Novel Marketing

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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 Support the show

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/ Support the show

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/ Support the show

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/ Support the show

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 Support the show

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. Support the show

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. Support the show

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 Support the show

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. Support the show

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. Support the show

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. Support the show