Are Facebook ads or ads on Amazon better for books? I share my experience with both.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/UjEdJrcg_lk

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:31 When should you use Facebook ads or Amazon ads?

1:15 Why Facebook ads don't work for book ads

4:32 Why I prefer Amazon ads for books

7:24 Why Amazon ad performance for books is slipping

10:00 Amazon ads are difficult to scale

Self published authors may be overly concerned about their book ideas getting stolen. I address these concerns... and what you should be more concerned about.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/E7hv-e-40sg

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:11 Author concerns about their book ideas being stolen

0:36 Book ideas are not copyrightable

2:14 Biggest problem with book ideas

3:05 Your book idea isn't original

3:58 What differentiates your book idea

6:06 Why self published books probably won't be counterfeited

Promoting sales of your self published books during the holidays sounds like a logical idea, right? Well, not always. I share what books might be holiday sales-worthy, the worst times to run your holiday book sales promotions and ads, and why you need to be careful with discounts.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/QShpLm5e15k

Timestamp show notes (click timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:12 Is promoting your book during the holidays a good idea?

0:48 Books that are holiday sales worthy

1:14 What if your book is not holiday sales worthy?

2:46 Cautions for holiday discounts and deals

5:19 Why you shouldn't promote your book for Black Friday or Cyber Monday

6:58 Don't win sales and lose money!

8:57 Tell buyers how to buy your books

Blog:

Promoting Holiday Sales for Your Self Published Book http://hub.me/an2sZ

Amazon Marketing Services Advertising for Kindle Ebooks: Are You Winning Ad Bids, but Losing Money? http://hub.me/am716

I'm definitely gonna get some argument on my contrarian view about ISBN numbers! But hear me out, okay? I go over what an ISBN number is, as well as pros and cons of getting them for your self published books.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/A9Wj80C7IDA

Timestamp show notes (click timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:52 What is an ISBN number?

2:30 How people really buy books

4:45 How your own ISBN numbers increase your costs

5:20 ISBN numbers don't help get your book in bookstores

8:21 ISBN versus ASIN

9:52 ISBN numbers don't help your book's search visibility

Blog: What is an ISBN Number? http://hub.me/alMTo

Are people reading more or less? And what book format (print, eBook, or audio book) do they prefer? I think you'll be surprised, even a bit concerned, about the research I report on in this video. But I do offer a way to future proof your self publishing efforts.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/3BVBhpMzGTc

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:25 Growth in audio books

1:35 Audio books are gaining ground on eBooks

2:28 Print books are still strong

3:22 Book reading overall is falling

3:47 Books aren't books, they're content

Link to my Udemy course, "How to Self Publish an Audio Book." NOTE: Discount mentioned in video has expired.

https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-self-publish-an-audio-book/?referralCode=75A2310A555CB12AFE4C

TikTok is an emerging social media (?) platform that is short, vertical video content. It's gaining a lot of popularity with younger audiences. But is it worth using for business and for building your author brand? I share my experience with TikTok so far.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/by4zosSmjjA

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:29 What is TikTok?

2:55 How is TikTok different from other social media?

8:16 Is TikTok like YouTube or IGTV?

11:52 What type of content is on TikTok?

14:56 How content creation is challenging on TikTok

16:39 Is TikTok good for business?

18:19 What advertising options are on TikTok?

Blog: What is TikTok? Is It Worth Using for Business? http://hub.me/amZFA

The debate about the new Audible Captions feature has gone to court! I share my thoughts on why I don't think it's that big a deal... and the BIG question at the heart of it all. So where do you stand?

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/QPXFYs7DH7Q

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:11 What is the issue with Audible Captions?

1:27 Why I disagree with Audible Captions concerns

2:21 The real issue: What is a "book?"

Find my audio books on Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Heidi-Thorne/B005G8AXT4

They sound like a self published author's dream! Low content books can be an alternative self publishing profit center that provide additional value for your readers, too. Find out what low content books are in this episode.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/1HIUbw8TUWg

Timestamp show notes (click timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:11 The low content book trend

0:41 What is a low content book?

1:50 Examples of low content books

5:45 Do low content eBooks work?

7:34 What about low content custom card decks?

 

Blog: What are Low Content Books? http://hub.me/amYE6

I often get inquiries that ask,"My friend (or family member) just wrote a book. What should they do next?" Whether these folks are truly asking for a friend, or "just asking for a friend" because they don't want to tell me about their own plans, they're asking a loaded question! So in this episode, I share a quick overview of the two primary publishing paths, traditional and self publishing.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/P0wYjD_U2r0

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:11 Publishing questions from those "asking for a friend"

2:08 Getting your book manuscript together

3:59 Why your book manuscript needs to be in one document file

4:35 Why authors are in sales

5:43 Traditional publishing path

11:13 Self publishing path

Blog: "You Just Wrote a Book. Now What?" http://hub.me/amWSR

Links for my Udemy courses on self publishing. NOTE: The discounts mentioned in the podcast and video have expired.

How to Self Publish a Nonfiction Kindle eBook Like a Pro https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-self-publish-a-nonfiction-kindle-ebook-like-a-pro/?referralCode=B0919FA7E454FEA26B72

How to Sell Your Self Published Book on Amazon https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-sell-your-self-published-book-on-amazon/?referralCode=CC4046D09C80264BC0BE

The debate continues! Which is better? Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or IngramSpark? Both have merits. But I rant on the concerns about them that may be non-issues for most self published authors.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/64wR7rDFn08

Timestamp show notes (click on timestamp to view segment on YouTube):

0:11 Hot debate in self publishing: KDP or IngramSpark?

1:45 KDP advantages and challenges

10:57 IngramSpark advantages and benefits

16:39 Why doing both KDP and IngramSpark doesn't make sense

Blog: Kindle Direct Publishing versus IngramSpark: What You Need to Know