Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)

Audiobooks: Insider Tips to Produce & Sell Titles More Profitably

Audiobook sales have been on the rise for many years, and they show no signs of stopping; so many independent publishers are hoping to take advantage of this boom. But there are important factors to consider first. Will the return on investment be worth the cost of producing an audiobook? How do you produce a quality audiobook on a lean budget? What genres perform the best as audiobooks? Do you market your audiobook differently than your print and ebooks? Podium Entertainment has had great success in the audiobook market, so Publisher Victoria Gerken joins the podcast today to answer those questions, as well as discuss their transition from being an audiobook-only publisher to now also publishing print and ebooks. PARTICIPANTS Victoria Gerken is the Publisher at Podium Entertainment. She has welcomed independent authors into the Podium family since 2016. She previously worked with authors in traditional publishing roles - at Random House and Alfred A. Knopf - where she was a publicist and sold subsidiary rights. Victoria got her first taste of entrepreneurship in publishing as the founder of the Random House Speakers Bureau. Independent Book Publishers Association [https://www.ibpa-online.org/default.aspx] is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 4,000 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).”  [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf61TWnfQRd5kJoIo---UyjbLqENWnGsl]He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures [http://christopher-locke.com/]. LINKS Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/ [https://www.ibpa-online.org/] Learn more about Podium Entertainment here: www.podiumentertainment.com [http://www.podiumentertainment.com/] Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline [https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline] X – https://twitter.com/ibpa [https://twitter.com/ibpa] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ [https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/] Follow Podium Entertainment on social media: @podiumentertainment

Best (and Worst) Book Marketing Strategies

The question that IBPA staff probably gets asked the most by publishers is: How do I sell more books. We’re always happy to help, so IBPA’s Chief Content Officer Lee Wind joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share advice on the most effective and ineffective book marketing tactics, including how you can get your book vetted so bookstores, librarians, and consumers will be more likely to buy it; how you can make your books more discoverable to buyers; how you should successfully market your book pre-publication, during the launch, and post publication; and much more. PARTICIPANTS Lee Wind (he/him) is IBPA's Chief Content Officer, and is constantly iterating IBPA's book marketing programs to help our members' books achieve and succeed. A book blogger and author published by six different independent presses himself, Lee is passionate about empowering and amplifying independent voices. As an author, Lee writes stories to empower kids and teens to be their authentic selves and change the world—the same books that would have changed his life as a young gay, Jewish kid. Lee is also the co-founder of We Are Stronger Than Censorship, a nonprofit program that buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenge. You can visit Lee's author website at leewind.org [https://leewind.org/] Independent Book Publishers Association [https://www.ibpa-online.org/default.aspx] is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).”  [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf61TWnfQRd5kJoIo---UyjbLqENWnGsl]He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures [http://christopher-locke.com/]. LINKS Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/ [https://www.ibpa-online.org/] Sell more books with IBPA's book marketing programs: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks [https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks] Support independent publishers whose books have been banned through the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign: https://www.wearestrongerthancensorship.org/ [https://www.wearestrongerthancensorship.org/] Check out IBPA Chief Content Officer Lee Wind’s books here: https://www.leewind.org/ [https://www.leewind.org/] Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline [https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline] X – https://twitter.com/ibpa [https://twitter.com/ibpa] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ [https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/] Follow Lee Wind here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamleewind/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leewind [https://www.facebook.com/leewind] Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/leewind.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/leewind.bsky.social] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/leewindauthor [https://www.youtube.com/user/leewindauthor]

How to Find Your Book Publishing Niche to Thrive

Canadian publisher Page Two found their publishing niche early on, honed it to perfection, and have had great success since then. It’s always helpful to learn from other publisher’s stories to improve your own publishing business, so Page Two Co-Founder and Co-CEO Trena White joins the podcast today to share details about how their team discovered the best books for their business, how they build strong relationships with their authors, how they built their staff, and much more. PARTICIPANTS Trena White is co-founder and co-CEO of book publishing firm Page Two, which publishes non-fiction books by leading experts. Founded in 2013, the boutique hybrid publisher curates and publishes a thoughtful list of books, workbooks, and journals by authors who are leaders in their subjects, specializing in business and leadership, finance, self-help, relationships, health and wellness, and parenting. The company’s books are sold around the world and have been translated into dozens of languages. It has published category-defining books that have sold 1 million+ copies, including The Coaching Habit and Exactly What to Say. Trena was a finalist for the RBC Women of Influence Trailblazer Award. Before launching Page Two, she was publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, Canada’s largest independent book publisher at the time; and an editor at McClelland & Stewart, now an imprint of Penguin Random House. Independent Book Publishers Association [https://www.ibpa-online.org/default.aspx] is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).”  [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf61TWnfQRd5kJoIo---UyjbLqENWnGsl]He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures [http://christopher-locke.com/]. LINKS Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/ [https://www.ibpa-online.org/] Learn more about Page Two here: https://pagetwo.com/ [https://pagetwo.com/] Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline [https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline] X – https://twitter.com/ibpa [https://twitter.com/ibpa] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ [https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/] Follow Trena White here: LinkedIn (Trena): https://ca.linkedin.com/in/trenawhite [https://ca.linkedin.com/in/trenawhite]  LinkedIn (Page Two): https://ca.linkedin.com/company/page-two [https://ca.linkedin.com/company/page-two]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagetwo_books/ [https://www.instagram.com/pagetwo_books/]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pagetwo/ [https://www.facebook.com/pagetwo/] Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/PageTwoBooks [https://twitter.com/PageTwoBooks]

How to Create a Sensational Book Marketing Plan

Do you have an organized, detailed, strategic marketing plan for every book that you publish? President and Founder of Media Kit Buzz Brian Feinblum joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share expert tips about the most important aspects of a book marketing plan pre-publication, during publication, and post-publication, including what your budget should be, best practices for marketing through email lists, social media, advertisements, and much more. PARTICIPANTS Brian Feinblum has been an award-winning book promoter and marketer for over three decades, working with thousands of authors and scores of book publishers to promote books of every genre, including children's books, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. He worked for two independent publishers as their publicity director, and for 21 years was the chief marketing officer for the nation's largest book publicity firm. His own company, Media Kit Buzz Inc, celebrates five years of providing book marketing consulting and public relations services. You may enjoy reading his award-winning blog of 14 years, which has generated over 4.7 million page views, BookMarketingBuzzBlog [http://www.bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/]. BookBaby and FeedSpot each recognized this as one of the best book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com [https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5926810832870070951/5441034069526337288] as a "best resource.” He can be reached at brianfeinlbum@gmail.com [brianfeinlbum@gmail.com] He has worked with indie presses, small presses, the Big 5, university presses, hybrids, and self-published authors, ranging from bestselling authors such as Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler, as well as many first-time, self-published, unknown authors -- and everything in between. His clients have been featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as on nationally syndicated radio and television shows and major podcasts. He has spoken before many writer’s conferences and presented for several years at Book Expo America. He has been published numerous times in The Writer magazine and The Independent. He served as a judge for the IBPA Book Awards. Independent Book Publishers Association [https://www.ibpa-online.org/default.aspx] is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).”  [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf61TWnfQRd5kJoIo---UyjbLqENWnGsl]He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures [http://christopher-locke.com/]. LINKS Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/ [https://www.ibpa-online.org/] Learn more about Book Marketing Buzz Blog here: www.bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com [http://www.bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/]   Sell more books with IBPA’s book marketing programs here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks [https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/ListofBenefits#sellmorebooks] Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline [https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline] X – https://twitter.com/ibpa [https://twitter.com/ibpa] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ [https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/] Follow Brian Feinblum here: LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3Bttxo28CARoCbYcJxiiIsJA%3D%3D]  Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum [https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5926810832870070951/5441034069526337288]

How Do You Set Up a Hybrid Publishing Company?

Should you set up your publishing company as a hybrid publisher? To help answer that question, Broad Book Group’s co-founder Dr. Jennifer Dorsey joins “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA)” to share details about how they formed their hybrid publishing business, including how they set up contracts with authors, how they handle book distribution, how they decided what types of marketing services to offer, and much more! PARTICIPANTS Dr. Jennifer Dorsey has worked in book publishing for over 25 years and is a founding partner of Broad Book Group and publisher of Broad Book Press. Specializing in nonfiction, she has worked for both small presses and large national publishers in the history, tech, lifestyle, self-help, business, and professional development categories. In addition to working in the business side of publishing, she has also co-authored, revised, and ghostwritten books in the medical, business, and personal growth categories. She is a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition at Saint Louis University. Independent Book Publishers Association [https://www.ibpa-online.org/default.aspx] is the largest trade association for independent publishers in the United States. As the IBPA Director of Membership & Member Services, Christopher Locke assists the 3,900 members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).”  [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf61TWnfQRd5kJoIo---UyjbLqENWnGsl]He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures [http://christopher-locke.com/]. LINKS Learn more about the many benefits of becoming a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/ [https://www.ibpa-online.org/] Learn more about Broad Book Group here: www.broadbookpress.com [http://www.broadbookpress.com/] Learn more about Dr. Jen Dorsey here: www.drjendorsey.com [http://www.drjendorsey.com/] Check out Dr. Dorsey’s book, From Pitch to Print: A Nonfiction Writer's 10-Step Plan to Getting Published here: https://www.drjendorsey.com/get-my-book [https://www.drjendorsey.com/get-my-book] Check out the IBPA Hybrid Publisher Criteria here: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher [https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher] Follow IBPA on: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline [https://www.facebook.com/IBPAonline] X – https://twitter.com/ibpa [https://twitter.com/ibpa] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/ [https://www.instagram.com/ibpalovesindies/] Follow Broad Book Group and Dr. Jen Dorsey here: @broadbookgroup @drjenniferdorsey