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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.Support the show
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A few weeks ago, Dazed Digital published an article asking why men no longer read novels. The article itself had no satisfying answers, but the question triggered a big discussion online, particularly on X, where everyone had a hot take.
But men are buying and reading books. And authors who write what men want to read are making millions of dollars.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Alexander Macris, who wrote a rebuttal of sorts to the assumption that men don’t read novels.
In our conversation, you’ll learn
· What men are (and are not) reading and why
· How to write for male readers
· Which storylines male and female readers want to read
· How to market books to men
Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode for some surprising insight into what male readers are (and aren’t) looking for in a novel.Support the show
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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.
The author's experience in each stage of book-baby developmentHow to cover the expenses related to holding your book baby for the first timeHow to nourish your book baby and promote healthy growth
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 onListen 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.
How to share your research in a way that interests your readersLogistical tips for conducting research on-siteHow to engage readers in different stages of your book's development
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 discoverListen 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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Have you ever wondered if a course would be a better way to present the material in your book? Have your readers asked you to develop your book into an online course?
Which types of online courses work in different situationsHow you can make sure your course will sellTips for creating your first course
You probably know that online courses tend to sell at higher price points than books, but you also know they are a lot of work.
Will it be worth it for you? For your readers?
I’ve been creating and teaching online courses for over a decade and had to learn many things the hard way.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn the easy way about the lessons I learned the hard way.
We’ll discussListen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to discover whether the material in your book could be presented in a course and become a secondary source of revenue for you.
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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.
The biggest mistake authors make when publishing short storiesHow short story techniques differ from those used in long-form piecesTwo exercises that will build your short-story-writing muscles
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 learnListen 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.
What a web host does for your websiteWhich kind of web hosting is best for authors (and which to avoid!)How much you should (or shouldn’t) spend on 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 discoverIf 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.”
Ten factors that may be causing your marketing stressHow free courses may be contributing to your overwhelmHow to improve your publishing vocabulary
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: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.
Four password mistakes to avoidWhich tools provide password securityMy recommendation (which has changed in recent years)
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 learnIf 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.
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Can you make a living as an author without selling through Amazon? Many authors wonder.
How to earn income from your books outside of Amazon’s ecosystemHow to increase your profit margins without increasing costsHow to attract and connect with the right kinds of readers
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 learnListen in or check out the blog post version to find out how Connor’s reproducible strategy can also work for you.
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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.
When it makes sense to use a pen nameWhether a pen name can protect your true identityWhat a pen name does to your metadata
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 learnThere 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.
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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.
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 phoneHow to use your phone to write more productively
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 learnListen 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.
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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.
Which specialty features Bookvault offers that KDP and Ingram don'tHow to sell directly to your readers (and keep more profit!)How Bookvault can help with order fulfillmentHow you can get a free upload from Bookvault
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 learnListen 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.
What elements you’ll need to write a compelling pitchFour formulas for writing your pitchHow the formulas are used for different books
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 learnIn 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.
viewing technology as less scary and more funconquering your fear of technologylearning how to learn a new technology
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 toIf 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.
Where to spend your marketing money before you publishWhich marketing opportunities are more available to authors with money to spendHow a publishing team can help you
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 learnIf 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!
How to capture and retain your attendees’ attentionHow much time to spend on your presentation or Q&AWhat to do after the webinar to continue to the attendees
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 learnListen 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 kind of speed and storage an author's laptop needsWhat to avoid when buying a laptopWhat you don't need in a laptop
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: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?
Why Amazon ads might be a good place to startSix steps to quickly create your first adHow to determine whether your ads are workingAnd much more
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 discoverIf 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.
How (and how early) it developedWhat threats it poses to writersWhat advantages it offersHow to wield it for good in the world
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 learnListen 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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