Published by Greenleaf Book Group | Book Publishing & Author Branding Podcast

Today we're joined by Justin Branch, Director of Publishing Strategy at Greenleaf Book Group. Justin plays a pivotal role in guiding authors through the early stages of publishing by customizing proposal tailored to their books' unique needs. In this episode, he tackles the most common questions and misconceptions he encounters from authors in the early stages of publishing.   This interview will equip authors with the information they need to navigate the publishing world, talk to professionals, and make informed decisions about publishing contracts.    Have a question about Greenleaf or the publishing process? Email us at contact@greenleafbookgroup.com and we're happy to chat!   More about Greenleaf: Website: greenleafbookgroup.com Brochure: greenleafbookgroup.com/brochure  Have a book you want to publish? Submit your book to Greenleaf for review: greenleafbookgroup.com/submissions Looking into the different options for publishing your book? We have a quiz for that. Take our publishing options quiz to see which might be the right fit for you. https://greenleafbookgroup.com/publishing-options Connect with us on socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GreenleafBookGr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GBGAustin/  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greenleaf-book-group 

Bestselling author and book coach Stacy Ennis joins the podcast to share her sensory-driven method for helping authors create the outline they need to write their book right the first time. By taking your time, figuring out who your "one reader" is to keep your audience and market demand top of mind, and clearing out the noise of conflicting ideas, you will build a defined road map that takes the uncertainty out of writing and allows your creativity to blossom as you draft your book.  In this conversation, Stacy breaks down exactly how to approach outlining with clarity and confidence, shares common pitfalls to avoid, and gives practical advice you can start using today.  

In this episode, we'll talk about what authors should look for in an editor, when it makes sense to work with a ghostwriter, and how the matchmaking process works behind the scenes at a publisher. Today we're joined by Rose Friel, a publishing consultant at Foreword Literary Consulting. With a background working with literary agencies and hybrid publishing, Rose has helped countless authors refine their publishing strategies and bring their stories to life with tailored introductions to ghostwriters, editors, publishers, and more. She knows exactly what goes into a great publishing partnership and how publishers match writers with the right professionals to shape their work. 

Today we're joined by Michael Ebeling, who has developed The Author's Business Formula, an approach that combats two of the most challenging parts of promoting a book: maintaining momentum after the launch, and converting readers into clients. In this episode, Michael will share how you as an author can set yourself up for success by creating a book funnel to learn more about the people buying your book.

Today on the Published Podcast, we're joined by international bestselling fiction author J. D. Barker. J. D. is best known as a suspense thriller author and has collaborated with Dacre Stoker, Christine Daigle, E.J. Findorff, and most frequently, James Patterson. In this episode, we will discuss the magic of co-authoring — the advantages of partnering with other writers, and how to navigate the creative process to build successful partnerships and do more than you could do alone.

In 2024, the Published Podcast welcomed experts from every corner of the publishing industry to share advice every author needs to know.  As we look forward to another year of the Published podcast, we're returning to some of the best publishing advice of the year. This episode highlights education on author rights, strategies for choosing a title and earning awards, key knowledge about printing and distribution into bookstores as an indie or self-published author, and advice to promote your book through blogging on Substack or Linkedin.  You can find the transcripts for the featured episodes or listen to them in full at the links below: Behind the Scenes of Book Awards Judging with Panelist Jennia D'Lima Crafting the Perfect Book Title and Subtitle with Maggie Langrick Sell Your Book Around the World with Foreign Rights Agent Terrie Wolf Who Can Copyright a Book by ChatGPT? Lawyer Explains Court Rulings on AI Break into Bookstores as an Indie Author with Valerie Howard Compare Book Printing Costs, Quality, and Timelines with Angela Olmeta Personalize Outreach on Substack and Booktok with Claire Isenthal Blog Your Way to a Book Deal or Bestseller with Jane Friedman Master LinkedIn to Reach More Readers with Owen Sammarone

Today we're joined by Greenleaf's own Valerie Howard, a distribution account executive who helps our authors navigate the confusing world of book distribution. Brick and mortar retailers have a high barrier to entry, especially for independent and debut authors, but in this episode Valerie will explain how authors can connect with local bookstores directly in order to host author events and get books on shelves. 

In this episode, we're discussing book awards and how authors can earn their accolades. As an awards judge for three book award programs, Jennia D'Lima will share her behind-the-scenes knowledge of how winners are selected and how to stand out to judges. Show notes and transcript Check out Tanya's book, Ideas, Influence, and Income Submit your book or book idea to Greenleaf

With thousands of books being released every day, an author's work can get buried unless they find a way to stand out. In this episode, proposal writer Salwa Emerson will discusses how to distinguish yourself in a saturated market and find your unique offering.   

Publishing industry reporter Jane Friedman discusses her experience as an author and blogger and shares how writers from either background can leverage their work into a book, or turn their book into shareable online content.  Jane Friedman's decades of editing, publishing, and consulting expertise inform her reporting on publishing industry news through her blog, JaneFriedman.com, and her newsletters, Electric Speed and The Hot Sheet. 

A book's title is one of the most important elements to get right, and one of the trickiest. A great title should communicate the promise of the book and who it's for to attract the intended audience — all in a few catchy and memorable words. Maggie Langrick, a creativity coach and founding publisher at Wonderwell Press, explains what makes a successful title and subtitle and what to avoid if you want to make a great impression and hook a reader. Find a transcript and show notes at greenleafbookgroup.com/episode88.

In this episode, Greenleaf's Print Production Specialist Angela Olmeta explains what goes into printing books and what authors should keep in mind if they're planning to do so on their own. There are a number of production factors that impact the final product of a book, from design elements that influence the cost of printing to supply chain constraints that can cause printing delays. Authors planning to self-publish have a lot of decisions to make, and if you aren't prepared for common obstacles, you may find yourself without books in stock on your launch day, or even worse, with a book that costs more to print than buyers will pay for it. 

Success comes down to how much an author is willing to pound the pavement and show up for their own work. Today we're joined by Greenleaf author Claire Isenthal to share the ways she's tailored her content and outreach across different social media platforms to drive book sales, especially through Substack and Booktok. 

We all know the benefits of social media and building a landing page for your readers. LinkedIn is a platform that does it all if you know how to use it. Today we're joined by Owen Sammarone, founder and CEO of Unleash The Knowledge, a digital community for nonfiction authors to expand their reach. In this episode, Owen will explain how your LinkedIn profile can solidify your author brand, help you grow a network, and convert your audience to book sales.

If you want your book to be read around the world, there's a good chance you'll need to publish versions in different countries. In this episode, foreign rights agent Terrie Wolf explains the difference between foreign and translation rights, how to negotiate with publishers outside your country, and what an author should know if they want to publish internationally. For transcript and show notes, go to greenleafbookgroup.com/episode84

Today we're joined again by Greenleaf's legal counsel, Guy Muller, to explain the most recent developments related to copyrighting books produced with AI in the US, and address everything authors need to know about protecting themselves and their work.   For more information, visit greenleafbookgroup.com/episode83.

For episode 82 of Published, we're turning back time and revisiting one of our favorite episodes.  In episode 60, we spoke with Mimi Chan from Goodreads about how the platform can elevate your book promotion strategy. She shares tips and tricks to get more reviews, what a "perfect" book rating looks like (Hint: It's not 5 stars!), and the lesser-known author features on the platform. 

In 2023, we interviewed over a dozen publishing industry experts for their insights on investing in the production of a book, self-promotion through interviews, podcasting, and social media, and distribution into bookstores and libraries. As we look forward to another year of the Published podcast, we're returning to some of the best publishing advice of the year.  For the episode transcript and show notes, visit greenleafbookgroup(.)com/episode81

Librarian Christina Nelson from the Austin Public Library draws from her experience overseeing collections and acquisitions to share how to get your book into libraries, how to coordinate an author event at your local library, and how authors and libraries support each other. Find our show notes at greenleafbookgroup.com/episode80

Today we're joined by Victoria Montemayor, the founder and CEO of The Storytelling Specialist, which provides website design to help brands connect with an audience. Victoria shares how to tell a story with an author website, LinkedIn, and newsletters to develop your network.

Welcome to episode 78 of Published! Today we're joined by Doug Sandler, CEO of Turnkey Podcast Productions and co-host of The Nice Guys on Business Podcast. Doug will answer your questions about how podcasting can build an author platform, and tips to succeed.

Today we're joined by Cal Hunter, Manager of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships at Barnes & Noble's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City. He'll share insights from his experience as a buyer and explain what exactly bookstores are looking for… and what they tend to avoid. 

Today we're joined by Elisa Lorello, a bestselling novelist and author of The AI Author Assistant. Elisa will share her insights about ChatGPT and some of the unexpected ways it can benefit writers.

Today we're joined by the CEO, Editor-in-Chief, and namesake of Kevin Anderson & Associates, a team of publishing experts who provide ghostwriting and other services to shepherd authors through the writing and publishing process. Being able to lean on the experience, knowledge, and skills of veteran publishing experts can make a world of difference in the quality and success of your book. Kevin Anderson speaks about the different kinds of literary guides out there, the unique skills associated with each title, and how to decide which partnership is right for you and your book. 

Welcome to episode 74 of Published. In this episode, editor Lindsey Clark will describe the causes and symptoms of burnout and ways to recover from it. She'll also explain how to manage stress and lean on others to prevent creative burnout altogether.

Welcome back to Published! Today we're joined by Danielle Green, a book influencer and brand strategist at Greenleaf. She speaks about reader communities on social media, how authors can use TikTok and Instagram to promote their books, and how to collaborate with book influencers.

Welcome back to Published! Today we'll be talking about media training and interviews with one of Greenleaf Book Group's digital media outreach strategists, Kayleigh ​​Lovvorn. Today's episode is a crash course on media training to teach you how to talk about your book and yourself as an author while promoting a new release. Kayleigh will tell us about digital media outreach, how to make media connections, and the dos and don'ts of interviewing.  

Welcome to Episode 71 of Published. Today we have our consulting team on the podcast to shepherd us through questions related to investing in the production of a book. Different publishing models have different degrees of required investment by the author, and different potentials for ROI. Most authors wind up financing at least some part of the publishing process. Knowing when to look into working with experts and what level of  contribution and return you should anticipate will help you prepare for that well in advance. 

Welcome to Episode 70 of Published. Today we'll be looking back at our episodes over 2022 and remembering the insight our guests have shared. Our mission on Published is to demystify the publishing industry for authors, and over the past year, we've pulled back the veil on becoming a bestseller, getting book reviews, writing a beautiful manuscript, and so much more.

Welcome to episode 69 of Published. Today I'm speaking with two members of the Greenleaf family: Jen Rios, our director of marketing, and Lee Zarnikau, one of our editors. We'll be discussing rejection in the publishing world from a marketing and editorial perspective to explain why a book might be rejected and what authors searching for a publisher can do after being turned down.

Welcome to Episode 68 of Published. Today, I'm speaking with Madi Mullen, a product manager at Libro.fm, an audiobook company that splits profits with local independent bookstores. Madi will tell us about present trends in audiobooks, what the benefits and drawbacks are for authors making audiobooks available, and how hosting platforms impact authors differently.

Today we're back with another Q&A episode for you. In this episode we discuss the ins and outs of book distribution and help authors navigate the best ways to share their books with the world. We'll also go over how to connect with wholesalers and distributors, what it takes to get a book into stores, when to acquire an ISBN, how international distribution works, and more. If you've ever wondered how books get distributed or had questions about the process, this is the episode for you.  

In this episode, we discuss the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster in response to their proposed merger. Some argue that the billion dollar deal would mean that instead of there being a competition between the two big publishers to acquire titles, there would effectively be a monopoly. This means there's less incentive for the merged mega-publisher to offer a competitive advance amount to authors, since they're not in a bidding contest to win the title. Therefore, by driving down advances, this deal could effect the livelihood of authors who depend on those advances, and cause dire effects across the entire industry by making it more competitive than ever.  With all this buzz, we are bringing on industry expert Janet Goldstein to talk about her take and advice for authors who might be feeling concerned. We'll discuss the importance of the trial, what it means for authors, and how to navigate the changing publishing landscape successfully.

Have you ever wondered how to get your book on an amazon bestseller list? In today's episode, publishing expert and guide Scott James discusses the ins and outs of the amazon bestseller algorithm and how you can hit a bestseller list. From finding the right subcategories, to driving up your presales and getting 5-star book reviews, Scott talks about what does and doesn't factor into moving up in the bestseller rankings, and how being a bestseller can affect the success and sales of your book.  If hitting an amazon bestseller list or raising your bestseller ranking is a goal of yours, this is the episode for you. Scott shares his insider intel in this cant-miss episode for independent authors.

Welcome to Episode 64 of Published. Today we're talking to Greenleaf's General Counsel, Guy Muller, about the biggest legal issues he sees authors face and why it's important to keep an eye out for them when working on your book. Guy explains each of these legal concerns, why they matter, and how you can avoid them in your writing to stay out of trouble.

This episode focuses on finding the time to write your book when you've got a demanding schedule, and why it's worth doing so despite the demand it places on your time. Like any significant undertaking that's worthwhile, writing a book requires focus and a plan—but the end result can be life changing. Let's face it: writing a book is hard. If you're struggling to find the time needed to dedicate to writing your book, this is the perfect time to connect with an editor who can help you navigate the process. Greenleaf's Executive Editor Erin Brown will share how she supports busy authors as an editor, and what you can expect in terms of timelines and expectations when it comes to the book writing process.

How do I price my book? How do I become a bestseller? How do I know if I can trust a publisher with my work? What do publishers look for when evaluating submissions? If these are questions you've had as an author, this is the episode for you. Today, our in-house publishing consultant, David Endris, has compiled some of the most common questions he gets from authors, and today, he's interviewing me. We'll talk about a range of topics in today's episode and attempt to answer your most burning publishing questions.

Today, I'm speaking with one of Greenleaf's editors, Lee Reed Zarnikau. Lee will tell us how to piece together a memoir and give us her insights into the dos and don'ts of memoir writing from an editor's perspective. If you're someone with an interesting life story, you may have been told by friends and family that you should write a book. But many authors struggle to put their experiences on paper in an authentic way that resonates with readers. This is where an editor's insight comes in handy. In today's episode, Lee will tell us how authors can make their memoir stand out. A memoir isn't just a collection of anecdotes. It's also meant to be a narrative, so it takes some crafting to get it right. Lee explains how she guides authors who are struggling with this by helping them to identify their narrative arc, and what makes their memoir unique. For the full transcription of today's episode, check out our website: www.greenleafbookgroup.com/episode61

Goodreads is well known to many readers as a great place to find book reccommendations and reviews, but today we're going to talk about how it can also be a great tool for authors. New authors may not realize that Goodreads has a robust Author Program that you can use to run giveaways, interact with your readers, and advertise your books.  In this episode, Mimi tells us all about how to use Goodreads as an author and what it can do to elevate your book promotion strategy. She gives us her tips and tricks to optimize your experience on the platform and explains why authors looking for more book marketing tools should join Goodreads today.

The old saying goes “never judge a book by its cover,” but of course, we all know in the book industry that is exactly what happens. An eye-catching cover is key to attracting a reader and making sure your book is taken seriously. Today, I'll speak with Greenleaf's Art Director, Neil Gonzalez, about book design elements and why a well-designed cover and interior are vital to your book's success. 

Welcome back to Published! In this episode we talk to Erin Brown, the executive editor at Greenleaf Book Group. She discusses the key to writing a book outline, what a book outline template might look like for a new author, and how to approach writing an effective book outline for both fiction and nonfiction. If you're embarking on your author journey and looking for a place to start, this episode is full of great writing tips and advice for you.

For our final episode of the year, we have two guests, Corrin Foster, Greenleaf's Director of Branding and Marketing, and Kesley Smith, Greenleaf's Director of Business Development and Corporate Communications. Today we'll talk about top book marketing and author branding tips and trends for the coming year.

Today, I'll speak with Texas Book Festival's literary director, Matthew Patin. Matt will tell us all about the Texas Book Festival and how independent authors can get involved.

Today I'll speak with Susan Wittig Albert, the author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlia Mysteries and many other must-read books spanning the mystery, historical fiction, and nonfiction genres. As well, Susan will tell us all about her own writing process while offering advice to new authors who might be considering writing their own book series.

Today, I'll speak with Greenleaf's Digital Media Strategist, Sam Ofman, about book publicity and how it has changed in recent years. Sam will tell us about the impact a strong PR campaign can make for an author and their book, and how you can get started on your PR efforts.

Today I'll speak with Nick Hutchison, the founder of BookThinkers, an online book community focused on highlighting personal development and growth titles. Nick will tell us all about BookThinkers and how he and his team have built a successful book influencer platform.

This is the second part of our two episode special with author and book coach, Jennie Nash. If you haven't listened to part one yet, go back and check out episode 51. In today's episode, Jennie picks up where we left off and dives deeper into the topic of book proposals, sharing her insight into what makes a proposal truly standout.

Today, I'll speak with author and book coach, Jennie Nash. This will be the first part of a two episode special, where we dive deep into the art of creating a successful book proposal. Jennie will share what it takes to craft a compelling proposal and offer advice for authors embarking on this process.

Today I'll speak with Membership and Marketing Manager at the Chilren's Book Council and recent PW Rising Star Honoree, Ryan Mita, all about the world of children's books. He'll share his insights and tell us all about the Children's Book Council and how they support authors and publishers in this genre.

Today, I’ll speak with Katrina Brooks, the owner of the independent bookstore Black Pearl Books. We’re asking Katrina all about indie bookshops, and how authors can best approach an indie store when they’re looking for places to distribute their book. As a black-owned, independent bookstore, Katrina gives us insights into how Black Pearl Books operates, and what she looks for when considering stocking a new title on her shelves.