Question of the Week: Have you ever given advice to another author you haven’t taken yourself? How has it felt when that advice worked like gangbusters?

Do you give great advice? Do you wish you’d take it? Bryan reports on the benefits of his mental health day last week. Jim talks about preparing for a speaking road-tour in 2019. This week’s Happy Book Reviews feature winner is S.J. Pajonas. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: Stone Cold, Dorothy and the Cane of Destiny: Book One in the Elderly Chronicles, and The Life Actionbook: Tools and Actions for Personal Development. The Hot Tips you need include how to set home office boundaries to increase productivity, why pre-planning can help you reap more benefits from writer’s conferences, and why writing stories of different lengths can broaden your audience. Our Honorable Mention news story is a great new subscription bundle which includes Scribd with the New York Times. The top News stories affecting indie authors this week include how Dragon Professional has abandoned the Mac platform, why James Patterson is adding Facebook Messenger to his next book launch, what happened to some authors buy buttons on Amazon, who unmasked Data Guy, and how John Logsdon leveraged his writing into a $20K per month business. Question of the Week: Have you ever given advice to another author you haven’t taken yourself? How has it felt when that advice worked like gangbusters? read more

Question of the Week: Have you, or would you ever, write a book into a genre you knew wasn’t selling that well? And if so, why?

Would you knowingly write a book in a poorly selling genre? Jim welcomes his cohost Alex Newton from K-Lytics. This week’s winner of the Happy Book Reviews feature is Katherine Bogle. Jim thanks the featured Patrons: Achieve Anything In Just One Year, Dead Still, and The Busy Busy Author: Writing Faster and More Efficiently to Fit Around your Busy Life. The Hot Tips this show are why you need a good quality author photo, what path do readers take to find your titles and become superfans, and how a good author bio can strengthen your brand. The big News stories for the indie author world this week include how audiobooks are taking off in Canada, how will a mega-store closure affect traditional publishing, why tiny niche markets can be great for sales, what is Kobo gaining by working with Walmart, and an author success story on rebranding and revitalizing. Question of the Week: Have you, or would you ever, write a book into a genre you knew wasn’t selling that well? And if so, why? read more

Question of the Week: Which unexpected advertising keywords and targets have provided you with results for your books and why didn’t you think they’d work?

Have you stumbled across some unusual keywords that have given you surprisingly positive results? “Happy Birthday!” to Bryan, who celebrated this past weekend. This week’s Happy Book Reviews Feature winner is Dan Thompson. Bryan and Jim share a hilarious post from William Oday—the ultimate Sell More Books Show spinoff—Bigfoot Big Heart: A Steamy Cleaned Romance. Bryan thanks the Patrons – Cold War: Alien Incursion and Guardian of the Grail. The Hot Tips include why the best keywords may not be your first choice, new ways to win back old email subscribers, and why price pulsing on ebooks can be an effective strategy. The Top News stories that matter to indies this week include the pros and cons of Barnes and Noble’s new print book pre-order feature, how recent changes at Apple could affect authors and increase income, author Katherine Bogle’s success story on rapid release and writing to market, Jim’s thoughts on Apple’s opportunities in the audiobook market, and how author Elana Johnson made massive financial gains in a single year. Question of the Week: Which unexpected advertising keywords and targets have provided you with results for your books and why didn’t you think they’d work? read more

Question of the Week: What would be your Spinoff to Market? Also, what would be a Spinoff to Market for Jim and Bryan with the Sell More Books Show? (i.e. Shawty and the Hustla in the Wild Wild West)

If you had the opportunity to pick a spinoff for a specific market from one of your series, which one would you choose? Jim is still scheduling 15-minute consultations over on AuthorAccelerate.com, hop on over and set up your one-on-one. Bryan had a great time on Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn and shares his awesome experience. This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is RJ Beam. Bryan and Jim thank our featured Patrons: We Own the Sky, Faster Than Falling, and Leaving Eva. The Hot Tips include how to sell books without selling your soul, why Google docs could be the workflow solution you’ve been searching for, and why NaNoWriMo is worth a try. The News stories that matter most to Indies this week are how a change in VAT could line your pockets with extra cash, what issues will likely cause Wattpad’s token system to fail, how Kyla Steinkraus reached $5k in monthly earnings with a write-to-market spinoff, what’s up at Draft2Digital and why you should care, and how author Aidy Aaward exploded her income with a few key strategies. Question of the Week: What would be your Spinoff to Market? Also, what would be a Spinoff to Market for Jim and Bryan with the Sell More Books Show? (i.e. Shawty and the Hustla in the Wild Wild West) read more

Question of the Week: Amazon may be getting rid of longer category strings on your sales pages. What do you think is the next big change Amazon will put into practice?

If Amazon is willing to ditch long-string categories, what else do you think they will jettison? Jim welcomes Bryan back from his West Coast mastermind retreat. The guys celebrate their 700,000th podcast download. This week’s Happy Book Review feature winner is David Mark Brown. Bryan thanks the featured patrons God and Gigs, Star Flame, and Peppermint Mocha Murder. The top Tips this week include how to successfully schedule the habit of writing, how stats can help you master paid advertising, and why author endorsements might not be out of your reach. Here are the News stories you won’t want to miss: How the subscription model of book sales is flourishing in Sweden, why the Wonky Donkey kicked Fear from the top spot, which tips Craig Zerf followed to double his income in August, Dave Chesson explains what is happening with Amazon categories, and how going wide helped J.D. Brown gain a big boost for a backlist series. Question of the Week: Amazon may be getting rid of longer category strings on your sales pages. What do you think is the next big change Amazon will put into practice? read more

Question of the week: Was the legal wording put in at Kboards.com just legal mumbo-jumbo, or was it really put in so they could do things with your content? Sub-question: What is Craig Martelle’s SMBS show name? Crazy Craig Martelle? We need something better than that!

Is Kboards.com going to start publishing all your stuff? Do you have a nickname for guest host Craig Martelle? Bryan is on vacation and Jim has the pleasure of guest hosting with prolific sci-fi writer Craig Martelle. Jim and Craig discuss the 20Booksto50K Facebook group that Craig manages, a group that recently hit 25,000 members and adds about 50 new members per day. Jim thanks all the show Patrons which can be viewed at SellMoreBooksShow.com/books. Your Top Tips this week include why you shouldn’t overdo the “show don’t tell,” how Facebook is improving you ability to interact in groups, why Story Origin could help improve your also-boughts. The news stories that you definitely need to hear this week are why the French don’t approve of indie pubbing, how Rachel Medhurst moved her sales without a rapid-release strategy, who’s been taking bribes to make negative Amazon reviews disappear, how Michelle Lancaster found success in writing pulp fiction, and how Kboards.com’s new TOS may be driving users to jump ship. Question of the week: Was the legal wording put in at Kboards.com just legal mumbo-jumbo, or was it really put in so they could do things with your content? Sub-question: What is Craig Martelle’s SMBS show name? Crazy Craig Martelle? We need something better than that! read more

Question of the Week: Is it more important to spend money on developmental and copyediting on your first book or to spend it on marketing like book covers? If you had to choose between waiting to publish or going forth without the heavy editing, which would you choose and why?

Will developmental editing or marketing give you the biggest bang for your buck on book one? Would you publish without an in-depth edit? Bryan and Jim have a great show for you this week! Bryan’s getting ready to take a little time off and Jim will have a special guest host for you next week. Jim notes that his Author Accelerate conferences have revealed that a lot of authors are in the wrong category. Winner of the Happy Book Reviews feature is Chuck Manley. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: SPA Girls – How to Kick Author Overwhelm in the Butt!, The Thing Speaks for Itself, and Dark as the Grave. This week’s hot Tips include how to manage distractions and write more, what authors think the cost of hiring editors, and why patience is the name of the game with AMS ads. The stories that matter most to indie authors are why Target is redacting certain words in book descriptions, how Instafreebie’s rebrand could help you, how slow and steady release schedules can lead to author success, why ad spend and careful monitoring is critical to success, and which strategies and choices helped Kevin Butman to a successful book launch. Question of the Week: Is it more important to spend money on developmental and copyediting on your first book or to spend it on marketing like book covers? If you had to choose between waiting to publish or going forth without the heavy editing, which would you choose and why? read more

Question of the Week: What kind of a lifestyle do you want connected to your author business? What kind of changes would you need to make to your publishing and marketing to make that lifestyle happen?

How does your author business set the tone for your lifestyle? Do you need to make changes to your business plan to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams? Jim and Bryan ask everyone to stay safe during the approaching hurricane on the east coast. This weeks Happy Book Reviews winner is Nadja Baer. Bryan thanks our featured Patrons: The Author’s Guide to Ebook Publishing, More than Monsters, and A Band Director’s Guide to Everything Tuba: A Collection of Interviews with the Experts. Don’t miss this weeks Top Tips including how to avoid the sophomore slump with your second book, why dividing your time between projects will lead to long term success, and when to use reader surveys to foster community. The “Don’t Miss” news stories are why Amazon purchased Tapzo, which strategies can help you hit the $1,000 per month mark, what’s up with AMS ads now, how Amy Linnabary Meyer got to a five-figure month, and what does Jeff Bezos hold for the future. Question of the Week: What kind of a lifestyle do you want connected to your author business? What kind of changes would you need to make to your publishing and marketing to make that lifestyle happen? read more

Question of the Week: If you had your big-time unicorn success with one of your books or series, would you continue to write in that genre or would you spend time on your other artistic passions as well?

If one of your books or series exploded with unimaginable monetary success, would you continue to write in that world or would you pursue other passions? Jim is back from Montana and he and Bryan have a great show for you. Bryan has a limited time sale on Best Page Forward book descriptions over at https://www.sellingforauthors.com/laborday18 ! Some of the Sell More Books Summit speakers are announced. Jim is still taking submissions for the Author Accelerate 31 Covers revamp! This week’s Happy Book Reviews winner is JB Wocoski. Bryan thanks our wonderful featured patrons: The Efficient Writer, Taking Charge – Making your Healthcare Appointments Work for You, and Nightblade. Here are the Hot Tips this week: Why you should disregard one-star reviews, how authors can re-title a series without missing a beat, and why it’s important to connect with influencers in a genuine way. We have an Honorable Mention news story that reveals the true nature of Ian Fleming’s indie author roots. You won’t want to miss these Top News Stories including how traditional publishers are experimenting with more aggressive ebook pricing, how Walmart and Kobo are making their move with competitor price matching, author Jacki James shares which strategies helped her get to a four-figure per month income, how two authors turned a zombie snafu into a marketing boon, and which writing strategies helped author Brent Nichols move past his backlist and into profits. Question of the Week: If you had your big-time unicorn success with one of your books or series, would you continue to write in that genre or would you spend time on your other artistic passions as well? read more

Happy Labor Day weekend! Enjoy this bonus episode, an audio-only replay recording of Wednesday’s How to Optimize Your Amazon Sales Page to Sell More Books Forever webinar. We’ve included the slides and the video edition in the show notes. If you’d like to take advantage of Bryan’s Best Page Forward bulk description sale, click and select Add to Cart before Fri., Sept. 7th: https://www.sellingforauthors.com/laborday18/ Each level provides at least one special bonus, including the five-pack bonus of three group coaching sessions with Write to Market master Chris Fox! We hope you enjoy this special episode. read more