Explore every episode of the podcast Novel Marketing

Your book may not be dead. As Miracle Max would say, it might only be mostly dead. A book that flopped three years ago could sell better today than it did on launch day, but only if you fix what actually broke.

This week, I talked with Julie Broad, founder of Book Launchers and host of BookLaunchers.TV. Julie is a #1 Amazon bestselling author, and her team has helped more than 400 authors write, publish, and market their books. When her clients publish second editions, her team moves their reviews over all the time.

In this episode, you'll discover

• Whether a book that sold well at launch is a candidate for relaunch.
• The review pattern that tells you if a relaunch will waste your money.
• The one change that makes it impossible to keep your reviews when you relaunch.

Listen in or read the blog version before you spend a dime on a new cover, so your relaunch doesn't repeat the mistakes that stalled your book the first time.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-relaunch-your-book/

Authormedia.social link

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/0CjW9JmGAxI

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The slowest way to write a novel is to start writing a novel.

It sounds backward, but it’s not.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn. She’s spent years exploring short fiction as both craft practice and creative outlet, and she pushed back a bit on my claim about the slowest way to write a novel.

You’ll learn

• What Joanna considers the main benefit of short stories
• Where and how she comes up with ideas for short stories (and novels)
• An unconventional way to start analyzing your favorite short stories (and where to find good ones!)

Listen in or read the blog version so you don’t make rookie mistakes that end up baked into your 300-page novel.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-write-short-stories-with-joanna-penn/

Social link: 

YT Link: https://youtu.be/uufSPHkketQ

YT Collab Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCdug0jLfpkayiiRyU4WqPPQ/collaboration/UCT-0HmBAtZpaLX2liUNebiQ

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Authors on KDP Select get access to $700 million a year in the Kindle Unlimited fund. One login, one dashboard, one algorithm, one company to deal with.

But that same company won't let you talk to a human with authority when something goes wrong, and it runs an algorithm that can end your career without telling you why.

So which is it? More money, or more freedom?

In this week's episode, you’ll hear from Kris Austin, CEO and co-founder of Draft2Digital, to figure out the real answer, and it isn't the same for every author.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why the "safe" choice on Amazon can turn into the riskiest 
• How Draft2Digital can simplify every aspect of going wide
• A little-known change that lets KU authors do something that was off-limits until recently

Listen in or read the blog version to find out which path is best for you and your book.

YT Link: https://youtu.be/cPyv2iIztwo

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Authors have historically lamented all the administrative, technological, and marketing tasks that go along with being a writer. How many times have you sighed and said, “But I just want to write!”

 We have just gone through a massive transition in how authors use AI. You can now have AI agents do tasks for you, which means you can delegate all your non-writing tasks to a bot. You tell the bot what to do, and it does it! 

It might sound like magic, but in today’s episode, I’m going to show you it is real. You’ll learn the step-by-step process of creating your own Grok Bot AI agent, and you’ll be shocked to find out how easy it is.

This is a shorter episode and a bit different from our regular format. You’ll likely get the most out of this episode by watching the video on YouTube. You’ll see exactly what the screen looks like and how I prompt GrokBot. You’ll also be able to find the exact wording for each of my prompts in the blog version of this episode. 

Let me know what you think of this episode in the comments of this post’s thread on AuthorMedia.social. If there is interest, I will make more tutorials to help you leverage AI agents to give you more time to write.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/get-more-time-to-write-by-using-a-grok-bot/

Authormedia social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/get-more-time-to-write-by-using-a-grok-bot/

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It's 1:30 in the morning, and a woman in Cleveland has just finished your book. She meant to go to bed hours ago, but she just couldn't put it down, and now she's at the end, feeling that particular ache that comes from finishing a book you loved. She turns the page to see what you have for her next.

What does she find?

Your book’s last pages might be quietly costing you thousands in sales, subscribers, or readers. They might even be getting your ebook banned on Amazon. But they should be thrilling your readers and propelling your sales.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear Laurie Christine talk about making the most of those pages at the very end of your book.

You’ll learn

• The one call-to-action you should choose for your first book, which seems to contradict the Novel Marketing method
• What kinds of links are prohibited in Kindle books (and what to use instead)
• The easiest way to thrill your readers while increasing your page reads and profitability by 10%

Listen in or read the blog version to make sure your back matter is working for you instead of putting your book at risk.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/will-your-back-matter-get-your-book-banned-on-amazon/

AuthorMedia.social link: 

YT Link: https://youtu.be/EIANWV02sTM

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If a reader Googled your name right now, what would come up? An abandoned LinkedIn profile from a career you left behind? A neglected Goodreads page? An insurance agent in Albuquerque who happens to share your name?

There's only one number-one spot on Google,  and if you don't claim it for your name, someone else will. The good news is that your most powerful tool for winning that spot is the one piece of the internet you fully control. It’s your author website.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Jason Barnard, digital marketing expert who has spent more than a decade teaching Google and AI who people are.

You'll learn:

• The overlooked page on your website that Google checks first.
• The Wikipedia alternative that is easier to write and curate
• How you can get Jason’s robust SEO audit of your site, for free

Whether your website needs a little fine tuning or you’re building one for the first time, listen in or check out the blog version to find out what you should prioritize and what you can stop stressing about.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/seo-for-author-websites-the-only-guide-you-need-in-2026/

AuthorMedia.social link:

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/PNpmOklWm8M

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You know you need an email list. You've heard about reader magnets and maybe you even have one, but you're stuck at a handful of subscribers, wondering how other authors build lists of tens of thousands of engaged readers who actually buy their books.

Damon J. Courtney knows how. He's an author and the creator of BookFunnel, a service that helps authors grow their email lists and deliver many types of digital products to readers.

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn 

• Whether you need a "lead magnet" or a "reader magnet" (there’s a distinction nobody talks about)
• How readers can get tech support when downloading your ebook or audiobook
• How to give a free copy of your ebook or audiobook when you’re meeting people in person
• How to tip the scales toward having readers buy directly from you rather than Amazon (so you can keep more profit)

Whether you’re looking to grow your email list, distribute ebooks and audiobooks, or sell directly from your own website, listen in or read the blog version to discover how BookFunnel can make each of those author tasks easy.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/

AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bookfunnel/

YT Link: https://youtu.be/qLxqq4bKh1g

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Every month, traditional publishers lose more ground to indie authors.

One reason it’s happening is that in trad publishing, a committee or the highest-paid person in the room makes the call on book covers, marketing copy, and even what they suppose readers might like. Both get it wrong far more often than they want to admit.

Most indie authors aren't much better off. They just swap the highest-paid person’s opinion for their own, and trust their own gut on covers, titles, and blurbs.

But savvy authors skip this guessing game entirely. They test everything, and they're outselling everyone else.

In this week’s episode, USA Today best-selling author Steve Piper sits down with Thomas to break down exactly how split testing works.

You’ll discover:

• How many ideas you should test to find a viable one
• What kinds of book-related assets work for split testing
• The sneaky metric that fools most authors into thinking their split-tested ads are working

If you need help choosing a title, cover, or copy, or if you’re wondering why your ads aren’t working, listen in or read the blog version to find out how you can know for sure what will work.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses/

AuthorMedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-your-cover-blurb-and-hook-are-all-just-guesses

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For most of publishing history, creating an audiobook meant writing a check for thousands of dollars and hoping you'd earn it back in sales. Because of the expense, many authors decided it wasn't worth the risk. So, they skipped audio entirely.

Here's the problem. That decision now backfires in a way nobody saw coming.

The number one sign that a book was written by AI isn't bad writing. It's the missing audiobook.

In this week’s episode, audiobook expert Derek Doepker will map out exactly how to avoid that trap. We discuss the five tiers of audiobooks.

You’ll discover

• Why skipping the priciest tier might be the smartest move for some authors
• Which budget-friendly option still makes your book look unmistakably human-written
• The tier almost no author is using, even though it’s cheaper and sounds like a full production

Listen to the full episode to get the complete map of all five audiobook tiers, so you can pick the right one for your book and your sales goals.

Blog link: 

https://www.authormedia.com/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish/

Authormedia.social link:  https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish

YT Link:
https://youtu.be/oEYxV2iE-iM

YT Collab Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCB_jQHE1Jz8f2Gq40_zZz2w/collaboration/UCT-0HmBAtZpaLX2liUNebiQ

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You will die. 

It could be today, it could be 15 years from now, but no one lives forever. Your books, however, can outlive you. In fact, seventy years after you're gone, they’ll live in the public domain.

That means your grandchildren's grandchildren could end up responsible for your intellectual property. Most authors have done zero planning for what happens to their books, passwords, and royalties when they're no longer around to manage them.

In this week’s episode, attorney Kelley Way (one of the rare lawyers who practices both estate planning and copyright law) joins us to map out exactly what every author needs to know before it's too late.

You'll learn:

• The one document your heirs are powerless to undo, even if they hate the deal you made with your publisher.
• Why giving your book away for free after you die might be the single best thing you can do for it.
• The unglamorous, ten-dollar-a-month tool that prevents more estate disasters than any will or trust ever could.

Listen in or read the blog version to make sure your books don't end up in a paper prison, where your hard work can no longer make an impact.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die/

AuthorMediaSocial link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die

YT Link: https://youtu.be/eJjYPCqKPbw

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What do you do if your Amazon account gets suspended but you didn’t do anything wrong? 

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't care if you're innocent.

That's not pessimism. It's strategy.

Once you understand what Amazon cares about (hint: it's not you, the law, or fairness), you can start speaking a language they respond to.

In this week’s episode, I spoke with Lesley Hensell, co-founder of one of the largest Amazon consulting firms in the world. She has helped thousands of authors claw their accounts back from suspension, and she knows Amazon's enforcement machine like the back of her hand.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The one thing you must include in the first two sentences of any email to Amazon (skip it and they won't even look up your account)
• Whether you should admit to something you didn't do to get your account reinstated
• The subject line trick that makes Amazon's executive team read it, and why most authors do wrong

If your account has never been suspended, this episode is still for you. Prevention is easier than recovery. Listen in or read the blog version to find out what you’re doing right now that could get you flagged.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors/

Author Media social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors

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Is hiring a publicist a waste of money or not?

A typical book publicist charges between $3,000 and $10,000 per month, and they often require a three-month minimum. At $3 of profit per book, you'd need to sell 5,000 copies just to break even. Most PR campaigns don't come close to selling 5,000 copies.

But the publicist gets paid either way, while the author takes all the risk.

Here's what most authors don't know: the access publicists used to sell is now free.

There are tens of thousands of podcasts looking for guests, and you don't need a gatekeeper to get in. You just need to know how to pitch a podcast.

In this week's episode, Podcast Hall of Famer Dave Jackson shares exactly how to do that. You’ll learn

• What makes a host delete your pitch after reading one sentence
• How to identify podcasts that will yield the best results for sales and growing your readership.
• How to nail the interview and get invited back (hint: you’ll need the right microphone and the right content)
• Which tools can save you time and headache

If you want to spread the word about your book but don’t want to spend the money hiring a public relations professional, listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can.

Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/authors-pr-playbook-how-to-get-media-coverage-without-a-publicist/

Guest: Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting, Podcast Hall of Fame) Topic: Earned media for authors, with podcast guesting as the core strategy

YT Link: https://youtu.be/r14ixF0WLJU

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Do you feel like an imposter as a writer?

You probably are. Most authors who experience imposter syndrome are imposters, but they don't have to be!

As the saying goes, “There are no good writers; just bad writers who didn’t quit.”

Every author starts off as a bad writer. To make a living at writing you must improve through hard work, determination, and training. 

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Chris Fox, author of over 80 books and three million copies sold. 

You'll learn:

• Why not knowing your reader's emotional motivation is costing you sales
• How word order affects your readers experience
• How Grammarly is making your writing worse
• How authors accidentally protect their characters and ruin their books.

If something isn’t clicking with your writing, listen in or read the blog version to find out what you should be looking for and how you can fix it.

Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox/

Authormedia.social:  https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox

YT Link: https://youtu.be/DanstjzQs6A

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Are your book sales stuck? Maybe sales have slowed. Maybe your launch never took off. Or maybe you're spending money on ads without seeing results.

This week on Novel Marketing, Amazon ad specialist Bryan Canter explains how "promo stacking" can revive a struggling book and put it in front of new readers.

You'll learn:

• What promo stacking is and why it works
• Which promotions deliver the best ROI for your genre
• The ideal order and timing for each promotion
• How promo stacking can generate more reader reviews

Whether your book launched last month or five years ago, you’ll learn how promo stacking can rescue a dead book and reach new readers when you listen in or read the blog version.

Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-a-promo-stacking/

AuthorMedia Social Link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-promo-stacking

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/v2KN46pdbRw

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Instead of a guest interview or a marketing deep-dive, in this week’s episode I'm inviting you to something I've spent years building for authors who want to be taken seriously.

You’ll discover:

How you can get lifetime access to my $249 course this month for $0

How you can get your questions answered by me live on a monthly basis

How you can get my digital doppelgänger (ie. AI Thomas) to answer your questions faster and (sometimes better) than I can.

Listen to this short episode or read the blog version to take advantage of these benefits before the end of the month.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-im-giving-away-a-249-course-this-month/

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A writers conference with no pitch appointments, no breakout tracks, and no recordings? What’s left? A conference that sold out last year! The Novel Marketing Conference is different, and every single attendee that responded to our survey said they were glad they came in 2026.

In this week's episode, I break down exactly why I removed those traditional writers conference elements and what we added instead. Here are three things you'll learn:

• Which feature past attendees consistently name as the most valuable part of the entire weekend.
• Which parts of the Novel Marketing method you can only learn in person at the conference.
• What we’re adding to Thursday night’s ice-cream social in 2027!

The 2027 conference is already filling up. Super tickets are gone, but standard and gallery tickets are still available. Don’t wait to secure your spot. There's a live count of available tickets at NovelMarketingConference.com. When they're gone, they're gone.

Listen to the full episode, read the blog version, or watch on YouTube to get the complete schedule and see why this might be the best investment you make in your writing career this year.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/announcing-the-2027-novel-marketing-conference/

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Have you ever finished a book you loved, handed it to a friend, and heard back, "It was fine"?

That disconnect has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It has everything to do with a principle C.S. Lewis understood well enough to write classics that have endured for decades.

In this week's episode, I sat down with bestselling novelist Angela Hunt to break down the four ancient loves that drive all fiction, and how mastering them can help you produce a bestseller and a classic.

You’ll learn

• The type of love almost every genre needs more of, and why the most violent stories need it most.
• How the loneliness epidemic is creating a massive hunger in readers, and which type of love lonely readers are yearning for.
• The type of love that makes for a classic but is hardest to write and easiest to botch. Get it wrong and your climax feels cheesy. Get it right and readers won't shut up about your book.

We also explore the dark side of each love and how to use that tension to propel your plot forward.

If the stakes in your story aren’t working or you’re sick of cheap, salacious storylines, listen in or read the blog version to learn how to incorporate these four types of love into your story. This one might change how you outline your next book or build your characters.

Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-four-loves-that-drive-fiction/

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The difference between making thousands of dollars on your next book and losing money can come down to a few cents per click.

If your ads generate even a few pennies of net profit, you can run them until you've sold tens of thousands of books. But if you're losing money, no amount of spending will fix it.

 In this week's episode, David Gaughran, a veteran of digital advertising, joins me to talk about how to make your book advertising actually pay you back.

Here's a taste of what you’ll learn:

• Why the authors spending the most on Facebook ads are often doing it wrong (and what to do instead)
• The marketing asset that makes every advertising endeavor more profitable
• How to reach your exact readers on Facebook now that author targeting is gone

Listen in or read the blog version to discover how to approach book advertising strategically. You will feel more confident about when to advertise and when to invest your time (and dollars) elsewhere.

Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran/

Author Media.social link: (Live at 11:02 AM on May 6) https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran

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We’ve arrived! It’s the 500th episode of Novel Marketing.

To celebrate, I’m giving away the MacBook Neo I reviewed a few episodes ago, but I’m also revealing my worst takes and biggest mistakes over the past 500 episodes.

Some of those takes were correct, but when circumstances changed, the advice was no longer good. But sometimes, I was wrong from the start. Gather ‘round and hear the tale of the evolution of the host and his book marketing advice.

Listen in or read the blog to find out which pieces of advice have stood the test of time (and always will) and which pieces you can cast off like a crumpled first draft.

And don’t forget to enter to win the MacBook Neo! You can find links and details on the blog or YouTube.

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Most authors can tell you their royalties but not their net profit per book. They spend money on ads, see sales come in, and assume things are fine. But are they? Sales and profit are not the same thing.

How can you find out if you’re making money or just making sales?

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Eiri Theodorou, founder of Publisher Champ, an analytics platform used by over 25,000 authors.

You’ll learn

• How one of Amazon’s metrics is somewhat misleading (and how to find the truth)
• How you can track real-world marketing (like speaking and interviews) in a dashboard
• How to find out if your best-selling book is masking problems with your other books.

If you want to stop guessing about your profitability, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be able to invest in marketing with more certainty and become truly profitable.

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There’s a culture shift underway that most authors aren’t seeing. Even traditional publishers can’t figure out why their titles are resonating. If your book isn’t selling, it could be a cover or craft problem, but it might be a zeitgeist problem.  

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from fantasy and LitRPG author Seth Ring. We discuss the biggest cultural shift in storytelling in two decades and what it means for your books.

You’ll discover

• What’s become of the morally conflicted anti-hero trope
• What readers are tired of and hungry for
• A sure-fire way to write a story that resonates for this new zeitgeist

This cultural shift puts authors in a uniquely strategic place. If you want to make an impact with your writing and bring hope and change to the world through stories, it’s your time to shine. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.

Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-thats-making-indie-authors-rich/

AuthorMedia.social link:  https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-that-s-making-indie-authors-rich

YouTube Link:
https://youtu.be/zVz0pd-P3TU

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I bought and tested Apple's cheapest laptop so you don't have to.

I stress-tested the MacBook Neo with a 250,000-word document, ran every major writing app, and pushed the machine to its limits. Whether the Neo is right for you depends on what you use your computer to do, because authors do more than just type words into a word processor.

In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, you’ll learn

• What you should look for (and ignore) when buying a laptop in 2026
• Which laptops I recommend for authors, podcasters, and PC users
• Whether the MacBook Neo is the right choice for you as an author
• Which laptop I will not recommend in 2026

Listen in or read the blog version to find out which machine is the best bang for your buck and your use cases as an author.

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Your author friends are lying to you about your book cover.

Well, not on purpose. They can’t help it.

When authors are trying to pick a book cover, they often ask their friends which cover they like best. But that strategy doesn’t work because your friends look too closely. They think about your feelings. They vote based on which cover has more votes.

But your cover isn’t for your friends.

It’s for strangers.

In this week’s episode, we unpack why beautiful covers, which are loved by your friends, fail to help your book sell. You’ll hear how one author made his losing ads profitable without rewriting a single word of his book.

In this week’s episode you’ll learn

• What makes a cover “good”
• How you can get accurate data on what will make readers click to buy
• How much you’ll need to spend to get a cover that sells

If your ads aren’t working, it may be time to examine the elements of your cover. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.  

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Many authors say reader magnets don’t work anymore. But when done right, a good reader magnet can grow your email list from zero to thousands of subscribers before your first book even launches.

In this episode, you’ll hear from author, podcaster, and producer of the Novel Marketing podcast, Laurie Christine, who built an email list of thousands using various reader magnet strategies, all while writing for Christian moms and middle-grade boys.

You’ll discover:

• How many reader magnets you actually need
• The surprising promotion strategy that yielded more than 500 solid subscribers
• How to create reader magnets that attract buyers, not just freebie seekers
• A tool to help you discover which reader magnets may work for you

You’ll also learn how you can use reader magnets to refine your message, craft, and audience before publishing your first book.

Listen in or read the blog version to learn techniques for building (or growing) an email list regardless of where you are in your writing journey.

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Do you ever wish you had a team of writing, publishing, or marketing professionals to consult? Do you wish you had an assistant to help with the business and marketing side of writing?

What if you could have both for less than the cost of a couple of lattes?

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear about the newest additions to the Novel Marketing Patron Toolbox, a growing suite of practical tools designed specifically for authors like you.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• New editing tools that can help you at each stage of the editing process
• New business tools to help you create an overall strategy and analyze results
• New book promotion tools to help you connect with new readers
• And many more

Whether you’re producing an audiobook, building a fictional world, planning classroom resources, or have questions for an agent or a CPA, these tools are designed to save you time, sharpen your strategy, and give you a head start before working with real human professionals.

Listen in or read the blog version to learn more.

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Is your writing a hobby or a profession? The answer to that question changes everything.

Many authors claim to be professionals but act like hobbyists. They write what they want instead of what readers will pay for. They try to fit a finished book into a genre instead of studying the genre first. They publish without a marketing plan or budget and are shocked by low sales and few reviews.

They expect professional results from a hobbyist approach.

If that sounds familiar, there’s good news. You can choose the professional path.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author and podcaster Joanna Penn, who hosts the longest-running indie publishing podcast.

You’ll discover:

• How to build a sustainable author career in an era of AI
• Which marketing activities you should choose and which to ignore
• Business principles that apply to your writing career
• How to use AI to do the business tasks you dislike so you have more time for creativity and storytelling

To learn how to build a sustainable author business in an era of rapid change, listen in or read the blog version.

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If your book isn’t selling, it may not be your writing.

It may be your metadata.

In this week’s episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, you’ll hear from Dave Chesson, creator of Publisher Rocket, and learn about the hidden engine behind book sales on Amazon.

Even if your book is well-written and professionally edited, Amazon doesn’t read your book. It reads your metadata. And if your metadata is unclear, inconsistent, or confusing, Amazon won’t show your book to readers, even if it’s amazing.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What your book’s metadata is
• Where you can manage it (and make it most effective!)
• How to include the most effective elements and language in your metadata
• And common metadata mistakes to avoid

If you want your book to show up in search results, convert better when readers click, and avoid the dark recesses of the “miscellaneous shelf,” listen in or read the blog version.

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Many authors assume book formatting is complicated, expensive, or something only professionals can handle.

In ​this week’s episode​, I talk with Bryan Canter about why that assumption is outdated, and how tools like Vellum have changed what authors can do. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to pay a pro or learn to format your book’s interior yourself, this conversation will give you clarity.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• When you should format the book or reader magnet and when you should hire a pro
• How Vellum can prevent common design mistakes
• How you can update back matter, fix typos, add reader magnets as needed

​Listen to the episode​ or ​read the blog version​ to see how Vellum can save you money, time, and headache when formatting your next book or reader magnet.

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American Taxes, pay too little and you go to jail. Pay too much and you lose the money you need to reach more readers with advertising and promotion.  If your records feel like a mess of Amazon deposits, Ingram payments, Kickstarter funds, affiliate income, coaching fees and dozens of random expenses you’re not alone. 

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from a CPA who works specifically with authors, about how to handle bookkeeping and taxes with confidence. Seth Norris welcome to the Novel Marketing Podcast!

• You’ll learn:
  A simple bookkeeping rhythm that prevents tax-time chaos.
  How the IRS decides if your writing is a business or a hobby.
  The most common mistake that costs authors the most money.

Discover how to simplify your approach and how to avoid paying more taxes than you actually owe.

If you want to keep more money for advertising, marketing, or feeding your family, stop treating taxes like a deadline of doom. Instead, listen in or read the blog version.

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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:

• A practical way to establish a writing schedule
• The counterintuitive way to combat procrastination
• One way to silence your inner editor without eliminating it completely

If you’re ready to get out of your own way, build a sustainable writing rhythm, and finish what you start, you’ll want to hear this one.

Listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can finish your book and write better books for the rest of your writing career.

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Most authors begin writing as a solitary pursuit and soon realize they don’t know other writers or industry professionals who can help them grow. So how do you go from a solitary outsider to a connected insider who knows designers, editors, marketers, and more?

In this week’s episode, we talk with Dale L. Roberts, an award-winning indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale, about how genuine networking can strengthen your career and relationships.

In this interview, you’ll discover:

• How to reframe your mindset about networking (it shouldn’t feel sleazy)
• How to follow up after conferences and events without feeling awkward
• Simple habits for remembering names and details so people feel seen and valued
• When (and how) to make introductions inside your network

If you’ve ever wondered how successful authors seem to know so many industry experts, this conversation will give you practical, real-world networking tips to help you build and facilitate mutually beneficial publishing connections.

Listen in or read the blog version to discover 12 tips to help you connect generously, authentically, and for the long haul.

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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 need to know about publishing, you know exactly what this feels like.

But what if you could cut that ten-year learning curve in half?

In our latest podcast episode, I talk with Christy Award Hall of Fame author James L. Rubart about the Five-Year Plan for Becoming a Professional Author. It’s a step-by-step training approach designed to help fiction writers build skills in the right order (without the overwhelm).

This isn’t a “shortcut” or gimmick course. It’s a craft-first path that helps writers avoid wasted years, bad habits, and out-of-order learning.

In this week’s episode, you’ll discover:

• Why most authors stall out
• How to accelerate the mastery of storytelling
• What separates “good” writers from professional-level authors in the current publishing landscape

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re developing your craft in the smartest way possible, or where you should start, listen in or read the blog version.

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ChatGPT used to be the go-to AI for authors, but it's no longer the best choice for every task. New models like Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok are outperforming it in specific areas, from creative writing to research to automation.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from The Nerdy Novelist, Jason Hamilton. We discuss which AI tools work best for your writing, your budget, and your genre.

You’ll learn

• Which tools can help expedite your research
• Which AI models help you write the best dialogue
• How open-source models can spur fresh fiction ideas and structures

To stay up to date on which models can help you with various parts of your writing and marketing (and which can’t), listen in or read the blog version to feel confident experimenting with new platforms.

• What does ChatGPT Actually Know About Your Book?
• AI Optimization for Authors
• Book Promotion in 2025: How AI Gives Authors More Time to Write
• TikTok, Iran, and AI: What Authors Need to Know Now
• The Author’s Guide to AI with Joanna Penn

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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, deepen engagement, and earn recurring income.

You’ll learn

• When Substack is (and isn’t) a good fit for authors
  
  
• How to get your first 100+ subscribers 
  
  
• When and whether to monetize your Substack

If you’ve been wondering whether you should start a Substack or what to do with the one you already have, listen in or read the blog version to get help on your decision and guidance on your plan.

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Hardcover books are back. Beautiful, premium, collector-quality editions are gaining momentum with readers who want books that look and feel special. But how do you know if you should create a premium hardcover edition of your book?

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author Paul Millerd, who created a luxury edition of his bestselling book. We dig into the strategy, psychology, risks, and rewards behind premium hardbacks and whether they make financial sense.

You’ll learn:

• How to know if your book is a good candidate for a premium edition
• What it costs to produce a premium hardcover (and what you can charge for it)
• How different readers view different price points

If you’ve ever wondered whether a premium edition could elevate your brand, thrill your readers, or create a new revenue stream, listen in or read the blog version to find out.

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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 shoppers
• Which readers you should persuade to click Amazon’s “buy now” button, and which you should sell to yourself
• How Amazon’s algorithm is changing and tips to help you adapt your strategy

If your book is on Amazon, this episode is not optional listening. Poor optimization can quietly poison the recommendation engine against you. Listen in or read the blog version to keep your book in front of your Timothy.

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Lately, I’ve been getting swamped with emails from authors asking about Shopify. Many are losing money and wondering what went wrong and how to fix it.

Here’s the truth most authors don’t want to hear: Shopify is usually a bad deal for most authors.

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn
✅ Why Shopify sounds so good but often backfires
✅ The math behind why most authors lose money by using it
✅ Better alternatives that save time, stress, and money

Shopify is lauded as an attractive option for authors, but for most, it becomes a drain for your time and money. Before you decide on an ecommerce platform, listen in or read the blog version and find out what actually works better for authors.

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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 need
• How to cut your paper use (and clutter) in half
• How to make your printer more reliable and easier to use
• The subtle trap you must avoid when purchasing a home printer

Save money, space, and sanity by getting the right printer. Read the blog version to get links to my recommendations, or listen to the podcast to make your next printer purchase a smart one.

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Audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment in publishing for a decade, and for many readers, an audiobook signals a real, human-written book. In fact, audiobook sales have recently outpaced ebook sales!

Now is the time to get your book on audio. But where do you even begin?

In this week’s episode, audiobook consultant Bryan Canter gives us an overview of the entire process of how ACX (Audiobook Creative Exchange) works and how to publish your book on audio without blowing your budget.

You’ll learn

• Who should (or shouldn’t) narrate your book
• How much it’s likely to cost (it might be less than you think!)
• How to get started (and who can help you!)

If you know you need an audiobook, listen in or read the blog version to learn the ACX basics, pick the right narrator, and avoid costly mistakes. Your future listeners are waiting. 🎧

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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 DeGraaf, a fantasy author and program director of the Young Writers Workshop, who did exactly that. He found his Timothy, added thousands of subscribers to his mailing list before publishing his first novel, and wrote the book his readers wanted. That strategy set him up for a wildly successful Kickstarter launch and a strong Amazon release.

In this interview, you'll discover

• How to determine who your target reader is
• Strategies to get you from 0 subscribers to 1,000+
• How to write a book that your readers feel was written just for them.

If you want to launch your book to an eager audience instead of crickets, listen in or read the blog version.

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The faster you write, the more books you can publish and the more money you can make from your writing.

We all type slower than we speak, and if you’re typing and creating a story at the same time, you type even slower. But what if you could regularly produce 50 words or more per minute? You’d be able to write a 120,000-word book in a 40-hour work week!

Authors who can write that fast all use dictation. So why do so many authors hesitate to use it?

If you’ve ever tried dictation and felt awkward, slow, or tangled up in the tech, you’re not alone. In this week’s episode, dictation expert Sarah Sawyer shows us the calm, practical way to ease into dictation so it feels natural and actually helps you write more.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Which tech tools make it easy? (Hint: You probably already have them!)
• Techniques that help synchronize your creativity, brain, and mouth
• How dictation can propel your writing and possibly save your health

Audio & Blog Versions

For authors, dictation can skyrocket writing speed. Listen in or read the blog version to find out which tools and strategies will help you master the skill and write faster.

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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 book
• How to determine whether the permafree strategy is working for you
• Which kinds of standalone books might benefit from being permafree

If you’ve got a strong series and a tight budget, permafree may be the fastest path from obscurity to discovery. Listen in or read the blog version to see if it will work for your book or books.

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So you wrote a good book, but you can’t seem to get reviews. Do you just throw up your hands? Why do reviews and ratings even matter?

Well, the more reviews a book has, the better it will sell and the more reviews it will get. Without the social proof of reviews, readers scroll past your book listing, algorithms ignore you, and sales flatline.

So, how do you get more book reviews?

In this week’s episode, we’ll hear from Joe Walter of Independent Book Review. You’ll learn

• Three different kinds of reviews that can help your book gain visibility
• How ratings and reviews differ (and the easiest places to get each)
• Which tools can make the process of gathering reviews more efficient

No reviews = no trust = no sales. Find out how to fix that. Listen in or read the blog version and learn to use book ratings and reviews to increase your author credibility, book visibility, and sales.

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Most authors either avoid AI or use it badly. Let’s fix that.

Authors who learn to use AI find that they have more time to write better books.

In this week’s episode, Joanna Penn and I break down where to start, which tools are actually worth using, and how to get useful output instead of bland tasteless, voiceless, AI slop.

You’ll learn

• How to prompt ChatGPT like a coworker
• The best tools for images, deep research reports, audio, and marketing tasks
• Ways to use AI that you probably haven’t considered before
• The most important AI prompting tip you will ever learn

Listen now or read the blog version to learn how AI can do tasks you hate, sharpen your author voice, and give you more time to do the creative work you wanted to do when you first started writing.

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Every author needs editorial feedback. But not all feedback is good.

If you accept every edit, you risk losing your voice and writing something bland. If you ignore all edits, you risk writing something sloppy that readers won’t buy. So how do you know which edits to take and which to toss?

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:

• 7 “Bewares” to help you sort out good and bad editorial suggestions
• Whether AI or human editors are helpful or hurtful
• How to develop good tastes that guide your writing voice
  
  
  

Editing is supposed to sharpen your writing, not smother your voice. Listen in or read the blog version to find out when you should (and shouldn’t) ignore feedback.

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Most writing conferences teach you how to write a better book or how to pursue a literary agent. But what if you have already written a great book and you need help selling it? Is there a conference for you?

Yes! Announcing the 2026 Novel Marketing Conference, a live, in-person event focused on helping you market and sell more books.

The 2026 conference is packed with innovations you won’t find anywhere else:

• 100% live, interactive sessions
• A small group of writers who write in your genre
• Guidance on creating a customized plan for your upcoming year
• Excellent teaching by experts

You’ll leave the conference with a 100-page workbook full of actionable steps to grow your author platform, increase book sales, and start the year with a clear plan.

🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale now through September 30, 2025. Prices start at just $299, and our limited number of Super Tickets are going fast, so reserve your spot today at ​NovelMarketingConference.com​.

​Listen in​ to hear more details or ​read the blog version​ to see the tentative schedule as well as photos from past conferences. 

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If you write picture books, chapter books, or middle-grade fiction, you know the challenge: kids read your books, but adults buy them.

So how can you let young readers know about your books? Where can you connect with your readers? By meeting them in person in school classrooms!

In this week's episode, award-winning author Becca Wierwille shares how school visits became her best book marketing strategy and how you can start doing them too.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to get your first (and second!) school visit
• What to include in your presentation to keep students engaged and coming back for more
• How to make it easy for school administrators to say "Yes!" to your visit

School visits are fun! Listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can connect with young readers, positively impact schools, and sell more books.

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What’s up with ruthless heroes and romantasy?

And what if the real reason your book isn’t selling has nothing to do with your writing and everything to do with the zeitgeist?

In this week’s Novel Marketing episode, we’re ​featuring an episode of Author Update​. We unpack the massive cultural shift that's changing what readers crave. From romantasy's domination to the hunger for noble dark heroes, we explore what sells and why in the new "spirit of the age."

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The future of books with morally gray, sword-wielding protagonists
• How Gen Z’s love for brutal heroes reveals a deeper desire
• What the shift from grimdark to noble bright means for your next story

​Listen in​ or read the ​blog version​ to dive into the vibes shaping the future of fiction.

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Ever wonder how some authors consistently sell a thousand books a month?

What marketing tactics are they using? How can I get those results too?

In the latest episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, I talk with Susan Neal, author of nine books and CEO of the Christian Indie Publishing Association. Susan shares how she layers her marketing efforts—from podcast interviews to press releases—to drive book sales month after month.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll learn:

• Which tactics helped her sell 7,000 books in 8 months
• How to successfully pitch podcasts, blogs, and media outlets
• How to avoid common author mistakes that hinder sales

Whether you’re launching your first book or looking to grow sales of your back list, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be inspired by Susan’s method and eager to try her tactics.

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Publicity has always been important for authors. Mark Twain promoted his books by writing letters to the paper, and even Agatha Christie, who was known for being very private, still did interviews with prominent newspapers.

Yet some authors think this kind of publicity is old-fashioned. In a world dominated by social media, do we even need traditional PR anymore?

If you've ever wondered how to get your book featured in the media—or whether it's even worth trying—you won’t want to miss this episode of Novel Marketing.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from veteran publicist Marika Flatt from PR by the Book to talk about:

• Whether or not traditional media still matters
• The difference between earned media, paid media, and everything in between
• What mistakes to avoid when giving interviews
• The surprising way Good Morning America and Joe Rogan differ when it comes to book sales

Whether you’re ready to hire a PR firm or just want to understand how media can help spread the word about your book, listen in or read the blog version of this episode.

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