Sell More Books Show

Episode 220 – Rapid Fire Releases, Gifting Multiple Copies, and Price Point Testing

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Question of the Week: If you were to become a big-name author, how would you handle your finances to ensure that unscrupulous people wouldn’t siphon your funds behind your back?

When you hit the big time how do you plan to be smart with your money and protect your financial future? This week’s Happy Book Reviews Feature winner is Randy Green! Bryan is a little under the weather so Jim takes a moment to thank this week’s wonderful Patrons: Guild of Tokens, Planet Dead One Shot, and Gold Frankincense and Myrrh. This episode’s tips include how to compare KDP Print and Createspace, why you want to control your Also Boughts, and what price points will actually hurt your sales. The stories that fought their way to the top this week are how Amazon is bundling short stories and audio, what author M. A. Robbins did to hit his biggest month ever, why Amazon’s new gifting feature won’t actually effect sales numbers, when a rapid fire release strategy can really boost sales, and why you should take control of your finances with confidence. Question of the Week: If you were to become a big-name author, how would you handle your finances to ensure that unscrupulous people wouldn’t siphon your funds behind your back? read more

Episode 219 – Relaunching, Going Wide, and Audio-Only Stories

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Question of the Week: Do you see Amazon sticking with the Audible model of $15 for one book (and its Channels content) per month or will it shift to an Unlimited model and why?

How confident are you that Amazon will keep current pricing with Audible? Bryan and Jim marvel at 219 straight weeks of podcasts and remind listeners to get Summit 2019 tickets before they are sold out. Bryan calls for indie author success stories and announces the QOTW winners. The guys thank ALL our wonderful Patrons. Bryan and Jim have some helpful tips like using the right credit card to get points from your ad spend, how to re-invigorate your New Year’s resolutions, and which activities will help increase your productivity. The big news stories this week were how Chance Carter had to pay the piper, what are Apple and Amazon’s reader conversion plans, why one author is going wide for a launch advantage, why Amazon is taking a page from brick and mortar for pricing, which author’s series reboot hit the Top 1,000 in the Kindle Store, and why Amazon and Apple are in an audio content war. Question of the Week: Do you see Amazon sticking with the Audible model of $15 for one book (and its Channels content) per month or will it shift to an Unlimited model and why? read more

Episode 218 – Tiffanygate, Bonus Content, and Fight Club

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Question of the Week: Given the fact that Amazon likely can’t stop ALL of the scammers ALL of the time, how will you best carry on without letting stories of bad practices dismantle your writing and marketing tasks?

What can you do to avoid getting derailed by stories of scammers on Amazon? Bryan returns from his trip to Virginia and he and Jim have a fantastic announcement about the Sell More Books Show Summit 2019. There’s a quick clarification regarding Reddit, a shout out for SMBS Bingo and then on to thank the Patrons, including Awakening Forever, Character Sketch & Color, and Twins of Prey. This week’s hottest Tips cover how to prevent procrastination with a daily routine, how to design a quick and useful logo, and which tools can create the launch buzz you need. The stories that made the news this week are why the Barnes and Noble CEO is out of touch, what happened to the author of Fight Club, why indie sci-fi and fantasy titles are keeping pace with trad pubbed ebooks, why diamonds aren’t always a girl’s best friend, and which strategies are not okay with Kindle Unlimited and who doesn’t seem to care. Question of the Week: Given the fact that Amazon likely can’t stop ALL of the scammers ALL of the time, how will you best carry on without letting stories of bad practices dismantle your writing and marketing tasks?

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Episode 217 – Disappearing Reviews, RNA Indies, and Reddit with Leo Petracci

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Question of the Week: Were your books impacted by last week’s purge of Amazon reviews? What will you do to ensure you continue to get more legitimate reviews in the future?

Are you taking steps to get more legitimate reviews on Amazon? Jim is back from fishing and he and Bryan both have great sales this week there’s the Happy Book Reviews summer deal from the Author Marketing Club. And it is the LAST day on Bryan’s book descriptions sale. The guys offer up a big thank you to this week’s Patrons – The Awakening, Carnal, and Twisting Fate. Also, Leo Petracci joins the fellas for their first lab segment in ages! There are three Hot Tips in this week’s show including when to relaunch a lagging series, how authors can rebuild their creativity by unlearning what they know, and what makes a successful cross-promotion. This week the five stories that made the news are why indie romance authors are finally getting a say in the UK, what prompted Amazon to crack down on serial returners, which tale of eBook woes and wins holds true, how to get out of Audible Romance, and who gets to review and who has limitations. Question of the Week: Were your books impacted by last week’s purge of Amazon reviews? What will you do to ensure you continue to get more legitimate reviews in the future?

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Episode 216 – Kindle Worlds, Shopping Actions, and Social Media Stories

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Question of the Week: Did Amazon end the Kindle Worlds program because of something major behind the scenes or was it the result of underperformance? What’s your reasoning for your choice?

Is something sinister afoot with the recent ending of Kindle Worlds or simply poor ROI for Amazon? Bryan welcomes his guest cohost Rachael Herron and offers listeners a heck of a summer deal on book Happy Book Reviews from the Author Marketing Club. And Bryan is still running his sale on book descriptions through May 30th. Rachael and Bryan offer up a huge thanks to this week’s Patrons – Angelborn, Dad’s Girls, and Black Shadow Moon. Hot tips of the week include how to get more reviews, why friends are not the best editors, and what to do about online bullies. This week’s top five news stories take us through who needs a morality clause in their contract, how to use social media Stories to your advantage, what are the pros and cons of direct sales, which author is most recently under attack from pirates, and why is Kindle Worlds getting the Deathstar treatment from the Amazon galaxy. Question of the Week: Did Amazon end the Kindle Worlds program because of something major behind the scenes or was it the result of underperformance? What’s your reasoning for your choice

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Episode 215 – Summit Recap, LitRPG Sneak Attack, and the Trademark Rebellion

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Question of the Week: What would you do if your KDP account was suspended? How would you protect your account in the future?

Are you prepared to handle something like having your KDP account suspended? Jim and Bryan discuss the fabulous feedback from the Summit and Bryan offers a Book Description coupon to give folks a chance to get in at the lower price before the increase at the end of the month. Jim shares an update on his journey into the fiction world. The guys offer up a big thanks to the Patrons – Prometheus, The Dragon Rustler, and Monkey Justice. This week’s “must try” tips include Rachael Herron’s approach to streamlining revisions by keeping theme in mind, how authors can create one thousand true fans, and why offering a prequel novella may be the best way to draw readers into your series. This weeks top five news items will show you how you stack up with your social media marketing efforts, what benefits can be earned through a flagship series, why novelists face a different dilemma from their nonfiction counterparts, who is rebelling against the latest trademark-gate, and which authors are feeling the heat from Amazon’s scam filters. Question of the Week: What would you do if your KDP account was suspended? How would you protect your account in the future?

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Episode 214 – Title Trademarks, Jami Albright, and Escape Artists

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Question of the Week: What should the indie community do to avoid a mob mentality in the future? Subquestion: What level of sound effects would you like in the show? More than this week, the same amount, or less?

How can we avoid picking up torches and joining the mob in the future? Bryan and Jim give a delightful summary of the fantastic Summit. It’s always a pleasure to thank our Patrons – Removed, Thawed, and the Hat Trick Series. This weeks hot tips include how authors can use ghostwriting to quit their day job, what authors should do to prepare for self-publishing 3.0, and which apps writers should download before their next conference. This week’s news is filled with HOT topics and surprising developments including Amazon’s new plan to reach out to young bookworms, the latest movie deal signed by one Wattpad author, interesting ways short fiction podcasters are monetizing their shows, one author made over $40,000 with only two published books, and how a steamy trademark dispute is dividing the indie community. Question of the Week: What should the indie community do to avoid a mob mentality in the future? Subquestion: What level of sound effects would you like in the show? More than this week, the same amount, or less?

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Episode 213 – Romance Retracted, Spotify, and Monkey Selfies

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Question of the Week: If we have a Sell More Books Show Summit in 2019, where should we have it and what should we cover?

What is your top pick for the location of the 2019 Sell More Books Show Summit? Jim and Bryan started things off by thanking their wonderful patrons – The Outline Book, A Curse upon the Saints, and The Last Days. The guys have some great tips this week, including how to banish author burnout, why connecting with other indie authors through social media can build a better community, and what is the secret to success with Facebook groups. This week in news the guys dive into who can claim copyright violation by exploring the funky monkey case, learn more about trickle down royalties on Spotify and how that could be an omen for indies, uncover the truth behind the impostor syndrome on Amazon, explore Joanna Penn’s idea that authors could survive on micro payments, and discover what the traditional romance publishing industry is doing to move away from indie authors. Question of the Week: If we have a Sell More Books Show Summit in 2019, where should we have it and what should we cover?

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Episode 212 – KU Pirates, Rugby Co-Authors, and the Rise of Nonfiction

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Question of the Week: Do you think nonfiction is a more reliable (slow and steady) earner than fiction? If you write fiction, have you considered writing nonfiction to supplement your income?

Do you have to write nonfiction to make it as an author? Is nonfiction a more steady earner? Bryan and Jim are both a little under the weather but the excitement of the upcoming Summit in Chicago fuels them on! They thanked their generous patrons – Mayhem & Murder, Cubicle Jail to Laptop Lifestyle, and Where The Leaves Wither. Next the guys jump into some useful weekly tips, including how to cut editing costs, how making friends with the competition can payoff, and choosing the best price point for your next promo! This week in news hear the winning story of an unlikely writing team, find out how breaking the rules seems to work, discover the growing power of indie authors in the Author Support Network, learn more about modern-day pirates and their affect on indie authors, and get the details on why trad publishers are putting their bucks behind nonfiction. Question of the Week: Do you think nonfiction is a more reliable (slow and steady) earner than fiction? If you write fiction, have you considered writing nonfiction to supplement your income?

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