Podcasts Episodes

In this episode, I talk about my own book tour which stretched from New Orleans to New York. I share how I booked the signings, what I packed to take to signings, what discount I offered on my books, and which mistakes most self-published authors make that keep them from being able to schedule in-store signings.

In this episode, I talk to Katie Kelly about how to look great while traveling on a book tour, how to keep your skin looking its best and how to create a consistent look that will photograph well on your tour.

In this episode, I talk to the stylists behind Irrelephant blog — Joanna Ballentine and Molly Stilley — about how to prep for headshots, how to find a stylist, and which makeup and hair products are their favorites.

In this episode, I talk about why most independent booksellers dislike Amazon and why partnering with Amazon by publishing through CreateSpace isn’t the best idea for self publishers who hope to be found on bookstore shelves someday. I also read an excerpt from my book, The Localist.

In this episode, I talk with former bookseller Michelle Phillips of Church Street Coffee & Books about how self-published authors often botch their bookstore pitches. We also talk about how to make the best of your book signing and tone down the awkwardness of a signing or meeting.

In this episode, I share my experience as a website copywriter with tips for how to create an author website, including which pages your website should include, where to link your books for sales, and how to process payments.

In this episode, I interview photographer Kelly Cummings about how to design a social media campaign for your self-published book and book tour. We discuss how to use hashtags, how to deal with Instagram changes and how to spin a lackluster book signing into social media gold.

In this episode, I interview Jonathan Walls, the web designer and developer who built the website for The Localist. We talk about whether you should hire a web developer to design your author website or use a template, when to install Google Analytics, the pros and cons of WordPres and Squarespace, and which pages and functionality your book’s website will need.

In this episode, I talk about how to network to promote your self-published book, including tips for a short and sweet elevator pitch, ideas for how to drive people to your website, and how to meet people who’ll care about your book.

In this episode, I interview Mollie Hawkins, freelance writer and former librarian. We talk about why it’s difficult to get your self-published book onto library shelves and the best ways to butter up library staff and librarians in hopes of getting your book into a library catalog.