Photo by Carolina Jaramillo Castro / 123rf.com
Click here to listen on your device and subscribe!
Welcome to Season 4 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information that you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
This first episode of Season 4 is about the book publishing industry. Becky is joined by Jane Friedman—author and expert on all things publishing—who discusses some of the best and most surprising moments from the publishing industry in 2022, the biggest trends, the challenges that authors have been facing, the influence of Amazon, and what’s in store for the publishing industry in 2023.
Key Points From This Episode
[02:01] Jane shares about herself and her work in the world.
[03:12] What were some of the highlights from the publishing industry in 2022? Jane reveals.
[06:20] Jane discusses how nonfiction authors show up on BookTok.
[08:09] Listen as Jane explains how TikTok and BookTok help authors who may be selling a lower volume of books expand awareness and reach for their work.
[11:05] Jane reveals some of the surprises of the publishing industry in 2022.
[12:14] Should audiences expect a lower price point on AI-driven audiobooks? Discover the answer.
[13:51] Jane continues discussing some of the surprises of 2022 and if they had a positive or negative impact on authors.
[18:32] Learn about some of the most significant challenges authors have faced in recent years.
[20:15] Looking ahead to 2023, Jane shares her advice for authors choosing between self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and traditional publishing.
[24:35] Jane dives deep into what has been inspiring authors to engage more and market their work.
[28:55] Jane shares her take on a controversial book marketing approach.
[31:28] Discover Jane’s advice about getting Amazon reviews.
Action Steps:
- If you haven’t started an email newsletter, start today! Remember that you can keep it very simple.
- Set aside an hour to brainstorm 100 small tasks that would help increase the visibility of yourself and your book. These small tasks should be things that can be accomplished in 15-30 minutes.
Resources:
- Explore Jane’s website to discover classes, newsletters, books, and more.
- Follow Jane on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Tweetables and quotes:
If you choose to share on Twitter, don’t forget to tag @beckyrbnsn and @JaneFriedman so they know you enjoyed this episode!
BookTok is seen as a positive activity because these are enthusiastic, heartfelt recommendations from readers. It’s very organic. We’re not talking about stuff that’s paid for—it’s just coming. It’s arising out of the community serendipitously, and publishers can’t control it. —Jane Friedman
A lot of BookTok sales happen on their own accord. It’s really hard to force them. —Jane Friedman
I think we’re going to see more publishers and more authors take advantage of AI to produce audiobooks that are acceptable in the market and help reach new audiences. —Jane Friedman
If you’re a very new publisher and you don’t have a back list, you’re actually missing a big part of your financial engine for keeping the company afloat because you need the money coming in from those titles that you published years ago in order to fund the new ones. —Jane Friedman
I think people are struggling with the power and the weight of Amazon. —Jane Friedman
On the self-publishing end, the people who are succeeding right now are the ones who have already reached their audience in some way. —Jane Friedman
Email, I think, is where a lot of authors are going. —Jane Friedman
You want to have some number of reviews very quickly to reassure the people who have no clue who you are that this book is a good bet, or that it’s for them. —Jane Friedman
If you found value in today’s episode, we hope you’ll take a moment to share it with someone else who might benefit from it. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover, please email Becky Robinson here.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review.
Click here to download our new, free resource, Spend This First, AND explore our Ebooks about publishing: Publishing Choices and Publishing & Marketing Timelines.
Check out our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Buy a copy of Reach: Create the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and don’t forget to leave an Amazon review.
Click here to tweet about this episode!
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.