Podcasts about kindlepreneur

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

#671 Have you ever wanted to write a book but felt stuck on where to start — or unsure if it could even be profitable? In this episode hosted by Kirsten Tyrrel, we're joined by self-publishing expert and Kindlepreneur founder Dave Chesson, who turned his side hustle into a thriving business that out-earned his military salary. Dave shares the insider secrets behind Amazon's algorithm, why most books fail to get discovered, and how you can position your book to actually generate income. Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or a personal memoir, he breaks down the importance of keyword research, crafting compelling titles and covers, and choosing the right marketing strategy based on your goals. You'll also learn how to think like an author-entrepreneur and use your book as a tool to build authority, grow your audience, and open doors to new opportunities. If you've ever dreamed of becoming a bestselling author — or using a book to boost your business — this episode is a must-listen! (Original Air Date - 4/11/25) What we discuss with Dave: + How Dave out-earned his military salary + Why most self-published books fail + The power of Amazon keyword research + Fiction vs. nonfiction book strategies + Using a book to grow your brand + Importance of titles and subtitles + Tips for designing an effective book cover + Where AI fits into the writing process + Amazon KDP formatting and publishing basics + Choosing the right book marketing strategy Thank you, Dave! Check out Kindlepreneur at ⁠Kindlepreneur.com⁠. Watch the ⁠video podcast⁠ of this episode! To get access to our FREE Business Training course go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MillionaireUniversity.com/training⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And follow us on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big changes are hitting the publishing world. Amazon's new algorithm is shaking up book rankings, libraries are adjusting after Baker & Taylor's collapse, and Spotify's audiobook listeners just jumped 36%. I'll also cover new scams every author should know about, a wild mayo-scented book promotion, and how you can shape the future of indie publishing through this year's Written Word Media survey. Tune in for all the latest updates. LAST CALL: The Final 3 Kickstarter - https://DaleLinks.com/Kickstarter  Jane Friedman's The Bottom Line - https://janefriedman.com/the-bottom-line-janes-publishing-industry-newsletter/  The Hidden Rules of Amazon: A Smart Guide for Self-Publishing Authors - https://wiki.authornation.live/The-Hidden-Rules-of-Amazon-A-Smart-Guide-for-Self-Publishing-Authors-217762f8793a806b9109d5858e911e36  Massive Amazon Algorithm Changes - https://www.authormedia.com/massive-amazon-algorithm-changes/   Libraries Look to Fill the Gap Left by Baker & Taylor - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/98808-libraries-look-to-fill-the-gap-left-by-baker-taylor.html  Spotify's Audiobook Listeners Grew 36% in Second Year of Service - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-14/spotify-s-audiobook-listeners-grew-36-in-second-year-of-service  Writer Beware: Army of Bots: Deeper Into the Vortex of Nigerian Marketing Scams - https://writerbeware.blog/2025/10/20/army-of-bots-deeper-into-the-vortex-of-nigerian-marketing-scams/   Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com  The Guardian: A book is being marketed with mayo-scented ink. Jealous? Me? - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/10/books-marketing-tiktok-publishing  Written Word Media: 2025 Author Survey - https://writtenwordmedia.typeform.com/authorsurvey25  Apple Books for Authors: Holiday season delivery schedule. - https://authors.apple.com  CraveBooks - https://DaleLinks.com/CraveBooks (affiliate link) Kindlepreneur: Authorpreneur Academy - https://academy.kindlepreneur.com/  StoryOrigin: Mastering Self-Publishing: From Novice to Pro (register for the replay) - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/mCWvXho_QwGFXcvN6PVe9A#/registration  Miblart: Book Marketing Trends 2026 | What Every Indie Author Should Know - https://www.youtube.com/live/QGTfiBW0DfM?si=Ym2nn7NGrJiOVeJh Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel  - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts  

KDP has quietly confirmed a huge change to the Select program, and we've got the update. Plus, big audiobook news from ElevenLabs, a lifetime discount on Authorbase, and a special report from Jane Friedman on the past decade of publishing. All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for September 9, 2025. The Final 3: Your Publishing Playbook, Rewritten - https://DaleLinks.com/Kickstarter Email Marketing for Books - https://DaleLinks.com/EmailBook  Sources: KDP: How to enroll in KDP Select - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GD9PMU58BV24QFZ7#enroll Kindlepreneur: ghost categories. - https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-choose-the-best-kindle-ebook-kdp-category/ Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link)  Amazon Ads - https://advertising.amazon.com Writer Beware: If Your Publisher Promised to Register Your Copyright, Check Your Registration Now - https://writerbeware.blog/2025/08/29/if-your-publisher-promised-to-register-your-copyright-check-your-registration-now Jane Friedman: How Publishing Has Changed Since 2015 - https://janefriedman.com/how-publishing-has-changed-since-2015/  GeniusLink - https://DaleLinks.com/Genius (affiliate link) ALLi's 2025 Author Income Survey - https://allianceindependentauthors.org/survey (deadline September 17, 2025) MailerLite: Free plan update: What you need to know - https://www.mailerlite.com/help/free-plan-update-faq MailerLite - https://dalelinks.com/mailerlite (affiliate link) Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link)  ElevenReader - https://elevenreader.io/ AuthorBase - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorBase (affiliate link) Lock in 20% off for life till September 30th.  September 2025: Creating Multiple Income Streams from Your Book - https://twinflamesstudios.com/monetize?partnerid=r1397 (affiliate link) Draft2Digital's Self-Publishing Insider: Catching Up with Dale Roberts - https://www.youtube.com/live/WRG4SfnhDKg?si=JY2_3R4oSxEeCSlv Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Amazon KDP just rolled out a new look for the dashboard—and that's not all. They've also updated their keyword rules, and Kindlepreneur breaks it all down in plain English. Plus, PublishDrive has released a comprehensive guide to accessibility in digital publishing for 2025. Get all the latest updates and author opportunities in this week's indie publishing news roundup. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.  Sources: KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com  Kindlepreneur: Amazon Book Keyword Rules Explained (2025 Update) - https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-book-keyword-rules/ Accessibility in Digital Publishing 2025: Your Complete Guide to Creating Inclusive EPUBs - https://publishdrive.com/accessibility-in-digital-publishing-2025-your-complete-guide-to-creating-inclusive-epubs-2.html Spotify for Authors - https://authors.spotify.com/ Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (affiliate link) Get Authentic Book Reviews - https://GetAuthenticBookReviews.com MSL 213 - Dale L. Roberts on Starting a Solopreneur Business, Part 2 - https://youtu.be/VtsgStWHBWk?si=G7d7vZXNcTloJmXl The Sample Chapter Podcast: YouTube For Authors: Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/XNGt89X79Dc?si=HB38iw1S1huy8XgX  Busting Indie Publishing Myths with Dale Roberts - https://www.youtube.com/live/6oPXIhuzROg?si=bWx-Gm6rFx6xJPzb BookMARCon 2025 - https://bookbrush.com/bookmarcon/ AuthorNation Volunteer Survey - https://form.smartsuite.com/so8pqexh/D9a8mbe9ZM?kuid=29d26bb5-3f29-40fa-851e-11bb2f7d2ab0-1753730183&lid=11679&kref=PULKc40ysYCp Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In this week's episode, we take a look at four different ebook formatting tools for indie authors. We also discuss the phenomenon of Star Wars day. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook of Malison: The Complete Series at my Payhip store: MALISON25 The coupon code is valid through June 3, 2025. So if you need a new book for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 251 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May 9, 2025, and today we are looking at ebook formatting tools. Before we get into our main topic, we'll have Coupon of the Week, a progress update at my current writing and audiobook projects, and then Question of the Week. We'll also close out the show with a preview of my new audiobook Ghost in the Assembly (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy).   This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook of Malison: The Complete Series at my Payhip store, and that is MALISON25. As always, we'll have the coupon code and the links in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code is valid through June the 3, 2025. So if you need a new ebook for spring, we have got you covered. Now here's where I'm at with my current writing projects. I am 87,000 words into Ghost in the Corruption and I'm hoping to hit 90,000 words by the end of today. So if all goes well, I will finish it up later this week and then begin editing. I am also 9,000 words into what my next project will be, which is Shield of Power, the final book in The Shield War series. I'm also 91,000 words into Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, and that will be my main project after Shield of Power is finished. So my writing goals for the next couple months will be Ghost in the Corruption, Shield of Power, Stealth and Spells Online: Final Quest, and then the final book in The Ghost Armor series (the title of which I should really decide since I'm getting close to being finished with the fifth book).   In audiobook news, recording of Ghost in the Assembly (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) is finished. That should be turning up on all the various audiobook stores before too much longer. Shield of Deception (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) is finished and available at all the audio stores: Audible, Apple, Google Play, Spotify, Chirp, and all the others. You can get that right now. Brad should be starting a recording of Shield of Battle sometime in the second half of May, if all goes well. So that is where I'm at with my current writing projects.   00:02:09 Question of the Week   And now let's move on to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: what is your favorite Star Wars? The inspiration for this question is the fact that May the Fourth has become Star Wars Day (in a very tongue in cheek manner). And as you might expect, we had a variety of responses to this question. Justin says: I have not seen any Star Wars TV series, but your other choices are mine as well. I have the Trawn Trilogy in the box set and got a PC joystick just for playing TIE Fighter again. Jonathan D. says: Empire Strikes Back is still the best film. I cannot get into the Disney canon after they destroyed the Expanded Universe. I watched The Force Awakens and that killed any interest in watching Disney Star Wars for me. Books is either Heir to the Empire Trilogy or the Darth Bain trilogy. A well done film adaptation of the Darth Bain books would be the only thing that would make me want to watch any new films. Video games would have to be Knight of the Old Republic 1 or 2, with Jedi Academy coming in third. The original Battlefront games were also great.   John Paul says: Loved the Mandalorian and the Book of Boba Fett, especially when they had the characters from each other's show guest starring in them. I saw somewhere they aren't making another series, but [there] was talk about a TV movie to finish it off, but [they are] now showing Series 4 on IBMD with no date. I grew up with the original trilogy though some of the later films are good, especially the special effects, though Jar Jar Binks spoiled the first three movies. Maybe they should reedit the character out since Lucas has spent some money on adding new effects to the trilogy to bring in line with the new movies. Skeleton Crew made me think of the movie Flight of the Navigator with Star Wars added, so I enjoyed that even though it's mainly for kids. I have fond memories of Space Invaders with the sidekick from the original Fall Guy TV show. Again, made for kids though adults can enjoy if they watch tongue in cheek.   Andrew says: There are only three Star Wars movies, of which Empire Strikes Back is my favorite. I really enjoyed Mandalorian Season One. Now Star Wars is dead to me, except for lightsaber battle videos. I really like the Princess Bride Battles. I played TIE Fighter, Dark Forces, and Knights of the Old Republic.   Tom says: Favorite film, Rogue One. With you on Mandalorian Season Two as favorite TV show. Favorite game, Rogue Squadron.   Tracy says: My favorite was Return of the Jedi.   Jenny says: Thrawn Trilogy for sure! Dark Forces was my very first computer game, so it's always going to hold a special place in my heart.   William says: The unofficial remasters of the original trilogy from preserved reels are a godsend.   MG says: Knights of the Old Republic was quite good and Knights of the Old Republic 2.   John K. says: I'm a grim dark sort of guy. Really liked Rogue One but it's slightly edged out by the original Episode IV. I absolutely love Andor but honestly, have not hated anything. Enjoyed them all. I was a nut for the original X-Wing game. Got good enough to one shot TIE Fighters with one quad shot and rarely missed and learned how to solo Star Destroyers pretty easily, though it would take forever. Having played the game that John K. is talking about, I can agree with him that you could take down Star Destroyers in your X-Wing if you knew what you were doing, but it really would take forever.   Dave says: Book wise, I really enjoyed the Thrawn books by Timothy Zahn, also the X-Wing series by Michael A. Stackpole was a personal favorite.   And finally Michael says: I agree on Empire Strikes Back though as a kid, I disliked the lack of upbeat movie. Also really liked the Solo movie. I confess I found the Thrawn books underwhelming, though the original Star Wars novelization is pretty good. And finally, I got to agree on TIE Fighter, such great game. Also, I have a soft spot for Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2.   For myself, I would have to break it down into four categories because Star Wars media covers so many different formats now. For favorite movie, I would say Empire Strikes Back, with Return of the Jedi as the runner up. For the favorite TV series, Season 2 of The Mandalorian. For my favorite book, The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, with Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, and The Darth Bane Trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn coming in as strong runners up. Seriously, if you're listening to this podcast, you probably enjoy reading books, so these five are definitely worth your time.   For my favorite video games, I would say TIE Fighter, with Knights of the Old Republic as a very close runner-up. But TIE Fighter was definitely my favorite. In the game, you play as an Imperial pilot, and the designers had the clever idea of making the Empire sympathetic by having the player spend most of the missions hunting ruthless pirates, suppressing alien civil wars, and fighting renegade Imperial warlords who are trying to overthrow the Emperor. In the last two expansion packs for the game, the player is flying as Grand Admiral Thrawn's elite pilot against the renegade Grand Admiral Zaarin, and finally defeating Zaarin after like forty missions was VERY satisfying.   So those are my favorite Star Wars media items. As we can see.  there is quite a range of opinion in the answer to that question.   00:06:54 Main Topic: Ebook Formatting Tools   Now let's move on to our main topic, which is ebook formatting tools. And this is an important thing for indie authors to discuss because if you do want to self-publish your books, it is one of those foundational skills you have to master. You need to know what kind of file format the platforms you're publishing to you take and how to produce it. Now this is something you can hire out but you really, really shouldn't in my opinion, especially because some ebook formatting services charge as much as $2,000 to turn a Word document into files ready to upload for ebook stores. Considering that it is something you can easily do yourself with free tools and a little bit of practice, spending any amount of money on it is probably a waste. I mean, there's a difference between the kind of intricate formatting you would need for say, a full color medical textbook with illustrations and a 60,000 word romance novel. Fortunately, all the major software programs are nowhere near as expensive as $2,000 a book and don't have as much of a learning curve as you might expect. Both video and written tutorials are plentiful for all of these options, making it easy to learn at your own pace. Today we're going to go over four software options for formatting ebooks and discuss their pros, cons, and the best uses for them. Although some of these products have word processing functionality and other features built in, today we'll focus on just the ebook formatting part of the software. #1: The first option we will look at is Atticus. Atticus is from the same company that makes Publisher Rocket, which is a software program I've spoken of very favorably of on the show over the years. The company has made an effort to understand the needs of authors over the years and added new features to Publisher Rocket consistently as time went on. The company Kindlepreneur has also made significant enhancements to Atticus since it launched. As of the time of this recording, it is a one-time purchase option that has free ongoing updates and the current cost is $147 (in United States dollars). Expensive, but the founder of the company Dave Chesson has said frequently he doesn't like software subscriptions. So hopefully this will continue to be a one-time fee and not become a subscription thing.   So here are the pros to using Atticus. It is less expensive than Vellum and has the same features. It works on operating systems other than Mac. In theory, since it has a web client, it can work on any platform. Reviewers say it is very pleasant to use and those who want a lot of customization options are generally happy with it and it has a nice tool for creating and reusing the template for things like author bios or link pages.   The con is that it does require an Internet connection to use and you have to have a computer connected to the Internet. Some people also prefer not to have their work stored in the cloud like Atticus does. Some users report slowness while opening or closing or when saving a file, especially if it's a book with a high word account. Because of the online requirement, there can be issues related to syncing. It does not support .mobi as a file export option. However, that's not a big deal anymore because Amazon is officially phasing out the .mobi file extension and is requiring people to use .epub. So this is not a major point and it's only for people who have a customer base with very old e-readers that can't handle .epub.   And finally, Atticus does not offer a free trial period if you just want to try it out, but does offer a refund within the first 30 days if you try it and decide that you don't like it. So what users would find Atticus the best? It's probably best for PC or Linux users who don't want a Mac and also want to have lots of fine control of your formatting or customizing your layout. Atticus is also heavily built around collaboration, where different people can work on the same file. So if you do work with a team (and many indie authors do) or are co-writing a book, then Atticus might be a good tool for you to use.   #2: The second program we're going to look at is called Vellum.  Vellum has been seen as the default option for ebook formatting for a lot of writers for a while now. As of the time of recording, there is a one-time purchase option that has free ongoing updates. The current cost is $199 for the ebook only version or $249 for the version that includes paperbacks. Vellum has gone on sale occasionally in the past, usually for Cyber Monday in November. The pros for Vellum are that many reviewers consider it the best option for ebook formatting and say it delivers professional results without too much work and a minimal learning curve. Vellum lets you try out the software for free, but you won't be able to export the files you're publishing until the software is purchased. Like Atticus, it offers a 30 day window for a refund.   Vellum is not cloud-based software and it can be used offline. So if you are, for instance, working on a laptop on the road with spotty internet connectivity, this can be a lifesaver. Now for the cons and the biggest con is a big one- that Vellum is Macintosh only. You need to have a Mac to use it and it is not currently available for Windows and Linux. The developers have said that presently they have no plans to port it to either Windows or Linux. It will also not work on iOS, so that means you can't run it on your iPad or your iPhone. You can in theory use it on a PC with a Mac OS virtual machine, but people have reported very mixed success with that. The other con is that it is the most expensive option. So the users this is best for I think would be if you already have a Mac or you are willing to buy a Mac for just one piece of software. #3: The third software program we're going to look at is called Jutoh. Jutoh is a labor of love, mainly created by two people in the UK and has been around for a long, long time. As of the time of this recording, there is a one-time purchase option that costs $45 (US dollars) and a Plus version for $90 that supports some additional features. It currently offers a free trial that you can download and install, but functionality is limited in the trial version. The pros of Jutoh is that it works on Windows, Mac, and most versions of Linux. It is not cloud-based software/is local to your computer. It does not need a constant Internet connection to function. Reviewers frequently praised how responsive their customer support is and of the paid options we are discussing, it will be the least expensive of all of them. The cons are the interface is a bit dated. It does kind of look like something from the early 2000s in terms of the buttons and where they are. Because of that, it can be more difficult for some users to use than Atticus or Vellum. It does not create PDFs or print ready files, so you would not be able to use it to format your files for print books, which is something both Atticus and Vellum offer. I think this is best used for users who want a less expensive option than Atticus or Vellum or a PC user who wants a non-cloud based option.   #4: The fourth and final program we're going to look at is called Kindle Create. And as of this recording, it is the only one of these four options that is free. It is a free download. This software is created and maintained by Amazon. The pro? It's free and you can use the .epubs it creates to upload your books onto other platforms. Just because you've made your ebook in Amazon Create, that doesn't mean you can't use the file for Barnes & Noble and Kobo and Apple and so forth. You can go ahead and do that. However, because it is free software, there are quite a few cons to it. The functionality is pretty limited and only a few fonts are available. It is not good with complex layouts and Amazon's own documentation recommends not using it for books with tables, footnotes, or complex text formatting.   The program doesn't handle edits well. There are people who write books in Vellum even though the developers don't exactly recommend that. And Atticus is designed to have books written in it. However, Kindle Create definitely cannot handle that very well. Windows and Mac are supported, but you can't install it on Linux. Kindle Create no longer supports .mobi as a file export option since Amazon is moving away from that option and most other vendors haven't used it ever. That is a minor point.   I think Kindle Create is best used by users who are just starting out and don't have much in the way of budget and have books that don't require a lot of complex formatting. Kindle Create is actually quite good for novels because novels in general don't have a lot of complex formatting and because it's free, it has a little bit of a steeper learning curve, but that can be advantageous as well.   So looking at those four options, what do I use and why? Well, for the first seven or so years I was self-publishing, I didn't use any of these. I used a program called Sigil, which is an .epub editor. And if Kindle Create has a high learning curve, Sigil's is much higher because you're essentially editing the raw guts of the .epub file.   I was content using that for a number of years, but what I needed was a program that would make uploading print books and formatting print books much easier because at the time I was using Create Space and Create Space required a specialized Word template that was just an enormous headache to use. And the reason that many of the Frostborn books have exactly 24 chapters is because I had a template that worked really well with 24 chapters for print books and I wasn't going to mess that up by trying to add a chapter or have one fewer chapter. So for some of the Frostborn books, I made sure there were 24 chapters.   Obviously this was not a tenable situation for the print books, even though I was happy using Sigil for the eBooks. So I eventually heard good things about Vellum. In 2018 (I believe) I got a used Mac and installed Vellum and started using that for print books. I was much happier with that.   Because the books looked so good in print, I eventually switched over to using Vellum for formatting my ebooks as well and I've been using that ever since. So my main ebook format writing program (as of May 9, 2025) is Vellum and I have a Mac specifically for that purpose. However, I also has high praise to say about Jutoh. I got started using Jutoh because for a while, Smashwords required you to upload a book using a specialized Word format. They didn't accept .epubs for the longest time and formatting a book in that proper Word format for Smashwords was a large headache, I have to admit. I never managed to get it automated quite right. And I had frequent problems with Smashwords rejecting the Word document I uploaded and so forth. Eventually, I discovered that Jutoh also had an export option for creating Smashwords-friendly Word documents. So I tried it out and that was just a godsend, I have to admit. It saved me so much time. So for about seven years as well, I used Jutoh for Smashwords formatting. However, in 2024 after Smashwords was acquired by Draft 2 Digital and the two companies became more and more merged, Smashwords changed and now accepts properly formatted .epubs. They don't do that specialized Word document thing anymore, which has made it much easier to upload files to Smashwords, I must say. But that also means that I've used Jutoh less and less in favor of Vellum because I no longer need those specially formatted Word documents. However, I do have nothing but positive things to say about Jutoh; it is a very good program. If you don't want to shell out the $249 for Vellum or if you don't have a Mac, I think Jutoh is an excellent option for you to use. I have never actually used Atticus, but it's popular enough that I wanted to talk about it on this show. I do know a lot of people who have used it to good effect. Just bear in mind the pros and cons we mentioned. And as for Kindle Create, there's nothing wrong with it. I think it's good starting point, especially if you're just starting out and want to format your book without paying a lot of money or having to pay $2,000 to someone on the Internet to do it. I do think it's a good starting point, even though it's very basic and for your first couple of books, it would be good. But as you get more experienced and want to branch into things like print books, you'll probably want a program with greater functionality like Jutoh, Vellum, or Atticus. So myself, I use mostly Vellum (with Jutoh occasionally), and that is what I use for ebook formatting.   So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.   00:19:53 Audiobook Excerpt   And now we'll close out the show with a short excerpt from Ghost In the Assembly, as narrated by Hollis McCarthy. [Remainder of podcast is audiobook except]

#333 Have you ever wanted to write a book but felt stuck on where to start — or unsure if it could even be profitable? In this episode hosted by Kirsten Tyrrel, we're joined by self-publishing expert and Kindlepreneur founder Dave Chesson, who turned his side hustle into a thriving business that out-earned his military salary. Dave shares the insider secrets behind Amazon's algorithm, why most books fail to get discovered, and how you can position your book to actually generate income. Whether you're writing fiction, nonfiction, or a personal memoir, he breaks down the importance of keyword research, crafting compelling titles and covers, and choosing the right marketing strategy based on your goals. You'll also learn how to think like an author-entrepreneur and use your book as a tool to build authority, grow your audience, and open doors to new opportunities. If you've ever dreamed of becoming a bestselling author — or using a book to boost your business — this episode is a must-listen! What we discuss with Dave: + How Dave out-earned his military salary + Why most self-published books fail + The power of Amazon keyword research + Fiction vs. nonfiction book strategies + Using a book to grow your brand + Importance of titles and subtitles + Tips for designing an effective book cover + Where AI fits into the writing process + Amazon KDP formatting and publishing basics + Choosing the right book marketing strategy Thank you, Dave! Check out Kindlepreneur at Kindlepreneur.com. Watch the video podcast of this episode! And follow us on: Instagram Facebook Tik Tok Youtube Twitter To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit millionaireuniversity.com/sponsors. Want to hear from more incredible entrepreneurs? Check out all of our interviews here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!Keywords: they either fascinate you or they're the bane of your existence. For me, it's the second. Which is why I'm so excited to bring you this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast with guest Dave Chesson, founder of Kindlepreneur, where we do an in-depth exploration of the significance of keywords and categories when it comes to a book's success on Amazon. We discuss strategies for choosing keywords that maximize book discoverability and allow you to run effective Amazon ads, as well as best practices for connecting with your ideal readers.TOPICS INCLUDE: • Understanding the profound role of keywords in discoverability• Strategies for optimizing Amazon ads based on keyword effectiveness• Common misconceptions surrounding keywords• The necessity of consistent sales patterns for enhanced visibility• Insights on crafting compelling book descriptions for better conversion ratesCLICK HERE FOR THE SPECIAL DEAL ON PUBLISHER ROCKET ($30 off when you purchase, plus get Dave's Keywords and Categories course (normally $50) absolutely free. This is a t Awesome Email Templates for AuthorsFrom communicating with your launch team to building relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal readers.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) rolled out a new customer support tracking system. Dave Chesson steps down from the Kindlepreneur on YouTube, handing off the reins to author Zak Diamanti. And, a book pirating website owes $30 million in damages, but no one knows who to send the bill to. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources: Customer Support Message Center - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/article/Customer-Support-Message-Center?language=en_US&forum=KDP%20Forum Pirate library must pay publishers $30M, but no one knows who runs it - https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/09/pirate-library-must-pay-publishers-30m-but-no-one-knows-who-runs-it/ New Change to Kindlepreneur YouTube! - https://youtu.be/Ib0GywKldoQ?si=yLd_IWlGeVYAZgSU How to Self-Edit Your Book: An Ultimate Checklist - https://getcovers.com/blog/how-to-self-edit-book/ Authors Guild: The Black List: Info Session for Fiction Writers - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xdmCmDfJQGS8bm90HIDocg#/registration Authors Guild: From Manuscript to Marketplace: Exposure - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C9hDrmgrSVyLjAT-PQAEog#/registration  Meet the YouTuber who wrote the book on Self-Publishing - ft. Dale Roberts - https://youtu.be/MOrfQjNBRIQ?si=MsyBYBmnGPrhrR5B The Self-Publishing Advice Conference - https://selfpublishingadviceconference.com/  Advertising for Books - https://DaleLinks.com/AdsBook Networking for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam (deadline Oct. 14, 2024) Credit: Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

When Dave Chesson was in the US Navy, he would spend lots of time away from his family. And he hated it.  He decided to create a portfolio of niche sites in an attempt to earn enough to quit his job, but his path took a different turn. He got the idea to turn one of his websites into a book and self-publish it. As it turned out, it was the start of something big, and it allowed him to eventually quit his job to be with his wife and kids. Today, he's the author of 10 books which have earned him +$750k to date, and he also created a tool and a website to help others publish their books using the Kindle Publishing Platform. In this interview, he shares the details of his journey as well as lots of tips for getting started with—and succeeding—with self-publishing.   Links & Resources Dave's site, Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com/ Dave's tool, Publisher Rocket - https://publisherrocket.com/ Dave's Amazon Ads course - https://davechesson.podia.com/amazon-advertisements-for-books-course Atticus.io - https://www.atticus.io/ Ready to join a niche publishing mastermind, and hear from industry experts each week? Join the Niche Pursuits Community here: https://community.nichepursuits.com Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links?  Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

Notes:During this conversation, Fable shares information about the resource Kindlepreneur, which is run by Dave Chesson and information can be found on the Kindlepreneur.com website and @Kindlepreneur YouTube channel. The specific Kindleprenuer YouTube video she references is “KDP Termination Problem (AI Content?)”and the Kindleprenuer article “Amazon KDP Account Suspension: Causes, Prevention, and Solutions” digs a little further into this issue with additional advice and tips. He also suggests reading through Amazon's Metadata Guidelines for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to familiarize yourself with the detailed guidelines.Music from:https://filmmusic.io ‘Friendly day' by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Finding trustworthy and effective resources to help with your author journey can be overwhelming, especially with so much noise in the marketplace. In this episode, I dive into how to identify reliable resources, sift through the options, and find the best fit for your goals as an author.BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL LEARN:How to evaluate author resources and service providersTips for identifying trustworthy platforms and support based on your genre and goalsRecommendations for specific author resources, including Kindlepreneur and BookBubSubmit a Question. Ask a question to be featured on the podcast. Ask HereLiked this episode? Share it and tag us on Instagram @juxtabkLove the show? Leave a review and let us know!CONNECT WITH US: Website | Instagram | Facebook

The Amazon Best Seller Rank has been unreliable and Amazon Ads seems to be suffering similar issues. The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson shared recently how Amazon Ads do more than sell books for you; it trains the Amazon algorithms. And, The Alliance of Independent Authors warns you about pirated books on Soundcloud. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks  Sources:  Anyone else seeing Amazon Sales Ranking glitching at the moment? - https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/question/0D58V00009Ebj3zSAB/anyone-else-seeing-amazon-sales-ranking-glitching-at-the-moment?language=en_US&topicId=0TO2T000000kSswWAE&count=10 Woke up this AM to zero impressions - https://www.reddit.com/r/KDP/comments/1efhcgx/woke_up_this_am_to_zero_impressions/  Sell More Books With Amazon Ads 2.0 - https://davechesson.podia.com/amazon-advertisements-for-books-course Book Brush survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZTo8gdTDmBi8UTXj5Lrn0WasJaHPSLjpmd5CHVTU-r8LQiw/viewform Draft2Digital presents: Self-Publishing Roadmap for Success - https://draft2digital.com/live/  Reedsy Leaning presents: Novel-Writing Q&A - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=4337cba734&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_htwan_novel_q_a&utm_medium=email StoryOrigin presents: Do's and Don'ts of Book Cover Design: Q&A with Miblart - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdOCurjIsEtVI2bATdyttUSGupCzma0sb#/registration The Book Launch Playbook - https://youtu.be/1RQEL34WT90?si=HLcTFZxKDQY3ic2I The Bald Truth with Dale L. Roberts - https://authortunities.substack.com/p/the-bald-truth-with-dale-l-roberts Finishing the Hat w/ Dale L. Roberts - https://ifnotparis.substack.com/p/finishing-the-hat-w-dale-l-roberts Miblart - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) - Join my Advance Reader Copy team for my next book - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam Credit: Richard at KBookPromotions - https://kbookpromotions.com/  Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Welcome Dave Chesson to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more. Whether you're in the middle of writing your book or you've hit publish and are looking for ways to get your book into the hands of more readers, this powerful conversation with Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur is for you. The insights, examples and techniques Dave shared with me is perfect for any author along their author journey. Some of the key aspects Dave shared include: The power of a book as a conduit for a business Why it's important to figure out your keywords and categories How to leverage keywords, including why and how to change them How a curious mindset will aid your efforts and business growth. Dave Chesson is the creator of http://Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book Marketing which even Amazon KDP acknowledge as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Visit - http://kindlepreneur.com/ References mentioned: Keywords: https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-choose-kindle-keywords/ Keywords: https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-change-your-kindle-keywords/ Categories: https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-choose-the-best-kindle-ebook-kdp-category/

When is it time to leave an unsuccessful series behind and pivot into something new? What is the process of writing to market? Anna Sayburn Lane explores these topics and more. In the intro, help with Amazon KDP Account suspension [Kindlepreneur]; Selling direct to the EU? Thresholds coming in 2025; Some honest thoughts about the […] The post Pivoting Genres And Writing Historical Fiction With Anna Sayburn Lane first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Send me your writing and publishing questions!Click here to check out the Publish A Profitable Book / Publish the Damn Book Already course (currently 25% off with code AUTHOR25).Click here to access Kindlepreneur's free barcode generator tool.Understanding the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is crucial for indie authors. But new authors often wonder what the heck it is and feel a bit "silly" asking! In short, the ISBN is a unique identifier for books, similar to the UPC for products. It allows books to be easily tracked and purchased globally and enables indie authors' work to be more easily discovered by a larger audience, including libraries, bookstores, and online retailers.But still, new authors are left with questions such as:1. Why do I have to have an ISBN?2. Where do I get them (and how much will they cost?)3. Should use a free one from Amazon/KDP?4. Do I only need one for each book?5. Does an ISBN provide copyright protection? This episode clears your questions up! Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry. Available wherever podcasts are available: Apple PodcastsSpotify YouTube Let's Connect! InstagramWebsite Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] comThe podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Audible announces a new royalty model for indie authors publishing direct to their platform while signaling they aren't quite ready to roll it out for ACX account holders. Alessandra Torre is selling a part of her company Authors AI, but is it truly worth $8 million dollars? And, ProWritingAid unveiled their new branding with a statement by the CEO and founder of the company. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) A new chapter for ProWritingAid - https://prowritingaid.com/new-chapter?afid=6615 ProWritingAid - https://DaleLinks.com/ProWritingAid (affiliate link) Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com/ Self-Publishing for New Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/NewAuthors  Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) Authors A.I. - https://authors.ai/  GET A PIECE OF AUTHORS A.I. (Start Engine) - https://www.startengine.com/offering/authorsai  Audible's New Royalty Model: More Opportunities for Authors and Publishers - https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audibles-new-royalty-model-more-opportunities-for-authors-and-publishers Streetlib - https://streetlib.com  Win $250 in Reedsy's weekly short story competition - https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/contests/ Kindle Storyteller Award - https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=12061299031  Authors Guild Launchpad: Platform Building for Self-Publishing Authors - https://authorsguild.org/event/ag-launchpad-platform-building-for-self-publishing-authors/ Authors Guild Launchpad: Marketing and Promoting Self-Published Books - https://authorsguild.org/event/ag-launchpad-marketing-and-promoting-self-published-books/ Dibbly presents Time Traveler's Guide: Crafting Captivating Historical Fiction Epics - https://omniform1.com/forms/v1/landingPage/5b8fd6e4597ed708a4080856/6699402ed7d48ea3b4e80740 Children's Book Mastery Summit - https://childrensbookmastery.com/childrens-book-mastery-online-summit-2024-registration How to Attract Book Clubs to You and Your Book with DiAnn Mills - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0od-Csqz4iH9AbR1I4RLyut-h4Du7qsJVw#/registration  Credit:  The Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link)  The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

In today's episode of Fully Booked, Craig and Roland are joined by returning guest Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur to discuss the latest update to one of the most powerful tools for self-published authors: Publisher Rocket. The recently released Version 2.0 of this tool is designed to revolutionize your Amazon advertising strategy by optimizing your book's relevancy and helping you properly categorize it. Dave explains how Publisher Rocket's new Amazon ads functionality allows authors to see their book through Amazon's eyes. With this enhanced visibility, the tool provides invaluable insights into the keywords, phrases, and categories that Amazon associates with a book—whether yours or that of your competitors. Along with plenty of practical tips on using Rocket to create more effective ads, lower costs, and increase impressions, Dave also shares details on additional exciting features that will soon be added to the tool. Whether you're a seasoned self-published author or just starting out, Dave's essential advice on maximizing Publisher Rocket to navigate the complexities of Amazon's book ranking system and supercharge your Amazon ads is not to be missed. Dave's free AMS (Amazon Ads) Course https://hiddengems--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/5da9eae7a2e46/ Publisher Rocket https://hiddengems--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

In this episode of the Quiet Warrior podcast, I welcome Petros Eshetu to discuss the topic of making authentic connections as an introvert. Petros shares his personal journey: from arriving in the U.S. in 2005, navigating a new culture, dealing with social anxiety, and ultimately finding his way to being comfortable in his own skin. We discuss the importance of self-understanding, vulnerability, and community, especially for international students and immigrants. Petros, a financial analyst by day and “Narrative Whisperer” by night, also shares how he helps aspiring authors overcome mental blocks to share their stories through books. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of the challenges and triumphs of introverts in a world that often values extroverted traits.Bio:Petros Eshetu is the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book, The Introvert Immigrant's Journey and is known as the ‘Narrative Whisperer' where he helps coaches who want to share their knowledge and expertise through a book so they can build authority in their field. Petros's work has been featured on Self Publishing School, Kindlepreneur, IntrovertU, and MO2Vate magazine.Petros' book The Introverted Immigrant Journey is available on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Introverted-Immigrants-Journey-Overcoming-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B079Y3JYLHConnect with Petros on :Linkedin :   https://www.linkedin.com/in/petroseshetu/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreampassionlifeWebsite : www.petroseshetu.comIf you enjoyed this episode, remember to give it a 5-star rating on whichever platform you listen from, so The Quiet Warrior Podcast can reach more introverts around the world!P.S. If you're an introverted professional woman who feels unseen and unknown in the workplace because of your quiet persona, my new online program The Visible Introvert Academy will help you gain the courage and confidence to take action.Join the waitlist for updates on when the next launch will be.This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

In this episode, we welcome the Kindlepreneur himself, Dave Chesson for a chat about selling books on Amazon and Kindle Direct Publishing. Dave has devoted huge amounts of time and effort into helping authors sell books and reach readers. We chat about the latest changes Amazon has made to its book category system, how selling books on Amazon works, how you can use Amazon ads to great effect, and what best practices authors can follow (like using keywords) to find more success. The book marketing advice you'll find here will help you sell both fantasy fiction books, non-fiction books, and books of all genres. Dave reveals all about how Amazon works for selling books here. As always, if you have any questions, comments or requests, please email us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com JOIN THE COMMUNITY ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers⁠⁠ GET FANTASY WRITING CLASSES AND BOOKS https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed ABOUT OUR GUEST Learn more about Dave Chesson: https://kindlepreneur.com/ Get Dave's free Amazon Ads course: www.amscourse.com ABOUT RICHIE BILLING www.richiebilling.com

The Kindlepreneur rolled out updated details for Kindle Direct Publishing keywords. PublishDrive announces huge new feature where artificial intelligence produces your metadata. And, Amazon is testing out a new Book Trends Data feature on the sales pages; could this equal more sales? All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/Signup Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts Sources: How to Fill in Your 7 Kindle Keywords: 2024 UPDATE! - https://youtu.be/vinXgGNxEzk?si=nXWNVGv2n1z3P4pc Book Trends Data - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G3WC49TM63DUM4VW?mc_cid=1c5f63597e&mc_eid=433332c881 PublishDrive: Mastering Metadata - Unveiling Our AI-Publishing Assistant - https://streamyard.com/watch/PjVM9ebWhxj7 BookBaby: 9 Writing Roadblocks and How to Overcome Them - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5TZKcqCvQOuSbwlskPOt0A#/registration  Getpremades: Premade Cover Party on May 30th - https://www.facebook.com/groups/getpremades/ ALLi: Email Marketing Tips for Indie Authors - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-email-marketing/ Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link) Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Find out the latest trends in publishing for ebooks and print books. Also, traditional publishing house, HarperCollins partnered with Elevenlabs to produce digitally narrated audiobooks. And, Spotify rolled out a feature for pre-orders that more authors are going to love. All that and more in the self-publishing news this week. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts  Sources: Findaway Voices by Spotify - https://findawayvoices.com Never Miss a New Release With Countdown Pages for Audiobooks - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-05-06/never-miss-a-new-release-with-countdown-pages-for-audiobooks/ Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com/  GetFast - https://getfast.com/indieauthors/. Use coupon code GET20 for 20% off till May 10, 2024. Amazon Ads - https://advertising.amazon.com/ ACX - https://www.acx.com Japanese Manga Publishers Win Big in Piracy Lawsuit - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-manga-publishers/ HarperCollins Publishers and ElevenLabs to Bring More Stories to Life Through Audio - https://elevenlabs.io/blog/harpercollins-publishers/ The Complete Guide to Facebook Ads For Authors - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/facebook-for-authors-how-to-create-facebook-ads/  Unlock Easy-Mode for Story Craft: A Workshop With Plottr - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rdeirqT4rEtYpjpvJBYEUjAwnu9omqXjh#/registration  Credit: Laterpress - https://laterpress.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Spotify Premium expanded to three new regions while increasing the cost for subscribers to listen to audiobooks. The Kindlepreneur rolled out an update to the Amazon Best Seller Rank Calculator and some additional tips. Draft2Digital partnered up with the social reading app, Fable. All that and more in the self-publishing news! Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  New Sources: Amazon Book Sales Calculator for KDP: How Much Does a Best Seller Make? - https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/ Bookvault - https://bookvault.app Wide for the Win - https://learn.wideforthewin.com/c/bookvault/ Spotify's price is reportedly going up again - https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/3/24119884/spotify-2024-price-increase-rumor-audiobooks-supremium Spotify Premium Listeners in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand Can Soon Access More Than 250,000 Audiobooks - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-04-02/spotify-premium-listeners-in-canada-ireland-and-new-zealand-can-soon-access-more-than-250000-audiobooks/  Book Brush survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcwGZjhrL8_XIznqPDiujB0pSXwdBV_t8ZX18Y6aJ3T99rzw/viewform Say Hello to Fable! - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/say-hello-to-fable/ Introducing Fable! D2D's newest retail partner! - https://www.youtube.com/live/5XY1dLbSX_U?si=x9hU4yEJJlpLVcGc Draft2Digital Publishing: HUGE New Announcement! - https://www.youtube.com/live/kImDOZenwo4?si=Ipy-bUNzPWhsQqIv AI in Publishing: Insights From 250 Authors & Publishers - https://youtu.be/W7MnVVMzcoM?si=o_SyWHPx52oD6xf6 Now In Colour: Bring Your Books to Life with the New Kobo Libra Colour and Kobo Clara Colour eReaders - https://www.kobo.com/news/now-in-colour-bring-your-books-to-life-with-the-new-kobo-libra-colour-and-kobo-clara-colour-ereaders Book Brush Hourly Concepts and Social Media Management | You Pick Which Designs I Try! - https://youtu.be/My0o3rupdjo?si=3uTVTS0sJz4x1w3n Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link). Use code APRILPRO20 for 20% off before April 19, 2024.  The Hot Sheet March 2024 Bestseller Lists - https://hotsheetpub.com/2024/04/march-2024-bestseller-lists  Credit: The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (referral link) Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Draft2Digital -- https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Ever feel like the process of getting your book from concept to print is mired in a swamp of software and formatting woes? Enter Dave Chesson, the genius behind Kindlepreneur and Publisher Rocket, who joins us to share the inner workings of Atticus, his latest innovation aimed at streamlining the author's journey. Imagine a world where writing, editing, and formatting are housed under one roof, collaboration is a breeze, and your manuscript is the only version you need to worry about. That's the reality Dave is creating, and we're here to give you the grand tour.As an author, the tug-of-war between creativity and the technical side of book production can be a major distraction. We dive into the nitty-gritty of how Atticus not only competes with but also plans to surpass established giants like Microsoft Word and Scrivener. Dave gives us the lowdown on making real-time edits without the headache, the upcoming features that will elevate your writing game, and the importance of a seamless formatting experience for both ebooks and print.Finally, we cast our gaze into the future, discussing how the landscape of ebook formatting is changing and how Atticus fits into this evolving ecosystem. With insights on the delicate dance with AI in publishing, and practical tips straight from our staff member Monique's YouTube tutorials, we're closing the gap between authors and the polished, professional books they dream of creating. If you're ready to discover the marriage of tech and touch in book publishing, Atticus might just be your perfect match.Watch the free training: https://selfpublishing.com/freetrainingSchedule a no-cost call with our team: https://selfpublishing.com/schedule Here are some links that might come in handy: Apply for a free book consultation Register for our free on-demand training Must-watch episodes: SPS 044: Using A Free + Shipping Book Funnel with Anik Singal SPS 115: Using Atomic Habits To Write & Publish A Book with James Clear SPS 127: Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which You Should Choose with Ruth Soukup SPS 095: The Five Love Languages: Selling 15 Million Copies with Gary Chapman SPS 056: How I Sold 46M Copies of My Self Published Book with Robert Kiyosaki

Notes:Here are a couple resources mentioned in today's episode:- The Verbivore references author Jenna Moreci's YouTube video essay “My Book was Pirated on Amazon” about how her work was sold by an account that was not hers on Amazon and how she addressed it.- Fable recommends the site Kindlepreneur.com for information on self-publishing, logistics and forms for setting up a LLC, and different state laws.Music from: https://filmmusic.io'Friendly day' by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Dave is the guy behind Kindlepreneur.com. On this episode, we talk about Amazon KDP tips & strategies that authors can use for their books.  

Our Guest Tonight: A.F. Stewart Website: https://afstewart.ca/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AFStewart BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/a-f-stewart Our Picks For Best Author Websites and Tools mentioned in the show. We are not sponsored by any of the following sites or aps, we just like them or use them.  AUTHOR PORTALS  (some cost money. only sign up and pay for what you will use for sharing, newsletter swaps, ARC, etc…) Amazon/Kindle author account - https://authorcentral.amazon.com/ StoryOrigin - https://storyoriginapp.com/ Book Funnel - https://bookfunnel.com/ Bookshop - https://bookshop.org/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/ Library thing - https://www.librarything.com/ Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/ MAILING LIST PLATFORMS  (some cost money. only sign up and pay for what you will use) MailerLite - https://www.mailerlite.com/ MailChimp - https://mailchimp.com/ SendFox - https://sendfox.com/ AUTHOR TOOLS (some cost money. only sign up and pay for what you will use) Book Formatting tools Calibre - https://calibre-ebook.com/ Sigil ebook - https://sigil-ebook.com/ Papyrus Author - https://www.papyrusauthor.com/ Editing Tools Pro Writing Aid - https://prowritingaid.com/ Photo and Video Editing tools Cap cut  - https://www.capcut.com/ Adobe express - https://www.adobe.com/express/ Canva - https://www.canva.com/ Book Brush - https://bookbrush.com/ Marketing and Advertising classes and tools Bryan Cohen Free Ad Class - https://learn.bestpageforward.net/apr24/?ref_=a20m_us_lbr_cs_byachn Fiction Atlas CL Cannon - https://fiction-atlas.com/ Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com/ Kindlepreneur tools - https://kindlepreneur.com/tools/ PublisherRocket - https://publisherrocket.com/ AUTHOR/PUBLISHER ACCOUNTS  Amazon KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com/ Ingram Spark - https://www.ingramspark.com/ Draft2Digital - https://www.draft2digital.com/ Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife Apple - https://authors.apple.com/epub-upload Barnes & Noble - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/ Publish Drive - https://publishdrive.com/ Google Play - https://play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/ ACX - https://www.acx.com/ Findaway Voices - https://findawayvoices.com/ Authors Republic - https://www.authorsrepublic.com/ Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5670617437175808

Jason is the Content Manager for Kindlepreneur.com, and a mythology-inspired fantasy author. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he's not writing, his favorite hobbies include hiking, chilling with his wife, spouting nonsense words at his baby daughter, and developing his website: MythBank.com. Jason is also The Nerdy Novelist on YouTube, and has one of the most popular channels talking all about using AI in your author career.

The Kindlepreneur shared an updated strategy for maximizing the seven backend keywords slots on KDP. Streetlib updated their terms and conditions. An author loses his mind over a review. And, so much more this week in the self-publishing news. Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord  News Sources: BookBrush's Full Service Social Media Management Services - https://bookbrush.com/social-media-management/ | For the job opportunity, contact CEO Josh Wiley at josh@brushmediagroup.com. Streetlib's Updated Conditions and Terms - https://streetlib-agreements.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/StreetLib_Hub_20220824_en.pdf Self-Published Science Fiction Competition Issues Statement After Author Has Meltdown About Judge's Review - https://file770.com/self-published-science-fiction-competition-issues-statement-after-author-has-meltdown-about-judges-review/#comments  IngramSpark: Share & Sell Your Book (US only) - https://www.ingramspark.com/e-commerce  7 Kindle Keywords: Use All 50 Characters or Not? [UPDATED] - https://kindlepreneur.com/7-kindle-keywords/ eBookFairs: Book Cover Grader - https://ebookfairs.com/Home/Book-Cover-Grader Pod Pro Author Coaching - https://www.theindyauthor.com/services---pod-pro-author-coaching.html Lulu: How to Get Started Successfully as an Author - https://event.webinarjam.com/register/68/qrqmosmk Writing & Publishing Master Class with Andy Maslen | Reedsy Learning - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-publishing-master-class-with-andy-maslen-reedsy-learning-tickets-808859890707 How to Get Started with Amazon Ads: Reaching More Readers Podcast - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-amazon-ads/ Self-Publishing with Dale Podcast Reviews: https://chartable.com/podcasts/selfpublishing-with-dale-l-roberts/reviews/d5Tm26oB Special thanks to these sources: LaterPress - https://LaterPress.com CraveBooks - https://CraveBooks.com Draft2Digital - https://Draft2Digital.com Findaway Voices - https://FindawayVoices.com David Gaughran - https://DavidGaughran.com  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

An Informationen mangelt es heute wahrlich nicht – das Internet ist voll von ihnen. Aus der Vielzahl der Informationen diejenigen auszuwählen, die dich als Selfpublishing-Autor, als Selfpublishing-Autorin wirklich weiterbringen, ist daher essentiell. Ich habe dir 2018 mit einer Zusammenstellung von nützlichen Blogs und Podcasts für Autorinnen und Autoren einen Teil der Arbeit abgenommen: https://mission-bestseller.com/blogs-und-podcasts-die-du-als-self-publishing-autorin-oder-autor-kennen-musst-188/ Mittlerweile sind 5 Jahre vergangen, manche der Blogs/Podcast sind nicht mehr aktiv, andere empfehle ich nicht mehr mit der gleichen Überzeugung weiter wie damals. Demgegenüber stehen die Blogs und Podcasts für Autoren und Autorinnen, die immer noch hochwertigen Inhalt liefern und viele neue Blumen haben zu blühen begonnen. Grund genug dir eine neue, aktuelle Auswahl an Informationsquellen für Selfpublishing-Autoren und Selfpublisherinnen zu präsentieren, die du kennen musst.

On Unlocking Amazon's Hidden Categories: A Path to Publishing Success  Join us for an eye-opening episode that will supercharge your publishing journey and leave you ahead of the game. In this riveting conversation, hosts Kathleen and Adanna dive deep into the heart of Amazon's latest category conundrum with Amazon expert Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur.  Have you heard of "ghost categories?" These elusive realms are new in Amazon's category system and have confounded authors, making it challenging to become bestsellers or even get noticed on category pages. If you're in the publishing world, this is essential intel you can't afford to miss. Dave shares invaluable insights on how to identify and conquer these ghost categories. He lays out the strategies for using keywords effectively to skyrocket your book's visibility. It's like having a treasure map to the hidden gems of Amazon's marketplace. And, he unveils a game-changing tool called Publisher Rocket. But that's not all. We'll also explore why keeping your finger on the pulse of Amazon's changes is a MUST for success. In a rapidly evolving industry, staying informed is the key to your publishing endeavors.  Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, this episode will empower you with insider tips from folks working in the publishing industry. Learn how traditional publishers lag behind, while indie authors have the ability to adapt and thrive in the ever-changing landscape. It's time to take the reins of your writing destiny! Don't miss out! Subscribe to Talking Book Publishing Podcast now and equip yourself with the knowledge and strategies to make you a formidable force in the publishing world. Extra: INSANE Amazon Category Change [NEW Rocket Feature] - Watch it on YouTubeWe'd like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you'd like us to interview, please email us at podcast@talkingbookpublishing.today and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Dave Chesson is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book marketing which even Amazon KDP acknowledges as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both fiction and nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. But that's the official bio stuff. The stuff that really matters, at least to me, is that he is the wisest person out there today when it comes to successful indie publishing. Basically, he does the work so that the rest of us can utilize his techniques and systems.You can read the full transcript of our conversation below but the main takeaways are this: if you want to successfully launch a book, start your launch work the day you start writing; to cut down on haters, show readers you're human; and the right keywords and categories on Amazon can make the difference between bestsellerdom and obscurity.Enjoy this episode and by all means, employ the techniques! FOR MORE ABOUT THE PODCAST AND OTHER STUFF, GO TO WWW.ONGOODAUTHORITYPOD.COM.

Dave Chesson is the Founder and CEO of Kindlepreneur, which created PublisherRocket, an amazing tool created to help authors find the best keywords and categories for their book's best chance of success on Amazon. He joins Alexa to discuss what the changes in categories on KDP (Amazon's publishing platform) will impact authors and why they made these changes.

Memoir can be one of the most challenging forms to write, but it can also be the most rewarding. Marion Roach Smith talks about facing your fears, as well as giving practical tips on structuring and writing your memoir. In the intro, Amazon's category changes [KDP Help; Kindlepreneur; Publisher Rocket]; Book description generation with AI; […] The post Writing Your Transcendent Change: Memoir With Marion Roach Smith first appeared on The Creative Penn.

KDP quietly rolled out a new feature for print books that could very well increase catalog sales. The Urban Writers introduces Dibbly, the NEW freelance marketplace for authors. The Kindlepreneur updates all the free author tools. And, will Ream be the subscription platform made just for authors? All that and more in this week's self-publishing news. Join Channel Memberships - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl9CjdZQtzufqgYx0CidSbA/join Join my community at: Discord - http://dalelinks.com/discord  Sources: GetCovers Giveaway - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCoversGiveaway Dibbly - https://dibbly.com/ The 5 Marketing Strategies We Used To Help My Wife Become A Six-Figure Author - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/5-marketing-strategies-to-become-a-six-figure-author/  eBookFairs' Book Launch Library - https://www.ebookfairs.com/Home/BookLaunches eBookFairs - https://DaleLinks.com/eBookFairs  The Hot Sheet - https://hotsheetpub.com Ream - https://reamstories.com/ Using Poetry to Become a Better Writer - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-poetry-to-become-a-better-writer-reedsy-live-tickets-640435288187 Unlocking the Power of Book Awards - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unlocking-the-power-of-book-awards-tickets-549524752327 KDP's Transparency code - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G5HDYGP4BXLX4RUW Kindlepreneur - https://kindlepreneur.com StoryOrigin - https://dalelinks.com/storyorigin (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Matty Dalrymple talks with Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur about AI AS METADATA ASSISTANT AND MUSE, including how effective (or ineffective) AI is in helping authors with keywords, book descriptions, categories, and titles; using AI to create interior images such as maps (and tips for how to do this); using AI image generators to visualize your book description; and the importance of changing how we operate to use AI tools to their fullest. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP185  Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Dave Chesson is the guy behind Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching authors about book marketing. Recommended by Amazon KDP as the place where you can learn how to “optimize marketing for your books,” Kindlepreneur has grown to be one of the largest book marketing websites. Dave's tactics help both fiction and nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Dave is also the creator of Publisher Rocket, a software that helps authors see what's really going on in the book market, and thus pick better keywords and categories to help them sell more books. Dave was previously a guest in Episode 085 - Optimizing Your Keywords.

Amazon KDP finally has some competition by way of IngramSpark with their latest updates. Spotify is stepping up BIG time by offering an unheard of royalty for audiobooks that is double the royalty ACX (Audible) offer. Also, find out how ACX made other news, Kindlepreneur rolls out updates to tracking pirated books, and so much more.    Sources: Miblart Cover Design Giveaway - https://DaleLinks.com/Giveaway GetCovers eBook Cover Design Giveaway - https://DaleLinks.com/GetCoversGiveaway  Miblart - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) Use coupon code DALE10 to get 10% off at checkout. Promote your ebooks your way - https://authoremail.com/email/campaigns/rw660nd2a5e2c/web-version/lg0604x35fb97  Five Pieces of Book Blurb Advice You Should Avoid - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/five-pieces-of-book-blurb-advice-you-should-avoid/  The Quiet Ebooks Revolution - https://giak.medium.com/the-quiet-ebooks-revolution-3fff2c6940f9 Fleischmann Media - https://www.fleischmannmedia.com/ Amazon Announces Anti-Counterfeiting Exchange to Help Eliminate Counterfeits Across the Retail Industry - https://press.aboutamazon.com/2023/4/amazon-announces-anti-counterfeiting-exchange-to-help-eliminate-counterfeits-across-the-retail-industry ACX - https://www.acx.com/ IngramSpark Celebrates 10 Years - https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/15276524164749-IngramSpark-Celebrates-10-Years- The Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link)  ReaderScout - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/readerscout/ankgmhneialghlebgnocmjjemngllcgd The Top 7 Book Aggregators Compared - https://publishdrive.com/top-book-aggregators.html Spotify Helps Authors Earn More with Findaway Voices - https://blog.findawayvoices.com/spotify-helps-authors-earn-more-with-findaway-voices/  The Self-Publishing Hub - https://theselfpublishinghub.com/ Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

When you get into the world of self-publishing, you discover a lot of helpful tools and resources for writing, publishing, and marketing your books. But there are a handful of tools that become an essential part of your arsenal as a self-published author. One of those tools is Publisher Rocket, an app that helps you get your books in front of more Amazon readers. The creator of Publisher Rocket is Dave Chesson, and I'm excited to feature him as a guest on today's show. Dave is a military veteran, husband, father of three kids, and an avid book marketer. His work in publishing and book marketing has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, and lots of other places. He's also the founder of Kindlepreneur, an online resource that features guides, courses, articles, and much more to help you create and market your books on Amazon. In addition to Kindlepreneur and Publisher Rocket, Dave is the creator of Atticus, software that helps you format and upload your books. As you can see, Dave is a serial entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to helping self-published authors like you and me! Before Dave became an author and entrepreneur, he served in the U.S. Navy, was a nuclear engineer, and even worked in defense cooperation around the world. Fun fact: Dave is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese! Our conversation focused on a variety of topics, including the importance of Amazon keywords and how to use Publisher Rocket, print books vs. ebooks, book formatting and marketing, how self-publishing has changed, and much more. * * *

When you get into the world of self-publishing, you discover a lot of helpful tools and resources for writing, publishing, and marketing your books. But there are a handful of tools that become an essential part of your arsenal as a self-published author. One of those tools is Publisher Rocket, an app that helps you get your books in front of more Amazon readers. The creator of Publisher Rocket is Dave Chesson, and I'm excited to feature him as a guest on today's show. Dave is a military veteran, husband, father of three kids, and an avid book marketer. His work in publishing and book marketing has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, and lots of other places. He's also the founder of Kindlepreneur, an online resource that features guides, courses, articles, and much more to help you create and market your books on Amazon. In addition to Kindlepreneur and Publisher Rocket, Dave is the creator of Atticus, software that helps you format and upload your books. As you can see, Dave is a serial entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to helping self-published authors like you and me! Before Dave became an author and entrepreneur, he served in the U.S. Navy, was a nuclear engineer, and even worked in defense cooperation around the world. Fun fact: Dave is also fluent in Mandarin Chinese! Our conversation focused on a variety of topics, including the importance of Amazon keywords and how to use Publisher Rocket, print books vs. ebooks, book formatting and marketing, how self-publishing has changed, and much more. * * *

Audible decreases audiobook prices, prolific author shares secret to producing deep backlog, Kindlepreneur shares insights about retitling your book, and so much more in this week's news.  Sources: Fantasy Writers' Week 2023 - https://DaleLinks.com/Fantasy (affiliate link) Getting Started with BookBub Ads - https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9216742326307/WN_swZpRyBLRtKdeJ4ne80SaQ RadioWrite - https://www.radiowrite.com/ How to Dictate (Like An Author) - https://shop.bookcareerinayear.com/b/dictation How To Title A Book: 13 Steps To Choosing A Title That Sells - https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-title-a-book-with-good-book-titles/ KDP Select paid $522m in 2022 - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/self-publishing-news-kdp-select-paid-522m-in-2023-so-just-how-big-is-the-indie-ebook-market/ Giovanni Antonelli - https://DaleLinks.com/Giovanni (affiliate link) Reach Millions of Verified Readers - https://www.ingramcontent.com/publishers/advertising-platform  THE SELF-PUBLISHING HUB - https://theselfpublishinghub.com/ Some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. We only endorse programs, products or services we use and can stand confidently behind.

Jason Hamilton, Content Manager of Kindlepreneur,  shares his story — raw and unadulterated — about how he faced dreaded WRITER BURNOUT and steps he took to overcome it. He shares his journey and motivation to ensure other authors see the warning signs of writer's burnout, before it's too late. This is a cautionary tale for writers who push themselves too hard instead of finding true work-life balance for the long game as authorpreneurs.Get Jason's Free Checklist 10 Signs you may have Burnout https://www.subscribepage.com/nerdynovelistJason is a featured contributor with 21 other world-famous experts in writing, publishing books and personal transformation in my book The Inner Path of Writing – Make Love not War to the Writer within. All share “GOLDEN NUGGETS” of practical wisdom to help authors (both seasoned or just starting out) to shine their genius when it comes to producing their best work and winning the inner game of writing.✅ Recommended - get my FREE CHECKLIST:5 Book Hooks you must have to Captivate non-fiction Readers: Checklist (Free): https://www.writethebookinsideyou.com/freegift ✅ Connect with Caryl Westmore on social media! https://www.facebook.com/carylwestmoreauthorhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/bookinsideyouhttps://twitter.com/carylwestmoreukShow Sponsors: Books for Writers by Caryl Westmore: Bust Writer's Block Forever www.bustwritersblock.com and The Inner Path of Writing, Make Love not War to the Writer Within . Details here: https://www.ipwbook.com

Rachael Biggs is an author, screenwriter, copywriter and journalist. She studied creative writing at UBC, UCLA, and with masters of the craft Syd Field and Robert McKee. In 2016 she earned a screenwriting diploma from Vancouver Film School with a focus on television.  Her memoir Yearning for Nothings and Nobodies debuted to critical acclaim and was adapted for the screen as Behind the Eight Ball. She is a frequent contributor to print and on-line publications and her short fiction appears regularly in literary magazines including Door is a Jar, Angel City Review and Charge Magazine.  She divides her time between Vancouver and Los Angeles.  And I Was Like November is available for pre-sale now, and pubs January 31, 2023. Kindlepreneur blog Words to Avoid in Writing blog post. https://kindlepreneur.com/words-to-avoid-in-writing/   Want to support the show? Go here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PencilsLipstick Looking for tips on writing, publishing, and storytelling? Join my writers' newsletter! https://www.subscribepage.com/katcaldwellnewsletter Want more information on my books, author swaps, short stories and what I'm reading? Sign up for my readers' newsletter.

How does curiosity fuel creativity? How can we balance consumption and creation in an ever-busier digital life? How can you break out of the myth of the ‘starving artist'? Maria Brito talks about How Creativity Rules the World. In the intro, insights into Colleen Hoover's popularity [NY Times]; Amazon bugs [Kindlepreneur]; Ingram invests in Book.io […] The post How Creativity Rules the World With Maria Brito first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Today we get to speak with Dave Chesson. He is the creator of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book Marketing which even Amazon KDP acknowledges as one of the best by telling users to “Gain insight from Kindlepreneur on how you can optimize marketing for your books.” Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Ted Dekker, and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Our Guest Dave Chessen Website: www.kindlepreneur.com Hacks to Take Away Be incredibly intentional with your time. And I wasn't doing it in patches, it was almost a habit. And I think that that was one of the biggest reasons why I was able to succeed was because I did it that way. So be very intentional, schedule it in there, don't break the schedule, and create that habit. It takes some people longer to get lucky. But the people who stay with it. They're the ones that will succeed. It just might take longer. Don't get depressed when you see people succeed. Let's get started with your Home Studio! Be ready for live streaming, zoom calls, and creating content. Let me help you build a space that helps you gain confidence in front of the lens. Book a call here for a free consultation: http://hacksandhobbies.com/booking --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hacksandhobbies/message

What is more important? Writing a great book or marketing a great book? Sure, writing a good book is necessary but you must market your book for it to be successful. The key component is getting your book to the RIGHT reader.For entrepreneurs and authors to successfully write and market a book, they must prioritize time and resources.In this episode, Dave Chesson, creator of Kindlepreneur.com and Publisher Rocket shares easy & practical tips for successful marketing, how to write your book even if you're not a great writer, and how using one resource can save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. After listening, you'll understand how becoming a bestselling author can change your entire business overnight and the exact steps you need to take to get there.What You'll Learn:How Dave went from military man to industry-leading author How becoming a bestselling author can change your entire business overnightWhy Dave created the all-in-one software for authorsHow to save $1,000s of dollars and 100s of hours by using this one resourceWhy you need to write your book even if you don't consider yourself a great writer About DaveDave Chesson is the guy behind Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching authors about book marketing. Recommended by Amazon KDP as the place where you can learn how to “optimize marketing for your books,” Kindlepreneur has grown to be one of the largest book marketing websites. Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Dave is also the creator of Publisher Rocket, a software that helps authors see what's really going on in the book market, and thus pick better keywords and categories to help them sell more books.Connect with DaveVisit Kindlepreneur.comCheckout AtticusVisit the Publisher Rocket WebsiteConnect with JakeFollow Jake - @jakekelferJoin Jake's Free Live Training: How To Write A Bestselling Book In 1 Hour A Day

When I decided to start writing my first book, I came across Anna David. She specializes in memoir's and since I was writing a memoir... Here's Anna in her own words: "Hi! I'm a New York Times bestselling author of eight books and the founder of Legacy Launch Pad Publishing. I've done three TEDx talks, been on Good Morning America, Today Show, The Talk and dozens of other programs and written for the New York Times, Time, Playboy, Vanity Fair and the Huffington Post, among many others. I've also been written about in such publications as Entrepreneur, Martha Stewart magazine and Forbes. I'm not telling you this to brag. I'm telling you because ALL of these cool-sounding things are a result of being an author Don't believe me? Read on. My first novel, Party Girl, is in development as a feature film, I'm the on-air book critic for KATU Portland and my podcast, Entrepreneur Publishing Academy, has been named one of the best publishing podcasts by LA Weekly, Feedburner, Podchaser and Kindlepreneur, among others. That's why I do what I do. I want to help the world's greatest experts become bestselling authors—and reap the awards that come with it. Through Legacy Launch Pad, I've overseen numerous books that have become Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestsellers—books which have helped our clients add six figures to their bottom line, sell their book rights to film producers and appear on shows like Today and Good Morning America as well as attract higher-quality clients, land speaking gigs and grow into being the leaders in their field." IN THIS EPISODE: 2:57 - The most important thing all authors overlook 6:02 - Anna's public admission 9:01 - Her "Inner Circle" has produced 7 books 11:00 - Being aware of her defects makes her stronger 17:08 - How Anna became a publisher 24:49 - Dar breaks the 4th wall 28:38 - Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" inspired Anna 33:41 - Make white collar criminals wait...always 39:58 - I have her answer two "great questions" 43:00 - Her newest book "The Write Method" 45:50 - She's developed her book into a speech, and a government program 51:20 - Anna and I have Resting Bitch Face LINKS: Anna David Legacy Launch Pad Publishing Her podcast

Dave Chesson joins us in the SPA to chat about some of the awesome apps that he's designed for authors on the Kindleprenuer website.  Dave is a smart guy, and he knows his stuff when it comes to self publishing, so the apps are all super useful and on-point. This includes the free apps, such as the Book Description Generator and the Hashtag Generator (if you've ever struggled with finding good hashtags on any of the socials, that's the app for you!) and his two powerful paid apps, Publisher Rocket and newbie Atticus.  Join us for Dave's insider tips and tricks on how to get the best use out of the apps, and hear some of his best insights into marketing for indies.

Dave Chesson joins us in the SPA to chat about some of the awesome apps that he's designed for authors on the Kindleprenuer website.  Dave is a smart guy, and he knows his stuff when it comes to self publishing, so the apps are all super useful and on-point. This includes the free apps, such as the Book Description Generator and the Hashtag Generator (if you've ever struggled with finding good hashtags on any of the socials, that's the app for you!) and his two powerful paid apps, Publisher Rocket and newbie Atticus.  Join us for Dave's insider tips and tricks on how to get the best use out of the apps, and hear some of his best insights into marketing for indies.

Kindlepreneur mastermind Dave Chesson shares his thoughts on developing Publisher Rocket and his latest writing software, Atticus. Get unique insights into the growth of Kindlepreneur, Publisher Rocket's latest update that is a game-changer, and what's next for Dave and his team. Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket Kindlepreneur on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/Kindlepreneur/ Kindlepreneur - https://Kindlepreneur.com Atticus - https://Atticus.io   

Make no mistake; if you're an author, you're an entrepreneur. You're selling the world on your book, aren't you? Of course, it's not as easy as launching a business and then tossing any old book up on Amazon. Entrepreneur Publishing Academy, one of the best publishing podcasts out there, teaches entrepreneurs to publish books on the specific topic and in the specific way that will launch or grow their businesses.   The show, which has been named one of the best publishing podcasts by LA Weekly, Feedspot, Podchaser and Kindlepreneur, among others, is a combination of solo question-and-answer episodes and interviews with best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and publishing insiders. It has had over a million downloads, regularly appears on the top 100 career podcast list and manages to make discussions about publishing funny.   Popular episodes include interviews with Chris Voss, Robert Greene and Lori Gottlieb.