Self-Publishing Answers

Need more reviews?

We all do.

In this episode of the Self-Publishing Answers Podcast, we discuss a few different to generate more reviews for your books. There are a handful of "proven" methods to gain reviews, and there are some other "best practice" methods.

All of them work, and all of them are strategies you should be implementing!

Listen the episode by clicking "play" below, or subscribe to the entire show using your favorite podcast player app and visiting us on iTunes!

From past to present to future, Kevin and Nick discuss what has come before and what (we think) will come next in self-publishing (and books and publishing in general).

Some ideas include better "recommendation engines" for discoverability, Amazon's using reading speed to recommend books to readers (and possibly all kinds of other scary things), and more!

Don't miss this episode of The Self-Publishing Answers Podcast, back after an all-too-long absence!

And don't forget to leave a review on iTunes: spapodcast.com.

In today's episode of The Self-Publishing Answers podcast, Kevin and I answer a great question from Jackie Bolen about "niche" markets, and whether or not she should focus in on a smaller niche or broaden the spectrum and make the niche bigger. We think we did a decent job answering it, even though Nick's baby whined the entire time and he sounded like he was a late-night radio show host on NPR. Kevin, once again, saved the day.

Last week, Kevin and I shared our best tips for designing a book cover, or at least what to look for in a great self-published book cover. We spent most of the time talking about fonts and typefaces, and some tips and tricks for getting them to "pop" off the cover without being cliche, obvious, or cheesy.

As we promised, this week we'll spend most of the time talking about the imagery on the cover -- that is, everything else that's not typeface or font. From where to find those images/pictures to tips and tricks to making them look great with your title and author name, and special announcement about a sweet new service we created!

Today we're discussing book cover design. The first of two (at least) episodes, this one's about typeface/font choice for DIY cover design (and what to look for if someone else is doing it for you).

Kevin and Nick are back! We continue our (long overdue) discussion about story structure and crafting great books.

Today Kevin and Nick discuss one of their favorite topics (no, not themselves): story structure. Specifically, they get into the details of the Three-Act Play structure, how it really seems like four acts, and then get into some granular topics like scenes, sequels, and writing with conflict.

Story by Robert McKee

Screenplay by Syd Field

Larry Brooks - StoryFix.com

Kevin's Resources Page

Hemingway: Hills Like White Elephants

The Hero of a Thousand Faces

Yannick Nelson works at a nifty place called Azoogma, a company specializing in translation and localization.

As authors interested in translating our own works, we thought it would be helpful to interview Yannick and ask about the differences between "translation" and "localization," why both (or neither) are important for authors, and her thoughts on "bargain-priced" options like Babelcube.

Don't miss this episode!

How Kevin makes jerks into his best friends.

The biggest professional networking mistake Nick has ever made.

And how Kevin talks Nick off the ledge when he wants to lash out and punch people in the face.

Productivity 101.

Want to be a productive writer? Write.