Podcast
Novel Marketing
Hosted by Thomas Umstattd Jr. · EN
The longest-running book marketing podcast in the world. This is the show for writers who want to build their platform, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about. Whether you self publish or are with a traditional house, this podcast will make book promotion fun and easy. Thomas Umstattd Jr. interviews publishers, indie authors, and bestselling traditional authors about how to get published and sell more books.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The 5 Tiers of Audiobooks: Which One Should You Publish?
2w ago00:59:00Tap to summarizeFor most of publishing history, creating an audiobook meant writing a check for thousands of dollars and hoping you'd earn it back in sales. Because of the expense, many authors decided it wasn't worth the risk. So, they skipped audio entirely.Here's the problem. That decision now backfires in a way nobody saw coming.The number one sign that a book was written by AI isn't bad writing. It's the missing audiobook.In this week’s episode, audiobook expert Derek Doepker will map out exactly how to avoid that trap. We discuss the five tiers of audiobooks.You’ll discoverWhy skipping the priciest tier might be the smartest move for some authorsWhich budget-friendly option still makes your book look unmistakably human-writtenThe tier almost no author is using, even though it’s cheaper and sounds like a full productionListen to the full episode to get the complete map of all five audiobook tiers, so you can pick the right one for your book and your sales goals.Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publish/Authormedia.social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-5-tiers-of-audiobooks-which-one-should-you-publishYT Link:https://youtu.be/oEYxV2iE-iMYT Collab Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCB_jQHE1Jz8f2Gq40_zZz2w/collaboration/UCT-0HmBAtZpaLX2liUNebiQSupport the show
Transcribe →Estate Planning for Authors: How to Protect Your Books (and Your Family) After You Die
3w ago00:44:12Tap to summarizeYou will die. It could be today, it could be 15 years from now, but no one lives forever. Your books, however, can outlive you. In fact, seventy years after you're gone, they’ll live in the public domain.That means your grandchildren's grandchildren could end up responsible for your intellectual property. Most authors have done zero planning for what happens to their books, passwords, and royalties when they're no longer around to manage them.In this week’s episode, attorney Kelley Way (one of the rare lawyers who practices both estate planning and copyright law) joins us to map out exactly what every author needs to know before it's too late.You'll learn:The one document your heirs are powerless to undo, even if they hate the deal you made with your publisher.Why giving your book away for free after you die might be the single best thing you can do for it.The unglamorous, ten-dollar-a-month tool that prevents more estate disasters than any will or trust ever could.Listen in or read the blog version to make sure your books don't end up in a paper prison, where your hard work can no longer make an impact.Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-die/AuthorMediaSocial link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/estate-planning-for-authors-how-to-protect-your-books-and-your-family-after-you-dieYT Link: https://youtu.be/eJjYPCqKPbwSupport the show
Transcribe →Why Amazon Is Terminating Innocent Authors
4w ago01:06:18Tap to summarizeWhat do you do if your Amazon account gets suspended but you didn’t do anything wrong? Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't care if you're innocent.That's not pessimism. It's strategy.Once you understand what Amazon cares about (hint: it's not you, the law, or fairness), you can start speaking a language they respond to.In this week’s episode, I spoke with Lesley Hensell, co-founder of one of the largest Amazon consulting firms in the world. She has helped thousands of authors claw their accounts back from suspension, and she knows Amazon's enforcement machine like the back of her hand.In this episode, you'll learn:The one thing you must include in the first two sentences of any email to Amazon (skip it and they won't even look up your account)Whether you should admit to something you didn't do to get your account reinstatedThe subject line trick that makes Amazon's executive team read it, and why most authors do wrongIf your account has never been suspended, this episode is still for you. Prevention is easier than recovery. Listen in or read the blog version to find out what you’re doing right now that could get you flagged.Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authors/Author Media social link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/why-amazon-is-terminating-innocent-authorsSupport the show
Transcribe →Author's PR Playbook: How to Get Media Coverage Without a Publicist
Jun 2400:55:07Tap to summarizeIs hiring a publicist a waste of money or not?A typical book publicist charges between $3,000 and $10,000 per month, and they often require a three-month minimum. At $3 of profit per book, you'd need to sell 5,000 copies just to break even. Most PR campaigns don't come close to selling 5,000 copies.But the publicist gets paid either way, while the author takes all the risk.Here's what most authors don't know: the access publicists used to sell is now free.There are tens of thousands of podcasts looking for guests, and you don't need a gatekeeper to get in. You just need to know how to pitch a podcast.In this week's episode, Podcast Hall of Famer Dave Jackson shares exactly how to do that. You’ll learnWhat makes a host delete your pitch after reading one sentenceHow to identify podcasts that will yield the best results for sales and growing your readership.How to nail the interview and get invited back (hint: you’ll need the right microphone and the right content)Which tools can save you time and headacheIf you want to spread the word about your book but don’t want to spend the money hiring a public relations professional, listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can.Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/authors-pr-playbook-how-to-get-media-coverage-without-a-publicist/Guest: Dave Jackson (School of Podcasting, Podcast Hall of Fame) Topic: Earned media for authors, with podcast guesting as the core strategyYT Link: https://youtu.be/r14ixF0WLJUSupport the show
Transcribe →How to Level Up Your Writing With Chris Fox
Jun 1700:54:07Tap to summarizeDo you feel like an imposter as a writer?You probably are. Most authors who experience imposter syndrome are imposters, but they don't have to be!As the saying goes, “There are no good writers; just bad writers who didn’t quit.”Every author starts off as a bad writer. To make a living at writing you must improve through hard work, determination, and training. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Chris Fox, author of over 80 books and three million copies sold. You'll learn:Why not knowing your reader's emotional motivation is costing you salesHow word order affects your readers experienceHow Grammarly is making your writing worseHow authors accidentally protect their characters and ruin their books.If something isn’t clicking with your writing, listen in or read the blog version to find out what you should be looking for and how you can fix it.Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-fox/Authormedia.social: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-level-up-your-writing-with-chris-foxYT Link: https://youtu.be/DanstjzQs6ASupport the show
Transcribe →How to Revive a Dead Book With a Promo Stack
Jun 1100:44:14Tap to summarizeAre your book sales stuck? Maybe sales have slowed. Maybe your launch never took off. Or maybe you're spending money on ads without seeing results.This week on Novel Marketing, Amazon ad specialist Bryan Canter explains how "promo stacking" can revive a struggling book and put it in front of new readers.You'll learn:What promo stacking is and why it worksWhich promotions deliver the best ROI for your genreThe ideal order and timing for each promotionHow promo stacking can generate more reader reviewsWhether your book launched last month or five years ago, you’ll learn how promo stacking can rescue a dead book and reach new readers when you listen in or read the blog version.Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-a-promo-stacking/AuthorMedia Social Link: https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/how-to-revive-a-dead-book-with-promo-stackingYouTube Link: https://youtu.be/v2KN46pdbRwSupport the show
Transcribe →Why I'm Giving Away a $249 Course This Month
Jun 300:08:58Tap to summarizeInstead of a guest interview or a marketing deep-dive, in this week’s episode I'm inviting you to something I've spent years building for authors who want to be taken seriously.You’ll discover:How you can get lifetime access to my $249 course this month for $0How you can get your questions answered by me live on a monthly basisHow you can get my digital doppelgänger (ie. AI Thomas) to answer your questions faster and (sometimes better) than I can.Listen to this short episode or read the blog version to take advantage of these benefits before the end of the month.Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/why-im-giving-away-a-249-course-this-month/Support the show
Transcribe →Announcing the 2027 Novel Marketing Conference
May 2700:24:00Tap to summarizeA writers conference with no pitch appointments, no breakout tracks, and no recordings? What’s left? A conference that sold out last year! The Novel Marketing Conference is different, and every single attendee that responded to our survey said they were glad they came in 2026. In this week's episode, I break down exactly why I removed those traditional writers conference elements and what we added instead. Here are three things you'll learn: Which feature past attendees consistently name as the most valuable part of the entire weekend.Which parts of the Novel Marketing method you can only learn in person at the conference.What we’re adding to Thursday night’s ice-cream social in 2027! The 2027 conference is already filling up. Super tickets are gone, but standard and gallery tickets are still available. Don’t wait to secure your spot. There's a live count of available tickets at NovelMarketingConference.com. When they're gone, they're gone. Listen to the full episode, read the blog version, or watch on YouTube to get the complete schedule and see why this might be the best investment you make in your writing career this year. Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/announcing-the-2027-novel-marketing-conference/Support the show
Transcribe →The Four Loves That Drive Book Sales
May 1401:15:31Tap to summarizeHave you ever finished a book you loved, handed it to a friend, and heard back, "It was fine"?That disconnect has nothing to do with the quality of the writing. It has everything to do with a principle C.S. Lewis understood well enough to write classics that have endured for decades.In this week's episode, I sat down with bestselling novelist Angela Hunt to break down the four ancient loves that drive all fiction, and how mastering them can help you produce a bestseller and a classic.You’ll learnThe type of love almost every genre needs more of, and why the most violent stories need it most.How the loneliness epidemic is creating a massive hunger in readers, and which type of love lonely readers are yearning for.The type of love that makes for a classic but is hardest to write and easiest to botch. Get it wrong and your climax feels cheesy. Get it right and readers won't shut up about your book.We also explore the dark side of each love and how to use that tension to propel your plot forward.If the stakes in your story aren’t working or you’re sick of cheap, salacious storylines, listen in or read the blog version to learn how to incorporate these four types of love into your story. This one might change how you outline your next book or build your characters.Blog link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-four-loves-that-drive-fiction/Support the show
Transcribe →Rules for Book Advertising with David Gaughran
May 601:00:02Tap to summarizeThe difference between making thousands of dollars on your next book and losing money can come down to a few cents per click.If your ads generate even a few pennies of net profit, you can run them until you've sold tens of thousands of books. But if you're losing money, no amount of spending will fix it. In this week's episode, David Gaughran, a veteran of digital advertising, joins me to talk about how to make your book advertising actually pay you back.Here's a taste of what you’ll learn:Why the authors spending the most on Facebook ads are often doing it wrong (and what to do instead)The marketing asset that makes every advertising endeavor more profitableHow to reach your exact readers on Facebook now that author targeting is goneListen in or read the blog version to discover how to approach book advertising strategically. You will feel more confident about when to advertise and when to invest your time (and dollars) elsewhere.Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughran/Author Media.social link: (Live at 11:02 AM on May 6) https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/15-rules-for-book-advertising-with-david-gaughranSupport the show
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