As children, we're taught to believe in the magic of connection. Whether it's the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, we're taught that when we believe in something strongly enough, it feels real. The same is true when it comes to marketing. If you can tap into the magic of connection with your reader avatar, you can create a powerful marketing force that will work wonders for your book sales.

Come behind the scenes of Narelle's Mastermind and her August sales activator challenge. Coming into the biggest book buying months of the year (September - December), Narelle challenged her Mastermind to start flexing their marketing and sales muscles so they have their marketing groove on when the last quarter of the year arrives.   In this podcast, Narelle shares the exact process for Authors and their marketing that she is taking her Mastermind authors through - with amazing results!...

When it comes to increasing book sales, you will need to step outside your comfort zone and try new marketing activities, ones that potentially scare you or you don't want to do but you know you need to. While this can be uncomfortable, it's important to remember that these new habits will help you reach new readers and increase sales. In this podcast,  Narelle shares an exercise she does with her Mastermind group to help them expand their belief in themselves and compound their business...

We have had some interesting and even curly questions asked over the years. As S.E. Smith is a wide author and not in Kindle Unlimited (KU), by far the most popular curly question from readers is, "How do I read your books for free?".   In this podcast, Narelle discusses the approach her and Susan use to respond to readers seeking free books. Rather than ignore, send to spam, or shame, Narelle and Susan's approach is to entice the reader to read the free books S.E. Smith makes available on...

Selecting a coach to work with is a personal choice because there are obviously many different coaches and many different coaching styles. How do you know who to go with as what is right for one person may not be right for you?   In this podcast, Narelle Todd shares her approach to coaching that helps authors achieve (and exceed) their goals. An experienced coach, Narelle tailors her approach to each person, by adapting her approach for the stage of writing and business the author is at....

If you're an author, it's time to face the truth: the reason you might not be getting what you desire in your business is you.   In this podcast, I talk about the number one thing stopping authors from reaching their goals and sabotaging their business - their mindset. Authors often are not aware of their own self-sabotage or what to do next to correct the situation they have created. But with some simple steps and a guiding hand, they can start to make changes that stop the limiting...

Short, punchy, and attention getting – these are the three things readers want when they’re scrolling through their social media feeds. And if you can give them a piece of your story that achieves all of those goals in just a few sentences, you’ve done your job. Bring on Snippets!   Snippets are 1-2 powerful sentences from your story that not only give your readers a taste of your story but also elicits an emotion, whether it be anticipation from a cliff hanger, tears from an emotional...

Have you ever wanted to reach out to someone who is further along in their author journey and ask for their help or advice? Chances are fear has held you back from reaching out or thinking that you are the only one who has a question or doesn't know what to do next.   This podcast is all about how to empower yourself and ask for help so you can grow your author business quicker and, in turn, help others coming behind you.

In this podcast, you'll learn our 3 best productivity apps for Mac and Windows systems so you can write anywhere, be more productive, streamline your workflow, and edit and format faster. We can’t imagine not using these now after discovering them!   These apps for productivity range from writing your book, editing your book to working anywhere. These productivity tools are paid but are OTPs (one time payments) and will help you self-publish and respond to your readers in real time quicker...

You know bad days are going to arrive, probably when you least want them or expect them. You have a choice as to how you will deal with those bad days and in today's podcast, we look at what motivates us to push through on the bad days and do what we have committed to or need to achieve.   It's time to flex your resilience muscle with us so grab a coffee, let's go!!

What is the impact of perfectionism on writing? Stephanie Harrell talks about how perfectionism can hinder your writing career because you procrastinate for fear of not doing something new well or perfectly or you overthink and you don't allow yourself to see how good your writing and marketing is.   If you struggle with perfectionism, procrastination or imposter syndrome, this podcast is a must listen as the tips and insights will help you embrace perfectionism and use it for the forces of...

Growing as a writer and a business owner requires you to always be learning all the time - learning the craft of writing, running the mechanics of a business, and working out the marketing tactics for your particular genre. "It's like starting a new job every week!"   Stephanie Harrell opens the doors on her business growth as a new author and what she has discovered about her writing business and her love for writing. These are tips that every new and nearly new author needs to be reminded...

What an amazing chat we had with Natalie Palma! This episode is perfect for newly published writers and writers wanting to publish.   Prior to releasing her first book, Natalie Palma called herself a dabbler in writing, being in writers groups for ten years, and having written but never completed many books. Natalie steps us through the release of her first book and what she learnt about writing, marketing, and herself.

Winnie started her author business in 2018 and shares her lessons learnt from starting her business and writing in multi-genres. If you write in different genres (or want to), this episode is a must listen. Winnie gives her tips for successfully integrating multiple genres under one pen name.

What if you were to reinvent yourself? What would you be doing? It's a fun way to check in on your happiness radar! If you are feeling stuck or just want to play with possibilities, have some fun and ask yourself the question.   Susan and Narelle talk about what they would be doing if they were to reinvent themselves... any ideas on what their dream jobs are?

Writing is a solitary business and often one with non-standard hours! 7pm to midnight (or longer), anyone?! Author groups are a great way to meet other authors, socialise and discuss things only a fellow author would want to know about - plot holes, hashtags, and self-publishing. But there can also be some downsides to joining an author group, from group think to comparisonitis and even bullying.   In our podcast, we share what we have learnt from being in a variety of groups and whether...

Cassandra Chandler is a USA TODAY Bestselling author who well knows that the road to success as an author is not linear. In this episode, Narelle and Susan chat with Cassandra about her personal development and growth as a writer and a business owner. With innate honesty and a healthy dose of self-reflection, Cassandra shares her author journey with its inherent struggles and win. And we ask the question, would you do this again?

Writing small town romance with a twist of magic is author, Candace Colt's happy place. Candace was previously published with a small press publisher and we talk with Candace about making the transition to self-published. What she wishes she knew then and what she's grateful to know now.   This podcast will uplift anyone wondering if self-publishing is possible.

Authors need a marketing plan! Releasing a book into the wild and hoping someone buys it is not a plan and yet many authors come to us doing exactly this.   In this podcast, we share our three must do activities with your marketing plan... because sort of having one and implementing it, are two very different things.

Feelings of disappointment and sadness can be difficult to bounce back from when opportunities fall through in our business. So what can writers do to keep their faith in their work and their goals when challenging moments happen in their business?   Jill Wallace is on our podcast today and we discuss two major disappointments she has lived through in her writing career and how she has tapped into the feelings associated with those disappointments and used them to create new opportunities...

Writing about recent history and culture changes can be a balancing act but throw in the dynamics of apartheid and war torn South Africa and you know a gifted writer will need to balance many perspectives in the telling of their story.   In this week's podcast, we chat with Jill Wallace, a South African born writer, who has written two stories inspired by real events in South Africa. We discuss how she approached her stories to ensure respect for the various perspectives.

Trigger warnings in story blurbs are becoming increasingly common, especially in romance. In this podcast, we have a look at what constitutes a trigger and how do you know if you should add a trigger warning in your blurb. And to round the session up, we talk about respecting the dignity of your readers and why a trigger warning should not be used as a salacious way to make sales.

Creating different income streams is important to your author business to ensure you have diversity of income. Then if there is a downturn in one part of your business, you have other income coming in as you work to reverse the loss of income.   An author store is one way to diversify your income streams and in this podcast we discuss the ugly, the bad, and the good in operating your own store. You will need to take notes in this session so you don't get caught out with your own store! Yes...

Did you know that you have a choice of business models as an author? While writers start from the same business foundation, your choice of business model then provides you with different marketing tactics tailored to your specific needs.   Too many writers are using tactics that do not match their business model through no fault of their own. Usually they are not even aware that marketing tactics are not a one size fits all and that they need to use the right tactics for their business.   ...