Most humans try to avoid conflict as much as possible, but novelists love conflict. Without conflict, a novelist has no story. Conflict keeps your novel moving forward and your readers turning pages. As Vladimir Nabokov once said, “The writer’s job is to get the main character up a tree, and then once they are up there, throw rocks at them.” But how do you get your protagonist up a tree? What kind of rocks should you throw? In this week’s episode, I interview professional fictional rock-thrower, Angela Hunt, to discuss the six classic conflicts. In this episode, you’ll discover Biblical and mo ..read more

Almost every traditionally published book goes up for preorder before it comes out. However, the advice surrounding preorders can be confusing for indie authors. Some indies say preorders are critical. Others say having a preorder for your book can hurt sales. Who is right? Should you set up a preorder for your book? Are preorders a good idea or a bad idea? Preorders can help or hurt, depending on what kind of author you are. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn: What kind of author is helped by a preorder Why preorders are so important for some authors How to make the most of your preorder w ..read more

You’ve heard me talk about the Five Ps of Marketing, and in this week’s episode, we tackle the third P: Place. In other words, where should you sell your book? Many authors struggle to find the right place to sell their books. Whether you’re an indie or traditional author, you must discover the best places to sell. So, how can you unlock the power of place for your book? In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the location where you sell your book is important and powerful Three case studies on authors who have maximized sales in the right places Online and offline places where you can sell your b ..read more

The term “self-publishing” doesn’t mean that you sit in a cabin in the woods all by yourself and emerge with a published book as if you’d done it all singlehandedly. It’s rare to find one person who has all the skills required to turn an idea into a physical book. We need cover designers, formatters, web designers, assistants, and more. You might be self-publishing, but you will need some help. But what if you don’t know anyone who can help? Where can you find skilled professionals who can produce the high-quality work your book deserves? I asked Ricardo Fayet, the cofounder of Reedsy, a curat ..read more

You’re probably tired of hearing that you need a large platform to be a successful author. Some industry professionals believe having a large platform is equivalent to having a large social media following. If you’ve been listening to the Christian Publishing Show or Novel Marketing, you know that having a social media following doesn’t necessarily mean you have a platform. Nor does it mean you’ll sell more books than someone not on social media. In fact, sometimes people sell more books by spending less time on social media. Authors hear me say, “Your social media following isn’t very importa ..read more

This year marks the end of an era. The Book Launch Blueprint is entering its seventh and final year. Since we began offering it in 2018, it has been one of our most popular courses. Launching a book is one strategy that works well for indie and traditional as well as fiction and nonfiction. But why is a book launch so important? In this week’s episode, you’ll discover Who needs a book launch (and who doesn’t) Other methods that work for some authors What a successful book launch does for your book and your career What we’ll cover in this year’s final Book Launch Blueprint Registration for th ..read more

How much money does it cost to become a professional author? Any profession will cost you when you’re just getting started. If you’re broke, I recommend listening to my episode titled The Starving Author: How to Market Books Without Money. Assuming you have some money, you need a spending plan. But how much money do you need to budget for the first five years of your writing career? I asked Kent Sanders, host of The Profitable Writer Podcast and founder of the Profitable Writer Community, a membership group that serves writers and helps them become more profitable. In this week’s episode, you ..read more

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Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for connecting with readers and selling books. Obviously, you want a lot of email subscribers, but it doesn’t matter how many subscribers you have if they don’t open and read your emails. How do you craft the kind of emails that capture your reader’s attention and help you sell more books? In this week’s episode, you’ll learn Three elements that make readers open your emails Which element is least important What to write in your email newsletter If you don’t yet have your first 1,000 newsletter subscribers, listen in, and you’ll be on your wa ..read more

A few years ago, the popular buzzword in the author world was “tribe.” Building a tribe of readers was seen as the key to success. Reader relationships are still important for authors, so why did the term “tribe” go out of fashion? Having a tribe of readers is still an incredible asset that will help you sell your books and raise your profile amongst readers, but you need to know how and where to build a tribe if you want it to grow. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn: The difference between a platform and a tribe Why authors need a tribe How large your tribe needs to be Where to gather you ..read more