self-publishing podcast

It is our 6th successful Books On Fire episode, as we have featured awesome books written by awesome authors. This was kind of a different episode, where all authors were women. So, we changed the format of our program to make it a bit more interesting. Jennie Rosenblum has great a talk with authors individually about their books. Furthermore, she had all of them joining together for one single session, where they shared their experiences as authors as well as professionals. Gurhan Demirkan made an exciting announcement, and made it public that Book Selfie has started offering Ai Audiobooks. His announcement included the following topics:

• First thing first.... as an author, you will definitely save money!
• Second... Amazon not accepting Ai Audiobooks. There are many... many other places where you can sell your audiobooks... Google, Apple, Kobo, Book Selfie, and then some... Instead of paying 10 or 15 thousand dollars for your audiobook, so that you can put it on Amazon, and try to sell thousands of them just to recuperate your investment, you should invest (say) thousand or fifteen hundred dollars and sell it on other places to "actually" make money... be smart... be a business savvy author!
• Yes! We produce Ai audiobooks that sound closer to human voice... Link is below, where you can listen to them, yourself...

While you are at it... you can also order your audiobook on that page. As indicated in the episode, following are the links to Jennie's website, my answer to the voiceover artists, and the page where you can listen to the samples of Book Selfie Ai Audiobooks and order your audiobook production:

• Jennie Rosenblum (editor) - https://jenniereads.com/
• My answer to the voiceover artists - https://youtube.com/shorts/fsrQ-fLxkL4?feature=share
• Listen our sample productions and order your audiobook - https://authorservices.bookselfie.com/ai-narrated-audiobook-production/

Here are the books and the authors that we featured on this episode:

• Hilary Berger - Work Like A Mother - https://bookselfie.com/product/work-like-a-mother-rewriting-the-script-for-a-mothers-career-and-wellness-journey/
• Yetta Yvette - Age Ain't Nothing But A Number - https://bookselfie.com/product/age-aint-nothing-but-a-number/
• Lisa Towles - Salt Island (Buy At Amazon) - https://amzn.to/46o3ulG

You can watch our live full episode on our following social channels.

• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook

I see quite a few videos on YouTube, Insta, and TikTok where bunch of people talking about "selling ebook".

One thing they usually start with is, "writing an ebook."

You don't write an "ebook." You write a "book!!!" Once you write your book, your book is converted into an ebook, which is usually an "ePUB!!!"

I gave an overall info as to where you can sell your ebooks in this video.

I also gave a brief information regarding the book preparation process for you to successfully sell it.

Last comments

1. YOU DO NOT "WRITE AN EBOOK," YOU WRITE "A BOOK"

2. OUT OF MILLIONS OF BOOKS ON THE MARKET, "SELLING EBOOK" REQUIRES YOU TO BRING PEOPLE TO YOUR SALES PAGE, WHICH IS CALLED MARKETING & ADVERTISING!

Watch the video to get your knowledge on reality of book publishing.

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ARE YOU AN AUTHOR? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELL YOUR BOOKS LIVE ON "BOOKS ON FIRE"?
IT"S FREE!
Let us know - https://authorservices.bookselfie.com/books-on-fire-live-book-sales/

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LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD OUR PODCAST
Book Selfie - https://bookselfie.com/books-on-fire/
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Google - https://bit.ly/3SHwj66

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#bookselfie #author #books #ebooks #selfpublishing #indieauthor #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #sellbooks #bookpromo #bookmarketing #bookpublishing #bookadvertising #bookpromotion #selfpublishingpodcast #selfpublishingauthors #booksales

• Hulya Kurt -  Break Free From Your Hamster Wheel
• Leif J. Erickson - The Darkness of Truth
• Nancy Leonard - Becomes A Horseman
• Mark Leon Collins - The Journey of Acolyte
• Bob Freeman - A Back Story
• Gregory Gordon - Once Upon A Pond
• Kris Kile - Committing To Transformation

You can watch our live full episode on our following social channels.

• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook

My pleasant talk with Kris, who is an author of 3 books; Committing to Transformation, Taming The Brain, and The Unhurried Life, which are the first three books of 15-book series.

We also talked about his upcoming books as well as the services that he provides to individuals and businesses.

We further discussed topics, such as:

• His credentials in his fields.
• The central ideas of these and the upcoming books.
• Who should read your books.
• The solutions that Kris brings to the readers
• His services: Leadership Training and Team Development for Companies, Essential Enneagram Growth System To Discover and Accelerate Growth, Flourishing Life, Transform University

You can contact Kris at www.KrisKile.com

Book Selfie: https://bookselfie.com/bookstore/kris-kile-bookstore/
Readers can find his books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KDqUuT

It was a wonderful chat with our Book Selfie Author, Myra McIlvain, at Austin Central Library.

She is all about Texas! And you guessed it, she was born in Texas and writes her historical fiction novels about Texas (even if the story starts somewhere else, it just ends up in Texas) :-)

MAIN TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO
• Her author journey.
• The intense research that she does while writing her books.
• Ghosts towns of Texas.
• Her every day 2-mile walks to dwell deep in her stories.
• What she does to improve herself to become better and better?
• Her most valuable “recommendation” to the new authors?

You can purchase the book on these platforms

Book Selfie - https://bookselfie.com/bookstore/myra-s-book-store/

Amazon - https://amzn.to/3pHcfrn

It was a great talk with Andrea Hurst!

We first covered important topics related to being a literary agent, then jumped into editing.

Here are the topics that we covered on being a literary agent:

• What is your ideal client?
• What happens if the book doesn’t sell?
• What is the submission process?
• What questions do you usually ask the authors, what really do you want to learn about the author?
• So, you are an editor, and have a team of editors. But I also saw a note on your website that you don't offer literary representation for the authors that you worked with. Can you expand on this a little bit?
• Is it like this with all the agents or is it just you?

Here are the topics that we covered

• There are quite a few editors out there, what sets you apart Why should authors come to you?
• There is line editing, developmental editing, and then some. What types of editing services do you offer?
• What genres do you work with?

I do thank Andrea, as she was a wealth of information and hope to keep in touch!

Here's her website for you to contact her - https://www.andreahurst.com/

Let’s start with some basic information, like what’s target audience, shall we?

Target audience is actually one of the most important key concepts in marketing and advertising… and it should be the most important factor in your author journey.

Why?

Because it simply refers to the group of people..  readers, in your case, as an author… most likely to be interested in your product or service.. which will be your “books!”

To have your target audience set up correctly, you need to understand the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your readers you’re trying to reach.

So, knowing who your target audience can help you tailor your message effectively and develop better strategies to reach them… as well as writing books that will be “well” within the interest of your readers.

And, by understanding the needs, wants and values of your target audience, you can create a product that appeals to them and achieve maximum success. This is what they call, “writing to market” in author lingo.

Here are the topics that we are going to cover in this episode:

• What is your target audience?
• How to identify your target audience?
• How to reach your target audience?
• Different strategies for different audiences.
• The 7 types of target audiences that every author or marketer should know.

Gurhan Demirkan is a founder and a partner of SelfPublishingAuthors.com as well as an international overseas publishing company.

He has been in the book industry for 25+ years, mostly in book marketing and author branding. He resides in the US and works with prominent authors from all over the world, providing turnkey book marketing and promotion.

The world has gone digital, and with it, so has advertising. Social media advertising has become the go-to choice for many authors. It is a great way to reach potential readers.

We are covering the following topics in this episode:

• What is Social Media Advertising
• Benefits of Social Media Advertising
• Social Media Statistics
• How to Plan Social Media Advertising Strategy
• Creating Your Social Media Advertising Plan
• Best Social Media Advertising Tips
• Best Social Media Platforms To Advertise
• Conclusion About Social Media Advertising

Gurhan Demirkan is a founder and a partner of SelfPublishingAuthors.com as well as an international overseas publishing company.

He has been in the book industry for 25+ years, mostly in book marketing and author branding. He resides in the US and works with prominent authors from all over the world, providing turnkey book marketing and promotion.

It was an absolute pleasure talking with Terry!

Not only a multi award winning author, but he is also an idle, teacher, and someone that every author should listen and take lessons from.

Terry reveals his perspective and mindset that the authors should develop to be successful. Goes further explaining how he writes his books and his daily routine, which can (and should) be replicated by many authors, especially the new coming ones.

You can find answers to questions like, how can you improve yourself as an author, what should you with negative comments or reviews, what should you be writing, and talks about many more topics from many years of experience being an author and being involved with prominent organizations like Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA).

Must watch or listen!

This is a professional presentation written with a young audience in mind. The main character, Lyric is a sophomore in high school with a hidden talent, her voice.  When her friends convince her to try out for the school play, she wins a lead role in Les Miserables. She should be on the top of the world, but Lyric is struggling.

Lyric’s mother, an actress and singer, has died leaving a huge hole. Lyric and her brother go to live with an Aunt and Uncle who are also trying to determine what their new lifestyle entails. Supporting characters include some wonderful friends, Lyric’s first real friends, and the typical variety of teens found in most school environments.

As shy Lyric tries to transverse the tangled web of high school, the reader has an insider view of texts, conversations, and drama surrounding the students trying to present Les Miserables. The author gives small glimpses of the play to help the reader see what is happening both on and off the stage.

This is a story that will resonate with high school and young adult readers.

Every author has a process when it comes to writing books. But Philipp's writing process is interesting and worth learning. No wonder how his books took place in Amazon top 20 in the sci-fi category with over 200 reviews of 4.5!

Needless to mention, what he keeps in mind while he is writing to keep to story and the plot intact is a different ballgame, on the side. It is a German idiom, "Roter Faden" for authors :)

His upcoming books are a little different than his current best sellers, as he is about to launch the first one of the series. Thanks to his generosity, he even gave us some insight of the new books.

What are the paid book promotions sites?

What are the pluses and minuses of these sites?

Yes, everybody knows them all (below) but do you know when to use them, how to use them, and most of all how to integrate them?

• Amazon
• Facebook
  • Instagram
• Bookbub
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google
  • YouTube
• TikTok
• Aaaand, email companies…

One stone - two birds... develop your author email list, and use it to get reviews!

There are a few ways of developing author email list, and in this episode, I am talking about the type you use giveaways to develop your author email list.

Anything from preparing your giveaway to your ad pieces to get people to give their emails to you.

Not only that, I'll take it a step further and give you a strategy to get your book reviews.

Before you ready your marketing plan, you must make some preparations. Yes, make some preparations to be prepared to do an effective book marketing!

I segmented these activities into four time slots, and all the important preparations that you must do within these time slots to be ready for the last one: Launch Week!

Don’t be one of those authors, who “publish, hope, and pray.” Make a step by step, solid marketing plan so that your book is successful before it is even published.

No matter how your relationship with your reviews are, you need them... you want them! In this episode, I am talking about a few subjects regarding book reviews:

• Why are reviews important?
• Do we need the bloggers to get our book reviewed?
• How to handle the bad reviews?
• …and of course, how to get reviews!

You have written a world class book, got it edited, formatted and got it all ready for publishing.

Nevertheless, you know the endgame... it is, "sales!" and of course promoting your book goes beforehand.

So, how do you get your book prepared for an effective promotion?

Getting it ready for your readers is one thing but getting it ready for promotion is another.

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...and, here's the link to Publishers Rocket: https://amzkeywords--rocket.thrivecart.com/publisher-rocket/?ref=podcast

It is so often that new authors have the same question as to how much money they will be making from their first book.

My answer is always the same, and always indicate that being an author is same as starting a business... which is an investment!

On the same note, most authors wonder why the traditional publishing companies reject most of the books.

It actually goes back to the same principal... investment!

This is a humorous episode that explains what you comp authors are and how you should find them, as well as your target audience. These are two of the most important matters in self-publishing.

I also talk about what "writing to market" is (unlike most people may understand.)

00:25 Center of The Universe
00:33 SelfPublishingAuthors.com Services
01:23 Topic Of The Day: Why Do You Have To Know Your Target Audience As a Self-Publishing Author
02:12 Determining Your Comp Authors
04:41 "Writing To Market"
06:53 Your Book Cover
08:55 Voices, Personalities and The Characters in Your Book
12:05 Your Book Category
13:25 Marketing and Advertising

00:22 Center of The Universe
01:03 George Washington University
01:23 Today's Subject: What Is Kindle Unlimited and How Authors Get Paid
02:20 How Did Amazon Come Up With Kindle Unlimited
05:23 What Is KDP Select Global Fund
06:01 How Kindle Unlimited Works
09:07 Two Things That Self-Publishing Authors Should Know About Kindle Unlimited

... and the self-publishing humor continues with this episode, where I explain the the meaning of "What Is Writing To Market". Needless to mention, we also need to know "What Is NOT Writing To Market".

This is one of those subjects that usually misunderstood by the self-publishing authors, and consequently avoided. However, it has a great importance for the success of the indie authors, especially on their sales.

00:15 Lift Off :)
00:40 How Much Self-Publishing Authors Are Making
01:10 Introduction
01:47 What We Are Going To Talk About Today
02:20 What Is Not Writing To Market
04:30 What Is Writing To Market
07:23 Where Everybody Gets Confused
08:28 Example of Writing To Market