Novel Marketing

Is Curios the Shopify Killer for Authors?

1.8K views · 4d ago · 1:02:20

So, is there a better way to sell directly to readers without giving up your margins or adding another monthly bill? I asked Greg Keogh, co-founder of Curios, a direct-sales platform used by thousands of authors. Greg helped launch his first book onto the New York Times bestseller list, and his team built Curios to handle the headaches that often come with selling direct, from sales tax to customer service.

Topics: Meet Greg Keogh: KDP vs. Direct Sales · What is the Curios Platform? · Curios Pricing & Plans · Mixed Media Bundles & the Curios App · DRM, Piracy & Agentic Commerce · Final Tips & Encouragement

The 5 Kinds of Author Kickstarter Campaigns

3.1K views · 2w ago · 50:50

Most authors know only one kind of Kickstarter campaign, and for many of them, it isn't the best one. This week on Novel Marketing, you’ll hear from Russell Nohelty, a USA Today bestselling author of over 70 books who has run dozens of successful Kickstarter campaigns. Russell wrote the book on the subject, How to Launch Your Book on Kickstarter, and he didn't hold back, even when he disagreed with me.

Topics: Type 1:The Pre-Order Campaign · The Key to Kickstarter: Brevity & Clarity · Type 2: Test the Market Campaign · Stated vs. Revealed Preferences & Book Packaging · Type 3: Anniversary Campaigns · Type 4: Second Chance Campaigns

Why AI Tells Every Author Their Book Is Great (And How to Make It Stop)

26K views · 3w ago · 1:06:40

Guest: Matthew Bowman

The chatbot told him his manuscript was brilliant. The humans gave his manuscript a C. That's what happened to one author who trusted AI as his editor. If you use AI to help with your editing, it's probably lying to you too, and not just once in a while.

Topics: Why AI Flatters You · The Book Cover Analyzer Lesson · Techniques 1–2: Third-Person Prompting & Hide Your Opinion · Techniques 3–5: "Fact-Check This" & Avoid Flattery · Technique 5: Ask for Problems, Not Grades · Human-Machine Teaming & the Chess Analogy

How to Relaunch Your Book with Julie Broad

3.7K views · 1mo ago · 1:04:30

Guest: Julie Broad

Your book may not be dead. As Miracle Max would say, it might only be mostly dead. A book that flopped three years ago could sell better today than it did on launch day, but only if you fix what actually broke. In this episode, you'll discover Whether a book that sold well at launch is a candidate for relaunch. The review pattern that tells you if a relaunch will waste your money. The one change that makes it impossible to keep your reviews when you relaunch.

Topics: Why Relaunch Instead of Writing a New Book? · Reader Psychology & Diagnosing the Problem · The Danger of Rushing Your Launch · Symptom: Nobody Saw Your Book (Visibility) · Symptom: Cover Issues & Split Testing · Product Problem vs. Marketing Problem

How to Write Short Stories with Joanna Penn

4.3K views · 1mo ago · 50:53

Guest: Joanna Penn

SHARE YOUR FREE SHORT STORY HERE (Blog Version) The slowest way to write a novel is to start writing a novel. It sounds backward, but it’s not. In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn. She’s spent years exploring short fiction as both craft practice and creative outlet, and she pushed back a bit on my claim about the slowest way to write a novel.

Topics: Why Short Stories Help You Improve Faster · Welcome Joanna Penn · Short Stories as Creative Fun & Risk-Taking · Exploring Genres & Story Worlds Through Shorts · Story Seeds: Capture & Combine Ideas · Creativity as a Muscle & Keeping Writing Fun

Should You Leave Kindle Unlimited in 2026? The Math May Surprise You

11K views · 1mo ago · 45:48

Authors on KDP Select get access to $700 million a year in the Kindle Unlimited fund. One login, one dashboard, one algorithm, one company to deal with. But that same company won't let you talk to a human with authority when something goes wrong, and it runs an algorithm that can end your career without telling you why.

Topics: Guest intro: Kris Austin, Draft2Digital · Consolidated reporting & multiple dashboards · Print-on-demand distribution · Audiobooks & digital narration · Kindle Unlimited money & going wide · Hybrid approach: switching between wide and exclusive

Get More Time to Write by Using a Grok Bot

11K views · 2mo ago · 25:20

Authors have historically lamented all the administrative, technological, and marketing tasks that go along with being a writer. How many times have you sighed and said, “But I just want to write!” We have just gone through a massive transition in how authors use AI. You can now have AI agents do tasks for you, which means you can delegate all your non-writing tasks to a bot. You tell the bot what to do, and it does it!

Topics: Demo: Creating a new Webmaster bot and connecting to WordPress · GrokBot routines, automations, and review summarization · Comparing GrokBot to Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor · Final thoughts and how to get started with GrokBot

Will Your Back Matter Get Your Book Banned on Amazon?

12K views · 2mo ago · 1:00:07

It's 1:30 in the morning, and a woman in Cleveland has just finished your book. She meant to go to bed hours ago, but she just couldn't put it down, and now she's at the end, feeling that particular ache that comes from finishing a book you loved. She turns the page to see what you have for her next.

Topics: What is back matter & reader magnets vs. stranger magnets · Print vs. e-book back matter strategy (page limits, QR codes) · TIP: Boosting Kindle Unlimited profit with bonus chapters (the 10% rule) · Maps and character compendiums: where to place them · Series strategy: one call-to-action per book · Audiobook back matter and companion PDFs

SEO for Author Websites: The Only Guide You Need in 2026

4.7K views · 2mo ago · 1:00:34

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Jason Barnard, digital marketing expert who has spent more than a decade teaching Google and AI who people are. You'll learn The Wikipedia alternative that is easier to write and curate How you can get Jason’s robust SEO audit of your site, for free

Topics: How AI and search engines actually understand you · Wikipedia, Grokipedia, and managing your reputation · Meta titles and meta descriptions · Structuring your book pages correctly · Owning your name, domains, and avoiding hyphens · Schema markup: worth it or not?

Why BookFunnel Is the Most Underused Tool in Indie Publishing

6.5K views · 3mo ago · 59:32

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn Whether you need a "lead magnet" or a "reader magnet" (there’s a distinction nobody talks about) How to give a free copy of your ebook or audiobook when you’re meeting people in person

Topics: What is BookFunnel? · BookFunnel's core purpose and delivering digital content directly to readers · Selling direct: BookFunnel, Payhip, and Shopify · Selling in person with Stripe/Square integration · Final tips and encouragement

Split-Testing for Authors: Why Your Cover, Blurb, and Hook Are All Just Guesses

2.6K views · 3mo ago · 1:05:39

Every month, traditional publishers lose more ground to indie authors. One reason it’s happening is that in trad publishing, a committee or the highest-paid person in the room makes the call on book covers, marketing copy, and even what they suppose readers might like. Both get it wrong far more often than they want to admit. Most indie authors aren't much better off.

Topics: What Is Split Testing? · A/B Testing vs. Multivariate vs. Click Testing · Common Mistakes in Split Testing · Final Thoughts: Making the Right Promise to Readers

The 5 Tiers of Audiobooks: Which One Should YOU Publish?

3.2K views · 3mo ago · 59:04

For 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.

Topics: Tier 1: AI Narrator · Tier 2: AI Full Cast · Tier 3: Professional Human Narrator · Tier 4: Primary Human Narrator + AI Supporting Cast & Sound Effects · Tier 5: Full Human Cast · Audiobook Distribution (Audible vs. going wide)

Estate Planning for Authors: How to Protect Your Books (and Your Family) After You Die

1.5K views · 3mo ago · 44:16

Host: Thomas Umstattd Jr. Guest: Kelley A. Way (

Topics: Case study: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo · Will vs. trust: what's the difference? · Should you release your book into the public domain? · How to legally release your work (Creative Commons) · What is a literary executor? · Action steps if you have no estate plan

Why Amazon Is Terminating Innocent Authors (and How to Fix It)

26K views · 4mo ago · 1:06:37

Guest: Lesley Hensell

That's not pessimism. It's strategy. In this episode, you'll learn Whether you should admit to something you didn't do to get your account reinstated If 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.

Topics: Common suspension causes · AI-generated content · Malicious fake reviews & black hat attacks on your account · Review manipulation & the FTC crackdown · Metadata & keyword stuffing · What to do when you get suspended

Author's PR Playbook: How to Get Media Coverage Without a Publicist

1.2K views · 4mo ago · 55:23

Guest: Author's PR Playbook

Is 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.

Topics: Meet Dave Jackson (Podcast Hall of Famer) · How to pitch a podcast (what hosts actually want) · How to find podcasts to pitch · Becoming a "friend of the show" · Nailing the interview (gear + prep) · How to mention your book without being salesy