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The Essentials on Personal Branding. With the publishing industry growing at a phenomenal rate, branding is essential for every author. This podcast with brand strategist, Rochelle Moulton, looks at the essential things authors can do to brand themselves properly for their target audience. Interview with Rochelle Moulton More about Rochelle Rochelle is a brand strategist, marketing maven and creative midwife to authors, consultants and artists. Her favorite story? Taking an author from $500 a speech to $15,000 in 18 months. You can find out more at http://rochellemoulton.com and follow her on twitter @ConsultingChick.

Is your next book a bestseller? Jacq returns to the Author podcast series talking about her forthcoming book: 'Write a Bestseller'. She says there's no magic formula, but there are things writers and authors can do produce one. She says: "You need to write a good enough book, what's not good enough is to write a good enough story. Your story has to create a spark, be outstanding". Listen in to all she talks about. Interview with Jacq Burns More about Jacq Jacq is an author, a literary agent and Publishing Consultant. She’s the co-founder of The London’s Writer’s Club. Prior to setting it up with Kirsty MacLaclan, she was a commissioning editor at Random House and Editorial director at Harper Collins. In non-fiction her focus is on personal development, business, how-to books, parenting, and well-being. In fiction she helps develop writing across most genres. She has ghosted a wide range of subjects from neuroscience to forced marriage and also has written humorous books under a pseudo name. You can find out more at www.londonwritersclub.com

Create Your Virtual Book Tour and Expand your Reach. The internet has opened up some many great opportunities for everyone; and for authors, they can reach readers across the globe. Virtual Book (Blog) tours give authors exposure to target readers, and D'vorah explains how effective and successful book tours can be when done properly. Her bootcamp helps and supports authors plan content for each individual blog stop. Very useful! Interview with D'vorah Lansky More about D'vorah D’vorah Lansky, M.Ed., of Build a Business with Your Book.com has been marketing online and mentoring leaders since 1994. She’s been working exclusively with authors since 2007. D’vorah has participated in hundreds of teleseminars and has conducted several successful virtual book tours. She is delighted to speak to authors interested in growing their online presence and their book sales. D’vorah is the author of several Amazon bestselling books including: Book Marketing Made Easy: Simple Strategies for Selling Your Nonfiction Book Online.  She is passionate about online marketing as well as helping authors to grow their business, their brand, and their book sales. D’vorah has worked with thousands of authors across the globe in developing their skills to effectively and affordably market their books online. You can find out more here - www.virtualbooktoursmadeeasy.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Crowdfund your book with Pubslush. As crowdfunding continues to grow in popularity for different industries including publishing, platforms like Pubslush specifically for the literary industry, offer authors/writers not only the opportunity to raise money to publish their books to a standard they would want if they could afford it, but to also gain exposure to potential readers who like books within the same genre as theirs. Definitely worth listening to. If you are thinking about crowding your book or like to explore what it would entail, you can sign up for an account using the promo code 'crowdfund' to receive The Guide: Tips To Successful Crowdfunding, an informative manual created by Pubslush for authors here Interview with Amanda Barbara More about Amanda Amanda Barbara is the Vice President and Co-founder of Pubslush, a global crowdfunding platform for the literary world. Philanthropist at heart, she serves on the board of directors for the Pubslush Foundation, which supports children’s literacy initiatives worldwide, and is a founder and director of The Barbara Family Foundation, an organization committed to assisting charities and children in need. Amanda is member of the Young Entrepreneur Council and is an advocate for crowdfunding in the publishing world.  She has spoken at various conferences, such as Writer's Digest, Exceptional Women in Publishing, Crowdfunding East Conference, and the Digital Publishing Innovation Summit, and has served as an ambassador and speaker at CONTEC at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Amanda has also been a contributor to Elite Daily, Yahoo Small Business, Crowdsourcing.org, and Tech Cocktail. You can find more about Pubslush at www.pubslush.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Author Brand Building & Reader Engagement. It's fair to say a good number of authors prefer the writing process to marketing their book. Bublish is an excellent platform that offers authors an opportunity to increase reader engagement and build their brand during the writing process, before and after their book is published. Bublish also provides metrics so authors know the touch points with readers, allowing them focus their marketing efforts more effectively. Can't recommend this podcast enough. Interview with Kathy Meis More about Kathy and Bublish Kathy Meis is founder of Bublish, a comprehensive marketing solution that helps authors build their brand, reach their readers and track audience engagement. She is a professional writer, editor, ghostwriter and editorial manager with more than twenty years of experience in the media and publishing industries. Kathy is a founding editor of Forbes MediaCritic and a founding partner of PubSmart, a new author-centric publishing conference held in Charleston, South Carolina. She is a frequent blogger and speaker on the subject of book promotion, author branding, social media and discoverability. She has been invited to speak a numerous conferences, including The Muse and The Marketplace, Book Expo America and PubSmart among others. In 2012, Kathy won the People’s Choice Award at the Startup Showcase at O’Reilly’s Tools of Change Publishing Conference. Find out more here - www.bublish.com and on twitter @bublishMe You can subscribe to this podcast through:

How Introvert Authors can be Public Speakers. Another great interview this week with Joanna Penn, as we talk about her book 'Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts' -  UK and US links. The book covers her own journey as an introvert and how she speaks regularly at conferences and speaking being about 25% of her income as an authorpreneur; as well as so many helpful tips for anyone (not just authors) on getting started with Speaking. Lots of great stuff and the book is excellent! Interview with Joanna Penn More about Joanna Joanna is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers on the edge, as well as non-fiction for authors. She’s also a professional speaker and entrepreneur, voted as one of The Guardian UK Top 100 creative professionals 2013. You can find her non-fiction bestselling books, with ‘Career Change’ mapping the journey from full-time job to full-time entrepreneur, ‘How To Market A Book‘ which helps authors with marketing and also ‘Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts’ - under Joanna Penn. You can find out more at http://www.thecreativepenn.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

The value of Indie Publishing. This is an excellent interview for authors and writers who want to self-publish to a traditionally published standard. Helen explains in detail the value of an Indie publisher, why you should consider using one and how to work with one such as SilverWoodBooks. Very useful. Interview with Helen Hart More about Helen Helen Hart is Publishing Director and founder of SilverWood Books Ltd, an author services company. Helen is an author herself, with 8 novels published traditionally and one teen novel about pirates that she indie-published. She set up SilverWood Books in early 2007 to offer writers expertise and professionalism - so they can self-publish to the same high standard as traditional publishing houses. She runs regular seminars and workshops for writers, and is also a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews section. You can find out more at www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk and connect on Twitter @SilverWoodBooks You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Using Twitter to Grow and Engage an Author's reader base. This week's podcast is packed with practical tips and strategies on how an author can use Twitter to grow and engage their reader base. Connie shares simple but effective ways her clients use and see tangible results. You may want to download and listen to over and over again. Interview with Connie Brentford More about Connie Connie is a bestselling author; and has been on the Top 100 Bestselling Author list in the paid Kindle store section many times with over 70,000 books sold. For the last seven years, Connie has been traveling and living around the world; first as a freelance writer and for the last three, as a bestselling, indie author. She is the founder of The Moonlighter’s Guide, where she helps independent authors create, publish and market their books. As a social media consultant, she teaches authors how to use twitter to grow and engage their reader based. You can find out more about Connie at conniebrentford.com and on twitter @conniebrentford You can subscribe to this podcast through:

The value of an agent for authors. Having read a couple of Dana's articles on Digital Book World, I knew she would bring a great perspective to the podcast series as a novelist and analyst looking into the digitization in publishing. In this podcast, she talks about her own experience with agents and the role they play for self-published, hybrid and traditionally published authors in the industry today. Very interesting and informative. Interview with Dana Beth Weinberg More about Dana Dana Beth Weinberg, received her doctorate from Harvard University and is Professor of Sociology at Queens College – CUNY, where she directs the MA Program in Data Analytics and Applied Social Research. Her research focuses on organizational behavior, work, and occupations. Inspired by her own personal experiences as a novelist (she writes crime thrillers as D. B. Shuster), her current research examines the way that digitization is changing the book industry for readers, writers, and publishers. Find Dana at danabethweinberg.com or @DBWeinberg or https://www.facebook.com/danabethweinbergwriter You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Deciding on your Marketing and PR efforts. Authors focus mostly on writing, but increasingly marketing and PR activities are just as important for any published book. Ben talks about the difference between marketing and PR; and says there's an element of luck that contributes to a book and or an author becoming successful. Listen in: Listen here: Interview with Ben Cameron More about Ben Ben has over 20 years of experience in book promotion, publishing and sales with both traditional publishers and self-published authors. He created Cameron Publicity & Marketing to offer the same marketing services that large publishers benefit from to all authors. Ben and his team have worked on hundreds of campaigns - from big publishers to small independent authors on a wide range of subjects. Ben also writes and speaks on book marketing, contributing frequently to The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, Writing magazine, The Huffington Post, The Self-publishing Magazine and other media. Find out more at cameronpm.co.uk and connect with him on Twitter at cameronpmTweets. You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Owning your Niche. If you are a business owner or entrepreneur thinking about writing a book, then this interview is for you! Alison herself a published author offers so much insight about the benefits of 'owning your niche' and describes the sweet spot for a successful book as the combination of your passion/expertise, an understanding of the strategic focus of your industry and the key needs of your clients. Great interview! Interview with Alison Jones More about Alison Alison Jones has pioneered digital publishing and publishing innovation over a 22-year career in traditional publishing, most recently at Palgrave Macmillan as Director of Digital Development and subsequently Director of Innovation Strategy. In April 2014 she left Macmillan to set up her own coaching, content marketing and publishing consultancy, helping small businesses and entrepreneurs create content and books strategically aligned with their business goals. As both a traditionally and self-published author herself, she champions author-centric publishing of reader-centric content. Find out more here - www.alisonjones.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Creating a business plan for your book. I can't tell you how much valuable information Nina shared during our interview - you have to listen! From her new book - The Author Training Manual (US),(UK) Nina talks about the 4 key things writers need to become authors - Willingness, Objectivity, Optimism and Tenacity. Central to all that is having a business plan to ensure success. I would recommend downloading it and listening to it again - fab stuff! Interview with Nina Amir More about Nina Nina is the author of the bestseller How to blog a book and the newly released The Author Training Manual. Nina is known as the inspiration to creation coach, she moves her clients from ideas to finished books as well as careers as authors, helping them combine their passion and purpose so they create products that positively and meaningfully impact the world. You can connect with Nina at www.ninaamir.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

How effective are book trailers? I stumbled across Cathy's blog looking at the pros and cons of book trailers and contacted her immediately to request a podcast interview. My objective is to offer value to authors and writers, so they are well informed when making choices to increase their visibility and sell more books. Cathy offers a very balanced view on how effective book trailers are and if it's worth the time and money! Fab interview with great content shared. Interview with Cathy Yardley More about Cathy Cathy Yardley is a novelist, teacher, editor, and writing coach at RockYourWriting.com. She supports writers jumpstarting their writing career, pinpointing where they maybe stuck and helping them get on track to becoming a successful fiction writer. You can sign up for her free e-course Jumpstart Your Writing Career at www.rockyourwriting.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Setting up a Writers' Group. After reading a blog Nathaniel wrote and I listened to an interview he did about how he successfully published his book and his involvement in the Greenpoint Writers Group, I wanted to provide some information for anyone who has considered joining a writing group or setting up one. Nathaniel offers very useful and practical tips on what would make a good one. Really enjoyed this podcast as you'd gather! Interview with Nathaniel Kressen More about Nathaniel Nathaniel is a Brooklyn-based writer, playwright and screenwriter. He co-founded Second Skin Books with his wife Jessie; as an independent press dedicated to crafting physical art objects out of Literary fiction. He is also a core member of the Greenpoint Writers Group in New York - a place where writers of all genres gather to present parts of their work-in-progress for healthy feedback and discussion. You can find out more about Nathaniel at nathanielkressen.com and about Greenpoint Writers Group, please go to wordbookstores.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

How to market and promote your audiobook. In episode #17, I hosted a podcast on the process of getting started with audiobooks; and once you decide if you do it yourself or get a narrator, you have to market and promote it. Shelley Hitz who has several audiobooks out, was definitely the right person to give all the marketing savvy advice authors need on exclusive or non-exclusive contracts. So much valuable content. Interview with Shelley Hitz More about Shelley Shelley Hitz is an award-winning and internationally best-selling author. She is the owner of TrainingAuthors.com and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. She teaches from personal experience; and has been writing and publishing books since 2008, with over 30 books including print, eBook and audio book formats to her name. Please sit back and enjoy our interview. You can download Shelley's free training Building a Book Marketing Plan ($27 value) when you sign up for her newsletter here: http://trainingauthors.com/newsletter/ You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Why Email Marketing is important for Authors. Email Marketing is essential for every business and equally so for authors as more of them become authorpreneurs and more in control of their writing career. Kimberley talks about the benefits of having an email list over social media and much more. Lots of points of interesting for any author/writer. Listen here - Podcast with Kimberley Grabas More about Kimberley Kimberley is an avid reader, writer and entrepreneur. With her 14 years sales and marketing experience and her desire to become a writer, she created Your Writer Platform where she offers advice and support to writers. You can find out more here - www.yourwriterplatform.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

The Authors' Guide to Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns In my first podcast with Thomas, (listen here), he talked briefly about the success he's had with Crowdfunding campaigns and so understands what's involved. In this podcast he talks about the increasing popularity of crowdfunding for authors, and outlines the 7 key things interested authors should note. Alongside successful author and Crowdfunder Mary DeMuth, they have created a course to guide authors through the process. Lots of valuable information shared. Listen here: Podcast with Thomas Umstattd Jr. More about Thomas Thomas is an award-winning speaker, writer, entrepreneur, WordPress guru, political troublemaker, homeschool graduate; and serves as the CEO of Castle Media Group LLC, a company that builds websites for world-changers. In 2009 he started AuthorTechTips.com, a website to help authors use the web to promote their books. The site was twice featured in Writers Digest as one of the 101 most helpful websites for authors. AuthorTechTips.com is now AuthorMedia.com, a resource for authors timid about technology. You can find out more about Thomas and Author Media at AuthorMedia.com. And also find his Podcast Novel Marketing on iTunes and other podcasting platforms. You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Understanding Amazon Algorithms and reaching an International audience What a fantastic interview with Penny. She shares so much about Amazon algorithms which are important to every author and writer who wants to be successful. All her research on how Amazon ranks books can be found in her new book 'How to sell your book by the truckload on Amazon', which you can find here US link - UK link. We also talk about what you can do to boost international sales of your book. Great info for any author or writer! More about Penny Penny is the founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, is an author and a speaker at conferences and events world wide. She is passionate about promoting authors, and getting them the coverage and media exposure they deserve. You can connect with her at amarketingexpert.com

Creating an Effective Book Cover Design With most genres being competitive, it's important every author and writer has a book cover design that grabs his/her readers' attention online and offline quickly. Aimee offers her expertise on what authors and writers should think about even if they've already published their first book. Interesting insight! More about Aimee Aimee has worked with authors from all over the world, including self-publishers and international best-sellers. As well as specialist website and book cover design, Aimee also offers training in the importance of social media and enjoys the diversity of authors she has had the chance to work with after opening her own design consultancy. You can find out more about Aimee at www.authordesignstudio.com You can subscribe to this podcast through:

Getting Started with Audiobooks. There's a lot of growth potential in audiobooks - much has been predicted for 2014. For authors who may have considered it and not sure where to start or what it involves, I thought Andy Marlow would give some insight, which he did. As an author would you read your book yourself or get a voice artist to do it? More about Andy Andy is a Sound Engineer, photographer, design and graphic artist; and has worked with organisations such as the BBC and News International. As a musician, he plays in his band and in 2013, played guitar on Bryan Adams single release. He works with authors on all aspects of Audio Book production. You can find out more here - Andy Marlow Studios Subscribe for future interviews here: