Episode 73 – Hugos, Lawsuits, and Zombie Memes

Question of the Week: If you were on the shortlist to get a Hugo nomination in the midst of the Sad Puppies controversy, would you have withdrawn your name? Why or why not?

Jim and Bryan started the episode by announcing their new Patreon page. By becoming a patron of the show, you can get your book mentioned on air and contribute to several awesome milestones like extra episodes and an SMBS road tour! Check out the page at https://patreon.com/smbs During the episode proper, the sluggers of self-publishing news tackled tips on improving Dragon Dictate, selling direct, and pricing your books. News stories included the last-second acquisition of PubSlush, the closing of HarperCollins Authonomy, Ann Jacobs’ attempt to join the Ellora’s Cave lawsuit, Konrath and Eisler’s take on the “Amazon is a Monopoly” meme, Amazon’s new Also Boughts drop-down menu, and the massive Hugo Awards controversy. This week’s Question of the Week is “If you were on the shortlist to get a Hugo nomination in the midst of the Sad Puppies controversy, would you have withdrawn your name? Why or why not?”

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Episode 72 – KU Numbers, Stigmas, and Contract Cop-outs

Question of the Week: What were your July KU numbers? Are you happy with the results? Why or why not?

After Jim teased two new Author Marketing Club resources and Bryan offered a free consultation for new Best Page Forward subscribers, the triumphant team tackled the latest tips and news. The three tips included building a launch team, creating captivating Facebook cover images, and increasing your engagement on Google Plus. The top five newsworthy stories focused on the closure of PubSlush, John Scalzi’s diversification claims, St. Martin’s Press allegedly failing to live up to its contract, Liz C. Long’s frustration at the self-publishing stigma, and July’s Kindle Unlimited payout numbers. This week’s Question of the Week: “What were your July KU numbers? Are you happy with the results? Why or why not?”

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Episode 71 – Price Wars, Gender Bias, and MasterClasses

Question of the Week: Would you buy an e-book if it was priced higher than the paperback or hardcover? Why or why not?

After Bryan talked dictation and Jim put out a call for developers, the terrific twosome tackled the best tips and news of the week. The three tips included advice on pre-orders, lessons to learn from James Patterson’s Masterclass, and how to start off right in self-publishing. The compelling news stories included male pen names, comparisons between print journalism and traditional publishing, author displeasure with Audible, Fantasy-Faction’s post on why you shouldn’t self publish, and a massive story on agency pricing. This week’s Question of the Week is “Would you buy an e-book if it was priced higher than the paperback or hardcover? Why or why not?”

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Episode 70 – OneBook, Target Readers, and Days of Yore

Question of the Week: What qualities would you want in an organization that protects the interests of authors and why?

In the dog days of summer, only the strong self-publishing newscasters survive. Bryan and Jim talked writing speed and Jim’s latest Authorpreneur interview before diving head first into the tips. The advice included spreading audiobooks with OneBook, selling local with the bookseller’s mindset, and fiction writing lessons from Joanna Penn. The news included stories on picking your ideal reader, the myth of author laziness, trad pub blacklisting blurbs for POD books, Konrath and Eisler’s Authors Guild fisking, and one author’s reminiscences of trad pub days gone by. This week’s Question of the Week: What qualities would you want in an organization that protects the interests of authors and why? read more