Book Marketing Tips and Author Success Podcast

Hosted by Author Marketing Experts

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Episodes

348

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Book marketing podcast for authors covering how to market a book, self-publishing, Amazon for authors, proven strategies to sell more books, and how to survive in this industry. Join bestselling author and book marketing maven Penny Sansevieri and savvy publishing insider Amy Cornell for lively, no-nonsense conversations filled with smart strategies, creative inspiration, and publishing know-how you can actually use. Whether you’re self-published, traditionally published, or somewhere in between, this podcast delivers real-world advice to help you sell more books, build your platform, and thrive in the ever-evolving publishing landscape . From clever promo hacks to critical industry insights, each episode is designed to move the needle on your success. Fresh ideas. Actionable tips. Unfiltered talk. If you’re serious about your author career, hit subscribe and tune in —your next big breakthrough could be one episode away.

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60 recent

October 16, 2026Episode 4122 min

The Launch Culture Trap: Sell More Books Without Chasing the Next Release

Publish. Launch. Repeat. Somewhere along the way, authors got the message that the only way to sell more books is to keep writing new ones. But what happens when you’re so busy chasing your next release that the books you’ve already published barely get a chance? In this episode, Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell take on the launch culture trap—and the pressure to stay in production mode while perfectly marketable books gather digital dust. Your next sales opportunity could already be sitting on your Amazon author page. We dig into the missed opportunities that can leave a backlist stranded: covers that don’t work together, descriptions that undersell the reading experience, unclear series connections, and books that never introduce readers to the rest of your work. You’ll learn how to spot those gaps and decide what needs a refresh so your catalog starts working together. Then we turn that refresh into a manageable marketing routine. We talk about giving every book a marketing job, building a simple 90-day promotional rotation, and choosing focused tactics—from ebook promotions and price tests to light advertising and targeted outreach. Plus, we cover the back matter updates that help one book lead to another and why asking readers to follow you on Amazon deserves a place in your plan. Before you put all your hopes—and your marketing budget—into another launch, give the books you already have a closer look. Hit play for practical ways to keep your catalog working between releases, without turning book marketing into another full-time job. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

October 9, 2026Episode 4028 min

Why Influencers Aren’t Responding to Your Book Pitch—and How to Fix It

You found the perfect book influencer. Their audience is exactly right. You sent what you thought was a great pitch…and then? Nothing. Before you assume influencers hate pitches—or that your book just isn’t interesting enough—there’s something you need to know: your pitch probably had about five seconds to make the cut. Influencer inboxes have become absolute war zones, packed with review requests, generic PR emails, mass pitches, and books that have nothing to do with their audience. And after seeing some surprisingly bad outreach—including pitches sent by professional publicists—we knew it was time to talk about what actually gets an influencer’s attention. In this episode, Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell break down the book pitching mistakes that can kill your chances before an influencer ever gets to the second paragraph. We’re talking mismatched genres, copy-and-paste emails, BCC blasts, unrealistic deadlines, complicated asks, unsolicited books, and pitches that make it painfully obvious the sender has no idea who they’re contacting. But this isn’t just a list of what not to do. We’ll show you what makes a strong influencer pitch stand out: targeting fewer people more strategically, demonstrating that you actually know their content and audience, making your ask ridiculously easy to understand, tracking your outreach, following up professionally, and building familiarity before you need something. We’re also tackling one of the fastest ways to destroy trust: trying to control reviews, dictate what someone says, or expect five stars because you sent a free book. Influencer marketing works because readers trust these creators. The minute your outreach threatens that trust, you’ve lost the very thing you were hoping to tap into. If you’re tired of sending book pitches into a black hole, this episode will help you rethink your approach—and build an influencer outreach strategy you can use for this launch, your backlist, and every book that comes next. Plus, grab our pre-pitch checklist in the show notes before you send another email. Listen now, subscribe, and share this episode with an author who’s wondering why nobody is answering their pitches. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

October 2, 2026Episode 3925 min

Does Your Author Brand Look AI-Generated? How to Build Reader Trust Now

Readers are becoming more skeptical—and authors are getting caught in the fallout. Even if you’ve never used AI to write a single word, your book marketing can still trigger the same suspicion readers increasingly bring to generic, overly polished, or strangely interchangeable content. Your Amazon description. Your author bio. Your reviews. Your website. Even your author photo. In this episode, we’re digging into a growing challenge in book marketing: the reader trust problem created by AI—and what authors can do about it. Readers are making incredibly fast credibility decisions when they discover a book. Does this author feel real? Does this book seem legitimate? Do the reviews sound believable? Does the author’s expertise hold up when I look beyond the Amazon page? And increasingly, polished isn’t enough. We break down the subtle signals that can make an author brand feel manufactured, including vague bios, generic positioning, suspiciously perfect reviews, inflated authority claims, stock-sounding copy, and branding that doesn’t match the person readers discover elsewhere online. More importantly, we explain how to fix it. The answer isn’t adding “100% human-written” to everything you publish—or deliberately making your marketing less professional. It’s building a brand that contains something AI has a much harder time manufacturing: specificity, personality, perspective, history, and proof. We’ll talk about: Why generic marketing language is becoming a credibility problem The quick “trust test” readers perform before buying How reviews can strengthen—or quietly undermine—reader confidence Why your author bio needs evidence, not just impressive-sounding claims How consistency across Amazon, Goodreads, your website, social media, and search builds credibility Why strong opinions and specific details make your marketing more memorable How podcasts, events, media mentions, awards, endorsements, and community involvement create third-party trust signals What not to do when trying to prove that you’re a “real” author Because in an increasingly AI-saturated marketplace, one of the strongest competitive advantages you have is being unmistakably, specifically you . If your marketing feels polished but forgettable—or you’re wondering how readers decide which authors they trust—this episode will help you strengthen the signals that make people stop, believe, and ultimately buy. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

September 25, 2026Episode 4019 min

The 90-Minute Book Marketing Reset Every Author Needs This Fall

Fall has a sneaky way of turning perfectly reasonable authors into frantic marketers. Suddenly Q4 is here, holiday promotions are everywhere, Black Friday is looming, and it feels like you should be launching ads, pitching bookstores, posting more, discounting your book, growing your email list—and somehow doing all of it before Thanksgiving. We have a different suggestion: stop adding things and figure out what’s actually working. In this episode, Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell walk through a practical fall book marketing reset designed to help you finish the year strategically instead of throwing more time and money at tactics that aren’t producing anything. We’re digging into one of the biggest problems in book marketing: confusing activity with progress . Just because you’ve been doing something for months doesn’t mean you should keep doing it. And walking away from an ineffective strategy isn’t giving up—it’s good marketing. But how do you know what’s worth keeping? We talk about the signals authors should be watching for before the sales show up: genuine responses to pitches, bookstore and library interest, stronger engagement from the right readers, email activity, opportunities that begin opening up, and other signs that your positioning is starting to connect. Then we turn to one of the most important—and most overlooked—pieces of your fall marketing strategy: your Amazon book page. Because you can drive all the traffic in the world to a book, but if the retail page doesn’t build confidence and make the book easy to understand and buy, the rest of your marketing has to work twice as hard. And we’re giving you a simple 90-minute fall marketing audit you can do right now: 30 minutes to review. 30 minutes to eliminate. 30 minutes to reallocate. We’ll show you what to look for, what may be worth cutting, and how to choose just one to three smart experiments to run between now and the end of the year—without turning Q4 into a marketing free-for-all. Because sometimes the smartest thing you can do for your book isn’t more marketing . It’s better marketing. If this episode helps you rethink your fall strategy, subscribe to the show, share it with an author who may be heading into Q4 overwhelm, and leave us a review so more authors can find the podcast. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

September 18, 2026Episode 3834 min

Getting Seen Isn’t Enough: What Makes Readers Actually Buy

You’re running ads. You’re posting. You landed a podcast interview. Maybe you even got some media coverage. So why aren’t more people buying the book? Because getting seen and getting chosen are two very different things. In this episode, we’re digging into one of the most misunderstood parts of book marketing: the gap between visibility and reader confidence. Authors are often taught to judge every marketing effort by one brutal question: Did it sell books? But readers rarely move that quickly. They notice a book, encounter it again, check the reviews, look at the author, read the description, hear a recommendation—and somewhere along the way, enough signals stack up that buying suddenly feels like an easy decision. That distinction matters, because a marketing campaign can be doing exactly what it should be doing long before the royalty report catches up. We’ll talk about why authors—especially newer authors or those still building an audience—can sabotage perfectly good marketing by abandoning strategies too quickly, chasing the next tactic, or assuming that visibility without an immediate sale equals failure. Then we break down the specific signals that make readers feel confident enough to buy. For fiction authors, that means immediately communicating genre, tone, emotional payoff, and reader expectations through your cover, positioning, book description, reviews, and overall presentation. If readers can’t quickly tell what kind of experience your book promises, even great visibility may not convert. For nonfiction authors, confidence looks different. Readers are asking: Why should I trust you with this problem? Your author bio, expertise, credentials, endorsements, media appearances, positioning, reviews, and consistency all help answer that question. And memoir has its own challenge. Readers may care deeply about your story—but the marketing still needs to communicate why that story matters to them . We discuss how to move beyond “this happened to me” and identify the emotional connection, insight, transformation, or takeaway that makes a stranger want to spend several hours inside your experience. We’ll also look at the marketing metrics authors routinely undervalue: meaningful engagement, reviews, newsletter growth, recommendations, repeat exposure, media mentions, and other indicators that reader confidence is building even before sales noticeably increase. Because successful book marketing isn’t about finding one magical tactic that instantly triggers a purchase. It’s about giving the right reader enough reasons to finally say, “Yes, this is the book I want.” If you’ve been marketing your book and wondering whether any of it is actually working, this episode will help you diagnose where the buying decision may be breaking down—and what to strengthen before you throw out your entire marketing plan. Subscribe to The Book Marketing Tips and Author Success Podcast , share this episode with an author who needs to hear it, and leave us a review wherever you listen. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

September 11, 2026Episode 3736 min

Is Someone Pretending to Be You Online? The New Author Scam

What if the next author scam isn’t someone trying to steal your money—but someone pretending to be you ? Author scams are getting far more sophisticated. We’re no longer just seeing the obvious “Hollywood wants your book” emails or fake marketing offers. Scammers are creating convincing author profiles, copying real content, borrowing established reputations, and reaching out to readers and other writers using identities that aren’t theirs. And you absolutely do not need to be a bestselling author to become a target. In this episode, we dig into the disturbing rise of author impersonation and reputation theft, including how scammers identify authors who appear credible, active, or successful enough to exploit. Sometimes all it takes is a new book, an award, a media mention, a growing social account, or another visible win for your name to land on someone’s radar. We’ll show you how these scams often unfold: flattering outreach, suspicious collaboration invitations, fake book clubs, anthology opportunities, promises of exposure, questionable Amazon “optimization” offers, and messages claiming that another trusted author or industry professional personally recommended them. That last one is especially dangerous. Scammers know that borrowing someone else’s credibility can get authors to lower their guard. But this episode isn’t just about spotting scams. We’re talking about how to make your author identity significantly harder to steal in the first place. You’ll learn why authors should secure their primary domain—and reasonable variations of it—claim important social media handles even if they aren’t actively using every platform, maintain consistent branding across the web, and use an email address connected to their own domain instead of relying entirely on Gmail or another generic provider. We also explain why your author website is becoming an increasingly important verification tool. Someone who receives a message supposedly from you should be able to quickly find your official website, confirm your real contact information, and determine whether the person reaching out is actually you. And if you discover an impersonator? Don’t simply delete the message or account and move on. Screenshot it. Save the URLs. Document what happened. Report the profile. Preserve the evidence before it disappears. Your author name is more than a byline. It’s your reputation, your credibility, and the trust you’ve built with readers—and as your visibility grows, protecting that identity needs to become part of your book marketing strategy. Listen now, then send this episode to another author who needs to know this is happening. And if you have a scam, suspicious pitch, or author-marketing question you’d like us to tackle on the show, text PODCAST to 888-402-8940 . You can also leave us a review wherever you listen—it helps more authors discover the show. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

September 4, 2026Episode 3634 min

20,000 Views. Three Book Sales. Here’s What Went Wrong.

Imagine spending $44,000 on a book launch and selling three books. Or generating 20,000 views and walking away with three preorders. Those aren’t hypothetical numbers—and they expose one of the biggest problems in book marketing right now: attention is not the same thing as buyer intent. Authors are constantly told they need more visibility, more followers, more views, more reach, more buzz. But what happens when all of those numbers go up…and book sales don’t? In this episode, we’re unpacking some eye-opening book launch stories and looking at what went wrong—not to pile on the authors involved, but because there are lessons here that every author needs to understand. We talk about why a massive audience can still be the wrong audience , why follower counts and video views can create a very expensive illusion of success, and why even traditionally published authors can get caught assuming that a big platform, a major publisher, or an expensive marketing campaign will automatically create demand. Because visibility only works when there’s a clear bridge between who is seeing your book and why they should care about it. We’ll dig into: Why reach without reader alignment rarely converts The difference between an audience and an actual book-buying audience Why launch month is far too late to start building reader interest What authors should really be asking when a marketing company promises impressive numbers The reality of influencer campaigns—and when those big view counts actually matter Why positioning, messaging, and reader relevance need to come before amplification How podcast guesting can create stronger, higher-trust visibility when the audience fit is right And perhaps most importantly, we talk about the question authors should be asking before spending another dollar on marketing: Will this put my book in front of more people—or more of the right people? Because you can go viral. You can rack up thousands of views. You can have an enormous following. And you can still sell three books. If you’re ready to stop chasing impressive-looking numbers and start focusing on the marketing that actually gives readers a reason to buy, this episode is for you. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

August 28, 2026Episode 3528 min

Bookstore Events Have Changed: What Authors Need to Know

Are Barnes & Noble author events going away? Not exactly. But the days of walking into a bookstore, asking for a signing, and expecting the store to supply the audience are rapidly disappearing—and that may actually be good news for authors who know how to create a compelling event. In this episode, we unpack what’s really happening with Barnes & Noble events and the much bigger shift taking place in bookstore marketing. Because bookstores still want authors. They still want events. What they increasingly don’t want is a table, a stack of books, and an author waiting for random shoppers to stop by. The question authors need to answer has changed from “Will you host me?” to “Why will people come?” And that distinction matters. We talk about why bookstores need authors to approach events as business partnerships rather than free promotional opportunities, what makes an event worth putting on the calendar, and why the traditional solo signing is often one of the weakest formats you can pitch. Then we get into what does work. For fiction authors, that might mean creating a multi-author genre night, themed reader event, or conversation that gives fans more than one reason to attend. For nonfiction authors, it could be a workshop, panel, demonstration, or locally relevant discussion tied to an issue your community already cares about. We also break down what belongs in a strong Barnes & Noble event pitch—including the piece far too many authors leave out: your plan for getting people there. That means local media, community calendars, book clubs, organizations, newsletters, social promotion, partnerships, and the local relationships you’ve already started building. And if Barnes & Noble isn’t saying yes yet? We explain why libraries, indie bookstores, book clubs, community organizations, and smaller venues can become the proof that makes the next bookstore much more willing to take a chance on you. Because local book marketing compounds. One successful event can lead to another. Booksellers talk. Librarians talk. Communities remember authors who show up prepared, promote professionally, and bring something worthwhile to the room. If bookstore events are part of your marketing plan, this episode will help you stop thinking like an author asking for space—and start thinking like an event partner a bookstore actually wants to work with. If you find this episode useful, subscribe, share it with an author who’s trying to land more bookstore events, and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

August 21, 2026Episode 3438 min

What’s In, What’s Out: The Book Marketing Edition

Every so often, book marketing needs a good cleanout. So in this episode, we’re doing our own book marketing “In & Out” list —the strategies, habits, and author expectations we’re happily carrying forward, and the ones we think need to be shown the door. And yes, we have opinions. Out: stuffing keywords everywhere they’ll fit. Trying to show up on every social media platform because someone told you that you “have to.” Obsessing over follower counts that look impressive but don’t necessarily sell books. Treating launch week like your one and only shot at success. And spending money on flashy marketing assets simply because they look like marketing. In: reader-first copy that actually sounds human. Clear book positioning. Choosing marketing channels based on where your readers are—not where everyone else is shouting the loudest. Building reviews, visibility, and word of mouth over time. Growing a newsletter and reader base you can bring with you from book to book. And making smarter decisions about where your time, energy, and budget will actually have an impact. We also tackle one of the biggest author-marketing myths: that more is always better. More posting. More platforms. More tactics. More noise. It isn’t. The goal isn’t to do everything. It’s to know which things matter for your book, your readers, and where you are in your publishing journey . We’ll also talk about why long-tail marketing deserves a permanent spot on the “in” list, why reader retention may matter more than chasing a one-week bestseller spike, and why simple, authentic author video can often do more for reader connection than an expensive book trailer. Consider this your permission slip to keep what works, ditch what doesn’t, and stop feeling guilty about all the marketing tactics you were never going to enjoy doing anyway. If the episode helps, subscribe, share it with an author friend, and leave us a review so more writers can find practical book marketing advice that actually fits the way readers discover and buy books today. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.

August 14, 2026Episode 3325 min

Why Authors Avoid Marketing—and What’s Really Keeping You Stuck

If you’ve ever put off your book marketing, disappeared down another research rabbit hole, or told yourself you’ll get serious about promotion after the next book is finished, this episode is for you. And no, we’re not here to call authors lazy. Because what looks like laziness is often something else entirely: overwhelm, uncertainty, perfectionism, fear of making the wrong decision, or simply not knowing what to tackle first. Book marketing has a lot of moving parts, and when everything feels important, it’s surprisingly easy to do nothing—or keep doing the comfortable things while avoiding the decisions that would actually move the needle. We start with one of the biggest examples: authors who describe their target audience as “women,” “people who like to read,” or, our personal favorite, “everyone.” It may feel safer to cast a wide net, but vague reader targeting creates problems everywhere else. Your audience influences your Amazon categories, keywords, book description, positioning, retail presentation, publicity opportunities, and ultimately whether the right reader recognizes that your book is meant for them. Specificity doesn’t shrink your market. It gives your marketing somewhere to go. We also dig into the behaviors that keep authors caught in what we call the marketing spin cycle: endless preparation, waiting to feel motivated, putting off uncomfortable tasks, worrying so much about wasting money that you wind up doing nothing at all, and convincing yourself that one more book—or one magical marketing tactic—is going to solve the problem. And sometimes the smartest investment isn’t paying someone to do more tasks. It’s paying for perspective, clarity, and expertise that helps you make better decisions in the first place. We’ll also share a lesson from our own recent pre-order campaign about why genuinely useful reader value can outperform another piece of swag—and why paying attention to what your audience actually wants matters far more than simply doing what everyone else is doing. If your book marketing has stalled, this episode isn’t about making you feel guilty. It’s about figuring out what’s underneath the avoidance, simplifying the decisions in front of you, and getting back to the kind of consistent, intentional action that actually builds visibility, reviews, and book sales. Subscribe so you don’t miss future book marketing tips, share this episode with an author who may be feeling stuck, and leave us a review wherever you listen so more authors can find the show. Send us your feedback! Order Penny's latest book, Think Local Sell Global and start building a book sales strategy you have more control over! 📱 Text Penny & Amy: Send your marketing questions, show feedback, and episode ideas. Text PODCAST to (888) 402-8940 to join and get new episode alerts. Save our number! ⭐ Enjoying the show? Please follow the podcast and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help more authors discover the show! 💬 Don't use Apple Podcasts or Spotify? Email your review to info@amarketingexpert.com and we'll feature it on our website.