The Self Publishing Show

Can you imagine the day that all your efforts at self publishing – the hard work writing, promoting, and planning your books – finally pays off? Today's episode is one author's story about how that has finally come about. After writing for just over 5 years and self publishing a number of books, Adam Croft […]

It's difficult to talk about marketing for self publishing and indie authors without the name of Bookbub coming into the conversation. That's because Bookbub is a very effective and powerful platform for getting indie authors notices in the very niches their readers love. On this episode of the Self Publishing Formula James and Mark host […]

There are many, many things that go into a successful book launch. For a self-published author it can be enough to make your head spin. That's why it's such a great thing to have an experienced and successful self published author like Mark to walk you through his own best practices and mistakes. That's exactly […]

It's always beneficial and encouraging to hear from someone who started from nothing and built a successful writing career from the ground up. Even more so, it's encouraging to hear the story from a person who is following the exact same procedures and school of thought that you've adopted. That's what you'll hear in this […]

Why would a successfully self published author like Mark Dawson openly share his income and expenses for his self publishing business? It's not to brag and not to put himself a peg or two above others. It's to show you what's possible. Really, Mark's a regular guy just like you who is learning how to make Indie publishing work for himself. He wants you to come along for the ride and learn how to do it for yourself. You can do it. You need to believe that. On this episode you'll hear what "it's possible" looks like - and this particular report covers one of Mark's lower income months. Still, the figures are quite impressive for a guy who didn't know anything about the business side of self publishing before he started. But there's more than just the figures. Mark's eager to share some of the advertising he's doing to promote his books and the mindset and reasoning behind the particular promotional channels he's using to get his books into the public eye a bit more. You'll get some insight into the lessons he's learned in his self publishing journey and are encouraged to apply them to your situation to make your book sales soar as well. And it's not just about book sales. As you listen to Mark's report keep in mind that the money he spends on advertising and promotions is not just to sell books. He realizes that some promotional channels are showing a net loss on paper, but that's only when you look at sales that resulted from the promotion. His goal is not always immediate sales. It's just as important in many cases to spend money to get email subscribers, because those people turn into book buying fans later on and often work their way through Mark's entire catalogue, showing the profit on the "back end" so to speak. So enjoy this month's earnings report and feel free to shoot us an email if you have any questions about what we share. Outline of this great episode [0:23] James' introduction to this episode and why he and Mark do it. [1:24] The U.S. figures. [2:32] Why book commissions are what push things into a profitable place this month. [3:57] UK campaigns and figures. [7:36] Tracking advertising purchases. [8:30] Mark doesn't need to advertise to get sales, so why is he doing it? [9:53] Mailing list efforts for the month.

When Mark Dawson first started seeing success as a self published author he was a bit late to the game when it came to interacting with those who were showing interest in his books. The best they could do was to buy his book, read it, then search Amazon for any other books he might […]

Today's guest is one of the most prolific and hardworking Indie authors out there. All it takes is a glance at Bella Andre's catalogue to realize that this woman knows how to do what it takes to get books written! Success has come with over 50 bestsellers to her credit, and, during this chat, you're […]

The book promotion piece is one of the most vital but neglected aspects of being a self published author. Today's guest, Ricci Wolman, is not an author herself but IS a marketing specialist who has made a career (and a business) out of helping authors successfully promote their books. She is founder and CEO of […]

In the second part of our London Book Fair special, Mark and James get to talk to key providers in the digital publishing space such as Draft2Digital, Reedsy and Byte the Book as well as indie publishing guru and author Joanna Penn. And in additional interviews you can hear how four young authors are progressing […]

The SPF Team hit the London Book Fair earlier this week and managed to catch up with a wide variety of Self Pub folk – from bestsellers Mel Sherratt and Rachel Abbott, exciting up and coming authors, (including a Hollywood screenwriter), as well as indie publishers, bloggers and key figures in the digital publishing world. […]

Russell Blake is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of some 30 – count 'em! – much loved books and has been featured in the likes of the Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune. He's become a hugely respected figure in indie publishing circles and together with Mark and James, happily discusses, amongst other things, why marketing a […]

This week's guest, Sean Platt, has turned a love of writing into an indie publishing phenomenon in the shape of story studio Sterling & Stone. But that's only half his story. In Podcast 5, Sean talks with the guys about what's next for Sterling & Stone, author productivity, dreaming big, making the right choices and […]

If you're thinking of kicking off a career as an indie author, or have already started down that road, listening to Podcast number 4 might save you a lot of time, money and effort as you move forward. Mark and James focus on key elements that are worth getting right at the start of your […]

In podcast number 3, Mark and James are joined by the sensational Marie Force. Marie has developed a seven figure publishing operation with a mix of both self publishing and traditional publishing deals. They discuss her marketing tips as well as Marie's advice to authors setting out to build a platform for better sales. They […]

From redundancy to a pioneer in the online business sphere, Pat's blog, 'Smart Passive Income' that details his story has become a go-to resource for budding online entrepreneurs everywhere. Mark and James hunker down with Pat to talk, amongst other things, about his new book, relationship strategies including the power of transparency and whether podcasting […]

It's the first full edition of the Self Publishing Formula Podcast! In this episode, bestselling indie author Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn fame talks mistakes, mishaps and triumphs in Self Publishing. She also reflects on the immense changes that have taken place in the industry since her first book was published and provides tips […]

The Self Publishing Formula Podcast is very nearly here! In this preview, its hosts, bestselling indie author Mark Dawson and rookie novelist James Blatch, talk about what they hope to achieve with the show for the legions of authors and would-be authors who dream of making a living out of their passion. Show Notes On […]