Many authors say reader magnets don’t work anymore. But when done right, a good reader magnet can grow your email list from zero to thousands of subscribers before your first book even launches.

In this episode, you’ll hear from author, podcaster, and producer of the Novel Marketing podcast, Laurie Christine, who built an email list of thousands using various reader magnet strategies, all while writing for Christian moms and middle-grade boys.

You’ll discover:

• How many reader magnets you actually need
• The surprising promotion strategy that yielded more than 500 solid subscribers
• How to create reader magnets that attract buyers, not just freebie seekers
• A tool to help you discover which reader magnets may work for you

You’ll also learn how you can use reader magnets to refine your message, craft, and audience before publishing your first book.

Listen in or read the blog version to learn techniques for building (or growing) an email list regardless of where you are in your writing journey.

Support the show

Do you ever wish you had a team of writing, publishing, or marketing professionals to consult? Do you wish you had an assistant to help with the business and marketing side of writing?

What if you could have both for less than the cost of a couple of lattes?

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear about the newest additions to the Novel Marketing Patron Toolbox, a growing suite of practical tools designed specifically for authors like you.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• New editing tools that can help you at each stage of the editing process
• New business tools to help you create an overall strategy and analyze results
• New book promotion tools to help you connect with new readers
• And many more

Whether you’re producing an audiobook, building a fictional world, planning classroom resources, or have questions for an agent or a CPA, these tools are designed to save you time, sharpen your strategy, and give you a head start before working with real human professionals.

Listen in or read the blog version to learn more.

Support the show

Is your writing a hobby or a profession? The answer to that question changes everything.

Many authors claim to be professionals but act like hobbyists. They write what they want instead of what readers will pay for. They try to fit a finished book into a genre instead of studying the genre first. They publish without a marketing plan or budget and are shocked by low sales and few reviews.

They expect professional results from a hobbyist approach.

If that sounds familiar, there’s good news. You can choose the professional path.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from author and podcaster Joanna Penn, who hosts the longest-running indie publishing podcast.

You’ll discover:

• How to build a sustainable author career in an era of AI
• Which marketing activities you should choose and which to ignore
• Business principles that apply to your writing career
• How to use AI to do the business tasks you dislike so you have more time for creativity and storytelling

To learn how to build a sustainable author business in an era of rapid change, listen in or read the blog version.

Support the show