PODCASTS: LEARNING WHILE YOU WORK AT WRITING

Natalie Bright

Perhaps I’m way behind the times, but I’ve never been into podcasts. My youngest son has always been a fan, but it never made sense to me that he spent time watching someone else play a video game. I realized he’s watching a lot about science though, when he began spouting off facts about the universe.

This past weekend I discovered podcasts are for writers too!

Thecreativepenn.com is a treasure trove of information for writers including 250 podcast interviews by self-published author Joanna Penn. She is officially my first podcast subscription.

Here’s what I did last week while listening to Joanna Penn talk about writing:

• Folded two loads of clothes.
• Re-arranged my make-up drawer.
• Ironed shirts for my husband and son.
• Unloaded and loaded the dishwasher several times.
• Cooked tacos for dinner.
• Logged five miles on the treadmill.

Which brings me to the point of this blog post:

Here’s what I learned from thecreativepenn.com podcasts and how I applied that information to my own self-published eBook:

• Discovered my eBook on Smashwords had 225 sample downloads, but only eight sales.
• My price of $4.99 is double the cost for about half the page length as compared to books on the same topic which are priced at $1.99 and $2.99.
• GONE NEVER FORGOTTEN is a heartfelt memoir about loss and the grief of losing our oldest baby boy. The book title is also the same as a porno video that used to be available on Amazon, which is why I stopped promoting it. I should have researched and put more thought into title ideas before I self-published.
• The title page, dedication, table of contents makes up most of the downloadable sample. No one is seeing any significant example of my writing or what the book is about. When formatting your eBooks, begin with the text of the story. Put everything else at the end.
• Social media is amazing, and it’s mind-blowing as to what self-published authors are able to accomplish these days.
• Guest blogging, Twitter, Facebook promos and whatever else, are all things I can do to let readers know about this book. The measurable results of what works best for me is completely different for what might have worked for others. Every author must decide upon their own journey.
• The most profitable combination is to have at least four books written, polished and published before you begin a concentrated social media blitz.
• Start building my fan base now by actively participating on twitter, facebook, pinterest, and other social media sites.
• A newsletter is the best way to build an email data base of possible buyers for your books.
• The number of people reading on their iPhone devices has exploded (estimated at three times other devices), which makes the iBook app worth considering both as a reader and as a writer.
• I’ve decided to retire my eBook on Smashwords and rebrand the project.
• Do I want to spend time and money on a cover redesign, new formatting, and find an illustrator?
• Should I write a book proposal and research possible submissions to a small press?
• I must develop a social media marketing plan.
• I must learn to balance the creative side with the business side, if I want to be a successful author and sell books.
• Be open minded and consider all of the possibilities for my books in today’s publishing environment.

I’ll keep you posted as this project develops. Thanks for following WordsmithSix!