Author Interview – Page 3 – Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast

SFFMP 195: Kindle Unlimited, All-star Bonuses, YA Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Fantasy

August 21, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

Fantasy author Alex Lidell joined us on the show this week. She started her publishing journey with YA fantasy when her first novel, The Cadet of Tildor, was picked up by Penguin after being a finalist in Amazon’s Breakout Novel contest. After that, she turned to self-publishing with her YA fantasy TIDES series, and she recently jumped into reverse harem fantasy with her Power of Five series, where she’s had a lot of success on Amazon.

Here are some of the specifics we discussed and links to books and resources mentioned in the show:

Alex’s experience with the now-defunct Amazon Breakout Novel contest.
How she got picked up by Penguin for her first book and what the editing process was like.
Why she decided to switch to self-publishing and how you have to be willing to learn to think and act like a small-business owner when you do.
The states of YA fantasy and reverse harem and if there’s room for newcomers hoping to sell well.
Whether there are expected tropes in YA fantasy and what the ones are for reverse harem.
A recommendation for Orson Scott Card’s Characters and Viewpoints for authors looking to hone their craft for YA (or any genre/audience).
3D-character rendering as an alternative to illustrations for cover art.
Marketing in the traditional publishing world (and being an “ambassador for your brand”) versus marketing as an indie author.
Why Alex is in Kindle Unlimited and her brief flirtation with wide for a Bookbub ad.
What time of the month she launches her books to have a better shot at earning an All-Star Bonus in KU.
Getting the paperback version of a book up before the ebook so people can post reviews ahead of launch day.
Using ACX for audiobooks and her experiences with paying up front per finished hour versus doing a royalty split with a narrator.
Getting more exposure and reviews for audiobooks through Audiobook Boom.

You can find Alex on her website and on Facebook, and her novels are available on Amazon, including Air and Ash (Book 1 of her TIDES series for YA fantasy lovers) and The Power of Five (Book 1 of her reverse harem series).

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alex lidell, all-star bonuses, kindle unlimited, reverse harm, ya fantasy

SFFMP 194: Selling Books and Networking at Conventions and Finding the Balance Between Writing and Marketing with Kevin J. Anderson

August 14, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, Kevin J. Anderson joined us from a remote cabin in Colorado where he’s sequestered to do some work (and talk to us, naturally). The internet connection wasn’t the best for the first few minutes, and we had some lag, but things get steadier about ten minutes in. Kevin talked to us about his experience as a new professor directing the Certificate in Publishing program at Western State Colorado University, about the 22 conventions he went to last year, and about why he’s taking more time just to write this year. We also discussed the marketing he does for his books and the other authors he publishes through Wordfire Press.

Here are some of the specifics of what we covered:

Teaching students about publishing in today’s quickly changing environment.
The challenges of working with the slower schedule of traditional publishing.
The challenges of all you have to learn to be successful as an indie author.
Tips for successfully selling at conventions.
Using conventions to meet other authors in your peer group.
Advice for first-time authors interested in going to conventions.
The challenges of keeping backlist titles selling while working on publishing new titles.
What kind of advertising Kevin is regularly doing and finding effective.
Advice to new indie authors on branding and how to find fans.
Books Kevin recommends for speculative fiction writers: Writing the Blockbuster Novel, David Farland’s Million Dollar Outlines, and his own World Building: From Small Towns to Entire Universes.

You can find Kevin on his website, on Facebook, and on Twitter, among other places. If you want to check out some of Kevin’s work, he just published a collection of his short stories called Selected Stories: Science Fiction. He also has a new novel out with Sarah A. Hoyt: Uncharted.

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conventions, guest author, kevin J Anderson, marketing, networking, selling at conventions, wordfire press

SFFMP 192: Instagram, Swag, Book Boxes, and Launching Your First Book Without Spending any Money

July 31, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, we chatted with YA science fiction author Jessica Pierce who launched her first book, Atlas Fallen, in April of this year. She didn’t spend a lot of money on her launch, relying instead on the fan base and contacts she’d accumulated on Instagram. We talked to her about how to acquire a following and build book buzz on the platform and also about some creative things she’s done with swag and launch boxes.

Here are some more specifics and links from the show:

What it’s like starting out as a new author in the YA market right now.
Overcoming the challenges of selling books to a young adult audience.
Common tropes that might be addressed in YA science fiction (or YA in general)
An introduction to book boxes.
All the kinds of swag you can make as an author for contests or to help with a book launch.
Doing magnetic bookmarks, custom book sleeves, and swag that goes beyond the typical book plates and bookmarks.
Hanging out where your target audience is.
How Instagram is a huge place to reach teenage/young adult readers.
The importance of using the hashtags on Instagram including the popular #bookstagram tag.
What to post on Instagram as an author to build buzz.
Why Jessica hired artists to do character art for her who happened to also have large Instagram followings.
If every author should be on Instagram or if it’s more ideal for those targeting younger readers.
Making sure your cover and your blurb are tailored to your target audience.
Society6 for creating swag.
PackLane.com for creating custom shipping boxes.
UPrinting.com for other print-on-demand swag needs.

You can visit Jessica on her website or (of course!) on Instagram. She just enrolled Atlas Fallen in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited, so you can find the ebook on Amazon.

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book boxes, book launches, instagram, Jessica Pierce, science fiction, swag, ya science fiction, young adult fiction

SFFMP 190: Analyzing the Amazon Store to Help Your Books Perform Better with Alex from K-Lytics

July 17, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, we were joined by data cruncher Alex Newton who runs the K-Lytics (i.e. Kindle Analytics) service for authors and publishers. He’s been taking a look at trends in Science Fiction and Fantasy this summer, so we invited him on to talk about the findings of his latest report. He also gave us some great information on the Amazon store such as how keywords work (and don’t work) on the site and the differences between Amazon bestseller lists and what comes up in Amazon search results.

Here are some more of the specifics we covered:

Some SF/F sub-categories that are trending upward.
Finding categories where it’s easier to get a bestseller tag (and whether it can be useful to rank highly in a tiny niche few people browse).
Finding the intersection between writing what you love and writing books that can fit into hungry and less competitive sub-genres.
Using keywords to appear in searches related to your genre.
Why there’s no point to throwing keywords into your book’s description or into the book itself.
Whether books that shouldn’t be in genres (i.e. paranormal detective romance stuck in the Arthurian fantasy category) skew the data or matters in the long run.
Why you might not want to change your keywords and categories around willy nilly.
Amazon’s natural tendency to promote churn and whether it can be fighting an uphill battle with continuing to advertise the same books for months and year at a time.
Average price points for books in the Top 100 for various subgenres.

If you’re interested in checking out K-Lytics, their website is here, and they also have some free videos and posts up on their blog.

If you want to see the screenshots that Alex shared, make sure to check out the YouTube video this week:

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Alex newton, amazon, amazon categories, amazon keywords, amazon search, fantasy trends., k-lytics, science fiction trends

SFFMP 189: Succeeding in Niches and Writing and Marketing Time Travel Fiction

July 10, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

For this week’s show, time travel and steampunk author Nathan Van Coops joined us to talk about his two series and what he’s doing to keep them selling. He’s a busy guy, releasing one novel a year, but still manages to bring in a good income from his books.

Here are some of the specifics that we discussed:

Tropes of the time travel genre and whether readers expect you to stick to them.
Some of perks of writing in a smaller niche where it’s easier to rank on Amazon, along with some of the challenges inherent in being in a less popular genre.
Finding and connecting with readers of your genre, especially if you’re writing in a smaller niche, on Goodreads.
Launching a series in a different sub-genre after you’ve built up a fan base.
When it’s time to call it quits if a series isn’t performing well.
Why Nathan is still a fan of having a free Book 1 even though he’s transitioned his books into Kindle Unlimited and Amazon exclusivity.
What a launch looks like for Nathan now that he’s five years into his author career and built a large fan base.
Why he still does Facebook “launch parties” and giveaways for his fans.
Lowering the price of all earlier books in a series for a launch of a later book.
The challenge of running Facebook ads when you’re in a smaller niche and there aren’t any big name authors like you to target.
What Nathan does to keep books selling between his annual releases.
Making use of Kindle Countdown Deals.
Using bundles as another “book” to market when you don’t have many series or other book 1s to alternate around the various sponsorship sites.
Making the decision to invest in audiobook production when you’ve got long books (lots of hours of narration to pay for).
Tips for selling more audiobooks.

You can visit Nathan on his website, join his Facebook group, and check out his books on Amazon. They’re currently free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

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nathan van coops, scifi niches, time travel

SFFMP 188: A Successful Fantasy Series Relaunch

July 3, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

On this week’s show, we chat with dark/epic fantasy author and podcaster Andy Peloquin. Andy got the rights back to his first series and did a big and very successful relaunch, revamping it to appeal to assassin-loving epic fantasy fans instead of the dark fantasy fans it previously targeted.

Here are some of the specifics that we covered:

Andy’s background as a freelance writer.
His first forays into publishing, including signing with a small publisher.
Why he decided to ask for the rights back to his first series and relaunch it himself.
How he redid his blurbs and covers to target a larger audience than previously.
Researching not just in his genre but in his specific niche (assassins, mercenaries, sellswords, etc.) and seeing what kinds of covers were selling.
Creating an effective epic fantasy cover with stock photos instead of paying a fortune for custom illustrations.
Changing the titles to hit on popular epic fantasy tropes.
How he contacted other authors in his niche and asked for them to plug his book when he was ready to release the new Book 1.
How he’s designed effective Facebook ads that don’t cost him much per click.
Whether his Fantasy Fiends podcast has been useful for networking with authors and making book sales to listeners.
How to know if it’s worth doing a relaunch for a flagging series.

You can visit Andy on his site or check out his books on Amazon, including the newly relaunched Hero of Darkness series.

You can also check out Andy’s podcast, Fantasy Fiends, on YouTube, iTunes, etc.

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andy peloquin, epic fantasy, fantasy, fantasy series, relaunch, series launch

SFFMP 187: YouTube for Authors, Pricing High, and Running a Successful Patreon Campaign

June 26, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, we chatted with fantasy author Jenna Moreci who was able to quit her day job after she published her first book in 2015. But that’s not all she did. A year earlier, she started a YouTube Channel for writers where she’s been consistently uploading weekly videos. She used her YouTube following to help launch that first book (Eve: The Awakening), start a Patreon campaign, and create CafePress merchandise that she sells to her followers/readers.

Here are some of the specifics that we talked about:

Why Jenna started a YouTube channel geared toward writers.
How having a following on YouTube helped her launch her first novel, Eve: The Awakening.
How she was able to quit the day job and replace her income after her first novel.
How long it takes to build up a following on YouTube and why you have to consistently post quality videos.
How much time Jenna spends on her YouTube videos each week.
Things authors should keep in mind if they’re thinking of starting their own YouTube channel.
The book marketing assistance business she mentioned (STORIAD).
Why Jenna started a Patreon campaign and how she’s earning over $1,000 a month with it.
Whether it’s worth it to start a Patreon campaign before you have a following.
Jenna’s attitude when she started out: “Assume the money’s not going to come for a long time.” And how that helped her keep her expectations realistic.
Why she started doing merchandise related to her books and YouTube channel and why she uses CafePress.
Why she’s pricing fairly high for an indie author (her most recent novel is priced at $6.49).

You can visit Jenna on her website, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram (among other places!) and check out her books, Eve: The Awakening on Amazon and The Savior’s Champion available in most stores.

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jenna moreci, patreon, pricing ebooks, youtube, youtube marketing

SFFMP 186: Using a Multi-Author Boxed Set to Launch a New Series + Challenges of Historical Fantasy

June 19, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, one of our first guests ever on the show rejoined us after more than three years to talk about switching from contemporary fantasy to historical fantasy/steampunk. Becca Andre, author of the Final Formula series and her new Iron Souls series, publishes regularly while working full time and being a mom. We talked time management, the unique challenges of selling historical fantasy, and what it was like to use a big multi-author boxed set to launch a Book 1 in a new series.

Here are a few of the specifics we discussed:

Switching from urban/dark fantasy in a contemporary setting to a historical steampunk fantasy setting.
The challenges of researching and publishing historical fantasy.
Marketing a unique historical setting and story idea versus something that follows more popular tropes.
Using a multi-author boxed set to launch a brand new Book 1 in a new series.
Launching a Book 1 on its own after it already went out to your core fans in a boxed set.
Why Becca decided to try KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited for this series after having been wide in all the stores for years.
Fitting in time to write and market when you’ve got a day job and a family.
Choosing a cover design when you’re writing something unique and there aren’t many examples.
Amazon categories that can be used for historical fantasy and using a keyword to get into the new “gaslamp” fantasy category.

You can visit Becca on her site, and check out her new Iron Souls series on Amazon. Her Final Formula books are available in all stores.

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becca andre

SFFMP 185: Book Marketing Tips and Starting an eBook Sponsorship Site

June 12, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

We’re usually joined by successful authors on the show, but today we invited on Jeffrey Bruner from the (successful) sponsorship site, The Fussy Librarian. He sees a lot of books in a lot of genres come through his gates, so we asked him a bit about trends and what’s selling right now, and also what it takes to start a sponsorship site (for those of you out there who have considered it!).

Here are a few of the specifics that we discussed:

Jeffrey’s own books and what made him decide to start an ebook sponsorship site.
How much of a time and monetary commitment getting such a site going is.
TFB’s free list versus their bargain list and review requirements for each.
Whether authors are still finding it profitable to advertise a free book one when the rest of the series is full price.
Linking from TFB direct to bookstores or to sites like Instafreebie if you’re trying to build a list.
The marketing Jeffrey does to keep new subscribers coming onto the list so authors can come back again and get their books in front of new people.
Some genre trends for science fiction and fantasy — what he’s seeing a lot of submitted and clicked on.
Advertising Amazon exclusive titles versus ebooks that are available in all the stores.

Right now, you can book The Fussy Librarian for $14 for a bargain fantasy book, $17 for a bargain science fiction book, or $30 to promote a freebie. They also have a subscription service if you want to regularly promote Book X on a schedule. Check out the site for more details.

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SFFMP 183: Succeeding on a Book a Year with CW Lamb

May 29, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

This week, scifi and fantasy author CW Lamb joined us to talk about how he got his start in 2014, how KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited helped him launch his first book to great success, and why he’s sought out an agent and is also looking for a traditional deal.

Here are some of the specifics we discussed:

What it was like to start in 2014 and launch into KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited.
Having early success in the space adventure/military SF category.
Keeping books selling on a relatively modest release schedule.
Leveraging a solid sales history into getting an agent.
How controversial reviews might help sell books.
Why Charles feels pursuing a traditional route might help him reach a wider audience.
The price points he’s experimented with.
What he’s learned since his first launch and what a book launch looks like for him now.
Keeping multiple series going and selling in different genres.
His thoughts on doing pre-orders on Amazon.
Why he would launch into KDP Select again now if he was a new author starting out.

You can visit Charles (CW) on his website and check out his books on Amazon. ALICE starts of his scifi series, and The Lost Ranger is the first in his new fantasy series.