Episode 243 – Amazon Giveaways, Streaming Music, and 100 Pages of Research

Question of the Week: When’s the last time you went into an independent bookstore? How do you think the indie bookstores around you have stuck around for the long haul?

What do you think the secret is to local indie bookstore survival? Bryan discusses the benefits of matching family snowsuits and Jim hopes all of you had a wonderful holiday. Thursday, November 29, Bryan, Jim, J. Thorn, and Zach Bohannon will be hosting a free webinar designed to help you achieve the sales and success you need. (Link in the show notes) Over on Author Marketing Club there is a fantastic sale in progress! The Happy Book Reviews Feature winner is Holly Ostara. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: WordPress Security 101: How to Secure Your Website Against Hackers, Awakening Forever, and Flotsam. The Hot Tips this week include why commenting on a Netflix Facebook page could be a fun strategy, how beta reader diversity can help your writing, and what Amazon Giveaways can do for your marketing. The news stories that are important to indies right now are the benefits of giving your books to people in need, why Bryan thinks indie bookstores are on an upsurge, the Honey Phillips success story, how Jim thinks the indie author journey will differ from indie musicians, and how research paid off for author Sadie Moss. Question of the Week: When’s the last time you went into an independent bookstore? How do you think the indie bookstores around you have stuck around for the long haul? read more

Episode 242 – KDP Reports, Pay to Play, and Help From Your Friends

Question of the Week: What features do you think have been missing from book sales reporting software? Do you think you’ll use Amazon’s new KDP Reports often?

What would be your perfect sales reporting software? After sharing their Thanksgiving plans, Jim and Bryan award Nathan Goodman the latest Happy Book Reviews feature. They also thanked their patrons Sales Success Stories, Nolan Walker and the Superiors Squad, and How to Self-Publish a Children’s Book. The tips included creating a “to-don’t list,” writing with audio in mind, and why creativity may need a walk. This week’s stories include checking your Createspace password, the latest on Amazon buy buttons for books, Amazon’s newest sales reporting dashboard, why Mark Dawson thinks Amazon is headed for a pay-to-play platform, and how Jami Albright knocked her latest launch out of the park. Question of the Week: What features do you think have been missing from book sales reporting software? Do you think you’ll use Amazon’s new KDP Reports often? read more

Episode 241 – Love, Tech, and Making It Happen

Question of the Week: How do you plan for months where you’ll earn less from your writing than usual?

Do you have a financial plan to get you through lean months? Jim welcomes Bryan back from the 20Booksto50K conference in Las Vegas. This week’s Happy Book Reviews feature winner is Pete Bauer. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: Doubt the Stars, A Turn for the Worse, and Born Under a Bad Sign. The Hot Tips for indies this week are how indie authors can be better indie publishers, why negative reviews can boost sales, and what a marketing education can do your for your titles. The News you don’t want to miss includes how AI book translation is changing the future, what happened at Bowker, what steps did Sara Celi take to eradicate her impostor syndrome, where did all the ebooks go and what is Amazon doing about it, and how to fit your passion into your profits. Question of the Week: How do you plan for months where you’ll earn less from your writing than usual? read more

Episode 240 – Live from Las Vegas

Question of the Week: If you could get a genie to grant you your perfect author success story, what would it be? Please describe it in your response.

If you had one “author wish” what would it be? Our Happy Book Reviews feature winner this week is George Sirois. Bryan thanks our wonderful Patrons: Fighting to Survive, The Hunted, and Leading Effectively: Proven Leadership. This week, Bryan talked success stories with nine awesome special guests. Expect insights, entertainment, and wildly varying amounts of white noise. Enjoy! Question of the Week: If you could get a genie to grant you your perfect author success story, what would it be? Please describe it in your response. read more