Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast

Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast episodes:

• 03.13.2019

  SFFMP 223: Marketing Audiobooks, Pen Names, Differences in Distributors, and What to Do When You Just Have One Book

  The guys are taking a break from the podcast (if you have comments or suggestions for what you’d like to see if we bring it back in a couple of months, please leave them!), but we answered another pile of...

  
• 03.06.2019

  SFFMP 222: Do Pre-Orders Work, What Happens Between Rapid Releases, and Finding a Good Editor

  On today’s show, the guys answered listener questions about pre-orders, rapid releases, how they found their editors, whether it make sense to keep series in Kindle Unlimited while publishing stand-alone novels wide, and lots of other stuff. Here’s a list...

  
• 02.20.2019

  SFFMP 221: Whether Awards Are Worth Trying for, Marketing Fantasy Romance, and Being Active in SFWA and RWA

  This week, we chatted with RITA award-winning fantasy romance author Jeffe Kennedy. She started her career writing non-fiction, shifted to romance and fantasy romance with traditional publishing, and now does some self-publishing as well. We asked her about whether awards...

  
• 02.13.2019

  SFFMP 220: Succeeding at Traditional Publishing as Well as Self-Publishing and When It’s Worth it to Travel for Conventions

  This week, traditionally and self-published fantasy author Gail Carriger joined us for the second time. She first visited two years ago to chat about all the marketing she does and also about how she was transitioning from traditional publishing to a...

  
• 02.06.2019

  SFFMP 219: Launching a New Pen Name and Getting an Audiobook Deal with Audible

  For this week’s show, sci-fi/fantasy/horror author Chris Philbrook joined us to talk about the success he’s had with ebooks and audiobooks (he’s had several deals with Audible for production), as well as a new YA-writing pen name that he’s starting...

  
• 01.30.2019

  SFFMP 218: Taking Advantage of an Underserved Niche, from Blue Collar to No Collar, and Is NINC Right for You?

  This week, we chatted with sea-adventure author and current president of Novelists, Inc. (NINC), Wayne Stinnett. He’s been a full-time independent author for years, has written a non-fiction title (From Blue Collar to No Collar), and has been a frequent...

  
• 01.23.2019

  SFFMP 217: Tools and Software for Authors + Getting More Fan Engagement on Twitter and Facebook

  This week, the guys talked about the various tools and services they use as professional authors. Everything is listed below with links to the sites. The guys also gave some tips for increasing engagement on Facebook and Twitter and really using...

  
• 01.16.2019

  SFFMP 216: Reaching $100K+ in Income from Writing Science Fiction with Gerald M. Kilby

  This week, we chatted writing, publishing, and marketing hard science fiction with Gerald M. Kilby. He’s not the fastest writer, putting out around two novels a year these days, but he manages to keep his books selling well between releases,...

  
• 01.09.2019

  SFFMP 215: Working Hard, Ignoring Naysayers, and Becoming a Full-Time Author

  For this week’s show, we talked to return guest Jeffery H. Haskell, who first joined us in December of 2017 for the show “Successfully Launching as a New Author and Is Kindle Worlds Worth It?” (Yes, Kindle Worlds was still...

  
• 01.07.2019

  SFFMP 214: 2019 Marketing and Publishing Predictions

  In this short episode, Jo and Lindsay jump on the bandwagon and share some of their marketing and publishing (but mostly marketing!) predictions for 2019. Will Amazon ads expand and offer more opportunities? Or will authors get fed up with...

  
• 12.24.2018

  SFFMP 213: Marketing Plans for 2019, Meta Data and SEO Explained, and Which Advertising Platforms are Best for Authors?

  We recorded early this week, since Christmas is on a Tuesday, so we hope you enjoy the show while you’re traveling or after you’ve had fun with the holidays. The three of us answered listener questions that covered the range...

  
• 12.19.2018

  SFFMP 212: How to Find Success in Urban Fantasy with Ramy Vance

  Lindsay got to meet lots of cool authors at the 20Books conference in Las Vegas this fall, and today’s guest was one of those people. Urban fantasy author Ramy Vance was involved in the traditional publishing world for years, but...

  
• 12.12.2018

  SFFMP 211: How to Use Your Newsletter to Build Engagement and Fan Loyalty

  Not only was this week’s episode jam-packed with newsletter tips for authors but it turned out to be our longest show ever! You may want to turn it into a two-parter or at least get a beverage so you stay...

  
• 12.05.2018

  SFFMP 210: Selling More at Kobo, Relying Less on Amazon, and What’s Coming for Authors in 2019

  We talked to return guest Mark Leslie Lefebvre this week. You may remember him as the director of author relations at Kobo, but he’s moved over to the distributor Draft2Digital. We talked about some of the new features coming online...

  
• 11.28.2018

  SFFMP 209: Beyond the Basics with Facebooks Ads, Pinterest Ads, and Amazon Ads with Michael Cooper

  On this week’s show, return guest Michael Cooper (author of HELP! My Facebook Ads Suck under his name and more than fifty novels in his science-fiction Aeon 14 universe as MD Cooper) gave us a lot of great information on what’s...

  
• 11.21.2018

  SFFMP 208: Improving Visibility, Launching New Pen Names, and the “Trifecta of Indie Success”

  This week, we’re joined by fantasy and science fiction author Nicholas Erik, who also writes and experiments under the pen name D.N. Erikson. He’s an analytical guy who’s always observing what’s working and what’s not, both for his own work...

  
• 11.16.2018

  SFFMP 207: Podcasting Fiction to Gain an Audience for Your Books

  This week, humorous science fiction author James R. Tramontana joined the guys on the show. He’s podcasting his Ace Tucker Space Trucker novels, and we asked him all about how he’s gaining fans that way, people who go on to...

  
• 11.05.2018

  SFFMP 206: How to Rock it in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited

  Jo and Lindsay recorded early this week, since Lindsay is off to the 20Booksto50K conference (inspired by Michael Anderle, as Lindsay said in the show, but put together by Craig Martelle, which Lindsay should have said!). While Jeff was busy...

  
• 10.31.2018

  SFFMP 205: Writing for Star Wars, Podcasting, Patreon, and if Awards Help with Marketing

  Our guest for this week’s show is long-time podcaster and slightly less long-time science fiction and fantasy author Mur Lafferty. She is the author of the Nebula and Hugo-nominated Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides, and I Should Be Writing: A...

  
• 10.24.2018

  SFFMP 204: Selling 10,000 Copies of Your First Novel with Joseph Malik

  Today, we were joined by fantasy author, Joseph Malik, who published his first novel, Dragon’s Trail, in 2016 and has managed to sell 10,000 copies over the last two years, despite being a new author and new to marketing. We...

  
• 10.17.2018

  SFFMP 203: Staying Motivated, Advertising, and How to Market a Stand-Alone Novel

  This week, the guys answered a couple of questions about staying motivated and finishing projects, even when your oh-so-appealing sink full of dishes is distracting you. They talked a bit about their adventures with Amazon advertising and what’s actually working...

  
• 10.10.2018

  SFFMP 202: Lessons Learned from Putting Together Anthologies and Donating to Charity

  This week’s show should be of interest to those authors who have considered putting aside the author hat temporarily to don the publisher/editor hat for a project or two. Our guests were science fiction romance authors Veronica Scott and Pauline...

  
• 10.03.2018

  SFFMP 201: Bookbub Ads Update and Cultivating a Successful Author Mindset

  This week, we had return guest, crime-fiction author Adam Croft, on the show. We asked him about changes to Bookbub ads that have come about in the last year (he joined us in 2017 for Episode 151 All About Bookbub...

  
• 09.26.2018

  SFFMP 200: Marketing and Selling Audiobooks, Plus Producing and Distributing them through Findaway Voices

  This week, Will Dages from Findaway Voices joined us to talk about producing, marketing, and selling audiobooks and some of the new options out there for indie authors. Findaway handles both production of audiobooks (by connecting you with narrators and...

  
• 09.19.2018

  SFFMP 199: Rapid Release, Marketing Serials, and Going Non-Exclusive with Audiobooks

  Today, the guys took on a batch of listener questions that ran the gamut from what’s the best schedule for a rapid release of a trilogy to what kind of markets we’ve targeted with Facebook advertising to what to do...

  
• 09.12.2018

  SFFMP 198: Mastering Amazon Ads with Brian Meeks

  Jo and Lindsay talked with the famous (not infamous!) Brian Meeks today, author of Mastering Amazon Ads, as well as thrillers, satire, and science fiction (under a pen name). He started tinkering with Amazon ads a couple of years ago...

  
• 09.05.2018

  SFFMP 197: From Cosplayer to Full-time Fantasy Author with NM Howell

  This week, fantasy author NM Howell (AKA Nikko) joined the guys to talk about her journey from semi-pro cosplayer (yes, that’s a thing!) and magazine creator to full-time fantasy author. Here are some of the details that we covered: Cosplaying and...

  
• 08.29.2018

  SFFMP 196: Writing Tips, Selling Short Fiction, and What SFWA Can Do for You with Cat Rambo

  This week, fantasy author and SFWA president Cat Rambo joined us on the show, and we grilled her about writing and selling short fiction, her experience at the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop, what SFWA is doing for authors these days,...

  
• 08.22.2018

  SFFMP 195: Kindle Unlimited, All-star Bonuses, YA Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Fantasy

  Fantasy author Alex Lidell joined us on the show this week. She started her publishing journey with YA fantasy when her first novel, The Cadet of Tildor, was picked up by Penguin after being a finalist in Amazon’s Breakout Novel...

  
• 08.15.2018

  SFFMP 194: Selling Books and Networking at Conventions and Finding the Balance Between Writing and Marketing with Kevin J. Anderson

  This week, Kevin J. Anderson joined us from a remote cabin in Colorado where he’s sequestered to do some work (and talk to us, naturally). The internet connection wasn’t the best for the first few minutes, and we had some...

  
• 08.08.2018

  SFFMP 193: Marketing and Publishing Advice for Newer Authors

  This week, Lindsay, Jo, and Jeff geared the show toward newer authors getting ready to publish their first books or with a few titles out. They answered some questions and tried to offer advice based on what’s working for folks...

  
• 08.01.2018

  SFFMP 192: Instagram, Swag, Book Boxes, and Launching Your First Book Without Spending any Money

  This week, we chatted with YA science fiction author Jessica Pierce who launched her first book, Atlas Fallen, in April of this year. She didn’t spend a lot of money on her launch, relying instead on the fan base and...

  
• 07.25.2018

  SFFMP 191: Most Popular Science Fiction and Fantasy Sub-Genres and Analyzing Data Guy’s SWFA Slides

  On this week’s show, Jeff, Jo, and Lindsay discussed the information on Data Guy’s slides from his 2018 SFWA presentation in May. The slides are up here if you want to take a look. They also discussed some of the...

  
• 07.18.2018

  SFFMP 190: Analyzing the Amazon Store to Help Your Books Perform Better with Alex from K-Lytics

  This week, we were joined by data cruncher Alex Newton who runs the K-Lytics (i.e. Kindle Analytics) service for authors and publishers. He’s been taking a look at trends in Science Fiction and Fantasy this summer, so we invited him...

  
• 07.11.2018

  SFFMP 189: Succeeding in Niches and Writing and Marketing Time Travel Fiction

  For this week’s show, time travel and steampunk author Nathan Van Coops joined us to talk about his two series and what he’s doing to keep them selling. He’s a busy guy, releasing one novel a year, but still manages...

  
• 07.04.2018

  SFFMP 188: A Successful Fantasy Series Relaunch

  On this week’s show, we chat with dark/epic fantasy author and podcaster Andy Peloquin. Andy got the rights back to his first series and did a big and very successful relaunch, revamping it to appeal to assassin-loving epic fantasy fans instead...

  
• 06.27.2018

  SFFMP 187: YouTube for Authors, Pricing High, and Running a Successful Patreon Campaign

  This week, we chatted with fantasy author Jenna Moreci who was able to quit her day job after she published her first book in 2015. But that’s not all she did. A year earlier, she started a YouTube Channel for...

  
• 06.20.2018

  SFFMP 186: Using a Multi-Author Boxed Set to Launch a New Series + Challenges of Historical Fantasy

  This week, one of our first guests ever on the show rejoined us after more than three years to talk about switching from contemporary fantasy to historical fantasy/steampunk. Becca Andre, author of the Final Formula series and her new Iron...

  
• 06.13.2018

  SFFMP 185: Book Marketing Tips and Starting an eBook Sponsorship Site

  We’re usually joined by successful authors on the show, but today we invited on Jeffrey Bruner from the (successful) sponsorship site, The Fussy Librarian. He sees a lot of books in a lot of genres come through his gates, so...

  
• 06.06.2018

  SFFMP 184: Marketing Wastes of Time, Covers for Newsletter Magnets, and Selling Quirky Stories

  This week, Jo, Jeff, and Lindsay answered listener questions–a lot of them! We went for an hour and a half so brace yourselves! Here’s the list of questions we addressed: Benjamin: I’d love to hear opinions on where the stuffing...

  
• 05.30.2018

  SFFMP 183: Succeeding on a Book a Year with CW Lamb

  This week, scifi and fantasy author CW Lamb joined us to talk about how he got his start in 2014, how KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited helped him launch his first book to great success, and why he’s sought out...

  
• 05.23.2018

  SFFMP 182: Selling Direct from Your Site and Cultivating a Rabid Fan Base with Bookfunnel’s Damon Courtney

  If you’ve been wanting to sell direct from your site, figure out how to turn your current readers into rabid fans, and learn about this new GDPR thing everyone is talking about in regard to mailing lists, you’ll want to...

  
• 05.16.2018

  SFFMP 181: Spreading out Your Advertising Dollars for Effectiveness and Launching Well as a New Author

  This week, epic fantasy/fantasy romance author Miranda Honfleur joined us on the show. She launched her first series last November and has kept book 1 selling well and sticking in the Amazon fantasy charts while releasing more books in the...

  
• 05.09.2018

  SFFMP 180: Discoverability, Flagship Series, Product Funnels, and Newsletter Concerns

  Hey, folks! I (Lindsay) got back from the Sell More Books Show Conference this weekend, where I was one of several speakers. I took notes on some of the presentations that resonated most with me, and I shared them with...

  
• 05.02.2018

  SFFMP 179: Marketing Wide vs Marketing in Kindle Unlimited + Turning Strangers into Super Fans

  We had a great chat with David Gaughran this week. He’s a historical fiction author who dabbles in science fiction now and then, and when he’s not writing fiction, he’s keeping an eye on the publishing scene and analyzing what’s...

  
• 04.25.2018

  SFFMP 178: Making Good Money with Serial Novellas and YA Fantasy with Sarah K.L. Wilson

  On this week’s show, YA fantasy author Sarah K.L. Wilson joined us to talk about the successful Dragon School serial she’s publishing on Amazon (and in Kindle Unlimited). She’s put out nine installments since the beginning of the year, publishing...

  
• 04.18.2018

  SFFMP 177: Paying the Bills as an LGBT Urban Fantasy Author with Holly Evans

  We’re joined this week by LGBT urban fantasy author Holly Evans. She believes LGBT spec-fic is an up and coming sub-genre with a lot of potential, and even though it’s niche, she’s able to pay the bills writing it. Whether...

  
• 04.11.2018

  SFFMP 176: Launching Well as a New Author, Writing Quickly, and Keeping the Momentum Going

  This week’s interview features NYT best-selling indie fantasy author Jasmine Walt. She talks about how she burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with her popular Baine Chronicles series and breaks down why she think it hit big...

  
• 04.04.2018

  SFFMP 175: The Rapid Release Strategy, Getting Reviews as a New Author, and Where to Spend your Advertising Money

  This week, Jo, Jeff, and Lindsay answered listener questions on a variety of topics such as how to spend $1,000 on advertising to get the most out of your launch, how to get reviews as a new author, whether we...

  
• 03.28.2018

  SFFMP 174: Outlining Your Novel for More Efficient Writing and Starting New in Epic Fantasy

  Today, we were joined by return guest Scott King, the author of Outline Your Novel: The How To Guide for Structuring and Outlining Your Novel and The Five Day Novel, as well as numerous fantasy and young adult adventures. He...