Novel Marketing

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless task of writing, publishing, and marketing your book? From deciding which software to use for writing to figuring out how to keep track of all the characters in your story, the choices can feel paralyzing, and the number of things that need to be done can be very overwhelming.Besides your writing tasks, you have the business side of things: scheduling meetings, tracking your finances, recording book sales, running ads, and figuring out if your business is actually profitable.If just thinking about your to-do list is raising your blood pressure, it's time for you to take control and reduce your stress by learning a technique called project management.In this week's episode, I spoke with Lorna K. Bailey. She's been an executive author's assistant since 2014, and she's helped many top authors grow their sales and increase their focus on writing.We talked about·      How to organize and prioritize your to-do list·      The benefits and differences between digital and paper calendars·      Tips for effective scheduling that helps you achieve your goalsListen in or read the blog version to discover how project management techniques can help you tackle the overwhelming task of writing, publishing, and marketing your books.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Your author platform is your ability to spread the word about your book. As an indie author, your platform is directly linked with how large your book launch can be. Bigger platforms lead to bigger launches. All else being equal, traditional publishers always prefer large-platform authors to authors with no platform.So, how do you grow your author platform?This week’s episode is a webinar I recently presented.You’ll learn·      Two myths about author platform·      What you’ll need to build an enduring platform·      Answers to three common questions from authors about email, social media, and money.Listen in or read the blog post to learn why having a solid author platform is crucial for indie and traditional authors. Find out how to build a platform that will give your book the best chance for success.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Is your website’s Contact page serving your readers and web visitors?In the past, authors simply shared their email addresses on their websites. But that opened the door to a flood of spam, which drowned out real messages from readers.Connecting with your readers is essential to building your readership, so you can’t simply remove your email address from your website. But how do you create an effective Contact page that helps readers connect but keeps spammers out?In this week’s episode, we’ll discuss the best practices for creating a contact page that truly works.You’ll learnWhich “Contact” page elements are necessaryHow to help readers to contact you by their preferred methodHow to keep spammers out of your inboxListen in or read the blog version to learn how to create a successful author contact page and form that helps readers and influencers find you and makes spammers leave you alone.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Join Seth Ring, an author and worldbuilding expert who co-hosts the WorldCraft Club podcast, as he dives into the art of creating captivating story settings. He discusses how the right backdrop can magnetize readers and even lead to spinoff products. Learn three essential techniques for worldbuilding, the significance of maps in storytelling, and how one-star reviews can unexpectedly boost sales. Explore how immersing readers in well-crafted worlds can enhance their experience and drive book success.

Sometimes in marketing, it pays to zig when everyone else is zagging. In this digital age, when authors race to do everything online, it's easy to forget the magic of face-to-face interactions. Personal connections can transform your relationship with your readers and fellow authors.A book festival is a fantastic way to meet with readers and writers at the same time in real life. But what is a book festival, and how can you organize one?In this week's episode, I asked Dave Cohen to talk with us about book festivals. He's a British writer with more than four decades of experience writing comedy for the BBC. He saw a void in his community and stepped up to the plate for readers and authors_._ You'll learn·      What a book festival is·      Three types of book festivals (and which might fit your book best)·      How the format could boost your book salesIf you've wished for an in-person venue to sell books and connect with readers and authors, listen in or read the blog version and see how you might be able to grant your own wish. https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

As Yoda says, “Difficult to see the future is.” But difficult is not impossible. Causes have effects, and the more you have a sense of the rhythms of the past, the better you can sense the future.If it takes you two years to write a book, you owe it to yourself to ask, “What kinds of books will be popular in two years?” Reader preferences change over time, but sometimes they change rapidly. If you don’t keep up, you may get stuck writing a book people no longer want to read.So, how can you determine what will be popular in a few years?In this week’s episode, I speak with Alexander Macris about how history’s cyclical patterns can give us clues about what types of literature will resonate in the future. You’ll learnWhy certain themes and plots are failing miserably in our current momentWhere to find past ideas that are likely to resonate in the futureWhy certain themes resonate at different times in historyListen in or read the blog version of this episode to get a head start on writing a book with themes that will resonate with readers in the future.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Has inflation eaten away at your book profits? Perhaps you want to start advertising and need some margin. Or maybe readers are not taking you seriously with your book's current low price.You need to raise the price of your book, but how should you do it?Most authors raise prices quietly. One day, the price just goes up, and they hope no one notices. But that approach is a massive mistake and a missed opportunity.A future price increase is a rare opportunity, and in this week's episode, you'll learn how toIncrease your price the right wayGain favor with readers by announcing a price increaseMake the current price seem like a bargainListen in or read the blog version of this episode to discover how you can do a kindness for your readers, help them take action, and sell more books at a higher price with a reverse coupon.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

The last time I visited Barnes and Noble, I marveled at the comic book section. Western comic books only filled a couple of shelves, while around the corner, there was an entire aisle of manga comic books.I wondered, “Why is Eastern manga so much more popular than Western comic books from DC and Marvel?” As I investigated, I discovered an interesting and shockingly ancient answer.Western storytelling is typically based on the three-act structure, which dates back to Aristotle. But one ancient story structure that dates back to the time of oral storytelling and is still popular in the East, yet it appeals to modern Western readers.Many Western storytellers have rediscovered it and used it to write some of the most enduring bestsellers in the English language, including Pride and Prejudice, Goodnight Moon, and Dracula.In this week’s episode, we’ll discussA story structure based on only two actsHow to create a two-act structure for a sentence or a seriesHow this structure might rescue a story you’ve been struggling to finishListen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to learn about this ancient story structure and how can you use it to make your book more appealing to readers.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Reader magnets are like real magnets. Sometimes, they aren't very magnetic, and other times, they're so magnetic that we can rapidly grow an email list of tens of thousands of readers.A reader magnet is supposed to magnetically draw readers onto your list so that when you have a book to announce, lots of folks are ready and eager to learn more or buy.But what if your reader magnet doesn't seem to be working?In this week's episode, I interviewed Jonathan Shuerger to learn how his company, The Strategic Author, can help authors target their ideal market and create super magnetic reader magnets.You'll learnHow to gather intelligence on your target readerWhat questions you should ask to gather useful dataHow to use that intel to create a reader magnet they'll loveListen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to discover why your reader magnet might not be having the impact you want and how you can make it more attractive.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show

Are your book sales starting to dip a bit? Perhaps your book sales were once great and are now starting to fall. You may see this drop in sales for several reasons, but you don’t have to stand by and watch them drop indefinitely.Most bestselling books see their highest sales during the pre-order period, followed by the launch month, and then experience a slow, steady decline. But you can extend a book sales lifecycle.In this week’s episode, we’ll talk aboutWhy your sales may be decliningWhich sales problems you can fix (or not)How to reinvigorate your sales (sometimes with very little extra investment!)Listen in or check out the blog post to discover why your sales might drop and get a robust list of marketing strategies to boost them back up.https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-is-patron-130533769 Support the show