Every author needs editorial feedback. But not all feedback is good.

If you accept every edit, you risk losing your voice and writing something bland. If you ignore all edits, you risk writing something sloppy that readers won’t buy. So how do you know which edits to take and which to toss?

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:

• 7 “Bewares” to help you sort out good and bad editorial suggestions
• Whether AI or human editors are helpful or hurtful
• How to develop good tastes that guide your writing voice
  
  
  

Editing is supposed to sharpen your writing, not smother your voice. Listen in or read the blog version to find out when you should (and shouldn’t) ignore feedback.

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Most writing conferences teach you how to write a better book or how to pursue a literary agent. But what if you have already written a great book and you need help selling it? Is there a conference for you?

Yes! Announcing the 2026 Novel Marketing Conference, a live, in-person event focused on helping you market and sell more books.

The 2026 conference is packed with innovations you won’t find anywhere else:

• 100% live, interactive sessions
• A small group of writers who write in your genre
• Guidance on creating a customized plan for your upcoming year
• Excellent teaching by experts

You’ll leave the conference with a 100-page workbook full of actionable steps to grow your author platform, increase book sales, and start the year with a clear plan.

🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale now through September 30, 2025. Prices start at just $299, and our limited number of Super Tickets are going fast, so reserve your spot today at ​NovelMarketingConference.com​.

​Listen in​ to hear more details or ​read the blog version​ to see the tentative schedule as well as photos from past conferences. 

https://novelmarketingconference.com/

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If you write picture books, chapter books, or middle-grade fiction, you know the challenge: kids read your books, but adults buy them.

So how can you let young readers know about your books? Where can you connect with your readers? By meeting them in person in school classrooms!

In this week's episode, award-winning author Becca Wierwille shares how school visits became her best book marketing strategy and how you can start doing them too.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to get your first (and second!) school visit
• What to include in your presentation to keep students engaged and coming back for more
• How to make it easy for school administrators to say "Yes!" to your visit

School visits are fun! Listen in or read the blog version to discover how you can connect with young readers, positively impact schools, and sell more books.

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What’s up with ruthless heroes and romantasy?

And what if the real reason your book isn’t selling has nothing to do with your writing and everything to do with the zeitgeist?

In this week’s Novel Marketing episode, we’re ​featuring an episode of Author Update​. We unpack the massive cultural shift that's changing what readers crave. From romantasy's domination to the hunger for noble dark heroes, we explore what sells and why in the new "spirit of the age."

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The future of books with morally gray, sword-wielding protagonists
• How Gen Z’s love for brutal heroes reveals a deeper desire
• What the shift from grimdark to noble bright means for your next story

​Listen in​ or read the ​blog version​ to dive into the vibes shaping the future of fiction.

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Ever wonder how some authors consistently sell a thousand books a month?

What marketing tactics are they using? How can I get those results too?

In the latest episode of the Novel Marketing Podcast, I talk with Susan Neal, author of nine books and CEO of the Christian Indie Publishing Association. Susan shares how she layers her marketing efforts—from podcast interviews to press releases—to drive book sales month after month.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll learn:

• Which tactics helped her sell 7,000 books in 8 months
• How to successfully pitch podcasts, blogs, and media outlets
• How to avoid common author mistakes that hinder sales

Whether you’re launching your first book or looking to grow sales of your back list, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be inspired by Susan’s method and eager to try her tactics.

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Publicity has always been important for authors. Mark Twain promoted his books by writing letters to the paper, and even Agatha Christie, who was known for being very private, still did interviews with prominent newspapers.

Yet some authors think this kind of publicity is old-fashioned. In a world dominated by social media, do we even need traditional PR anymore?

If you've ever wondered how to get your book featured in the media—or whether it's even worth trying—you won’t want to miss this episode of Novel Marketing.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from veteran publicist Marika Flatt from PR by the Book to talk about:

• Whether or not traditional media still matters
• The difference between earned media, paid media, and everything in between
• What mistakes to avoid when giving interviews
• The surprising way Good Morning America and Joe Rogan differ when it comes to book sales

Whether you’re ready to hire a PR firm or just want to understand how media can help spread the word about your book, listen in or read the blog version of this episode.

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You’ve optimized your book for AI, updated your website, polished your metadata, maybe even watched our AI Optimization for Authors episode.

But how do you know if any of it is working?

In this week’s episode, you’ll discover how to measure your AI optimization success. Because the hard truth is that if ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini doesn’t know your book exists, it won’t recommend it to readers.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

    How to find out if AI has read your book
    Which LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok know about your book
    A new tool that shows how visible your book is to AI

If you’re a Novel Marketing patron, you already have access to exclusive tools that test the “big six” AIs and help you pinpoint what to improve.

For your book to rise, AI must recognize it.

Listen or read about how these tools work, and then unlock the tools at www.PatronToolbox.com

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Well, this is embarrassing.

After 12 years of teaching authors how to build better websites, I realized I’ve never covered the most important page on your site: your book page.

Your book’s webpage isn’t just for selling your book anymore. It’s now key to showing up in Google search results and getting recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT.

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:

• The biggest mistake authors make when creating book pages (and the easy fix!)
• The elements your book page must have to help AI and human searchers
• What your book page needs to outrank Amazon and Barnes & Noble
• The critical section most authors skip

Your book deserves a better web presence, and your readers deserve an easy way to find it. Listen in or read the blog version to learn how to design an effective page that helps readers discover you and your books.

https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-create-sales-optimized-book-pages-for-your-author-website/

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The publishing industry is facing significant challenges. We just went through a major zeitgeist shift, and reader preferences radically changed. AI also showed up in a big way, so it should be no surprise that several traditional publishers are struggling to adapt.

What happens to you and your book if your publisher goes bankrupt? How will you know if your publisher is headed that way?

In ​this week’s episode​, we uncover eight warning signs your publisher might be on the brink and what you can do now to protect your rights, royalties, and your book’s future.

Tune in to learn:

• The #1 red flag that predicts publisher collapse
• What you can do to ensure your book doesn’t end up in publishing purgatory
• How you can sustain your readership and career through a publisher bankruptcy

Whether you’re with a small press or a major house, ​listen in​ or ​read the blog version​ to learn the signs of publisher bankruptcy. If you’re on alert, you can avoid some major hindrances to your career.

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You work hard to create content for your audience. But how do you get more mileage and reach out of each piece you create?

One way is to adapt your content for another platform. I recently started adapting my podcast into a YouTube channel.

But how do you do that?

I learned the hard way how not to do it.

To gain traction on YouTube, you have to respect YouTube as a platform. You can't just shovel your podcast audio onto it and expect good results.

I had an interesting conversation about this on the School of Podcasting hosted by Dave Jackson. Dave has been podcasting for 25 years, and we discussed the differences between YouTube and podcasting and how to successfully adapt a podcast to YouTube.

If you've ever wanted to get more mileage out of your content, this week's episode is for you.

You'll learn:

• How YouTube viewers behave differently from podcast listeners, and what that means for your content
• When is a good time to launch your YouTube channel
• The secret ingredients that make titles and thumbnails perform well

Whether you're launching a new YouTube channel or trying to grow an existing one, listen in or read the blog post to discover how to avoid common pitfalls and grow your audience with confidence.

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