Question of the Week: Do you buy books at Walmart? How hard would you work to get your books on the shelves there?

Jim and Bryan brought the thunder in their landmark 75th episode! After the two talkers gave props to their latest Patreon supporters (Mark E. Cooper’s Merkiaari Wars Box Set, C. Steven Manley’s Awakened, Kate Curran’s She’s Out of His League, and Honoree Corder’s Prosperity for Writers), Bryan introduced his $1,000 Copywriting for Authors Giveaway. Enter and get his book description cheat sheet at http://authorcopy.com This week’s tips included solutions for top writer excuses, how to create an indie collective, and why you should track your marketing efforts. News stories focused on the Wall Street Journal’s piece on ebook pricing, Facebook marketing, Kindle Scout, judging books by their covers, more zombie publishing memes, and Jamie McGuire’s Walmart shelf placement. This week’s Question of the Week: Do you buy books at Walmart? How hard would you work to get your books on the shelves there?

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: What’s your best estimate on when the New York Times Bestseller list will either cease to exist or have to change drastically? If it does have to change, what will that change look like?

This week, Jim and Bryan welcomed Honoree Corder, the bestselling author of Prosperity for Writers to the show. They also mentioned their newest Patreon pledges on the air, including Crissy Moss (the author of Witch’s Sacrifice), Marc Gunn (the creator of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast), Alinka Rutkowska (author of How I Sold 80,000 Books), Parker Hudson (author of On the Edge), Jonathan Small (author of Ascent), and Sandy Williams (author of Shades of Treason). You can contribute to the Patreon page at http://patreon.com/smbs Jim, Bryan, and Honoree took on a trio of tips about turning your book into a brochure, getting blurbs, and a rule of thumb for marketing budgets. News stories included the Author Solutions settlement, why librarians don’t seek out self-published books, Simon & Schuster’s small entry into KU, the Authors Guild’s campaign against non-competes, Stephen King’s unintentionally pro-indie argument, and the self-publishing print-on-demand #1 worldwide bestseller. This week’s Question of the Week: What’s your best estimate on when the New York Times Bestseller list will either cease to exist or have to change drastically? If it does have to change, what will that change look like?

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: If you were on the shortlist to get a Hugo nomination in the midst of the Sad Puppies controversy, would you have withdrawn your name? Why or why not?

Jim and Bryan started the episode by announcing their new Patreon page. By becoming a patron of the show, you can get your book mentioned on air and contribute to several awesome milestones like extra episodes and an SMBS road tour! Check out the page at https://patreon.com/smbs During the episode proper, the sluggers of self-publishing news tackled tips on improving Dragon Dictate, selling direct, and pricing your books. News stories included the last-second acquisition of PubSlush, the closing of HarperCollins Authonomy, Ann Jacobs’ attempt to join the Ellora’s Cave lawsuit, Konrath and Eisler’s take on the “Amazon is a Monopoly” meme, Amazon’s new Also Boughts drop-down menu, and the massive Hugo Awards controversy. This week’s Question of the Week is “If you were on the shortlist to get a Hugo nomination in the midst of the Sad Puppies controversy, would you have withdrawn your name? Why or why not?”

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: What were your July KU numbers? Are you happy with the results? Why or why not?

After Jim teased two new Author Marketing Club resources and Bryan offered a free consultation for new Best Page Forward subscribers, the triumphant team tackled the latest tips and news. The three tips included building a launch team, creating captivating Facebook cover images, and increasing your engagement on Google Plus. The top five newsworthy stories focused on the closure of PubSlush, John Scalzi’s diversification claims, St. Martin’s Press allegedly failing to live up to its contract, Liz C. Long’s frustration at the self-publishing stigma, and July’s Kindle Unlimited payout numbers. This week’s Question of the Week: “What were your July KU numbers? Are you happy with the results? Why or why not?”

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: Would you buy an e-book if it was priced higher than the paperback or hardcover? Why or why not?

After Bryan talked dictation and Jim put out a call for developers, the terrific twosome tackled the best tips and news of the week. The three tips included advice on pre-orders, lessons to learn from James Patterson’s Masterclass, and how to start off right in self-publishing. The compelling news stories included male pen names, comparisons between print journalism and traditional publishing, author displeasure with Audible, Fantasy-Faction’s post on why you shouldn’t self publish, and a massive story on agency pricing. This week’s Question of the Week is “Would you buy an e-book if it was priced higher than the paperback or hardcover? Why or why not?”

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: What qualities would you want in an organization that protects the interests of authors and why?

In the dog days of summer, only the strong self-publishing newscasters survive. Bryan and Jim talked writing speed and Jim’s latest Authorpreneur interview before diving head first into the tips. The advice included spreading audiobooks with OneBook, selling local with the bookseller’s mindset, and fiction writing lessons from Joanna Penn. The news included stories on picking your ideal reader, the myth of author laziness, trad pub blacklisting blurbs for POD books, Konrath and Eisler’s Authors Guild fisking, and one author’s reminiscences of trad pub days gone by. This week’s Question of the Week: What qualities would you want in an organization that protects the interests of authors and why? read more

Question of the Week: Will book piracy become as huge as music piracy did during the Napster days? Will it impact the average indie author? Why or why not?

With solid nights of sleep behind them, Jim and Bryan tackled the latest topics in self-publishing. After discussing Bryan’s new URL for his service, BookBestPageForward.com, and Jim’s latest interviews on Authorpreneur.fm, the marketing mavens took on the tips and news. Tips included how to average out the stats of the bestsellers of the last decade, aspiring authorpreneur advice, and how to live more simply. News stories focused on picking a new term for indie authors, Mike Shatzkin’s potential about-face, summer reading statistics, a review of indie author library services, and the impact piracy has on indies. The Question of the Week: Will book piracy become as huge as music piracy did during the Napster days? Will it impact the average indie author? Why or why not?

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: Do you think the Kindle Gold Rush post was real or fake? What do you think we should take from it either way?

As Bryan fought back sleepiness and Jim teased a new Author Marketing Club tool, the podcasting pals gave episode #68 their all! They tackled tips on ambition, a new Twitter app, and how to treat book reviewers. Bryan and Jim also covered the latest in self-publishing news, including stories on direct Facebook sales, Douglas Preston’s letter to the Department of Justice, Amazon Follow, the underground world of Kindle ebooks, and the transparency of the publishing business. This week’s Question of the Week: “Do you think the Kindle Gold Rush post was real or fake? What do you think we should take from it either way?”

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: What would you do differently if you were starting self-publishing today?

With Jim using his “Gone Fishin'” sign, Bryan welcomed another British guest co-host to the show this week: Simon Whistler of the Rocking Self Publishing Podcast! Simon and Bryan chatted about last week’s question before moving into tips about free Kindle book covers, online quizzes, and writing 5,000 words per hour. News stories included reports on the closing of Nook’s international store, the spread of ebooks in India, the Ted Cruz bestseller list controversy, Kobo’s eRead Local campaign, Shawn Inmon’s post on starting from scratch, and the Authors Guild’s 50/50 ebook royalty initiative. This week’s Question of the Week is “What would you do differently if you were starting self-publishing today?”

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more

Question of the Week: Is Amazon’s removal of some indie reviews fair? Why or why not? Should Amazon change its policy? If yes, how so?

Between book launches (Bryan’s new novella) and other podcasts (Jim’s upcoming Authorpreneur interview with Andy Weir), the turbulent twosome brought you one of their most info-packed shows yet! They discussed three tips on hiring a virtual assistant, pitching new readers, and occasionally turning off the computer. The news was even meatier than usual this week with stories on social media, Nook’s new website, the Amazon review removal controversy, the reaction to the KU pages read rate, and Scribd’s culling of romance titles. This week’s Question of the Week: Is Amazon’s removal of some indie reviews fair? Why or why not? Should Amazon change its policy? If yes, how so?

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show on iTunes!

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via RSS! 

Subscribe to The Sell More Books Show via Stitcher! read more