The Sell More Books Show: Book Marketing, Digital Publishing and Kindle News, Tools and Advice

How do you balance the time you spend writing with all the time you spend doing socials, newsletters, ads, and more?
Today's top story is Launch or Lurch?. Question of the week is How do you balance the time you spend writing with all the time you spend doing socials, newsletters, ads, and more?
Join the Sell More Books Show Afterparty group on Facebook and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.


Kevin J. Anderson is here! https://western.edu/graduate/publishing 
Top Story: Launch or Lurch? https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-popularity-effect-how-amazon-treats-book-discoverability/
A common thread in publishing is that your launch will make or break your book, but is that myth or reality? Kindlepreneur's Dave Chesson wondered the same thing. "We've been analyzing data from Amazon for a while," says Chesson, finding patterns in discoverability that he thinks changes how we authors should operate. "Through analytical proof, we found that when a book has a rise in sales on Amazon through just about any means, Amazon responds by increasing the number of keywords that that book shows up for […], and its rankings for those keywords as well." Thus, when there's an increase in a book's popularity, the book shows up more often in the Amazon's store, tending to further increase sales. One way that Amazon shows a book more is by helping it be found in searches, which is does by 'giving it more (and more popular and appropriate) keywords. This happens automatically, based on how the book was found by previous buyers in searches. But the added keywords weren't just added because they were used in searches. "The more sales a book made, no matter where the sales came from, a book would start to index for more phrases on Amazon over time," says Kindlepreneur. "It took about ~6-8 days of consistent new sales before Amazon would start to show any notice." In addition to overall popularity, the study looked at how spikes, both from the initial launch and from promotions, affected Amazon's tendency to put your book in front of buyers. What they found is that while the singular spike from the initial launch does have a significant effect, those from single promotions have little. A good promotion could give you lots of sales, but the effect doesn't tend to last like it did four or five years ago. "It is much better to directly sell 1000 copies evenly over a 30 day period, than to sell 1000 copies on the first day, and none for the next 29 days," says Dave. "Authors should look to build a series of promotion efforts so as to feed off of each other, rather than isolated tactics."

If you're a shy author, how do you get out of your shell to promote your stuff?
 
Today's top story is Power to the People; Your People. Question of the week is If you're a shy author, how do you get out of your shell to promote your stuff?
Join the Sell More Books Show Afterparty group on Facebook and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Top Story: Nonfiction, Where You At? https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/what-happened-non-fiction-books-publishing-industry-trends-gd9snqwjz If you've noticed that there aren't as many choices when it comes to non-fiction lately, much less the "big idea" books that used to top the bestseller charts over the years, you're not alone writes Ceci Browning of The Times. "Fiction sales might be swelling, but according to Nielsen, sales of non-fiction books in 2025 were down 6 per cent compared with 2024." The non-fiction numbers have been declining since 2017, and the books that do well are no longer big idea books, but books such as celebrity memoirs and self-help guides. Are readers less interested in non-fiction, or just finding the answers elsewhere? "One possibility is that the boom in podcasts has stolen huge chunks of traditional non-fiction audiences," says Browning, explaining that many author appear to 'give away' the most valuable parts of their books on the show. In addition, listeners get the knowledge straight from the author's mouth, distilled down to be understandable to a podcast audience. "Until very recently," says Mark Richards, Co-Founder of Swift Press, "if you wanted to hear about a subject in any kind of depth, a book was the [only] place to go." Then came the internet, says Richards, which made research easier; then came the podcast, which gave readers instant, free easy access to the information, but without the work or cost of buying and reading a book. Others aren't so glum. Literary agent John Ash believes it's possible for non-fiction to be make a comeback. "We have such an apocalyptic outlook," he says, "but actually these things are just broadly really cyclical. In the past six months or so there's been a cultural shift away from […] doomscrolling; towards people reclaiming their attention spans." On how to ensure that non-fiction books recover from today's "easily distracted, cash-strapped, podcast-obsessed era?" Richards says, "We're going to have to, as an industry, just make sure that they're f***ing good." Thanks to Jane Freidman for the hot tip.

Do you think that you are going to make any changes because of the unexpected KU payout drop?
Today's top story is How to Sell More Books from the Ground Up. Question of the week is Do you think that you are going to make any changes because of the unexpected KU payout drop?
Join the Sell More Books Show Afterparty group on Facebook and answer the Question of the Week in the comment section. Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Top Story: Launch emails that convert
https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/book-promotion/high-converting-author-newsletter-examples
If you think you're bad at email newsletters, you're not alone, says BookBaby. Many don't seem to know what to say, or when to say it, which often leads to not sending at all, even when they're launching a new book. "Before we get into the examples, it's worth knowing why these [book launch] newsletters convert," says BookBaby. "No matter your genre, [effective book launch] newsletters have five things in common." The first is a reason to open the email; that means a strong, relevant subject line. Once opened, it answers the reader's question of "What's in it for me?" It should help them, give them a sneak peek, or give them something useful. Next, be authentic. Write like an author, not a marketer. "You create deeper connections with your readers by wrapping their hopes, pain, and questions into the narrative and share how your book fits in." Then, give them just the relevant links to your upcoming launch or pre-order, plus maybe a timely link to your most popular series or seasonal promotion they can buy now. The last thing these successful launch emails have is timing; An email newsletter is perfect for teasing your upcoming launch, but don't forget that additional emails are good on launch day, not to mention follow-up emails with bonuses or reminders. Not everyone clicks (or even sees) your first email. BookBaby's simplest example doesn't overthink things. "The subject line can be as simple as 'Preorders open,' while the email body includes a brief story about why you wrote the book. Highlight the benefit to the reader and include the preorder link." If you're featuring limited time bonuses for early buyers or pre-orders, add that, too. Finally, a call-to-action (CTA) suggests that they "Preorder now in your preferred format." Because it's an email, you can includes a P.S., too, with a last-minute reason to purchase, like telling them why they'll enjoy your novel, or fixing a pain point for non-fiction. "This speaks directly to your reader while giving them a simple path to purchase." 
 
Trixie Silvertale is here! https://trixiesilvertale.com/