Being an author requires you to have hundreds of online accounts for different software and services. Websites such as Amazon, ConvertKit, Publisher Rocket, Patreon, K-lytics, Bookvault, AuthorMedia.social, AuthorsXP, BookBub, Kickstarter, Teachable, Bluehost, WordPress, Grammarly, and Plottr (to name a few) all require a username and password.
Some authors avoid using helpful tools simply because they don’t want to create and remember yet another username and password. It seems like too much hassle, and their writing and publishing efficiency and quality suffer as a result.
But what if there was a simple way to eliminate your password problems? There is!
In this week’s episode you’ll learn

• Four password mistakes to avoid
• Which tools provide password security
• My recommendation (which has changed in recent years)

If you’re ready to eliminate your password problems, listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to find password peace of mind.

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Can you make a living as an author without selling through Amazon? Many authors wonder.
Amazon is the sole revenue source for many indie authors, but Amazon’s algorithms can disable your KDP accounts and cut off your income without any human reviewing the action.
Authors find themselves pleading with a computer to reactivate their accounts while their livelihoods hang in the balance. While this scenario is rare, it does occur.
That’s why some authors connect with their readers without relying on Amazon. How do you do that, and what type of author can pull it off?
In this week’s episode, Connor Boyack shares his strategy for success and sustainability as a career author.
You’ll learn

• How to earn income from your books outside of Amazon’s ecosystem
• How to increase your profit margins without increasing costs
• How to attract and connect with the right kinds of readers

Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out how Connor’s reproducible strategy can also work for you.

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With the rise of AI authors, how do you prove you are a human author? Most authors prove their humanity with their names and photos. Your identity protects you from being called a bot writer.
But what if you use a pen name? Will AI bring the age of pen names to an end?
 While pen names are going out of style, there are some reasons you might still consider using one.
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn seven reasons authors use pen names and if those reasons still make sense in an era where your verifiable humanity has become a marketing asset.
You’ll learn

• When it makes sense to use a pen name
• Whether a pen name can protect your true identity
• What a pen name does to your metadata

There are several great reasons (and a few bad ones) to use an author pen name. If you’re still trying to decide what your author name should be, or if you’ve used a pen name for years, this episode will give you some direction, so listen in or check out the blog version today.

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I remember watching Steve Jobs's keynote presentation for the original iPhone. This magical new device, he said, would revolutionize our productivity.
And at first, it did.
But then, along came apps. Soon, user experiences were scientifically optimized to be as addictive as possible. An author's productive output is inversely correlated with time spent on the phone.
In this week's episode, we'll talk about how to spend less time on your phone and more time writing. You'll learn

• How to boss your phone instead of letting your phone boss you.
• A revolutionary setting change that may drastically reduce your desire to look at your phone
• How to use your phone to write more productively

Listen in or check out the blog post version of this episode to discover ten tips for leveraging your phone to increase your productivity and limiting its ability to keep you from writing your book.

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Authors around the world are trying to reduce their reliance on Amazon. However, most of us still use and like Amazon. In fact, many authors earn most of their money from Amazon. But any company with a 90% market share can't be fully trusted.
One way indie authors can reduce their reliance on Amazon is by selling directly from their own author websites. Selling directly provides protection from the changes at an international company. It allows you to retain more money, control, and flexibility over pricing, bundling, and so much more.
In this week's episode, you'll learn about a new service called Bookvault that can print your special edition hardback, help you sell directly to readers, and take care of order fulfillment.
You'll learn

• Which specialty features Bookvault offers that KDP and Ingram don't
• How to sell directly to your readers (and keep more profit!)
• How Bookvault can help with order fulfillment
• How you can get a free upload from Bookvault

Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out how you can print high-quality hardbacks, outsource fulfillment, and sell directly from your author website, all without using Amazon.

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One key to becoming a bestselling author is the selling. And one element of sales is the sales pitch. Some authors think pitches are only to be used for pitching agents at writers conferences, but you can actually use a sales pitch whenever you talk about your book.
Your sales pitch convinces readers to care about and read your book. The stronger your pitch, the better your sales.
I’ve talked a lot about pitching novels in the past, but in this week’s episode, we’ll discuss a powerful recipe for pitching nonfiction that works so well that it can even work for fiction.
You’ll learn

• What elements you’ll need to write a compelling pitch
• Four formulas for writing your pitch
• How the formulas are used for different books

In the blog post version of this episode, you can download the 8-page companion worksheet to help you discover which pitch formula works best for you and use it as a guide for writing a great sales pitch for your book.

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My first DOS computer had no mouse. Its screen had two colors: green and white. Today, computers have mice and complex graphics, and there is no need to be a computer programmer in order to use a computer.
Technology gets easier to use each year. Even though it's easier than it used to be, sometimes you still need help. Many authors find that the biggest obstacle keeping them from writing, publishing, or marketing is technology.
Authors lacking technical sophistication often get pulled into overpriced schemes like hybrid publishing and struggle to succeed.
So, how can you learn to learn technology?
In this week's episode, you will learn the keys to

• viewing technology as less scary and more fun
• conquering your fear of technology
• learning how to learn a new technology

If you're ready to have a little fun and fewer tech headaches, listen in or check out the blog version of this episode and learn how to master technology.

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A few months ago, we released an episode called The Starving Author: How to Market Books When You Have No Money.
After the episode aired, several authors asked me a similar question: “What do we do if we do have money to spend?” You see, not all authors are starving. Some writers have spent years saving money, and they want to know how to get the best return on that money when they invest it in book marketing.
So, how do you supercharge book sales if you have money to spend?
In this week's episode, we’ll discuss marketing opportunities available to authors with a sizable marketing budget. You’ll learn

• Where to spend your marketing money before you publish
• Which marketing opportunities are more available to authors with money to spend
• How a publishing team can help you

 If you have a bigger budget for book marketing, opportunities abound. Listen in or check out the blog post version to find out which marketing expenses will yield the best return on your investment.

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Author Media has a list of over 10,000 subscribers, and around half of them open our emails, which means our open rates hover around 50%. That’s a high open rate!
It’s partly because new subscribers join our email list through webinars I present for writers and authors. By the end of each webinar, attendees know enough to want to open emails from Author Media and me. Plus, the comments, questions, and polls associated with the webinar allow me to get to know my audience better.
If you want to get to know your “Timothy” and grow your email list by adding subscribers who want to open your emails, it might be time for you to host a webinar.
But how do you deliver webinars readers want to attend?
In this week’s episode, you’ll learn 12 tips for hosting educational and entertaining webinars people want to attend.
You’ll learn

• How to capture and retain your attendees’ attention
• How much time to spend on your presentation or Q&A
• What to do after the webinar to continue to the attendees

Listen in or check out the blog version to find out how you can build an email list full of your “Timothys” and grow an engaged tribe through hosting an author webinar.

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An Uber driver's most valuable asset is his car. A photographer's camera is critical. An Uber driver with a broken car can't make money, and a photographer with a cheap camera will slowly starve.
What is the critical tool for an author? What tool will help you earn money and keep you from starving?
Your laptop!
You write, edit, and promote your book on your laptop. A reliable, compatible computer is key to your success. Put another way, an old, unreliable computer is a terrible liability.
Investing in a good laptop is not just a smart move, it's a potential tax-deductible business expense for professional authors.
But how do you know what kind of laptop is best for you?
In this week's episode, you'll find out:

• What kind of speed and storage an author's laptop needs
• What to avoid when buying a laptop
• What you don't need in a laptop

Listen in or check out the blog version of this episode to find out what kind of computer will best help you in your writing career.

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