up more podcast guesting and interviews. As it was coming down to the wire, I was getting the final details ready for launch, and I didn’t want to spend that time pitching podcasts.
When you pitch a podcast, you have to listen to get a feel for the show and the host. Then you must write a quality pitch to each podcast host. I didn’t have time for that. Next time, I will work on that much further in advance. I want to have some podcast interviews set up or pre-recorded to release during the launch.
Thomas: You might consider researching and pitching podcasts now. If you give a great interview, they’ll say, “Come back anytime! Let us know when your next book is out.” Then, a year from now, when your next book comes out, they’ll be happy to have you as a returning guest.
That strategy gives you a soft invite. You won’t have to listen to another episode and put together a special pitch. You can just say, “Hey Joe, it was great to talk to you a few months ago. I finally have a release date for my book.”
Then Joe will say, “Great! Let’s record it on such and such, and I’ll publish it around your release.”
That kind of friendly pitch only happens after you nail the first interview, but you can do that first interview any time. You can check out my episode on How to Get Booked as a Podcast Guest.
Now that you’re a published author, you can pitch Christian or religious podcasts that target teenage girls or their parents on a variety of topics.
The constellation of potential podcasts is pretty large for you.
C.J.: Yes. I wish I had done more of that further in advance, so that’s a great idea.
Next time I will also space out my Kickstarter and my launch. For this launch, they were only three and a half months apart. That window was a bit tight, especially since it was my first time doing both.
Until you actually experience it, you don’t know how exhausting it is to fulfill a Kickstarter. I would like to give myself a little more breathing room so that when the launch comes, I can just walk through those doors instead of having to build the door and open it first.
Thomas: Yes, I agree. Spacing out your Kickstarter and launch is a bit more rewarding for your readers, too. The perk of backing the Kickstarter is getting to read the book early. If readers get it a week early, that’s not much of a perk. But if they get to read it several months before everyone else, that makes them feel special.
And that whole time, the non-backers will know they can’t read yet because they didn’t back the Kickstarter.
This year I created a Crowdfunding space on AuthorMedia.social. Authors discuss the logistics of their campaigns in real-time. They ask one another questions and report results. In the questions and answers of the threads, you can find a whole mini-course where people are helping each other out.
When does your next book release?C.J.: I’d love to run my Kickstarter early in 2023 so that I can release it six months later. I hope that will give me more breathing room this time around.
Thomas: If you want to watch the crowdfunding and launching of a book in real-time, I encourage you to visit C.J.’s website and subscribe to her email newsletter to see how she does it and back her Kickstarter campaign.
Sponsor Book Launch Blueprint
If you Google “How to Launch a Book,” you’ll get over 500 million results. That’s a problem.
Why?
Because how do you know which sites will give sage advice and which ones are wannabes?
You can’t afford to spend your time (or money) on programs that are little more than wishful thinking. You need proven strategies that will launch your book into the stratosphere successfully.
That’s precisely why we created the Book Launch Blueprint.
The Book Launch Blueprint is a 28-day, interactive course developed by Novel Marketing host Thomas Umstattd Jr. (that’s me!) and Christy Hall of Fame author James L. Rubart.
You will learn exactly what you must do to make your book launch a resounding triumph.
Learn more at BookLaunch.fun
Featured Patron Daniel Bishop author of Place of Refuge
Dyanna Jo knew she was meant to be a mom. Her body disagreed. After a devastating miscarriage she starts to research foster care and adoption. Will Heaven send a baby to a family full of love to give? Place of Refuge is the first novel in the heartwarming Baskin Family Foster Journal series. ?
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Related Episodes* 10 Reasons to Delay Your Book Launch * The 2021 Book Launch Blueprint is Here! – Author Media * Painful Book Launch Lessons You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way * How to Create a Written Book Launch Plan – Author Media
The post How to Build Hype for a Debut Novel appeared first on Author Media.
On Christmas Eve, I caught the flu.
I spent Christmas Day wrapped in a blanket, wracked with chills, and coughing intensely. Clutching a negative COVID test didn’t make me feel any better. Influenza didn’t care. It wants its championship belt back.
I’m slowly getting better.
I spent a week whispering like the Godfather before progressing to growling like Darth Vader.
As a podcaster, I talk a lot. So this time of silence has revealed some interesting insights about communication and book marketing.
#1 A Great Book Is Not EnoughWhen I can only whisper, my children can’t hear me tell them to be careful, even if they really need to hear my warning. It doesn’t matter how much they need to hear me. The only thing that matters is my ability to make myself heard.
The publishing world is like a house full of chattering toddlers. When readers don’t hear about your book, they don’t know about it and can’t read it, even if it’s really good.
But if the book is good enough, it will market itself, right?
You tell me.
Yesterday, roughly 1,000 new books were released. Which one was the best? A book listed on Amazon is like a phone number listed in the phone book. The phone will ring only if people search the phone book for that number.
And if you think that was an old-fashioned metaphor, just wait.
The word “platform” comes from a tool used in the 18th century by Great Awakening preachers to speak to audiences of tens of thousands without electronic amplification.
Platforms were elevated stages with slanted walls behind them. Acoustically, they directed the speaker’s voice toward the audience.
Here is an illustration from 1819 of what a wood platform looked like:
In these days of microphones and blogs, authors don’t build their platforms out of wood, but if they want to reach readers, they need to build their platforms out of something.
A wooden platform didn’t make the person speak louder. It simply directed his voice toward the audience in front of him. Behind the platform, it was harder to hear the speaker because of the platform. More sound waves moving forward meant fewer sound waves behind the platform.
Pick a Target ReaderNew authors often make the mistake of targeting an audience that is too broad. It’s as if they want to remove the wooden platform so people behind the platform can hear better.
But the people behind the platform don’t want to listen. By removing the platform and trying to reach folks behind it, the crowd in front can’t hear as well. The folks who came specifically to hear your message can only hear it if you focus on them.
You know your book isn’t for everyone, but you may not realize how focused your audience needs to be.
If you were about to speak from an old-school wooden platform, I would coach you to pick one person in the back of the crowd and speak just to him. If the tall guy in the back can hear you, everyone else can too.
In the same way, I advise writers to write to a single specific human rather than a nebulous “audience.” I call this person Timothy. If you can thrill one, you can thrill many.
Speaking to one human will clarify your writing and help you focus your marketing efforts on what works.
#2 Build Your Own PlatformWhen you start to build a platform, borrowing someone else’s platform can help you get experience and exposure, but it also gives the platform owner power over your future.
For example, let’s say you built a big following on TikTok. Your videos get lots of views and engagement. The TikTok algorithm puts your videos on the “For You” page, and millions of strangers see your content. That seems fantastic. But TikTok can take your videos off just as easily.
Or TikTok itself could get banned. You may think that sounds crazy, but the largest democracy in the world has already banned it. India banned TikTok because they saw it as too dangerous.
But that wouldn’t happen in America, would it?
Well, let me put it this way. The US senate recently voted on whether to ban TikTok for government employees. Do you know how the vote went? All the Republicans and Democrats and both Independent senators voted for it. The vote was unanimous.
When was the last time the United States Senate voted unanimously on something?
They all agree that TikTok is unsafe for government employees, and if you have been watching the senate testimony, you would know why.
I doubt the ban will stop with government employees’ smartphones. Don’t be surprised if you wake up one morning and the TikTok app no longer works. Your audience on TikTok may vanish, and if you’ve borrowed TikTok’s platform, you’ll have to rebuild.
If you use TikTok, make sure you have a TikTok recovery plan. Upload each video to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. If TikTok gets banned, your audience can quickly shift to one of the American alternatives.
I don’t see TikTok as a reliable way to build a platform. The sales surge from BookTok was not initiated by authors and so far has not been reproduced by authors. It was initiated by readers.
TikTok is just a metaphor for a bigger trend in platform building that can be summed up in one word: sharecropping.
How Sharecropping WorksBack in the day, if you wanted to be a farmer, you could buy your own land to farm. Or you could sharecrop and get land for “free.” A landlord would let a sharecropper farm his land in exchange for a share of the crops.
“Free” farmland sounds like a great deal.
Why should you buy your own land when you could just share someone else’s land for “free?”
Because when you sharecrop, you don’t own anything you build. When a sharecropper builds a house on the land, the house belongs to the landlord. When a sharecropper spent months clearing stones from the field and used them to build a protective wall to keep predatory animals out, the wall belonged to the landlord. The landlord could kick the sharecropper off the land, keep the wall and house for himself, and enjoy his rock-free field.
A landlord could also arbitrarily increase the percentage of the crop he wants. He who owns the land makes the rules.
It turns out sharecropping is a fancy form of serfdom. It’s slavery in high heels.
Sharecropping in the United States came to an end because of tractors. Landlords bought tractors and fired the sharecroppers. The newly unemployed farmers fled to the cities looking for work.
Digital SharecroppingIn the digital world, sharecropping still exists.
Digital sharecropping is when you build your platform on someone else’s digital real estate. If you are not the customer, you are the product being sold.
In 2008, Facebook let you talk to 100% of your audience for free. In 2015, they only let you talk to 30% of your audience for free. Today, you’d be lucky to reach 1% of your audience without paying money. Facebook owns the digital land, and they make the rules.
When you borrow someone else’s stage, they control the volume of your microphone. If you are not in the room where the decisions are being made, you risk losing your voice without warning or compensation.
That’s why I discourage authors from relying on social media for promotion. Social media is sharecropping. And I practice what I preach. Instead of hosting our Novel Marketing Community in a free Facebook group, I pay for AuthorMedia.social. There’s no cost to you, so please join us there to discuss all things publishing.
You can own your own platform by spending money. Buy and own your own domain name at YourName.com. Own your email list, blog, podcast, and website. Owning digital real estate may mean you need to get a day job so you can afford to buy your own digital land, but your freedom is priceless.
Don’t let Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter turn you into a digital surf.
#3 Whisper and the World Whispers BackIt turns out that when I whisper to my toddler, he whispers back. Most of the time, an otherwise noisy child will mimic my quiet tone.
Whispering in a house full of noisy children is not an effective way to communicate. Neither is whispering to your readers.
Many authors wonder why no one is talking about their books. Turns out that if you whisper about your book, your readers will whisper too.
If you want enthusiastic fans to spread the word about your book, you must demonstrate enthusiasm for your book. Readers take their cues from you. Both confidence and insecurity spread like a virus.
If your promotional efforts seemed to have flopped, there could be several reasons.
You Wrote the Book for YourselfIf you wrote your book for yourself, you will feel weird promoting it to others. That weird feeling leads to whispering.
To confidently promote your book , you need to write the kind of book you’re confident enough to talk about. There is a difference between a book written for a reader to enjoy and a book written for the author to enjoy. If you believe someone will enjoy your book, you’ll feel confident promoting it.
If your book is more like a personal journal, I recommend setting it aside. Use it to nourish a new piece of writing written with a specific audience in mind.
For more on this, see Book Marketing Commandment #1 “Love your reader as much as you love your book.”
The Book is Not ReadyMastering the craft of writing takes time. If you’re promoting the book you’ve ever written, it’s probably not ready for the intense competition for reader attention. If you don’t believe your book is worth shouting about, it’s not ready.
But don’t worry!
With some sweat, study, and feedback, you can get your book ready. The fastest path forward is to set the first book aside, read some books on craft, take some courses, and then write a new book with the lessons you learned from writing the first one.
Getting “a first book” into shape requires the work of an experienced author. Become an experienced author by working on other books first.
For more on this, see Book Marketing Commandment #9. “Thou shalt not publish thy first book first.”
No Book LaunchMaybe your book is already good. Many great books are overlooked because their authors don’t know how to confidently promote their books. Authors who rely on social media to spread the word are usually disappointed. Social media book promotion no longer leads to book sales.
Social media is crowded with shouting people. No one can hear you unless you pay for amplification. The “free social media microphone” is not plugged in.
One way to break through the noise is to plan all your promotions to hit during a short window of time, right after your book releases. Authors and marketers call that a book launch.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about how to conduct a book launch.
Once a year, James L. Rubart and I host a special course called the Book Launch Blueprint. In this four-week course, you’ll learn everything you need to know to prepare, plan, and execute an effective book launch without relying on social media.
You must speak clearly if you want readers to hear about your book. Whispering about your book will only frustrate you and your readers. Write your book for a reader, and you’ll feel confident enough to shout, “This book is for you, and you’re going to love it!”
SponsorBook Launch Blueprint
If you Google “How to Launch a Book,” you’ll get over 500 million results. That’s a problem.
Why?
Because how do you know which sites will give sage advice and which are wannabes?
You can’t afford to spend your time (or money) on programs built on wishful thinking. You need proven strategies that will launch your book into the stratosphere successfully.
That’s precisely why we created the Book Launch Blueprint.
The Book Launch Blueprint is a 28-day, interactive course developed by Novel Marketing host Thomas Umstattd Jr. (that’s me!) and Christy Hall of Fame author James L. Rubart.
You will learn exactly what you must do to make your book launch a resounding triumph.
Learn more at BookLaunch.fun
Featured PatronsNew December Patrons:
- Lanysha Adams
- Lori Keesey
- Steve Garraty
- Gunnar Rogers
- Nancy Major
- Robert Nordlander
- Sharif Faizullah
- Bonnie Lacy
- Kelly Martindale
You can become a Novel Marketing Patron here.
Related Episodes* Why Most Authors Don’t Need Social Media in 2023 * Why Facebook is Overrated for Book Marketing * How to Start Building a Rejection Proof Platform
The post Whisper and the World Whispers Back appeared first on Author Media.
December is the biggest sales month for most authors because books make great gifts! So how can your holiday book promotion help your book become a go-to Christmas gift?
But first…
Don’t Let Publishing Ruin Your ChristmasBefore we talk about tactics, let’s discuss how we can keep holiday book promotion in the right place. I don’t want to add stress to an already stressful time of year. I believe the following strategies will help reduce your stress.
Take a BreakYou can take a break from marketing to spend time with your family. If your book is good and already has a fan base, then people will still buy your book as a gift even if you do zero marketing. That said, more people will buy it as a gift if you remind them, but it’s ok to take a break if you need to.
For example, I will be taking a few weeks off podcasting so that I can spend time with my family.
Promote Ahead of TimePlan your holiday book promotion before the rush of the season. When you start promoting your books early in the Christmas season, you’ll have more time to enjoy your family as the holiday approaches.
Put Marketing on AutopilotMany marketing tactics can be scheduled in advance. The rest of the Novel Marketing episodes this month are scheduled to release while I’m “on holiday,” as they say in the UK.
Create a TemplateOnce you’ve promoted your book through one Christmas season, you can use your marketing plan as a template for the next year. Much of your material can be used again. For example, you can reuse your emails and tweak them next year so that you don’t have to start from scratch.
For more time-saving tips, see my post How to Spend LESS Time Marketing Your Book.
If you’re ready to make a template you can follow or tweak for years to come, consider implementing the following strategies for your holiday book promotion.
#1 Make a PlanCreate a written marketing plan for your holiday book promotion season. I recommend breaking it into three phases: Prep, Promo, and Echo.
Prep (Starts October 1)In the preparation phase, you get things in order. You’ll draft your blog posts, gather your gift ideas, and write your emails. The goal is to put as much as possible on autopilot so that you can spend your holiday season baking cookies and playing scrabble.
Only shoppers wait until the last minute. Sellers plan ahead. If you want to sell your book during the holiday shopping season, start thinking like a seller.
Promo (Starts Black Friday)The Christmas promo window in the US starts the day after Thanksgiving. Interestingly, countries like the UK and Canada also have Black Friday, even though they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Black Friday is a good starting point for your holiday book promotion in most English-speaking countries.
Echo (Starts December 26)Holiday shopping happens in two waves. In the first wave, shoppers buy paperbacks and hardbacks because they’re easy to wrap and place under the tree.
In the second wave, people buy books, ebooks, and audiobooks with the gift cards they received for Christmas. On the day after Christmas, shoppers in Canada, the UK, and the rest of the Commonwealth, celebrate Boxing Day, a huge post-Christmas shopping day in those countries. In some countries, it is an official holiday.
While shoppers in the US don’t celebrate Boxing Day by name, we honor it with our actions. After Christmas, Americans are itching to spend billions of dollars in gift cards. As prices rise with inflation, we want to spend those gift cards before prices increase again.
#2 Offer a Black Friday DealEven brands like Apple, which rarely offers discounts, run a Black Friday deal.
If you have control over your book’s price, consider discounting it during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Once you have the discount scheduled, email your subscribers about the discount. Remind them to forward the email to anyone they think would enjoy your book.
#3 Remind Readers that Books Make Great GiftsYou are an author who thinks about books and writing all the time. Regular people don’t think about books nearly as much, and that’s ok! Get them thinking about books by giving them a little nudge with your marketing.
Every reader has a hard-to-buy-for person on their list, and a book is one of the easiest gifts to give. What do you get for the person who has everything? A great book!
Someone may own all the toys, but they don’t own all the books, and choosing a great book is a gift in itself. It’s like saying, “There are a lot of terrible books out there, but I’ve sorted through a bunch of them, and I think you will like this one.”
If every author sent out an email to their list saying, “Don’t forget that books make great gifts.” we would all see a surge in sales. Granddad doesn’t need another tie. He needs a great book.
#4 Create a Gift Guide Think about what your target reader, “Timothy,” wants for Christmas. Put together a gift guide that includes a list of cool gifts you think he would like. Include your books, similar books you recommend, and anything else he would enjoy.
For bonus points, use affiliate links and schedule the email or blog post to go out long before Christmas day.
An added benefit of creating a gift guide on your blog is that it can be great for your search engine rankings.
#5 Share Book-Themed RecipesDo the dwarves in your book celebrate a winter holiday called Candletide? Share some recipes they make for the fictitious holiday.
Does one of your characters have a famous cookie recipe or special egg nog? Share it with your readers.
Nonfiction writers can share recipes as well. Whether you have healthy alternatives to decadent seasonal dishes or the least stressful way to bake a pie, you can share your recipes and methods with your readers.
#6 Create a Gift BasketIf you sell books directly to readers through your website, create a special Christmas bundle that includes your books, a box of chocolates, nuts, or any combination of goodies your readers would love.
Work with local shops to source foods and gifts to fill the gift basket. Stores in your area might even be willing to sell the gift basket (which would include your book) in their store. They win because you are selling their chocolates on your website, and you win because they are selling your book in their local chocolate shop.
Be careful about including alcohol, though. In most places, you need a special license to sell alcohol. The wine shop can sell a basket with a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a bath bomb, and a cozy romance book, but if you sell it on your website, you will need to leave out the bottle of wine.
Working with local shops to create a gift basket is a million-dollar holiday book promotion idea for the author with the hustle to make it happen. If that’s you, email me and let me know how it goes! I might interview you on the podcast to share your story.
#7 Create a Christmas Book BundleConnect with other authors who write similar books and create a Christmas Book Bundle. Only one author in the group needs to have an online store to sell this bundle. The rest of the authors can share the link to the shop owner’s store, and everyone can split the profits after the holiday book promotion ends.
You could also create a special ebook bundle with a collection of all the authors’ books in one set.
#8 Write a Christmas Short StoryGive your superfans the gift of a Christmas short story about one of your characters. My favorite short story is Jim Butcher’s short story, Christmas Eve.
Your Christmas short story can function as a reader magnet to build your list or as a Christmas gift for your fans.
#9 Partner with a CharityDecember is the biggest month of the year for charitable giving. You can encourage generosity by promoting a charity. One strategy is to donate all the proceeds from sales on your website, but that may not be allowed in all stores.
The best way to partner with a charity is to give your book to every donor who supports that charity during your promotion. Smaller charities may be willing to partner with you and may even distribute books to donors. If you want to support a large charity like the Red Cross, you would need to distribute the books on your own.
During the promotion, have your readers email you their donation receipt. When you reply to their email, you’ll include a BookFunnel link where they can download a free copy of your book. By using this method, the charity will receive a donation, and you’ll receive a host of new email subscribers. It’s a Christmas win-win.
#10 Scavenger HuntCreate a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt for your readers for a bit of holiday book promotion fun. For best results, team up with authors in your genre for the scavenger hunt. To learn more about hosting an online Scavenger Hunt for readers, see Finding Readers with Book Scavenger Hunts.
#11 Write a “Twas the Night Before Christmas” Poem for Your BookThe Night Before Christmas is one of the most riffed-upon poems of all time. Its great structure will nicely support your own version. Additionally, the poem is so old that it’s in the public domain, so you can remix it to your heart’s content. You can then share your version as a fun gift on your blog or in your email newsletter.
#12 Write a Christmas BookJust as most musicians eventually record a Christmas album, many authors eventually write a Christmas book. You probably won’t be able to write a new Christmas book to sell this year, but you could certainly have one ready to go by next year. A Christmas-themed book gives you something to promote every year.
If you don’t want to write the whole book, team up with other authors to collaborate on a Christmas anthology of short stories.
#13 Add “Christmas Sizzle” to the Cover of Your eBookSome authors see a big sales boost when they add a red bow to their ebook covers in December. You can switch back to the regular cover in January.
This simple tactic reminds readers that books make great gifts. It’s the little nudge readers need. The bow strategy works best for romance and women’s fiction.
I doubt a bow would boost sales for your military sci-fi book, but sprucing up your book’s discoverability might.
#14 Optimize Your Amazon Description for Christmas Search TermsIn December, shoppers type phrases like “book ideas for mom.” Consider adding a phrase to your Amazon description that tells who the book would be a perfect gift for. The phrase “the perfect gift for the teen in your life” just happens to have a lot of keywords that you want to rank for in December.
For more on Amazon SEO, see How to Rank in Amazon Search Results with Dave Chesson and How to Use Metadata to Sell More Books.
#15 Host a PartyEvery year, I host a New Year party for the members of my mastermind groups. We reflect on the past year, make plans for the next year, laugh, and have a good time. And I host it all on Zoom.
You could host a Christmas party with your readers on Zoom or Discord. Invite your email subscribers to hang out with you for a special online party. For best results, focus on having fun rather than on selling your book.
#16 Company Gift BasketsRemember that books make great gifts. And who gives a lot of gifts? Companies. Most big companies give their employees a gift for Christmas.
I talked with one indie author who sold 15,000-20,000 physical books every year with one strategy. He spent two months cold-calling HR managers, pitching his book as a great addition to their employee gift baskets.
He could sell his books at a bulk discount and still make a great profit, partly because the large number of books he sold allowed him to offset print his books. He bought his books for about $2.00 per copy and sold them in bulk to companies at $5 or $10 per copy.
If you’re doing the math, 20,000 books at $8.00 in profit per book comes to $160,000. This author was providing for his whole family with this one strategy. He wasn’t selling through Amazon or worrying about bestseller rankings. He just smiled and dialed.
Can you think of a company or nonprofit whose employees would enjoy getting your book as part of their gift basket? Let us know in the comments at AuthorMedia.social.
#17 Offer Something for Last-Minute ShoppersWhile books make great gifts to put in a stocking or under the tree, ebooks, audiobooks, and Audible subscriptions make great last-minute gifts.
Send an email on December 23 with links to your ebook or audiobook. Include instructions on how to buy a digital book as a gift for someone else.
#18 Price Pulse for Gift Card Sales on Boxing DayGift cards are one of the most common gifts to give and receive at Christmas. During the last week of December, readers are rich in gift cards. Consider reducing the price of your book to make it more appealing to readers. Also, a bit of holiday book promotion during “gift card week” can go a long way, especially for your ebook.
For more on Price Pulsing, see How to Use Price Pulsing to Supercharge Your Backlist Sales.
#19 New Year’s Day Is Key for NonfictionPeople make a lot of resolutions on the first of the year. Right after readers make resolutions, they often buy books to help them reach their goals. If you write nonfiction, email your list with a New Year’s Resolution-themed email.
You might also consider hosting a webinar about keeping resolutions related to your topic.
At the start of a new year, many people resolve to “Watch less TV and read more books.” If you write fiction, email your readers saying, “Are you resolved to read more books this year? Here are some great titles to get you started.” Then feature your books and related books you think your readers would like.
#20 Pick a Specific Holiday to CelebrateFinally, if you want your marketing to resonate emotionally, be specific. People don’t connect with (or even understand) abstractions. Even the word “abstraction” is hard to understand.
Marketers know that abstractions confuse people, and that’s why you don’t see a “condiments” aisle at the grocery store. Instead, you see a sign for the “ketchup and mustard” aisle. The word “condiments” is too abstract to be useful for marketing.
Many authors make the mistake of wishing readers an abstract “happy holidays” rather than choosing a specific holiday to celebrate or acknowledge. Big corporations may feel compelled to be generic and abstract, but you have an advantage as an individual human being.
Your advantage is that you celebrate a specific holiday. And because you do, you can wish people a happy whatever-you-celebrate in a more authentic way than a generic corporation ever can.
If you celebrate Hanukkah, wishing your readers “Happy Hannukah” is more authentic and emotionally meaningful than wishing them a generic “Happy Holidays.” Readers don’t need to celebrate Hannukah to smile when you wish them a “Happy Hannukah.” The same is true for Christmas, Solstice, and Lunar New Year.
You can also celebrate a specific holiday from your story world. If your dwarves have a winter holiday called the “Candletide,” then wish your readers “Happy Candletide.” Host a Candletide party for your subscribers and create Candletide recipes.
Celebrating in NonfictionThis strategy can even work in nonfiction. Mike Duncan, the author of the New York Times bestselling book on Roman history, wishes his listeners a happy Saturnalia. Saturnalia was the biggest annual holiday for the ancient Romans and took place in December.
I’m a Christian, and my family celebrates Christmas. So, I choose to wish my listeners a Merry Christmas. When I smile at a cashier and wish them a “Merry Christmas,” it brings a smile to their face even if they don’t celebrate Christmas because I am sharing my authentic joy with them.
Don’t let people make you feel embarrassed for celebrating Christmas or Hannukah or Candletide. Your target readers will understand your well-wishes, so don’t let the grinches keep you from sharing your authentic joy with others.
Need Help Growing Your Email List?As you can see, many of these strategies work best if you have a large email list of readers. But what if you don’t have a big email list?
The Author Email Academy can help.
No marketing technique drives book sales as effectively as email does. Email performs 10 to 50 times better than social media. Email outperforms both digital and offline advertising.
Some authors create a website just so they can build an email list. When evaluating an author’s platform, certain publishers only consider an author’s email list performance.
Grow Your Email ListThe math is simple: more email subscribers mean more book sales. But how do you grow a list of real potential readers?
In this course, you will learn
- how to create a reader magnet
- techniques that will grow your list rapidly
- techniques that will grow your list slowly and consistently
Grow Your EngagementEmail works best when readers want to open and read every email. Learn how to craft emails readers want to read and forward to their friends.
Avoid Spam FiltersSpamming strangers is obnoxious, illegal, and ineffective. Effective email marketing doesn’t merely comply with the CAN-SPAM act. Savvy authors go above and beyond so that spam filters don’t come between them and their readers.
Learn more at AuthorEmailAcademy.com.While you can buy Author Email Academy on its own, it is included for free when you buy Obscure No More. If you are already an Obscure No More student, there is nothing for you to buy. You already have access!
If you’re not an Obscure No More student, find out what you’re missing by learning more at ObscureNoMore.com.
Featured BookShauna Letellier, author of Remarkable Advent (Affiliate Link)
With breathtaking imagery and captivating storytelling, Remarkable Advent will prepare your heart to celebrate God’s greatest gift in twenty-five daily readings for your family. Rediscover the wonder of the first Christmas in this Advent devotional.
Related Episodes* 7 Things Santa Can Teach Authors About Book Marketing * How to Use Price Pulsing to Supercharge Your Backlist Sales * How to Prevent Writing Burnout
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Can you leave social media and still grow a platform from which to launch your books? Sandy Cooper has the answer in this interview.
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In this episode of Novel Marketing, you will learn how to record your own audiobook using Hindenburg Narrator. Do I need an audio version of my book? According to The NPD Group, ebook sales for traditionally published books went down in the first half of 2021. Meanwhile, the most recent data for audiobooks states that […]
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Seven book marketing lessons from Santa for Authors
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While you wait for the next episode, check out these two resources for authors.
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Learn how and when to craft a compelling pitch that make agents, readers, and publishers curious about your novel.
The post How to Pitch Your Novel appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to avoid social media distractions, connect with qualified authors, and write better books with our new social network for authors.
The post A New Social Network for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Learn which Facebook ads work best for connecting with interested readers, growing your author email list, and ultimately selling books.
The post How Jason Porterfield Grew His Email List from 0 to 6,000 in One Year appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to find your readers, write the book they want, and overcome the fear of promoting your book to them.
The post How to Overcome the Fear of Book Promotion appeared first on Author Media.
Eight strategies to help you create a compelling news release.
The post How to Create Press Releases appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how three principles of reciprocity will help you show kindness to your readers and sell more books.
The post How to Get Strangers to Want to Buy Your Book Using Reciprocity (Marketing Psychology) appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how authors writing YA books can connect with teen readers.
The post How to Connect with Teen Readers: A Coaching Session With a Pre-Published YA Novelist appeared first on Author Media.
A step-by-step guide to help you publish your book independently.
The post How to Publish Your Book Independently appeared first on Author Media.
Expert advice for the 10 critical decisions of indie publishing.
The post 10 Decisions Every Indie Author Needs to Make appeared first on Author Media.
Connect with three groups of people who will help you write a book that makes readers want to write raving reviews.
The post How to Get More 5-Star Reviews With Beta Readers, Editors, and Launch Teams appeared first on Author Media.
Develop a comprehensive strategy to maximize your book sales in the first 30 days after release with the Book Launch Blueprint Course.
The post The 2021 Book Launch Blueprint is Here! appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to create an author website your readers want to visit. Carla Hoch shares her success story.
The post How to Improve Your Author Website with Carla Hoch appeared first on Author Media.
Facebook is about to change. Authors need to know what's coming and how to survive the digital upheaval.
The post A Short History of Facebook Marketing for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Authors with weak brands get ignored by publishers and readers alike. Learn how to avoid the 10 most common author branding mistakes.
The post 10 Classic Branding Blunders Authors Make (and how to avoid them) appeared first on Author Media.
Tricia Goyer explains how authors can connect with an enormous market of faithful readers in the homeschool community.
The post How to Market Books to Homeschool Families with Tricia Goyer appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to improve your website's SEO so readers can easily find you and buy your books.
The post Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Author Websites appeared first on Author Media.
Marketing literary fiction is different than marketing genre fiction. Standard marketing practices don't always work. In this article you'll learn what does.
The post How to Promote Literary Fiction With Jane Friedman appeared first on Author Media.
Amazon continually tests and changes their ads platform, and authors must stay up to date. Bryan Cohen reports on what's changed this year.
The post Amazon Advertising in 2021 appeared first on Author Media.
Follow these four crucial principles to avoid author burnout and maintain a healthy writing career.
The post How to Prevent Writing Burnout appeared first on Author Media.
Your book's title should accomplish four goals with only a few words. Learn how to create a memorable title that is easy to find and recommend.
The post How to Pick a Strong Book Title appeared first on Author Media.
Should authors establish a presence on Parler and MeWe? Learn about the new social media platforms, and find out if you can connect with your readers there.
The post Parler, MeWe, and How to Navigate Social Media Splintering as an Author appeared first on Author Media.
Ten Black Friday 2020 deals for authors that will help you stretch your budget and save you time.
The post 2020 Cyber Monday Deals for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to make more time for writing by hiring an assistant. It may cost less than you think, and it will free you up to focus on your writing.
The post How to Find and Work With a Virtual Assistant appeared first on Author Media.
You can develop a focused author tagline and build your brand by answering these questions about yourself and your message.
The post How to Develop an Author Tagline appeared first on Author Media.
New authors can implement these important baby steps to strengthen their career development right now. Learn to walk before you run.
The post The 5 Baby-Step Platform Building Process appeared first on Author Media.
15 answers to your questions about building an author platform.
The post How to Build a Rejection-Proof Platform Q&A appeared first on Author Media.
No matter how you publish, you'll need a sturdy platform. Learn which techniques successful authors use to build reliable platforms.
The post How to Start Building a Rejection Proof Platform appeared first on Author Media.
Podcast advertising is one of the most effective advertising venues for authors with audiobooks. Heather Osgood offers seven steps to great podcast advertising.
The post How to Advertise Your Book on Podcasts appeared first on Author Media.
Is rapid release a shortcut to success? Or is it a trap that could destroy your author career? Learn when and why it does and doesn't work.
The post Why Rapid Release is a Risky Book Launch Strategy appeared first on Author Media.
Before you sign with a traditional publisher, you need to know these seven important steps.
The post How to Get Published with a Traditional Publishing House appeared first on Author Media.
Six steps to creating an email sequence that will help your subscribers get to know, like, and trust you.
The post How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign appeared first on Author Media.
These seven strategies will help you form a close connection with your audience, create a high-quality audio experience, and sell more audiobooks.
The post How to Market Your Audiobook appeared first on Author Media.
You can earn money with your platform before your book releases. Dave Jackson shows us how.
The post How to Make Money From Your Platform appeared first on Author Media.
Find out which email service provider is right for you and your platform.
The post How to Pick the Right Email Marketing Service for You appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how the Novel Marketing evolved and how growth has been sustained for 250 episodes.
The post Episode 250: The Story of Thomas Umstattd Jr. appeared first on Author Media.
Authors and writers can work smarter, not harder, with these hardware and software tools that will increase your productivity and lead you to success.
The post 2020 Software Guide for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Learn three strategies that will protect your writing career from cancel culture.
The post How to Survive Cancel Culture as a Writer appeared first on Author Media.
Don't fall for these nine publishing myths that spread like a virus. Keep your publishing career healthy and learn what to do instead of falling for viral myths.
The post Publishing Myths That Will Waste Your Time and Money appeared first on Author Media.
You don’t need to hire a company to build you a website, you can do it yourself and it is easier than you think. You can learn how to build your very own professional author website.
The post How to Build an Author Website in a Day appeared first on Author Media.
Grow your author email list with these 8 powerful tools.
The post 8 Tools to Help Authors Get More Email Subscribers appeared first on Author Media.
How you price your book will impact your sales. Every price-point has a profitable strategy. Find out which one is right for your book.
The post How to Price Your Book Using Marketing Psychology appeared first on Author Media.
Not all bad reviews are bad for sales. Learn how to get fewer bad reviews and how to respond to the ones you have.
The post Where Negative Book Reviews Come From And How to Make Them Go Away appeared first on Author Media.
Don't make these four painful book launch mistakes.
The post Painful Book Launch Lessons You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way appeared first on Author Media.
How has COVID-19 impacted the Kindle ebook market? Alex Newton answers based on the data.
The post COVID-19 Kindle Stats: Genre Winners and Losers appeared first on Author Media.
Launch your book with the help of professional coaching and a customized plan.
The post How to Launch a Book in 2020 appeared first on Author Media.
Joshua Tallent teaches authors how to create quality metadata to increase book sales.
The post How to Use Metadata to Sell More Books appeared first on Author Media.
What will the future hold for authors and readers? If you pay attention, you can predict what readers will be looking for in the future.
The post Readers Are Changing What They Read (and what to do about it) appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to create a plan and timeline to build your platform and successfully launch your book.
The post How to Launch a Book: A Coaching Session With Krystal Proffitt appeared first on Author Media.
Podcasting is one of the hottest marketing techniques for authors right now and for good reason. In this episode you will learn how to start your own podcast.
The post How to Start an Author Podcast appeared first on Author Media.
James L. Rubart shares ten tips to quiet your inner editor.
The post How to Quiet Your Inner Editor (so you can write faster) appeared first on Author Media.
10 ways to progress as a writer while everything else is on hold.
The post How to Build Your Platform During Your Social Distancing appeared first on Author Media.
The more reviews you have, the more books you sell. And the more books you sell, the more reviews you get.
The post How to Get More Book Reviews with Jim Kukral appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to run a successful crowdfunding campaign with Chris Fox.
The post Kickstarter Tips and Tricks With Chris Fox appeared first on Author Media.
Kindle Unlimited (Affiliate Link), also called KU, is the "Netflix of ebooks." It costs readers $9.99 per month to get unlimited access to over one million ebooks. So, is it a good idea for your book to be in Kindle Unlimited?
The post What Indie Authors Need to Know About Kindle Unlimited with Lacy Williams appeared first on Author Media.
The better you know what motivates readers, the better you can motivate them to read your book. This is the heart of marketing. Please use it for good.
The post How to Make Your Book More Popular (Social Proof) appeared first on Author Media.
Learn about Kindle ebook trends in 2020 with Alex Newton of K-lytics.
The post State of the Kindle 2020 appeared first on Author Media.
You are not in this alone! Authors who work together sell more books than lone ranger writers.
The post How to Work With Fellow Authors To Sell More Books appeared first on Author Media.
Learn Amazon SEO tips and tricks with guest Dave Chesson.
The post How to Rank in Amazon Search Results with Dave Chesson appeared first on Author Media.
Scarcity makes your book valuable, Ubiquity makes it profitable. Learn how your book can be both for maximum results.
The post How to Use Scarcity & Ubiquity to Make Your Book Irresistible appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith used an online quiz to add 23,000 new email addresses to her list in one year without spending money on advertising.
The post How Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith Grew Her Email List by 23k Using a Reader Quiz appeared first on Author Media.
The better you know what motivates readers, the better you can motivate them to read your book. This is the heart of marketing. Please use social triggers like urgency for good.
The post How to Create Urgency to Buy Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
A bad Amazon book page can hamper all your marketing efforts. Bryan Cohen tells authors how an optimized book page can drastically improve your sales.
The post How to Optimize Your Amazon Listing with Bryan Cohen appeared first on Author Media.
Joanna Penn shares how to be productive in the new year.
The post Productivity Tips for Authors With Joanna Penn appeared first on Author Media.
The better you understand your reader’s customer journey, the more books you can sell.
The post Marketing 101: How Readers Make Buying Decisions at Physical Bookstores appeared first on Author Media.
Do you ever feel alone in the writing journey? Or perhaps you are not sure what to do next. You don’t need to! In this episode Thomas talks about10 different places to find mentorship and the pros and cons of each.
The post Where to Find Mentorship for Your Publishing Career appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how connecting your books in a shared literary universe can help boost sales.
The post Literary Universe Marketing appeared first on Author Media.
Find out which printing method makes the best business sense for your book's genre and your author career.
The post Print On Demand vs Offset Printing for Indie Books appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we talk about the right and wrong ways to combine websites.
The post How to Combine 2 Different Websites Without Losing Search Rankings appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we talk about why demographics are mostly useless and why you should use psychographics instead.
The post Why Demographics are Mostly Useless And Why You Should Use Psychographics Instead appeared first on Author Media.
You've collected data from your website, social media campaigns, and previous sales, but how does that data help your future book sales?
The post How to Use Marketing Data To Sell More Books appeared first on Author Media.
Joanna Penn gives introverted writers tips and courage for overcoming fear of public speaking.
The post Public Speaking for the Introverted Writer with Joanna Penn appeared first on Author Media.
Bookstagraming on Instagram With Nadine Brandes
The post Bookstagramming on Instagram With Nadine Brandes appeared first on Author Media.
Sell more books with these tips to becoming a sought-after podcast guest.
The post How to Get Booked for Guest Podcast Interviews Overview appeared first on Author Media.
How to Run a Podcast Tour
The post 208 How to Run a Podcast Tour (With Guest Mary DeMuth) appeared first on Author Media.
Where to Spend Your Marketing Dollars
The post Where to Spend Your Marketing Dollars appeared first on Author Media.
How to Go From 10 to 10,000 Readers in Five Years
The post How to Go From 10 to 10,000 Readers in Five Years appeared first on Author Media.
How to Pick Which Social Network Is Best For You
The post How to Pick a Social Network as an Author (Infographic) appeared first on Author Media.
Cutting activities from your life and business might be the most important move you'll ever make to increase your growth.
The post Focus, Pruning and Why Novel Marketing is About to Change appeared first on Author Media.
Book Marketing Milestones
The post Book Marketing Milestones appeared first on Author Media.
Eight tips and tools for creating effective landing pages that will build your email list and your connection to your readers.
The post How to Create a Landing Page appeared first on Author Media.
Book Marketing 101: How to Price Your Ebook
The post Book Marketing 101: How to Price Your Ebook appeared first on Author Media.
Help your cover designer create the best possible book cover by providing a design brief document. Learn what to include and avoid.
The post How to Create a Design Brief for Your Book Cover appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to protect yourself from counterfeiting and other attacks on Amazon.
The post How to Protect Yourself from Counterfeiting and Other Amazon Attacks appeared first on Author Media.
Public speaking is a skill authors can learn and improve. Here are six tips for connecting with your readers by becoming a better speaker.
The post How To Sell A Ton More Books With Public Speaking appeared first on Author Media.
Plagiarism, Copyright and Is Piracy Really a Problem for Authors?
The post Plagiarism, Copyright and Is Piracy Really a Problem for Authors? appeared first on Author Media.
How to Work With Bookstores
The post How to Work With Brick and Mortar Bookstores appeared first on Author Media.
If your book isn't selling well, Thomas and Jim will help you discover the problem and then show you how to fix it.
The post What to Do When Your Book is Not Selling appeared first on Author Media.
Before you advertise your book online, find out which parts of your ad are most important and which ad platform will work best for your book.
The post 193 How to Create Powerful Ads for Authors Who Hate Math! with Chris Fox appeared first on Author Media.
Marketing 101: Ten Advertising Terms You Need to Know
The post Marketing 101: Ten Advertising Terms You Need to Know appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to measure the results of your book marketing efforts with these online tools and dashboards.
The post How to Track Your Book Promotion appeared first on Author Media.
How to Navigate the Mailchimp Explosion!
The post How to Navigate the Mailchimp Explosion! appeared first on Author Media.
How to Use Bookbub to Sell More Books with David Gaughran
The post How to Use Bookbub to Sell More Books with David Gaughran appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to talk about your book in a concise, compelling way that will interest publishing professionals and make readers want to buy.
The post How to Craft a Compelling Elevator Pitch for Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
How One Author Used Her Shelved Manuscript to Get a 3 Book Deal
The post How One Author Used Her Shelved Manuscript to Get a 3 Book Deal appeared first on Author Media.
If you want to be traditionally published, you need to know these 6 decision-makers and which part of your proposal matters to each.
The post How to Get A Publishing Board To Buy Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Make your author website easier for readers to find and more fun to visit by using the 5 best free plugins for WordPress websites.
The post The 5 Best Free WordPress Plugins for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
How To Keep Writing When You’re Scared About What Others Will Think
The post How To Keep Writing When You’re Scared About What Others Will Think appeared first on Author Media.
How to Work with Editors: Insights from One of the Best in the Business
The post How to Work with Editors: Insights from One of the Best in the Business appeared first on Author Media.
Author Taglines With Brandilyn Collins
The post Author Taglines With Brandilyn Collins appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to use your book's back matter to sell more books and grow your email list.
The post How to Use Your Book’s Back Matter to Sell More Books appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to make the best use of two important printed marketing tools.
The post How to Sell More Books using Bookmarks and Business Cards appeared first on Author Media.
Find out why you need beta readers and how to assemble a team to provide feedback that will improve your book.
The post How to Find and Work with Beta Readers appeared first on Author Media.
Marketing 101: Twelve Marketing Terms Every Author Must Understand
The post Marketing 101: Twelve Marketing Terms Every Author Must Understand appeared first on Author Media.
One of the best ways to sell books is to speak in person at live events. Here are three steps to booking your first speaking gigs.
The post How to Get Your First Speaking Gigs appeared first on Author Media.
Authors learn how to build an email list without breaking the bank, and how to build a relationship with their new subscribers.
The post How to Grow Your Email List With Book Sweeps appeared first on Author Media.
Australian novelist David Rawlings secured an American agent and publisher from 7,500 miles away. In this article, he shares his best tips for new authors.
The post How David Rawlings Broke Into the US Market Despite Living Overseas (Case Study) appeared first on Author Media.
How You Can Create Massive PR for Yourself, Even If You’re A Complete Novice
The post How You Can Create Massive PR for Yourself, Even If You’re A Complete Novice appeared first on Author Media.
One critical element of a successful book launch is your written book launch plan. Find out what your plan should include and when to schedule your tasks.
The post How to Create a Written Book Launch Plan appeared first on Author Media.
In this special bonus episode of Novel Marketing, we answer YOUR book launch and book marketing questions. You can watch a video version of the Q&A below.
The post Bonus Book Launch Q&A appeared first on Author Media.
How to Create a Value Proposition for Your Book (Marketing 101)
The post Marketing 101: How to Create a Value Proposition for Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to use reliable scientific data to help you choose the best title, cover, or blurb for your book.
The post How To Split Test Your Book Title Ideas With Facebook Ads appeared first on Author Media.
How to Maintain Your Platform In-Between Books
The post How to Maintain Your Platform In-Between Books appeared first on Author Media.
Plan your year by planning your days. Susan May Warren share her strategies with authors struggling to get it all done.
The post Your Best Year Yet With Susan May Warren appeared first on Author Media.
How James L. Rubart Went From Rejected and Unpublished to Bestselling Author
The post How James L. Rubart Went From Rejected and Unpublished to Bestselling Author appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we are going to talk about the right way to use Facebook to sell more books! Last week we talked about why Facebook is overrated for book marketing, but we didn’t say it’s completely useless, so today we’re going to talk about the ways Facebook CAN work for you to promote your […]
The post How to Use Facebook To Promote Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Why Facebook is Overrated for Book Marketing
The post Why Facebook is Overrated for Book Marketing appeared first on Author Media.
How to Create Book Clubs Resources for Your Book
The post How to Create Book Club Resources for Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
How to Get Reading Clubs to Choose Your Book
The post How to Get Reading Clubs to Choose Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
How Ghostwriting Works, and How it Can Make you Money
The post Ghostwriting 101 with Arlene Gale appeared first on Author Media.
Learn the keys to keeping your email subscribers happy and entertained in this interview with bestselling author Susan May Warren.
The post How to Get 10,000 Readers and then Keep Them Happy appeared first on Author Media.
Snowflake Method With Randy Ingermanson
The post Snowflake Method With Randy Ingermanson appeared first on Author Media.
Find out what you need to know before you pursue a publishing path and how to be a productive writer once you begin.
The post How to Take Charge of Your Author Career appeared first on Author Media.
Amazon Book Ads - Everything You Need to Know - Date
The post Amazon Book Ads – Everything You Need to Know with Brian Berni appeared first on Author Media.
Find out why authors need a press kit and what to include in yours.
The post How to Create an Online Author Press Kit appeared first on Author Media.
Seven Things Readers are Looking for on Your Website
The post Six Things Readers are Looking for on Your Website appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we are going to talk about the best things you can do with your Advanced Reader Copies of your book …
The post How to Boost Book Sales With Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we are going to talk about how you as an author can use Fiverr to sell more books and improve the quality of your books.
The post How Fiverr Freelancers Can Help You Sell More Books appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about how to host a live video on Facebook to promote your next book launch. It is easy to look and sound amazing on Facebook Live!
The post How to Host a Facebook Live For Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Writing more books helps you make more money. But most authors write slow! Chris Fox shares 5 steps to faster and better writing.
The post How to Write 5000 Words an Hour with Chris Fox appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about how to write to market with Chris Fox an incredibly successful indie author of both fiction and nonfiction.
The post How to Write to Market With Chris Fox appeared first on Author Media.
Your book is finished. Polished. Ready for the world to read. But then the questions enter your mind, yes, those questions … how do I launch my novel in the most impactful way possible? How do I do it without feeling overwhelmed? And where do I find the time? We get it. They’re daunting questions. […]
The post The Launch Your Book Blueprint appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about a new course we've released that will help you launch your book in a way that will rocket it to success.
The post 150 – A Blueprint on How to Launch Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Learn why and how to put your indie book up for pre-order on Amazon. Lacy Williams also shares when it's a bad idea to put your book up for pre-order.
The post 149 – How To Set up Pre-Orders for Your Indie Book appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk with Lacy Williams about how to get libraries to buy your indie books using services like Overdrive and Draft2Digital.
The post 148 – How to Get Libraries to Buy Your Indie Book, with Lacy Williams appeared first on Author Media.
Announcements: We’re $4 away from hitting our next Patreon goal. With this level we will start providing full transcripts for each episode. We just need one person to back at the $5 level to push us over the edge. Just as a reminder, $5 Patrons receive: Warm feelings, knowing you’re keeping Thomas and James on […]
The post What We Can Learn from The Greatest Book on Marketing Ever Written appeared first on Author Media.
In this Novel Marketing Podcast episode, we are going to talk about publishing scams and how to avoid them. Don't get bamboozled by a charlatan!
The post How to Spot a Publishing Scam appeared first on Author Media.
A reader magnet is a prize your readers get in exchange for giving you their email. They can dramatically improve how fast your email list grows.
The post 145 – How to Create a Reader (Lead) Magnet appeared first on Author Media.
You know you need a website, but you don’t have one yet. We received an email from Mary Hamilton, a listener of the Novel Marketing podcast, who said dealing with her website was her writing pet peeve. “My biggest peeve is my website. I’m not techy enough to understand how to fix any issues with […]
The post 144 – How to Build an Amazing Author Website for $459.20 appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about four advertising fundamentals that apply when buying ads on Facebook, Amazon, GoodReads, and more!
The post 143 – Book Marketing 101: Author Advertising appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to reduce book marketing liabilities and develop assets. The more assets you have, the easier it is to sell books.
The post 142 – Marketing 101: How to Develop Book Marketing Assets appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about Amazon’s brick and mortar bookstores, the future of paper books, and how they affect you as an author.
The post 141 – Amazon Books and the Future of Brick and Mortar Retail appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we share an episode of the Creative Funding Show where Thomas talks with Joanna Penn about the multiple ways you can make money from your writing career that you might have never considered.
The post 140 How to Develop Multiple Streams of Money from Your Writing Career with Joanna Penn appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, talk about ways you can be more effective in your marketing, in your approach to the business of publishing and how to stay motivated when you feel like giving up, with special guest, Chad Allen.
The post 139 – How to Think Like a Business, Stay Motivated, And Write With Joy w/ Chad Allen appeared first on Author Media.
Links: Did Thanos Kill Me? The Creative Funding Show Iubenda (Affiliate link) Let’s talk about GDPR: First off, we are not lawyers. Questions: What is GDPR? General Data Protection Regulation Why do authors need to care about it? Isn’t it just European companies that need to worry about this? The law “applies” to Americans companies. Can […]
The post 138 – GDPR for American Authors? appeared first on Author Media.
Learn what GDPR is, why Americans don't need to worry about it, and why you may want to follow it anyway. TL;DR: The EU is not the government of the world and it can't force Americans to do anything. But you should follow some of the regulations anyway.
The post Why American Authors Don’t Need to Worry About GDPR appeared first on Author Media.
The more you understand how readers find, and how and why they buy books on Amazon, the more books you’re going to sell. And to help us dive deep into the subject is today’s guest, Alex Newton, the CEO and Founder of K-Lytics.com
The post 136 – How to Use K-lytics To Sell More Kindle eBooks appeared first on Author Media.
Joining a writers group will take your writing to a new level faster. Learn how to start one in your area.
The post 135 – How to Start a Local Writers Group appeared first on Author Media.
How to use the relaunch strategy to revive sales on your old novels.
The post 134 – How to Relaunch a Book With Chris Fox appeared first on Author Media.
Good marketing helps a bad book fail faster. To succeed, you need a great book and for that, you need a great editor. In this episode, learn how to find and work with an exceptional editor with special guest Karen Ball.
The post 133 – How to Find and Work with an Editor with Karen Ball appeared first on Author Media.
Email is the most powerful tool for selling books. But it only works if your emails arrive in reader’s inboxes successfully.
The post 131 – How to Increase Your Email Delivery appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we are going to talk about a few of the myths and lies writers are prone to believe which can derail us or send us in wrong directions or keep us from going in the direction we should be headed.
The post 130 – Myths Authors Believe appeared first on Author Media.
Are you putting the cart before the horse? Learn how to build your email list before your book comes out by writing short stories.
The post 129 – How to Build an Email List Before Your First Book Comes Out Using Short Stories appeared first on Author Media.
You can blog your book ahead of time. You just need to do it the right way. Learn how to blog your book and what traps and pitfalls to avoid. Blogging can help you create a best seller. Here is everything you need to turn your blog posts into an amazing book.
The post How to Blog Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Show Outline Introduction: Episode 1 was on Oct 7, 2013 A lot has happened over the last four and a half years. Jim has won half a dozen book awards Thomas spent time as the marketing director for a publishing company. We went a couple of years only posting every other week. Starting summer of […]
The post 128 – Taking Novel Marketing to the Next Level appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about connecting with anyone in the world that you want to. In the last two episodes, we talked about why Word of Mouth is not working and How to Make Word of Mouth Work for You by connecting with Mavens, Connectors, and Salespeople. But HOW do you meet these people?
The post 127 – How to Connect with Anyone in the World appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about how you can make Word of Mouth work for you. Spoiler Alert: some people are more important to spreading your idea than others. Find out who those people are and how to reach them.
The post 126 – How to Make Word of Mouth Work for You appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode of the Novel Marketing podcast, we’re going to talk about what has been consistently cited as the number one way to sell books … Word of Mouth. You’ve heard that, yes? Studies have shown that Word of Mouth sells more books than any other marketing method by far … but today […]
The post 125 – Why Word of Mouth Isn’t Working for Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk with bestselling author Joanna Penn about how to reduce your pain, improve your health, and build a writing career for the long term. If you need more energy to promote your book, you will not want to miss this podcast.
The post 124 – How to be a Healthy Writer with Joanna Penn appeared first on Author Media.
The 2018 changes to Facebook are changing what works and what doesn't work for authors and books. Listen to this episode to learn how to make Facebook work for your writing.
The post 123 – What the New Facebook Changes Mean for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk with an author-friendly CPA about the impact of the new 2018 tax plan on authors. This is the biggest change to the tax code since the 1980s. Come April 15 you will be glad you listened to this episode!
The post 122 – How the 2018 Tax Changes Affect Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Email Marketing is the #1 tool for driving book sales. In this episode we talk with Bryan Cohan about how to craft the kinds of emails that readers want to see.
The post 121 – Email Marketing for Humans with Bryan Cohen appeared first on Author Media.
Knowing your readers allows you to connect with them through your writing and marketing. These 5 tools will help you understand your readers.
The post 120 – How to Get to Know Your Readers appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we’re not going to be talking theory, but real-world examples of an author using the principles we talk about on Novel Marketing.
The post 119 Working with Beta Readers, Crowdfunding, and More with Curt Iles appeared first on Author Media.
When you don't have good book sales, evaluate your marketing funnel. Learn how to create a process that converts.
The post 118 – Book Marketing 101: Marketing Funnels appeared first on Author Media.
A strategic plan is crucial for your success as an author. Learn how to assess your resources and find motivation to achieve your writing dream.
The post 117 – How to Plan a Successful New Year with Tracy Higley appeared first on Author Media.
GoodReads giveaways, one of the most cost-effective book promotion tactics, are changing. Here's everything you need to know about giving away books on GoodReads.
The post 116 Important Changes GoodReads Giveaways appeared first on Author Media.
Publishers pressure novelists to build a platform. Many authors see spending money on book marketing as part of the job. Here's why that's a mistake.
The post 115 – Why Traditional Authors should NEVER pay for marketing appeared first on Author Media.
Different kinds of authors need different things from their home pages. Make sure you have the right kind of homepage for your author website.
The post 114 – Five Kinds of Author Homepages appeared first on Author Media.
Publishers pressure novelists to build a platform. Many authors don't question this. They see spending money on book marketing as part of the job. Here's why that's a mistake.
The post Why traditionally published authors should NOT pay for marketing. appeared first on Author Media.
New York Times Bestselling Indie Author Joanna Penn talks about how novelists can use content marketing to promote your book.
The post 113 – Content Marketing With Joanna Penn appeared first on Author Media.
Now is the best time to start building your platform. Learn what to work on and what not to waste your time on.
The post Where to Build Your Platform As an Unpublished Novelist appeared first on Author Media.
Your book’s front cover may get someone’s attention, but the back cover copy gets their money. That copy can make or break your marketing efforts. Learn how to write amazing copy.
The post 111 – How to Write Bestselling Back Cover Copy appeared first on Author Media.
In this podcast episode, we tell you what will thrill your readers on your author website and make them want to come back.
The post 110 – 11 Ways Proven to Draw Readers to Your Novel’s Website appeared first on Author Media.
If you’re using regular Chrome you are missing out. In this episode, we talk about 12 extensions to help make you a more productive, better writer.
The post 12 Chrome Extensions Every Author Needs appeared first on Author Media.
Free pulsing is a special way to make your book free for one day that can dramatically boost book sales. But only if you do it correctly.
The post How Free Pulsing Can Help You Sell More Books with Jamie Foley appeared first on Author Media.
Any one of these 11 book cover mistakes could ruin all your other book marketing efforts. Learn how to avoid them.
The post 107 – Book Cover Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Marketing appeared first on Author Media.
Your book cover is your biggest marketing asset. It can make or break your book. In this episode, we discuss the necessary elements for a successful cover.
The post 106 – 10 Things Every Book Cover Needs appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we a talk with best-selling author Lacy William about how she uses Amazon Advertisements to sell more books.
The post 105 – How to Sell More Books With Amazon Ads appeared first on Author Media.
Here is a step by step overview of how to take your book from idea to reality.
The post 104 – How to Independently Publish Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Author's make a lot of mistakes with their homepages. Here is how to avoid them and have homepage book that works.
The post 103 – 10 Common Author Homepage Mistakes & How to Avoid Them appeared first on Author Media.
The right author mastermind group will accelerate your education, craft, and career. Find out how to start and run an effective mastermind group.
The post 101 – Why Mastermind Groups Give Bestselling Authors an Edge and How to Start One appeared first on Author Media.
Q Evelyn Williamson is going to kick us off with three questions. She says, “I’m working on my first novel and would like to know how much money I need once I publish … to promote my book. Also, she’ like to know what kinds of things are acceptable expenses to write off. Are books […]
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Just a little over halfway through the year, it’s that time where many of us do an inventory check … and look at what we need to adjust for the rest of the year. We’re not going to call these second half resolutions, because these are not have tos … so you don’t get to […]
The post 099 – Three Marketing Mindsets We Suggest You Adopt For the Rest of the Year appeared first on Author Media.
Seven tips to help you create an author portrait that captures your authentic self and communicates your brand.
The post 7 Tips for Best Selling Author Portraits appeared first on Author Media.
Your Name The middle initial can get you in trouble Radio and TV interviews Who do people know you as? Radio and TV Who do you think of yourself as? Jim/James on Facebook Stephen King/Steve King What should people call you? Can be a positive What if you have a common name? Pseudonym Middle name? […]
The post 097 – Major Mistakes You Might Be Making With Your Author Name appeared first on Author Media.
Put it in your Contract If you are traditionally published, make sure the audiobook is written in. Publishers only pay for audiobook production for books they believe. Record Yourself/You become the voice talent … Advantages to doing it yourself- You know how your characters sound You know the nuance of your words You know the […]
The post 096 – How to Turn Your Book Into An Audiobook appeared first on Author Media.
Most books don’t end up as audiobooks and I think this is a huge marketing mistake for the following reasons.
The post 7 Reasons Why Your Book Should Also Be An Audiobook appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we are going to talk about discipline … we’re already through first quarter and are rapidly moving toward the finish of the first half of the year … and there’s an ever so slight possibility that some of your goals and resolutions for 2017 have slipped into the abyss of business and […]
The post 094 – How to Use the Ancient Power of Discipline to Accomplish Your Goals appeared first on Author Media.
Intro Paragraph: Expensive, but the REACH is unparalleled. 1967 the cost was $42,000 for a 30. Today 5 million Spending that kind of money means you have to create a great ad Talking Points: Seahawks One of the biggest TV shows in the world If you have the money, it […]
The post 093 – What Authors Can Learn from Bad Super Bowl Ads appeared first on Author Media.
Do you have “the dream”? If you love writing fiction, you don’t need to tell me “the dream” is to get published and hit the bestseller list. I know that’s it; I get it. I’ve been there.
The post The 5-Year Plan To Become A Bestselling Novelist. Guaranteed. appeared first on Author Media.
Sign up for the 5-Year Plan to Become a Bestselling Author Show Notes: (James) In this episode, we are going to talk about something different than we usually do. The vast majority of the time we talk about what you need to do with your marketing to heighten your chances to become a bestselling author. […]
The post 092 – The Guaranteed Way to Become A Bestselling Novelist appeared first on Author Media.
Intro Paragraph: So don’t worry. This post isn’t going to be about the insanity we all just went through. Yeah, I know … whew. But the campaign season that just ended can teach us a salient point about our own copywriting. What works, what doesn’t. Talking Points: Trump didn’t win the election, Clinton lost it. […]
The post 091 – What The Election Can Teach Us About Copywriting for Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Q Cadel Sterling says, “I found a local, self-published author, with a really cool sounding book premise, and I bought his e-book and told him I’d review it. It stinks. Just awful. Painful to read. So, what do I do now? Hide and pretend I never read it, or honestly review it honestly-knowing agents […]
The post 090 – Q&A Extravaganza #7 appeared first on Author Media.
Intro Paragraph: In case you haven’t noticed, using videos as part of marketing is exploding. USA Today, everywhere else as well. So how do we as authors get on this train and use it to engage readers more deeply? Talking Points: 1. Why Video? YouTube-the greatest running backs in the NFL They want to get […]
The post 089 – How To Use the Power of Video to Engage More Readers appeared first on Author Media.
What is Web Hosting Web hosting is where your website lives on the internet. It is like rent for your website. It is important because if your site goes down people can’t find you. Why is web hosting important? Agent Hack Story Bad hosting can ruin your reputation. Viral Blog Post story Kinds of Web […]
The post 087 – Website Hosting for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we are going to talk about how to choose your genre When You Don’t Want to Choose John Grisham Stephen King Pen names Hedgehog Principle Passions Skills Need$ Passion Tests Movie Test – What kinds of movies do you like to watch? Throwing Book Across the Room Test – (When you keep […]
The post 086 – How to Pick Your Genre appeared first on Author Media.
What is MyBookTable? WordPress Plugin Sell More Books New Features in the Free version MyBookTable 3 Updated Look MyBookTable book pages have been redesigned to be prettier, more mobile-friendly, and conversion-optimized. If you prefer the classic look, don’t worry– you will still have it as an option. New, Easier Interface As MyBookTable has grown more […]
The post 085 – How to Sell More Books with MyBookTable 3 appeared first on Author Media.
The #1 WordPress Bookstore Plugin is about to get even better with Kindle Instant Preview, International Mode and Landing Page Mode.
The post MyBookTable 3 is Here appeared first on Author Media.
Most authors never reach the fourth level of building a brand. Find out what makes fourth-tier branding possible for authors.
The post 084 – How to Create A Breakthrough Author Brand Step 4 – Look in Your Reader’s Mirror appeared first on Author Media.
Last episode we talked about getting an agent from Thomas’ and my perspective, in this episode, we’re going to talk about how to get an agent from the agent’s perspective. So we’d like to introduce you to one of our favorite people and an outstanding literary agent, Rachelle Gardner. Talking Points: Great writing, great platform, […]
The post 083 – How to Get an Agent With Rachelle Gardner appeared first on Author Media.
Why do you want an agent? Capital Credibility Contacts and Contracts Do you need one? When you do When you don’t What a good agent can do for you How agenting has changed over the past 10 years Career counsel Contacts Projects you’d never hear about without them What an agent can’t do for you […]
The post 082 – How to Get an Agent appeared first on Author Media.
Curious Cathy She has a lot of questions. She is coming to your website for answers. How to thrill: Blog Posts Answering her (Reader) Questions Contact Form Add Kindle Instant Preview of your book Book Buying Betty She Wants to buy your book and browse your backlist. How to thrill: Make book covers clickable Buy […]
The post 081 – 7 Website Visitors Every Author Needs to Thrill appeared first on Author Media.
Intro Paragraph: (Thomas) Our first question comes from Runescape Gold dot com. No, that’s not his name but he or she didn’t give one. But I love this question. Do I have the guts to quit my job? Dave Smale I know it’s never a good idea to get a friend (or a friend of […]
The post 080 – Q & A Extravaganza appeared first on Author Media.
Ten tips to help you write a bio that your audience will enjoy and remember.
The post 079 – How to Write a Crazy Cool Author Bio appeared first on Author Media.
Your Celebrity Fabio Story Publisher Avon Books estimated his image increased sales by as much as 33% when he appeared on the cover with a woman; 45% when he appeared alone. Each photo session would get Fabio in about 16 cover poses that artists could reuse for multiple covers. He’s on more than 2,000 book […]
The post 078 – How To Become a Career Writer Part 4: How to Make Money With Your Knowledge & Celebrity appeared first on Author Media.
75 #1 Think Like a Business 76 #2 Make Money on the Book 77 #3 Make Maximum Money with Your Writing Skills Use Your Writing Skills As an Editor Pays faster. The editor is the first and sometimes only person to make money on a book. Creating a course to teach writing to other […]
The post 077 – How To Become a Career Writer Part 3: Make Maximum Money with Your Writing Skills appeared first on Author Media.
Tips for Making the Most on Your Book: Publish Prolifically. (Each book boosts sales for your other books) BUT DON’T OVERDO THIS: too many choices are not a good thing… Write Quickly (Quality + Speed = Excellence). Perfection is a trap. Write Consistently Write Early (There is a scientific reason for writing first thing in […]
The post 076 – How To Become a Career Writer Part 2: Make Maximum Money on Your Book appeared first on Author Media.
Think Like a Business: Delegate Determine what your time is worth. Only do what only you can do. Read The Four Hour Workweek Build a Team Writing Assistant Ways to pay Editor Literary Manager Webmaster Investors (You need to invest in your own book) Agent CPA How to Become a Business You are already a […]
The post 075 – How To Become a Career Writer Part 1: Think Like a Business appeared first on Author Media.
Talking Points: Videos (Great for helping authors shorten & practice their pitch, bad for selling books) MyBookTable (Forced us to get every book on every platform. Getting all our books on iBooks was a bit of a project) Email (Tried weekly and went back to monthly) SumoMe Contests KingSumo PermaFree BookBub Results: Doubled the […]
The post 074 — The Enclave Files #2 appeared first on Author Media.
Talking Points: How Affiliate Programs Work Percentage of Gross sales 2%-8% Cut of the cart Pay monthly Tracking Amazon’s Affiliate Program Pro: Easiest to Sign Up For Pro: Easiest to Use Pro: Largest Customer Base Pro: Cut of the cart brings in a lot of extra $$ Con: Not Available in all states Barnes & […]
The post 073 – How to Double Book Profits Through Affiliate Revenue appeared first on Author Media.
Listen to our other podcasts 065 – 7 Tips for Effective Email Newsletters 062 – 7 Ways to Avoid the Spam Filter 057 – What to include in an Author Newsletter Public Service Announcement: Avoid MeMail. Spam is in the eye of the beholder. Listen to our other episodes on email to learn how […]
The post 072 — How to Grow Your Email List from 0 to 10,000 appeared first on Author Media.
Talking Points: Kinds of editors: Developmental editor (Successful authors) The macro edit Line edit editors Beta reader editors Copy editor (Grammar Nazi) Proofreaders (Details person) Places to find an editor: Writers’ Conference (Ask the faculty for recommendations. They will likely recommend fellow faculty who you can talk with. 15m consult) Recommendation from a successful author […]
The post 071 – How To Find a Good Editor appeared first on Author Media.
Denica McCall, author of Flowers in the Darkness Question: While I do write novels, I have just put out a poetry book(my first published book). The book is partly being used to raise funds for a local organization fighting human trafficking. What I’m wondering is, what kinds of places should I look to connect with […]
The post 070 — Q&A Lightning Round appeared first on Author Media.
Question from Samantha Johnson Book Title The Beginner’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening How do you stand out when your name fits in? When your name is something super-common, it’s next to impossible to find unique domain addresses, and Google Alerts are ineffective because there are so many other people out there with the same name. […]
The post 069 – How to Stand Out When Your Name Fits In appeared first on Author Media.
Today we are answering a listener question from Name Erica Borgerson Website http://www.LazyGirlGuides.com Book Title The Lazy Girl Guide to Healthy Eating & The Lazy Girl Guide to Fitness Question So, since you don’t really recommend spending money doing a book trailer to promote our books, what would you mention us spending money on? You […]
The post 068 – Where to Spend Your Marketing Money appeared first on Author Media.
In this special bonus episode we talk about the launch of MyBookProgress. MyBookProgress on Kickstarter
The post Bonus Episode: Special MyBookProgress Announcement appeared first on Author Media.
A lot of authors are addicted to checking email. Poor email habits hold many authors back from success because it wastes time and zaps mental energy. If you can learn to do email better you will have more time to market your book and more mental energy to write. Talking Points: Authors are not great […]
The post 067 – How to Keep Your Inbox @ Zero And Have More Time to Write appeared first on Author Media.
Some people say contests are a tremendous marketing tool, some say they’re a waste of time … we’re going to explore the pros and cons of contests … let me ask you, Thomas … Talking Points: Pros if you’re unpublished Feedback Learning how to handle negative feedback/critique Many editors and agents take notice if you […]
The post 066 – Can Writing Contests Be A Powerful Marketing Tool? appeared first on Author Media.
Public Service Announcement: Respect Spam is in the eye of the beholder. Creepy / Charming (thin line in between) Permission Tip 1 Provide consistent value. New Book Announcements News (Progress Updates) Ask for Feedback Reader Stories Reader Art Reviews for other books Advice Discounts (Run your own BookBub) Laugh Encouragement Blog Curation Tip […]
The post 065 – 7 Tips for Effective Email Newsletters appeared first on Author Media.
Talking points Marketing ourselves in every moment/editors and agents and readers are watching, wear, dress, speak, what you say, don’t say … how open, how closed off … James’ writing conference story Thomas’ Courtship Story Not Everyone Has Ears to Hear Don’t Respond in Kind What did James do wrong? Nothing. Personality styles The […]
The post 064 – How to Market Yourself to Readers Who Don’t Like You appeared first on Author Media.
Intro Paragraph: Unless you have a multi-book contract (and we’re talking 4+ books) you need to be constantly marketing yourself to publishers. Even if you do have a long term contract you need to be marketing yourself because someday that contract will end and (let’s say this quietly) they might not pick you up again. […]
The post 063 – Six Proven Methods for Creating Maximum Impact at Writing Conferences appeared first on Author Media.
Jim how do you tell if you are a spammer? If people click “mark as spam” on your email, you are a spammer as far as that person is concerned. Spam is in the eye of the beholder. How Spam Filters Work Before we give you tips on how to avoid spam filters we should […]
The post 062 – 7 Ways to Avoid the Email Spam Filter appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to apply the time-tested "P"s of marketing to your book promotion efforts.
The post 061 – Marketing 101: The Five Ps of Novel Marketing appeared first on Author Media.
Question from Jen Q: I really enjoyed this podcast, but I’m curious as to how aspiring writers are supposed to use Facebook and Twitter differently? Question from J.T. Stoll Author of The Rift I’m an indie fantasy author and trying to figure out how much time to dedicate to putting together blurbs for my […]
The post 060 – Q&A Extravaganza & Big Announcement appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we are going to talk about how to stay out of jail … when it comes to your taxes … I am excited to introduce our guest. So, we brought in a CPA who has coached authors, celebrities and small businesses for over thirty years. He is the guy that […]
The post 059 – Novel Tax Tips for Authors appeared first on Author Media.
Show Notes: She is involved in her own marketing. She’s transparent, which builds familiarity and trust She uses every channel — differently She says “no” when her brand is devalued Her product is inspirational and unexpected She makes smart partnerships She’s a master at maintaining magic and mystery in her brand Links: Original article 60 […]
The post 058 – Powerful Marketing Lessons from Taylor Swift appeared first on Author Media.
As you know, we talk a lot about how effective author newsletter are. Of all the online marketing tools I feel that email is the most powerful. Most social networks are just an extension of email. People go to Facebook when they get an email about a new photo or comment. It is the world’s […]
The post 057 – What to Include in an Author Newsletter appeared first on Author Media.
Today we’re going to talk about how to market yourself to yourself. Yo dog I heard you like marketing. But in all seriousness he person who is the toughest to sell to … you. Most of us have a voice in our heads that is incredibly critical of everything we do. Talking Points: Isn’t […]
The post 056 – How to Become More Confident appeared first on Author Media.
Robin is the best-selling and award winning novelist of seventy books. Seventy! As you can imagine, she doesn’t hurt for publishers wanting to partner with her. She started in the general market and wrote for publishers such as Leisure Books, HarperPaperbacks, Avon Books, and Silhouette. In 1997, she felt a call to write stories infused […]
The post 055 – Finding Readers Through a Book Scavenger Hunts With Robin Lee Hatcher appeared first on Author Media.
Many authors are terrified that someone will steal their work. They don't realize their true enemy is obscurity not piracy.
The post Authors: Piracy is Not Your Enemy appeared first on Author Media.
For a long time Thomas has worked with and ragged on Marketing directors at publishing companies around the country. Well one of the decided to call his bluff and bring him on the team as the Marketing Director. We have negotiated special access for you our listeners to go behind the scenes in the life […]
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Show Outline: Here’s the run-down on how I threw the FB Party: What is a Facebook party? How do You prepare? How did you promote? What prizes did you use? How to you run a Facebook party. (Jim) I had a core group of people (~30) on a launch team who committed to attending and […]
The post 053 – How to Throw a Facebook Party for Your Book Interview With Nadine Brandes appeared first on Author Media.
Book trailers are an interesting animal. Some people swear by them and claim they’re an extremely effective marketing tool, some say they’re a waste of time and money. Listener question from Elizabeth Jane Kitchens author of The Beast’s Enchantress “What’s your opinion of book trailers? Are they worth the effort? Should they be like movie […]
The post 052 – To Book Trailer, or Not Book Trailer … that is the question appeared first on Author Media.
Quick Links: GetThisBook.com 1000 True Fans KevinKaiser.co Transcript Thomas Umstattd Jr.: So in this episode, as you’ve probably figured out, we’re going to be talking to Kevin Kaiser. And for those of you who don’t know who Kevin is, Kevin is a marketing guru, one of the guys I respect the most in terms of […]
The post 051 – Bestseller Marketing Tactics With Brand Manager Kevin Kaiser appeared first on Author Media.
This is our 50th episode, and to celebrate we are throw yet another Q&A extravaganza. Questions: Sarena Masco What advice would you give to someone who is in the process of creating two identifying brands for separate fields? For example, one brand would be as a fantasy author and the other as a graphic designer. […]
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In this episode we are going to talk about how independent authors can use crowdfunding to promote and pay for their next book. What is crowdfunding? Mary DeMuth’s Story Marci Seither’s Story The Adventures of Pearley Monroe.” Benefits of Crowdfunding: Get money now, deliver the book later. Test your idea. See how much demand there […]
The post 049 – How to Use Crowdfunding to Fund Your Next Book Advance appeared first on Author Media.
Book signings are likely the most personal connection you’ll have with a reader. Because of that, it’s an important opportunity that could either leave the reader with a memorable experience, or could alienate a new friend. In this episode, we discuss the right way to sign books, so you give your readers an enjoyable moment they’ll remember.
The post 048 – The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Sign Books appeared first on Author Media.
Many writers love to write in multiple genres, is that a good idea? Should they narrow it down? If so, how should a writer pick the one with the best chance of selling? We answer these questions and more in this week’s episode.
The post 047 – How to Pick the Perfect Genre to Write In appeared first on Author Media.
What if we said that getting your work ripped off could significantly boost your sales? In this episode, we explore why getting stolen from should make your day. [atp_links linktype=”sbutn”]
The post 046 – Why You Should Love It When Your Novel Gets Pirated appeared first on Author Media.
Some say bookstores are only interested in promoting the best-selling authors. While that’s not true, getting their focus will take some tricks and techniques. In this episode, we cover five keys to getting the attention of physical, walk-in bookstores.
The post 045 – Five Keys to Working with Book Stores, Before You’re Published and After appeared first on Author Media.
Is your website copy boring readers? You only have seven seconds to capture attention so make sure your web copy works.
The post 044 – Writing for Your Website – How To Craft Pages That Readers Actually Want to Read appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how to listen in when your readers talk about you, and find out how their words can help refine your author brand.
The post 043 – How to Create A Breakthrough Author Brand Step 3 – Look Through Your Readers appeared first on Author Media.
Branding is one of the most confusing topics under the umbrella of marketing. In this episode, we look at the second step of creating a breakthrough author brand.
The post 042 – How to Create A Breakthrough Author Brand Step 2: Look at Your Readers appeared first on Author Media.
Branding is one of the most confusing topics under the umbrella of marketing. In this article, you'll learn the first step to creating your author brand.
The post 041 – How to Create A Breakthrough Author Brand Step 1 – Look in the Mirror appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we answer questions from listeners like you. If you would like to ask a question for a future Q&A episode click here. Question 1 “I was recently divorced and remarried and now I have a new last name. Should I change the name on my website and future books or use my old […]
The post 040 – 40th Episode Q&A Extravaganza appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk with agent and former editor Karen Ball.
The post 039 – How Writers Should Market Themselves to Editors With Karen Ball appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk with Allen Arnold about the deserts a writer can get stuck in, and how to get out.
The post 038 – How to Find an Inspiration Oasis in a Creativity Desert With Allen Arnold appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode, we talk about a cold reality of being a writer: there will be people who end up hating you and what you write. They’ll post false reviews, stir up untrue controversy, and try to systematically take you down. So what do you do about these people?
The post 037 – Trolls, Haters, and Critics Oh My – How to Handle Negative Feedback as an Author appeared first on Author Media.
Is free a dirty word? Should you give your book away? In this episode, we talk about these questions and more. Talking points: Intro: Free isn’t a dirty word, but it’s not the cure for every marketing problem The Upside of Free or deep discounts Exposure Rooms experiment Perma Free Books in a series The downside of […]
The post 035 – The Upside and Downside of Free Books appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we talk with Bestselling Author Angela Hunt.
The post 034 – Angela Hunt’s Journey From Unpublished to Over 1 Million Book Sales appeared first on Author Media.
Not all authors need an agent. In this episode we talk with Steve Laube about what kind of authors need an agent and what kind of authors can go agentless.
The post 032 – What is a Literary Agent Do You Still Need One appeared first on Author Media.
Many novelists have a hard time with blogging. So they end up ignoring this powerful tool. In this episode, Jim and Thomas talk about what to blog about and what topics to avoid.
The post 031 – What Should Novelists Blog About? appeared first on Author Media.
This week we are talking with Allen Arnold about how to overcome that mysterious barrier to publication called “pub board.”
The post 030 – Selling An Editor So She Can Sell to Pub Board With Allen Arnold appeared first on Author Media.
Spirit Bridge by our very own James L. Rubart has just launched. Check it out at Amazon or at a book store near you.
The post Special Announcement: Spirit Bridge by James L. Rubart appeared first on Author Media.
An author mastermind group can accelerate your writing and publishing career. Find out how you can start one.
The post 029 – How to Start a Mastermind Group appeared first on Author Media.
A popular marketing strategy is to put together a huge launch even focused around the launch date of the book. You are not a fan of the big fan of that strategy. Why not? Walk us through the marketing techniques you used for your last book. Tell us about your experiences with book […]
The post 028 – Book Rollouts Vs Book Launches With James Scott Bell appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we’re going to talk about the legendary elevator pitch … and how to create one that does exactly what an elevator pitch should do. Talking Points: What is an elevator pitch? Sentence – High concept, the hook Paragraph – Radio Pitch / Back cover copy … Page – Short Synopsis Why do […]
The post 027 – How to Create an Elevator Pitch So Good That People will Stop the Elevator to Hear More appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we talk with Brandilyn Collins about author taglines.
The post 026 – Author Taglines With Brandilyn Collins appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we answer questions from listeners like you. If you would like to ask a question for a future Q&A episode click here. Question 1 “My question has to do with a specific niche – my novel is Christian fiction, including dragons, but not your typical fantasy with magic, talking critters, etc., so […]
The post 025 – 25th Episode Q&A Extravaganza appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we talk about a powerful and easy way to market yourself and your writing to complete strangers … even if you’re a total introvert.
The post 024 – An Easy Line to Help Introverted Authors Promote Their Writing to Complete Strangers appeared first on Author Media.
Learn how successful authors set SMART goals to foster perseverance and make progress in their writing career.
The post 023 – SMART Goals the Key to Marketing Success appeared first on Author Media.
In this episode we are going to talk about Facebook. And more specifically, how to get more Facebook fans. Why Facebook is still important: Still the biggest social network (after email) Publishers pay attention to Facebook, particularly your PTAT score. 12 Ways to Get More Fans: Create sharable content particularly photos. Put a Facebook like […]
The post 022 – 12 Ways to Get More Facebook Fans appeared first on Author Media.
Talking Points: Esther Story: Esther Had a Tough Marketing Position Not in favor with the King Had a big ask. What does she do? She offers value and invites the King to a banquet in his honor. At the banquet does she offer her big ask? No, she invites him to a second banquet. It […]
The post 021 – Queen Esther, Staggered Marketing & Why Waiting to Ask Can Boost Book Sales appeared first on Author Media.
I know, you’re wondering where we’re going with this. You’re probably saying, “Isn’t that the Novel Marketing podcast is all about?” Yes, it is, but in this episode, we’re going to tackle the age old question, should you promote yourself, or find someone else to do it for you?
The post 020 – To Brag, or not to Brag, that is the Question! appeared first on Author Media.