Coffee with Carma

Coffee with Carma | Episode 458

If your book isn’t bringing in the clients you hoped for, the problem may not be the book itself. It is more likely how you think a book is supposed to work. Most authors assume their book has two jobs: sell copies and convert leads. In this episode, I explain why that’s missing a third job that makes the other two work. I share why Amazon and the AI tools your future clients are using, like ChatGPT and Perplexity, are different systems. You have to optimize them differently. If you’ve ever wondered why a well-reviewed book still isn’t growing your business, this episode walks you through where the gap is and what to do about it.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* Why isn’t my book converting readers into clients?

* What’s the difference between optimizing for Amazon and optimizing for AI search?

* Should I sell a program inside my book?

* How do I turn my book into a lead-generation tool?

* What content can I create from my existing book?

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Coffee with Carma | Episode 457

In this episode of Coffee with Carma, I use the legend of the sword in the stone to talk about something I see in too many authors ... a book that’s visible but not used. I walk you through three lessons from that legend:

* why your book might be sitting exactly where you left it

* why use is what makes your book valuable, and

* why your book was never going to become more valuable just by sitting on a digital shelf.

If your book has been living on Amazon without doing much for your business, this episode is for you.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I market a book that’s already published and just sitting on Amazon?

* Why isn’t my book bringing in business even though people can find it?

* What does it mean to “activate” a book for business growth?

* How is a book different from raw knowledge or expertise?

* Why does self-publishing a book still require ongoing marketing work?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 456

You meant to leverage your book this week, and somehow it’s already Wednesday. In this episode, I share three simple ways you can start turning your book into content today, using material you’ve already written. No new ideas required, just a system for mining what’s already sitting on your shelf.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I market my book without starting from scratch every week?

* What’s a simple weekly system for repurposing book content?

* How can I use my book to reconnect with people in my network?

* What can I do with my book content besides one-time promotion?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 455

If your book isn’t attracting the clients or opportunities you hoped for, listen up. Before you blame the book, consider this. In this episode, I share five key principles. These principles can turn a book on a shelf into a tool that grows your business. You’ll see why sharing your book is simple. Your book is like potential energy, just waiting to be unleashed. The real power comes from what you do with your book, not just the book alone.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* Why isn’t my book bringing me the clients I expected?

* What’s the difference between book promotion and real business leverage?

* How do I turn the content already in my book into new marketing material?

* Why does book marketing need a system instead of one-off promotion?

* How do I figure out which door my book is actually meant to open?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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(Inspired by The Right Stuff)

Coffee with Carma | Episode 454

The astronauts who made it into space were not the ones who sat back and let NASA run the mission. They fought to keep their hands on the controls. In this episode, I walk you through three reasons your book marketing needs the same thing. I share the real story of what happened when I tried to publish a book a month. I explain why the data eventually told me to stop. And I describe what it looks like to stay the pilot of your own business instead of a passenger in someone else’s plan.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* Why do book marketing strategies fail even when the strategy itself is sound?

* How do I know when to follow book promotion advice versus modify it for my own audience?

* What happened when Carma tried to publish a book a month?

* How do I market a book without losing my own voice in the process?

* When should an author override a proven marketing tactic?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 453

If your book marketing feels stuck, you might think the answer is starting over with a brand new plan. But in this episode, I walk you through a different approach. Instead, read the habits you already have consistently. They may hold more clues to your best marketing path than any expert advice ever will. I’ll share three steps for spotting those clues. And share a personal story about the habit I finally gave myself permission to quit. Stop rebuilding from scratch and start building from what you naturally do.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I market my book without starting my marketing plan over from scratch?

* What book marketing habits should I pay attention to first?

* How long should I test a book marketing tactic before deciding if it works?

* Is it okay to stop doing a marketing tactic I hate?

* Why does joyful energy matter in book marketing?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 452

If I’ve learned one thing from years of marketing my books, it’s that doing more is rarely the answer. In this episode of Coffee with Carma, I share five principles around the idea of consistency. They explain why some authors gain real authority from their books. And others remain invisible ... even when they’re putting in the same effort. This video very well may shift how you think about book marketing entirely.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I know if my book marketing is actually working or just keeping me busy?

* How long should I stick with a book marketing strategy before I try something different?

* Why are some authors building real authority from their books while I’m doing the same things and staying invisible?

* What does consistent book marketing actually mean for a nonfiction author?

* How do I choose book promotion strategies I can actually stick with?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 451

In this episode, I draw three surprisingly sharp book-marketing lessons from Our Man Flint. This 1966 spy spoof was the predecessor to both Austin Powers and The Incredibles. Derek Flint didn’t follow the standard spy manual. He wrote his own. And if you want a book marketing strategy that actually works, you’ll need to do the same. I walk you through three insights drawn from the film. And I leave you with one tiny action you can do this week to turn failing efforts around.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I build a book marketing strategy that actually works for my book?

* Why do the book marketing tips I find online not work for me?

* What should I do before I start marketing my nonfiction book?

* How do I know which book marketing tactics are right for my audience?

* What’s the one thing I should do to improve my book marketing right now?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 450

Does book marketing feel like 100 moving pieces with no clear starting point? You’re not confused. You’re just missing a framework. In this episode, I walk you through three simple steps. They will cut through the noise and give you a clear, manageable approach. I also share the three-month rule I use to evaluate what’s working in my own marketing. If you’ve been trying to do everything at once, this episode is the reset you need.

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* How do I know if my book marketing is actually working?

* What should I track instead of book sales?

* How do I choose the right marketing channel for my book?

* What’s a simple book marketing plan I can actually follow?

* How long should I try a book promotion strategy before deciding it isn’t working?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Coffee with Carma | Episode 449

Most authors I talk with aren’t struggling because they haven’t tried hard enough. They’re struggling because nobody ever gave them the right blueprint. In this episode, I walk you through the five principles of authority-first book marketing: the foundation that makes everything else in your book marketing strategy work harder and last longer. Whether you’ve been publishing for years or you’re still finishing your manuscript, these principles will completely reframe how you think about getting your book into the right hands and growing your business with it.

Questions This Episode Answers:

* What is authority-first book marketing and how is it different from typical book promotion?

* How do I build a book marketing system that keeps working after my launch ends?

* Why aren’t my book sales translating into clients or speaking opportunities?

* When should I start marketing my book if I’m still writing it?

* How do I figure out what kind of book marketing I should actually be doing?

Thanks for reading Authority by Design! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Authority by Design is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.