In this episode, Chris continues the mini series on how to sell by looking closer at the 80-20 Content Rule, or how to write content that is so valuable readers will want more.
Show Notes & Links:
-Why you need to go back and listen to episode 57 if you haven't already.
-Review of the research - the principle of reciprocity and why fans really follow you online.
-Why generosity has to be a life value and not a sales tactic.
-How to set up a Content Bucket System that will produce an endless stream of content your fans crave.
-Examples of what the system looks like for fiction & nonfiction writers.
Links:
Episode 57 link - go back and listen if you haven't already.
Downloadable resources for this episode - Content Bucket System templates
Robert Caildini's book, Influence
Rob Fugetta's book Brand Advocates
Link to find out more information about Chris' Facebook Page class
In this episode, Chris and Becca start a mini series on how to sell books online. Using questions they've received from authors, they'll start this week with giving you their secret formula for selling books online. It's not what you think!
Show Notes & Links:
What you'll learn:
-The golden rule of selling books online.
-Why authors don't need to guess about how to best sell books online.
-Why do people buy? The six research-based psychological triggers.
-The difference between leading people to buy and telling them to buy.
-What is reciprocity and how does it sell books?
-Three ways to conduct reader research.
-How the 80-20 Content Rule helps you sell more books.
Links:
-Link to Robert Cialdini's book, Influence. Click here.
-Link to Mark Dawson's master class podcast on reader surveys. Click here.
-Link to worksheet on brainstorming your own Content Code, and the Social Media Content Cheat Sheet. Click here.
-Link to Chris' new onine course, How to Set Up a Facebook Page That Sells More Books. Get more info here.
-Link to Becca's cozy mystery Vangie Vale And The Murdered Macaron. Click here.
-Link to preorder for Becca's second cozy mystery, Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard. Click here.
In this episode author and Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) Ads expert Brian Meeks shares his secrets and tips for selling more books with AMS ads.
Show Notes & Links:
-Hear Brian's Song!
-What are the two kinds of Amazon ads, what is their purpose, and where are they located?
-Why people think Product Display ads don't work and how Brian makes them work.
-How to master your pay-per-click bid. Warning: there is some math.
-What is the lifespan of an AMS ad?
-Why you shouldn't be afraid of data or math.
-Why you need patience to "start slow and test."
-Why good copywriting can be the key to your book sales.
-The personal revelation of Brian's "one smarty pants tip to rule them all."
Links:
Get Brian's new book, Mastering Amazon Ads here.
Links to good copywriting resources:
Brian's recommendation: The Adweek Copywriting Handbook
Chris' recommendations: Words That Sell by Richard Bayan (desk reference)
How To Write A Sizzling Synopsis by Bryan Cohen
Brian Meeks' Closed Facebook group: Part of the requirement of the group is to buy the book above.
Chris' new book: The Newbies Guide to Sell More Books With Less Marketing
Link to Guinea Pig Bridge Song YouTube video
Becca's new cozy mystery book, Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron. If you love cozies, you'll love this new breed of amateur sleuth. Recipe included.
In this episode, Chris and Becca visit with author Chris Fox about his new book, Relaunch Your Novel and how to make your backlist profitable.
Show Notes:
- The first step in deciding whether to relaunch a book is assessment. Why it makes you squirm.
-Why your book's genre is important in the relaunch process
-Why Chris uses a "no holds barred" approach when assessing his own books.
-The five types of relaunches
-What if I just want to give my book a makeover (cover, blurb, category check, etc)?
-Why a Product Family Map will help prioritize which of your books is worth a relaunch.
Links:
Connect with Chris Fox here: http://www.chrisfoxwrites.com/
-Link to Chris Fox's new book, Relaunch Your Novel
-Link to Chris' Product Family Map video on YouTube Also look for the video called The Power of Your Backlist.
-Link to Chris Syme's new book The Newbies Guide To Sell More Books With Less Marketing
In this episode, Chris and Becca talk about what to do before, during, and after a writer's conference to get the best overall experience. Lot of tips for newbies and seasoned conference goers.
Show Notes:
-What you need to do before you even pack your suitcase. Get organized for maximum conference enjoyment!
-Why the conference hotel bar is probably the best place to network.
-How to decide which sessions to take in.
-How to get the most out of trade shows.
-The process of pitching a book at a writer's conference.
-How to recover from FOMO fatigue after you get home.
-The pros and cons of "reader" conferences.
Links:
How to pack for a conference like a ninja: A video from author Erin Knightley
Chris' new book The Newbie's Guide to Sell More Books With Less Marketing (includes a free online course on how to put together a master marketing plan you can really use)
How to leave a review of the podcast on iTunes (from our friend Stephen Campbell, host of The Author Biz podcast).
In this episode guest co-host Anne Janzer talks about her book, The Writer's Process and how writers need to balance productivity and creativity in their writing and their marketing.
SHOW NOTES:
-Why we need some distractions - focus alone will not produce maximum productivity.
-How to balance the two different mental systems we are all equipped with: the Scribe and the Muse (productivity and creativity).
-Flow: how to find the zone more consistently when we're writing by establishing a process that helps the Scribe and Muse collaborate.
-How to find the places where you are in “open attention”
-How to apply these principles to book marketing as well as writing.
LINKS:
-The Foreword INDIES Book Awards-https://awards.forewordreviews.com/
- Link to the book Focus by Daniel Goldman
- Link to the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
-Link to today's book by Anne Janzer - The Writer's Process
-Link to Anne's new book - The Workplace Writer's Process
-Link to Chris' latest book - The Newbies Guide To Selling More Books With Less Marketing
In this episode Chris and Becca talk about the latest updates to Facebook and why they are important to authors.
SHOW NOTES AND LINKS:
-Previewing five new changes to groups and what they mean:
Also, we discuss two fairly new business page options and why authors need to take a look:
LINKS:
Join our closed Facebook group SMART Marketing For Authors here. After you get in, be sure and read the Group Description and introduce yourself.
Link to press release from Facebook's blog on the new changes in groups.
Link to the Facebook Help section on the new Shop tab.
Link to new Facebook video cover example from author and her blog post about the process
Link to Animoto animation application (Warning: this is for those of you that already have some tech savvy)
Link to Adobe Spark--the video platform I am using to test videos for cover photos.
How to post a podcast review on iTunes. Thanks to The Author Biz.
In today's episode Chris interviews Rebecca Pollard, Digital Marketing Manager from AWeber, on the process and how-to's of using Facebook ads to grow your email list.
Show Notes & Links:
Definitions you'll need for the podcast (we got a little nerdy at times)
CTA - call-to-action. This is the button, link, or text phrase that asks people to take an action on your content
Lead - another term for contact information of a prospective reader, whether it is a name, address, email, or phone number.
Facebook pixel - line of HTML code that is embedded on your website or landing page that allows Facebook to collect people data when they arrive on that page. The pixel information is in Ads Manager. If you are new to the Facebook Pixel, read this information in Facebook's help center first: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1058078787600162?helpref=faq_content#install
Retargeting: This is a method of sending ads or emails to a group of people that did not take an action on a first sales ad or email you sent them.
Persona - a term marketers use to define a target audience. It is the collection of data about your audience - demographics, etc. After you gather this data, you can make up a "person" or persona that is a sum of all the data you've collected about your ideal audience.
Email integration: the process of connecting your email account (AWeber, MailChimp, etc) with your Facebook page through an app that allows you to gather email addresses directly on your Facebook business page.
In This Episode:
-What is the Facebook pixel and why is it important when finding a target audience for your Facebook ads?
-Why you should have other sources of gathering email addresses besides just Facebook ads.
-Some of the pros and cons of using Interest Targeting in your Facebook ads.
-What is the ideal number of people in an audience for a Facebook ad?
-What is a lookalike audience and how do you create one?
-The Bryan Cohen podcast link on email follow-up sequences.
-Rebecca's contact information: rebeccap@aweber.com
-How to leave a review of the podcast on iTunes: http://theauthorbiz.com/how-to-leave-a-podcast-review-at-itunes/
In this episode Chris launches the new how-to episode format by walking listeners through the process of setting up a Pinterest page as an outpost channel.
Show Notes & Links:
-The two kinds of social media channels in book marketing: primary (engaging & selling) and outposts (redirect to primary for engagement and highlight short term campaigns).
-What is Pinterest and who is using it?
-The three ways to pin something on a Pinterest board.
-Remember, Pinterest isn't for everyone. If you don't want to use it, that's okay. It's definitely in the outpost category for the majority of authors.
-What are pins, boards, and secret boards?
-Why Pinterest might be a good place to house your book research.
-The difference between a personal Pinterest account and Pinterest for business. Why you probably don't need a business page for an outpost.
-How to set up Pinterest as an outpost:
Last word: if you’re not on Pinterest, you don’t have to start. If you are there, consider it setting up as an outpost to limit the amount of time you have to spend there.
Links:
-Chris' book Sell More Books With Less Social Media on Amazon (hint: it will be on sale on June 16 for 99 cents only. Make sure you follow Chris on Twitter @cksyme to get the link!)
-How to get the Pin It button for your web browser.
-Blog post from League Computers: The differences between Pinterest business accounts and Pinterest personal accounts.
-How to set up a Pinterest Showcase feature for your business page.
Here are some examples of authors who do a good job of using Pinterest with a mix of pins about their books and what interests them.
Link to Sandra Brown's Pinterest page And yes, I don't imagine she does this herself.
In this episode Chris and Becca discuss the million dollar question many authors have been asking: is the email newsletter dead?
Show Notes and Links:
-What are the four email options for your email marketing strategy?
-Four goals that every author needs for their email marketing plan.
-Why an email newsletter might not be for you.
-Tips on how to improve your open rates.
-Why you need to make sure links “open in a new window.”
-The four fundamentals newsletters need.
-Is it okay to sell in a newsletter?
-Why your newsletter needs to provide more value than you ask for in return. Use the 80-20 Content Rule.
Links:
Our earlier podcast on email strategy
Tips for writing good subject lines (HubSpot)
14 Powerful tactics to improve your click through rates (AWeber)
Bryan Cohen podcast on funnels and email welcome sequences
Get a pdf of all the tips, goals, and strategies from today's episode.
Links to author newsletters that we like:
Join the SMART Marketing For Authors Facebook group
Get Chris’ new book on preorder now for just 99 cents plus a free online course only until June 9!
In this episode Chris and Becca talk about the three marketing goals that every author needs.
Show Notes & Links:
-Why do authors need marketing goals, anyway?
-How to get new readers to discover your books?
-Why authors tend to skip discovery marketing and just concentrate on sales
-The three main components authors need to sell books.
-How does building fan loyalty help you sell more books?
Links:
-Preorder Chris' new book, The Newbie's Guide To Sell More Books With Less Marketing for just 99 cents until June 9. The books includes a free online course. Get your copy here.
-Link to the podcast on author platform levels.
-A review of the 80-20 Content Rule: 80% of posts must give value, 20% can be used to sell.
-Bryan Cohen's podcast on how to put together an email welcome sequence.
-Roni Loren's podcast on fan loyalty
In this episode K-Lytics founder Alex Newton shows authors how to make sure your book will succeed before it's published.
Show Notes and Links:
-How is K-Lytics different from other keyword-type tools out there?
-How you can know if your book has the potential to sell before you publish it.
-How to pick the right genre and sub-genre for your book's success?
-What kinds of meta data will help you sell more books?
-Why your marketing budget can dictate what genre your book belongs in.
-If you’re considering writing in a new genre, what should you do to insure that your books will reach those readers?
Click here to see how K-Lytics works for authors. Watch the video.
Check out the genre market research reports that K-Lytics offers to authors. There are two pages so make sure you click "Older posts" to see all the reports.
The preorder for Chris' new book, The Newbie's Guide To Sell More Books With Less Marketing will be available this week. Make sure you get an email notification so you don't miss the 99-cent preorder. Sign up for a notification here.
If you have a question or comment about this episode be sure and post it on the podcast page of our website at https://cksyme.com/episode47. Let's get the conversation started!
In today's episode author and entrepreneur Bryan Cohen previews The Selling Trilogy, an innovative set of strategies to help authors sell books more effectively.
Show Notes & Links:
-Why good copywriting sells more books (and the data to prove it!)
-Good copywriting starts with a hook that leads people to read the next line.
-The characteristics of a good hook.
-Should authors be using review snippets in their books descriptions?
-How to get people into your book sales funnel so they ultimately became raving fans.
-Bryan shares his ideal email welcoming sequence that turns new subscribers into loyal and engaged readers.
-Why you should edit your marketing like you edit your book
A personal message from Bryan:
It’s unlikely that one trick is going to make all the difference for your author career.
But when you’re set up with a strong foundation, you increase the chances you’ll earn more money in the long-term.
As a bestselling author, I recently passed half a million downloads of my own books and I've helped hundreds of other authors spin their own success stories.
By helping them nail the “forgotten essentials of selling more books,” I've contributed to authors making the USA Today bestseller list, hitting the Top 100 on Amazon, and selling thousands of books. I can help you too.
Join me on Tuesday, May 16th at 3pm Eastern for a free webinar.
Click here to be a part of the event!
https://www.sellingforauthors.com/may-16-webinar/?ref=68
I hope to see you there!
Link to sign up for an email notice for the limited time 99 cent preorder for Chris' new book, The Newbie's Guide To Selling More Books With Less Marketing. Be the first to know by clicking here.
In episode 45, Chris and Becca debunk three of the biggest book marketing myths authors believe.
-Chris is the good cop, Becca is the bad cop.
-Reasons why authors need to be careful when they copy the promotions of other authors and expect the same results
-Is it true that once you get a traditional publishing contract you never have to do any marketing (whew).
-Why the traditional publishing sales cycle is not geared to long term sales
-What publishers cannot do: forge relationships between authors and readers.
-Just because social media doesn't sell as many books as Amazon does not mean it doesn't sell books.
-Why authors should not waste their time on social media channels that are not wired to sell products.
-Why you should separate your personal social media time from your book marketing social media time.
-Be sure and join the private Facebook group: SMART Marketing For Authors here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smartmarketingforauthors/
-Link to Chris' book Sell More Books With Less Social Media (Amazon)
In today's episode guest co-host and high performance coach Nina Amir gives nonfiction writers some key tips on getting their books to market.
Show Notes & Links:
Questions to ask yourself to make sure your book idea addresses a real need.
-Steps to take before turning your idea into a book.
-How a book can help you develop expertise and credibility.
-Why nonfiction writers need a blog and why a website without a blog is like just a brochure in cyberspace.
Links:
-Sign up for Nina's email list (highly recommend) at ninaamir.com
-Nina's high performance coaching site for writers: http://ninaamir.com/high-performance-writer-group-coaching/
-Sign up for your free coaching session here: http://ninaamir.com/high-performance-coaching/
-A link to Chris' current free online classes
-Sign up for Chris' free weekly insider book marketing tips here
In this episode, Chris and Becca discuss how to overcome the challenge to write faster and produce more good books--no matter who you are. Becca answers questions about her successful online class, Write Better Faster and how authors can stamp out "attention residue" to get more words on the page.
Show Notes and Links:
-What stands in the way of authors being able to write more books?
-Why "writing faster" is a relative term but is possible for everyone.
-Why it's so important to Write First.
-How to overcome the attention residue that constricts our maximum productivity.
-What authors can do to avoid getting caught in the Loop of Distraction.
Link to Deep Work by Cal Newport
Link to the article on why attention residue is ruining your ability to concentrate.
Link to Becca's course, Write Better Faster, and class registration.
Be sure and go to cksyme.com/episode42 to continue the conversation. See you there!
In this Learning Lab episode, Chris and Becca host Honoree Corder and Brian Meeks as they discuss why getting a grip on data will equate into more money in your pocket. The lab is about an hour long.
Links & Show Notes:
-What is ROI and why do authors need to understand it?
-Why being afraid of the unknown will keep you from making more money.
-How data can help you sell more books.
-Why feeling overwhelmed by data is often the first step to learning.
-Why a $20 book promotion is more expensive than a $1000 Book Bub ad in terms of return value.
-How to figure out if your ad is cost effective.
-Why having the right mindset will help you sell more books.
-How better book descriptions can make you more money.
Links:
-Get your copy of The Prosperous Writer’s Guide to Making More Money here.
-Get in on the Kindle Countdown Deal for Chris’ book SMART Social Media For Authors here.
-Four copywriting book recommendations:
Three Facebook groups you should join to get answers about your book marketing:
Show Notes, News & Links:
In case you missed part one of this series, The 3 Cardinal Rules of Book Promotion, access here.
-Access the learning tool here for this episode. It’s the same as last week’s link but there are two new tools there you will need for this episode.
-Review of last week’s part one: the three cardinal rules of book promotion.
-Learn the six unique stages of the buying process (The Sales Funnel)
-Find out which social media channels work the best to find new readers and sell more books.
-What part of the sales funnel is social media the strongest in?
-Why different promotions work better at different stages of the funnel.
-How your content helps move people through the sales funnel.
-How to help readers find out more about your books.
-Why it matters if social media channels offer tools to help you sell your books
-Why YouTube, LinkedIn (especially for fiction), and Twitter are not that great for selling books.
-Get into Chris’ premium online course, Mastering Book Marketing For Authors now and get the new version of the course for free. See the course description and info here.
-Stay tuned for registration information for the spring 2017 version of Becca’s class Write Better Faster.
The third installment of our three-part series on how to to find the best book promotions to sell your books.
Show Notes & Links:
- Two guidelines you need before you set out to buy a book promotion.
-A list of the items you need to research before you buy a promotion and a copy of the Book Promotion Value Index. The list is in the link to tools and resources for the series here.
Catch up by listening to the first two episodes in the series here (38 and 39).
In this episode:
-We start with a couple recent news items that concern authors and book marketing
-How to match a potential book promotion to your marketing goal--all promotions are not created equal.
-Two guidelines you need to start with before you buy a promotion
-A list of items to research before you buy (on resources page listed above)
-Why Fiverr might not be the best place to buy book marketing promotions
-A preview of next weeks episode with Honoree Corder and Brian Meeks
-The difference between promotions that offer reach and those that increase engagement.
-An explanation of the Book Promotion Value Index (link on resource page above)
Be sure and share the episode with author friends on your Facebook page and in Facebook author forum pages. Thanks much!
In this episode Chris explains the three cardinal rules of book promotions that will help insure every promotion you run hits the mark.
Show Notes & Links:
-The Three Cardinal Rules of Book Promotions (ignore them at your own peril):
-Before you set out to copy another author's promotion always compare these two sets of data markers:
Links:
Examples of good data driven marketing solution books:
-Chris' closed Facebook group, SMART Marketing for Authors
-Chris' premium online course, Mastering Online Book Marketing for Authors
-Book Promotion Value Matrix and Data Markers on cksyme.com
-Podcast episode 30: Author Platform Levels
-Podcast episode 37: Roni Loren on Building Loyal Fan Groups
-Link to comment on question of the week:
In the episode, NY Times bestselling romance author Roni Loren shares her secrets on how to build raving fans with Facebook groups.
Show Notes & Links:
-Why traditionally published authors have to build their own fan base.
-How thinking like a reader can help help you relate to fans.
-Your best social media content starts with what you, as a reader, share in common with your fans.
-How to overcome being an introvert and reaching out to fans.
-Why book reviews are the best way to sell books and how to do it well.
-Hear Roni's non-traditional approach to newsletters.
Link to Roni's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoniLoren/
-Link to Roni's Facebook fan group, Fearless Romantics: be sure and read the group description: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamRoniLoren/
-Link to Roni's website:http://roniloren.com/
Link to Roni's Amazon Author page
In this week's episode author Chris Fox shares his expertise on the Amazon algorithm and how authors can train Amazon to help them sell books.
Show Notes and Links:
-How iBooks and other bookstores sell differently than Amazon.
-Find out when is a good time to run book promotions to get the maximum lift on Amazon.
-The importance of your "Also Boughts" section of your book sales page during the first 60 days of its launch.
-Why email lists from curated sites like InstaFreebie may not be best to use for your book launch.
-Why cost is not the biggest barrier keeping readers fro buying you books.
-A discussion of reader magnets and better options than perma-free books.
-Why Amazon is not your employer.
-Why it's important early on to sell books to the right readers and who they are.
-Find Chris' fiction and nonfiction books here: http://www.chrisfoxwrites.com/
-The Chris Fox YouTube channel with lots of tutorials for authors:
-Chris Fox's latest book, Six Figure Author--click here.
In this episode Chris answers the question, do you really need a Facebook group. for the majority of authors, that answer is no. Chris will walk you through the differences of pages and groups and the specific purposes of each.
Show Notes & Links:
-What is FOMO? The fear of missing out--something we are dedicated to stamping out here on the Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast.
-Facebook help for setting up groups: Click here
A link to information on my premium class on how to sell more books with social media and increase engagement: Click here.
A link to the questions you need to ask yourself before you start a Facebook group. Click here.
In this week’s episode Chris and guest co-host author Michael Anderle discuss the process of hacking book marketing methods to match your goals and skills.
Show Notes & Links
-How and why Michael released his first five-book series in 6 weeks
-How Michael found his target reader
-Favorite quote on writing fast: “Writing fast isn’t something you can bank on because if your books suck, you’re just going to put out sucky books real fast.”
-Why authors need to find out what makes up their mountain. Why are you writing?
-Testing the marketing process with short stories and Book Zero.
20Booksto50K Facebook group: Click here.
Michael’s Kurtherian Gambit Books Facebook page: Click here.
Link to Chris’ latest book w/free online class, Sell More Books With Less Social Media: Click here. The book is also in Kindle Unlimited.