The Heidi Thorne Show

I’m a bit put off by Mark Cuban's brag of spending no money on marketing for his new venture, relying totally on word of mouth. Authors may look at this successful billionaire, thinking they can spend no money or resources on marketing, too. Let me explain why this may not work.

Blog: Does Word of Mouth Marketing Work for Books? http://hub.me/apf4i

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/YAZjYd22bJY

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

0:15 Mark Cuban's word of mouth marketing brag

1:21 Mark Cuban is a PR machine. You are not.

3:12 "I don't monetize my friends."

4:52 Word of mouth marketing definition

5:28 Are referral marketing and leads groups word of mouth marketing?

7:09 Is word of mouth marketing the same as PR?

7:34 Is social media word of mouth marketing?

8:18 Does word of mouth marketing work for authors?

9:54 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 255.

Pretty regularly, I come across a post from an author on social media where they’re crying about their low book sales. After reviewing many of these posts, I’d like to share some general observations about what ails these authors, their books, and their book sales.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/4MGWnxTayEY

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

0:15 Let the crying begin

0:37 Sneaky self promos

1:24 Pity pleas

2:38 Keyword stuffing

4:05 Unrealistic advertising expectations

5:20 It's not the book

6:28 No author platform, no sales

8:32 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 254.

Common videos on TikTok and Instagram are those showing creators packaging up arts, crafts, or book orders for their customers. Then there are the follow-up videos in which those customers unbox these orders, delighting in all the extra goodies and packaging they receive with their orders. I just cringe when I see these videos. Let’s discuss why over-delivering will under-cut your creative income, and why it’s a behavior you need to stop immediately.

YouTube video:

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

0:15 The boxing and unboxing videos on TikTok and Instagram

1:47 Why do creators feel the need to offer more than they should?

3:40 Why over-delivering is so bad for creative businesses

5:18 Saying "No, thank you" to thank you notes

6:39 Do the math

7:43 "But it's branding"

9:30 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 253.

Authors may have concerns about protecting their writing work, but want to build fans for their work, prior to publishing. Lots to unpack here!

Blog: Protecting Your Book Idea While Building Fans Before Publishing http://hub.me/apd4Z

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/MrzYr1tyB8M

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

0:16 Author concern about protecting work

1:07 Traditional or self publishing decision

2:22 How do you build an author platform before publishing?

4:29 Your book idea cannot be protected... and why that's okay

6:07 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 252.

Some customers will be disappointed with what they purchase, regardless of what you offer. Admit it, you’re not happy with everything you buy. I don’t fret that somehow my books or content are bad if they are returned for refund. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it either.

Blog: Why You Shouldn't Worry About Returns and Refunds of Your Self Published Book http://hub.me/apcgR

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/dmMSzcIi05k

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

0:15 The horrible review I got on Udemy

1:20 Business as usual... and getting worse

2:55 "Library-ing"

4:00 How many of your books have actually been returned?

5:56 The realities of returns and refunds

6:44 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 251.

The audiobook market is still on an upward trajectory, with another year of double digit gains. But the audiobook industry is in somewhat of a practical and existential crisis with Google Play now offering self publishing of audiobooks using text-to-speech (TTS) robot voices.

Let’s talk about what auto-narration is, how it will impact audiobooks, and what that means for authors who are self publishing audiobooks. P.S. Did you know that AI narration was used in the Top Gun 2 sequel movie? You'll want to hear about this!

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/ovC-0yhL6BQ

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

0:17 Growth and challenges for the future of audiobooks

0:56 What are Google Play auto-narration audiobooks?

3:42 The LOL problem

4:34 ISBN and GGKEY numbers for Google Play auto-narration audiobooks

4:59 Exciting and scary future for robot auto-narrating of audiobooks

6:00 How the Top Gun 2 movie used AI narration

7:11 How to connect with Heidi

Udemy course: How to Self Publish an Audio Book https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-self-publish-an-audio-book/?referralCode=75A2310A555CB12AFE4C

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 250.

Do you always have to get professional photos for your author headshots? Can you use selfies? Are there any rules for using photos in books? I share what you need to know about author headshot photos for your books.

Blog: Author Headshot Photos: What You Need to Know http://hub.me/apako

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Kq0U_aO-ig4

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

0:15 Author questions about headshot photos for books

0:42 Legal concerns of working with photographers

3:30 Tips for working with professional photographers

6:08 Selfies as headshots?

10:43 Tips for using selfies for your books

12:18 How to connect with Heidi

To connect with editor and author, Shayla Raquel, visit her website at https://www.shaylaraquel.com/

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 249.

I'm known for saying that book covers aren't as important as authors think. But what if the book cover is the real value of the book, and not the writing in it? I discuss the emerging and disturbing "books as decor" trend and what it means for authors.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/o7ez2za_lJo

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

0:16 Maybe book covers do matter?

0:44 Books for "shelf esteem"

2:55 What are book stylists?

4:05 What would you think if your book was a prop?

5:51 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 246.

If you self publish journal books on KDP, listen up! Kindle Direct Publishing has made some BIG changes to low content and journal publishing. I share the changes and what that means for you.

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

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

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

0:15 Heads up, journal publishers!

0:48 New definition of low content on KDP

3:04 Low content product categories

4:28 No ISBN or your ISBN?

7:30 No Look Inside preview for low content books

11:00 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 247.

As you’re shopping on Amazon, you may have run across product pages that include additional photos and content to help promote the product. I don’t know about you, but I was puzzled about how it all worked… and kind of jealous since I’d love to have that capability for my books. This additional content is referred to as A+ Content on Amazon. It’s now available for authors who self publish on KDP, Kindle Direct Publishing. I’m testing the waters. Here’s what I’ve discovered about it.

Blog: Amazon A+ Content for Self Published Authors on KDP http://hub.me/ap8JE

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/3hyhM5iUl1s

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

0:15 KDP rolls out A+ Content for authors

0:47 What is A+ Content on Amazon?

2:37 How can authors create A+ Content?

4:41 Crossing language barriers

6:40 Is A+ Content effective for selling books?

7:30 How to connect with Heidi

You can also listen to The Heidi Thorne Show on your favorite podcast apps including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Pandora, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Amazon TuneIn Radio. This is Episode 246.