Episode 350 – Perfect Titles, Time Scarcity as an Author, and Pivoting for 2021

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What is your pivot for 2021 if you have one? How will you be changing what you do and what you’re doing and why will you be making that change?

This week Bryan is back and we have a great show in store for you! This week’s winner is Dori H. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Where The Leaves Wither, The Cordova Vector, and Nolan Walker And The Superiors Squad. This weeks Honorable Mention goes to Legal Easy. Top Tips of the week include where to look to help you get started on your mockup, how to get the perfect title, and what you need to know when going wide. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include whats going on with Amazon and DPLA, how to beat time scarcity as an author, why audiobooks are a decision of time vs money, why and when to consider hiring a VA, and how to get yourself ready for the new year. Question of the Week: What is your pivot for 2021 if you have one? How will you be changing what you do and what you’re doing and why will you be making that change? read more

Episode 349 – Public Displays of Selection, Indie Stages, and BookExpo No Mo’

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Regarding Amazon’s decision not to make its imprints available in libraries, do you see this as a sensible decision, a big missed opportunity, a money grab, or something else?

This week Claire is joined by Indie Author and editor Julie Strauss. We have a great show in store for you! This week’s winner is Dave Core. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Level Up, 60 Second Tarot, and The Tilt. Top Tips of the week include when to consider pre-orders, what you need to know about building a book launch team, and what time-saving apps you need. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what Barnes & Noble is doing, why BookExpo is coming to an end, why there is a new petition against Amazon, what a new survey is saying about authors income, and why Google is making a leap into machine-generated audiobooks. Question of the Week: Regarding Amazon’s decision not to make its imprints available in libraries, do you see this as a sensible decision, a big missed opportunity, a money grab, or something else? read more

Episode 348 – Cooking Up Sales, Reducing Stress, and The Big 4(?)

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Do you stick to one plotting/outlining technique or do you find it easier to overlay or synthesize multiple ones?

This week we have a great show for you! Make sure to leave us a comment or answer the question of the week on our page. This week’s winner is Blaine Moore. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Prometheus Rising, The Nonfiction Outline Book, and Planet Dead One Shot. Top Tips of the week include how to stop overthinking your writing, what is new with Gumroad, and who is rolling out new features for marketing your book. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include how to get started with Cookbook publishing, what is Binge Books, why indie authors books are disappearing from Bookshop.org, why members of the book business are objecting Penguin Random House from buying Simon and Schuster, and why self-care is good for your productivity. Question of the Week: Do you stick to one plotting/outlining technique or do you find it easier to overlay or synthesize multiple ones? read more

SMBS 347 – A Big News Week, Legacy Planning, and Audiobook Opportunities

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Which of today’s stories and tips are you the most excited about and why?

This week our show is loaded and we cant wait to share it with you! Be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast. This week’s winner is Eustacia Tan. Thank you to our featured Patrons – A Turn for the Worse, TStrings of Subversion, and Mayhem & Murder. Top Tips of the week include what tactics you need to know when marketing a new release, why you need to get your hands on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Bud Webster Legacy Kit, and what new design options are available on BookBub Ads creator. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why Disney is taking some heat, who is delivering audiobooks, what Amazon has to say about Sponsored Brand ads, how to nominate your own books for Kindle Deals and Prime Reading, and how Amazon is changing their return policy for Audible audiobooks. Question of the Week: Which of today’s stories and tips are you the most excited about and why? read more

Episode 346 – Author Privacy, Reading Fine Print, and Selling Before You Publish

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What tricks do you use to keep your author life separate from your home address?

This week Bryan and Claire have a great show for us. Make sure to leave a review on Apple Podcast. Top Tips of the week include how to get comfortable with ads, what are the benefits to having a pen name, and how PublishDrive is providing a new way to distribute your audiobook. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why people are calling for an investigation looking into the excessive pricing of academic e-books, what new portal Amazon has launched, how Wattpad is growing rapidly, what is Amazon up to now, and why sharing your chapters piece by piece may be a good option for you. Question of the Week: What tricks do you use to keep your author life separate from your home address? read more

SMBS 345 – Social Matters, Common Mistakes, and Voice Commands

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How do you think Echo devices will sort and provide information on book recommendations? Will they take into consideration keywords, categories, overheard conversations, or something else?

This week Bryan and Claire are gearing up for a webinar they have on Thursday November
12th. Be sure to leave the show a review on Apple Podcast. This week’s winner is Lars Hedbor.
This weeks Honorable Mention is Trad Surge. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Spiritual
Conduct for Leadership: Servanthood, The Hunted, and "What Am I?": A Collection of
Traditional Word Riddles. Top Tips of the week include how you can use the upcoming holidays
to get eyes on your book, what to do to get your posts to preform well, and why or why not
social media might be for you. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what three things to consider for a relaunch, why you should have your books in every format, how marketing and selling is a key factor to author success, what is stopping your book from selling, and how to utilize your Amazon Smart Speaker. Question of the Week: How do you think Echo devices will sort and provide information on book recommendations? Will they take into consideration keywords, categories, overheard conversations, or something else? read more

Episode 344 – Bookstore Busts, 2020 (re)Starts, and Series Page Madness!

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How are you going to take advantage of KDP’s new Series Page manager?

This week we have a great show for you! Bryan and Claire have announced that they are going to be doing a webinar together on November 12th. Be sure to leave the show a review on Apple Podcast. This week’s winner is Lisa M. Lilly. Thank you to our featured Patrons – Love’s Current, Sarah’s Inheritance, and Cops And Planet Dead One Shot. Top Tips of the week include why to utilize editorial reviews on Amazon, what you need to know about the Netflix scam, and why you should read marketing blogs. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what you need to know about Bookshop, what email list myth you need to know, which NYC famous bookstore is asking for help, why its never to late to break out as a new author, and who is handing over the control of series pages to authors. Question of the Week: How are you going to take advantage of KDP’s new Series Page manager? read more

Episode 343 – Expanding Your Reach, Pandemic Pricing, and Audible Returns

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Do we think audible will change the audiobook return policy? Why or why not?

This week Bryan is back and shares some great words of wisdom at the end of the show! Claire is very engrossed in her new nonfiction book on indie author alignment that we can’t wait to hear more about. Be sure to leave the show a review on Apple Podcast. This week’s winner is Dan Thompson. Thank you to our featured Patrons – 60 Second Tarot, Writing the Past, and Cops And Writer’s: Crime Scenes And Investigations. Top Tips of the week include what print-on-demand is right for you, how to use social media to connect with readers, and what you need to write a good author biography. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include what you need to know about rights licensing for indie authors, how to improve your writing, what the pandemic has impacted pricing for ebooks, why to consider going global, and why Audible is getting backlash over their return policy. Question of the Week: Do we think audible will change the audiobook return policy? Why or why not? read more

Episode 342 – Block Scheduling, Brand Building, and Simple Success

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What’s something you could batch schedule that would help free up some mental space for writing?

This week Bryan is prepping for his Amazon Ad Profit Challenge and has an offer available until October 26th. Claire is joined by Trixie Silvertale author of the Mitzy Moon Mystery Series. Be sure to check her out at the links provided below. This week’s winner is Matthew Herrmann please send Bryan an email to claim your prize. Thank you to our featured Patrons – The Efficient Writer, The Life Actionbook, and The Darby Shaw Chronicles Box Set. Top Tips of the week include what Draft2Digital is doing with notifications, why to consider having your own brand, and what what three myths you need to know. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include whats wrong with Amazons Kindle Create formatting tool, why Google Play is paying authors more, how to know if the holiday season is a good time to launch your book, why there is a problem with changing your ebook title, and why you need some self care as an author. Question of the Week: What’s something you could batch schedule that would help free up some mental space for writing? read more

Episode 341 – Social Media Etiquette, Launch Size, and Scandinavian Subscriptions

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What part of your automated marketing or online presence might benefit from adding a little human touch to it?

It’s Bryans birthday! This week we have a great show for you don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcast. This week’s winner is Pockets McGee. Thank you to our featured Patrons – The Life of Magdaline Slatewood, The Reluctant Detective, and How to Write Manga. Top Tips of the week include what 5 rules every author should know when it comes to social media, how to expand your income with premium products, and what free indie author conference is coming up. The 5 News stories that matter most to indies this week include why Barnes & Noble’s Nook library is down, whats new with KDP, why you should look into digital streaming, how to figure out what kind of launch best suits you as an author, and what Facebook is adding to Admin Assist. Question of the Week: What part of your automated marketing or online presence might benefit from adding a little human touch to it? read more

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