TAB098: Walking a Series Launch Tightrope, with Martha Carr
Author Martha Carr joins us to talk about the rapid release launch strategy she’s using to launch the Wallis Jones thriller series. We discuss her plan, which is to publish six books in 91 days. She explains why she’s releasing the books so quickly, what she hopes to accomplish by doing so, and why she’s willing to come back to report on her progress after each new release. To Martha, it’s all just data, and we’ll all learn from her data in the high-wire act that is her launch process.
TAB097: Keeping Your Readers Engaged With Multiple Series
If you write fiction, you know the value of writing a series, or maybe two. Or maybe you’ve been writing for a while, and you’ve written a series, then moved on to a second or even a third series. But how many different series can, or should you write a once? Author Deborah Coonts joins us to talk about the different series she’s actively writing now.
TAB096: Hacking Your Way to Self-Publishing Success, with Michael Anderle
Michael Anderle joins us after his first full year as a published author. We discuss his original goals, the remarkable success he achieved in his first year, and his advice for achieving the publishing goals you’ve set for your author business.
TAB095: Are You Prepared for Breakout Success with Your Next Book?
Do you remember your first published book? Do you remember what you expected to happen? Was there a difference between what you expected and what you hoped would happen? What if your “hoped for” result was what really happened and your book was a breakout success? Or maybe it did? Were you prepared?
Barbara Nickless joins us to talk about being prepared for breakout success in this week’s show.
TAB094: Four Step Strategy for Selling More in Less Time on Social Media
Author marketing expert, Chris Syme shares her favorite social media platforms for promoting and selling books, the critical importance of your Facebook author page and her four-step strategy for getting more engagement and book sales from the time you invest on social media.
TAB093: What Should You Do when your Author Superhero Costume No Longer Fits?
Work harder, write more, sleep less, publish the next book. It’s the path to success as an indie author, right? What happens if that’s not a viable track for you? This week’s show is a conversation with between Taylor Stevens and Stephen about what to do when you find that pushing yourself to work harder and faster no longer works.
TAB092: Managing the Launch Process for your Book with Honorée Corder
Honorée Corder joins the show to discuss the launch process she used for her latest work, YOU MUST WRITE A BOOK. Then we get into her strategies for managing advance reader teams, choosing the right public relations firm, time management and even the importance of having a set of professionally done author photos.
TAB091: Crafting a Welcome Email Sequence for your Author Email List
Stephanie J. Pajonas joins us this week to discuss how combining a good welcome email sequence and a sound strategy for adding new users to your email list can help to fuel sales growth for your books.
TAB090: Doing your own Public Relations with Christopher Lombardo
Christopher Lombardo has had his books published multiple ways and shares his experience doing his own public relations for the books he’s indie published and had published through small presses.
TAB089: How to simplify the ebook giveaway process, with BookFunnel’s Damon Courtney
We’re told the road to indie author riches is paved with ebook giveaways, but how give books to our readers without the tech support? BookFunnel founder Damon Courtney joins us in this episode of the podcast.
TAB088: How to Eliminate Audiobook Anxiety with Laurence Shames
Author Laurence Shames joins us to discuss the process he used to create an audio book for KEY WEST LUCK, the 11th book in his Key West Capers series in this episode of The Author Biz podcast.
TAB087: Adding Audiobooks to Your Product Mix with ACX
What’s involved in creating an audiobook through ACX? Narrator Elizabeth Klett, with over 70 audiobooks to her credit us joins us to explain the process in this episode of The Author Biz.
TAB086: Exploring Kindle Worlds with Tracy Sharp
This week’s program is a look at the benefits and drawbacks of writing in Kindle Worlds. Our guest is Tracy Sharp, who in addition to the several novels she’s written in Kindle Worlds is the author of the Leah Ryan thriller series. Tracy has written...
I was a guest on the Smarty Pants Marketing Podcast
Chris Syme (our guest on TAB077) invited me to her new Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast, and the episode was released yesterday. We had a blast talking about the changes technology has delivered to authors, the essential skills indie authors need to develop, the...
TAB085: Cover Design Tips with Elizabeth Mackey
Cover design whiz and graphics designer Elizabeth Mackey joins us on this episode of The Author Biz podcast. You can't judge a book by its cover. Right? The old saying may be true, but unfortunately for authors, a great many readers won't have the...
TAB084: How to Keep Your Sanity While Trying to Do it All, with Melissa Yuan-Innes
Author and Emergency Room Physician Melissa Yuan-Innes is the guest on this episode of The Author Biz. Are you old enough to remember the plate spinners on the Ed Sullivan Show? Those talented people who put plates on top of poles, got them spinning, and...
TAB083: How to Successfully Launch A New Series in a Different Genre
Author Mike Faricy joins us to discuss launching a new series in a different genre in this edition of The Author Biz. Have you considered a second series? A new series in the same genre is something most authors either have or will try at some point. But...
TAB082: Two Different Approaches to Successful Pre-Orders
Carol Newsome and Bobbi Holmes join us to talk pre-orders on this edition of The Author Biz Do you use pre-orders as a part of your launch process? It's an interesting and much-debated topic in the indie publishing world right now. In April, we covered...
TAB081: Mark Dawson Shares What’s Working Now on Facebook for Authors
Bestselling Author and Facebook Marketing Expert Mark Dawson is our guest on the show this week. Today we’re bringing back one of our most popular guests, author and Facebook advertising expert, Mark Dawson. The first time we met Mark was in September...
TAB080: Is Taking Care of Yourself on Your To-Do List?
Colleen M. Story joins us this week to discuss writing and wellness. How often do you find yourself skipping exercise to get your writing done? For many of us, exercise is one of the easiest things to put off when we're under a deadline, or facing stress....
TAB079: How to Use Goodreads to Find More Readers
Author Michael J. Sullivan and his wife/business partner Robin, are the guests on this episode of The Author Biz. Do you use Goodreads as an author? If so, do you feel like you're getting the most you can from the reader focused platform? If you're...
TSS078: How to Make Real Money Selling Short Fiction
Author T.S. Paul joins us this week to discuss the success he's had selling his short fiction. Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. ---- Sam Walton One of the concerns every business must handle is dealing with incoming...
TAB077: Putting the SMART into Social Media Marketing
Chris Syme joins us to discuss Social Media Marketing on this episode of The Author Biz. What role does social media play in your author business? Is it a way to connect with friends, readers, family, and friends? Is it a marketing platform? Is it an...
TAB076 Pre-Orders: Are they Always A Good Idea?
Elizabeth Spann Craig joins us to talk pre-orders in this episode of The Author Biz. (Please note - this episode is also available as a video. You can listen to the intro in the audio version and watch the interview by clicking the video play button.) ...
TAB075: The Author Biz 2016 Survey Results
In this episode of The Author Biz, we review the results of the 2016 Author Biz survey, and what those results mean to the future direction of the show. We'll return to the regular show format next week. The survey was emailed out to The Author Biz email...
TAB074: Online Marketing for Busy Authors, with Fauzia Burke
Author and Entrepreneur Fauzia Burke is the guest on this episode of The Author Biz Today's topic is online marketing for busy authors. How's that for a hook to a post and a show, right? Well, that's actually the title of a new book by Fauzia Burke. ...
TAB073: Hacking the Editing Process
Michael Anderle and Stephen Russell are the guests in this episode of The Author Biz Efficiency experts tell us to focus on the 20% of our work that generates 80% of the results. For author Michael Anderle, and probably for most of us, that means...
TAB072: How to Bootstrap Your Pay Per Click Advertising Campaign
Author and speaker Miles Anthony Smith joins us in this episode of The Author Biz to discuss a recent pay per click advertising campaign for his non-fiction book. For many authors, advertising and marketing are exercises in bootstrapping. For...
TAB071: The Value of Challenging Your Assumptions, with Annie Bellet
USA Today Bestselling Author Annie Bellet (@anniebellet) is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz. What do you do when you've tried everything to sell your books, and nothing is working? Today’s guest, Annie Bellet, was in exactly that position two...
TAB070: Can Narrowing your Focus Help Your Author Business?
Author Kevin Tumlinson (@KevinTumlinson) is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz. As authors, we are the CEOs of our own Author Businesses. One of the most discussed challenges we face in running those businesses, myself certainly included, is...
TAB069: Relaunching a Series after a 10 Year Break
Award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann is the guest on this episode of The Author Biz podcast. Book launch strategies come in a variety of sizes, from the "Hey, my book is out" social media posting strategy used by some authors, to the media blitz...
TAB068: Zero to $10k Per Month in 90 Days, with Michael Anderle
Author Michael Anderle is this guest on this first every audio and video episode (see below) of The Author Biz. Have you seen those year-end articles by indie authors who share sales numbers on their websites? In some cases those numbers are staggering, and it's easy...
TAB067: Build a Genre Specific Author Platform from Scratch, with Derek Murphy
Derek Murphy is this guest on this episode of The Author Biz. Derek Murphy is an author and thought leader in the area of book marketing and cover designer. Over the past few years, he’s built a significant platform for himself in those areas. But now,...
TAB066: The Author Reboot with Deborah Coonts
Author Deborah Coonts joins us in this episode to discuss the ways an author reboot has helped her find new readers and greater success with her author business. What happens when an author has enough self-awareness to recognize that the results she’s...
TAB065: Content Marketing for Authors, with Beth Hayden
Author, speaker, and social media expert Beth Hayden joins us in this episode of The Author Biz to discuss the importance of content marketing for authors. One of the things I love about The Author Biz is the opportunity these podcasts give us to learn...
TAB064: How to Make 2016 Your Best Year Yet, with Honorée Corder
Honorée Corder is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz Have you looked at your calendar recently and asked yourself where the year has gone? If so, what's your next thought? Are you thinking back on the goals you set for the past year? Did you...
The Podcast Interview Production Process I Use
Because of the number of different podcasts I do, (this one, CrimeFiction.FM and The Taylor Stevens show) I get a lot of questions about my podcast interview production process. I've been planning to either write or record something about the process for quite some...
Sustainable Marketing & Promotion Strategies for Authors, with Ed Cyzewski
We chat about promotion strategies for authors with Ed Cyzewski on this episode of The Author Biz. When an author colleague asks what you do to market and promote your book how do you answer? Do you have a sustainable marketing and promotion strategy? Or...
TAB062: How to be a Great Interview Guest, with Kori D. Miller
Kori D. Miller is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz. Picture this: The morning sun is streaming through your window, and you've just hit your word count target for the day. Now's probably a good time to check your email. The third subject line you see is...
TAB061: BookBub Promotion Case Study, with Shannon Esposito
Author Shannon Esposito joins us in this episode to discuss her recent experience with BookBub. Have you had the opportunity to run your first BookBub promotion yet? If you have, then you know how powerful BookBub can be as a tool for promoting your books...
TAB060: An Interesting Publishing Case Study and Marketing to Your Various Tribes, with Paul Bishop
Author Paul Bishop is our guest on this edition of The Author Biz. Today's show marks an attempted launch of version 2.0 of The Author Biz podcast. Going forward shows will be shorter and focused on a single topic. The reason I refer to this as an...
TAB059: Writing Sales Copy for Fiction with Dean Wesley Smith
Author Dean Wesley Smith is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of writing sales copy for your new book? For many authors, it's a sense of terror. They'd rather write the next 80,000 word...
The Power of Focus and Goals for Authors
I'm taking a week off from the podcast to focus on a quick rebranding The Author Biz. If you're looking for some authorly inspiration and miss the sound of my voice you might find this episode of The Taylor Stevens Show (a weekly show that Taylor and I do together)...
TAB058: Using Facebook Advertising to Grow Your Author Biz, with Mark Dawson
Author and Facebook marketing expert Mark Dawson is the guest on this episode of The Author Biz. When you think of Facebook advertising for authors what's the first name that pops into your mind? For many listeners who email me with guest suggestions,...
TAB057: The Importance of Your Next Book, with Jeff Shelby
Author Jeff Shelby is the guest this episode of The Author Biz. What's your process for finding more readers? Do you have one? Today's guest has a process, and it's simple. Write the next book and be sure it's part of a series. His books, especially the...
Supporting your Local Bookstore, with Kobo’s eRead Local Program
Christine Munroe is the guest in the Between the Episodes edition of The Author Biz. Independent bookstores are a wonderful thing. As authors, we all want to support them, but when your readers prefer digital books, it's not easy to do. That's why I...
TAB056: Refusing to Give Up as a Formula For Success, with Robert Gregory Browne
Robert Gregory Browne is the guest on this episode of The Author Biz podcast. What's the secret to the success of your author business? I've been asking a version of that question to many of my recent guests and I love the way the answer to that single...
TAB055: A Breakdown of the 3rd Most Funded Kickstarter Fiction Project
Author Michael J. Sullivan and his wife/business partner Robin, are the guests on this episode of The Author Biz. Author Michael J. Sullivan and his wife/business partner Robin launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to print hardcover editions of...
TAB054: Planning to become a full-time writer, with A.D. Starrling
Author A.D. Starrling is the guest in this episode of The Author Biz. "Begin with the end in mind." That's a phrase made popular by Stephen Covey in his 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but the earliest recorded usage of the idea came from Aristotle....
Periscope – Will it be a Blessing or a Curse for Authors?
If you're a regular listener to The Author Biz, you may have noticed there was no episode on Monday. My guest had a scheduling snafu at the last minute that caused a cancellation. However, there's a silver lining that comes in the form of a "between the...