Six Figure Authors
147 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago - ★★★★★ - 187 ratingsSix Figure Authors is the show that helps you take your writing career to the next level. Lindsay Buroker, Jo Lallo, and Andrea Pearson are sharing their own insights, as authors who’ve been publishing since the beginning of the e-reader revolution, and they’re also interviewing industry experts and other successful authors to help you figure out what’s working right now.
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Episodes
SFA 085 – Staying Motivated, Productivity, Flow State, and Writing to Market in 2021
April 08, 2021 07:58 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBOur guest this week is the prolific science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction author Chris Fox. He’s known in the author community for his Write Faster, Write Smarter series, and has spoken all over the country…
SFA 084 – Book Launch Check List
April 01, 2021 07:58 - 1 hour - 43.5 MBThis week, the hosts discuss their book launch checklists, such as download bonuses, book covers, editing, newsletter and social media announcements, and other things that help them stay focused and get the ball rolling for…
SFA 083 – Your Questions Answered on Kindle Unlimited / Amazon KDP Select vs Wide
March 25, 2021 08:20 - 1 hour - 53.7 MBIn Episode 80, we went over some of the pros and cons of going exclusive with Amazon for ebook publishing versus opting out of that program and making your ebooks available in all stores. For…
SFA 082 – Selling Direct, Audiobooks, and Author Business Tips
March 18, 2021 07:52 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBOn this week’s show, the hosts talk to Damon Courtney from Bookfunnel about making more money while giving readers a better deal. How? By selling ebooks and audiobooks direct from your site/newsletter. We also asked…
SFA 081 – Selling Foreign Rights and Pitching at Book Fairs with Judith Anderle
March 11, 2021 08:43 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBIf you’ve ever wanted to see your book translated into a foreign language and to make a little extra money by selling the foreign language rights to overseas publishers, you’ll appreciate this week’s guest. Judith…
SFA 080 – Kindle Unlimited vs Wide (i.e. Amazon Exclusivity vs. Not)
March 04, 2021 09:44 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBFor this week’s show, we talked about going exclusive with Amazon to be in Kindle Unlimited and get their other promotional perks versus choosing to make your work available in all the bookstores. We talked…
SFA 079 – Marketing Paperbacks, Republishing Books, Driving Traffic to a New Series, and Other Questions Answered
February 25, 2021 08:23 - 1 hour - 50.4 MBFor this week’s show, we answered some of the questions you’ve given us in the Six Figure Authors Facebook group. These ranged from how to handle forced breaks, things we can offer newsletter subscribers other…
SFA 078 – Keys to Long-term Success as an Author
February 18, 2021 10:45 - 1 hour - 43.7 MBThis week, we talked about several things that are important for long-term success as an author/publisher. As indie authors, having a marathon mindset is vital if we plan to be successful at this in five,…
SFA 077 – Book Marketing Tactics We’ve Tried and That Didn’t Work for Us
February 11, 2021 09:15 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBFor this week’s show, the three of us picked some of the book marketing tactics we’ve tried over the years and that ended up being duds for us. We thought this might be useful for…
SFA 076 – 7-Figure Author on Publishing Frequently, Marketing, and Starting Fresh
February 04, 2021 08:28 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBOur guest for this week’s show is Elana Johnson, a USA Today bestselling author of adult contemporary beach romance under the name Elana Johnson, and sweet Western romance under the name Liz Isaacson. She also…
SFA 075 – How to Write a Novel in a Month
January 28, 2021 07:25 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBFor this week’s show, we delved into how to write (and ideally edit) a novel in a month. We talked about the first time we did it, at what point in your writing career it…
SFA 074 – Tax Savings, Business Structure, Retirement, and Cumulative Advantage for Authors with Joe Solari
January 21, 2021 08:38 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBOur guest for this week’s show is Joe Solari, an author, entrepreneur, and business consultant for authors. He’s written the books Should I Incorporate? Author Edition: How and when to set up your publishing company,…
SFA 073 – What to Do if You’re Not Making a Profit from Your Books
January 14, 2021 09:25 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBFor this week’s show, we started out discussing some of the predications that Mark Coker of Smashwords made in his beginning-of-the-year post: 2021 Publishing Predictions – Pandemic Reshapes Publishing, Accelerates Consolidation. After that, we moved…
SFA 072 – What Worked and Didn’t in 2020 and Our Writing, Marketing, and Publishing Plans for 2021
January 07, 2021 08:52 - 1 hour - 42.1 MBFor this week’s show, which we recorded right before the end of the year, we took a look at what worked and what didn’t for authors and publishers in 2020. We also discussed some of…
SFA 071 – Selling Hard-to-Categorize Books That Aren’t Written to Market/Trope Pt 2
December 31, 2020 10:15 - 1 hour - 44.1 MBWe had a lot of listener questions that we didn’t get to in the first Selling Hard-to-Categorize Books That Aren’t Written to Market show, so we’re back for part 2, and it’s all about answering…
SFA 070 – Subscriptions, Audiobooks, and Viability of Traditional Publishing Today
December 24, 2020 10:12 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBOur guest this week is publishing consultant and author Jane Friedman. With twenty years of experience in the publishing industry, she has expertise in digital media strategies for authors and publishers. She’s the co-founder and…
SFA 070 – Subscriptions, Audiobooks, and Viability of Tradition Publishing Today
December 24, 2020 10:12 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBOur guest this week is publishing consultant and author Jane Friedman. With twenty years of experience in the publishing industry, she has expertise in digital media strategies for authors and publishers. She’s the co-founder and…
SFA 069 – Selling Hard-to-Categorize Books That Aren’t Written to Market/Trope
December 17, 2020 07:43 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBVery few authors think of writing “to market” or “to trope” with their first book/series. They’re just writing what they love! Sometimes, that ends up being popular with readers, but sometimes you end up with…
SFA 068 – Hype Cycle + Have Audiobooks Reached a Tipping Point?
December 10, 2020 08:41 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBOn this week’s show, we talked about the Gartner Hype Cycle as a framework to think about where we are with ebooks, audiobooks, and the up-and-coming technologies that may become useful (or even necessary) for…
SFA 067 – Audio Reader Magnets, Amazon Ads, and Are Newsletters and Social Media Really Worth It?
December 03, 2020 08:34 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MBIt’s a “just-us” episode today, with Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay answering listener questions. We ran out of time and didn’t get to the leftover protagonist-craft questions that we teased in the intro (whoops), but we…
SFA 066 – A Book in 15 Minutes a Day, Author Mindset, and Marketing Non-Fiction
November 26, 2020 10:12 - 56 minutes - 38.9 MBOur guest this week is Honoree Corder, an executive and strategic book and publishing coach, TEDx speaker, and the author of dozens of books including You Must Write a Book and The Prosperous Writer series.…
SFA 065 – Marketing as an Introvert, and Successful Urban Fantasy Outside of Kindle Unlimited
November 19, 2020 08:12 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBFor this week’s show, we’ve got an interview with contemporary/urban fantasy author Sarah Painter. She publishes wide (in all the stores) and has had good luck with her books, even without signing up for Amazon’s…
SFA 064 – Creating a Protagonist that Readers Will Love
November 12, 2020 08:46 - 1 hour - 54.6 MBWe return to the craft of writing for this week’s show, because good craft makes it a lot easier to sell books! The topic for the show is protagonists. How do you create the kind…
SFA 063 – Getting Movie Deals and Amish Romance with Serena Miller
November 05, 2020 08:04 - 58 minutes - 39.8 MBWe had a guest on this week’s Six Figure Authors, USA Today bestselling romance writer Serena Miller. She’s both traditionally and indie published, and she’s had one of her books (Love Finds You in Sugar…
SFA 062 – Is It too Late to Break out in 2020?
October 29, 2020 08:35 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBIf you frequent the various author forums and Facebook groups, you probably see people say it again and again: book publishing (especially ebook publishing for indie authors) has gotten too competitive, it’s pay to play…
SFA 061 – Our Top Writing, Marketing, and Publishing Tips
October 22, 2020 08:15 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBFor this week’s show, we discuss some of our big-picture writing, publishing, and marketing tips, things we’ve learned over our ten years of publishing. Hopefully, you’ll find some of this advice helpful. We finished up…
SFA 060 – Writing Series That Sell with Sara Rosett
October 15, 2020 08:43 - 51 minutes - 35 MBWelcome to Six Figure Authors, the show that helps you take your writing career to the next level. Our guest this week is Sara Rosett, USA Today Bestselling author of light-hearted mysteries, co-host of the…
SFA 059 – Writing Craft Tips and Listener Q&A
October 08, 2020 08:24 - 1 hour - 53.5 MBIt’s a lot easier to sell books that grab the readers, don’t let them go, and leave a lasting impression on them. We talk marketing a lot on this podcast, but solid writing and good…
SFA 058 – Productivity Tips for Writers
October 01, 2020 08:16 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBOn this week’s show, Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay share some of their favorite productivity tips for getting more books written and published, and only spending time on marketing that actually works. They’ve all had challenges…
SFA 057 – Using Your Newsletter to Sell More Books (Part 2)
September 24, 2020 07:14 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBThis week, Andrea, Jo, and Lindsay continue their discussion on newsletters. We open up talking about what types of bonuses we offer to readers who sign up and also share which ones have worked best…
SFA 056 – Using Your Newsletter to Sell More Books (Part 1)
September 17, 2020 10:59 - 58 minutes - 40.1 MBThis week and next week, Andrea, Jo, and Lindsay talk advanced newsletter tactics for authors. We share the providers/hosts we use, how we recruit subscribers, what we email them about, and how we use those…
SFA 055 – Getting Reviews and Starting a Street Team/Review Crew
September 10, 2020 09:45 - 1 hour - 45.5 MBThis week, Andrea, Jo, and Lindsay discuss why book reviews are important, how to go about legitimately getting them, whether paid review services are worth it, and how to start your own review crew or…
SFA 054 – Social Media for Authors with Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine
September 03, 2020 10:08 - 1 hour - 53.5 MBFor this week’s show, we welcome fantasy and non-fiction authors Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine. They’ve recently published the book Social Media for Writers: Marketing Strategies for Building Your Audience and Selling Books, so we…
SFA 053 – New Amazon Ads Data, When to Avoid Pre-Orders, and Listener Questions Answered
August 27, 2020 07:44 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBWe’re fielding some of your questions from our Facebook group for this week’s show. There were quite a few related to pre-orders for ebooks, so if you haven’t already, make sure to check out our…
SFA 052 – Mistakes We’ve Made as Authors/Publishers/Marketers
August 20, 2020 09:25 - 51 seconds - 1 ByteFor this week’s show, we decided to share some of the mistakes we’ve made as authors, publishers, and marketers (yes, when you are self-publishing, you are all of those things!). Our hope is that sharing…
SFA 051 – Increasing Your Income with Patreon
August 13, 2020 07:42 - 1 hour - 45.8 MBWe’re doing a deep dive on Patreon for this week’s show. Jo and Lindsay are active users with a subscriber base, and Andrea has used the service in the past. We had a lot to…
SFA 050 – Leveling up: Going from 4/5 Figures a Year to 6 Figures a Year as an Author
August 06, 2020 07:18 - 1 hour - 49.5 MBFor this week’s show, we discussed a common question in our Facebook group: how do you go from four or five figures a year as an author to making six or even seven figures? We…
SFA 049 – Subscription Service Strategies, Marketing Tips for 2020, and Listener Questions Answered
July 30, 2020 08:42 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBWe’ve got a mix of topics for today’s show. We start out with some news from our hosts, then jump into discussing the expansion of Kobo Plus into Canada and why authors should consider having…
SFA 048 – Things You Can Do When You’re in a Writing Slump + Kickstarters for Authors
July 23, 2020 08:53 - 1 hour - 50 MBOn this week’s show, your hosts Andrea, Jo, and Lindsay talk about some of the things they do to get out of writing slumps. At the end of the show, they also answer listener questions…
SFA 047 – Tech and Tools That We Find Useful as Full-time Authors
July 16, 2020 09:11 - 59 minutes - 41 MBFor today’s episode, Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay talk about the various programs they use for writing, marketing, and productivity. We decided to do a later episode entirely on newsletters and mailing list tools, so we…
SFA 046 – Serials, Following up on Initial Success, and the Young Adult Fantasy Market with Sarah K.L. Wilson
July 09, 2020 09:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBOn this week’s show, our guest is successful young adult fantasy author Sarah K.L. Wilson. Her career took off in early 2018 with her successful Dragon School serial. She’s been publishing books just about every…
SFA 045 – Increasing Sales in Bookstores Other Than Amazon (Google Play, Kobo, Apple, etc.)
July 02, 2020 09:21 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBIn this week’s show, Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay talk about increasing sales in the major bookstores other than Amazon (i.e. Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play, and Kobo Books). In the past, we’ve…
SFA 044 – Amazon Sales Ranking, Achieving More Visibility, and More Effective Launches and Book Promos with David Gaughran
June 25, 2020 08:37 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBOur guest for this week’s show is David Gaughran. He writes historical fiction and science fiction under another name, has helped thousands of authors publish their work through his workshops, blog, and writers’ books (Let’s…
SFA 043 – Book Advances, White-Listing Requests for Newsletters, and Pre-Orders Pt 2
June 18, 2020 09:01 - 1 hour - 53.8 MBOn this week’s show, Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay finished answering listener questions on pre-orders after discussing some information on book advances from the #publishingpaidme hashtag on Twitter. They also shared a few tips on Amazon…
SFA 042 – Pre-Orders: How, When, and Why to Use Them to Increase Sales
June 11, 2020 09:13 - 1 hour - 52.4 MBOn this week’s show, Jo, Andrea, and Lindsay discussed the reasons you may want to use pre-orders on Amazon and the other stores. They mentioned some of the benefits as well as potential pitfalls and…
SFA 041 – Finding a Narrator, Cost, and DIY Tips for Audiobooks with Gary Bennett
June 04, 2020 09:27 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBOn this week’s show, SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator Gary Bennett joins us to talk about finding and choosing a narrator, how much you should expect to spend on audiobook production, royalty share options, and equipment in…
SFA 040 – Launches, Re-Launches, and Juggling Writing and Publishing with a Young Family with Andrea Pearson
May 28, 2020 09:46 - 1 hour - 49.8 MBOn today’s show, we did the third of our three co-host interviews, this time with Andrea Pearson. We asked her questions about book launches, re-launches, dictation, and the ways she manages to do all she…
SFA 039 – Trends on Amazon, New Opportunities, and How CoVid-19 Is Affecting Ebook Sales with Alex Newton
May 21, 2020 10:07 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBOur guest this week is Alex Newton, the mastermind behind K-Lytics, a market intelligence service that monitors close to 100,000 Amazon titles each month to help publishers of fiction and non-fiction spot trends, identify opportunities,…
SFA 038 – Book Covers That Sell Books and Common Mistakes When Working with a Designer with Rebekah Haskell
May 14, 2020 08:17 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBWe’re talking about cover design today—everything from common mistakes authors make to how to have a good relationship with and get what you need from a designer. The cover is the most important part of…
SFA 037 – Adapting as the Market Changes, Screenwriting, and Mixing Wide with Exclusive with Michaelbrent Collings
May 07, 2020 09:37 - 1 hour - 52.7 MBThis week, we interviewed Michaelbrent Collings, an internationally bestselling novelist, produced screenwriter, and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist. He’s written in numerous genres, including horror, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, middle grade,…