Episode 380- Diversifying Your Portfolio, Conference Fever, and Amazon’s Latest Legal Battle

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How might you prepare your business for when subscription services become more prominent in the industry?

Get in on Bryan’s ad challenge and check out Claire’s youtube channel to find some great free resources. You can find the links in the show notes. Please be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Randy L. Top Tips of the week include how to help readers find your book with SEO, what to do when your find your ideal reader, and where to find upcoming writing conferences. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what Amazon changed to help readers understand their ads better, how to earn multiple streams of income, who’s upset about audiobook royalties, why ebook subscriptions are taking off, and what legal siege Amazon is under. Question of the Week: How might you prepare your business for when subscription services become more prominent in the industry? read more

Episode 379- Maximizing Your Time, and Reimagining Your Systems

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Where’s somewhere in your writing business that you might have been unintentionally exclusionary, and how might your change your processes and platform to make sure a greater diversity of voices are heard?

Check out Bryan’s 5-Day Challenge on July 12th! Please be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Brian Scott Pauls. Top Tips of the week include how to maximize your writing time, what to learn from authors that came before you, and where to start when it comes to platform. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what new types of publishers to be on the look out for, how to make the most of those bad reviews, why pirated books are outranking published versions, what changes Bookbub is making to support diversity, and what you need to know when making a publishing decision. Question of the Week: Where’s somewhere in your writing business that you might have been unintentionally exclusionary, and how might your change your processes and platform to make sure a greater diversity of voices are heard? read more

Episode 378 – Production Planning, Vella Changes, and Stopping Audio Scammers

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Do you have a marketing and production schedule that goes beyond three months? If not, how do you think your production schedule would change if it was planned out 6, 12, or 18+ months into the future?

Trixie Silvertale is here! She’s a successful cozy author featured in an awesome case study that we talked about last week on the show. Please be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Michael Lauck. Top Tips of the week include what BookBub Ad you should be using, how to be twice as productive, and why you should market seasonally. This week’s honorable mention is Pointing Fingers. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how to protect yourself from audiobook scammers, how Google is getting more book and audio apps created, where to find more free reviews, what are Kindle Vella’s latest updates, and why you should sell direct. Question of the Week: Do you have a marketing and production schedule that goes beyond three months? If not, how do you think your production schedule would change if it was planned out 6, 12, or 18+ months into the future? read more

Episode 377- Strategizing Ads and What Readers Want

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What doom and gloom story that’s circulating through the author community do you think is the most overblown?

Welcome back to another episode! Bryan has a webinar this Thursday on how to fix the 5 most common book description mistakes so be sure to check that out. Leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Garrett Robinson. Top Tips of the week include how to get your book seen with Facebook ads, where to find motivation when stalled, and what is the best distribution strategy. This week’s honorable mention is New Kid on The Book Block. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what is Amazon’s biggest profit source, why Apple is making it harder for email marketing, what flood might be making its way to the indie world, how to reach readers, and how Amazon Ad school is reaching the mainstream. Question of the Week: What doom and gloom story that’s circulating through the author community do you think is the most overblown? read more

Episode 376 – Discovery Marketing, TikTok & Reader Magnets

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What is your favorite social media platform right now and do you think you’ll use one of these new-fangled platforms to promote your books at some point in the future?

Welcome back to another episode! This week we dive into social media. Be sure to check out Jami Albright’s launch plan that will be linked in the show notes. Leave us a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Blaine Moore. Top Tips of the week include how to maximize your international sales, what TikTok can do for you as an author, and how to find the best title for your book. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what the newest publishing trends of 2021 are, why audiobook sales are increasing, how you can get started on Instagram, why you need a book plan, and how to find a reader magnet that works for you. Question of the Week: What is your favorite social media platform right now and do you think you’ll use one of these new-fangled platforms to promote your books at some point in the future? read more

Episode 375- Taking Breaks, Audiobook Madness, and KDP University

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When are you going to take your next break from your writing and publishing work, and how are you going to schedule it in and make sure you stick to it?

This week we finally have Bryan and Claire together again! You can find the replay of the Craft Writing webinar that they did together in the links for this week’s show. A quick reminder that today is the final day for the Supercharge Offer so be sure to check it out. Leave a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is Matthew Herrmann. Top Tips of the week include how to incorporate writing breaks, where to find free live training if you’re new to publishing, and how to market your audiobooks. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why bookstores are paying royalties on second-hand books, why Android is putting a stop to tracking for ads, how you can get bonus royalties on your series, what Maryland is doing for its libraries, and where to find a cheaper color option for your paperbacks. Question of the Week: When are you going to take your next break from your writing and publishing work, and how are you going to schedule it in and make sure you stick to it? read more

Episode 374 – Rebooting an Audiobook Series, Contests, and Increasing Writing Speed

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What are some of the things you’ve “earned” from being an author, including the “fringe benefits,” that you wouldn’t have in a normal job?

This week Bryan is joined by Patrick O’Donnell, the host of the Cops and Writers Podcast and the author of the Cops and Writers duology. On June 4th, Claire and Bryan will be having a webinar on Craft Writing. All the links you need for this week will be provided in the show notes. Be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. The winner this week is – Blaine Moore. Our Honorable Mention is No Brainer Audio. Top Tips of the week include where to find Amazon’s contests, who is holding a Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, and what is the alternative for Patreon and Medium. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how to reboot a lagging audiobook series, what is Amazon buying, how Barnes & Noble is coming back to life, what you need to know to write faster, and why authors pay to write. Question of the Week: What are some of the things you’ve “earned” from being an author, including the “fringe benefits,” that you wouldn’t have in a normal job? read more

Episode 373 – Author Email, Ethical Affiliates, and Perfect Blurbs

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Would you consider using Spotify’s subscription service for your audiobooks, and how would you leverage possible ad opportunities?

This week Claire is joined by Mike Stop Continues and Oliver Altair, you can find their information to learn more about Site Arcade in the show notes. We have a great show in store for you. Make sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week. The winner this week is – Amanda Schiller. Top Tips of the week include why you are losing sales during your pre-launch period, how to get your author emails where they need to be, and how to get readers on your list. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what change is coming to Amazon’s e-books, what is Spotify doing with audiobooks, how to get your book seen, how to build better blurbs, and why you should optimize backlist titles for sales. Question of the Week: Would you consider using Spotify’s subscription service for your audiobooks, and how would you leverage possible ad opportunities? read more

Episode 372- Keeping Publishing Simple, and Building Your Own Path

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If you’re giving Kindle Vella a try, what are you hoping to get out of it?

This week Claire is joined by Drew Hayes, you can find his information in the show notes. We have a great show in store for you as we dive deep into serial. Make sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week! The winner this week is – Lisa M. Lilly. Top Tips of the week include why you should get your books on as many platforms as possible, who is threatening to leave egregious reviews on Goodreads, and how super URL’s could be killing your book reviews. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what scammers are doing on Amazon, what to look at when considering indie vs traditional, what is Bookwire creating for the publishing and creator industry, what is happening with Kakao Entertainment, and where you can find helpful information when thinking about writing for Kindle Vella. Question of the Week: If you’re giving Kindle Vella a try, what are you hoping to get out of it? read more

Episode 371- Author Spring Cleaning, Ethical Affiliates, and Managing Pen Names

Posted on by SMBS Team

Who is an established leader in this industry who’s inspired you, and what qualities of theirs do you admire the most?

This week we have a great show in store for you. Make sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast and answer the Question of the Week! The winner this week is – Lisa M. Lilly. Top Tips of the week include how to choose a pen name, how to turn your work into multiple streams of income, and why you should clean up your social media. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why it pays to engage with your readers, what is going to change with personalized ads segment, where is paperback printing going to be available, how we will remember author and indie publishing leader Joel Friedlander, and what to prepare for when you end a series. Question of the Week: Who is an established leader in this industry who’s inspired you, and what qualities of theirs do you admire the most? read more

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