Lessons learned from co-authoring a workbook that is engaging and helps your audience achieve real results, join us today for a conversation with Jonathan Maki of MFI Works.

First interview with Jonathan: Book Writing, Amazon Bestselling Book Launching, and Driving Tanks with Small Business Tax Pro --> CopyThatPops.com/212

Jonathan's new workbook: My Family's Income Works for the Life We Want to Live: A Workbook for Life  --> CopyThatPops.com/income 

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For the full shownotes for this episode, visit us here: Co-Writing a Workbook to Help Families Build the Life They Want - with Jonathan Maki

 

Let's look for ways (live!) to improve Eric Piccione's blog: FinancialFreedomAndMe.com! 

With special guest Signe Beck (with whom we are doing a live social media content creation consult very soon!).

This is the first live stream I've done in a long while to help others with their writing for business online. Hope you enjoy!

Head back to the Copy That Pops podcast page for more info on this episode and others!

Exactly How to Use ChatGPT and 11.ai to Create an Entire Podcast in 10 Minutes Without Speaking a Single Word

Want to create more podcasts fast and with help? Maybe you want to create a show where you don't even have to speak? Maybe you want help writing your podcast scripts? If this is you, listen to this superfast episode that my AI bot "Aurora" recorded for me!

STEP 1: Have ChatGPT Generate a Script

Background info:

The podcast is called Copy That Pops. The host is LaptopLaura. Laura always closes the podcast by saying, "And remember to keep finding ways to write copy that pops!"

I want you to act like a professional script writer for podcasters where you write only word-for-word exactly what the host will speak out loud.

Please write a short script for teaching someone how to use ChatGPT and 11.ai to:

Step 1. write them a short podcast script about using ChatGPT for writing short podcast scripts

Step 2. use https://elevenlabs.io, a text to speech and AI voice generator, to read their script for use in the podcast

Step 3: download the audio files, add your intro and outro music, and publish to your favorite podcast host (I use Libsyn -- use the code LAURA for first two months free)

Please do NOT include speakers' names, the word "Host:" before paragraphs, or any notes about when to play music or sounds like "[Intro Music]". Simply produce in your response a script that could be read word for word. Thank you!

STEP 2: Clean Up the Script from ChatGPT

Welcome to another episode of Copy That Pops, where we explore the art and science of great writing for business. I'm your host, LaptopLaura (in the voice of an AI assistant I’ll be teaching you how to create for free today too!). 

This episode is all about using ChatGPT and 11.ai to craft compelling podcast scripts. Writing and producing has never been easier! Here’s how I created this exact podcast without speaking a single word.

Step 1: Writing a Short Podcast Script using ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a powerful language model that can help you generate creative and engaging content. Here's a simple guide to using it for your podcast scripts:

1. Start by heading to chat.openai.com and enter your prompt. For example, you can say, "Generate a short and engaging podcast script about using ChatGPT for content creation."
2. Review the suggestions provided by ChatGPT and select the ones that align with your style and tone.
3. Edit and refine the content as needed to match your unique voice and message.

Step 2: Using Elevenlabs.io to Bring Your Script to Life. 

Elevenlabs.io is a fantastic text-to-speech and AI voice generator tool. Here's how to use it:

1. Visit elevenlabs.io and paste your podcast script into the text box.
2. Choose the voice that suits your style and adjust settings like pitch and speed. You can even create your own version of a voice and give it a name. Let’s name mine Aurora (which my husband laughs at me about and says it sounds like a stripper name - lolz – sorry, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty!)
3. Hit the generate button and listen to the preview. 
4. Make any necessary tweaks to perfect the audio.

Step 3: Downloading and Publishing. 

Once your audio is ready, you will then:

1. Download the generated audio file
2. Add your intro and outro music to give it a polished and branded touch.

Note: If you're starting a new podcast hosted by Libsyn, use the code "LAURA" for your first two months free.

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And there you have it - a seamless process to leverage tech to create and deliver captivating podcast content. 

Writing and producing has never been faster or easier! Laura made this whole episode without uttering a single word.

Visit the shownotes at CopyThatPops.com/226 for links to all that we mentioned today as well as screenflows showing this episode's creation.

I hope these tools make your writing and podcasting journey even more productive, efficient, and enjoyable. Until next time, keep finding ways to write copy that pops!

STEP 3: GET AI TO SPEAK YOUR SHOW

Go to 11.ai or elevenlabs.io and pick a voice you want to be your narrator.

1. Visit 11.ai or elevenlabs.io and paste your podcast script into the text box.
2. Choose the voice that suits your podcast style and adjust settings like pitch and speed. You can even create your own version of a voice and give it a name. I named mine Aurora (which my husband laughs at me about and says it sounds like a stripper name lolz – sorry Disney’s Sleeping Beauty)
3. Hit the generate button and listen to the preview. 
4. Make any necessary tweaks to perfect the audio.
5. Download the file to your computer
6. Add your intro and outro music and publish to your podcast host! : ) I use Libsyn (use code “LAURA” to get up to 2 months free, if you are brand new)

Let me know how this works for you! : ) 

Laura

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Full shownotes for this episode here: How to Make a Podcast in 5 Minutes Without Writing or Speaking [Use AI]

Listen free to my first children's book, now live on Amazon for Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook: CopyThatPops.com/duckbuddies

I had so much fun with this project and learned a lot about the fiction book writing world and kids' book genre. It's a departure from 95% of the content on this show so far, but something more and more of my clients have been asking for help with.

To learn more about children's book writing, publishing, and marketing check out the following past episodes: 1. CopyThatPops.com/156  Marketing Your Books to Parents AND Kids with Podcasts, Live Events, and Collaborations from Childrens’ Book Author and Podcaster Angela Ferrari 2. CopyThatPops.com/223 Unlocking the Secrets of Children’s Book Creation: Expert Tips on Writing, Illustrating, Publishing, and Marketing Kids’ Books 3. CopyThatPops.com/224 Writing Kids Books Inspired by NFT Art and Building Brands with Raj Khater (Plus: Duck Buddies Book 1 is Live!) -- Hope you enjoy! To see the great illustrations, grab a copy of the book in Kindle or print! If you enjoy it, I'd so appreciate a rating/review on Amazon.  xo Laura PS: Head back to the shownotes page for more writing resources and info about the Duck Buddies children's book.

Learn about the exciting world of NFTs and their potential for creative projects, including writing children's books, building brands, and growing business with Laura, the creator of the Duck Buddies book series, and Raj Khater, a former VP at the Royal Bank of Canada, entrepreneur, and prolific NFT collector.

Laura wrote Duck Buddies: The Secret Clubhouse with gorgeous illustrations based off of artwork from well-know Ethereum blockchain projects including SupDucks and Bored Ape Yacht Club.

Links to more:

• Episode 223 with April Cox for more on how to write, illustrate, publish, and marketing a kids book: https://CopyThatPops.com/223

• Copyrigthing Your Copywriting with Jason Tucker, the Pirate Hunter: https://CopyThatPops.com/113

• Duck Buddies World: https://duckbuddiesworld.com

• Duck Buddies: The Secret Clubhouse (Book 1 in a soon-to-be series): https://copythatpops.com/duckbuddies

• Full shownotes: 224: Writing Kids Books Inspired by NFT Art, Web3, the Blockchain, and Impish Humor with Raj Khater (Plus: Duck Buddies Book 1 is Live!)

 

Have a children’s book in you? Ever read a kid’s book and thought, “I could do better than this!”? Then this episode is one you should listen to 3x! In this podcast, Laura interviews April Cox to reveal tips and advice for self-publishing a children’s book. Step by step children’s book creation!

Laura and April cover a range of topics, including the importance of having a clear concept, storyboard, and outline before starting to write, finding the right editor and illustrator, the benefits of joining a writing group, marketing strategies, and the role of graphic design and layout in producing a high-quality book.

Throughout the conversation, you will hear practical advice and personal anecdotes and experiences  in self-publishing to help with your goals of becoming a children’s book author.

A Few Children’s Book Creation Highlights: A Few Children’s Book Creation Highlights:

• April Cox was inspired to write her first children’s book when she had grandkids and spent time reading stories with them.
  • Soon, they made up stories of their own.
  • April’s passion for the project was driven by a desire to leave behind some values and virtues as a legacy for her future generations to read.
  • April’s first children’s book creation, written for kids 4-8, was about her little labradoodle puppy and his journey to self-confidence
• Fiction books can lead to serendipitous events or opportunities that can touch, inspire or make a difference in someone’s life (her book resonated with a mother whose son is autistic and has a hard time with fine motor skills!)
• Writing your children’s book is very doable, but make sure you are aware of what different ages of kids you are writing for
  • Laura wrote her first children’s book (called Duck Buddies) using a Google Sheet to keep track of the syllables on each line to ensure the rhyming was correct
  • Write using the tool that makes you the most comfortable
  • Aprile Cox created a self-publishing program that includes checklists, budget spreadsheets, and templates
  • Pen names can be useful for authors who write in multiple genres, to keep their names and audiences separate.
    • Using a pen name is a personal preference and some authors prefer to keep their personal information out of the public eye
    • Authors can promote their work on social media, but it can be tricky when trying to promote a pen name
• Editing a kid’s book is important to turn a good story into a great story, especially if it has rhyming
  • Bobby Hinman ([email protected]) is recommended as a great editor for children’s books who specializes in rhyming
• Illustrating a children’s book is a very important part of the creation process
  • Provide notes to the illustrator from the beginning to end of the book
  • Before selecting an illustrator, send sample requests to three different illustrators
  • Paying $50 for a full-color image is common
  • It’s important to assess the illustrator’s communication style and ability to take direction
  • Investing in quality illustrations for a 32-page children’s book can cost around $3,000, with $1,000 being the minimum for high-quality work
  • Make sure to have a clear agreement in place with any illustrator you hire to avoid future misunderstandings or issues.
  • There are resources available for authors to learn how to create illustrations themselves, but April recommends having a trusted coach or mentor provide honest feedback and help improve the quality of the work
  • A client of Laura’s wrote a chapter book with black and white illustrations for each chapter to keep the cost of children’s book creation low
• Marketing is an important piece of the children’s book creation puzzle
  • Getting the community involved in the illustration selection process can be a great marketing opportunity
  • Building an email list and social media following is important for children’s book authors (social media platforms can change their algorithms or even ban authors, whereas an email list is under their control)
  • Including a free bonus or read in exchange for an email address is a good way for authors to build their mailing list, which is their number one asset
  • Teachers guides, children’s activity books, and coloring and activity books are great bonus items that can entice readers to join an author’s mailing list
• Publishing your children’s book should start with Amazon
  • It is important to have the appropriate keywords and categories for your book on Amazon, including some less competitive categories to increase visibility
  • High-quality covers, book blurbs, and descriptions are important for selling books, regardless of how much money is spent on them.
• Paid ads can help getting more sales and audience members for your kids’ book
  • Amazon ads are preferred for most books, but there are some books that are better suited for Facebook or TikTok ads depending on the audience
  • It’s important to go where the audience is, for example, if a book is perfect for crochet lovers, ads on Pinterest would be better than Amazon ads.
  • There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for advertising, and it’s a matter of trial and error to see what works.
  • Amazon brand ads are really good and perform well.
  • Video ads perform well, but you need an advantage account or a vendor account to run them.
  • It’s important to monitor and dial in your ads each week, stop keywords that are spending money but not converting and foster ones that are working well.
  • Searching through Amazon search terms will help to learn what is working and what needs to expand.
  • It can take two to three months to dial in ads and get them clicking.
• Publishing on IngramSpark is recommended as a second step since Amazon ads can also drive sales for hardcover children’s books.

Want More?

Full shownotes for this episode and the video version of Laura and April's conversation about Children's Book Creation.

Writers, ghostwriters, and business owners alike can use Open AI (aka ChatGPT) to write a book, ebook, kids book, memoir, how-to book, lead magnet, and more! Although you still need to edit and tweak the content to fully fit your tone and brand, using AI tools can give you a huge head start to book writing.

For nonfiction books:

You can use Open AI's ChatGPT in just seconds to conduct detailed research, write out a book outline, and craft the first draft of your book.

For fiction books:

You can use Open AI's ChatGPT to ideate on characters, research information for your book's setting, write a story outline, and craft the first draft of your fiction book.

In this podcast episode, my biz bestie Melissa Tucker and I record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to write a book.

This is the third installment of a three-part writing series. Want more?

• Check out episode 220 for more on how to use ChatGPT to write blog posts • And see episode 221 for how to use ChatGPT to write social media posts

Can't wait to hear about the book you write with the power of AI tools!

Link Outs Mentioned:

- Open AI's ChatGPT

- Hemingway Editor

- Zapier

Guest Bio:

Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is aa full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do!

Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers.

Learn more at Blue Butterfly Digital and Business Women Group

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For full shownotes on Episode 222, visit CopyThatPops.com/222

Can we use ChatGPT to write social media posts in seconds? Yep, we sure can!

AI tools like ChatGPT are trending right now, so this is Part 2 of a series to help you use it as a writer or entrepreneur to create compelling written content that helps you make more money online.

Melissa Tucker and I sit down to record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to write great social media posts.

Using ChatGPT, we write social media posts for:

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram (with hashtags), scripts for TikTok videos, Pinterest, and more!

This is the second installment of a three-part series. Check out episode 220 for more on how to use ChatGPT to write blogs and episode 222 for how to use ChatGPT to write books!

Link Outs Mentioned:

• AI Content Detector
• Business Women Group
• Social media posts created by ChatGPT (and then cleaned up my Laura and Melissa) to promote the blog on Making Money Writing Online: Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Earnings (link coming soon)
• Canva (free and paid versions)
• ChatGPT
• Dall-E2 (AI tool to generate images)
• Gary Vee TikTok video about how to use LinkedIn 
• Gary Vee TikTok video showing that posting on LinkedIn can be amazing
• Gary Vee TikTok video about ChatGPT being banned from schools
• SEO Chrome = Keywords Everywhere (free version or extra tools for $10/year)
• SEO Youtube = Tube Buddy (as little as $4.80/month)

Co-Host Bio:

Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is a full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do!

Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers.

 

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To access full show notes, please click here (ChatGPT for writing social posts).

ChatGPT is all the rage these days -- but how do you use it and other AI tools as a writer or entrepreneur to create compelling written content that helps you make more money online?

This episode is all about how to use ChatGPT to write blogs that need just a bit of cleanup to be ready for sharing.

My biz bestie Melissa Tucker and I sit down to record our screens as we enter in prompts and show you exactly how to use ChatGPT step-by-step to map out and write blog posts.

This (#220) is the first installment of a three-part writing series. - Check out episode 221 for more on how to use Open AI's ChatGPT to write social media posts - And see episode 222 for how to use ChatGPT to write books

Link Outs Mentioned:

• AI Content Detector
• Business Women Group
• Blog post created by ChatGPT (and then cleaned up my Laura and Melissa): Making Money Writing Online: Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Earnings (link coming soon)
• Canva (free and paid versions)
• ChatGPT
• Hemingway Editor
• SEO Chrome = Keywords Everywhere (free version or extra tools for $10/year)
• SEO Youtube = Tube Buddy (as little as $4.80/month)

Guest Bio: 

Melissa Tucker is the CEO and Founder of Blue Butterfly Digital. She is a full-time Facebook ad, sales funnel, and chatbot strategist. She started her company so she could help business owners grow their businesses, while getting to do what she loves to do!

Today, she is helping businesses and entrepreneurs maximize their growth with the power of social media and online marketing. Her clientele is full of fun and exciting personalities, including wedding photographers, personal trainers, food bloggers, personal stylists, health coaches, business coaches, manufacturing companies, realtors, local businesses, and online marketing influencers.

Melissa's Links:

- Blue Butterfly Digital (website) - Business Women Group

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To access full show notes for Episode 220, please click here.

I have a confession to make.

Even though I love listening to audiobooks and I’ve been in the podcasting world since 2015, I’ve never actually created an audiobook for myself or for a client!

Did you know that: “In 2020, audiobook sales revenue in the United States reached 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, continuing the upward trend which began in 2018”? (according to Statista)

So, in today’s episode, I thought it would be fun to take you along for a new journey into the world of audiobook creation.

I have a client who has a series of 5 books for kids ages 8 to 12 and she just published them on Amazon as a Kindle boxset but wants to get the audiobook version up as well. I volunteered to jump in and help since I need to know the full process for myself too!

 

Here’s what we’ve done so far in the Audiobook making process:

STEP 1: 

We set up a free account at ACX.com  (Audiobook Creation Exchange)

STEP 2: 

On August 16, 2022, we uploaded a sample of the book and opened it up for voice actor auditions. 

STEP 3: 

As I prep for this podcast on September 1st, we have received a whooping 33 auditions! [Edit: now we have 37 as of Sept. 5, 2022]. Some are incredible. Others need to improve the sound quality around the set up they have. So, totally for free, we have received a range of what sounds like beginner voice actors to super professional.

As a side note, you may be wondering how the voice actors get paid.

You have two options:

1: You can pay upfront at a fixed price per finished audio hour (and no royalty sharing)

2: You can pay with a 50-50 royalty split on future sales (and no upfront cost for the work)

STEP 4: 

Review the auditions and pick someone to make an offer to. This is as far as we’ve gotten so far, and we need help choosing! We’ve starred 10 of our favorites, but that’s still too many to put forth when asking for feedback I think.

So, I’m narrowing them down to our top 5 and will play a short sample of each coming up next in this episode! 

It’d be so helpful if you’d share your favorite and feedback! Be a voice casting director with us!

You can send your votes and feedback by:

Emailing me [email protected] Pinging me on social media – I’m all over @ LaptopLaura

And if you want to grab a copy of the full 5-book set of Kid Star Squad, check it out at CopyThatPops.com/KidStarSquad which will take you to it on Amazon (it’s free with Kindle Unlimited, by the way).

 

The 6 Auditions

Okay, let’s take a listen to our top 6 auditions and then I’ll tell you what’s next on the list of to-do’s for audiobook creation.

Audition 1 and 2 will be reading Chapter 1. Audition 3 and 4 will be reading Chapter 2. Audition 5 and 6 will be reading Chapter 3.

Listen now to the 6 auditions above or go here for the audio file with only the auditions and the book sample to read along: CopyThatPops.com/auditions

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Great voice actors, right? It’s so hard to pick! Part of me wants Emma to pick a female voice, but some of those male voiceover artists were fire. What should we do? Help!

Email me [email protected] Ping me on social media – I’m all over @ LaptopLaura

And I’ll collect and tabulate the feedback to help advise Emma on the final choice.

Next up in the Audiobook process? After we pick our favorite voice actor, we’ll make an offer for payment – we are thinking about the upfront payment way. If he or she accepts, we have a deal and legally binding contract! Then, the voice actor, called “producer” in ACX will record and upload a 15-minute checkpoint of the audiobook for us to listen to, give feedback, and approve. Once that’s done, the productor will keep going and record the full project. We can ask for up to two rounds of corrections to the finished audiobook. Then, when we’re happy, we’ll approve it and pay the producer! From there, it’s time to make the book live to the world. ACX distributes it through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. 

More on these next steps in a future podcast episode. For now, we have to settle on a producer!

No matter who we choose or if you want to share your vote, I hope this episode was helpful in inspiring and/or motivating you to take action by bringing your books to life in audiobook form!

Talk to you next time. Keep finding ways to write copy that pops! :)

Laura