Novel Marketing

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 learnThree categories of WordPress pluginsHow to tell if a free plugin is good (or not!)Which plugins your author website needsWhich plugins you should avoidIf 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. Support the show

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 toWrite a book that sounds good to listenersEdit with an audiobook-first mindsetFind and work with a narratorRecord the book yourselfWhether 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. Support the show

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 discoverTwo tools every author must haveA tool that saved me 106 hours (and can save you hours, too!)Tools to reduce your password-security

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 learnWhich tasks you need to focus on at the beginning of your careerWhich tasks you must learn laterWhich task you need to begin long before you publishHow 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 bo

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 learnWhat motivates people to buy books on Black FridayWhich book promotion tactics work best on the big dayThree mistakes to avoid when running your holiday promotionWhat 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. Support the show

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 trademarkWhich tool is best for p

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/.  Support the show

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 usHow and why he started writing for a niche audience.How he handled feedback from traditional publishersWhose feedback helped him thrill his readers mostHow authenticity and passion have fueled his creativity and careerListen 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

"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 changedwhich web store tools work best for certain authorshow all book formats can be easily delivered to readershow to create beautiful editionsWith 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 e

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. Support the show

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.  Support the show

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. Support the show

Find out how the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference will help you apply your book-marketing knowledge and facilitate in-person connections.You can find the blog version of this episode here.The post Announcing the 2024 Novel Marketing Conference appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Learn what types of events are available and discover how to pick the best writers conference for your stage in the publishing journey.You can find the blog version of this post here. The post Workshops, Retreats, and Pitches: How to pick the best writers conference for you appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

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.You can find the blog version of this post HERE.The post Book Marketing 101: Product appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Learn how running your own independent publishing company compares with publishing with a small house and how you can start your own company.You can find the blog version of this episode HERE.The post From Passion to Print: How to Run an Independent Publishing Company appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Authors dream of having a book club pick their book to read and discuss. Find out how to make your book book-club-friendly.You can find the blogpost version of this episode HERE.The post How to Get Book Clubs to Pick YOUR Book appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Learn how a free tool can help improve your book description, increase your sales, and improve the effectiveness of your Amazon sales page.You can find the blogpost version of this episode HERE.The post From Book Blurb to Bestseller: How to Craft Compelling Amazon Pages With Dave Chesson appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Find out how the actors and screenwriters strikes will affect authors and provide some unprecedented opportunities.You can find the blogpost version of this episode HERE.The post How the Hollywood Strikes Will Help (& Hurt!) Authors appeared first on Author Media. Support the show

Find out the advantages and limitations of Substack for authors with various platform-building strategies.You can find the blogpost HERE.The post Substack for Authors: An Exciting Opportunity or Just Hype? appeared first on Author Media. Support the show