Question of the Week: How will the closure of Nook’s UK store impact your author business? Do you plan on continuing to publish to the Nook US store?

It’s Self-Publishing 101 in Jim and Bryan’s 101st episode. After thanking Michael La Ronn and his Author Level Up YouTube channel ( www.authorlevelup.com ), the princes of publishing took on tips about digital Amazon giveaways, cover art, and increasing your revenue. News stories included Amazon’s 2nd physical store, the age of most Kobo readers, publishing’s need for dynamic change, the top subcategories on Amazon, used ebooks, and Nook’s closure of its UK store. This week’s Question of the Week: How will the closure of Nook’s UK store impact your author business? Do you plan on continuing to publish to the Nook US store?

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Question of the Week: Do you think the Bookseller stepped over the line of journalism with their Author Solutions interview or can they publish whatever they want?

We’ve hit triple digits! Bryan and Jim celebrated how they always do: by tackling the top news and tips of the week. After thanking their patron Jeff Adams (and his Hat Trick Series http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00YVWBRYQ/ ) they chatted Facebook, a killer editing combo, and a time-tested promotional strategy. News stories included scamming the bestseller list, Kobo’s POD service, what financially successful authors have in common, the closure of Samhain Publishing, the Bookseller/Author Solutions controversy, and DBW’s interview with Data Guy. This week’s Question of the Week: Do you think the Bookseller stepped over the line of journalism with their Author Solutions interview or can they publish whatever they want?

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Question of the Week: Which opinion do you trust more when you buy books: experts or friends/Amazon strangers and why?

Chris Fox, the author of Write to Market, visited the show this week for our latest lab segment. Jim and Bryan thanked their patron Kathy Coakley and her book Dad’s Girls ( http://www.kathycoatney.com/dads-girls/ ) before launching into their final double-digit show (#99!). The trio of tips included pointers on burnout, book file sizes, and social media image sizes. The top five news focused on the Amazon recommendation algorithm, Facebook ads, expert reviews, keywords, and Scribd’s latest scale back. This week’s Question of the Week: Which opinion do you trust more when you buy books: experts or friends/Amazon strangers and why?

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Question of the Week: Do you believe Authors Earnings numbers? Do you think they need additional verification? Why or why not?

Jim and Bryan announced their upcoming Live show in Austin on March 29th and a surprise milestone as they approached the big 100 in the show’s 98th episode. After re-featuring Geoff North and his book Thawed: Cryers ( http://bit.ly/thawcry ), the Laurel and Hardy lookalikes tackled tips on group promotions, honing your blurbs, and defining your target audience. News stories touched on the latest Harry Potter book, going wide, the CreateSpace book ban, the case for Amazon Books, and the Author Earnings firestorm. This week’s Question of the Week: Do you believe Authors Earnings numbers? Do you think they need additional verification? Why or why not?

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Question of the Week: Did your page numbers go down on Kindle Unlimited? If so, how far did they drop and how does that make you feel?

Stellar and bittersweet news alike greeted Jim and Bryan this week as they tackled the latest and greatest in the self-publishing world. First, Bryan announced free mailing list training on Thursday at Noon EST with Nick Stephenson (sign up here http://bit.ly/nickbryweb ). After thanking their latest patron M.A. Robbins (and the book The Tilt http://bit.ly/thetilt ), your illustrious hosts discussed tips on also-boughts, social media overwhelm, and audiobooks. News stories included what it means to be a self-publishing success, BookBub’s 98 book marketing ideas, Amazon Books’ call for curators, business plans for authors, Kindle Unlimited’s KENPC 2.0, and Author Earnings’ two-year report. This week’s Question of the Week: Did your page numbers go down on Kindle Unlimited? If so, how far did they drop and how does that make you feel?

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Question of the Week: What’s the number one thing Amazon could change to improve your life as an author?

Bryan returned to a jam-packed show about long-term sales, wishful thinking, and keeping your reviews. After discussing Bryan’s limited-edition mailing list mastermind ( available at http://www.thousandsofreaders.com ), the self-publishing pair thanked their latest patron (L. Penelope’s Song of Blood & Stone – http://lpenelope.com/books/song-of-blood-and-stone/ ) and discussed tips on systematization, raw links, and conquering Kobo. The news stories included Audible’s new direction, the 50 Shades of Gray legal case, Fakespot, an Amazon wish list, and Long Tail sales. This week’s Question of the Week, “What’s the number one thing Amazon could change to improve your life as an author?”

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Question of the Week: Do you have experience with either peer groups or a professional editor? If so, what are the pros and cons of each?

Alida Winternheimer dropped by the show today to fill in for Bryan as she and Jim took on the top tips and news of the week. After giving props to this week’s featured patron, P.G. Kassel and his book Black Shadow Moon ( http://www.pgkassel.com ), they took a stab at tips related to editing, finances, and marketing methods worth modeling. The subjects of the news stories included Shelfari, today’s marketing trends, finding your voice, Amazon’s new two-tier quality control system, and Hugh Howey’s advice on how to be a writer.

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Question of the Week: Have book promotion sites become less effective for you? If so, how do you plan to use them in your future marketing?

Using their +1 charm podcast mics, Jim and Bryan took on the latest in self-publishing news and tips. After giving props to their latest patrons, Spider McGee and his book Monkey Justice ( http://bit.ly/secretjim ) and John Keller’s How to Drive Your Next Car Deal ( http://bit.ly/drivedacar ), the dual dynasty covered tips on front matter, effective content, and BookFunnel. The Top 5 News included stories on international ebook-reading, a new feature for Amazon’s Echo device, Wizards of the Coast’s D&D self-publishing platform, the effectiveness of book promotion sites, and the parallel paths of trad and indie publishing. This week’s Question of the Week is “Have book promotion sites become less effective for you? If so, how do you plan to use them in your future marketing?”

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Question of the Week: Why do you think Penguin sold Author Solutions? Will the Author Solutions’ new owner expand or retract the company’s reach and why?

The lab segment has returned! J. Thorn dropped by the show to compare his recent results between a successful Facebook ad campaign and a BookBub for his box set. Check out the infographic on our website! After giving props to their latest patron Anthony A. Kerr and his book The Dragon Rustler ( http://bit.ly/dragrust ), Jim and Bryan took on tips about book preview embedding, outsourcing, and idea generation. The Top 5 News included stories on more Amazon title culling, the “secret sauce” of marketing, Pottermore’s big change, reactive editorial selections, and the sale of Author Solutions. This Week’s Question of the Week: “Why do you think Penguin sold Author Solutions? Will the Author Solutions’ new owner expand or retract the company’s reach and why?”

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Question of the Week: What are your predictions for 2016? If your predictions come true, how will your author business change throughout the year?

It’s our best show of the year (so far)! After Jim responded to a counterpoint about his standby Amazon competition argument, and Bryan drew a winner for the book description giveaway, the astute authorpreneurs chatted KDP ads, BookBub’s new feature, and an audiobook ad trick. They also re-featured patron Crissy Moss and her book Witch’s Sacrifice ( http://bit.ly/witchsac ). News stories this week included how the publishing industry really works, the Authors Guild’s call for contract changes, Joe Konrath’s 2016 resolutions, the importance of used book stores, and several pundit predictions for 2016. This week’s Question of the Week: What are your predictions for 2016? If your predictions come true, how will your author business change throughout the year?

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