Break into Bookstores as an Indie Author with Valerie Howard

In 2024, the Published Podcast welcomed experts from every corner of the publishing industry to share advice every author needs to know.  As we look forward to another year of the Published podcast, we’re returning to some of the best publishing advice of the year. This episode highlights education on author rights, strategies for choosing a title and earning awards, key knowledge about printing and distribution into bookstores as an indie or self-published author, and advice to promote your book through blogging on Substack or Linkedin.  You can find the transcripts for the featured episodes or listen to them in full at the links below: Behind the Scenes of Book Awards Judging with Panelist Jennia D'Lima Crafting the Perfect Book Title and Subtitle with Maggie Langrick Sell Your Book Around the World with Foreign Rights Agent Terrie Wolf Who Can Copyright a Book by ChatGPT? Lawyer Explains Court Rulings on AI Break into Bookstores as an Indie Author with Valerie Howard Compare Book Printing Costs, Quality, and Timelines with Angela Olmeta Personalize Outreach on Substack and Booktok with Claire Isenthal Blog Your Way to a Book Deal or Bestseller with Jane Friedman Master LinkedIn to Reach More Readers with Owen Sammarone 📚 Want to explore publishing your book or idea? Submit to Greenleaf here: greenleafbookgroup.com/submissions 🌿 Check out Tanya's book Ideas, Influence, and Income for more publishing advice. 

Today we’re joined by Greenleaf's own Valerie Howard, a distribution account executive who helps our authors navigate the confusing world of book distribution. Brick and mortar retailers have a high barrier to entry, especially for independent and debut authors, but in this episode Valerie will explain how authors can connect with local bookstores directly in order to host author events and get books on shelves.  📚 Want to explore publishing your book or idea? Submit to Greenleaf here: greenleafbookgroup.com/submissions 🌿 Show notes and transcript: greenleafbookgroup.com/episode92 🌿 Check out Tanya's book Ideas, Influence, and Income for more publishing advice.   

In this episode, we’re discussing book awards and how authors can earn their accolades. As an awards judge for three book award programs, Jennia D'Lima will share her behind-the-scenes knowledge of how winners are selected and how to stand out to judges. Show notes and transcript Check out Tanya's book, Ideas, Influence, and Income Submit your book or book idea to Greenleaf

With thousands of books being released every day, an author’s work can get buried unless they find a way to stand out. In this episode, proposal writer Salwa Emerson will discusses how to distinguish yourself in a saturated market and find your unique offering.    🌿Transcript and show notes: https://greenleafbookgroup.com/episode90  📚Greenleaf is a hybrid book publisher and distributor, and submissions are open! If you have a book idea you'd like feedback on, submit it here: greenleafbookgroup.com/submissions 🌿Connect with us on socials: https://linktr.ee/greenleafbookgroup 📚Questions, comments, concerns? Email [email protected]. 

Publishing industry reporter Jane Friedman discusses her experience as an author and blogger and shares how writers from either background can leverage their work into a book, or turn their book into shareable online content.  Jane Friedman's decades of editing, publishing, and consulting expertise inform her reporting on publishing industry news through her blog, JaneFriedman.com, and her newsletters, Electric Speed and The Hot Sheet. 

A book’s title is one of the most important elements to get right, and one of the trickiest. A great title should communicate the promise of the book and who it’s for to attract the intended audience — all in a few catchy and memorable words. Maggie Langrick, a creativity coach and founding publisher at Wonderwell Press, explains what makes a successful title and subtitle and what to avoid if you want to make a great impression and hook a reader. Find a transcript and show notes at greenleafbookgroup.com/episode88.

In this episode, Greenleaf's Print Production Specialist Angela Olmeta explains what goes into printing books and what authors should keep in mind if they’re planning to do so on their own. There are a number of production factors that impact the final product of a book, from design elements that influence the cost of printing to supply chain constraints that can cause printing delays. Authors planning to self-publish have a lot of decisions to make, and if you aren’t prepared for common obstacles, you may find yourself without books in stock on your launch day, or even worse, with a book that costs more to print than buyers will pay for it. 

Success comes down to how much an author is willing to pound the pavement and show up for their own work. Today we're joined by Greenleaf author Claire Isenthal to share the ways she’s tailored her content and outreach across different social media platforms to drive book sales, especially through Substack and Booktok. 

We all know the benefits of social media and building a landing page for your readers. LinkedIn is a platform that does it all if you know how to use it. Today we’re joined by Owen Sammarone, founder and CEO of Unleash The Knowledge, a digital community for nonfiction authors to expand their reach. In this episode, Owen will explain how your LinkedIn profile can solidify your author brand, help you grow a network, and convert your audience to book sales.

If you want your book to be read around the world, there’s a good chance you’ll need to publish versions in different countries. In this episode, foreign rights agent Terrie Wolf explains the difference between foreign and translation rights, how to negotiate with publishers outside your country, and what an author should know if they want to publish internationally. For transcript and show notes, go to greenleafbookgroup.com/episode84