Publish & Prosper

In this episode, Lauren & Matt share their insights from attending dozens of author events to set you up for success. Hear tips for preparing sales strategies and inventory, promoting the event to your fans, and maximizing your presence at the event. 

Dive Deeper

💡 Learn More About These Events

• CEX
• Author Nation
• NINC

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• How to Pitch Your Book for Earned Promotion
• What is an Author Brand and Why Does It Matter? 
• How to Grow Your Author Network

💡 Watch These Videos

• Webinar | Speaking to Sell Books: ​​​​​​​Break into Professional Speaking to Reach More Readers
• Playlist | How to Find and Grow Your Target Audience 

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [7:29] “Anytime you can get in front of people and speak, regardless of the topic, that is some of the best publicity and advertising you could get for yourself.”

🎙️ [15:25] “Underestimating your audience is the worst thing you could do. And underestimating what they'll purchase or where they'll go to see you, or even how much they like you, you're only going to hurt yourself.”

🎙️ [34:30] “This is your opportunity to make a really good in person impression on fans, followers, readers and potential new readers. Let's not just show up, throw a few books on the table and sit down and wait for them all to come because it's not going to happen.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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In this episode, Lauren is joined by Joe Solari, Managing Director of Author Nation, for our first-ever Publish & Prosper interview!

Get excited for the Author Nation event coming to Las Vegas this November, take an inside look at CEX 2024, and hear Joe’s thoughts on the future of indie publishing. 


Dive Deeper

💡 Learn more about Author Nation

💡 Listen to Author Nation’s State of the Nation podcast

💡 Catch what you missed at CEX 2024 with our Digital Pass


Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [10:29] “That's part of the journey is doing all that to have that ownership and to know that while it might not be a fast path, everything there is yours.”

🎙️ [15:07] “This whole thing about going direct and doing things that this way isn't about what I think people think it's about. I think it's a bigger… a bigger, more strategic plan to make sure your business is hardened against what might be a really logical decision for Amazon and its shareholders.”

🎙️ [27:41] “So as a person that creates content, it's not just about what you can do today. It's about what we're going to be able to do in the future.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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There’s a fine line to balance when you’re setting the retail price for your book! Too high, and you might discourage potential new readers. Too low, and readers might question the value of your content - or worse, you wind up losing money on every sale. 

In this episode Matt & Lauren discuss how to determine the optimal list price for your book and what factors to consider.

Dive Deeper

💡 Lulu’s Pricing Calculator

💡 How Do I Set the Retail Price for My Print Book? from the Lulu Knowledge Base

💡 Breaking Down Print Costs for Authors from the Lulu Blog

💡 School Library Journal’s 2023 Average Book Prices Chart

💡 Self-Publishing School on How to Price Your Book: Balancing Sales and Profit


Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [18:32] “If you don't care about the why and you don't care about all the mechanics behind everything and you just want the quick TL;DR answer to how do I figure out how to price my book correctly? The answer is do your market research.”

🎙️ [24:20] “And that's kind of the point of this episode too, is to help people better understand the economics of books so that they're not out there pricing things based on just seeing something on Amazon and going well, I have to do it this way. Like, I have to try and compete with that price. You may not be able to.”

🎙️ [32:12] “There's definitely some psychology behind that, some consumer and behavioral psychology around how you price things. It's not a bad idea to pick up a book or two about this and learn more about it.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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As authors, writers, and creative types, it’s easy to get caught up in the perceived importance of customer reviews. But do those reviews actually help you sell more books? In this episode, Lauren & Matt debate the value of book reviews for increasing your sales, boosting your book’s discoverability, and providing social proof for new readers. 


Dive Deeper

💡 Barnes & Noble Press Blog on The Power and Importance of Book Reviews 

💡 HubSpot on The Psychology of Social Proof

💡 Trustpilot on Social Proof: What is it, and why is it important for eCommerce?

💡 Jane Friedman on Are Paid Book Reviews Worth It?

💡 Statista data on Online Fake Reviews Removed in 2021 

💡 Customer Review Plugins Loox, TrustReviews, and Trustify


Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [17:22] “You as a writer or a creator or anybody else for that matter, who's trying to placate or play up to the algorithms, it's a lost cause right now. The best thing you can do is just forget about that. Keep trying to create good, valuable content.”

🎙️ [22:36] “I don't know about you, but I don't think one single review has ever been the thing that made me decide to buy a product. But I can tell you for sure that one single review has been enough to make me not buy something.”

🎙️ [35:55] “And then the credibility and trust thing, again. Underneath it all, that's what a review is for… It's the whole reason why some people even publish a book, is to get some credibility and authority and trust. And so the reviews can help to further solidify what that book was even created for in the first place.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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In this episode, Matt & Lauren explore author brands. Listen now to discover the power of your author identity, why it is so important, and how to create and maintain a brand for your long-term marketing and sales success.


Dive Deeper

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• What Is an Author Brand and Why Does It Matter?
• Complete Book Marketing Plan for Creators and Authors

💡 Watch Lulu University’s Author Branding Playlist

💡 Learn more about Why Authors Shouldn’t be Hiding Behind Their Books: What it Means to Build an Author Brand from Written Word Media

💡 Check out Armen Adamjan and Creative Explained

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [2:46] “I think a lot of the time a lot of the issues that authors run up against when it comes to long-term marketing can be boiled down to they haven't done the groundwork with their author branding and developing their brand.”

🎙️ [16:19] “What you really need to remember is that whatever you do, whatever branding you apply, whatever name you choose, you need to be consistent across all channels, including when we talk about things like pay and organic search and stuff like that, so that you continue to build brand recognition, which is what fuels the machine for you to sustain that business long-term, regardless of what that business might be.”

🎙️ [36:05] “I think the key is to just - you have to recognize that and you have to understand that if, if this is something you want to do long-term as a career, whether you've already started down that path or not, you have to have this component. You have to have some branding in order to sustain a long-term trajectory.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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Super fans! We know them, we love them, we want them for our own. But how do you turn your casual fans into loyal, dedicated super fans? In this episode, Lauren & Matt discuss strategies like diversifying your products, demonstrating the value of your content, and creating a community for your fans.

Dive Deeper

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• 5 Ways You Can Sell Your Book To Find Readers and Fans
• The 1,000 True Fan Theory: Sustainable Income for Creators

💡 Watch These Videos

• How to Build a Community of True Fans
• Webinar | How to Create a Multi-Million-Dollar Business ​​​​​​​From Your Business Book with Joe Pulizzi
• Webinar | Building Your Audience: How To Turn Followers Into Fans

💡 Read These Articles

• AgoraPulse on Pat Flynn and How to Turn Customers Into Superfans (and Why You Need to)
• Social Media Examiner on How to Turn Fans Into Engaged Superfans using a Brand Engagement Funnel

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [7:38] “I think that in talking about how you might want to go about turning fans and followers into super fans, you do need to look at and think about things like an expanded product portfolio… to create a super fan, you're going to need more than one thing.”

🎙️ [19:47] “Having that opportunity to connect with your fans is one of the ways that you're going to be able to take casual one-time purchasers that came to your website, bought your book, and then left, turn them into loyal, true super fans of yours.”

🎙️ [31:24] “The best marketing values human impressions over digital impressions. We talk about this all the time. And so while the digital stuff can help and these tools can help by automating certain things, nothing will ever garner as much results and success as taking a more human approach to the way that you market and interact with your fan base.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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In this episode, Matt & Lauren share their favorite survival tips for attending author and creator conferences! From packing essential supplies to putting your health first, hear our team’s must-haves and must-dos for anyone trying to maximize their time at a conference. 

Dive Deeper

💡 Read more about Why Creator Events Are a Must for Creators & Entrepreneurs

💡 Watch Sessions from CEX 2023

💡 Learn More About Some Events We’ll Be Attending in 2024

• Content Entrepreneur Expo
• Craft + Commerce
• Author Nation

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [8:23] “You should always go as yourself and be comfortable. But again, if yourself is a blazer, a t-shirt, jeans, and some tennis shoes, then you should take a hard look in the mirror.”

🎙️ [26:22] “We've talked about one of the benefits of attending events is networking and having those networking and connecting opportunities. And if that's something that, like me, you dread the idea of doing that, having the chance to schedule networking opportunities ahead of time kind of takes some of that pressure off of just approaching strangers.”

🎙️ [38:38] “What are your goals for attending this event? Don't lose sight of that. It's easy to get to an event, especially if you've never been to it before, and it turns out to be a really cool one. You kind of lose sight of why you're there and you get sidetracked with a lot of things and just try to remember why you're there, what you're hoping to get out of it.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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In this episode, Matt & Lauren discuss the most valuable tool in any creator’s arsenal: customer data. Whether you’re tracking book sales and behavioral data, collecting customer information through direct sales, or reviewing your key social media and email marketing metrics, understanding your customer data is essential for long-term brand success. 


Dive Deeper

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• Unlock Your Content Business Potential With User Data
• Tracking Your Marketing Efforts With UTM Tags 
• Social Media 101 For Authors
• Mastering Email Marketing for Authors: A Comprehensive Guide

💡 Watch This Video on Leveraging Customer Data For Your Ecommerce Business


Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [10:31] “Gathering customer data and using the customer data that you have access to regardless of whether you're selling direct, selling third party or whatever, however you're gathering this customer data, whatever you have available to you, it is unilaterally useful for any type of author or content creator.”

🎙️ [20:34] “Having your own data to compare against what is being put out there in the world about your industry or your genre is extremely helpful because without it, you're just gonna take some of those people at their word. You're just gonna look at their data, which represents maybe a large group as a whole, but doesn't represent you as an individual creator or author. And you may just take that as gospel because you don't have your own data to compare it to.”

🎙️ [41:43] “Never bring an opinion to a data fight.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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In this episode, Lauren & Matt take a look at best practices for book design. We’ll review key design elements that often get overlooked on book covers, what to include inside your book, and whether or not we think it’s worth the cost to pay for book cover and interior design. 


Dive Deeper

💡 Download Lulu’s Free Guides & Templates

💡 Check Out the Professional Designers on Our Hire A Pro Page

💡 Read These Blog Posts

• 5 Visual Indicators Your Book is Self-Published
• Atticus Review
• Vellum Review
• Affinity Publisher Review

💡 Watch This Book Formatting Playlist on YouTube

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [10:15] “I do think that if you're a very creative individual and you're using a tool that doesn't have a steep learning curve, you could probably create a cover that's good enough. But again, if this is something that you've put a lot of time and effort into chances are you don't want something that's just good enough.”

🎙️ [26:09] "Something to keep in mind as you're figuring out your cover design and figuring out what you want to do with that, consider how it's going to look with the rest of your books and consider how it's going to look with your own professional branding." 

🎙️ [35:27] “I think one of the most important things you can include, especially for those of you who have not been listening to us, or everybody else out there right now, about trying to sell direct. Back matter is the perfect place to try and drive people to your author platform, to sign up for your email newsletters or whatever that might be.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
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💀 Email us at [email protected]
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In this episode Matt & Lauren take a look at the different types of editing your manuscript might need, debate which ones they think are most valuable, and share a few of their tips for making sure your book editing is done right. 

Dive Deeper

💡 Find Freelance Editors and Hybrid Publishers on Lulu’s Hire A Pro Page
💡 Browse Fiverr for Freelance Editors
💡 Check out the Editorial Freelancers Association and their 2024 Editorial Rates Chart

💡 Read These Blog Posts 

• Don’t Sweat It, Edit!
• 7 Things to Do Before You Hire an Editor
• How to Edit Your Book Online With Track Changes

💡 Read These Editorial Software Reviews

• Hemingway Editor
• AutoCrit
• ProWritingAid

💡 Watch These Videos

• Webinar | Editing at Every Level
• Playlist | Book Editing

Sound Bites From This Episode

🎙️ [10:14] “I think a hybrid publishing company kind of gives you the best of both worlds between full on self publishing and then, you know, a bit of traditional publishing to a degree. Because for a lot of people these days, you often have more money than time or ability.”

🎙️ [30:42] “Which is another great argument in favor of doing some self-editing before you contract out… If you want to try to keep those costs down as much as possible, the more editing that you do on your own ahead of time, the less professional editing the less professional editing - in theory, hopefully - the less professional editing you'll need to pay for.”

🎙️ [35:34] “A good cover is what's going to sell your book. A good story, a well-written book is what's going to bring them back to buy more from you.”

💀 Can’t wait for our next episode? Check out our Resources page for links to our blog, our YouTube channel, and more.
💀 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at luludotcom!
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