Sell More Books Show

Episode 272 – After, Amish Sci-Fi, and Viva La France

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Question of the Week: How many international self-publishing success stories do you think go unreported in the U.S.? Does this make you more excited about the idea of doing translations of your books in the future?

How do you feel about translation of your books and potential international success? Bryan announces his Waitlist for June openings in the Amazon Ads Made Easy course. Jim soft-launched Unskippable and he is looking forward to digging into serious advertising to promote the title. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Lars Hedbor. Thank you to our Patrons – Star Flame: A Story From the Meclauks Kingdom, Planet Dead One Shot: The Briggs Boys, and The Secret Blush. The Top Tips of the week include why crowdsourcing cover design could be the wrong move, how robots can help you edit, and why it is so important to meet reader expectations with subgenres. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how to phone it in for success, why you can finally embrace the zero, how Patrick McLaughlin squeezed the most out of everyday to write his way to success, what the Amish are doing in space, and how Caroline Vermalle von Ruben hit $50k in one year without selling a single book in the U.S. Question of the Week: How many international self-publishing success stories do you think go unreported in the U.S.? Does this make you more excited about the idea of doing translations of your books in the future? read more

Episode 271 – Barnes & Noble, Research, and People Over Algorithms

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Question of the Week: If you bought Barnes & Noble, what would you do with it?

If you had control over B&N, what next step do you think would be best for readers? With Bryan taking the week off, author and launch consultant Courtney Kenney dropped in to talk news and tips with Jim. Tips included writing to multiple genres, a handy tool to manage reviewers, and why you should always value people over algorithms. News stories focused on writing in the angry age of social media, the rise and potential drop of ebooks, how writing helped one veteran provide for his family, how essential research is before hitting publish, and the bidding war over Barnes & Noble. This week’s Question of the Week: If you bought Barnes & Noble, what would you do with it? read more

Episode 270 – Writing Crap, Disney World, and Amazon Publishing Turns 10

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Question of the Week: How many bad books do you think it takes for a dedicated reader to give up on an author?

How many times will a reader go back to a “poisoned” well? Bryan and Jim are grateful for new listeners, and listeners who have been with them since Episode 1. Bryan is reaching the end of releasing his Amazon Ads Made Easy modules and has learned to enjoy math and use data to improve his ad spend. Jim is suffering through the final editing phase but is looking forward to purchasing Vellum and formatting his new book. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Hildie McQueen. Thank you to our Patrons: The Thing Speaks for Itself, Dark as the Grave, and Pirates vs. Dragons. The Top Tips of the week how to squeeze more juice out of Instagram, learn more about what readers want through podcast research, and how to stoke the fires of creativity. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include which publishing scam is making a sequel, how Karl Drinkwater used his Bookbub Featured Deal to grab a #1 spot, why readers keep reading bad books, what Kyla Stone did to reach 50K in sales, and how Amazon celebrated its 10th publishing birthday. Question of the Week: How many bad books do you think it takes for a dedicated reader to give up on an author? read more

Episode 269 – The Royalties Estimator, Creative Rapid Releasing, and Multitasking

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Question of the Week: How often do you check your royalty stats? Will that number increase with the new KDP Royalties Estimator?

What’s your current schedule for checking royalty income? Bryan and Jim hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend. Bryan is having a great experience teaching his Amazon Ads Made Easy course and is generating some wonderful tactics for students. Jim is looking for serious ARC members for his launch team. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Dan Thompson. Thank you to our Patrons: Guardian of the Grail, Doubt The Stars, and Leaving Eva. The Top Tips of the week why new story structure options can boost your writing, how scheduled and regular breaks can improve mental health, and when three tips aren’t enough you can count on a few more. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how Google is shooting themselves in the proverbial foot on Google Play, why Kobo is happy to be wrong about potential readers, what Taylor White did to hit $500 in royalties on her debut release, what KDP is doing with new royalty reports and how Bink Cummings used Facebook ads and a rapid release strategy to move her much closer to her 6-figure-per-month goal. Question of the Week: How often do you check your royalty stats? Will that number increase with the new KDP Royalties Estimator? read more

Episode 268 – MailChimp Changes, Crowdfunding Success, & Business Cards for Authors

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Question of the Week: Which is the best email service provider for authors and why?

What makes an email service useful to authors? Bryan is excited to be teaching Amazon advertising and learning a ton about ad strategy. Jim is handing off Unskippable to his editor and will soon be looking for beta readers. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Connie B. Dowell. Thank you to our Patrons: The Dragon Rustler, Shadow Raiders, and The Final Arrangement. The Top Tips of the week are how to test your email service provider, what to do with bad reviews, and why you need a well-designed business card. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why Ariana Grande is being sued for posting a picture of herself, what happened to Amazon’s operations in China, what expanded distribution choices are left, how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign, and how changes at Mailchimp could leave you hanging or paying more for bananas. Question of the Week: Which is the best email service provider for authors and why? read more

Episode 267 – MFAs, Struggles, and Happiness

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Question of the Week: When is a time you faced a major struggle in your life (as an author or otherwise) and needed to work at a higher level to overcome your challenge?

What is your strategy to overcome major struggles as an author, or in life? Bryan and Jim are back from the Summit and excited about all the wonderful presenters and attendees that participated. Thank you to our Patrons: Leading Effectively: Proven Leadership by Mildred Stallworth, A Band Director’s Guide to Everything Tuba, and Twins of Prey. The Top Tips of the week are how Lindsay Buroker has developed a workaround to be in KDP Select and wide, how Creative Commons can quickly get you to the royalty free images you need, and why printed proofs can help authors get a clear perspective on WIP manuscripts. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why Will Self feels that creative writing graduates will never make a living as novelists, what Apple books is doing to actively squash all mention of competition in the back matter, why Shawn Inmon shifted gears to self-publishing and a happier life, how Amazon is harpooning KU whales, and how Liz Copen was able to use her writing income to help her family in a difficult time. Question of the Week: When is a time you faced a major struggle in your life (as an author or otherwise) and needed to work at a higher level to overcome your challenge? read more

Episode 266 – Live from Chicago at SMBS Summit 2019

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Question of the Week: What is the life you want to lead with your books, and what changes are you going to have to make to achieve it?

What does success look like for you and how will you move toward that vision? Bryan and Jim are recording this week’s episode LIVE at the Sell More Books Show Summit. Thank you to our Patrons. Bryan and Jim thank the 2019 Summit Sponsors: Vellum, PublishDrive, Draft2Digital, Kobo Writing Life, BookFunnel and Reedsy. The Top Tips of the week are why a good team makes your story stronger, how tagging can improve the efficiency of your mailing list management, and why clean data is important when determining how well your book converts. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how attending conferences helped Cecelia Mecca go from part-time to full-tie writer, why Jami Albright encourages writers to publish at their own pace and move toward goals, why the current Writers Guild of America standoff could open up opportunities for indie authors, Jim how changing the way you think can move you toward success, and Chris Fox explains the importance of ad spend, releases and targeted promotions. Question of the Week: What is the life you want to lead with your books, and what changes are you going to have to make to achieve it? read more

Episode 265 – Books2Read, Lawsuits, and Indie Book Stores

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Question of the Week: How might you use Books2Read Reading Lists as part of your book promotion?

Could a reading list promo be added to your book marketing plan? Bryan and Jim are looking forward to the Sell More Books Summit which begins in less than 36 hours! This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is Chris Duryea. Jim thanks our Patrons: Removed, Inharmonic, and More than Monsters. The Top Tips of the week are how organic traffic on Amazon is changing, why movement and creativity go hand-in-hand, and how to combine speed and quality to boost productivity. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how Christian bookstores can resurrect sales, why local bookstores need your support, why Nora Roberts takes plagiarism so seriously, how sharing a booklist with you readers can put money in your pocket, and what Shashane Wallce did to jump sales from $50 to $5,000 a month in less than one year. Question of the Week: How might you use Books2Read Reading Lists as part of your book promotion? read more

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

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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

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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