Episode 295 – The First Time, Pros for Trad Pub, and Back Matter Mastery

Posted on November 27, 2019November 26, 2019 by SMBS Team

What do you remember about the first time… you sold more books than you expected?

Your first big success, what do you remember? Episode 300 is so close! Bryan is back home in Pennsylvania with family for Thanksgiving. Jim has five episodes left, but the Sell More Books Show will continue. Jim explains how to catch a turkey! Bryan is having a Black Friday Sale! Tickets are still available for Self-Publishing Live 2020. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Thomas J. Sullivant. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Nolan Walker And The Superiors Squad, Sales Success Stories, and How to Self-Publish A Children’s Book. The Top Tips of the week include how to publish your book in audio, what you need to do on reading days, and how reviews may be cheaper. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what the most recent YA scandal is, how amazon is updating again, how to increase you read-through, what the pros of traditional publishing are, and what novelist Rob Billiau is doing right. Question of the Week: What do you remember about the first time… you sold more books than you expected? read more

Episode 294 – Jim’s Big Announcement

Posted on November 20, 2019November 19, 2019 by SMBS Team

What’s been your favorite Jim Kukral moment from Sell More Books Show history?

How about a little Jim Kukral nostalgia? Episode 300 is so close! Bryan’s back from 50 Books! Bryan has an Amazon Ads Makeover coming this Friday. Jim has BIG news at the end of the episode! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is J. Thorn. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Prometheus Rising, The Unknown Devil, and Flotsam. The Top Tips of the week include why you may need MyNoise and not Noise cancelling headphones, what 38 free things you need according to Shaunta Grimes, and how to keep moving forward. This week’s Honorable Mention goes to, why Instagram may be bringing poetry back. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why amazon is ordering fewer books, what is happening with ACX, why you may not want to get Klingon married, and how you may be able to have your own bookshop. Question of the Week: What’s been your favorite Jim Kukral moment from Sell More Books Show history read more

Episode 293 – Audiobook Keywords, Clean Teen, and BookBub Success

Posted on November 13, 2019November 12, 2019 by SMBS Team

What genres seem to have the most success with paid promotions and why?

What genres seem to have the most success with paid promotions and why?Episode 300 is so close! Now it’s Bryans turn to be away, he is in Vegas at 20 books to 50K. Jay Thorne in the guest host of the week Early Bird tickets for his Self-Publishing Live are on sale now! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Darren Sapp. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Chicago Blue, “What Am I?”, and WordPress Security 101. The Top Tips of the week include why and how you can create a facebook author page, how you can get unblocked, and why you may need to start a podcast. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what fancy new gadget Amazon is releasing, why you can actually write under noisy conditions, what new genre or subgenre readers are excited about, what new feature Findaway Voices is rolling out, and why you might want to wait for the BookBub deal. Question of the Week: What genres seem to have the most success with paid promotions and why? read more

Episode 292 – Poetry Sells, Jobs Smell, and Fired Up Financials

Posted on November 6, 2019November 5, 2019 by SMBS Team

How do you apply discipline to your everyday life to get the words and publishing done in the midst of all the other stuff in your busy schedule?

What discipline hacks do you have to keep your indie author goals on track? Episode 300 is so close! Jim is gone this week, hopefully on some kind of vacation, so we have Patrick O’Donnell as our Guest Host. Early Bird tickets for Bryan’s Self-Publishing Live are on sale now! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Roland Denzel. Thank you to our featured Patrons: The Hunted, The Sell Smarter Collection, and Level Up. The Top Tips of the week include what new app could make your writing easier, how you can get your new work on Audible.com, and what new service could help you keep track of everything publishing related. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what the Chicago library is doing right, why empty books are making money, how you should be saving your money, what author Steven Higgs prioritized over sleep and how it changed his life, and why you might need to spend more money on ads. Question of the Week: How do you apply discipline to your everyday life to get the words and publishing done in the midst of all the other stuff in your busy schedule? read more

Episode 291 – Serial Success, Google Doesn’t Play, and 22 Books to $60k

Posted on October 30, 2019October 29, 2019 by SMBS Team

What self-publishing tactic that worked back in 2015-2017 would you love to bring back and try here in 2019?

What publishing hacks do you wanna bring back? Episode 300 is so close! Jim’s webinar is later today at 2PM CST. Show up and learn the ropes! Bryan will officially be doing an Author conference in Chicago coming up next year! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Justin Salisbury. Thank you to our featured Patrons: A Turn for the Worse, Leaving Eva, and God and Gigs. The Top Tips of the week include How to write you book (outline) in three simple steps, what new ways you can advertise on Amazon, and why content marketing might change how you advertise. Honorable Mention this week goes to why Draft2Digital cancelled the Play Store. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how California’s new bill may not be as good as it sounds, why Amazon is cracking down on scammers, what different ways you can be successful as a full time author, how more books can mean more money, and why a series may be the way to your reader’s heart. Question of the Week: What self-publishing tactic that worked back in 2015-2017 would you love to bring back and try here in 2019? read more

Episode 290 – Publishing Predictions, Genre Confusion, and Amazon Spinoffs

Posted on October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 by SMBS Team

What’s the most obvious prediction you can make about the publishing industry coming up in the next five years?

In five years, where will the publishing industry be? Episode 300 is so close! Jim and Bryan will not be going to Australia for the 300th show. Bryan has a webinar next week for making sure you don’t skip steps in your self-publishing journey. Jim will be holding a webinar on how to become a professional paid speaker – link next week. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Jennifer Kelly. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Strings of Subversion, Dorothy and the Cane of Destiny, and Fighting to Survive. The Top Tips of the week include How you can avoid taxation through Amazon, why your readers may be missing your books, and why your website could be the reason your losing readers. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what new ways Amazon is helping readers with prime, why Amazon’s CEO should break up the company before it breaks him, why indie novel sales are on the rise according to Bowker, what advice author Caitlin White can give, and what changes have happened and whats to come in the publishing world. Question of the Week: What’s the most obvious prediction you can make about the publishing industry coming up in the next five years? read more

Episode 289 – Facebook Video, Christmas Romance, & Keywords a Plenty

Posted on October 16, 2019October 15, 2019 by SMBS Team

Now that the show will be available in video, do you think you’ll keep listening in audio or consume the podcast in its video format? Also, what is the giant trophy for on Bryan’s bookshelf?

Video or audio, do you have a preferred way of getting content? Episode 300 is so close! Were going to start releases on video now as well! Jim will be hosting a webinar on becoming a public speaker, Bryan is excited about 20BooksVegas and he will do a Meetup Pizza Party by the pool. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Roland Denzel. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Kiss Kill, A Dragon among the Eagles, and Stone Cold. The Top Tips of the week include how Sandra Beckwith helps authors turn reviews into more sales, why Facebook may be a way to reach more readers, and why your seven keywords may need to be upgraded. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how publishers create a gray area for plagiarism, why Audiobook is changing how you market, how K-Lytics will help you decide if you need to write a Christmas novel, why author Nick Thacker was finally able to quit his day job, and which sites vaporized due to Facebook’s false information and how they tried to make up for it. Question of the Week: Now that the show will be available in video, do you think you’ll keep listening in audio or consume the podcast in its video format? Also, what is the giant trophy for on Bryan’s bookshelf? read more

Episode 288 – Amazon Ads in Germany, Direct Kobo Audiobooks, and First Line Generators

Posted on October 9, 2019October 8, 2019 by SMBS Team

Do you plan on using Amazon Ads in the German market and do you think they’ll be successful for books in English?

Do you think ads for your English-version books will appeal to Amazon’s German market? Bryan and Jim are enjoying the great weather. Bryan is planning another Amazon Ads Challenge for January—stay tuned! Jim’s co-author fiction project is really taking shape and he’s already making plans to turn it into a film. Call for Success Stories! Submit via email or in the comments. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Gisele LeBlanc. Thank you to our featured Patrons: Leading Effectively, The Life of Magdaline Slatewood, and Cowgirl, Unexpectedly. The Top Tips of the week include How a first line generator can jumpstart your creativity, why your book description should be scan friendly, and how often should you be sending a newsletter and what should be in it. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why the Audible request for a referral in their settlement suit was denied, why HarperCollins started to put backlist titles on Kindle Unlimited in Australia and the UK, how shortening your completion date can be more productive, how you can get audiobooks uploaded directly to Kobo Writing Life, and why foreign advertising can help you promote your books. Question of the Week: Do you plan on using Amazon Ads in the German market and do you think they’ll be successful for books in English? read more

Episode 287 – Amazon Giveaways, Abolishing Likes, and Bookshop

Posted on October 2, 2019October 1, 2019 by SMBS Team

Why do you think Amazon got rid of Giveaways and the Matchbook program?

What do you think motivates Amazon to make changes to its promotion programs? Episode 300 is coming! Bryan is recovering after an intense Amazon Ads 5-day challenge. This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Eric Warren. Thank you to our featured Patrons: The Busy Busy Author, Dead Still, and Achieve Anything In Just One Year. The Top Tips of the week include how podcasts may be your way to the top, what are the benefits of connecting with the final product instead of the work in progress, and how to find your niche and how to spread it around. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how Bookshop will bring back bookstores, how libraries can actually be helpful to book sales, why is Facebook hiding your likes, why Author Mark Dawson is on a new journey, and how Amazon is changing in drastic ways. Question of the Week: Why do you think Amazon got rid of Giveaways and the Matchbook program? read more

Episode 286 – Advances, Outlines, and Ebooks vs. Hardbacks (with Kirsten Oliphant)

Posted on September 25, 2019September 24, 2019 by SMBS Team

What’s your average word count written per day?

How much do you usually write during the day? Episode 300 is coming! Bryan is off this week because he is running his 5-day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge. Jim’s cohost is the amazing Kirsten “Beersten” Oliphant. And… Happy Birthday to Jim! This week’s Happy Books Review Winner is Dan Thompson. Thank you to our featured Patrons: A Band Director’s Guide to Everything Tuba, The Darby Shaw Chronicles, and Doubt The Stars. The Top Tips of the week include how to navigate Amazon’s new ad features, the difference between a website and an ideal website, and 10 words all authors should know. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include the still banned Harry Potter books, reselling used ebooks, why author Heather Demetrios shouldn’t have quit her day job, how ebooks have not taken over the book world, and how outlining could increase your daily word count. Question of the Week: What’s your average word count written per day? read more

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