Episode 309 – IngramSpark, Coronavirus, and Harley Quinn

Posted on March 4, 2020March 3, 2020 by SMBS Team

What are you going to do to market your books in the second quarter of 2020? If you try something outside of your usual comfort zone, what will it be?

The first quarter of 2020 is almost over, what will you be doing in the second quarter of 2020 to market your books? Maybe something out of your comfort zone? Bryan mentions that he will be having a book description webinar coming soon and H. Claire Taylor is recruiting people for her new class. Be sure to check out Kirsten Oliphant’s Launch Class. This week’s Super Charger Story Course Winner is Dan Thompson. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Woodpecker Wars: Celebrating the Spirituality of Everyday Life, Taking Charge: Making Your Healthcare Appointments Work for You, and The Final Arrangement. The Top Tips of the week include what is causing Indies to give up on google, how you can use content marketing to market not only non-fiction but also fiction, and why your best promotional tool is your readers themselves. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how Hachette’s 2019 revenue increased by 5% over 2018’s revenue, why Publishers Weekly believes Amazon Publishing has come out on top, how authors can learn from the marketing mistakes from the movie Birds of Prey, what is being done about book scams starting on April 27th, and why Hachette, Amazon, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin US are all pulling out of the London Book Fair. Question of the Week: What are you going to do to market your books in the second quarter of 2020? If you try something outside of your usual comfort zone, what will it be? read more

Episode 308 – Chris Fox Kickstarter, Productivity, and Howey Returns

Posted on February 26, 2020February 25, 2020 by SMBS Team

If money weren’t a concern, what wild and fun activity would you want to try to promote your book? And how would you get started?

What crazy and fun way would you try to promote your book if money wasn’t a concern? How would you go about it? Bryan announces that he is going to be getting back into non-fiction this year and H. Claire Taylor shares with us that she has been putting up medium posts on author and story strategy as well as writing productivity. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Darren Sapp. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Nolan Walker And The Superiors Squad, Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live, and WordPress Security 101: How to secure your website against hackers. The Top Tips of the week include how to look out for yourself to prevent getting scammed, what Matthew McCreary’s five step process is to writing a book, and where you can find the best apps for writing projects. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why authors in the US income will continue to decline, how your biggest obstacle when it comes to writing productivity may just be yourself, how self-publishing can lead to more money and flexibility, what you can do to get your short piece of fiction shared with the public, and why Indie author and mentor Chris Fox funded a role-playing game version of his bestselling space fantasy series that is now over 133% funded. Question of the Week: If money weren’t a concern, what wild and fun activity would you want to try to promote your book? And how would you get started? read more

Episode 307 – Wordslingers, North Dakota, and Not Sucking

Posted on February 19, 2020February 18, 2020 by SMBS Team

f you could adapt a story of yours into any other medium, what would it be and why? What challenges do you think you’d face as part of the translation?

What challenges do you think you’d face as part of the adaption if you could acclimate a story of yours into any other medium, what would it be and why? Bryan and H. Claire Taylor are feeling very grateful to be able to talk to all the listeners every week whether it be diving deep into some big controversy or diving deeper into ideas relating to self-publishing. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Ethan Jones. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Removed, A Curse upon the Saints, and If You Give a Guy a Beer. Tickets are available for Self Publishing Live. The Top Tips of the week include how to get the most out of any author conference, why scheduling time to write is so important, and how getting your books into a library can create a domino effect. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how you can hire the right person for the job using self-publishing service providers, why self-publishing is also learning publishing and marketing for yourself, how to get books in the mail that you might have never considered, how learning to master ads will help you not suck at marketing, and where you can find a new documentary about self-publishing. Question of the Week: If you could adapt a story of yours into any other medium, what would it be and why? What challenges do you think you’d face as part of the translation? read more

Episode 306 – Diversity, Dictation, and Writing For Happiness

Posted on February 12, 2020February 11, 2020 by SMBS Team

How do you think the writing world will change when AI learns to write a novel that’s indistinguishable from human novels?

When AI learns to write a novel that’s identical from human novels, how do you think that the writing world will shift? Bryan and H. Claire Taylor are getting things done and checking things off of their to do lists. This weeks Happy Books Review Winners are Jon Auerbach & Bethany Tucker. Thank you to our featured Patrons – One Survivor, Citizen Second Class, and Jasper Kaine. The Top Tips of the week include why you should have a copyright notice and a reservation of rights, why to consider donating a copy of your children’s book to Diverse Book Finder, and how to give your print books a new look. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what new technology will be affecting the writing world, how we know that the author business is continuing to grow, which transcription service is the best fit for you, why many people are not happy about how Barnes & Noble and Penguin Random House celebrated Black History Month and how author Jayne Hawke recovered from burnout. Question of the Week: How do you think the writing world will change when AI learns to write a novel that’s indistinguishable from human novels? read more

Episode 305 – Writing to Trend, WideWizard, and Ghost Writers

Posted on February 5, 2020February 4, 2020 by SMBS Team

Looking back on your writing and publishing to this point, what are three moments that brought you incredible joy in the smaller milestones that led you to where you are today?

What joyful moments have you had that led you to today in your publishing career? Bryan and Claire are in the same room! Thank you to all of our Patrons! The Top Tips of the week include how Booksprout is your cure all, why you need to join Brandon Sanderson’s class, and what is the best tool to write in. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how you can still be frugal when it comes to editing, how to hire a ghostwriter, what the numbers say about libraries and other activities, why Author Chris Fox didn’t love his cover, and why you should write what you love. Question of the Week: Looking back on your writing and publishing to this point, what are three moments that brought you incredible joy in the smaller milestones that led you to where you are today? read more

Episode 304 – Emotional Procrastination, Six-Figure Success, and After the Gold Rush

Posted on January 29, 2020January 28, 2020 by SMBS Team

In your ideal world, what would your readers’ expectations be about what you write, how often you release it, what you price it, and how often you get in contact with them?

What would you want your readers to expect from you? Bryan is finally taking a rest day! Claire’s party is this week! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Garett Robinson. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Dad’s Girls, The Outline Book, and Cubicle Jail to Laptop Lifestyle. The Top Tips of the week include how to recover from a failed book launch, how you can still make a living in indie, and what you need to be productive. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what the Macmillan boycott has done to the bottom line, why you may want to get into self-help books, what procrastination may actually mean, how author Steff Green earned $200k, and what is changing with Penguin Random House. Question of the Week: In your ideal world, what would your readers’ expectations be about what you write, how often you release it, what you price it, and how often you get in contact with them? read more

Episode 303 – Meaning, Street Teams, and Amazon Ads

Posted on January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 by SMBS Team

If you changed your focus from looking for productivity to meaning, what would you stop doing and why?

How would your work change if you shifted your focus? This week is the final parts of Bryan’s Amazon Ad Challenge it’s never too late to follow along! Claire is getting her launch party ready! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Linda Fausnet. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Grand Theft Auto and Other Misdemeanors, Angelborn, and Time Code. The Top Tips of the week include how to edit your book faster, why you need to reach out to your superfans, and what ads are the best. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what new law has hit Missouri, how the lawsuit with Audible turned out, why Amazon ad school may be a great call for you, how author Howard Tayler sees success, and why your word count may be falling short. Question of the Week: If you changed your focus from looking for productivity to meaning, what would you stop doing and why? read more

Episode 302 – Productivity, Co-Writing, and Your Four-Year Plan

Posted on January 15, 2020January 14, 2020 by SMBS Team

When you think ahead to what you’ll have accomplished in four years, what will you do to get the most out of your awesome backlist in 2024?

What do the next four years look like for you? This week is Bryan’s Amazon Ad Challenge it’s never too late to follow along! Claire is finishing up her series up! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Bill Cokas. Thank you to our featured Patrons: The 30-Day Writing Challenge, Stalked, and SMART Social Media. The Top Tips of the week include what you need to do to sell your book, why Instagram is your friend, and how the public domain has changed. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include was has changed in the RWA, how Janna Penn manages her time, why getting a coauthor may refuel your fire for writing, who will be charting books, and what S.W. Hubbard is going to do in 2020. Question of the Week: When you think ahead to what you’ll have accomplished in four years, what will you do to get the most out of your awesome blacklist in 2024? read more

Episode 301 – Claire’s First Episode

Posted on January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 by SMBS Team

Going into 2020, what changes will you make to your routine to save more time and get more accomplished?

What will your new year’s resolution help your productivity? You’re going to learn a little more about our new host Claire. How she spends her days and what she’s done this year! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Jerri Williams. The Top Tips of the week include how to promote your new book, how StoryOrgin can help you track yourself, and what Kells Mcphillips recommends to keep up the productivity. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why Refined Fool Beer is the place to publish, what ebooks lost out on in the 10s, what scam you need to avoid, why the Rita Awards were cancelled, and why you shouldn’t be like Laura Burton. Question of the Week: Going into 2020, what changes will you make to your routine to save more time and get more accomplished? read more

Episode 300 – Lessons Learned from 300 Episodes & Jim’s Last Show

Posted on January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 by SMBS Team

What do you think Jim will do with his Tuesdays now that he’s not recording the Sell More Books Show?

What is Jim going to do with all this new free time? Episode 300 is here! We say goodbye to Jim and welcome Bryan’s new co-host. The Top Lessons we learned, Consistency is Key, Be UnSkippable, and Reward fans with Callbacks. An honorable mention goes to how to get your books viewed. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why writers aren’t able to keep up, how amazon made this author raise her price, what has happened since Christmas in the romance novel world, why Author Brady Frost did better than expected, and what changes are coming for Rakuten. Question of the Week: What do you think Jim will do with his Tuesdays now that he’s not recording the Sell More Books Show? read more

SELL MORE BOOKS SHOW

with Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor