Novel Marketing

I bought and tested Apple's cheapest laptop so you don't have to.
I stress-tested the MacBook Neo with a 250,000-word document, ran every major writing app, and pushed the machine to its limits. Whether the Neo is right for you depends on what you use your computer to do, because authors do more than just type words into a word processor.

In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, you’ll learn
What you should look for (and ignore) when buying a laptop in 2026
Which laptops I recommend for authors, podcasters, and PC users
Whether the MacBook Neo is the right choice for you as an author
Which laptop I will not recommend in 2026
Listen in or read the blog version to find out which machine is the best bang for your buck and your use cases as an author.
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Your author friends are lying to you about your book cover.
Well, not on purpose. They can’t help it.
When authors are trying to pick a book cover, they often ask their friends which cover they like best. But that strategy doesn’t work because your friends look too closely. They think about your feelings. They vote based on which cover has more votes.
But your cover isn’t for your friends.
It’s for strangers.
In this week’s episode, we unpack why beautiful covers, which are loved by your friends, fail to help your book sell. You’ll hear how one author made his losing ads profitable without rewriting a single word of his book.
In this week’s episode you’ll learn
What makes a cover “good”
How you can get accurate data on what will make readers click to buy
How much you’ll need to spend to get a cover that sells
If your ads aren’t working, it may be time to examine the elements of your cover. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.  
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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.
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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.
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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.
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