Bryan made his triumphant return to the show as he and Jim discussed the top stories and tips of 2016! After going over Abigail The Intern’s Top 3 Tips, the self-pub squadron discussed stories about knowing your readers, using paid advertising, the problems with KU, the scammers of KU, and the rise and leveling-off of indie sales. They also thanked their patrons, Author Level Up, Character Sketch & Color, and Incursion: Merkiaari Wars Book 5. The final Question of the Week for 2016 is: What are you gonna get done in 2017?

Stephen Campbell from The Author Biz Podcast subbed for Bryan this week, as he and Jim took on tips about book covers, tax deductions, and producing art. After chatting up their patrons’ books (Email Lists Made Easy for Writers & Bloggers, 5 Numbers of Destiny, and 31 Days of Wisdom), Jim and Stephen talked trad pub podcasts, the end of Authors United, whether or not indies are declining, HarperCollins’ deal with Amazon Alexa, and Konrath’s major publishing decision. This week’s Question of the Week: What's your big indie publishing prediction for 2017?

With Bryan off hanging out with his new baby, Sheridan Stancliff joined the show to chat about tips on InstaFreebie ARCs, collaborations, and merchandising. After thanking their Patron-sponsored books of The Ten-Year Turnaround, Removed, and How to Drive Your Next Car Deal, Sheridan and Jim discussed news about a new app making waves in Croatia, a surge in creativity for digital comics, changes in Amazon’s pre-order policy, how KU free runs may not be as lucrative as you think, and why rented books could become a big deal. This week’s Question of the Week: Would you rent an ebook?

Jonny from Author Platform Rocket joined the guys to discuss Bryan’s results with his service. Jim offered to help folks find more reviewers as well (listen to the ep for more info). After discussing tips on productivity, BookBub, and bursts of promotion, they took on the latest in publishing news including Nook reporting errors, Amazon’s plans for India, ebook tax laws, artistic freedom, and using your backlist. This week’s Question of the Week: How do you promote your backlist? What kind of results have you had?

Jim’s sniffles kept this show short, tight, and intriguing, as he and Bryan discussed tips on author estate planning, transitioning to owning a business, and building your brand. After thanking their latest patrons, Kathy Coatney ( http://www.kathycoatney.com/dads-girls/ ), Percival Constantine ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ZBP8WK ), and Bobby Adair ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4VT778 ), this Thanksgiving twosome took on stories about Wattpad, book apps, Amazon ads, bookstores doubling as publishers, and what we should be thankful for. This week’s Question of the Week: What are you thankful for in your author career?

May Sage joined the guys this week for an awesome Lab segment as they discussed tips on holiday marketing, preparing for the worst, and mind-mapping. After thanking their patrons Ethan Jones (and his book The Secret Blush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDH2J1G ), Megan Haskell (and her book Sanyare https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ROBHMFY/ ), and Tara Ross (and her book Cubicle Jail to Laptop Lifestyle http://amzn.to/1ZNNHWl ), they took on news stories about Kobo contracts, trad pubs learning from indies, audiobooks in indie stores, Facebook tracking miscalculations, and the iOS Unsubscribe feature. This week’s Question of the Week: What are three things you could do to improve your emails to your readers?

Back from his day at the polls, Jim joined Bryan to talk tips on hustling, writing a novel quickly, and reader social network Litsy. After thanking their patrons, Chris Syme (and her book Sell More Books With Less Social Media http://amzn.to/2dRIefz ), David King (and his book Hitler Out of Time http://www.hitleroutoftime.com/amazon ), and Simon Goodson (and his book Wanderer’s Escape http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AZ7YSFQ ), the troublesome pair took on stories about book covers, European ebook lending, post-election book bumps, KU Australia, the future of audio, and Amazon’s new policy on KDP Ads. This week’s Question of the Week: Now that the exclusivity requirement is dropped, will you try KDP Ads with your non-exclusive books? Why or why not? Also, what book should Abigail review next for our new segment?

H. Claire Taylor subbed for Jim this week as the comedy duo of Cohen and Taylor took on the Sell More Books Show. After thanking their patrons Patrick O’Donnell ( http://bit.ly/mdcitypod ), C. Steven Manley ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U3DW6MY ), and  L. Penelope ( http://lpenelope.com/books/song-of-blood-and-stone/ ), Bryan and Claire chatted about tips on advertising, dictation, and BookBub featured deals. News stories included Books-A-Million self-publishing packages, an Amazon reading service for kids, a new pricing policy at Amazon Books, Steve Scott’s 17 steps to $1,000 in publishing, and authors struggling to get email subscribers. This week’s Question of the Week: Have you noticed a decrease in email subscriber numbers? If so, what have you done to try to help numbers pick back up?

Happy November! Jim and Bryan welcomed back Derek Siddoway of Book Review 22 for another Lab segment, but not before thanking their latest patrons Jennifer Evans (and her book Peaks of Passion http://bit.ly/pleaspnt ), Matthew Paulson (and his book The Ten-Year Turnaround http://www.amztk.com/tenyearturnaround ), and Randy Stapilus (and his book What Sells Books http://www.ridenbaughpress.com/whatsellsbooks/ ). This week, the candidate champs discussed tips on working smarter, diversifying income, and Amazon review rules. News stories included Nook Press changes, a recent scam, the dissolution of a big Author Solutions Relationship, a new freelance law, the likelihood of books disappearing, and being an early adopter. This week’s Question of the Week: Which stage of technological adoption is self-publishing in and why? Innovation, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, or Laggards?

Honoree Corder visited the show to talk about publishing, books, and the Amazon Breakfast! After thanking Honoree (and her book You Must Write a Book http://bit.ly/ymwabhc ), Craig Lea Gordon (and his book Hypercage https://amzn.com/B01KPGFQXY ) and Kirsten Oliphant (and her book Email Lists Made Easy for Writers and Bloggers https://amzn.com/B01HLLYCA4 ), the trio discussed tips on author training, creative visualization, and finding your ideal readers. News stories included a nonfiction NaNoWriMo, Free Book Zones, interactive YA entertainment, the “wall of content,” horror bleeding indies, and tips from the Amazon Breakfast. This week’s Question of the Week: Have you used visualization or other personal development tactics to achieve your goals? Why or why not?