Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast
99 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 120 ratingsInterviewing and Learning from Successful Authors
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Episodes
SFFMP 223: Marketing Audiobooks, Pen Names, Differences in Distributors, and What to Do When You Just Have One Book
March 13, 2019 04:03 - 42.4 MBThe guys are taking a break from the podcast (if you have comments or suggestions for what you’d like to see if we bring it back in a couple of months, please leave them!), but we answered another pile of listener questions today amid a few doggie interruptions, ahem. Here are the specific questions we addressed: How do you approach
SFFMP 222: Do Pre-Orders Work, What Happens Between Rapid Releases, and Finding a Good Editor
March 06, 2019 05:02 - 40.1 MBOn today’s show, the guys answered listener questions about pre-orders, rapid releases, how they found their editors, whether it make sense to keep series in Kindle Unlimited while publishing stand-alone novels wide, and lots of other stuff. Here’s a list of the questions they got to in the show (the second half of the batch will be answered next week):
SFFMP 221: Whether Awards Are Worth Trying for, Marketing Fantasy Romance, and Being Active in SFWA and RWA
February 20, 2019 06:26 - 48.8 MBThis week, we chatted with RITA award-winning fantasy romance author Jeffe Kennedy. She started her career writing non-fiction, shifted to romance and fantasy romance with traditional publishing, and now does some self-publishing as well. We asked her about whether awards are worth trying for, her thoughts on the professional organizations SFWA and RWA, and what she’s tried and liked for
SFFMP 220: Succeeding at Traditional Publishing as Well as Self-Publishing and When It’s Worth it to Travel for Conventions
February 13, 2019 05:45 - 55 MBThis week, traditionally and self-published fantasy author Gail Carriger joined us for the second time. She first visited two years ago to chat about all the marketing she does and also about how she was transitioning from traditional publishing to a hybrid career. Since then, she’s continued to self-publish, including a new pen name in a slightly steamier fantasy genre. We
SFFMP 219: Launching a New Pen Name and Getting an Audiobook Deal with Audible
February 06, 2019 04:39 - 37.3 MBFor this week’s show, sci-fi/fantasy/horror author Chris Philbrook joined us to talk about the success he’s had with ebooks and audiobooks (he’s had several deals with Audible for production), as well as a new YA-writing pen name that he’s starting up. Here are some of the specifics that we discussed: Publishing fiction to your website and building a readership before
SFFMP 218: Taking Advantage of an Underserved Niche, from Blue Collar to No Collar, and Is NINC Right for You?
January 30, 2019 03:49 - 41.3 MBThis week, we chatted with sea-adventure author and current president of Novelists, Inc. (NINC), Wayne Stinnett. He’s been a full-time independent author for years, has written a non-fiction title (From Blue Collar to No Collar), and has been a frequent poster at Kboards where he shares a lot of wisdom with the writing community. We asked him about his niche
SFFMP 217: Tools and Software for Authors + Getting More Fan Engagement on Twitter and Facebook
January 23, 2019 04:24 - 51.1 MBThis week, the guys talked about the various tools and services they use as professional authors. Everything is listed below with links to the sites. The guys also gave some tips for increasing engagement on Facebook and Twitter and really using those social media platforms to help turn casual readers into fans–and maybe even attract new fans! Tools/services for authors Writing
SFFMP 216: Reaching $100K+ in Income from Writing Science Fiction with Gerald M. Kilby
January 16, 2019 03:07 - 40.8 MBThis week, we chatted writing, publishing, and marketing hard science fiction with Gerald M. Kilby. He’s not the fastest writer, putting out around two novels a year these days, but he manages to keep his books selling well between releases, and he earned more than $100K last year. We asked him all about that, Amazon and Facebook advertising, and what
SFFMP 215: Working Hard, Ignoring Naysayers, and Becoming a Full-Time Author
January 09, 2019 05:01 - 46.4 MBFor this week’s show, we talked to return guest Jeffery H. Haskell, who first joined us in December of 2017 for the show “Successfully Launching as a New Author and Is Kindle Worlds Worth It?” (Yes, Kindle Worlds was still a thing back then!) Jeffery is a superhero fiction author and also has a new non-fiction title out, Writing for
SFFMP 214: 2019 Marketing and Publishing Predictions
January 07, 2019 04:49 - 25.4 MBIn this short episode, Jo and Lindsay jump on the bandwagon and share some of their marketing and publishing (but mostly marketing!) predictions for 2019. Will Amazon ads expand and offer more opportunities? Or will authors get fed up with the high cost of clicks and flock to something else? Is the mailing list swap dead? Will group promotions become
SFFMP 213: Marketing Plans for 2019, Meta Data and SEO Explained, and Which Advertising Platforms are Best for Authors?
December 24, 2018 04:35 - 51.9 MBWe recorded early this week, since Christmas is on a Tuesday, so we hope you enjoy the show while you’re traveling or after you’ve had fun with the holidays. The three of us answered listener questions that covered the range from what the heck is meta data and SEO to what kind of marketing we plan to try in 2019
SFFMP 212: How to Find Success in Urban Fantasy with Ramy Vance
December 19, 2018 04:24 - 45 MBLindsay got to meet lots of cool authors at the 20Books conference in Las Vegas this fall, and today’s guest was one of those people. Urban fantasy author Ramy Vance was involved in the traditional publishing world for years, but when it came time to publish his fiction, he decided to go indie. He’s written a number of novels and
SFFMP 211: How to Use Your Newsletter to Build Engagement and Fan Loyalty
December 12, 2018 04:48 - 65.6 MBNot only was this week’s episode jam-packed with newsletter tips for authors but it turned out to be our longest show ever! You may want to turn it into a two-parter or at least get a beverage so you stay hydrated while you listen. Our guest was Tammi Labrecque, author of Newsletter Ninja, along with numerous books under various secret
SFFMP 210: Selling More at Kobo, Relying Less on Amazon, and What’s Coming for Authors in 2019
December 05, 2018 05:29 - 53.5 MBWe talked to return guest Mark Leslie Lefebvre this week. You may remember him as the director of author relations at Kobo, but he’s moved over to the distributor Draft2Digital. We talked about some of the new features coming online there. Mark has recently published a couple of non-fiction books, Killing It on Kobo and The 7 P’s of Publishing Success,
SFFMP 209: Beyond the Basics with Facebooks Ads, Pinterest Ads, and Amazon Ads with Michael Cooper
November 28, 2018 05:14 - 49.7 MBOn this week’s show, return guest Michael Cooper (author of HELP! My Facebook Ads Suck under his name and more than fifty novels in his science-fiction Aeon 14 universe as MD Cooper) gave us a lot of great information on what’s working and what’s not right now when it comes to ads for books. He first joined us on Episode 147
SFFMP 208: Improving Visibility, Launching New Pen Names, and the “Trifecta of Indie Success”
November 21, 2018 05:17 - 45.3 MBThis week, we’re joined by fantasy and science fiction author Nicholas Erik, who also writes and experiments under the pen name D.N. Erikson. He’s an analytical guy who’s always observing what’s working and what’s not, both for his own work and for others. Before we jump into the details of the show, here are links to his site where he’s
SFFMP 207: Podcasting Fiction to Gain an Audience for Your Books
November 16, 2018 03:25 - 43.2 MBThis week, humorous science fiction author James R. Tramontana joined the guys on the show. He’s podcasting his Ace Tucker Space Trucker novels, and we asked him all about how he’s gaining fans that way, people who go on to buy the books. Here are some of the specifics from the show: What’s involved with podcasting your novel or podcasting
SFFMP 206: How to Rock it in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited
November 05, 2018 05:31 - 52.3 MBJo and Lindsay recorded early this week, since Lindsay is off to the 20Booksto50K conference (inspired by Michael Anderle, as Lindsay said in the show, but put together by Craig Martelle, which Lindsay should have said!). While Jeff was busy packing up his house to make his move to Phoenix permanent, Jo and Lindsay offered some tips on how to
SFFMP 205: Writing for Star Wars, Podcasting, Patreon, and if Awards Help with Marketing
October 31, 2018 04:49 - 49.9 MBOur guest for this week’s show is long-time podcaster and slightly less long-time science fiction and fantasy author Mur Lafferty. She is the author of the Nebula and Hugo-nominated Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides, and I Should Be Writing: A Writer’s Workshop. Her most recent publication is Solo, the Star Wars movie adaptation, which we asked her all about during
SFFMP 204: Selling 10,000 Copies of Your First Novel with Joseph Malik
October 24, 2018 05:03 - 44.9 MBToday, we were joined by fantasy author, Joseph Malik, who published his first novel, Dragon’s Trail, in 2016 and has managed to sell 10,000 copies over the last two years, despite being a new author and new to marketing. We talked to him about some of the things he tried that didn’t work, plus what he tried that did. *Note:
SFFMP 203: Staying Motivated, Advertising, and How to Market a Stand-Alone Novel
October 17, 2018 04:47 - 43.5 MBThis week, the guys answered a couple of questions about staying motivated and finishing projects, even when your oh-so-appealing sink full of dishes is distracting you. They talked a bit about their adventures with Amazon advertising and what’s actually working for them now in 2018. They also discussed marketing a stand-alone novel, since Lindsay recently released Fractured Stars, a new
SFFMP 202: Lessons Learned from Putting Together Anthologies and Donating to Charity
October 10, 2018 14:29 - 46.7 MBThis week’s show should be of interest to those authors who have considered putting aside the author hat temporarily to don the publisher/editor hat for a project or two. Our guests were science fiction romance authors Veronica Scott and Pauline B. Jones, who also happen to be the editors and publishers of the Pets in Space series of scifi romance
SFFMP 201: Bookbub Ads Update and Cultivating a Successful Author Mindset
October 03, 2018 03:48 - 44.5 MBThis week, we had return guest, crime-fiction author Adam Croft, on the show. We asked him about changes to Bookbub ads that have come about in the last year (he joined us in 2017 for Episode 151 All About Bookbub CPM Ads and Becoming a #1 Bestseller on Amazon), what he’s been up to, and why he’s written a book
SFFMP 200: Marketing and Selling Audiobooks, Plus Producing and Distributing them through Findaway Voices
September 26, 2018 04:03 - 39.4 MBThis week, Will Dages from Findaway Voices joined us to talk about producing, marketing, and selling audiobooks and some of the new options out there for indie authors. Findaway handles both production of audiobooks (by connecting you with narrators and producers) and distribution to many stores where you wouldn’t be able to upload direct. Here are some of the specifics
SFFMP 199: Rapid Release, Marketing Serials, and Going Non-Exclusive with Audiobooks
September 19, 2018 04:28 - 53.9 MBToday, the guys took on a batch of listener questions that ran the gamut from what’s the best schedule for a rapid release of a trilogy to what kind of markets we’ve targeted with Facebook advertising to what to do (and not to do) when choosing a book title. And in case you missed it last week, we have a
SFFMP 198: Mastering Amazon Ads with Brian Meeks
September 12, 2018 04:54 - 53.2 MBJo and Lindsay talked with the famous (not infamous!) Brian Meeks today, author of Mastering Amazon Ads, as well as thrillers, satire, and science fiction (under a pen name). He started tinkering with Amazon ads a couple of years ago when they first came on the scene, and they turned into a game-changer for him, allowing him to sell a
SFFMP 197: From Cosplayer to Full-time Fantasy Author with NM Howell
September 05, 2018 04:16 - 46.4 MBThis week, fantasy author NM Howell (AKA Nikko) joined the guys to talk about her journey from semi-pro cosplayer (yes, that’s a thing!) and magazine creator to full-time fantasy author. Here are some of the details that we covered: Cosplaying and starting a magazine. Getting into publishing fantasy under multiple names (NM Howell also writes as Nicole Marie). Genre hopping with
SFFMP 196: Writing Tips, Selling Short Fiction, and What SFWA Can Do for You with Cat Rambo
August 29, 2018 04:51 - 44.1 MBThis week, fantasy author and SFWA president Cat Rambo joined us on the show, and we grilled her about writing and selling short fiction, her experience at the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop, what SFWA is doing for authors these days, and her latest novel, Hearts of Tabat. Among other things! Here are some of the specifics we covered: How Cat
SFFMP 195: Kindle Unlimited, All-star Bonuses, YA Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Fantasy
August 22, 2018 05:22 - 47.8 MBFantasy author Alex Lidell joined us on the show this week. She started her publishing journey with YA fantasy when her first novel, The Cadet of Tildor, was picked up by Penguin after being a finalist in Amazon’s Breakout Novel contest. After that, she turned to self-publishing with her YA fantasy TIDES series, and she recently jumped into reverse harem
SFFMP 194: Selling Books and Networking at Conventions and Finding the Balance Between Writing and Marketing with Kevin J. Anderson
August 15, 2018 04:45 - 47.1 MBThis week, Kevin J. Anderson joined us from a remote cabin in Colorado where he’s sequestered to do some work (and talk to us, naturally). The internet connection wasn’t the best for the first few minutes, and we had some lag, but things get steadier about ten minutes in. Kevin talked to us about his experience as a new professor
SFFMP 193: Marketing and Publishing Advice for Newer Authors
August 08, 2018 04:11 - 53.5 MBThis week, Lindsay, Jo, and Jeff geared the show toward newer authors getting ready to publish their first books or with a few titles out. They answered some questions and tried to offer advice based on what’s working for folks getting started now. Here are some of the specifics that were touched on: More options for photoshop fantasy and science
SFFMP 192: Instagram, Swag, Book Boxes, and Launching Your First Book Without Spending any Money
August 01, 2018 04:41 - 45.2 MBThis week, we chatted with YA science fiction author Jessica Pierce who launched her first book, Atlas Fallen, in April of this year. She didn’t spend a lot of money on her launch, relying instead on the fan base and contacts she’d accumulated on Instagram. We talked to her about how to acquire a following and build book buzz on
SFFMP 191: Most Popular Science Fiction and Fantasy Sub-Genres and Analyzing Data Guy’s SWFA Slides
July 25, 2018 04:49 - 49.2 MBOn this week’s show, Jeff, Jo, and Lindsay discussed the information on Data Guy’s slides from his 2018 SFWA presentation in May. The slides are up here if you want to take a look. They also discussed some of the news in the indie world this summer and how the Amazon hammer has been coming down on those partaking in
SFFMP 190: Analyzing the Amazon Store to Help Your Books Perform Better with Alex from K-Lytics
July 18, 2018 04:17 - 47.3 MBThis week, we were joined by data cruncher Alex Newton who runs the K-Lytics (i.e. Kindle Analytics) service for authors and publishers. He’s been taking a look at trends in Science Fiction and Fantasy this summer, so we invited him on to talk about the findings of his latest report. He also gave us some great information on the Amazon
SFFMP 189: Succeeding in Niches and Writing and Marketing Time Travel Fiction
July 11, 2018 03:51 - 47.9 MBFor this week’s show, time travel and steampunk author Nathan Van Coops joined us to talk about his two series and what he’s doing to keep them selling. He’s a busy guy, releasing one novel a year, but still manages to bring in a good income from his books. Here are some of the specifics that we discussed: Tropes of
SFFMP 188: A Successful Fantasy Series Relaunch
July 04, 2018 03:59 - 45.2 MBOn this week’s show, we chat with dark/epic fantasy author and podcaster Andy Peloquin. Andy got the rights back to his first series and did a big and very successful relaunch, revamping it to appeal to assassin-loving epic fantasy fans instead of the dark fantasy fans it previously targeted. Here are some of the specifics that we covered: Andy’s background as
SFFMP 187: YouTube for Authors, Pricing High, and Running a Successful Patreon Campaign
June 27, 2018 04:44 - 49.8 MBThis week, we chatted with fantasy author Jenna Moreci who was able to quit her day job after she published her first book in 2015. But that’s not all she did. A year earlier, she started a YouTube Channel for writers where she’s been consistently uploading weekly videos. She used her YouTube following to help launch that first book (Eve:
SFFMP 186: Using a Multi-Author Boxed Set to Launch a New Series + Challenges of Historical Fantasy
June 20, 2018 04:25 - 38 MBThis week, one of our first guests ever on the show rejoined us after more than three years to talk about switching from contemporary fantasy to historical fantasy/steampunk. Becca Andre, author of the Final Formula series and her new Iron Souls series, publishes regularly while working full time and being a mom. We talked time management, the unique challenges of
SFFMP 185: Book Marketing Tips and Starting an eBook Sponsorship Site
June 13, 2018 03:04 - 39 MBWe’re usually joined by successful authors on the show, but today we invited on Jeffrey Bruner from the (successful) sponsorship site, The Fussy Librarian. He sees a lot of books in a lot of genres come through his gates, so we asked him a bit about trends and what’s selling right now, and also what it takes to start a
SFFMP 184: Marketing Wastes of Time, Covers for Newsletter Magnets, and Selling Quirky Stories
June 06, 2018 04:03 - 60.5 MBThis week, Jo, Jeff, and Lindsay answered listener questions–a lot of them! We went for an hour and a half so brace yourselves! Here’s the list of questions we addressed: Benjamin: I’d love to hear opinions on where the stuffing stuff (see anything from @DavidGaughran lately) meets back-of-book sequel previews, ML magnet previews, and promises of free stories in return
SFFMP 183: Succeeding on a Book a Year with CW Lamb
May 30, 2018 04:43 - 45.5 MBThis week, scifi and fantasy author CW Lamb joined us to talk about how he got his start in 2014, how KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited helped him launch his first book to great success, and why he’s sought out an agent and is also looking for a traditional deal. Here are some of the specifics we discussed: What it
SFFMP 182: Selling Direct from Your Site and Cultivating a Rabid Fan Base with Bookfunnel’s Damon Courtney
May 23, 2018 03:40 - 36.5 MBIf you’ve been wanting to sell direct from your site, figure out how to turn your current readers into rabid fans, and learn about this new GDPR thing everyone is talking about in regard to mailing lists, you’ll want to listen to today’s show. We had return guest Damon Courtney from Bookfunnel on, and he talked about concerns of authors
SFFMP 181: Spreading out Your Advertising Dollars for Effectiveness and Launching Well as a New Author
May 16, 2018 04:31 - 29.4 MBThis week, epic fantasy/fantasy romance author Miranda Honfleur joined us on the show. She launched her first series last November and has kept book 1 selling well and sticking in the Amazon fantasy charts while releasing more books in the series. She has three out now with a fourth to follow later this summer. We asked her how she did
SFFMP 180: Discoverability, Flagship Series, Product Funnels, and Newsletter Concerns
May 09, 2018 04:01 - 38 MBHey, folks! I (Lindsay) got back from the Sell More Books Show Conference this weekend, where I was one of several speakers. I took notes on some of the presentations that resonated most with me, and I shared them with Jo and Jeff on the show tonight. We proceeded to discuss them a bit. Hopefully, you’ll find it useful to
SFFMP 179: Marketing Wide vs Marketing in Kindle Unlimited + Turning Strangers into Super Fans
May 02, 2018 03:38 - 48.6 MBWe had a great chat with David Gaughran this week. He’s a historical fiction author who dabbles in science fiction now and then, and when he’s not writing fiction, he’s keeping an eye on the publishing scene and analyzing what’s working for authors who are going wide and selling well on Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. and also what’s
SFFMP 178: Making Good Money with Serial Novellas and YA Fantasy with Sarah K.L. Wilson
April 25, 2018 04:42 - 31.9 MBOn this week’s show, YA fantasy author Sarah K.L. Wilson joined us to talk about the successful Dragon School serial she’s publishing on Amazon (and in Kindle Unlimited). She’s put out nine installments since the beginning of the year, publishing a new one every 18 days, and she’s kept them selling with Amazon ads and sheer momentum. Here’s a little
SFFMP 177: Paying the Bills as an LGBT Urban Fantasy Author with Holly Evans
April 18, 2018 03:01 - 34.3 MBWe’re joined this week by LGBT urban fantasy author Holly Evans. She believes LGBT spec-fic is an up and coming sub-genre with a lot of potential, and even though it’s niche, she’s able to pay the bills writing it. Whether you’re interested in it or not, a lot of today’s interview should apply to any author thinking of writing in
SFFMP 176: Launching Well as a New Author, Writing Quickly, and Keeping the Momentum Going
April 11, 2018 03:58 - 46.1 MBThis week’s interview features NYT best-selling indie fantasy author Jasmine Walt. She talks about how she burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with her popular Baine Chronicles series and breaks down why she think it hit big even though she was a new author at the time. We also ask her about her various collaborations and how
SFFMP 175: The Rapid Release Strategy, Getting Reviews as a New Author, and Where to Spend your Advertising Money
April 04, 2018 04:32 - 53 MBThis week, Jo, Jeff, and Lindsay answered listener questions on a variety of topics such as how to spend $1,000 on advertising to get the most out of your launch, how to get reviews as a new author, whether we use review or street teams, and how often to release books if you’re banking them to do a rapid release.
SFFMP 174: Outlining Your Novel for More Efficient Writing and Starting New in Epic Fantasy
March 28, 2018 03:16 - 29.7 MBToday, we were joined by return guest Scott King, the author of Outline Your Novel: The How To Guide for Structuring and Outlining Your Novel and The Five Day Novel, as well as numerous fantasy and young adult adventures. He recently jumped into epic fantasy with the first book in his Elderrealm series, Wrath of Dragons. We grilled him on