Wed, 31 December 2014
Jim and Bryan wrapped up 2014 by recapping the top tips and news stories of the year. The top three tips revolved around sales tracking, changing your social media mindset, and a multitude of ideas related to email lists. The top news stories of the year included the concept of the authorpreneur, the EU's Value Added Tax laws, Hachette vs. Amazon, Author Earnings, and Kindle Unlimited. Jim and Bryan closed by making some big predictions for 2015. The Question of the Week: What are your predictions for 2015? |
Wed, 24 December 2014
Jim and Bryan's ho-ho-holiday episode of SMBS touched upon the popular podcast Serial, the big boost adults buying YA gave the industry, Macmillan's deal with Amazon, Konrath dropping out of KU, and what trad pubs learned in 2014. They also touched upon social media tips, the path to a bestseller, and mistakes that hold indie authors back. The Question of the Week: What book do you want for Christmas and why? |
Wed, 17 December 2014
Jim and Bryan welcomed March to a Bestseller 2 Contest Winner Tara Ross onto the show to chat about Facebook's 2015 changes that will affect indie authors. Before that, they discussed digital tools like MightyBell, New Year's resolutions for writers, and launching pieces of meat into space. The temporary trio also talked about being an indie midlister, reasons for quitting self-publishing, how the indie tide is turning, traditional publishers using lower price points, and Facebook's upcoming monthly fee for promotional posts. The Question of the Week: How will Facebook's changes impact your promotional strategy? |
Wed, 10 December 2014
Without sound effects or background noise, Jim and Bryan discussed stories related to Hachette's direct experiment and the recent Zoe Suggs ghostwriting controversy. Before they got to that, Bryan offered free review copies of his Ted Saves the World audiobook and Jim discussed the new deal for a ticket to Author Marketing Live's virtual event. This week's tips included authorpreneur action steps from Joanna Penn, the keys to a great book launch page, and how you can create a bestselling outline. In the news, we talked about sales rank metrics, the new pulp movement for indies, an individual author subscription idea, BookBub's new Author Follows feature, the controversy behind the book Girl Online, and Hachette's direct selling efforts on Twitter. This week's two-part Question of the Week: If you found out a book you just bought was ghostwritten, how would you react? If you were Jim, what would be some ways you'd have a good time during the show while also providing value to Sell More Books Show listeners? |
Wed, 3 December 2014
With big news and tips galore, Jim and Bryan discussed the new VAT laws and recent discontent with Kindle Unlimited. Before they got to it, however, Jim announced the Author Marketing Podcast and Bryan discussed his Thunderclap and free run for Ted Saves the World. Their trio of tips included stories on hustling, cover design, and avoiding distractions. Other news stories revolved around Kindle Scout, Sterling and Stone's lessons learned in 2014 and Jane Friedman's view ahead to 2015. This week's Question of the Week: What have your results been like for Kindle Unlimited? Do you plan to join KDP Select or opt-out of it? |