We’re back from the 1st Annual Sell More Books Show Summit! On night #1, we recorded a live bonus episode of the show featuring tips from all of our speakers. Also, Jim is not intimidating and Bryan is exactly like you think he is. Enjoy the extra episode and the killer room noises!
Author: SMBS Team
Episode 213 – Romance Retracted, Spotify, and Monkey Selfies
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?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 212 – KU Pirates, Rugby Co-Authors, and the Rise of 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?
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?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 211 – GDPR, Hacked on Createspace, and the Benefits of One-Star Reviews
Question of the Week: What do you do to secure your passwords for your author business?
How secure our your “author” passwords? Bryan and Jim are excited about the ramp up to the Summit and they took a moment to thank their generous patrons – Stalked by Flames, Sell More Books With Less Social Media, Peaks of Passion: Pleasure Point Series Book One. The guys jumped right into this weeks tips, which include how to keep a long series profitable and when to end it, how to turn bad reviews into learning opportunities, and how to choose the right POV for your marketing copy. This week in news, discover some important things to consider before expanding your business, learn why is Publishers Weekly scrutinizing indie publishers, understand how AI search engines interact with books, listen to Bryan’s tale of getting hacked on Createspace and how to prevent the same thing from happening to you, and delve into one author’s thoughts on the new GDPR policy. Question of the Week: What do you do to secure your passwords for your author business?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 210 – Missing Pages, Tacotron, and Great on Kindle
Question of the Week: If someone jailbroke all the ebooks in the world and posted them online for free, how would your author business change?
How would your life as an author change if someone posted all ebooks online for free? Jim and Bryan are back for more fun in the world of publishing. They start of by thanking their generous patrons: Shades of Treason: An Anomaly Novel, Ten Little Bridesmaids, and Time Code: The Best Collection of 52 Stories You Should Be Reading This Year. This week’s hot tips include why authors should use every tool at their disposal to promote their audiobooks, how authors can craft their marketing strategy by understanding website analytics, and how authors can increase production and decrease adverse health effects with proper use of dictation. In the news, Kindle Create’s new version now includes support for formatting books in a number of new languages, the writers at Quartz found out Google’s new text-to-speech system sound indistinguishable from a human voice, why Amazon has filed suit against a UK self-publisher, and how multiple authors are losing thousands of dollars after a massive readjustment in earnings this past week. Question of the Week: If someone jailbroke all the ebooks in the world and posted them online for free, how would your author business change?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 209 – The Romance Dungeon, Freelancing, and the End of Kindle Scout
Question of the Week: Should Amazon be able to judge which books are too “filthy” to sell? Why or why not?
Do we really want Amazon deciding what is “too filthy” for readers? Bryan is back from his mysterious absence last week and he took a moment with Jim to thank their generous patrons – Write! Shonen Manga, WordPress Security 101: How to Secure Your Website Against Hackers, and The Commons. Book 1: The Journeyman. Afterwards, they jumped right into this weeks tips, which include how authors can improve sales by testing their book covers, how authors can boost their productivity, and how you can fortify your Facebook security settings. This week in news, discover why readers and authors should give Google Play another try, learn more about the world of BookTubing with Ariel Bissett, find out how to boost your business with tips from Jane Friedman, learn if Barnes & Noble can win over readers with its new app, why we think Amazon is shutting down Kindle Scout, and how Amazon’s recent change filtered out adult-themes titles from main category rankings. Question of the Week: Should Amazon be able to judge which books are too “filthy” to sell? Why or why not?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 208 – Subtitles, Amazon Reviewers, and Up Lit
Question of the Week: How do you approach subtitle metadata for your book? What’s your take on the ethics of using genre-related keywords for your subtitle? Bonus: What was Bryan doing this week instead of co-hosting the show?
Genre related keywords in your subtitles: yay or nay? This week, Jim is joined by J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon who are filling in for a vacationing Bryan Cohen. They kick off this week’s episode with a quick “thank you” to they generous patrons: Rebel Song, Cowgirl, Unexpectedly, and Kiss Kill. This week’s tips include how authors can attract new audiences on Kickstarter, how writers can use short stories to build their fanbase and skills, why authors should simplify their calls to action. News items include Overdrive celebrating an historic milestone, Smashwords and Findaway Voices partner up, how authors can gain insight into Canadian readers, the rise in popularity of “Up Lit” novels, why Britain’s Book Industry Communication organization is calling for authors to stop using promotional content in subtitles, and how Amazon is making it a little more difficult to find reviewers and land publishing deals. Question of the Week: How do you approach subtitle metadata for your book? What’s your take on the ethics of using genre-related keywords for your subtitle? Bonus: What was Bryan doing this week instead of co-hosting the show?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 207 – Odds for Success, Romance Listeners, & Auto Body Authors
Question of the Week: Romance authors, are your readers just in it for the “good parts,” or are they interested in the book as a whole? Other authors, feel free to voice your thoughts on this too!
Are romance listeners just in it for the good parts? After thanking their patrons, Strings of Subversion, The Unknown Devil, and Leading Effectively, Jim and Bryan took on the tips and news like always before. Tips included how a YA author took her second series to another level, how co-writers can collaborate to create better books, and what word count range genre authors should try to hit. News stories included Amazon encouraging Echo-read audiobooks, Microsoft’s new dictation feature, Draft2Digital’s new tool for authors, how Audible’s feature may have undermined its unlimited service, why one indie author is writing at a tire shop, and why authors should ignore the odds. This week’s Question of the Week: Romance authors, are your readers just in it for the “good parts,” or are they interested in the book as a whole? Other authors, feel free to voice your thoughts on this too!Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 206 – Diversity, StreetLib Market, and Epic Collaboration
Question of the Week: Do you make it a priority to include characters of different races, genders, and sexualities in your books? Why or why not?
Are there characters of various races, genders, and sexualities in your books? It’s been another fun week in the publishing world and Jim and Bryan are here to fill you in on all the goings on. First, they take a moment to thank their patrons: Dorothy and the Cane of Destiny: Book One in the Elderly Chronicles, Fighting to Survive, and Flotsam. This week’s tips include how writers can become one-click authors, how authors can optimize their high-volume business models, how writers can improve their craft, build friendships , and make money by co-writing a series, and the latest stats on audiobook consumption. This week’s top headlines cover how traditionally published authors in the UK are demanding their fair share of royalties, another publishing service is open for business, audiobook lovers have a new place to check out bestselling titles, how traditional publishers are failing diverse writers and readers, and Amazon launches another imprint. Question of the Week: Do you make it a priority to include characters of different races, genders, and sexualities in your books? Why or why not?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!
Episode 205 – Audible Romance, Facebook Live, and Free Cookies
Question of the Week: What do you think is a fair rate authors should be paid for all-you-can-listen audiobook downloads?
Royalty rates for all-you-can-listen to audiobooks: what do you think’s fair? It’s another week of news and tips from the dynamic duo. Jim and Bryan take a moment to thank their generous patrons: Level Up, DEAD STILL, and The Busy Author: Writing Faster and More Efficiently to Fit Around Your Busy Life. This week’s tips include how authors can protect their work with a few simple tips, why authors should make Facebook Live part of their promotion strategy, and why authors should get in on the ground floor with voice technologies. In news: readers can join a new book club from Barnes & Noble, Amazon Affiliate members now have more ways to share, how one super fan is keeping their favorite author’s legacy alive, Amazon imprint ebooks are eating up the bestseller charts, and why romance authors are up in arms over their royalty payments from Audible Romance. Question of the Week: What do you think is a fair rate authors should be paid for all-you-can-listen audiobook downloads?Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!