In this episode, I discuss:

1:00: Announcements:

• 1:01: I was a guest on The Inspirational Indie Author Interview Podcast with Howard Lovy. Listen here: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/michael-la-ronn/
• 1:51: This week’s the week! ARC copies of 150 Self-Publishing Questions will go out this weekend. Sign up here: http://www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance

3:10: Wins for the Week:

• 150 Self-Publishing Questions Audiobook uploaded to Audible and awaiting approval!
• 4:30: Video quality upgrades at Author Level Up

7:10: Lesson Learned This Week:

• Writing Lesson: Copywriting Ads for YouTube

10:35: Idea of the Week: A Book Cover Design YouTube channel.

14:40: Topic(s) of the Week:

• Why I decided to hire a video editor for my YouTube channel
• My hiring process and how I’m applying important lessons I learned last time around
• When to know when it’s time to outsource, and why I’ve resisted it for years
• How much time I’m saving per week
• How (I am gambling) that this effort will generate ROI and grow my YouTube channel.

31:48: Another exclusive demo of the 150 Self-Publishing Questions Answered audiobook

Check out the book, The Signals are Talking (Affiliate link): https://geni.us/ytZf

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:15: Announcements:

• ARCs for 150 Self-Publishing Questions Answered will go out next week. Sign up at www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance
• Next audiobook will be Mental Models for Writers, set for launch in August/September

3:44: Wins for the Week:

• I was a guest on the Inspirational Indie Author Interview podcast with Howard Lovy--link to come next week

4:35: Lesson Learned This Week:

• Writing Lesson: How to Write Minor Characters Like the MAJOR Bestsellers video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8UMQAXeGOo
• 5:20: Business Lesson: The ONIX standard and Metadata…and why it matters for indies in the next 5-10 years.
• 9:42: Copyright Lesson: Creative Commons licenses cannot be revoked…no matter what.

11:58: Idea of the Week:

• Idea #1: Giving your book away on torrent sites. What would happen if you did?
• 13:15: Idea #2: Crowd-funding in reverse for publishing projects.
• 16:18: Idea #3: Practicing in public…what is this, and would you want to see me do it?

17:54: Topic(s) of the Week: More thoughts about AI and authors

• If we don’t adopt AI in some form, we will get left behind
• 19:15: What the real advantage of indie authors is in the next 10 years
• 20:57: What ways indie authors romanticizes the way we do business…much like traditional publishers did in 2011
• 25:15 The business of AI and our biggest hurdles as indies
• 27:38: 4 ways AI can revolutionize how indie authors do business

Listen to Episode 69: How AI will replace us: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/michaellaronn/Episode_69.mp3

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

Maybe you need to hear this message today.

In this episode, I discuss:

1:28: Announcements:

• My interview with Dan Blank on The Creative Shift Podcast: https://wegrowmedia.com/make-every-moment-a-creative-moment-with-author-michael-la-ronn/
• Reminder that Advance Review Copies of Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered (in ebook and audio) will be soon be available. Reserve your copy at www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance

3:23: Wins for the Week:

• Audiobook is DONE
• 50 people have joined my ARC list for Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered, which is a record.
• How STOKED I am that Vellum now supports internal links in ebooks!!! It means I may return to interactive fiction again in the future.

7:28: Lessons Learned This Week:

• Writing Lesson: When writing fight scenes, avoid sports broadcasting…Watch my fight scene video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7csKnHKRw8
• Business Lesson: Personalized videos for fans.
• Copyright Lesson: If you look up a copyright registration, sometimes the entry will have contact information of how you can contact the copyright owner for permission.

11:12: Idea of the Week: A comprehensive brand monitoring system that actually works

13:10: Topic(s) of the Week:

• My near-death experience in 2012 and how it made me a writer
• How the pandemic reminds me of 2012 in so many ways…but for other people
• How difficult it has been to get to where I am today, and the very real social and financial consequences I have chosen to bear in my journey to become a bestselling writer

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

The end of this episode contains a sneak peek of the audiobook for my upcoming book, Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:14: Announcements:

• My recent video on George Floyd and the racial unrest in the United States, and a thank you for the outpouring of support. Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/inSmlLsxfgU
• Advanced Review Copies of Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered in ebook AND audio will be available in the next few days. Reserve your copy here: http://www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance

4:25: Wins for the Week:

• My first audiobook is officially recorded

5:53: Lessons Learned This Week:

• Writing Lesson: With audiobooks, accessibility, length, and profit are intertwined.
• Marketing Lesson: The only 3 steps to sales that you need to know.
• Copyright Lesson: Copyright renewals and a word of caution.

12:08: Idea of the Week: Customized, localized review links

13:58: Topic(s) of the Week: How releasing my first audiobook took me back to what it felt like to release my first book.

• Took way too long to produce, mainly because I made silly mistakes
• I was so focused on the technical aspects that I almost lost sight of the performance.
• Represents all my hopes and fears
• Expensive investment
• Sneak peek at the audiobook of Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered.

29:20: Audiobook Sneak Peek

Check out my first book, Magic Souls: http://www.michaellaronn.com/magicsouls

Reserve your copy of Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered: http://www.authorlevelup.com/qaadvance

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

This episode is dedicated to my author friend Maya Goode, who passed away in April of 2019. I will miss her. Please check out her books: https://www.amazon.com/Maya-Goode/e/B01G02PIT4

In this episode, I discuss:

1:58: Announcements:

• My statements and remarks around the George Floyd murder and political unrest, and my experience with racism

4:00: Wins for the Week:

• Successfully recorded my first audiobook!
• I figured out how to automate my podcasts more cheaply using Audacity macros.

6:05: Lesson Learned This Week:

• Business Lesson: Automating emails with Outlook’s Rules Feature
• Writing Lesson: How to write future books for audio. I unnecessarily made my narration more difficult on myself.

10:55: Idea of the Week: Tool that helps your book transition better to audio.

12:48: Topic(s) of the Week: My 3-5 year strategy for audio, how I built my vocal booth, recorded my first audiobook project, and how I got it to sound super “pro.”

This episode is dedicated to my author friend Maya Goode, who passed away in April of 2019. I will miss her. Please check out her books: https://www.amazon.com/Maya-Goode/e/B01G02PIT4

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:05: Announcements: - Reminder to join my Fan Club to get notifications when my newest book, Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered, releases

3:00: Wins (And Losses) for the Week: - Win: My vocal booth is built and I’ve begun recording my first audiobook - Loss: Early testing of a Mac-only alternative of my sales tool has failed and it is not financially worth moving forward. Apple just isn’t setup to do what I need it to do. This means that the tool will ONLY be available to Windows users and Mac users who can run Windows on their computer. That’s a COLOSSAL failure for the marketability and viability of my product, but it’s not a surprise. Probably one of the biggest failures of my career so far.

11:45: Lesson Learned This Week: - Writing Lesson: The power of experimenting and going with the flow, in the moment. I’m doing that right now with my new book, The Author Income Problem. - Business Lesson: Sometimes minimum viable products fail. - Copyright Lesson: Text spinner software and AI: an impending copyright infringement disaster for writers?

17:20: Idea of the Week: - Integrating my book database with my (next) website

23:21: Topic(s) of the Week: - Thoughts about failure in light of my recent project.

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:03: Announcements: - Sales Report Beta Testers—check your emails. My new product is ready for testing and if all goes well, will be ready by end of June. - Shoutout to friend Oz du Soleil—Microsoft Excel MVP whose Excel courses revolutionized the way I see and use Excel. Check out his Power Query book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RVD4X1N - Oz’s website: www.ozdusoleil.com

6:35: Wins for the Week: - Put finishing touches on my sales report tool. - All my equipment for building vocal booth has arrived; now it’s time to build it so I can record my own audiobooks.

11:45: Lessons Learned This Week: - Writing Lesson: No matter how much of a break you’ve had, you can always keep writing. It’s like riding a bike. - Business Lesson: The “power” of Excel Power Query and Microsoft Power BI. Wow is it a game-changer for writers, if they only knew about it. - Copyright Lesson: How much does it cost to play music on a stereo at a restaurant?

16:35: Idea of the Week: - A dedicated (physical) planner tailored for self-published writers.

18:25: Topic(s) of the Week: - How I’m batching content again for the summer and what I’ll be focusing on - Lessons in reader satisfaction

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:00 Announcements:

• I'm building a vocal booth in my basement to narrate my audiobooks
• If you signed up to test my author sales database, look for an email from me in the next week or so. If you’d like to help me test my new author sales report tool, reach out at http://www.authorlevelup.com/contact

08:07: Wins for the Week:

• Huge breakthroughs with my database, so much that I will be offering a product for it.

8:35: Lesson Learned This Week:

• Writing Lesson: Writing is the original thought leadership.
• Business Lesson #1: Adjust your messaging like an optometrist.
• Business Lesson #2: Bridges and tunnels…Which one are you building?
• Copyright Lesson: Sublicensing

17:32: Idea of the Week: Personalized Editing Rules Engine that helps you become a better version of yourself. AI Episode

21:00: Topic(s) of the Week:

• Sometimes, if people won’t listen, you just have to keep talking and be persistent anyway…the same goes with marketing.
• Beware falling into the trap of convenience as an author…but understand that it’s also human nature.
• Why it’s worth investing in automating (in small steps) right now.

Check out my Last Dragon Lord series: http://www.michaellaronn.com/thelastdragonlord

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:05: Announcements: - Thanks to all who reached out about royalties and gave me words of encouragement. It was very valuable. - Writing a manifesto/thought experiment that compiled all the existing attempts to solve this problem, and publishing them as a free ebook. Think of it like a time capsule.

6:49: Wins for the Week: - All my sales are now in my royalty database and I have some amazing insights into my readers now. - Finished proofing my new book, Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered and decided to produce the audiobook edition

10:36: Lesson Learned This Week: - Business Lesson: Even established authors are not doing their own royalties.

15:20: Idea of the Week: Microsoft Excel for Writers. The Writer’s Guide to Getting the Most out of Excel. Take it and run with it.

16:42: Topic(s) of the Week: What would your life be like if you had to plan for dual futures? What if Future A was bright but Future B was bleak, and there was a 50-50 chance of either one coming to pass any day now? That's an interesting question I've been trying to answer for this week.

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!

In this episode, I discuss:

1:07: Announcements: - My new book with The Alliance of Independent Authors, Your Self-Publishing Questions Answered, will be out soon!

4:30: Wins for the Week: - Put the finishing touches on my database and got it up and running officially.

7:00: Lesson Learned This Week: - Business Lesson: My audience isn't interested in getting help with royalties. - Copyright Lesson: Your books are like real estate. They need to be managed just like a landlord manages their properties.

12:16: Idea of the Week: An author marketing coop.

16:55: Topic(s) of the Week:

Take my Author Royalty Survey: http://www.authorlevelup.com/royaltysurvey

- I share a recent survey result around author royalties and talk about why authors don't want/need help with royalties and why it's unfortunate.

You can listen to past episodes of the show at http://www.michaellaronn.com/podcast

Listen to my other podcast, Writing Tip of the Day: http://www.authorlevelup.com

Learn more about me and my books at www.michaellaronn.com

My YouTube Channel for Writers: http://www.youtube.com/authorlevelup

Also, join my (Fiction) Fan Club to get 3 free novels, early launch pricing, and notifications whenever I release a new book: www.michaellaronn.com/fanclub

If you like the show, don't forget to rate and leave a review!