Question of the Week: Is it more important to spend money on developmental and copyediting on your first book or to spend it on marketing like book covers? If you had to choose between waiting to publish or going forth without the heavy editing, which would you choose and why?

Will developmental editing or marketing give you the biggest bang for your buck on book one? Would you publish without an in-depth edit? Bryan and Jim have a great show for you this week! Bryan’s getting ready to take a little time off and Jim will have a special guest host for you next week. Jim notes that his Author Accelerate conferences have revealed that a lot of authors are in the wrong category. Winner of the Happy Book Reviews feature is Chuck Manley. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: SPA Girls – How to Kick Author Overwhelm in the Butt!, The Thing Speaks for Itself, and Dark as the Grave. This week’s hot Tips include how to manage distractions and write more, what authors think the cost of hiring editors, and why patience is the name of the game with AMS ads. The stories that matter most to indie authors are why Target is redacting certain words in book descriptions, how Instafreebie’s rebrand could help you, how slow and steady release schedules can lead to author success, why ad spend and careful monitoring is critical to success, and which strategies and choices helped Kevin Butman to a successful book launch. Question of the Week: Is it more important to spend money on developmental and copyediting on your first book or to spend it on marketing like book covers? If you had to choose between waiting to publish or going forth without the heavy editing, which would you choose and why? read more

Question of the Week: What kind of a lifestyle do you want connected to your author business? What kind of changes would you need to make to your publishing and marketing to make that lifestyle happen?

How does your author business set the tone for your lifestyle? Do you need to make changes to your business plan to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams? Jim and Bryan ask everyone to stay safe during the approaching hurricane on the east coast. This weeks Happy Book Reviews winner is Nadja Baer. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: The Author’s Guide to Ebook Publishing, More than Monsters, and A Band Director’s Guide to Everything Tuba: A Collection of Interviews with the Experts. Don’t miss this weeks Top Tips including how to avoid the sophomore slump with your second book, why dividing your time between projects will lead to long term success, and when to use reader surveys to foster community. The “Don’t Miss” news stories are why Amazon purchased Tapzo, which strategies can help you hit the $1,000 per month mark, what’s up with AMS ads now, how Amy Linnabary Meyer got to a five-figure month, and what does Jeff Bezos hold for the future. Question of the Week: What kind of a lifestyle do you want connected to your author business? What kind of changes would you need to make to your publishing and marketing to make that lifestyle happen? read more

Question of the Week: If you had your big-time unicorn success with one of your books or series, would you continue to write in that genre or would you spend time on your other artistic passions as well?

If one of your books or series exploded with unimaginable monetary success, would you continue to write in that world or would you pursue other passions? Jim is back from Montana and he and Bryan have a great show for you. Bryan has a limited time sale on Best Page Forward book descriptions over at https://www.sellingforauthors.com/laborday18 ! Some of the Sell More Books Summit speakers are announced. Jim is still taking submissions for the Author Accelerate 31 Covers revamp! This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is JB Wocoski. Bryan thanks our wonderful featured patrons: The Efficient Writer, Taking Charge – Making your Healthcare Appointments Work for You, and Nightblade. Here are the Hot Tips this week: Why you should disregard one-star reviews, how authors can re-title a series without missing a beat, and why it’s important to connect with influencers in a genuine way. We have an Honorable Mention news story that reveals the true nature of Ian Fleming’s indie author roots. You won’t want to miss these Top News Stories including how traditional publishers are experimenting with more aggressive ebook pricing, how Walmart and Kobo are making their move with competitor price matching, author Jacki James shares which strategies helped her get to a four-figure per month income, how two authors turned a zombie snafu into a marketing boon, and which writing strategies helped author Brent Nichols move past his backlist and into profits. Question of the Week: If you had your big-time unicorn success with one of your books or series, would you continue to write in that genre or would you spend time on your other artistic passions as well? read more

Happy Labor Day weekend! Enjoy this bonus episode, an audio-only replay recording of Wednesday’s How to Optimize Your Amazon Sales Page to Sell More Books Forever webinar. We’ve included the slides and the video edition in the show notes. If you’d like to take advantage of Bryan’s Best Page Forward bulk description sale, click and select Add to Cart before Fri., Sept. 7th: https://www.sellingforauthors.com/laborday18/ Each level provides at least one special bonus, including the five-pack bonus of three group coaching sessions with Write to Market master Chris Fox! We hope you enjoy this special episode. read more

Question of the Week: How do you think your mindset has held you back in your indie author career? What would you have to do to overcome that mental hurdle to take your career to the next level?

How can you overcome your own mental roadblocks to take your writing career to the next level? Jim is out fishing and Bryan has a wonderful guest co-host—Adam Croft. Bryan and Adam get off course discussing cider, but bring it back on topic with Adam’s new nonfiction book, The Indie Author Mindset. This week’s Happy Book Reviews feature winner is Steeven R. Orr. Bryan thanks our Featured Patrons The Strange, Excelsior, and How to Sex Your Snake. Some great tips this week include how to republish on Kobo without losing your reviews, which overhaul strategies helped launch one author’s career, and how to up your click-through rates on Bookbub ads. We have and Honorable Mention story this week about which types of entertainment kids are into besides video games. The Top News stories you’ll want to hear are which new promotional tools can help your next release, how soon you’ll have to move your books from Createspace to KDP, an author success story with quadrupled sales, why tax law changes could add to you bottom line, and what strategy one author used to double page reads. Question of the Week: How do you think your mindset has held you back in your indie author career? What would you have to do to overcome that mental hurdle to take your career to the next level? read more

Question of the Week: What’s the best made-up headline you can come up with about the latest terrible thing happening to the author community? (i.e. Amazon Now Requires Blood Sample to Join KDP Select)

What’s your best “sky is falling” clickbait headline for the author community? Jim and Bryan are back in action, and they’re here to announce the Author Accelerate 31 Covers promotion, which gives you a chance to get a professional cover tweak! After thanking their patrons Hypercage, The Secret Blush, and Sell More Books With Less Social Media, the dynamic duo provided tips on writing out of town, organizing your email lists, and building your brand. News stories included the launch of the Walmart/Kobo online bookstore, the biggest international stories of the week, China Literature’s recent film company purchase, one author’s slow but steady path to success, why the sky isn’t falling on Facebook, and how another author 30x’d his sales by buckling down and doing the work. This week’s Question of the Week: What’s the best made-up headline you can come up with about the latest terrible thing happening to the author community? (i.e. Amazon Now Requires Blood Sample to Join KDP Select) read more

Question of the Week: What’s a promotional method you’ve tried in the past that you’d consider giving your full effort on here in the present?

What is a promotional technique you’ve used in the past that you’re willing to give a second shot? Bryan and Jim talk about the importance of family time. This week’s Happy Book Reviews feature winner is StoryHack. Bryan thanks our Featured Patrons How to Drive Your Next Car Deal, A Christmas Gift, and The Last Verdict. Some great self-publishing tips include why frugality and creativity are a winning combination, how to make the most of squeeze pages, and which Gmail hacks can save you time. We have an Honorable Mention news story this week delving into the recent Mailerlite maelstrom. The Top Five news stories you need to know include why trad pub authors are taking a hit, how authors can take advantage of Amazon’s new video feature, a fantastic success story from Victoria Bright, which authors are the latest victims of Amazon’s Terms of Service crackdown, and why giving away free books can still lead to great sell-through royalties. Question of the Week: What’s a promotional method you’ve tried in the past that didn’t work that you’d consider giving your full effort on here in the present? read more

Question of the Week: Are you the kind of learner who needs to take a paid course for accountability or can you take free or cheap info from a video or a book and use those resources to put the info into action?

Will you actually take action on the information you gather from free info, books, or webinars or do you need to pay for training to make it a priority? Jim is back from vacation and he is having great success with his new clients on AuthorAccelerate.com. Bryan has an informative Amazon Ads webinar coming up tomorrow – don’t miss out! The Happy Book Reviews winner this week is Steeven Orr. Bryan takes a moment to thank the featured Patrons Unfrozen, 31 Days of Wisdom: A Daily Devotional for Christ-Followers, and 5 Numbers of Destiny: Change your Fate. This weeks most helpful tips include a great financial tool for your author business, why it’s so important to ask your readers what they want, and how crowdfunding creativity may be the key to your success. The five news stories that rose to the top this week are which books are trending on Barnes and Noble, what ever happened to cockygate, why writing to market and rapid release are still successful strategies, how large-print editions and audiobooks can provide additional income, and author Rob Peecher’s inspiring success story. Question of the Week: Are you the kind of learner who needs to take a paid course for accountability or can you take free or cheap info from a video or a book and use those resources to put the info into action? read more

Question of the Week: How do you think Authors Direct will disrupt Amazon? Will you publish your audiobooks through Authors Direct to contribute to that disruption?

Do you think Authors Direct can provide Amazon with serious competition, and would you use them? Bryan is joined by four co-hosts as the Best Page Forward team takes over the podcast. The Happy Books Review Winner is Jim Heskett. Our featured Patrons are Plain Talk About Marketing Blog Tours, Blogging for Authors, and What Sells Books. Bryan gets into the Hot Tips which include how to usage issues with stock images, why self-doubt will take a toll on your creativity, and which promo sites could benefit your marketing. The story receiving Honorable Mention is the KU reporting crisis that’s making authors crazy! Bryan and the gang jump into this week’s top five news stories, including what is the fate of the Createspace DVD program, a great author success story from Mary Crawford, how will the Kobo/Walmart partnership affect online ebook sales, why rebranding was the change that helped Jeremy Williams reach his financial goals, and how Authors Direct could change the audiobook market. Question of the Week: How do you think Authors Direct will disrupt Amazon? Will you publish your audiobooks through Authors Direct to contribute to that disruption? read more

Question of the Week: If you were forced into a “make or break moment,” what would you do differently with your author business to get the money you needed in time?

What’s your do or die author strategy to get the money you need for your business? Jim tells us a little about AuthorAccelerate.com and how it can benefit authors with a big bundle of helpful services including one-on-ones. The Happy Book Reviews winner is Allen Alright. Bryan thanks our fabulous Patrons – Email Lists Made Easy for Writers and Bloggers, Sanyare: The Last Descendant, and The Ten-Year Turnaround: Transform Your Personal Finances and Achieve Financial Freedom in The Next Ten Years. The Hot Tips this week include how IngramSpark allows you to personalize your paperbacks for $1 per copy, why a writing routine is critical for author success, and what you need to know about keywords in your Amazon book description. The five stories that made the cut this week are which trademark dilemma is rocking the author world, why the Audible bounty increase may have a hidden downside, how constant care and attention to your marketing and content can add to your bottom line, how book stuffing and gaming the system is losing momentum and indie authors are finding huge success, and why giving readers something they don’t know they want can pay off BIG! Question of the Week: If you were forced into a “make or break moment,” what would you do differently with your author business to get the money you needed in time? read more