Episode 146 – Startups, Branding, & Author Income

Question of the Week: What would you do with your $400,000 advance?

Once you get Jim and Bryan started, they’ll never stop, and here comes episode 146 (with special guest star, Riley Grace Cohen)! Inside, they discuss tips on brand building, mini goals, and a new affiliate plugin for Amazon. After thanking their patrons Cubicle Jail to Laptop Lifestyle, 31 Days of Wisdom, and Witch’s Sacrifice, they took on the news, which included stories on ebooks in libraries, writing income, ebook subscription models, indie startups, and whether or not recent news stories spell doom for indies. This week’s Question of the Week: What would you do with your $400,000 advance?

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Episode 145 – 2017 Predictions, Vellum, and a Grain of Salt

Question of the Week: Which paid advertising platforms do you think will be most effective in 2017?

Bryan and Jim have chutzpah, and they’re not afraid to show it with their contentious opinions on 2017 predictions, copyright issues, and more. After thanking their patrons, Covermint Design, Black Shadow Moon, and Twisting Fate, they tackled tips on self-publishing resources, interior book design, and advice for newbies. News stories included Amazon Books and locker locations, Jane Friedman’s trends for 2016, an author with unfair copyright issues, another author’s reasoning for leaving KU, and the top predictions for 2017. This week’s Question of the Week: Which paid advertising platforms do you think will be most effective in 2017?

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Episode 144 – Box Set Changes, Self-Publishing Insults, & All Romance Ebooks

Question of the Week: Do you submit your books to Smashwords?

Welcome to 2017! Jim and Bryan took on the latest tips and news, including the sudden closure of All Romance Ebooks, new Kindle Unlimited box set rules, and the angry response to the recent Huffington Post anti-self-publishing article. After thanking their patrons, Ambition by Geoff North, How I Sold 80,000 Books by Alinka Rutkowska, and Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope, the guys tackled tips on AMS keywords, ACX, and the Self-Publishing Calculator. This week’s Question of the Week: Do you use Smashwords to publish your books wide?

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Episode 143 – 2016: The Year in Review

Question of the Week: What are you gonna get done in 2017?

Bryan made his triumphant return to the show as he and Jim discussed the top stories and tips of 2016! After going over Abigail The Intern’s Top 3 Tips, the self-pub squadron discussed stories about knowing your readers, using paid advertising, the problems with KU, the scammers of KU, and the rise and leveling-off of indie sales. They also thanked their patrons, Author Level Up, Character Sketch & Color, and Incursion: Merkiaari Wars Book 5. The final Question of the Week for 2016 is: What are you gonna get done in 2017?

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Episode 142 – Deductions, Alexa, & Konrath

Question of the Week: What’s your big indie publishing prediction for 2017?

Stephen Campbell from The Author Biz Podcast subbed for Bryan this week, as he and Jim took on tips about book covers, tax deductions, and producing art. After chatting up their patrons’ books (Email Lists Made Easy for Writers & Bloggers, 5 Numbers of Destiny, and 31 Days of Wisdom), Jim and Stephen talked trad pub podcasts, the end of Authors United, whether or not indies are declining, HarperCollins’ deal with Amazon Alexa, and Konrath’s major publishing decision. This week’s Question of the Week: What’s your big indie publishing prediction for 2017?

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Episode 141 – Merchandising, Rented Books, and the Page-Read Recession

Question of the Week: Would you rent an ebook?

With Bryan off hanging out with his new baby, Sheridan Stancliff joined the show to chat about tips on InstaFreebie ARCs, collaborations, and merchandising. After thanking their Patron-sponsored books of The Ten-Year Turnaround, Removed, and How to Drive Your Next Car Deal, Sheridan and Jim discussed news about a new app making waves in Croatia, a surge in creativity for digital comics, changes in Amazon’s pre-order policy, how KU free runs may not be as lucrative as you think, and why rented books could become a big deal. This week’s Question of the Week: Would you rent an ebook? small-riley

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Episode 140 – Backlists, India, and Freedom

Question of the Week: How do you promote your backlist? What kind of results have you had?

Jonny from Author Platform Rocket joined the guys to discuss Bryan’s results with his service. Jim offered to help folks find more reviewers as well (listen to the ep for more info). After discussing tips on productivity, BookBub, and bursts of promotion, they took on the latest in publishing news including Nook reporting errors, Amazon’s plans for India, ebook tax laws, artistic freedom, and using your backlist. This week’s Question of the Week: How do you promote your backlist? What kind of results have you had? read more

Episode 139 – Thanksgiving, AMS Ads, and Book Stores as Publishers

Question of the Week: What are you thankful for in your author career?

Jim’s sniffles kept this show short, tight, and intriguing, as he and Bryan discussed tips on author estate planning, transitioning to owning a business, and building your brand. After thanking their latest patrons, Kathy Coatney ( http://www.kathycoatney.com/dads-girls/ ), Percival Constantine ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ZBP8WK ), and Bobby Adair ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4VT778 ), this Thanksgiving twosome took on stories about Wattpad, book apps, Amazon ads, bookstores doubling as publishers, and what we should be thankful for. This week’s Question of the Week: What are you thankful for in your author career?

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Episode 138 – iOS Unsubscribe, Ad Miscalculations, and Preparing for the Worst

Question of the Week: What are three things you could do to improve your emails to your readers?

May Sage joined the guys this week for an awesome Lab segment as they discussed tips on holiday marketing, preparing for the worst, and mind-mapping. After thanking their patrons Ethan Jones (and his book The Secret Blush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDH2J1G ), Megan Haskell (and her book Sanyare https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ROBHMFY/ ), and Tara Ross (and her book Cubicle Jail to Laptop Lifestyle http://amzn.to/1ZNNHWl), they took on news stories about Kobo contracts, trad pubs learning from indies, audiobooks in indie stores, Facebook tracking miscalculations, and the iOS Unsubscribe feature. This week’s Question of the Week: What are three things you could do to improve your emails to your readers?

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Episode 137 – Litsy, Ads For Everyone, and the Future of Audio

Question of the Week: Now that the exclusivity requirement is dropped, will you try KDP Ads with your non-exclusive books? Why or why not? Also, what book should Abigail review next for our new segment?

Back from his day at the polls, Jim joined Bryan to talk tips on hustling, writing a novel quickly, and reader social network Litsy. After thanking their patrons, Chris Syme (and her book Sell More Books With Less Social Media http://amzn.to/2dRIefz ), David King (and his book Hitler Out of Time http://www.hitleroutoftime.com/amazon ), and Simon Goodson (and his book Wanderer’s Escape http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZ7YSFQ ), the troublesome pair took on stories about book covers, European ebook lending, post-election book bumps, KU Australia, the future of audio, and Amazon’s new policy on KDP Ads. This week’s Question of the Week: Now that the exclusivity requirement is dropped, will you try KDP Ads with your non-exclusive books? Why or why not? Also, what book should Abigail review next for our new segment?

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