In the first part of this massive two-part episode, Bryan and guest co-host Nick Stephenson discussed tips related to masterminds, high page rank blogs, and his Nick’s own mailing list tips for fiction. They talked about Nick’s strategies in depth, including what he emails his readers and how he rewards fans for joining his mailing list. We also chatted about the #5 news story about Nielsen’s print book stats and Seth Godin’s chat at Digital Book World. Check out part two for the rest of the episode.
Episode 41 – Trolls, Crowdfunding and Churning Out Books
Jim and Bryan went philosophical this week, touching on everything from Internet trolls and crowdfunding to Minimum Viable Products and writing quality books quickly. After Bryan announced his new podcast, The Split: A YA Book Review Podcast for Readers and Writers, and Jim discussed Author Marketing Live, they took on tips related to writing louder books, increasing the KDP preview selection, and Miranda July’s collectable fiction idea. The news included stories on Nora Roberts vs. Internet trolls, Suw Charman-Anderson’s Minimum Viable Product concept, Dear Author’s opinion on Kickstarter, Nook’s holiday drop, and thoughts on writing at a breakneck pace. Our Question of the Week: If you knew someone who wrote a book in a minimal amount of time, would it affect your purchasing decision? Why or why not?
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Episode 40 – Diversification, Silver Linings and the Future
To kick off 2015, Jim and Bryan turned in their most condensed show in months! Bryan talked about the launch of his new Bryan Cohen Showen daily YouTube channel, as Jim ramped up toward his big Author Marketing Live virtual event. As they got into the show, the dynamic duo discussed tips on what not to do to sell books, how thinking diverse can build up your income, and what still works in author marketing. The news this week focused on interactive fiction on the Steam platform, Mark Zuckerberg’s new book club, the exciting times indies live in, Chuck Wendig’s 2015 wish list, and whether or not there’s a glut of books on Amazon. This week’s Question of the Week: Do you think there are too many books? How will this purported plethora of books affect your marketing going forward?
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Episode 39 – 2014: The Year in Review
Jim and Bryan wrapped up 2014 by recapping the top tips and news stories of the year. The top three tips revolved around sales tracking, changing your social media mindset, and a multitude of ideas related to email lists. The top news stories of the year included the concept of the authorpreneur, the EU’s Value Added Tax laws, Hachette vs. Amazon, Author Earnings, and Kindle Unlimited. Jim and Bryan closed by making some big predictions for 2015. The Question of the Week: What are your predictions for 2015?
Episode 38 – Serial, Macmillan and Rights
Jim and Bryan’s ho-ho-holiday episode of SMBS touched upon the popular podcast Serial, the big boost adults buying YA gave the industry, Macmillan’s deal with Amazon, Konrath dropping out of KU, and what trad pubs learned in 2014. They also touched upon social media tips, the path to a bestseller, and mistakes that hold indie authors back. The Question of the Week: What book do you want for Christmas and why?
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Episode 37 – Indies, Pricing and Premium Facebook
Jim and Bryan welcomed March to a Bestseller 2 Contest Winner Tara Ross onto the show to chat about Facebook’s 2015 changes that will affect indie authors. Before that, they discussed digital tools like MightyBell, New Year’s resolutions for writers, and launching pieces of meat into space. The temporary trio also talked about being an indie midlister, reasons for quitting self-publishing, how the indie tide is turning, traditional publishers using lower price points, and Facebook’s upcoming monthly fee for promotional posts. The Question of the Week: How will Facebook’s changes impact your promotional strategy?
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Episode 36 – Ghostwriting, Subscriptions and Indie Pulp
Without sound effects or background noise, Jim and Bryan discussed stories related to Hachette’s direct experiment and the recent Zoe Suggs ghostwriting controversy. Before they got to that, Bryan offered free review copies of his Ted Saves the World audiobook and Jim discussed the new deal for a ticket to Author Marketing Live’s virtual event. This week’s tips included authorpreneur action steps from Joanna Penn, the keys to a great book launch page, and how you can create a bestselling outline. In the news, we talked about sales rank metrics, the new pulp movement for indies, an individual author subscription idea, BookBub’s new Author Follows feature, the controversy behind the book Girl Online, and Hachette’s direct selling efforts on Twitter. This week’s two-part Question of the Week: If you found out a book you just bought was ghostwritten, how would you react? If you were Jim, what would be some ways you’d have a good time during the show while also providing value to Sell More Books Show listeners?
Episode 35 – Hustle, VAT and KU Discontent
With big news and tips galore, Jim and Bryan discussed the new VAT laws and recent discontent with Kindle Unlimited. Before they got to it, however, Jim announced the Author Marketing Podcast and Bryan discussed his Thunderclap and free run for Ted Saves the World. Their trio of tips included stories on hustling, cover design, and avoiding distractions. Other news stories revolved around Kindle Scout, Sterling and Stone’s lessons learned in 2014 and Jane Friedman’s view ahead to 2015. This week’s Question of the Week: What have your results been like for Kindle Unlimited? Do you plan to join KDP Select or opt-out of it?
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Episode 34 – Dreams, Shots and Kobo Kool-Aid
In our special Thanksgiving episode, we discussed a trio of tips on choosing your target audience, taking advantage of Cyber Monday, and getting your book featured on WattPad. Bryan also talked about his recent success on Kobo. The news stories for episode 34 included Lindsay Buroker’s new pen name launch, HarperCollins’ new airplane partnership, researching your way to self-publishing success, the hill many authors may have to climb, and Steve Scott’s third quarter earnings. We also expressed our thanks for you wonderful listeners out there. Our two part Question of the Week: Do you think exponential sales growth is over for indie authors? What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?
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Episode 33 – Happiness, Author Ethics and Hachette Makes a Deal
Jim and Bryan made it one-third of the way to 100 with this week’s news-packed episode. After discussing some of Bryan’s Amazon tech support issues and sharing their code for the WriteOn service (7TLTK92H), the hosts with the most talked tips with pointers on pitching festivals, connecting with reviewers and a checklist for successful authors. The news included stories on happiness for indie authors, Amazon purchase of dot-book domains, women’s dominance of self-publishing, the Ethical Author Code, and Hachette’s deal with Amazon. Our Question of the Week: Who won the Amazon/Hachette deal and why?