Business Book Podcast

An eye opening podcast on how to sell more books in places you would never think to sell. Brian Jud, an executive director at the Association of Publishers for Special Sales describes non bookstore marketing, selling to retailers, non-retailers, and companies that use books as promotional items. Brian explains how he started in this business and learned how to sell the books that he wrote, using them to become a speaker, using portions of them in promotional info for companies, and how to fit his books to the needs of each sale. He provides a number of resources for authors on marketing and learning about the publishing industry through booksellinguniversity.com and full-service options @ APSS.org or bookmarketing.com.

The Wizard of Ads was one of my virtual mentors when I began copywriting and has continued to be a man I admire as an entrepreneur, artist, and gem of a human soul. It was my privilege to have him on the show to talk about how the masters approached creativity, learn how he wrote his bestselling books, and hear about how we both view books as sacred things.

Jane Friedman is one of the most well known and well respected professionals in the publishing industry today. She's the author of Chicago Press's "The Business of Being a Writer" as well as "The Authors Guild Guide to E-Publishing." She writes a column for the trade publication "Publishers Weekly" but is probably best known as the co-founder of "The Hot Sheet." In this episode, she gives us a crash course in publishing today: what to know before writing your book, the prestige of traditional publishers vs. the requirements of self-publishing, what publishers look for in an author, print vs. digital, New York vs. Amazon—and that's just the first half!

Entrepreneurs and publishers often clash. Publishers are looking to sell a mass-market commodity product, whereas entrepreneurs like to play in the sandbox. Then there's David Hancock, founder of a publishing house with an entrepreneurial approach to the business.

It's my genuine pleasure to interview my own ghostwriting mentor, Claudia Suzanne. She is the most experienced ghostwriter in history (that we know of), with upwards of 150 (!) "invisible credits" to her name. She's the creator of the Ghostwriting Professional Designation Program, recognized by the State of California as a professional certification. A wealth of insider ghostwriting experience.

Matthew Pollard talks about how he chose his publisher, what it's like to work with a literary agent, why he needed a ghostwriter, and how he's already marketing his book.

Clothier Jack Mitchell authored one of the best business books I've ever read. I still use it as an example of a book "done right" to authors. Learn what sparked his book "Hug Your Customers," what it's done for him and his business, and how it launched his second career.

Few people know how to successfully market their book: Joanna Penn is one of them. An author in both fiction and non-fiction, she takes us through what author marketing looks like today.

Sally Haldorson is a bona fide business-book lover. She serves as the General Manager of 800-CEO-READ, one the premier companies in the genre. Not only does she know the industry inside and out, but she's also a writer herself, having co-authored the 3rd edition of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time in addition to multiple degrees in creative writing and literature.

Mignon Fogarty—better known as "Grammar Girl"—is helping our generation fall in love with writing. The creator and host of an immensely popular podcast, she is also the author of a number of books on writing, including Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing and Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students. *Photo credit to David Calvert

Ray Bard is the founder of the business publishing house Bard Press. Over the last 30 years, half of Bard Press's books have been on bestseller lists, including The ONE Thing with over 1 million books sold and the all-time bestselling sales book in history, The Little Red Book of Selling with over 3 million sold. He came on the podcast to talk about his own new book Fired UP! Selling: Great Quotes to Inspire, Energize, and Succeed as well as to share the 4 things every business book must sell.

Authors experience common fears: lack of confidence, rejection, and criticism, to name a few. Derek shares his thoughts on how to face them head on and push past those blocks that keep us from doing our work.

Daniel Steven is an intellectual property rights attorney. He represents all aspects of authors and people in media and intellectual property. Author of four books, Dan previously worked as a book editor and publisher. Listen to this podcast as Dan takes us through the complex (but crucial) world of publishing law, and how authors and other creatives can protect themselves and their work.

Michele DeFilippo is an indie book publishing mentor who educates authors on better self-publishing, and author ofPublish Like the Pros. She’s also owner of 1106Design, which was recently named as the only full-service book design firm recommended by IngramSpark.

Ed Gandia is co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer and Business Coach and Strategist for freelance Writers and creative Professionals. He and his co-authors leveraged their existing businesses to write, publish and market their book at a time when the economy was taking a nosedive and the global corporate environment was experiencing a massive shift. Listen to the podcast to learn how Ed and his co-authors as they developed their business book idea and the impact it made on his business.

Your book title can help make or break book sales. Derek explains why authors should invest time in creating the right title for their book and audience. He describes the criteria he uses to evaluate titles, some of the pitfalls authors face, and an exercise to get started on picking your book title.

Author Jack Covert is founder of 800-CEO-READ, a firm that helps authors navigate the world of book sales. From advertising and promotion to shipping and customization, they help authors understand the marketplace and make the best decisions for their unique objectives and situation. Jack talks about his start in the publishing world, how he co-wrote The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, and what authors need to successful sell books.

Cynthia Zigmund is founding president of Second City Publishing based in Madison, Wisconsin. She represents business authors and works with them through the all phases of the publishing process. Her firm has sold a number of business bestsellers, and is a leading publisher of business books. Listen to Cynthia’s beginnings as at John, Wiley & Sons and how she fostered her love of business books to eventually found her own literary agency and work with some of today’s leading business authors.

Writer’s block is normal and is something any writer can overcome. Derek takes us through the five steps he uses to ghost write several books a year and coach aspiring authors to write their own books, virtually eliminating writer’s block.

Jeniffer Thompson and Derek Lewis cover everything from book trailers, brand building, author platform development, and printing for self-published authors.

Tanya Hall is CEO of Greenleaf Book Group, a hybrid publisher. Named to Publishers Weekly’s 2015 list of independent publishers with the most growth in sales, the company bridges the gap between traditional publishing and self-publishing by offering customized author and distribution services. Tanya talks to Derek about how her firm helps authors navigate the world of book publishing and marketing.