Category: Podcast

SFFMP 71: Blurbs That Sell, 99-Cent Price Points, and Military SF with Amy J. Murphy

Author Interview, Podcast

Debut military science fiction author Amy J. Murphy joins us to talk about how she had a great run with her first novel (and she’s still having it more than five months later).

Here’s a little of what we discussed:

  • Funding a Kickstarter campaign as a new author
  • Getting a start with fan-fiction
  • Whether she had any challenges publishing military science fiction as a female author
  • Some of the pitfalls of letting someone else handle your formatting and uploading your books into the various stores
  • Choosing to go exclusive with Amazon KDP Select as a new author
  • Using a 99-cent price point on Book 1 to make it easier for readers to try you out and get them locked into the rest of your series
  • Combatting the infamous 30/90-Day Cliff on Amazon with drip campaigns (periodically doing an advertising promotion)
  • Using TV show names (Farscape meets Firefly with some Indiana Jones thrown in) in the blurb to give people an idea of what they’re getting right away.
  • Whether or not sticking keywords in the blurb makes sense and can be done without detrimental results
  • Using Kindle Samurai to scope out keywords on Amazon

If you enjoyed the show, please visit Amy on her site or check out her first book on Amazon: Allies and Enemies: Fallen. She’s also on Twitter.

If you’re interested, Amy’s editor is Pat Dobie, and her cover artist is Alex Winkler.

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , ,

SFFMP 70: Retold Fairy Tales, Kindle Unlimited, and Finding Less Competitive Categories with K.M. Shea

Author Interview, Podcast

Fantasy author K.M. Shea talks about how she’s found a lot of success publishing retold fairy tales and is now a full-time author. We covered…

  • The perks of publishing in a category that is underserved by traditional publishing and that isn’t hugely competitive.
  • Why K.M. has everything in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited now (yes, she’s tried going wide too).
  • Monitoring page reads and payouts in Kindle Unlimited to make sure it’s working for you
  • Pitfalls and things to be careful of when retelling fairy tales.
  • Creating a series even when your books are stand-alone — is there a theme that can pull them all together?
  • Encouraging more reviews for books by offering free extras for all when certain numbers of reviews are reached.
  • Connecting with readers and giving them lots of extras to turn them into ravenous fans who want to see you succeed.
  • Choosing a cover style when you’re in a category where this isn’t a Big 5 presence and examples are all over the place.

If you’ve enjoyed the show, be sure to check out K.M. Shea’s books on Amazon. She recommend starting with The Snow Queen, Book 1.

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , ,

SFFMP 69: Foreign Translations, Pen Names, and Keeping a Long-Running Series Fresh and Selling with Shelley Adina

Author Interview, Podcast

Steampunk (and Harlequin and Amish romance) author Shelley Adina joins us today to talk about managing multiple pen names and genres, keeping a long-running series fresh (and selling), paying for foreign translations of indie books, and working the cons to get in touch with more readers (and take trips you can write off on your taxes!).

Here are some more specifics of what we covered:

  • An MFA program that was actually fun (and taught genre writing)
  • Going indie in genres where the publishers aren’t interested (and making more money as an indie than in trad publishing!)
  • Writing a free short story to entice readers to sign up to your newsletter
  • Selling in Germany as an SF&F author (and whether it’s worth doing translations)
  • The high cost of paying for translations on your own
  • How to use your blog as a marketing method and what to write about as a fiction author
  • Keeping your author voice consistent when you’re switching between pen names and genres
  • Not just relying on ebooks and making extra money by doing paperback and audio versions.
  • How Shelley got a deal with Blackstone Publishing to handle distribution of audiobooks and get into more stores than when using ACX.

Like what you heard? You can check out the first book in Shelley’s Magnificent Devices series for free. Stop by her website to learn more!

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , ,

SFFMP 68: How Much Are Indie Authors *Really* Making with Author Earnings Report’s Data Guy

Author Interview, Podcast

Tonight’s discussion was with the anonymous Data Guy, curator for the famous (or perhaps infamous!) Author Earnings Report. If you haven’t been by the site, make sure to visit and check out some of the reports (you can also grab the raw data if you’re a data person!).

Here are some of the questions we asked Data Guy:

  • What exactly is the Author Earnings Report, and how do you get your information?
  • How are you able to look at a book’s Amazon sales ranking and figure out how many books are selling each day?
  • How are indie authors doing compared to small press, Amazon imprints, and traditionally published authors?
  • Which genres are indie authors doing best in?
  • What’s the reception been from the industry? Has Amazon stepped forward to confirm or deny the accuracy of your reports?
  • Does the data show that authors need to release frequently (i.e. every few months) to stay on the radar and continue selling well?
  • Are there any correlations between basic stats and overall income? i.e. total number of books, number in series, number of reviews, etc.
  • How is sales ranking figured? Is it true that it takes more sales to make it to a certain ranking than it does to stick once you get there? How are past sales weighed in to the current ranking?
  • How does Kindle Unlimited play into your rankings and income reports?
  • What do you think is the best route for authors starting out today?

Some recent reports from Author Earnings:

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , , ,

SFFMP 67: YA Sci-Fi, Being a Hybrid Author, and Tips for Writers with Beth Revis

Author Interview, Podcast

Today, we’re talking to YA science fiction author, Beth Revis, about being a hybrid author, the differences in traditional publishing and self-publishing, and marketing from both sides of the fence. In addition to her fiction, she has published three books for writers: Some Writing Advice, Some Publishing Advice, and Some Marketing Advice.

Here’s some of what we talked about:

  • Traditionally publishing her Across the Universe series after a thousand rejections.
  • What her publisher brought to the table as far as marketing and promotion.
  • Why she decided to self publish The Body Electric.
  • Marketing venues you can get into with a traditional publisher behind you (and the challenges of getting into the same spots as an indie).
  • Giveaways and contests and what kind of prizes she uses to inspire fan art.
  • Beth’s tips for getting an agent and a publisher (she recommends batch querying to test your query letter, sample pages, etc. before flinging your queries out to everyone in the database)?
  • Using QueryTracker to find agents suitable for your genre (newer agents may be quicker to respond and more eager to find clients than established veterans)
  • How Beth decides if a project is more suitable for self-publishing or if it might appeal to a traditional publisher.
  • Getting involved with more than Facebook when it comes to social media (she recommends Instagram and Tumblr especially for YA authors).
  • Occasionally Tweeting or Facebook posting about the perks of being on your mailing list (such as that you’ll debut book covers or teasers to subscribers)
  • Using apps like Word Swag and sites like Canva.com to take fun quotes from your book and turn them into graphics that are more shareable on social media.
  • Using Wattpad as a way to organize non-fiction projects and also to get exposure to the YA readers out there.

If you’re interested in Beth’s books for writers, the links to all three are up above. If you want to check out her fiction, you can find her novels and short stories on Amazon or get more information on her website. Her latest novel, A World Without You, will be available in July (you can pre-order it now). She’s on social media in all of the usual places too, so stop by and say hi!

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , , ,

SFFMP 66: Writing and Selling Paranormal Romance with Elle Thorne

Author Interview, Podcast

We chatted with up-and-coming indie author Elle Thorne today about writing and selling paranormal romance. She’s been publishing for less than two years, but she’s been very prolific, has numerous series going, and has contributed to several boxed sets. She’s doing quite well for herself.

Here’s some of what we discussed:

  • Rocking it with novella length fiction
  • The difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance
  • The challenges and rewards of writing in a popular genre
  • Following trends in PNR versus just writing what you’re passionate about
  • Boxed sets — the challenges of committing to writing new fiction for a set and when it’s worth it
  • Effective ways to increase your mailing list sign-ups
  • Kindle Unlimited and KDP Select for PNR and novella-length fiction
  • Looking at the top book covers in your genre for inspiration
  • Becoming a part of existing Facebook groups in your genre as a means of promotion
  • Doing cross-promotion with other closely related authors to increase your reach
  • The challenges of getting sponsorships with the shorter fiction
  • Tips for authors just getting into PNR

Check out Elle’s books on Amazon — right now you can get Protection, the first in her Shifters Forever series, for free. You can also visit her on the web at Elle Thorne and see what she’s up to on Facebook.

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , , ,

SFFMP 65: Optimizing Your Amazon Sales Page + Listener Questions Answered

Group Discussion, Podcast

Today Jeff, Jo, and Lindsay discussed how to improve your Amazon sales page so that people are less likely to click away, especially now that there are sponsored results and other distractions everywhere. They also answered some listener questions and shared some of their recent news and helpful tips.

Here are some of the highlights and the links mentioned during the show:

  • Selling to male readers or getting more readers overall as a female author of science fiction
  • How many words do you have to write for your work to be considered a novel, and at what length is it OK to charge novel prices for your ebook?
  • How can you gauge if a series is selling well enough to continue or if it’s better to move on to something else?
  • Using Bookfunnel to make it easier to give out free ebooks (they handle helping your readers with side-loading)
  • The Kevin Kelly 1000 True Fans idea that you don’t need to be a best seller to make a living as an author, just to gradually accumulate enough true fans
  • Whether entering keywords in your KDP dashboard can actually help
  • Using keywords to get into bonus categories on Amazon (here’s the Amazon help page that tells you the words to use for the various categories)
  • Making sure not to get in trouble with the titles and subtitles you use if adding keywords
  • Using Author Central to claim your book, link editions (ebooks, paperbacks, audiobooks), and fill out the extras such as the “critical reviews” and “about the author” fields
  • The need for book reviews to provide social proof and also help you compete against the ads for other books that appear on your own sales page
  • Using taglines and hooks to catch people’s interest before they have to “click more” with the new Amazon page layouts

 

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , ,

SFFMP 64: Rachel Caine Talks Urban Fantasy, YA, Traditional Publishing, and Rocking a Kickstarter Campaign

Author Interview, Podcast

Today’s guest, Rachel Caine, has been publishing urban fantasy and YA fantasy since 1991. She’s been traditionally published throughout her career, but she recently decided to self-publish a new book in her long-standing Weather Warden series. She launched a Kickstarter to help finance the project, asked for $5,000 and ended up earning $18,000+. We asked her about the Kickstarter and also what she’s seen as far as changes in the industry, along with the differences in self-publishing and traditional publishing when it comes to marketing and more.

Some of the things we talked about were:

  • The state of urban fantasy today and how trends wax and wane
  • Creating a successful Kickstarter campaign (and some tips for how to save more of the money that people pledge to you).
  • Building a mailing list as a traditionally published author (she uses Mailchimp and has done giveaways with Rafflecopter).
  • Creating items for physical giveaways at signings and conventions (Rachel mentioned MakePlayingCards.com for doing character cards and ClubFlyers.com and Vista Print for bookmarks, postcards, and the like).
  • Visiting schools and marketing to librarians to help sell YA fiction
  • What kind of help you can expect from traditional publishers when it comes to marketing and what’s most likely going to be up to you.
  • The challenges of participating in such common self-pub marketing tactics as multi-author bundles and price-related promotions when your books are traditionally published
  • Whether social media and “having a platform” are important when it comes to getting a traditional deal
  • Being careful about signing a contract and watching out for rights grabs

You can find Rachel at her website, on Twitter, and you can visit her author page on Facebook.

She has lots of new books coming out for you to check out. She has a story coming out in the new X-files anthology, she has a collection of short stories from her Morganville Vampires series, and the next book in her Great Library series will be out this summer. Check out the first here (visit her site for more news and links to other stores).

 

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , ,

SFFMP 63: Improving Sales as Your Series Progresses with Space Opera Author Terry Mixon

Author Interview, Podcast

Today’s guest is a former NASA employee and U.S. Army soldier who recently made the switch to writing science fiction full time. Terry Mixon is the author of two space opera series, The Empire of Bones Saga and The Humanity Unlimited Saga, and he’s also dabbled in erotica (as he informed us during the interview, he’s now making more from his sci-fi than he did from erotica, so there’s no reason not to write what you love). In addition to being an author, Terry is one of the co-hosts of the Dead Robots’ Society Podcast.

Here’s some of what we covered in the show:

  • Keeping the story interesting as the series progresses
  • The state of space opera currently when it comes to marketing and selling books
  • The pros of starting out in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited
  • Running Kindle Countdown Deals on older books at the same time as you release a new book in the series
  • Nailing your genre with your covers (making your book look like it could be on the shelf next to traditionally published novels)
  • Building your mailing list — do you need to offer incentives?
  • Amazon’s 30- and 90-day cliffs
  • Building a fan base by publishing regularly in a series

Check out Terry’s books on Amazon, including the first book in his Empire of Bones Saga.

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , ,

SFFMP 62: Anthologies, New Covers, and Creating Boxed Sets to Increase Sales with C. Gockel

Author Interview, Podcast

We had our first repeat guest on the show today, urban fantasy author Carolynn Gockel (writing as C. Gockel) from Episode 19, where we chatted about permafree books, getting started on fan fiction sites, using Tumblr to promote, and where to buy sponsorships. Carolynn has been busy with a lot of marketing stuff in the last year, and she’s also jumped into science fiction, so we talked about some of what she’s done and learned recently.

We discussed:

  • The promotional (and monetary) perks of putting a short story into an anthology with other authors in your genre, all of whom throw their marketing weight behind the release.
  • Starting your own multi-author boxed sets and whether it’s better to do permafree sets or 99-centers.
  • How to snag a Bookbub ad on a multi-author anthology.
  • The challenges of launching a new series in a different genre from your flagship series.
  • Having one series in Kindle Unlimited (KDP Select) and one wide (she recommends that new authors start out in KDP Select right now).
  • Getting approached by audiobook producers and if it’s better to sell your audio rights versus spending the money producing your own audiobooks.
  • Whether investing in new covers resulted in an uptick in sales and was worth it for Carolynn.
  • Her adventures in Facebook advertising — is it worth using Facebook to promote permafree Book 1s? Boxed sets? Multi-author boxed sets?
  • Lastly, she let us know that she writes because, “If I wasn’t an author, I’d probably be a nasty internet troll.” We all have our motivations!

Grab her first book in the I Bring the Fire series for free from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, or Apple. You can also check out the first ebook in her science fiction series, Archangel Down.

Visit her online at C. Gockel Writes.

 

| Open Player in New Window

Click to download the mp3.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on iTunes.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast on YouTube.

Subscribe to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast via RSS.

, , , , , , , ,
1 … 14 15 16 17 18 … 22