Novel Marketing

Do you ever feel like your book is taking forever to write? Maybe you’ve been working on the same manuscript for years, and then you look up and see other authors publishing a book a year, or more. How do they do it? In this week’s episode, I ask Jerry B. Jenkins that very question. He has sold more than 73 million books, including his mega-bestselling Left Behind series, and he breaks down the habits and mindset that helped him produce quality work on deadline for decades. You’ll discover: ...

If you ask a bestselling novelist how long it took to go from aspiring writer to published success, the answer is usually about ten years. One reason it takes so long is that most authors learn about writing in a haphazard way. They read a blog post here, listen to a podcast there, attend a conference where they receive a firehose of information, and then watch YouTube videos hoping to fill in the gaps. It is an overwhelming way to learn. If you have ever felt overwhelmed by everything you ne...

I am not a big fan of Substack for novelists. Most novelists are better off using the free version of Kit and WordPress. However, Substack is a completely different story for nonfiction authors. If you’re a nonfiction author who wants to grow your platform without juggling five different tech tools, this week’s Novel Marketing episode is for you. In this week’s episode, I talk with screenwriter and Substack superuser James Cary about how nonfiction authors can use Substack to attract readers,...

Authors talk about “the algorithm” the way the little aliens in Toy Story talk about “the claw.” Does the algorithm randomly choose your book, or is someone else controlling the claw? In this week’s episode, you’ll discover what we know about how Amazon decides which books to show, and how to get your book in front of the readers most likely to love it. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Amazon “decides” which book recommendations to give shoppersWhich readers you should persuade to click Ama...

Are you wasting money, time, and paper by using the wrong printer? Before you buy your next printer, make sure it has the features every author needs. The wrong setup can cost you hundreds of dollars a year or, worse, stop working altogether when your Wi-Fi service fails. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn: The critical printer features authors needHow to cut your paper use (and clutter) in halfHow to make your printer more reliable and easier to useThe subtle trap you must avoid when pur...

Many authors make the mistake of writing a book first and then trying to find readers. This is backwards and rarely works. However, if you follow these three steps, your book will be set up for success. Step #1: Identify your target reader.Step #2: Start growing an audience of readers like that person.Step #3: Launch your book.But how do you find your Timothy? How do you grow your audience? And how do you write the kind of book they'll love? In this week's episode, you'll hear from Josiah DeG...

Giving away your hard work for free doesn’t seem to make good business sense. So why do authors give away ebooks for free? What if “free” didn’t kill your revenue, but primed it? In this week’s episode, we’ll dig into the permafree strategy with Dale Roberts, author of Secrets of the Permafree Book. You’ll learn: Where permafree works (and where it flops)How to make Amazon price-match a free bookHow to determine whether the permafree strategy is working for youWhich kinds of standalone books ...