Episode 264 – Serious Sci-fi, Writing 10k a Day, and Building Your World

Question of the Week: Have you ever checked in with your readers to see what genres they enjoy and what they like about your work? Why or why not?

Would you consider running a reader poll on genre preference? Bryan and Jim are looking forward to the Sell More Books Summit! This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is Matthew Staggs. Bryan thanks our Patrons: Achieve Anything In Just One Year, How to Sex Your Snake, and Excelsior. The Top Tips of the week are how to tackle your first novel, why large print is a market you need to explore, and what tool can help you get a handle on worldbuilding. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how indie authors could benefit from Amazon’s antitrust-proofing, how Barnes and Noble’s new eInk could breathe life into their bottom line, why the new EU copyright hooplah might be a victory for authors, how you can make 70,000 words per week a reality, and who gets to decide if it’s sci-fi or not so much. Question of the Week: Have you ever checked in with your readers to see what genres they enjoy and what they like about your work? Why or why not? read more

Episode 263 – Agents, Mindset, and Finding the Right Messenger

Question of the Week: What purpose do you see agents filling in the 2019 publishing landscape? At what point in your publishing journey do you think you’d need an agent, if any?

Is there a point in your writing career where you would consider having an agent? Bryan and Jim celebrate FIVE years of the Sell More Books Show podcast! This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is Trish Heinrich. Bryan thanks our Patrons: Stone Cold, Kiss Kill, and Cowgirl, Unexpectedly. The Top Tips of the week are why split testing for Bookbub is critical, how repurposing content can catch more readers, and the simplified royalty share option. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how indie authors could suffer the same fate as their videographer counterparts, why literary agents may not be your best bet, how Maria Mahaffey’s launch plan took her to #1—five times, how Amazon may be under-reporting paperback sales, and what steps took Yesenia Vargas from zero to hero with a write to market strategy and a mindset shift. Question of the Week: What purpose do you see agents filling in the 2019 publishing landscape? At what point in your publishing journey do you think you’d need an agent, if any? read more

Episode 262 – Meditation, Story Vending, and Dubious Data

Question of the Week: How do you think Amazon should handle the problem of books populating categories they don’t belong in?

How do you feel about category policing? This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is Elise M Stone. Bryan thanks our Patrons: Awakening Forever, A Dragon among the Eagles, and The Hunted. The Top Tips of the week are how you can use meditation to improve creativity, why you should show some personality on Insta, and how emotions will help you defeat AI. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why you should take note of the vending trend in the UK, how audiobooks are on the rise, what happened to the disappearing books on Amazon, why mis-categorized books hurt everyone, and what Ines Johnson did to skyrocket her income. Question of the Week: How do you think Amazon should handle the problem of books populating categories they don’t belong in? read more

Episode 261 – The RITAs, John Candy, and The New Pre-order Policy

Question of the Week: If you challenged yourself to double your book income without using Amazon Ads, what would be your strategy and why?

What options do authors have to increase income, besides advertising on Amazon? This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is Dave. Bryan thanks our Patrons: Level Up, Dorothy and the Cane of Destiny, and Flotsam. The Top Tips of the week are how to simplify your Amazon pre-orders, how does Nora Roberts crank out so many books, and why Bookfunnel exclusive content is such a boon. We have an Honorable Mention story about what happens to bad little book pirates. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how Barnes and Noble coupons can give you an edge, what happened with the white-washed RITAs, why a Facebook Group might be the free marketing your book launch needs, where is Data Guy’s data, and how Alana Terry doubled her income with an ad-supported wide release. Question of the Week: If you challenged yourself to double your book income without using Amazon Ads, what would be your strategy and why? read more