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…

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 hyb…

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 th…

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 succe…

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 const…

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 Linked…

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 publi…

Today we’re joined again by Greenleaf’s legal counsel, Guy Muller, to explain the most recent developments related to copyrighting books produced with AI in the US, and address everything authors need to know about protecting themselves and their work. For more information, visit greenleafbookgroup.com/episode83.…

For episode 82 of Published, we're turning back time and revisiting one of our favorite episodes. In episode 60, we spoke with Mimi Chan from Goodreads about how the platform can elevate your book promotion strategy. She shares tips and tricks to get more reviews, what a "perfect" book rating looks like (Hint: It's not 5 stars!), and the lesser-kno…

In 2023, we interviewed over a dozen publishing industry experts for their insights on investing in the production of a book, self-promotion through interviews, podcasting, and social media, and distribution into bookstores and libraries. As we look forward to another year of the Published podcast, we’re returning to some of the best publishing adv…

Librarian Christina Nelson from the Austin Public Library draws from her experience overseeing collections and acquisitions to share how to get your book into libraries, how to coordinate an author event at your local library, and how authors and libraries support each other. Find our show notes at greenleafbookgroup.com/episode80…

Today we’re joined by Victoria Montemayor, the founder and CEO of The Storytelling Specialist, which provides website design to help brands connect with an audience. Victoria shares how to tell a story with an author website, LinkedIn, and newsletters to develop your network.Tanya Hall

Welcome to episode 78 of Published! Today we’re joined by Doug Sandler, CEO of Turnkey Podcast Productions and co-host of The Nice Guys on Business Podcast. Doug will answer your questions about how podcasting can build an author platform, and tips to succeed.Tanya Hall

Today we’re joined by Cal Hunter, Manager of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships at Barnes & Noble’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City. He’ll share insights from his experience as a buyer and explain what exactly bookstores are looking for… and what they tend to avoid.Tanya Hall

Today we’re joined by Elisa Lorello, a bestselling novelist and author of The AI Author Assistant. Elisa will share her insights about ChatGPT and some of the unexpected ways it can benefit writers.Tanya Hall

Today we’re joined by the CEO, Editor-in-Chief, and namesake of Kevin Anderson & Associates, a team of publishing experts who provide ghostwriting and other services to shepherd authors through the writing and publishing process. Being able to lean on the experience, knowledge, and skills of veteran publishing experts can make a world of difference…

Welcome to episode 74 of Published. In this episode, editor Lindsey Clark will describe the causes and symptoms of burnout and ways to recover from it. She’ll also explain how to manage stress and lean on others to prevent creative burnout altogether.Tanya Hall

Welcome back to Published! Today we’re joined by Danielle Green, a book influencer and brand strategist at Greenleaf. She speaks about reader communities on social media, how authors can use TikTok and Instagram to promote their books, and how to collaborate with book influencers.Tanya Hall

Welcome back to Published! Today we’ll be talking about media training and interviews with one of Greenleaf Book Group’s digital media outreach strategists, Kayleigh ​​Lovvorn. Today’s episode is a crash course on media training to teach you how to talk about your book and yourself as an author while promoting a new release. Kayleigh will tell us a…

Welcome to Episode 71 of Published. Today we have our consulting team on the podcast to shepherd us through questions related to investing in the production of a book. Different publishing models have different degrees of required investment by the author, and different potentials for ROI. Most authors wind up financing at least some part of the pu…

Welcome to Episode 70 of Published. Today we’ll be looking back at our episodes over 2022 and remembering the insight our guests have shared. Our mission on Published is to demystify the publishing industry for authors, and over the past year, we’ve pulled back the veil on becoming a bestseller, getting book reviews, writing a beautiful manuscript,…

Welcome to episode 69 of Published. Today I’m speaking with two members of the Greenleaf family: Jen Rios, our director of marketing, and Lee Zarnikau, one of our editors. We’ll be discussing rejection in the publishing world from a marketing and editorial perspective to explain why a book might be rejected and what authors searching for a publishe…

Welcome to Episode 68 of Published. Today, I'm speaking with Madi Mullen, a product manager at Libro.fm, an audiobook company that splits profits with local independent bookstores. Madi will tell us about present trends in audiobooks, what the benefits and drawbacks are for authors making audiobooks available, and how hosting platforms impact autho…

Today we’re back with another Q&A episode for you. In this episode we discuss the ins and outs of book distribution and help authors navigate the best ways to share their books with the world. We'll also go over how to connect with wholesalers and distributors, what it takes to get a book into stores, when to acquire an ISBN, how international dist…

In this episode, we discuss the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster in response to their proposed merger. Some argue that the billion dollar deal would mean that instead of there being a competition between the two big publishers to acquire titles, there would effectively be a monopoly. This means there…

Have you ever wondered how to get your book on an amazon bestseller list? In today's episode, publishing expert and guide Scott James discusses the ins and outs of the amazon bestseller algorithm and how you can hit a bestseller list. From finding the right subcategories, to driving up your presales and getting 5-star book reviews, Scott talks abou…

Welcome to Episode 64 of Published. Today we’re talking to Greenleaf’s General Counsel, Guy Muller, about the biggest legal issues he sees authors face and why it’s important to keep an eye out for them when working on your book. Guy explains each of these legal concerns, why they matter, and how you can avoid them in your writing to stay out of tr…

This episode focuses on finding the time to write your book when you’ve got a demanding schedule, and why it’s worth doing so despite the demand it places on your time. Like any significant undertaking that’s worthwhile, writing a book requires focus and a plan—but the end result can be life changing. Let’s face it: writing a book is hard. If you’r…

How do I price my book? How do I become a bestseller? How do I know if I can trust a publisher with my work? What do publishers look for when evaluating submissions? If these are questions you've had as an author, this is the episode for you. Today, our in-house publishing consultant, David Endris, has compiled some of the most common questions he …

Today, I'm speaking with one of Greenleaf’s editors, Lee Reed Zarnikau. Lee will tell us how to piece together a memoir and give us her insights into the dos and don’ts of memoir writing from an editor's perspective. If you’re someone with an interesting life story, you may have been told by friends and family that you should write a book. But many…

Goodreads is well known to many readers as a great place to find book reccommendations and reviews, but today we’re going to talk about how it can also be a great tool for authors. New authors may not realize that Goodreads has a robust Author Program that you can use to run giveaways, interact with your readers, and advertise your books. In this e…

The old saying goes “never judge a book by its cover,” but of course, we all know in the book industry that is exactly what happens. An eye-catching cover is key to attracting a reader and making sure your book is taken seriously. Today, I'll speak with Greenleaf’s Art Director, Neil Gonzalez, about book design elements and why a well-designed cove…

Welcome back to Published! In this episode we talk to Erin Brown, the executive editor at Greenleaf Book Group. She discusses the key to writing a book outline, what a book outline template might look like for a new author, and how to approach writing an effective book outline for both fiction and nonfiction. If you're embarking on your author jour…

For our final episode of the year, we have two guests, Corrin Foster, Greenleaf’s Director of Branding and Marketing, and Kesley Smith, Greenleaf’s Director of Business Development and Corporate Communications. Today we’ll talk about top book marketing and author branding tips and trends for the coming year.…

Today, I’ll speak with Texas Book Festival’s literary director, Matthew Patin. Matt will tell us all about the Texas Book Festival and how independent authors can get involved.Tanya Hall

Today I'll speak with Susan Wittig Albert, the author of the popular China Bayles Mysteries, the Darling Dahlia Mysteries and many other must-read books spanning the mystery, historical fiction, and nonfiction genres. As well, Susan will tell us all about her own writing process while offering advice to new authors who might be considering writing …

Today, I’ll speak with Greenleaf’s Digital Media Strategist, Sam Ofman, about book publicity and how it has changed in recent years. Sam will tell us about the impact a strong PR campaign can make for an author and their book, and how you can get started on your PR efforts.

Today I’ll speak with Nick Hutchison, the founder of BookThinkers, an online book community focused on highlighting personal development and growth titles. Nick will tell us all about BookThinkers and how he and his team have built a successful book influencer platform.Tanya Hall

This is the second part of our two episode special with author and book coach, Jennie Nash. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, go back and check out episode 51. In today’s episode, Jennie picks up where we left off and dives deeper into the topic of book proposals, sharing her insight into what makes a proposal truly standout.…

Today, I’ll speak with author and book coach, Jennie Nash. This will be the first part of a two episode special, where we dive deep into the art of creating a successful book proposal. Jennie will share what it takes to craft a compelling proposal and offer advice for authors embarking on this process.…

Today I’ll speak with Membership and Marketing Manager at the Chilren’s Book Council and recent PW Rising Star Honoree, Ryan Mita, all about the world of children’s books. He’ll share his insights and tell us all about the Children’s Book Council and how they support authors and publishers in this genre.…

Today, I’ll speak with Katrina Brooks, the owner of the independent bookstore Black Pearl Books. We’re asking Katrina all about indie bookshops, and how authors can best approach an indie store when they’re looking for places to distribute their book. As a black-owned, independent bookstore, Katrina gives us insights into how Black Pearl Books oper…

Tanya Hall

In this episode, we speak to Justin Branch, the Director of Consulting at Greenleaf Book Group, about how to sniff out publishing scams, and the biggest mistakes he’s seen authors make when evaluating publishers.Tanya Hall

Tanya Hall

Welcome to episode 42 of Published. Today we'll speak with Greenleaf’s Director of Marketing and Branding, Corrin Foster, about the importance of reviews and endorsements. We’ll discuss the process of outreaching to potential endorsers, how you can lock down trade reviews, and drive up consumer ones, and how all of these things can impact your book…