Podcasts about publisher rocket

Big changes are coming fast for indie authors. KDP is slashing royalties for print books under $9.99 starting next week. Meanwhile, Publisher Rocket is ending its lifetime license—soon, it'll be monthly only. Plus, Spotify for Authors is moving features over from Findaway Voices and confirming promo code honors. Here's what you need to know. 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 Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: How to Get Amazon Book Reviews Without Breaking the Rules - https://bookawardpro.com/blog/how-to-get-amazon-book-reviews-without-breaking-the-rules/ Publisher Rocket SALE - https://rocket.thrivecart.com/special-publisher-rocket/?affiliate=selfpubwithdale (affiliate link) KDP: Print Royalty Rate and Paperback Printing Cost Changes FAQ - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GXFPA52P6ZJD2U3N?ref_=pe_93986420_1235824880 Spotify for Authors - https://authors.spotify.com/ Apple Books accepts accessibility metadata tags - https://itunespartner.apple.com/books/support/12-metadata Written Word Media presents: The YouTube Author Blueprint: From Zero to Growing Reader Community - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/speaker-series/ ARC: YouTube for Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ARCTeam  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]

S4E18From Print to Digital: How to Turn Your Low-Content Books into Interactive PDFs for Tablets!SUMMARY:Today's readers aren't just using paper, they're taking their journals, planners, and activity books on the go with devices like the Kindle Scribe, reMarkable tablet, and iPad. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie walk you through how to turn your low-content books into interactive digital PDFs that customers can write in on their favorite devices. You'll learn how to design these products using A Book Creator, how to format them correctly, and where to sell them, like Etsy, Teachers Pay Teachers, and your own website. If you're ready to tap into the growing market of digital planners and fillable activity books, this episode is for you.Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:A Book Creator – Create interactive planners, journals, and puzzle books with built-in links for tablets

Major updates are shaking up the self-publishing world this week! A popular author tool just expanded its reach, a new feature could help you earn more from your book sales, and indie authors now have a surprising new way to boost their global discoverability. Plus, one important deadline is coming fast—you don't want to miss it. Let's dive in! 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 heck 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: IngramSpark: Share & Sell Your Book - https://www.ingramspark.com/sell-my-book Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link)  PublishDrive Celebrates 10 Years with 50% off all plans - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link)  PublishDrive: Exclusive copyrights - requirements and protection of intellectual works from future theft - https://streamyard.com/watch/PdF22kV9MRPn 30 Books in 30 Days - https://DaleLinks.com/30Books Author Nation (early bird ends on May 1) - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Author Nation 2025: Last Chance for Early Bird! - https://www.youtube.com/live/gRjaAi4WDuU?si=encEBnGbKpMo6xfp Book Launch Panel with Teddy Smith - https://subscribepage.io/booklaunchpanelshow  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

S4E17Quarter 2 Trends: What's Selling Now and How to Capitalize on It!SUMMARY:Self-publishers will find many new opportunities in Quarter 2; understanding current trends is crucial for increasing sales this spring and early summer. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie dive into what's selling right now across Amazon, Etsy, and Teachers Pay Teachers, and how you can use AI and Publisher Rocket to uncover profitable niches. You'll also learn how to use A Book Creator to build products like planners, activity books, and printables quickly to meet seasonal demand. This episode offers actionable insights to help you profit this quarter, whether you're refreshing your catalog or launching a new product.Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comEtsy: https://www.etsy.comTeachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.comPublisher Rocket + Free eBook: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Other resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E16How to Repurpose Your Book Content into Courses, Workbooks, and Printables!SUMMARY:Your published book is just the beginning! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie show you how to maximize your content by transforming your existing books into courses, workbooks, and printables—creating multiple income streams from one product. Whether you're publishing nonfiction, children's books, or even activity books, we'll walk you through how to use AI tools like ChatGPT to generate new assets quickly and how to design materials with A Book Creator. You'll also learn where to sell these new products—from your own website to platforms like Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. If you want to expand your reach and increase your earnings, this episode is packed with actionable strategies!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comDALL·E (AI Art Generator): https://openai.com/dall-eCanva: https://www.canva.comTeachable: https://teachable.comEtsy: https://www.etsy.comTeachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.comOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E15Creating Profitable Mother's Day and Father's Day Books: Ideas & Marketing Strategies!SUMMARY:Mother's Day and Father's Day are huge opportunities for self-publishers to create books that make meaningful gifts! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share high-demand book ideas for these holidays, from guided journals and keepsake books to activity books and memory scrapbooks. Learn how to create and format your books with A Book Creator, research profitable niches with Publisher Rocket, and market your books effectively to maximize sales. Whether you're publishing on KDP, Etsy, or Teachers Pay Teachers, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to help you capitalize on these seasonal trends!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:Publisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook!): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Canva: https://www.canva.comChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E15Creating Profitable Mother's Day and Father's Day Books: Ideas & Marketing Strategies!SUMMARY:Mother's Day and Father's Day are huge opportunities for self-publishers to create books that make meaningful gifts! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share high-demand book ideas for these holidays, from guided journals and keepsake books to activity books and memory scrapbooks. Learn how to create and format your books with A Book Creator, research profitable niches with Publisher Rocket, and market your books effectively to maximize sales. Whether you're publishing on KDP, Etsy, or Teachers Pay Teachers, this episode is packed with actionable strategies to help you capitalize on these seasonal trends!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:Publisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook!): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Canva: https://www.canva.comChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

This week, we're welcoming back a familiar face in both the self-publishing world and on this podcast. Dave Chesson, the creative force behind industry-leading tools like Publisher Rocket, returns to discuss one of his other major successes—Atticus. After more than two years on the market and continuous user-driven improvements, Atticus has steadily evolved and built a large, dedicated following. By blending the best features of writing, editing, collaboration, and formatting tools, it delivers unparalleled functionality for a one-time price that includes all future upgrades. Dave leads us deep into the core of Atticus's capabilities, from real-time collaboration and customizable permissions for editors and beta readers, to cloud-based security and intuitive drag-and-drop formatting. With each update, Atticus moves closer to his broader vision of a comprehensive book management system—designed not only for authors, but also for the publishing team they work with. If you're ready to simplify your workflow and move away from juggling a costly suite of tools, this episode offers valuable insight into how Atticus can save you time and money by replacing them all with a single, streamlined solution.   Dave Chesson and Atticus https://www.atticus.io/   Hidden Gems Need our help publishing or marketing your book? https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/author-services/   All episode details and links: https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/podcast  

S4E13Unlock the Power of AI: Create and Market Unique Coloring Books!SUMMARY:Coloring books are a highly profitable niche in self-publishing, and with AI, creating them has never been easier! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie break down how to use AI tools like DALL·E, MidJourney, and Canva to design stunning, unique coloring books—even if you're not an artist. Learn how to find the right niche, optimize your book for Amazon, and market it effectively. Plus, we'll share insights on the Coloring Book Course, where you can get a step-by-step guide to launching your first AI-powered coloring book. If you're ready to turn your creativity into a thriving book business, this episode is for you!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiPublisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook!): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/DALL·E (OpenAI): https://openai.com/dall-eMidJourney: https://www.midjourney.comCanva: https://www.canva.comOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E12Maximize Q2: Seasonal Trends and Niche Ideas for Spring and Summer!SUMMARY:Q2 is packed with opportunities for self-publishers, from spring cleaning and Mother's Day to summer vacations and graduation gifts. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie break down seasonal trends and profitable niche ideas to help you maximize sales in April, May, and June. Learn how to research high-demand book topics using Publisher Rocket (and get Cindy's 12 Months of Book Ideas eBook when purchasing through her affiliate link!), and discover how A Book Creator can help you quickly design printables, planners, and activity books for this season. Tune in and get ahead of Q2 trends today!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comPublisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook!): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/A Book Creator 3-Day Trial: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E11AI-Driven Success: Create Stunning Children's Picture Books with Ease!SUMMARY:Creating children's picture books has never been easier, thanks to AI! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie walk you through the step-by-step process of using AI tools to plan, write, and illustrate a professional-quality picture book—even if you're not an artist. Learn how to use ChatGPT for storytelling, DALL·E for illustrations, and Canva for seamless formatting. Plus, we'll discuss the Creating Children's Picture Books with AI Course, which gives you everything you need to publish a stunning children's book. If you've ever dreamed of publishing a picture book, this is the episode for you!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:Creating Children's Picture Books with AI Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseMidjourney: https://midjourney.comChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comDALL·E (OpenAI): https://openai.com/dall-eCanva: https://www.canva.comPublisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook!): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Other resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

In this week's episode, we take a look at five lessons for writers from Barnes & Nobles' turnaround. I also discuss indie author advertising results from February 2025. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Blade of the Elves, Book #3 in the Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store: BLADE50 The coupon code is valid through March 28, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 242 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is March 7, 2025, and today we are looking at writing lessons from the dramatic turnaround of Barnes and Noble. We'll also look at my ad results for February 2025 and we'll also have Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing projects and Question of the Week.   First off, let's start with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Blade of the Elves, Book Number Three in the Dragon Skull Series (as excellent narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store. That coupon code is BLADE50. We'll have the coupon code and the link in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through March 28th, 2025, so if you need a new audiobook for spring, we have got you covered. Now an update on my current writing and audiobook projects. The rough draft of Ghosts in the Assembly is done and I am 16% into the second phase of editing. If all goes well, I am planning to publish the book on March 14th, assuming there are no unanticipated interruptions, which is always risky to rely upon, but things are going well with it and I'm optimistic we can do that. I'm also 13,000 words into Shield of Battle and after Ghost in the Assembly is published, that will be my main project.   In audiobook news, Orc-Hoard, the fourth book in the Half-Elven Thief series (as narrated by Leanne Woodward), is now available and you can get it at all the usual audiobook stores. Half-Elven Thief: Omnibus One (which is a combination of Half-Elven Thief, Wizard-Thief, and Half-Orc Paladin, the first three books in the series) is also now available in audio (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward), and you can give that omnibus edition at Audible, Amazon, and Apple. So that is where I'm at with my current writing projects.   00:01:49 Question of the Week   Question the Week is designed to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question, when you have an unpleasant chore that must be done, do you prefer to split it up into smaller parts over a number of days or just to get it all over with at once? No wrong answers, obviously. The inspiration for this question is the fact that it's tax prep time here in the United States, and I have spent a lot of time this week working on that.   Justin says: I prefer to get it over with all at once if possible. Extending your example, I have somehow become the tax preparer for other family members, so there are a few days where that is what I do. I also set aside a few hours every month for vehicle maintenance: check fluids, tire pressure, top off everything, look at belts (replace if worn). It's amazing how more reliable cars are when you look after them a bit.   That is very true. Good car maintenance advice from Justin.   Catriona says: Procrastinate. I love to procrastinate, then the mad dash to the very last second of the deadline. Retired now, so no longer need to be efficiently organized.   Jenny says: Oh, split if I can, procrastinate if I can't. Dishes? Do some or put some away, do more later or let my laundry pile up until I have no pants.   And Juana says: Let's get this over with. (Transcriptionist's note: this was posted in the form of a GIF of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock)   For myself, I suppose the answer is that I essentially get to do both since I'm technically a small business owner as a publisher, I do some tax stuff every month and then usually have a couple of days in March that are all tax prep. Other than that, it really depends on the size of the task in question. My preferred way would be to split a task up into smaller pieces and do 'em until they're done. But if you have something like snow shoveling, for example, you really do have to kind of bite the bullet and get it over with all at once.   00:03:21 February 2025 Ad Results   Now let's see how my ads did in February 2025. February is generally a better month for advertising than November, December, and January. The reason for that is that Valentine's Day and the Super Bowl drives some consumer spending, though not nearly as much as the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, and so therefore the cost per click is often lower and you can usually have good results with ads.   First up, Facebook ads. In February, I advertised both Cloak Games/Cloak Mage and all the Ghosts on Facebook. For Cloak Games/Cloak Mage, I got back $2.98 (USD) for every dollar spent, with 6.8% of the profit coming from the audiobooks. For the Ghosts, I got back $3.24 cents for every dollar spent, with 15.4% of the profit coming from the audiobooks. I also ran a few different Amazon ad campaigns. Remember that for an Amazon ad campaign to work, it needs to generate a sale or a complete Kindle Unlimited page readthrough for every six to eight clicks. For Half-Elven Thief, I got back $2.30 for every dollar spent, with a sale for every 0.68 clicks. In other words, we had more total sales than we had clicks. For Stealth and Spells Online: Creation, I lost $2.52 for every dollar spent, with a sale for every 8.1 clicks. For The Linux Command Line Beginner's Guide, I got back $1.86 for every dollar spent, with a sale for every one click and 32% of the month's profit coming from the audiobook. I think this shows how badly I misjudged the LitRPG market with Stealth and Spells Online. The ads for Half-Elven Thief actually get more search terms for LitRPG related searches than Stealth and Spells actually does. I ran BookBub ads for Sevenfold Sword and The Ghosts on Apple, and here's how they did. For The Ghosts, I got back $5.26 for every dollar spent. For Sevenfold Sword, I got back $4.35 for every $1 spent. Finally, for the Demonsouled series, which is currently in KU, I did a combined Facebook and Amazon campaign, and when you run multi-platform ad campaigns like that, the most valuable metric tends to be honestly money back for dollar spent. So for Demonsouled, I got back $2.58 for every dollar spent. So good results, all in all, and I didn't actually lose that much money on Stealth and Spells. So thanks for reading everyone and hopefully I'll have more good books for you to read soon.   00:05:47 Main Topic: Lessons for Writers from Barnes and Noble's Turnaround   So now onto our main topic this week, lessons for Writers from Barnes and Noble's Turnaround because it is fair to say Barnes and Noble has had a turnaround recently. For a while at the end of the 2010s and the early 2020s, people would have their self-publishing predictions for the year, and one of them was almost always that Barnes and Noble is going to finally close, which was a reversal of fortune for it because if you remember in the ‘90s and the 2000s and even the early part of the 2010s, Barnes and Noble was the juggernaut in the publishing industry. They had forced out of business a lot of smaller indie bookstores and what Barnes and Noble wanted in the publishing industry, Barnes and Noble got. Then just as Barnes and Noble disrupted all the smaller book chains and independent bookstores, Amazon came along and disrupted Barnes and Noble. And so for a while it looked like Barnes and Noble was going to go out of business, but Barnes and Noble's revenue actually grew 1.6% in fiscal year 2024, and their foot traffic is up significantly. They're planning 60 new stores after a wave of closures in previous years.   A few years ago, as I said, they seemed headed for extinction, yet a combination of unpredictable factors and good decisions helped turned around Barnes and Noble. What are some of those factors leading into it? I suspect one of them is that many people are forced to be on screens all day and can find this frustrating or stressful, especially when schooling and work were virtual. I've talked to some teachers over the past couple of years and they would tell me stories of, for example, younger children who will burst into tears at the site of a Chromebook just because the experience of remote learning via Chromebooks was so stressful and miserable in 2020 and 2021 (and places that held onto that policy for probably longer than they should have). So much socialization nowadays is conducted online too through TikToks and chats and text messages and so forth. Because of this, many now feel like print books are a break from being constantly online. Various social media people such as TikTokers and Instagrammers make Barnes and Noble trips and hauls, showing off giant stacks of the latest books, filling up feeds. Home book displays are also a trend online, as collectors show off carefully style collections of books. Owning physical books and browsing the shelves at Barnes and Noble has become cool again. Truly history is a wheel that keeps on turning.   So what lessons can you take from this turnaround as a writer (even if your physical books aren't stocked by Barnes and Noble and you don't sell that many eBooks through them)? How they approach their relationship with their readers and their customers still has a few lessons to provide writers.   #1: Focus on your primary mission and also double down on what actually works. Barnes and Noble started to devote much of their store space to a confusing, aimless mixture of toys and gifts mixed in with the books. The stores began to look cluttered and much of this merchandise did not actually sell to their customers. They also wasted a large sum of money trying to compete with Amazon, Apple, and tech companies with their Nook tablets and kept Nook ereaders as a strong store presence long after it was clear they had lost the battle for the ebook market. There was even an extremely ill-advised foray into Barnes and Noble restaurants. Customers were quick to reject $13 avocado toast and $7 oatmeal from a mall chain bookstore.   One, when the company focused on returning to selling print books and making the store a better place to browse, sales improved. Many stores moved the gifts and games away from the book areas and back into the dedicated sections, which cleaned up the layout and made it easier for customers wanting non-book items to find what they were looking for. Since most of the customers were actually there to buy books, that made it easier to buy books.   How to apply this as a writer? Your job as a writer is to create and sell books. Getting lost in side quests, like overly frequent social media posting, creating courses or webinars, and selling merchandises are only taking time away from what your readers actually want the most from you: more books. So double down on writing more books, just as Barnes Noble doubled down on selling more books.   #2: Target the right people. Barnes Noble's display spaces and tables were taken up by books that publishers paid to place there. This led to their prime store space being taken up by books that were often poor sellers or not a good fit for their local customers. It was better to turn down the short-term money but have more targeted displays, including putting similar books in “thematic nooks.”   By focusing much of their marketing on the BookTok/Bookstagram groups of heavy readers, they were able to find ways to appeal to a younger and growing customer base. Since this group loves books both as content and décor, showcasing exclusive or “aesthetic” special editions was a way to bring these customers back into the store and keep them from buying cheaper copies online. These readers were also willing to spend a few dollars extra for the experience and to ensure that the books they were buying weren't damaged, which is often a complaint when you buy books online, that they sometimes aren't packaged properly and arrive damaged in transit. Store space was also devoted to manga readers, another group that reads voraciously and enjoys the experience of reading the print version and later collecting the print version as opposed to the electronic one.   Now, how do you apply this as a writer? Appeal to your core audience. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, find your core “thematic nook” (as Barnes Noble puts it), meaning similar authors and titles. There are resources like Publisher Rocket that can help you do this. Focus your advertising on finding these readers instead of the general population.   For myself, I've experienced this lesson personally in the last four years because in the last four years I've tried three different new things: The Cormac Rogan Mysteries, the Stealth and Spells LitRPG book, and the Rivah Half-Elven series. And of the three, Rivah was by far the most successful because it was another form of epic fantasy, which I think is what my core audience really wants from me and not contemporary mysteries or LitRPG. So this is the lesson I can attest to through personal experience.   #3: Give customers a good experience. Barnes and Noble spent money on repainting, installing brighter lighting, and changing store layouts. The CEO James Daunt stated it was their aim to make the store feels like “places of discovery.” Chairs were even added back to some stores to allow readers to browse in comfort.   Now, how can you apply this to being a writer? First, you want to make sure that your readers have the easiest possible experience, the most pleasant possible experience in buying books from you. One way to do this is keep your website updated and check for broken links, which is easier said than done. I know, especially for me since Ghost in the Assembly will be my 160th novel, and that is a lot of links to check and my website had gotten complex enough that I finally hired someone to overhaul it and make sure all the links were working. But I think we've had good results since traffic is up and I get much fewer complaints now about dead links. It's often a good idea to refresh ad images to keep potential readers' attention. For Facebook ads, I think based on my experience, the best you can hope for is two to three weeks of good results with a single image. For BookBub, maybe three or four days. So it's good to have a supply of ad images you can rotate out often. Finally, incentivize readers to read your newsletter by keeping it brief and providing some kind of special reward, like a discount or bonus content, which is why I give away a lot of short stories in my email newsletter.   #4: Be willing to change it up or try new things. Barnes and Noble's leadership also ceded more control of the selection and displays to the individual stores, allowing them to better customize the stores towards the taste of the community. For most of Barnes and Noble's history, if you walked into the store and you saw the displays in the front and on the end caps where books were highlighted. Publishers paid through the nose for the privilege of having their books stocked that way. And while there is still some of that, obviously the new regime at Barnes and Noble has changed things around so that more local stores have greater control of what to put where, which means they can put out more books that their local community is more likely to buy. If you walk into a Barnes and Noble in Illinois, for example, you're much more likely to see a large display of Illinois local history than you would have otherwise.   For another example, I once visited a Barnes and Noble in a large suburb that had a very large teenage population that had the Young Adult section wedged in a single cramped back corner by the bathrooms. It was extremely unpleasant to browse, especially if one person was already in the aisle. And of course, if there was a line for the bathroom, which is often the case, teenagers typically want more physical space from strangers. This decision to put the Young Adult section in a cramped corner in the back of the store was clearly made by someone who did not a lot of experience talking to or working with teenagers. After Daunt's changes, Young Adult was moved to the center of the store. The aisles in the new section were extra wide to accommodate groups of teens browsing together, and it was now full of colorful displays, many of which were handmade by staff members. In the times I visited this Barnes and Noble since, it is always the busiest part of the store.   Another surprise area of growth was the refreshing of the stationery and planner section. The previous selection was stale and heavily reliant on older licensed properties like Disney. It wasn't reflective of the trends in the category being popularized (once again by Instagram and TikTok), such as dot grid notebooks with high quality paper and guided journals (like the influencer favorite, the Five Minute Journal, which offers a few brief prompts to reflect on the day). Barnes and Noble bought the stationery brand Paper Source, which brought in fresh designs to its cards and stationery. They also changed their selection to adapt to two of the biggest trends in stationery, bullet journaling and customizable Japanese planners. Stationery enthusiasts were willing to pay a premium to be able to see stationery items in person before buying, since that allows you to avoid counterfeit versions that are sold online and ensure that the product was in pristine condition and would not arrive through the mail damaged. Since the margins on stationery are way higher than they are in books, this was a wise decision.   Now how can we apply this lesson as a writer? One of the advantages of being self-published is the ability to change quickly based on data and reader feedback. For example, the Stealth and Spells Online series was originally called the Sevenfold Sword Online. Once I realized that readers were confusing this series with the main Sevenfold Sword series, I changed the title to help prevent confusion and emphasized that the series was in fact a separate one. I also changed the cover to reflect trends in the LitRPG series, such as characters' faces usually not being shown and a more diffused, animation-influenced color palette.   If one of your books isn't connecting with readers, it may be worth your time to update your blurb and cover trends based on your categories. Another similar experience I had was with the Silent Order covers where I went through five different iterations with that cover before I settled on the version I have now, which definitely sells the best.     #5: Do what Amazon can't. The new CEO of Barnes and Noble focused on what Amazon couldn't do: provide a physical environment for browsing.  Browsing aisles of books with a cup of coffee (from the Barnes and Noble Café) in hand is a relaxing experience for many people. Amazon famously tried to set up its own chain of physical bookstores, and it didn't work out because the experience for customers tended to be industrial and unpleasant in a way that made an airport newsstand seem downright cozy in comparison. The bookstores were stocked with just a very limited selection of popular books on plain shelves with electronic price tags. Nothing about it inspired browsing or finding new books, the most important way physical bookstores inspire readers to buy additional books.   This was an example of Amazon doing the opposite of our first lesson. Rather than doubling down on what was working, they tried something that was away from their core competency of low prices and fast delivery, which was a physical bookstore. In fact, one of these Amazon bookstores opened across the street from author Ann Patchett's Parnassus books, which is an indie bookstore in Nashville that provides lots of help from friendly, knowledgeable staff, autographed books from authors like Patchett, and a full calendar of events with local authors. Reviewers who have visited this indie bookstore rave about the friendly and helpful staff and the cozy atmosphere. Even though Parnassus offered higher prices than the Amazon bookstore across the street, the experience was so much better that it's not surprising that the Amazon bookstore did not work and that Parnassus outlasted this physical Amazon bookstore that opened across the street. As many people have found out the hard way, it is very difficult to compete with Amazon on price. Instead of constantly discounting books with buy two get one free promotions or providing steep discounts through its membership program, Barnes and Noble stopped trying to compete with Amazon on price and turned their attention to something that Amazon couldn't do, which is the physical experience of the store. Events like children's story times and special events (complete with gift bags) for popular releases like Onyx Storm brought in people who hadn't been to a physical store in a while.   Now, the point of this isn't to indulge in Amazon bashing because Amazon does get criticized a lot, sometimes fairly, sometimes not fairly. The point is that trying to compete with Amazon on its core competencies of low price and fast delivery is not a good idea. And so instead, you need to try and find a way to do something well that Amazon can't do or Amazon isn't interested in doing. Even if Amazon remains a big part of your business as an indie writer, you can diversify your profits and readership by looking beyond Amazon.   What can't Amazon do for your readers? You can engage with your readers directly through your newsletter and social media. That's why I try to post at least once a day and respond to comments when possible. You can find ways to provide special content for loyal readers, which I do personally in the form of free short stories, discounts, Coupon of the Week (which we always talk about every week). Giveaways, et cetera provide something that Amazon can't or won't. For example, direct sales platforms like my Payhip store can provide DRM free ebook files, multiple file formats with each purchase, and special bonus content for readers buying direct and so forth. If you buy a book off My Payhip store, you can download the epub file and a PDF file, which you can't do from Amazon anymore.   On a related note, give people who don't want to buy from Amazon a place to buy your books, whether that be other ebook vendors or your own direct sales page (or ideally both). I should mention that personally of my (soon to be) 160 books, only 14% of them are currently on Kindle Unlimited (which means Amazon exclusivity), which is a fortunate position I'm able to be in because Kindle Unlimited is also a big part of the market. I'm able to essentially play in both worlds where I have the majority of my series available wide (and available on my Payhip store with files and the other things we were talking about), while also providing some books for Kindle Unlimited readers, which also is a big part of the pool. I'm fortunate enough to be able to play in both worlds there and continue to do that.   To sum up, Barnes and Noble recovered by focusing on what it does best and finding the people who respond best to that. As a writer, I think your main focus should be on putting out new books and targeting your advertising is the best way to make that approach work for you. If you have a long series, it might be a good idea to make the first book free and advertise that if you want to connect more with your readers, giving away short stories is a good way to do that, especially in your newsletter. So to sum up, perhaps the best way forward for all writers is to remain flexible and to double down on your core competencies and core strengths.   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 on https://thepulpwritershow.com, often with transcripts. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.  

Want to publish low-content books like journals, planners, or activity books? Researching trends is key! Start with Amazon Best Sellers to find high-ranking books. Use keyword searches to see what's trending. Tools like Publisher Rocket and BookBolt provide insights on demand. Read reviews to spot customer preferences. Check Google Trends for seasonal spikes. Analyze top KDP competitors and track Amazon's Movers & Shakers for hot niches. Research smart, publish smarter!#SelfPublishing #KDP #LowContentBooks #PassiveIncome #AmazonSelling #BookMarketing #PublishingTips

S4E10Spring into Creativity: How to Create Seasonal Puzzle Books That Sell!Spring is a season of renewal, and it's the perfect time to create seasonal puzzle books that attract buyers looking for fresh, engaging content. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie dive into how to create, design, and market puzzle books with a spring theme using A Book Creator and other AI tools. Plus, learn how Publisher Rocket can help you find profitable niches and how you can get Cindy's exclusive 12 Months of Book Ideas eBook when purchasing through her affiliate link. If you're ready to boost your sales with puzzle books this season, this episode is for you!Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Publisher Rocket (+ Cindy's Bonus eBook): https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonuS-course-p1Canva: https://www.canva.comMetricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E9Spring into Sales: Seasonal Marketing Strategies for Self-Publishers!As the flowers bloom and the days grow warmer, spring offers a wealth of opportunities to refresh your marketing strategies and connect with readers. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share actionable tips for leveraging spring themes to boost book sales. Learn how to create timely promotions, design fresh visuals, and use AI tools to automate your campaigns. Whether you're selling fiction, non-fiction, or printables, this episode will help you turn the season into sales.Show Notes/Links:Links to Mentioned Tools:Canva:https://www.canva.comA Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFConvertKit:https://convertkit.comChatGPT (OpenAI):https://chat.openai.comOther resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xdPuzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourseColoring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksaiFree AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75Get "12 Months of Book Ideas - 365 Ideas for Low Content Books" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUFCindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E8 Beyond the Basics: Advanced Amazon Ads Strategies for Self-Publishers! SUMMARY: If you've already dipped your toes into Amazon Ads but aren't seeing the results you'd hoped for, this episode is for you. Cindy and Tammie break down advanced strategies to help you take your ad campaigns to the next level. Learn how to master keyword optimization, leverage audience targeting, and use AI tools like Publisher Rocket and ChatGPT to create compelling ad copy. By the end of this episode, you'll have the tools to make your ad campaigns more effective and profitable. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com PPC Entourage: https://ppcentourage.com Amazon Ads Dashboard: https://advertising.amazon.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Publisher Rocket Link:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/

S4E7 From Idea to Reality: How to Launch a Book in 90 Days Using AI Tools! Summary: Think launching a book in 90 days is impossible? Think again! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie break down a step-by-step roadmap to take your book from concept to launch in just three months. With the help of AI tools like ChatGPT, Canva, A Book Creator, and Metricool, you'll learn how to brainstorm, draft, design, and market your book efficiently without sacrificing quality. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: Atticus: https://www.atticus.io/  ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Canva: https://www.canva.com ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S4E6 Valentine's Day Special: How to Market Romance and Relationship-Themed Books Effectively! Summary: Valentine's Day is a prime opportunity to market romance and relationship-themed books to readers hungry for love stories and self-improvement guides. In this special episode, Cindy and Tammie share actionable strategies for creating eye-catching promotions, leveraging holiday-themed campaigns, and crafting emotional connections with readers. Learn how AI tools like ChatGPT and Canva can help you quickly create content and run ads that resonate with your audience. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: A Book Creator Free 3-Day Trial: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Canva: https://www.canva.com Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!One can easily overlook that little piece of the Amazon upload process where you specify 7 keywords related to your title. After all, who wants to filter through the millions of options to find 7 that are most likely to ensure your book is seen by the readers actively looking for it? It might not sound fun, but it's a step you don't want to ignore or breeze through. In short, strategically choosing keywords helps to ensure visibility and connection with the right audience. In this episode, we explore practical keyword strategies and how tools like Publisher Rocket that can help authors succeed in an incredibly saturated marketplace. TOPICS COVERED:• The importance of keywords in book discoverability • Common misconceptions about keyword relevance • Strategies for selecting effective keywords • How to analyze competitor keywords  • The unique benefits of long-tail keywords• How intentionally crafted book descriptions can enhance keyword effectivenessRESOURCES MENTIONED*Publisher Rocket: How to Choose the Most Effective KeywordsGoogle Suggestion Expander extension *Affiliate link 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.

S4E5 The AI Advantage: Automate and Streamline Your Self-Publishing Workflow! Summary: Time is every self-publisher's most valuable resource, and AI tools are here to help you save it. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie explore how AI can simplify your self-publishing workflow—from brainstorming book ideas and drafting content to designing covers, managing marketing campaigns, and analyzing sales data. Learn how to integrate tools like ChatGPT, Canva, A Book Creator, and Metricool into your daily routine and reclaim hours of your time while boosting productivity and creativity. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Canva: https://www.canva.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S4E4 Mastering Reader Engagement: How to Build an Email List That Converts in 2025! An engaged email list is one of the most valuable assets for any self-publisher. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share actionable strategies for building, growing, and nurturing an email list that turns subscribers into loyal readers. From creating irresistible lead magnets to crafting engaging sequences and leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and ConvertKit, you'll learn how to build a thriving email community in 2025. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF MailerLite: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S4E3 Repurposing Your Content: Turn One Book Into Multiple Income Streams! SUMMARY: Why stop at just one product when your book can become many? In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share strategies for repurposing your book's content into additional income streams. From workbooks and planners to audiobooks, printables, and online courses, discover how to make the most of your hard work. Plus, learn how AI tools like ChatGPT and A Book Creator can help streamline the process and maximize your revenue. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ ChatGPT (OpenAI):https://chat.openai.com Etsy: https://www.etsy.com Teachable: https://www.teachable.com Canva: https://www.canva.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S4E2 AI-Powered Content Creation: How to Plan a Year of Social Media Posts in One Week! SUMMARY: Social media is one of the most effective tools for promoting your books, but keeping up with consistent posts can feel overwhelming. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie reveal how to plan an entire year of engaging social media content in just one week using AI tools. From brainstorming post ideas with ChatGPT to designing eye-catching visuals with Canva and scheduling everything with Metricool, you'll get actionable tips to streamline your content strategy and save hours every month. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Canva: https://www.canva.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S4E1 New Year, New Niche: How to Find Profitable Markets for Your Next Book! SUMMARY: Start 2025 with a fresh focus by discovering a profitable niche for your next book. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie walk listeners through the steps to identify underserved book categories, validate demand, and avoid over-saturated markets. Learn how to use tools like Publisher Rocket, ChatGPT, and Amazon search trends to uncover hidden opportunities and set your next project up for success. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com Google Trends: https://trends.google.com A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Publisher Rocket:  https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E64 Hitting the Ground Running: Marketing Strategies for January 2025! Summary: The start of a new year is the perfect time to engage readers and boost your book sales. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share practical marketing strategies for making the most of January, from leveraging New Year's resolutions to targeting gift card redeemers. Learn how to plan effective promotions, create fresh content, and use AI tools to automate your efforts. Start 2025 strong with these actionable tips! Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: ChatGPT (OpenAI):https://chat.openai.com Canva:https://www.canva.com Metricool:https://metricool.com ConvertKit:https://convertkit.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E63 2024 Reflection: What Worked, What Didn't, and What's Next! Summary: As 2024 winds down, it's time to reflect on your self-publishing journey. In this episode, Cindy and Tammie guide you through the process of evaluating what worked, what didn't, and how to use those insights to improve in 2025. From reviewing sales and marketing strategies to analyzing reader feedback, you'll learn how to turn this year's challenges and successes into actionable goals for the future. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: Google Analytics:https://analytics.google.com Metricool:https://metricool.com Google Forms:https://forms.google.com Typeform:https://www.typeform.com Notion:https://www.notion.so Trello:https://trello.com ChatGPT (OpenAI):https://chat.openai.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E62 Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Tactics to Boost Book Sales! Summary: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie share actionable strategies for self-publishers to capitalize on the final weeks of the holiday shopping season. From flash sales and social media campaigns to creative bundling and giftable promotions, you'll learn quick and effective ways to attract holiday shoppers. Plus, discover how AI tools can help you design eye-catching graphics and craft engaging messages with ease. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Canva:https://www.canva.com ChatGPT (OpenAI):https://chat.openai.com Rafflecopter:https://www.rafflecopter.com KingSumo:https://kingsumo.com VistaCreate: https://create.vista.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E61​​ Planning Your 2025 Publishing Schedule: A Goal-Setting Guide for Self-Publishers! Summary: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie dive into practical strategies for setting and achieving your publishing goals in 2025. From creating a realistic publishing calendar and setting sales targets to planning writing and marketing milestones, you'll learn how to stay organized and make steady progress toward your goals. Plus, discover how AI tools can help with time management and accountability, so you can stay on track and make 2025 your most productive year yet. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: Trello: https://trello.com  ClickUp:https://clickup.com Notion AI: https://notion.so Focusmate: https://focusmate.com Jasper AI: https://www.jasper.ai Google Calendar: https://calendar.google.com Buffer: https://buffer.com Metricool:  https://i.mtr.cool/CARGU MailerLite: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c537 ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com Other resources:Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle:https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E60 Expressing Gratitude and Building Reader Loyalty This Thanksgiving! Summary: In this special Thanksgiving episode, Cindy and Tammie explore meaningful ways for self-publishers to connect with readers and show appreciation for their support. From thank-you campaigns and exclusive bonuses to creating a sense of community, this episode is filled with actionable ideas to help authors foster loyalty and strengthen relationships with their readers. Plus, learn how AI tools can add a personal touch to your messages and streamline engagement strategies for the busy holiday season. Show Notes/Links: Links to Mentioned Tools: ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com Copy.ai: https://www.copy.ai Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF A Book Creator: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Rafflecopter: https://www.rafflecopter.com KingSumo: https://kingsumo.com ConvertKit: https://convertkit.com MailerLite: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E59 Maximizing Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales for Your Books! Summary: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie dive into actionable strategies to help self-publishers boost their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. They'll cover everything from setting up eye-catching promotions and creating a sense of urgency to marketing deals through email and social media. Plus, learn how to use AI tools to enhance your holiday marketing materials and make your books stand out in the busiest shopping season of the year. Show Notes/Links: Mentioned in this Episode: ChatGPT:https://chat.openai.com Jasper AI:https://www.jasper.ai Canva:https://www.canva.com Copy.ai:https://www.copy.ai Metricool: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Mailerlite: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379   Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E58 Holiday-Themed Book Ideas: Writing to Boost Q4 Sales! In this episode, Cindy and Tammie explore how to capitalize on the holiday season by writing and marketing holiday-themed books. From festive romances and Christmas mysteries to holiday cookbooks and activity books, you'll learn how to craft and sell books that are perfect for Q4. They also share strategies for brainstorming ideas, choosing the right genre, and marketing your holiday content effectively to reach more readers. Plus, discover how AI tools can simplify the process, from idea generation to marketing. Show Notes/Links: Mentioned in this Episode: ChatGPT (OpenAI) Use for brainstorming, generating content ideas, and writing assistance. https://chat.openai.com A Book Creator Tool for designing planners, activity books, and interactive PDFs. Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Grammarly AI-powered writing assistant for grammar and clarity. https://www.grammarly.com ProWritingAid Comprehensive editing tool for checking grammar, style, and readability. https://prowritingaid.com Sudowrite AI tool for creative writers to generate plot ideas and assist with writing. https://www.sudowrite.com Scrivener Writing software that helps with organization, outlines, and content structuring. https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener Canva Design platform for creating book covers, marketing materials, and social media graphics. https://www.canva.com Copy.ai AI tool for generating ad copy, email content, and social media posts. https://www.copy.ai Metricool Social media scheduling and analytics platform to optimize content performance. https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Plottr Visual outlining tool to organize your book's plot and structure effectively. https://plottr.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E57 Crafting Planners That Sell: Books, Printables, and Interactive PDFs for Q4 Success! Summary: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie dive into the lucrative world of creating and selling planners. With Q4 around the corner, planners are in high demand on platforms like Amazon KDP, Etsy, and for digital devices like Kindle Scribe and iPads. Learn how to customize planners for different niches, niche down for targeted audiences, and create planners using A Book Creator to maximize sales during the busiest season of the year. Show Notes/Links: Mentioned in this Episode: A Book Creator: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E56 Unlock the Profits: How to Create and Sell Printables with Ease! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie provide a step-by-step guide on how to create and sell printables. They explore how tools like A Book Creator can streamline the creation process, and how AI can assist in generating ideas and designing printables. Whether you're looking to sell planners, worksheets, or other digital downloads, this episode will help you get started. Show Notes/Links: Mentioned in this Episode: A Book Creator: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ ChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.com Canva: https://www.canva.com Etsy: https://www.etsy.com Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379

S3E55 AI-Powered Author Websites: Create, Optimize, and Sell More Books! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie guide you through the process of building a professional author website that not only showcases your books but also helps convert visitors into readers. From choosing the right design and optimizing your content to using AI tools to streamline the process, this episode offers everything you need to know about building a site that sells. Show Notes/Links: Mentioned in this episode: Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) Build a website using AI that customizes design based on your preferences. URL: https://www.wix.com/about/ad Bookmark's AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Design Assistant) An AI-powered website builder that creates sites based on user input. URL: https://www.bookmark.com WordPress with Elementor A drag-and-drop WordPress page that offers easy design customization. URL: https://elementor.com Divi Builder for WordPress A flexible WordPress theme and page builder with an intuitive visual interface. URL: https://www.elegantthemes.com/divi/ ChatGPT (OpenAI) Use AI to generate content, such as book descriptions, blog posts, and more. URL: https://chat.openai.com Grammarly AI-powered tool to optimize your website's content for readability and engagement. URL: https://www.grammarly.com QuillBot A writing assistant that helps paraphrase, summarize, and enhance your content. URL: https://quillbot.com SurferSEO An AI tool that helps optimize your website content for search engine rankings. URL: https://surferseo.com Frase.io AI-driven content and SEO tool that helps optimize web pages for better search rankings. URL: https://www.frase.io Jasper AI AI tool for creating high-quality book descriptions, ad copy, and other content. URL: https://www.jasper.ai Canva Design tool for creating visuals, banners, and promotional graphics. URL: https://www.canva.com DALL-E 3 (OpenAI) AI image generation tool that allows you to create custom visuals from text prompts. URL: https://openai.com/dall-e-3 Other resources: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Canva Link:   https://partner.canva.com/aududu

S3E54 Marketing for Free: How to Promote Your Book Without Spending a Dime! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie explore free marketing strategies that self-publishers can use to promote their books without breaking the bank. From leveraging social media and growing your email list to tapping into online communities and cross-promoting with other authors, this episode is packed with practical tips that you can start implementing today to boost your book's visibility. Show Notes/Links: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Google Trends: https://trends.google.com/trends/ Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Canva Link:   https://partner.canva.com/aududu Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/ Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/

Jamie Northrup is no stranger to the “make money online” scene. He's been doing it for almost 20 years with varying success, depending on the strategy.  For years he has been developing different income streams, focusing particularly on side hustles with no customers, with considerable success. When he was laid off, he was lucky he didn't have to worry, because he had a solid hustle or two to keep him afloat. Fast forward to today, and Jamie runs the Minimalist Hustler brand, where he teaches people to develop their own side hustles. He has several different income streams, from products to newsletters, and is on track to hit six figures in 2025. Links & Resources Minimalist Hustler - https://minimalisthustler.com/ Medium - https://medium.com/ Amazon KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/ Skool - https://www.skool.com/ Gumroad - https://gumroad.com/ Self Publishing Titans - https://www.selfpublishingtitans.com/ Publisher Rocket - https://publisherrocket.com/ Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/partners/bookbub_ads Josh Spector - https://joshspector.com/ 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

S3E53 Stop Guessing, Start Selling: How to Identify a Profitable Book Niche! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie walk you through the steps to identify profitable niches in self-publishing. By focusing on market research, keyword analysis, and targeting underserved audiences, you can significantly improve your book's chances of success. Tune in to learn the best tools and strategies to uncover your perfect niche! Show Notes/Links: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Google Trends: https://trends.google.com/trends/ Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Canva Link:   https://partner.canva.com/aududu

S3E52 Boost Your Income: How to Create and Market Low-Content Books! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie guide you through the process of creating and selling low-content books like journals, planners, and logbooks. Learn how to use A Book Creator as your go-to tool for efficiently producing these in-demand products. Whether you're new to self-publishing or looking to expand your offerings, this episode offers practical advice on creating, publishing, and marketing low-content books to boost your income. We've also included a link to a free 3-day trial for A Book Creator so you can get started right away. Show Notes/Links: Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Canva Link:   https://partner.canva.com/aududu

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

The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson announced the new Reverse ASIN research tool for Publisher Rocket, a game-changer for keyword research. Draft2Digital shared the results from a recent survey about AI licensing, plus they announced major plans to remove and block any summary books published through their platform. And, Miblart gives you all the details you need to know for increasing book sales. 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: Draft2Digital: Content Policy Changes - https://authoremail.com/email/campaigns/xj7298jkokd65/web-version/lg0604x35fb97   Draft2Digital: 2024 AI Training Survey Results - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/2024-ai-training-survey-results/ Google Play Books: Introducing contentless pre-orders - https://play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/ Miblart - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) Wolves in Authors' Clothing: Beware Social Media Marketing Scams - https://writerbeware.blog/2024/09/20/wolves-in-authors-clothing-beware-social-media-marketing-scams/ IngramSpark: Nominate Your Book Today! - https://www.ingramspark.com/editorial-calendar Reverse ASIN for Books - See your Competitors Keywords - https://youtu.be/0wLeamxNr6U?si=GHfFJjYwjJV_kmS8 Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link) Barnes & Noble Press - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/ Advertising for Books - https://DaleLinks.com/AdsBook 20+ Nonfiction Authors Share Insights at the Inaugural Nonfiction Showcase - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20-nonfiction-authors-share-insights-inaugural-showcase-ross-brand-kspcc Engage Readers Without Selling Out — Diane Vallere's Approach to Promotion: The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-engage-readers/  How to Market and Promote Your Book When Publishing Wide: The Reaching More Readers Podcast with Dale L. Roberts and Holly Greenland - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-publishing-wide/ Fully Booked EP141: A Publishing Powerhouse Roundtable about AI Writing & More... - https://youtu.be/-N7pDjlCWew?si=O8MVBD287ZLXQ1BX The Indy Author Podcast: Book Sponsorships with Dale L. Roberts - https://youtu.be/Ky4Z8aCbVyI?si=3LX6bhD3Q5xJyRlh  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

S3E51 Beyond Amazon: Top Platforms to Sell Your Digital Products and Boost Sales! SUMMARY: In this episode, Cindy and Tammie explore alternative platforms where self-publishers can sell eBooks, printables, and interactive PDFs. From Etsy to Teachers Pay Teachers, discover the best places to reach new audiences and diversify your income streams. We'll also discuss how to choose the right niche for your store and provide examples of profitable digital products like baby shower games, interactive puzzle books, and digital journals designed for tablets like Kindle Scribe, Remarkable, and iPads. Show Notes/Links: Get 40 free listings when you open a shop on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3XhW8xd Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/ Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/ EasyDigitalDownloads: https://easydigitaldownloads.com/ Payhip: https://payhip.com/ Creative Market: https://creativemarket.com/ Puzzle Book Courses Bundle: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/ai-sp-seven-puzzle-book-coures-bundle-plus-activity-puzzle-bonus-course-p1 Creating Children's Picture Books with AI course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spchildrenspicturebooksaicourse Coloring Book Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/spcoloringbooksai Free AI for Self-Publishers Webinar Course: https://www.aiselfpublishingbooks.com/6de7cd75 Get "A Year of Book and Marketing Ideas" eBook as a bonus when you use Cindy's Affiliate Link to purchase Publisher Rocket: https://aududu--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/ Tammie's A Book Creator 3-Day Trial Affiliate Link: https://kdp4b2b--aududu.thrivecart.com/3-day-free-trial-membership/ ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com Cindy's Metricool Link: https://i.mtr.cool/CARGUF Cindy's MailerLite Link: https://www.mailerlite.com/a/82bb987c5379 Cindy's Canva Link:   https://partner.canva.com/aududu

How can you harness the joy and fun of writing in a younger voice? Join us today to find out! Jennifer Lane was born in NSW, Australia, which is where her novels are set, but she's lived in Wellington, New Zealand, for more than half her life, and that's where she's joining us from today. Her first novel, All our Secrets won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel in 2018, and her second, Miracle, published in 2022, was a New Zealand YA Award finalist. She recently finished her third novel - tentatively called She Loves You. Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

We often want there to be an easier way to write, but hey, how about the best, fastest way? Let's talk about going through it. Tasha Coryell lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband, toddler, and greyhound. She holds an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in composition and rhetoric from the University of Alabama. Her book of short stories, HUNGRY PEOPLE, was published by Split Lip Press in 2018. Her debut novel, LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER is out now. Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

Are you looking for a more efficient way to research keywords? Would you like to know the best way to find a category for your book on Amazon? What if you could search for the right targets for your Amazon Ads (AMS)? Then, let's explore the self-publishing tool, Publisher Rocket. Discover if the tool is good for KDP specific research and if the positive reviews are truly merited! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link) Get access to my NEW book: - Self-Publishing for New Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/NewAuthors  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  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 rolled out a new contest for Kindle Vella where the prize pool is over $62,000. Is it a ploy to bring more authors back? Or, a legitimate way to elevate authors? The Kindlepreneur Dave Chesson announced a HUGE update to the market research tool, Publisher Rocket, that includes a whole new Amazon Ads option and a free course for Amazon Advertising. And, Miblgroup is celebrating their 8th birthday and want you to save a bunch on your next order. 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 Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts  Sources: Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) NEW FEATURE: Amazon Ads Made Easy! - https://youtu.be/i-hkz4A2gss?si=x_lhqOlDFM3rprfP Sell More Books with Amazon Ads 2.0 - https://davechesson.podia.com/amazon-advertisements-for-books-course Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link) The Vellys - https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/Vellys Miblart's 8th Birthday Celebration (Use code MIBLCAKE15) - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) Getpremades (Use code PREMADE20) - https://getpremades.com/ Book Cover Critique 2024 - https://mailparrot.reedsy.com/subscriptions/new?list_id=7a44d6eecd&utm_source=mailparrot_newsletter&utm_campaign=marketplace_live_cover_critique_july_2024&utm_medium=email Author Education Revamp: See What's New! - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvf-qtrz4vGtZY0esftYt08pOXt6GNILRI#/registration Self-Publishing for New Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/NewAuthors  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

Why shouldn't spite be harnessed for its sheer power? Get on board this new methodology - you'll love it! Ashley Poston (she/they) is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip. They write stories about love and friendship and ever afters. A native to South Carolina, they now live in a small grey house with their sassy cat and too many books. You can find them on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan-fiction. A Novel Love Story is their most recent release. Susan Dennard 1 page synopsis: HERE. Rachael Aarons 2k-10k: HERE.Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

Being an author requires you to have hundreds of online accounts for different software and services. Websites such as Amazon, ConvertKit, Publisher Rocket, Patreon, K-lytics, Bookvault, AuthorMedia.social, AuthorsXP, BookBub, Kickstarter, Teachable, Bluehost, WordPress, Grammarly, and Plottr (to name a few) all require a username and password.Some authors avoid using helpful tools simply because they don't want to create and remember yet another username and password. It seems like too much hassle, and their writing and publishing efficiency and quality suffer as a result.But what if there was a simple way to eliminate your password problems? There is!In this week's episode you'll learnFour password mistakes to avoidWhich tools provide password securityMy recommendation (which has changed in recent years)If you're ready to eliminate your password problems, listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to find password peace of mind.You can become a patron at NovelMarketing.com/patron. Support the Show.

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