PodcastsArtsNovel Marketing

Novel Marketing

Thomas Umstattd Jr.
Novel Marketing
Latest episode

494 episodes

  • Novel Marketing

    Stop Guessing: How to Know If Your Book Marketing Is Working

    15/04/2026 | 51 mins.
    Most authors can tell you their royalties but not their net profit per book. They spend money on ads, see sales come in, and assume things are fine. But are they? Sales and profit are not the same thing.
    How can you find out if you’re making money or just making sales?
    In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from Eiri Theodorou, founder of Publisher Champ, an analytics platform used by over 25,000 authors.
    You’ll learn
    How one of Amazon’s metrics is somewhat misleading (and how to find the truth)
    How you can track real-world marketing (like speaking and interviews) in a dashboard
    How to find out if your best-selling book is masking problems with your other books.
    If you want to stop guessing about your profitability, listen in or read the blog version. You’ll be able to invest in marketing with more certainty and become truly profitable.
    Support the show
  • Novel Marketing

    The Cultural Zeitgeist Shift That's Making Indie Authors Rich

    08/04/2026 | 1h 2 mins.
    There’s a culture shift underway that most authors aren’t seeing. Even traditional publishers can’t figure out why their titles are resonating. If your book isn’t selling, it could be a cover or craft problem, but it might be a zeitgeist problem.  
    In this week’s episode, you’ll hear from fantasy and LitRPG author Seth Ring. We discuss the biggest cultural shift in storytelling in two decades and what it means for your books.
    You’ll discover
    What’s become of the morally conflicted anti-hero trope
    What readers are tired of and hungry for
    A sure-fire way to write a story that resonates for this new zeitgeist
    This cultural shift puts authors in a uniquely strategic place. If you want to make an impact with your writing and bring hope and change to the world through stories, it’s your time to shine. Listen in or read the blog version to find out how.
    Blog Link: https://www.authormedia.com/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-thats-making-indie-authors-rich/
    AuthorMedia.social link:  https://authormedia.social/c/novel-marketing/the-cultural-zeitgeist-shift-that-s-making-indie-authors-rich
    YouTube Link:
    https://youtu.be/zVz0pd-P3TU
    Support the show
  • Novel Marketing

    Apple's Cheapest Laptop Ever: Should Authors Buy It?

    01/04/2026 | 44 mins.
    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.
    Support the show
  • Novel Marketing

    Your Friends Lied About Your Book Cover

    25/03/2026 | 44 mins.
    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.  
    Support the show
  • Novel Marketing

    Reader Magnets Are Dead? Why Most Reader Magnets Fail

    11/03/2026 | 47 mins.
    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

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About Novel Marketing

The longest-running book marketing podcast in the world. This is the show for writers who want to build their platform, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about. Whether you self publish or are with a traditional house, this podcast will make book promotion fun and easy. Thomas Umstattd Jr. interviews publishers, indie authors, and bestselling traditional authors about how to get published and sell more books.
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