Sustainability in Publishing: Reducing Waste One Print Book at a Time
Episode 62
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 • Duration 42:37
In this episode, Matt & Lauren take a critical look at wasteful practices in the publishing industry. We share insight into what it takes to become a certified B Corp (like Lulu!), how book printing creates both physical and carbon waste, and what we can all do to make publishing more sustainable.
🎙️ [9:52] “We're making the argument that print-on-demand and using a print-on-demand company like Lulu is more environmentally friendly than traditional publishing. But B Corp isn't just about that.”
🎙️ [22:40] “I would much rather see a book that was well read and well loved and shows the signs of it than a book that was printed, never opened, never sold, and then just destroyed.”
🎙️ [32:45] “I think when you combine the world of digital and print and you encourage a digital-first strategy for how you're publishing and printing, I think that's when you really start to optimize the sustainability factor of what we're doing in the publishing industry.”
Creating a Custom Book Business Using Lulu's Print API
Episode 61
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 • Duration 48:01
In this episode, Lauren & Matt explore Lulu’s open source Print API. Don’t know what an API is? We’ve got you covered. We also talk through the value of personalized products and creative ways to use Lulu’s Print API to power your custom book business.
In this episode, Matt & Lauren are joined by Sarah Franklin, Lulu’s Public Relations Manager and expert book publicist! Hear about book publicity simplified as Sarah answers questions like:
→ What’s the value in hiring a publicist vs. doing your own publicity?
→ What exactly is a publicist’s role in book marketing?
→ How do you make the most of earned publicity once you have it?
And more! Listen now or watch Episode #60 on YouTube.
In this episode, Lauren & Matt deep dive into book metadata and how it can better position your book in the market. Maximize your discoverability and reach with tips on choosing bookstore categories and BISAC codes, tools for keyword research, and best practices for making the most of your metadata.
Creative Ways to Use Print-On-Demand to Support Your Business
Episode 58
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 • Duration 50:17
In this episode, Matt & Lauren explore different ways print-on-demand technology can support your business. We share ideas for creating books for internal use, brand awareness and loyalty projects, and new product lines to consider.
How to Use a Preorder Campaign to Boost Your Book Launch
Episode 57
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 • Duration 54:18
In this episode, Lauren & Matt make a case for why every indie author should try using a preorder campaign to support their prelaunch marketing efforts and boost their book sales. We talk through how preorder campaigns can help you reach your target audience, different kinds of campaigns, and ways to collect your preorders.
The Indie Author's Guide to Going Wide With Your Book Distribution
Episode 56
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 • Duration 49:22
In this episode, Matt & Lauren answer questions about moving your books from Amazon to other ecommerce solutions, including global distribution and direct sales. Learn how to maximize your book’s availability, forge stronger connections with loyal readers, and grow your revenue when you go wide.
How to Hit Your Perfect Pitch for Speaking Engagements
Episode 55
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 • Duration 54:59
In this episode, Lauren & Matt share tips for aspiring public speakers. We talk through presenting your best pitch to event organizers, targeting your ideal audience with your session title and description, and representing yourself with your speaker bio.
Can Books Add Value to Your Business (Beyond Just Revenue)?
Episode 54
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 • Duration 46:14
In this episode, Matt & Lauren tell you why publishing a book can do more for your business than just adding a new revenue stream.. Learn how books can establish your expert reputation, connect you with new audiences, and strengthen relationships with your existing fans.
How to Create A Writing Habit That Actually Sticks
Episode 53
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 • Duration 47:09
Is this the year you’re finally going to publish that book? Or maybe you just want to write more than you did last year. In this episode Lauren & Matt share tips for building a writing habit in a way that works best for you… and set a few lofty goals of their own.
Let us know what your writing goals are for this year! Email us at podcast@lulu.com.
🎙️ [13:40] “This is not a new concept. What this is is a more evolved technology for how to create these kinds of products in a really cool way and also get even more personalized and even more creative with them.”
🎙️ [27:10] “You are trying to build personal relationships with your customers, with consumers. Consumers are more conscientious than they were in the past. They are looking for - whether they realize it or not - they are looking for a personalized relationship experience.”
“Depending on the goals for your book, a publicist is one of those things where you absolutely should spend the money if you can afford it and some of your goals for this book align with the need for having a publicist, right?”
🎙️ [25:24] “You know, they can get you exposure, but your expertise in your book, that should be the moneymaker right there.”
🎙️ [41:01] “Something may come of it, nothing may come of it, but nothing's gonna happen if you don't do anything.”
🎙️ [3:02] “Your metadata is relevant to you if you're selling direct, if you're doing distribution, if you're sticking to a single ecommerce solution, whatever it is, no matter what you're doing, your metadata is relevant to your book.”
🎙️ [15:28] “I think you should be marketing to human beings and not to algorithms.”
🎙️ [32:21] “Understanding that to prepare yourself for a future where search looks different than it does now being as concise and specific with your keywords is going to be more important than ever.”
🎙️ [3:59] “This is not an episode about self-publishing a book to then use print-on-demand to then grow your business similar to some of the other episodes we've done, which are great. This is truly about the technology and functionality of print-on-demand in your business.”
🎙️ [22:23] “If you're listening to this and you're like, okay, but I already do that, but I just do it in like an email form or a PDF form or something like that. I'm like, just think about how much it's elevating the experience to get a physical printed copy of it.”
🎙️ [30:25] “I would rather win your mailbox than to compete against your inbox or struggle in your DMs.”
🎙️ [4:34] “It is so much easier to market your book prelaunch. And the further out you start, for the most part, the easier it gets to market it.”
🎙️ [32:31] “Every time you do a preorder or a sales campaign or anything else where you're selling these things directly, that is an opportunity to gain more email addresses and customer contacts and build your own database.”
🎙️ [48:47] “I mean, you can do those things. But the point is you can go outside of the box and get more creative and drive more value and more urgency and incentive for people to want to be part of this preorder versus just picking up a copy afterwards.”
🎙️ [1:57] “Going wide, specifically, is more the idea of maximizing your reach and discoverability by having your book available in as many different marketplaces as possible.”
🎙️ [23:03] “Eyeballs are really hard to catch these days. Attention is so short. There's so much white noise out there. Don't put in all that hard work or money or both, and then just send them somewhere else to buy it.”
🎙️ [47:07] “This is not an overnight decision. This is not something that you should decide after listening to this episode, yeah, you guys are right. I'm definitely going to do this. And tonight you're going to go home and pull all your books.” “We are right. They should do this.”
🎙️ [10:05] “When pitching yourself to an event, whether it's a big one or a small one, you got to remember that the point of pitching yourself or the point is to convince the event organizers why you specifically can add value to that event.”
🎙️ [36:36] “Even if your speaking track record is extremely light or zero, you should still be confident in sharing your qualifications as to who you are and why you bring relevance to the topic and the event.”
🎙️ [52:15] “If you're pitching yourself to the correct events, this is the most qualified audience that you are ever going to get yourself in front of."
🎙️ [7:36] “Throughout your entire business journey, there's always going to be a need in most cases to establish some authority in the area with which you actually do business, whether you sell physical products or services… One of the best ways to do that, obviously, is to have a book in hand, right?”
🎙️ [15:54] “So many people still to this day think that because they have a social media channel presence of whatever amount of followers, it doesn't matter that they're doing great, they're riding high and they've got a viable business. Wrong. 100% wrong. If that business is built on Instagram, then Instagram has a business and followers – you don't.”
🎙️ [25:38] “A book can be a great buy-in opportunity for customers to test the water with you, or for potential customers to test the water with you.”
🎙️ [16:25] “A lot of people want to talk about the importance of writing every day. I think it is more important to set yourself consistent goals that are achievable for you.”
🎙️ [25:02] “There's nothing worse than when you're just looking at a blinking cursor on a blank word doc and you've suddenly forgot just like every word that exists in the English language.”
🎙️ [43:20] “So if there's something that you heard in this episode that you're like, I could see how that works, but I just - I don't think it would work for me. Try it anyway. Try it a couple of times. And if you're still like, nope, hate this. Okay, you tried it. Maybe you learned something else from it that you can apply in a different way and then move on.”
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