Publishing Options

Audiobook Narration, Production And Marketing Tips With Derek Doepker

September 21, 2020 by Joanna Penn Leave a Comment

Podcast: Download (Duration: 56:21 — 45.9MB)

Audiobooks are one of the fastest-growing segments in publishing and the expansion of podcasts onto every major platform means there are more ways to market to audio-first consumers (which increasingly includes me!)

In this episode, Derek Doepker gives some tips on why audiobooks are so important as a format, self-narration, working with a narrator, plus, production and marketing ideas.

In the intro, Amazon Music now includes Podcasts [The Verge] so you can find this show and Books and Travel on your various devices; New audiobook promotion site, AudioThicket launches [Written Word Media]; ALLi has a podcast episode with Amazon representatives about Amazon Advertising [Ask Alli]; Publisher Rocket now includes UK data and German ebook data [Rocket]; Orna Ross and I discuss 1000 True Fans and what it means for authors [Ask ALLi]; Solo Long-Distance Walking with me and Holly Worton.

Plus, recommended books: The Psychology of Money and my list of money books; Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake and the documentary Fantastic Fungi.

Today's podcast sponsor is Findaway Voices, which gives you access to the world's largest network of audiobook sellers and everything you need to create and sell professional audiobooks. Take back your freedom. Choose your price, choose how you sell, choose how you distribute audio. Check it out at FindawayVoices.com.

Derek Doepker is the bestselling author of seven nonfiction books on peak performance, habits, fitness, and entrepreneurship. He's also a content marketing and digital marketing consultant.

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript below.

Show Notes

Using a ‘failed’ book to create a successful one
Multiple streams of income as the business model for non-fiction authors
Why audiobooks are so valuable, especially for reaching audio-first consumers
Tips for recording your own audio and equipment
Some of the mindset issues that you might face in self-narration
Tips for hiring a narrator
Effective ways of marketing audiobooks

You can find Derek Doepker at DerekDoepker.com and on Twitter @AuthorSecrets. He has also provided extra info for podcast listeners at BestsellerSecrets.com/joanna

Publishing Wide For The Win With Erin Wright

September 14, 2020 by Joanna Penn 10 Comments

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:18:36 — 63.7MB)

Do you want to make your books available to readers in every format, in every online store and library, in every country? If yes, it's time to go wide for the win! In today's episode with Erin Wright, we discuss what ‘going wide' means, why libraries are so important, and tips for publishing wide wherever you are on the author journey.

In the introduction, International insights into Amazon's global reach [ALLi blog]; Futures Thinking mini-course [Coursera]; GPT-3 generated and human-edited article [The Guardian]; How to edit writing by a robot [The Guardian]; GPT-3 generated article on productivity reaches the top of Hacker News [The Verge]; Writing with the Machine [Robin Sloan]; GPT-3 as an idea machine [Matt Webb, Interconnected]; Lessons learned from 9 years as a full-time author entrepreneur;

Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, where you can get free ebook formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Get your free Author Marketing Guide at www.draft2digital.com/penn

Erin Wright is the USA Today best-selling author of 14 romance novels and also co-runs the Wide for the Win Facebook group, the largest gathering of authors who publish wide.

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript below.

Show Notes

What does publishing wide really mean?
How going wide includes libraries as well — and we all love libraries!
The different readers that Kindle Unlimited and wider stores attract
The marketing principles used when publishing wide
The benefits of multi-author box sets
Wide for the Win Facebook group

You can find Erin Wright at ErinWright.net.

Writing, Publishing And Book Marketing Facebook Live QA With Joanna Penn. May 2020

May 22, 2020 by Joanna Penn 3 Comments

In this Facebook Live recording, I answer questions about writing, self-publishing, book marketing, author mindset, and more.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube.

In this video, you can access the various questions with the timestamps below, or read the transcript below.

1:10 Should you reference the pandemic in your book?
3:07 Would you recommend a new author concentrate on one piece of work? Or, if you have multiple projects, would you run them in parallel?
5:28 What would be your number one tip for new authors starting a self-publishing career, or launching a new pen name in 2020?
8:08 As a new writer with only two flash fiction collections out, would you focus on building a mailing list or writing the next book?
9:45 I have five short stories of 10,000 words each. What is the easiest method for creating a box set?
12:54 Have you ever had anyone on your podcast from IngramSpark? It'd be great to learn some more on pricing and how to set prices, which I find slightly confusing.
15:04 Is it wise to write in more than one genre or sub-genre?
17:20 The best software for writing a textbook
18:53 Where Joanna wants to travel to first when pandemic restrictions are lifted
21:18 I’m thinking of self-publishing a children's picture book and chapter book. Would you upload to IngramSpark first or Amazon first?
22:58 How do you keep yourself motivated to work on a book when it's difficult, or you're finding it a slog?
25:57 Have you ever experimented with book clubs?
27:20 There are so many competing voices in the marketing space. Who do you listen to? [Join Mark Dawson and me for a free webinar on 6 Secrets to Amazon Ads Success – 11 June, 2020. Click here to sign up for your free place.]
31:21 I'm wrestling with Scrivener. Have you succeeded in dragging and dropping into the research folder?
32:19 Are you speaking at any more online conferences?
32:46 Using ProWritingAid for a first pass at a book’s edits
34:52 Keeping a series interesting
37:35 How to know when a book is finished

I'll be doing more of these live Q&A sessions, so join me on Facebook.com/thecreativepenn so you get notification of the next one. You can also sign up for my email list and I'll notify you of the next one, plus you get my free Author Blueprint.

Interview On Audio For Authors. Joanna Penn With Kobo Writing Life

May 13, 2020 by Joanna Penn 2 Comments

In this lively chat, I answer questions about audiobooks for authors, including how to publish, market, and sell audio, plus the future of voice, impacts of the coronavirus, and more. Thanks to Tara and Laura at Kobo Writing Life for the opportunity to do a Facebook Live.

Watch the video below or here on YouTube or listen to the interview on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast in audio-only here.

In this discussion, we talk about:

The international potential of being an indie author
Why audio is undergoing a surge in popularity
When authors can consider moving into audiobooks
Options for self-narrating audiobooks
How to find a narrator
The possible future of audio and AI voices
How to market audiobooks

You can find Audio for Authors on Kobo here in ebook and audiobook formats. It's also available on all the other stores – links here.

You can check out the Kobo Writing Life Podcast here or subscribe on your favorite podcast app. You can also listen to the episode below. You can self-publish your books at kobowritinglife.com

Audio For Authors. Tips For Audiobooks And Podcasting With Joanna Penn

April 4, 2020 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

In a time of global lockdown, more people are discovering audio content through podcasts and audiobooks. In this interview, I talk about the opportunities for authors, how to make the most of audio content whether you write fiction or non-fiction, and what might be coming next in terms of voice technologies. Thanks to Derek Doepker who interviewed me for his community.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube. Show notes and transcript below the video.

Show Notes:

My backstory and how I got into writing [check out my timeline here]
The benefits of audiobooks for authors – reach another audience, make more income
What if you don't like the sound of your own voice? (and how to improve, even if you just want to do more interviews)
Improve your writing craft by writing for audio and why audio can be part of your creative body of work
Opportunities for fiction authors in the podcasting space. Ideas for ways to pitch when you don't have a clear niche.
Is it worth starting your own podcast?
Voice technologies and how they impact authors

Check out the book, Audio for Authors: Audiobooks, Podcasting, and Voice Technologies, and you can also check out Derek Doepker at www.DerekDoepker.com and www.BestsellerSecrets.com

Audiobook Narration, Production And Marketing Tips With Derek Doepker

Publishing Wide For The Win With Erin Wright

Writing, Publishing And Book Marketing Facebook Live QA With Joanna Penn. May 2020

Interview On Audio For Authors. Joanna Penn With Kobo Writing Life

Audio For Authors. Tips For Audiobooks And Podcasting With Joanna Penn

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