Why Print is the Missing Piece in Your Creator Ecosystem
Episode 110
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 • Duration 53:25
In this episode, Lauren & Matt have a conversation exploring why print needs to be part of your creator strategy. We consider the current state of digital content, influenced by algorithms and AI, and how content entrepreneurs can use print books to better establish their brand longevity and legacy (and, of course, to make money).
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video episode on YouTube!
🎙️ [8:34] “How do you make that content last? How do you make it tangible? And how do you use it to reach people in a way that isn't going to immediately disappear?”
🎙️ [33:47] “'I’ve yet to ever receive a book or a piece of printed content or something where I was as quick to toss it as I am 90% of the emails that come into my inbox every day.”
🎙️ [51:21] “I think, honestly, in an age where everybody's attached to devices, the obvious play is to do something different. And that's print.”
In this episode, Matt & Lauren explore three different ways creators can get started selling direct, and the tools you’ll need along the way! Learn about:
💡 Using direct assisted platforms like Books.by to build a website for you
💰 Selling on marketplaces like Etsy for a hybrid sales approach
📚 Connecting Lulu Direct to your site for true direct-to-consumer sales
🧰 Stocking your toolkit with some of our favorite sales and marketing solutions
Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video episode on YouTube!
In this episode, Lauren & Matt peer into their crystal balls for a look into the future (or make some very sound projections grounded in knowledge and experience). We take turns sharing our insights and expectations for what’s to come in the publishing industry in 2026, including:
🔮 Print-on-demand will become as important to the publishing supply chain as other tech solutions over the years
🔮 Authors will explore more ways to build their brand by blending self-publishing and traditional publishing strategies
🔮 Traditional publishers will adopt direct sales practices, both to increase their profit margins and to build relationships with readers
But the real question is…was there confetti in Matt’s future? Watch the episode on YouTube to find out!
In this episode, Matt & Lauren discuss some of the most important questions asked by authors and creators - is it worth it to publish my books in print? Are readers still buying print books, or is print dead?
In this episode, Lauren & Matt discuss the publishing, design, and marketing experts that you may want to help you self-publish your book.
We take a look at hybrid publishers, different types of editors, and interior versus exterior designers. Plus, hear our thoughts on which services are a must-do and which we think you can DIY to help keep costs low, a few suggestions for tools designed to help you with different publishing steps, and some of our favorite self-editing tips.
🎙️ [13:43] “When it comes to having a really great cover versus having a well-edited book, if you're going to pay for just one of these services. I've had plenty of examples where my friends will say, ‘hey, I know the cover on this book is like absolute garbage, but the book itself is so good. So just, like, ignore the cover and just go dive right into the book’…No one has ever said to me ‘the writing is trash, but the cover is pretty. So you should read it.’”
What is Print-on-Demand?
Episode 7
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 • Duration 44:56
Lulu.com is a print-on-demand self-publishing company. But what exactly is print-on-demand? And why is it such a popular business model?
In this episode, Matt & Lauren explore the environmentally-friendly, budget-conscious benefits of print-on-demand. We also answer a few FAQs about POD, including why it takes a little extra time to receive your book, what you can expect from the book’s production quality, and whether or not print-on-demand is more expensive than offset printing. Listen now to discover why print-on-demand is the future of publishing!
🎙️ [13:56] “But at the end of the day, when you factor all your costs in, your time spent doing things, what you have to put out upfront versus what you can pay on the back end later, and some of that other math, when you start adding those things up, in most cases, for most people, self-publishing with print on demand is usually the more budget-friendly and cost-conscious way to go.”
🎙️ [22:12] “Most places that utilize a print on demand process, digital printing of some sort, can provide you, upon request in most cases, a lot of the different things they do that contribute to a much better, and much more sustainable carbon footprint…I think when we talk about us as creators making conscious decisions to do certain things on certain processes, we really should think about that.”
Why We Love Attending Conferences (and Why You Should Too)
Episode 6
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 • Duration 43:19
In this episode, Matt and Lauren expound on the many reasons we’re passionate about sponsoring and attending in-person events. We talk about why we love meeting new people (even as a pair of introverts), the educational and inspirational benefits, networking and community-building opportunities, and more!
Matt’s Famous Vegas Out-of-Office:
I am out of the office Monday, November 6th, through Friday, November 10th. While dodging casino zombies and buffet browsers, my team and I will be attending The 20Books author conference in Las Vegas. I don't drink, smoke, or gamble, so you can imagine how excited I am to spend a week in a hazmat suit every time I step out of my hotel room. I will do my best to reply to your email, but please cut me some slack if it takes a few days. If it takes more than 3 days, please notify the Las Vegas PD that I may have fallen victim to the aforementioned zombies.
The Robot in the Room: AI for Authors & Content Creators
Episode 5
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 • Duration 43:57
In this episode Lauren and Matt address the robot in the room – artificial intelligence! We share a few of our favorite ways to use AI and generative AI tools to help streamline content creation. Learn how we use AI as a research and analytics aid, to help with drafting and outlining content, to come up with variations on email subject lines and titles, and more!
Dive Deeper
💡Curious about any of the AI or resources we referenced in the episode? Check them out:
In this episode, Matt and Lauren tackle the question on every author and creator’s mind – can you actually make money from books? We share our favorite tactics for maximizing your book’s earning potential, including doing your market research, selling direct, making effective use of all your content, and more. Plus, we share some Lulu authors & creators who are doing it right!
🎙️ [4:47] “So for those of you that are interested in selling direct, but you don't have the time or the experience, or you just want to give it a quick try and you don't want to invest too much in it… These direct assisted platforms, I think, are really great for that.”
🎙️ [23:41] “There's no better way to control the customer experience from beginning to end and grow your business and capture all that data.”
🎙️ [38:23] “If your goal is long term growth and scalability, that should be a factor that you consider while you're deciding on your solutions.”
🎙️ [5:58] “Print-on-demand models will become as important, I think, to the publishing supply chain as some of the other things that have surfaced over the years.”
🎙️ [29:23] “Anytime you can gain a full percentage point, multiple or even double digit percentage points, like that's an opportunity you want to jump at. So when you look at what direct sales affords you, when that's implemented properly, especially with a print-on-demand model, there's just no arguing with that.”
🎙️ [35:35] “I think if we…let's say six months from now, we talk about the trend of POD for new users coming into the ecosystem. Yeah, I bet it's more than an uptick.”
🎙️ [22:51] “Marketing is just making friends. If you're doing it right, that's all it is. And whatever your way of making friends is, that should be your way of marketing…if your way of making friends is to go to in-person events or to see people in person, then that's how you should market. You should focus on those types of activities. But if your way of making friends is online, then focus on that.”
🎙️ [38:48] “If you've done all of the pre-launch marketing that you should, the best practices and the things that we talk about, launch day is infinitely easier. But if you don't do any pre-launch marketing, you can imagine how complicated launch day marketing is going to be.”
🎙️ [43:19] “One of my favorite things in the post-launch marketing bucket is the fact that now you can really start leaning into a lot of those opportunities that you were hopefully lining up in your pre-launch marketing, like interviews on podcasts or signings at your local bookstore at schools, depending on what your content is and all of those things.”
🎙️ [16:35] “I just assumed people really kind of understood the statistics and metrics around print books and the popularity of it. And the fact is that's not true. A lot of people don't realize that print books are still so popular that they consistently outsell ebooks and audiobooks.”
🎙️ [24:39] “Most people when asked would prefer to buy directly from their creator of choice, whether that is an online course or a book, they would prefer to buy directly from the creator and support the creator and their efforts.”
🎙️ [32:46] “At the end of the day, I think as a creator who is creating content for others to consume, that should be your goal. Maximizing not only the channels to which you get your content to market, but you know, really turning followers into fans and then fans into super fans. And the only way to do that is to offer them more of your content, whether that means more content, or more formats of that same content, or special editions.”
🎙️ [29:58] “I'm sure I've said this before, and I know I'll say it again. If you wait until the day you publish your book to start promoting your book, you have already missed the boat entirely.”
🎙️ [31:59] “I just don't think it's worth it to pay, you know, an agency or anybody else to really help you with the marketing of a book…we haven't seen many cases where the amount of money exchanged, especially for newer authors, really comes back as a viable return in the way of getting book sales, I think people really are able to make a good go of it themselves these days.”
🎙️ [32:38] “There is a reversal of that quality spectrum that's been happening over the last eight to ten years…I would definitely say that the quality of print on demand books is lightyears better now than it was ten to fifteen years ago.”
🎙️[15:46] “The difference between hearing from a speaker that you could also just listen to their podcast, or read their blog. or whatever, and attending an in-person event is the other attendees there with you.”
🎙️[26:14] “This is an environment where people are intentionally open to fostering connections with new people, which definitely takes some of the pressure off of networking and having those conversations…The type of networking that happens when you're there, in person, at an event is just different than what's going on on the internet.”
🎙️[37:49] “Find other ways to make the trip more beneficial for you as well in terms of an ROI. Maybe there's some people you can set up meetings with while you're there that can help further along some of the objectives you might have for the year, content exchanges, things like that.”
🎙️ [11:47] “I think the main way, right now, that most people are using it with any sort of success rate and efficiency rate is using it to buy back time in your day.”
🎙️ [15:38] ““Asking ChatGPT ‘can you break this down and explain it in a way that a room full of high school students, or take it deeper and say a room full of fifth graders, would understand,’ you'd be amazed at what you get back.””
🎙️ [41:39] “For whatever you're doing with it right now, whether that's not using it and being afraid of it, or whether that's starting to experiment with it and getting over your fears, or whether you consider yourself an expert in it right now…this is still the dumbest version of it you'll ever use, because it's changing every single day. So if you're finding value in it today, or you're gonna take some of these things we talked about back to your desk and try to make use of them, imagine if it's even the least bit helpful today, imagine how helpful it can be in your life six months from now, a year from now.”
🎙️ [23:27] “The ecommerce landscape is shifting. It's evolving quickly, but it's also shifting to where we're not just talking about website driven sales anymore. We're talking about the integration of ecommerce into social media channels…So as a book creator and seller, you need to be aware of those things and understand, again, what channels are your potential buyers hanging out, you know, your potential readers and new fans, where are they hanging out and you really should get yourself familiarized with the way that you can sell on those channels.”
🎙️ [30:00] “Monetizing your content with a book is great, but also using it as a way to establish yourself as a thought leader or an expert in your industry, using it to foster new connections, network, collaborate with your peers, open up new opportunities for something like a speaking engagement, guest podcast appearances. These are all ways that you're going to hopefully generate revenue and generate more business for yourself, and the book has helped you to do that.”
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