Avsnitt
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For most of publishing history, creating an audiobook meant writing a check for thousands of dollars and hoping you'd earn it back in sales. Because of the expense, many authors decided it wasn't worth the risk. So, they skipped audio entirely.
Here's the problem. That decision now backfires in a way nobody saw coming.
The number one sign that a book was written by AI isn't bad writing. It's the missing audiobook.
In this week’s episode, audiobook expert Derek Doepker will map out exactly how to avoid that trap. We discuss the five tiers of audiobooks.
You’ll discover
Why skipping the priciest tier might be the smartest move for some authorsWhich budget-friendly option still makes your book look unmistakably human-writtenThe tier almost no author is using, even though it’s cheaper and sounds like a full productionListen to the full episode to get the complete map of all five audiobook tiers, so you can pick the right one for your book and your sales goals.
Blog link:
https://www.authormedia.com/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish/
Authormedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish
YT Link:
https://youtu.be/oEYxV2iE-iMYT Collab Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCB_jQHE1Jz8f2Gq40_zZz2w/collaboration/UCT-0HmBAtZpaLX2liUNebiQ
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You will die.
It could be today, it could be 15 years from now, but no one lives forever. Your books, however, can outlive you. In fact, seventy years after you're gone, they’ll live in the public domain.
That means your grandchildren's grandchildren could end up responsible for your intellectual property. Most authors have done zero planning for what happens to their books, passwords, and royalties when they're no longer around to manage them.
In this week’s episode, attorney Kelley Way (one of the rare lawyers who practices both estate planning and copyright law) joins us to map out exactly what every author needs to know before it's too late.
You'll learn:
The one document your heirs are powerless to undo, even if they hate the deal you made with your publisher.Why giving your book away for free after you die might be the single best thing you can do for it.The unglamorous, ten-dollar-a-month tool that prevents more estate disasters than any will or trust ever could.Listen in or read the blog version to make sure your books don't end up in a paper prison, where your hard work can no longer make an impact.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die/
AuthorMediaSocial link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die
YT Link: https://youtu.be/eJjYPCqKPbw
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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What do you do if your Amazon account gets suspended but you didn’t do anything wrong?
Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't care if you're innocent.
That's not pessimism. It's strategy.
Once you understand what Amazon cares about (hint: it's not you, the law, or fairness), you can start speaking a language they respond to.
In this week’s episode, I spoke with Lesley Hensell, co-founder of one of the largest Amazon consulting firms in the world. She has helped thousands of authors claw their accounts back from suspension, and she knows Amazon's enforcement machine like the back of her hand.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The one thing you must include in the first two sentences of any email to Amazon (skip it and they won't even look up your account)Whether you should admit to something you didn't do to get your account reinstatedThe subject line trick that makes Amazon's executive team read it, and why most authors do wrongIf your account has never been suspended, this episode is still for you. Prevention is easier than recovery. Listen in or read the blog version to find out what you’re doing right now that could get you flagged.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors/
Author Media social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors
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Is hiring a publicist a waste of money or not?
A typical book publicist charges between $3,000 and $10,000 per month, and they often require a three-month minimum. At $3 of profit per book, you'd need to sell 5,000 copies just to break even. Most PR campaigns don't come close to selling 5,000 copies.
But the publicist gets paid either way, while the author takes all the risk.
Here's what most authors don't know: the access publicists used to sell is now free.
There are tens of thousands of podcasts looking for guests, and you don't need a gatekeeper to get in. You just need to know how to pitch a podcast.
In this week's episode, Podcast Hall of Famer Dave Jackson shares exactly how to do that. You’ll learn
What makes a host delete your pitch after reading one sentenceHow to identify podcasts that will yield the best results for sales and growing your readership.How to nail the interview and get invited back (hint: you’ll need the right microphone and the right content)Which tools can save you time and headacheIf you want to spread the word about your book but don’t want to spend the money hiring a public relations professional, listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/authors-pr-playbook-how-to-get-media-coverage-without-a-publicist/
Guest: Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting, Podcast Hall of Fame) Topic: Earned media for authors, with podcast guesting as the core strategy
YT Link: https://youtu.be/r14ixF0WLJUSupport the show
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Do you feel like an imposter as a writer?
You probably are. Most authors who experience imposter syndrome are imposters, but they don't have to be!
As the saying goes, “There are no good writers; just bad writers who didn’t quit.”
Every author starts off as a bad writer. To make a living at writing you must improve through hard work, determination, and training.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Chris Fox, author of over 80 books and three million copies sold.
You'll learn:
Why not knowing your reader's emotional motivation is costing you salesHow word order affects your readers experienceHow Grammarly is making your writing worseHow authors accidentally protect their characters and ruin their books.If something isn’t clicking with your writing, listen in or read the blog version to find out what you should be looking for and how you can fix it.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox/
Authormedia.social: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox
YT Link: https://youtu.be/DanstjzQs6A
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Are your book sales stuck? Maybe sales have slowed. Maybe your launch never took off. Or maybe you're spending money on ads without seeing results.
This week on Novel Marketing, Amazon ad specialist Bryan Canter explains how "promo stacking" can revive a struggling book and put it in front of new readers.
You'll learn:
What promo stacking is and why it worksWhich promotions deliver the best ROI for your genreThe ideal order and timing for each promotionHow promo stacking can generate more reader reviewsWhether your book launched last month or five years ago, you’ll learn how promo stacking can rescue a dead book and reach new readers when you listen in or read the blog version.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-a-promo-stacking/
AuthorMedia Social Link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-promo-stacking
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/v2KN46pdbRw
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Instead of a guest interview or a marketing deep-dive, in this week’s episode I'm inviting you to something I've spent years building for authors who want to be taken seriously.
You’ll discover:
How you can get lifetime access to my $249 course this month for $0
How you can get your questions answered by me live on a monthly basis
How you can get my digital doppelgänger (ie. AI Thomas) to answer your questions faster and (sometimes better) than I can.
Listen to this short episode or read the blog version to take advantage of these benefits before the end of the month.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-im-giving-away-a-249-course-this-month/
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A writers conference with no pitch appointments, no breakout tracks, and no recordings? What’s left? A conference that sold out last year! The Novel Marketing Conference is different, and every single attendee that responded to our survey said they were glad they came in 2026.
In this week's episode, I break down exactly why I removed those traditional writers conference elements and what we added instead. Here are three things you'll learn:
Which feature past attendees consistently name as the most valuable part of the entire weekend.Which parts of the Novel Marketing method you can only learn in person at the conference.What we’re adding to Thursday night’s ice-cream social in 2027!The 2027 conference is already filling up. Super tickets are gone, but standard and gallery tickets are still available. Don’t wait to secure your spot. There's a live count of available tickets at NovelMarketingConference.com. When they're gone, they're gone.
Listen to the full episode, read the blog version, or watch on YouTube to get the complete schedule and see why this might be the best investment you make in your writing career this year.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/announcing-the-2027-novel-marketing-conference/
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Have you ever finished a book you loved, handed it to a friend, and heard back, "It was fine"?
That disconnect has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It has everything to do with a principle C.S. Lewis understood well enough to write classics that have endured for decades.
In this week's episode, I sat down with bestselling novelist Angela Hunt to break down the four ancient loves that drive all fiction, and how mastering them can help you produce a bestseller and a classic.
You’ll learn
The type of love almost every genre needs more of, and why the most violent stories need it most.How the loneliness epidemic is creating a massive hunger in readers, and which type of love lonely readers are yearning for.The type of love that makes for a classic but is hardest to write and easiest to botch. Get it wrong and your climax feels cheesy. Get it right and readers won't shut up about your book.We also explore the dark side of each love and how to use that tension to propel your plot forward.
If the stakes in your story aren’t working or you’re sick of cheap, salacious storylines, listen in or read the blog version to learn how to incorporate these four types of love into your story. This one might change how you outline your next book or build your characters.
Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-four-loves-that-drive-fiction/
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The difference between making thousands of dollars on your next book and losing money can come down to a few cents per click.
If your ads generate even a few pennies of net profit, you can run them until you've sold tens of thousands of books. But if you're losing money, no amount of spending will fix it.
In this week's episode, David Gaughran, a veteran of digital advertising, joins me to talk about how to make your book advertising actually pay you back.
Here's a taste of what you’ll learn:
Why the authors spending the most on Facebook ads are often doing it wrong (and what to do instead)The marketing asset that makes every advertising endeavor more profitableHow to reach your exact readers on Facebook now that author targeting is goneListen in or read the blog version to discover how to approach book advertising strategically. You will feel more confident about when to advertise and when to invest your time (and dollars) elsewhere.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran/
Author Media.social link: (Live at 11:02 AM on May 6) https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran
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We’ve arrived! It’s the 500th episode of Novel Marketing.
To celebrate, I’m giving away the MacBook Neo I reviewed a few episodes ago, but I’m also revealing my worst takes and biggest mistakes over the past 500 episodes.
Some of those takes were correct, but when circumstances changed, the advice was no longer good. But sometimes, I was wrong from the start. Gather ‘round and hear the tale of the evolution of the host and his book marketing advice.
Listen in or read the blog to find out which pieces of advice have stood the test of time (and always will) and which pieces you can cast off like a crumpled first draft.
And don’t forget to enter to win the MacBook Neo! You can find links and details on the blog or YouTube.
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Most authors can tell you their royalties but not their net profit per book. They spend money on ads, see sales come in, and assume things are fine. But are they? Sales and profit are not the same thing.
How can you find out if you’re making money or just making sales?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Eiri Theodorou, founder of Publisher Champ, an analytics platform used by over 25,000 authors.
You’ll learn
How one of Amazon’s metrics is somewhat misleading (and how to find the truth)How you can track real-world marketing (like speaking and interviews) in a dashboardHow to find out if your best-selling book is masking problems with your other books.If you want to stop guessing about your profitability, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be able to invest in marketing with more certainty and become truly profitable.
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There’s a culture shift underway that most authors aren’t seeing. Even traditional publishers can’t figure out why their titles are resonating. If your book isn’t selling, it could be a cover or craft problem, but it might be a zeitgeist problem.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from fantasy and LitRPG author Seth Ring. We discuss the biggest cultural shift in storytelling in two decades and what it means for your books.
You’ll discover
What’s become of the morally conflicted anti-hero tropeWhat readers are tired of and hungry forA sure-fire way to write a story that resonates for this new zeitgeistThis cultural shift puts authors in a uniquely strategic place. If you want to make an impact with your writing and bring hope and change to the world through stories, it’s your time to shine. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.
Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-thats-making-indie-authors-rich/
AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-that-s-making-indie-authors-rich
YouTube Link:
https://youtu.be/zVz0pd-P3TUSupport the show
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I bought and tested Apple's cheapest laptop so you don't have to.
I stress-tested the MacBook Neo with a 250,000-word document, ran every major writing app, and pushed the machine to its limits. Whether the Neo is right for you depends on what you use your computer to do, because authors do more than just type words into a word processor.
What you should look for (and ignore) when buying a laptop in 2026Which laptops I recommend for authors, podcasters, and PC usersWhether the MacBook Neo is the right choice for you as an authorWhich laptop I will not recommend in 2026
In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, you’ll learnListen in or read the blog version to find out which machine is the best bang for your buck and your use cases as an author.
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Your author friends are lying to you about your book cover.
Well, not on purpose. They can’t help it.
When authors are trying to pick a book cover, they often ask their friends which cover they like best. But that strategy doesn’t work because your friends look too closely. They think about your feelings. They vote based on which cover has more votes.
But your cover isn’t for your friends.
It’s for strangers.
In this week’s episode, we unpack why beautiful covers, which are loved by your friends, fail to help your book sell. You’ll hear how one author made his losing ads profitable without rewriting a single word of his book.
In this week’s episode you’ll learn
What makes a cover “good”How you can get accurate data on what will make readers click to buyHow much you’ll need to spend to get a cover that sellsIf your ads aren’t working, it may be time to examine the elements of your cover. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.
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Many authors say reader magnets don’t work anymore. But when done right, a good reader magnet can grow your email list from zero to thousands of subscribers before your first book even launches.
In this episode, you’ll hear from author, podcaster, and producer of the Novel Marketing podcast, Laurie Christine, who built an email list of thousands using various reader magnet strategies, all while writing for Christian moms and middle-grade boys.
You’ll discover:
How many reader magnets you actually needThe surprising promotion strategy that yielded more than 500 solid subscribersHow to create reader magnets that attract buyers, not just freebie seekersA tool to help you discover which reader magnets may work for youYou’ll also learn how you can use reader magnets to refine your message, craft, and audience before publishing your first book.
Listen in or read the blog version to learn techniques for building (or growing) an email list regardless of where you are in your writing journey.
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Do you ever wish you had a team of writing, publishing, or marketing professionals to consult? Do you wish you had an assistant to help with the business and marketing side of writing?
What if you could have both for less than the cost of a couple of lattes?
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear about the newest additions to the Novel Marketing Patron Toolbox, a growing suite of practical tools designed specifically for authors like you.
Inside this episode, you’ll discover:
New editing tools that can help you at each stage of the editing processNew business tools to help you create an overall strategy and analyze resultsNew book promotion tools to help you connect with new readersAnd many moreWhether you’re producing an audiobook, building a fictional world, planning classroom resources, or have questions for an agent or a CPA, these tools are designed to save you time, sharpen your strategy, and give you a head start before working with real human professionals.
Listen in or read the blog version to learn more.
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Is your writing a hobby or a profession? The answer to that question changes everything.
Many authors claim to be professionals but act like hobbyists. They write what they want instead of what readers will pay for. They try to fit a finished book into a genre instead of studying the genre first. They publish without a marketing plan or budget and are shocked by low sales and few reviews.
They expect professional results from a hobbyist approach.
If that sounds familiar, there’s good news. You can choose the professional path.
In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author and podcaster Joanna Penn, who hosts the longest-running indie publishing podcast.
You’ll discover:
How to build a sustainable author career in an era of AIWhich marketing activities you should choose and which to ignoreBusiness principles that apply to your writing careerHow to use AI to do the business tasks you dislike so you have more time for creativity and storytellingTo learn how to build a sustainable author business in an era of rapid change, listen in or read the blog version.
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If your book isn’t selling, it may not be your writing.
It may be your metadata.
In this week’s episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, you’ll hear from Dave Chesson, creator of Publisher Rocket, and learn about the hidden engine behind book sales on Amazon.
Even if your book is well-written and professionally edited, Amazon doesn’t read your book. It reads your metadata. And if your metadata is unclear, inconsistent, or confusing, Amazon won’t show your book to readers, even if it’s amazing.
In this episode you’ll learn:
What your book’s metadata isWhere you can manage it (and make it most effective!)How to include the most effective elements and language in your metadataAnd common metadata mistakes to avoidIf you want your book to show up in search results, convert better when readers click, and avoid the dark recesses of the “miscellaneous shelf,” listen in or read the blog version.
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Many authors assume book formatting is complicated, expensive, or something only professionals can handle.
In this week’s episode, I talk with Bryan Canter about why that assumption is outdated, and how tools like Vellum have changed what authors can do. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to pay a pro or learn to format your book’s interior yourself, this conversation will give you clarity.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
When you should format the book or reader magnet and when you should hire a proHow Vellum can prevent common design mistakesHow you can update back matter, fix typos, add reader magnets as neededListen to the episode or read the blog version to see how Vellum can save you money, time, and headache when formatting your next book or reader magnet.
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- Visa fler
