Author: SMBS Team

Episode 322: Sales Drives, Tarot, and Blurb Keywords

Posted on by SMBS Team

After reading about how to use keywords and key phrases in your book description, what’s the first step you’re going to take toward optimization?

After listening to the discussion about how to use keywords and key phrases in your book description, what’s the first step you’re going to take toward optimization? This week H. Claire Taylor is joined by Monica Leonelle be sure to check out her series The Productive Novelist. H. Claire Taylor is still offering a 20% discount on her story alignment course when you use the code SMBS. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Christopher Wills. Thank you to our featured Patrons – The Cordova Vector, The Thing Speaks for Itself, and Kick Author Overwhelm to The Curb. The Top Tips of the week include what words you should be adding to your blurb, what new feature IngramSpark is offering, and how to successfully enter into a collaboration. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what genre is rising in sales, why Internet Archive is facing some serious trouble, what four types of books are we seeing a surge in, how to use Kobo’s cost-per-click to distribute your book, and how author RJ Blain upped her typical sales by over $30,000 in less than one month. Question of the Week: After reading about how to use keywords and key phrases in your book description, what’s the first step you’re going to take toward optimization? read more

Episode 321: The End of RITA, Kobo Plus Canada, and Facebook Shops

Posted on by SMBS Team

If you ran an awards show for your genre, what would you call it and why?

You are running an awards show for your genre, what would you call it and why? This week Bryan is having a FB Ads Webinar with Alana Terry and H. Claire Taylor is getting back into her writing groove! Don’t forget to leave a podcast review. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Kori D. Miller. Thank you to our featured Patrons – What Am I?: A Collection of Traditional Word Riddles – Deluxe Edition, Ships of My Fathers, and Somebody’s Darling. The Top Tips of the week include what to know when it comes to pricing your books, why you should be asking questions before writing a guest blog, and how many words should you be writing. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include whats going on with Wolf-Kink Erotica, why self-help books are doing so well right now, how you now have the opportunity to sell your books on Instagram and Facebook, why to get yourself ready for Kobo, and why the RWA has retired their RITA award. Question of the Week: If you ran an awards show for your genre, what would you call it and why? read more

Episode 320: The Great Audiobook Wars, Series Page Promotion, and Free Ads

Posted on by SMBS Team

Will you try out the Series Page promo idea we discussed during the show? How might you incorporate this into your promo schedule and how well do you think it would perform for you?

In the show we covered Series Page promo ideas, will you be trying them out? Would this preform well for you? How might you incorporate this into your promo schedule? This week Bryan is offering a special discount on his course that expires 5/20 and H. Claire Taylor is giving us a pro tip so make sure to listen for it at the end.This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is J Bennett. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Dad’s Girls, Vanguard: The Complete First Season, and 31 Days of Wisdom. The Top Tips of the week include how Joanna Penn edits, what programming tools you need to look into, and why you should add more categories to your book. This week we have an honorable mention and that is I Will Survive. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why ebook and audio sales are seeing a dramatic increase, what World Media is doing to support authors, why do over 80% of authors quit within 3 books, why you should be marketing your series page instead, and how BookBub is allowing you to customize your ad campaign. Question of the Week: Will you try out the Series Page promo idea we discussed during the show? How might you incorporate this into your promo schedule and how well do you think it would perform for you? read more

Episode 319: Amazon Pays Out, Apple Make a Change, and Using Your Own Website

Posted on by SMBS Team

If you already have audiobooks, what factors did you consider to decide between profit share or all up front, and how did you decide when to pull the trigger? And if you don’t have audiobooks yet, what factors are keeping you from feeling like now is the right time to produce them?

What is keeping you from producing audiobooks? If you already have audiobooks, what made you decide to pull the trigger and how did you make the decision between profit share or all up front? This week H. Claire Taylor is joined by author Nathan Van Coops! This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Christopher Willace. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Call of Dust, Twins of Prey, and Monkey Justice. The Top Tips of the week include why you don’t need a Mac to go direct with your books on Apple, how to keep all your publishing eggs in your own basket with direct selling, and what to think about when it comes to turning your book into audio. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include who was the mystery donor that helped UK bookshops weather the coronavirus pandemic, sales success tips from author Adam Geen, why you should check your emails if you saw some unusual activity with your Kindle books, how author Adam Fletcher is earning a full-time living off of a genre that practically doesn’t exist, and what Amazon sales ranks currently are. Question of the Week: If you already have audiobooks, what factors did you consider to decide between profit share or all up front, and how did you decide when to pull the trigger? And if you don’t have audiobooks yet, what factors are keeping you from feeling like now is the right time to produce them? read more

Episode 318 – Bookstores, Email Marketing, and Finding Your “Why”

Posted on by SMBS Team

What’s your “why” behind writing and publishing your books?

Everyone has a reason for starting, what is your “why” behind writing and publishing your books? Bryan and H. Claire Taylor are feeling good this week and want to remind you to leave a review on the show! This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Lars Hedbor. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Inharmonic, Achieve Anything In Just One Year, and Flotsam. The Top Tips of the week include what Amazon is doing for European Union marketplaces, how to get a review on your book the easy way, and which company takes an additional cut before pricing your book in the catalog. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how to help your local bookstores stay afloat, who’s sales is the coronavirus boosted, what author Steven Higgs is doing to earn $21,000 this month, who is doubling ACX, and what great tips Author Megan Erickson is sharing. Question of the Week: What’s your “why” behind writing and publishing your books? read more

Episode 317 – Slow Marketing, Broke Pirates, and The Path of Most Resistance

Posted on by SMBS Team

What non-writing task that you spend just one hour a day on for the next week would have the most impact on your publishing career?

What is one non-writing task that you could spend just one hour a day on for the next week, that could have the most impact on your publishing career? Bryan’s Amazon Ad School Course just concluded and he had an awesome turnout! H. Claire Taylor wanted to remind everyone that she has some free recourses on tips for writing and marketing as well as coming up with author strategy available on her website so make sure to check those out. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Dave Core. Thank you to our featured Patrons – The Silent Marriage: How Passive Aggression Steals Your Happiness, The Avant Champion: Rising, and Rebel Song. The Top Tips of the week include where you can find a free guide with advice tailored to authors of every level, how really knowing your genre well can help in writing to market, and why setting up your writing space ahead of time is setting you up to conquer new challenges. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include could Google Books really be opening up or are they pulling our leg, who is making the decision to stop paying royalties for books downloaded with a promo code, what author John Van Stry did because he felt it would help the author community, why we should continue to keep distributing to Barnes & Noble and keep some faith in them, and what cozy mystery author C.S. Woolley is claiming to be worth the time investment for the results she is seeing and will continue to see. Question of the Week: What non-writing task that you spend just one hour a day on for the next week would have the most impact on your publishing career? read more

Episode 316 – ACX Waits, Trad Pub POD, and One-Page Websites

Posted on by SMBS Team

How does the painfully long wait time on ACX approvals affect your publishing plans and what could you do to mitigate or even capitalize on this new reality?

How does the painfully long wait time on ACX approvals affect your publishing plans and what could you do to mitigate or even capitalize on this new reality?Bryan’s Amazon Ad School Course is now live. You can get 30 days of direct email support and lifetime access to the Amazon Ad Profit Challenge at SellingForAuthors.com/April20 This week H. Claire Taylor is joined by author Jami Albright who is also an Indie publishing coach so make sure to check out her website. Claire is still running a promo on her story alignments with he code SMBS. All link will be provided for you. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is S.A. Schneider. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Black Shadow Moon: Stoker’s Dark, Twisting Fate, and A Christmas Gift. The Top Tips of the week include what could be better for you than an author website, what can help you build stronger reader connections, and what playing a metadata game can teach you. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why library supporters are calling authors and publishers greedy, how Ingram’s LightningSource could become the new normal, what drastic changes are happening to people in the Amazon Associates affiliate program, could Amazon be struggling during this pandemic, and who’s two week standard processing time has turned into seven weeks. Question of the Week: How does the painfully long wait time on ACX approvals affect your publishing plans and what could you do to mitigate or even capitalize on this new reality? read more

Episode 315 – Amazon Ad Challenges, Maximizing Energy, and Building Your Email List Still Works

Posted on by SMBS Team

What is one thing you could do to enhance your marketing, publishing, writing, or service that would also increase your energy (i.e. you really like doing it!)?

What is something that you could do to enhance your marketing, publishing, writing, or service that would also increase your energy (i.e. you really like doing it!)? Bryan’s 5-Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge is live and its not to late to join, check it out. Claire gave us a 20% off coupon for her Story Alignment Course which is code SMBS don’t let it go to waste! This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Connie B. Dowell. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Carnal, Character Sketch & Color, and The Perfect Death. The Top Tips of the week include how popular authors are using Instagram and Twitter to help promote new book releases, what special offers Print on Demand service Ingram Spark is running, and what new software you can use to polish up your grammar in your online writing apps. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why indies might find this a good time to go wide, how regular email contact with your readers can be a more affective way of advertising than social media, what very quiet landmark deal was made between Apple and Kindle, are print books being considered an essential during this time, and who you can contact to help you understand Amazon Ads and make them seem less intimidating. Question of the Week: What is one thing you could do to enhance your marketing, publishing, writing, or service that would also increase your energy (i.e. you really like doing it!)? read more

Episode 314 – $50k Months, Student Books Shine, and Taking Money to Make Money

Posted on by SMBS Team

At this stage in your author career, are you trying to improve your ROI or scale up your existing ROI? (And remember, you can only choose one or the other)

Only choosing one, at this stage in your author career, are you trying to improve your ROI or scale up your existing ROI? Bryan’s 5-Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge is back on April 13th don’t miss it! Claire also hinted to us that she will be putting another workshop together! This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Darren Sapp. Thank you to our featured Patrons – The Last Verdict, Divorced Dad: Kids are Forever, Wives are Not, and Sanyare: The Last Descendant. The Top Tips of the week include where you can find some financial help during this time of crisis, why you should limit or force yourself when it comes to being creative, and how this might be your time to dip your toes into Facebook ads. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how you can not only order your favorite fast food with Postmates but a book as well, what Amazon is now doing about pre-orders and delays, which horror and thriller author achieved a four-figure profit with Amazon Ads, what genre of books are are seeing a spike in sales, and who reached dolphin status of 50k sales in one month? Question of the Week: At this stage in your author career, are you trying to improve your ROI or scale up your existing ROI? (And remember, you can only choose one or the other) read more

Episode 313 – Author Rank, Book Sales Up, ACX Taketh Away

Posted on by SMBS Team

Putting yourself in the shoes of early ACX, what could you give away or take a loss on now that might help you to build your audience later?

What is something that you as an author could “take a loss on” now that could possibly build your audience later on? Bryan’s 5-Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge is back on April 13th don’t miss it! Get a story alignment consultation with Claire to get your story fixed up and save $149 through April 4th when you use the code FOURFOUR. All the links for these will be available to you. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Chez Churton. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Jaded: Luke, Hook’s Daughter: The Untold Tale of a Pirate Princess, and How to Pick Up Women with a Drunk Space Ninja. The Top Tips of the week include how starting a daily blog might keep your creative brain rolling and keep you from feeling burnt out and ready to quit, why readers are saving nineteen dollars and ninety-eight cents with Amazon, and how bad reviews can possibly help your books sell. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how accurate are the numbers in the Bookstat list, what Amazon is now replacing with Amazon Charts Top 20 Books, what novelists are doing on social media to promote their colleagues during this time of cancelled book tours, what genre of books are rising in sales and which aren’t, and where are Amazon promo codes going? Question of the Week: Putting yourself in the shoes of early ACX, what could you give away or take a loss on now that might help you to build your audience later? read more