You’re supposed to be making money as an author, not handing it over to scammers and rip-off artists!

Hands-down, the most infuriating part of being an indie author coach and advocate is hearing their heartbreaking stories of being ripped off and even outright scammed out of their hard-earned money! And you wouldn’t believe me if I told you how frequently I am the one who winds up telling an author that they fell for a vanity press deal, a scam, or completely unqualified service provider.

It feels WAY past time for me to talk to you about the most common ways indie authors are being taken advantage of and even taken to the cleaners on a daily basis. So, this week, I’m going to pull back the curtain and bring these scam artists and their evil deeds out into the light of day!

In this episode, I’m not just going to tell you the most prevalent scams and rip-off schemes dogging indie authors today, but I’m also going to teach you how to spot these buggers from a mile away, know how to avoid them in the future, and what to do if you think you might be about to lose your hard earned money to a rat!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

· The 2 most common ways authors are taken advantage of

· The biggest players in the author scams arena

· Why so many authors fall for these traps

· How to spot scammers from a mile away

· How to also avoid losing money on inexperienced, unqualified services

PRODUCTION TEAM

This show is produced by the lovely Joshua Hatcher of HatcherMedia.net! For affordable yet high quality podcast production with fast and super helpful service, send Josh a note and tell him Christina Kaye sent you!

RESOURCES & LINKS

Learn More, Get More, and Work With Me: https://christinakaye.com/

Snag a Book Sales Breakthrough Video Audit: https://square.link/u/oLnHtOQp

My Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com

Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial

Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial

Facebook: https://facebook.com/christinakayeofficial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristinaKayeOfficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinakayeofficial/

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THIS SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and/or subscribe to Write! Grow! Launch! wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss future episodes on successfully self-publishing, profitably launching your book, and building a sustainable indie author career…without burnout or BS.

If your book isn’t selling well at all, it’s not JUST a “marketing problem.” It’s a (fixable) problem with your conversion rates.

The best way to convert Amazon scrollers to buyers is what I call The Trifecta of Book Sales - the three elements that make or break your ability to turn browsers into buyers, which includes your book cover, your title, and your blurb. Even with all the changes in publishing and marketing over the last few years, these fundamentals haven’t changed…and they still carry the most weight.

Your cover must instantly signal genre and meet reader expectations. Your title should be clear, compelling, and aligned with what your audience is already searching for. And your blurb? It’s your sales pitch (not a summary) and it needs to hook readers emotionally while clearly communicating stakes and conflict.

In this episode, I’ll teach you that, when these three pieces are dialed in, everything else in your strategy becomes more effective. And if you want personalized, actionable feedback on how to improve your own book’s sales performance, check out my Book Sales Breakthrough Video Audits linked below.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

· The 3 elements that actually convert scrollers to buyers

· Why DIYing your book cover is a deadly mistake

· How and where to get a book cover that converts affordably

· Why you can’t just title your book whatever feels “right”

· How to come up with the best title for your book

· What your book blurb is and what it isn’t

· How to write a compelling Amazon description/book blurb

PRODUCTION TEAM!

This show is produced by the lovely Joshua Hatcher of HatcherMedia.net! For affordable yet high quality podcast production with fast and super helpful service, send Josh a note and tell him Christina Kaye sent you!

RESOURCES & LINKS

Learn More, Get More, and Work With Me: https://christinakaye.com/

Snag a Book Sales Breakthrough Video Audit: https://square.link/u/oLnHtOQp

Free Resource: https://bit.ly/4s6JI8F

My Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com

Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial

Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial

Facebook: https://facebook.com/christinakayeofficial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristinaKayeOfficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinakayeofficial/

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THIS SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and/or subscribe to Write! Grow! Launch! wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss future episodes on successfully self-publishing, profitably launching your book, and building a sustainable indie author career…without burnout or BS.

Authors with clear, consistent, and recognizable voices are 3X more likely to gain readers’ trust, as well as their loyalty.

For indie authors, especially, establishing our brand voice isn’t an optional “thing” to tick off a list! It’s what sets you apart in a sea of those who are publishing every single day. When your tone, personality, and messaging are consistent and recognizable, readers start to remember you, trust you, and come back for more. Why? Because they’re not just connecting with your books, they’re connecting with you.

That’s why in this week’s episode, I’m going to wrap up my three-part series on author brand building with what is arguably the most essential and critical element of all: your brand voice. Your “voice” isn’t about whether your speech is quiet or loud or gravely or sexy. It’s the super unique way you sound in your content, how you connect, and how readers come to know it’s you without even seeing your name.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

· What the true meaning of “brand voice” is!

· Why your brand voice can make (or break) your career!

· How to tap into your own unique brand voice and draw it out!

· How to share your unique brand voice consistently in everything you do!

· How failing to establish your unique brand voice makes you a minnow in an ocean!

· How you can, instead, become a shark in a very small pond!

KEY TAKEAWAY

Your brand voice already exists. It’s what makes you stand out uniquely to those who know and love you and can tell you apart in crowd based on any number of things that are genuinely YOU. Maybe you’re a full-fledged, unapologetic girly girl (like me). Maybe you have a certain catch phrase people are used to hearing. Maybe you are obsessed with purple. Whatever it is, if you want to find, attract, and build long-lasting (profitable) relationships with readers looking specifically for books like yours, building your unique brand, including your distinguishable voice, is paramount.

PRODUCTION TEAM!

This show is produced by the lovely Joshua Hatcher of HatcherMedia.net! For affordable yet high quality podcast production with fast and super helpful service, send Josh a note and tell him Christina Kaye sent you!

RESOURCES & LINKS

Learn More, Get More, and Work With Me: https://christinakaye.com/

Free Resource: https://bit.ly/4bXGwqW

My Etsy Shop (The Bookish Swag Shop): https://thebookishswagshop.etsy.com

Find Me, Follow Me, DM Me on These Platforms:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinakayeofficial

Substack: https://substack.com/@christinakayeofficial

Facebook: https://facebook.com/christinakayeofficial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristinaKayeOfficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinakayeofficial/

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THIS SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and/or subscribe to Write! Grow! Launch! wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don’t miss future episodes on successfully self-publishing, profitably launching your book, and building a sustainable indie author career…without burnout or BS.