Best Thomas Umstattd Jr Podcasts (2025)

1
Announcing Author Update 1:00:15

10d ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Publishing is changing faster than ever before. New AI tools are dropping every time you turn around, and the way authors write, publish, and sell books is being rewritten in real-time. On Novel Marketing has been committed to sharing evergreen marketing principles that do not change, which is why it's become such a trusted resource for authors. Ho…

1
2025 Laptop Buying Guide for Authors 25:27

18d ago25:27

25:27

Too many writers waste hundreds or thousands of dollars on laptop features they’ll never use. Worse yet, some struggle along with outdated, unreliable machines that sabotage their creativity and productivity. Here’s what tech companies don’t want you to know: That pricey laptop with all the bells and whistles? Most of those features are totally use…

1
Email List Alchemy: How to Grow Your Email List Fast With Giveaways 27:27

25d ago27:27

27:27

Description & Times Building an email list made up of more than friends and family can feel impossible, especially before you've launched your first book. Eventually, you have to attract strangers. But how? How do you convince strangers to join your email list? We've been using a surprisingly effective method for years, yet I have never dedicated a…

1
Escaping the Procrastination Prison: A Guide for Tired Authors 26:00

1M ago26:00

26:00

Are you having trouble starting or finishing your writing? A subtle and sinister phenomenon may be keeping you from success. It may even be the reason your book is not finished yet. It might be why your book isn’t selling. What is it? Procrastination. You can’t beat procrastination by hustling harder; you need a plan that’s smarter. So, how do you …

1
How to Craft a Cancel Proof Marketing Strategy 41:58

1M ago41:58

41:58

Blog version: https://www.authormedia.com/how-to-craft-a-cancel-proof-marketing-strategy/ A few years ago, getting canceled could end your career. But author cancel culture has changed. Now, it can supercharge book sales. But how? In this week’s episode of Novel Marketing, I spoke with book marketer Christine Eriksen about how an indie author used …

1
Author Website Review: Christian Historical Romance 45:16

2M ago45:16

45:16

How effective is your author website? In this week’s episode of Novel Marketing, I review the websites of top Christian Historical Romance authors, analyzing what they’re doing well and where they could improve. From SEO wins to missed opportunities, you’ll discover practical ways to enhance your own website. Find out: What bestselling authors get …

1
Discovery Writing 101: How to Craft Gripping Stories Without an Outline 47:55

2M ago47:55

47:55

The term "pantser" has been used to describe writing a book without an outline. At writers conferences, outlining and "pantsing" (also known as discovery writing) are often framed as rivals. However, most writers fall between the two extremes. I've seen successful authors across that spectrum. What truly matters is finding the method that works bes…

1
Book Promotion in 2025: How AI Gives Authors More Time to Write 59:40

2M ago59:40

59:40

It’s 2025, and authors are at war over AI. Some are embracing it, others are retreating to bunkers, and a few think it’s just another passing fad. But amid all the controversy, most authors are missing out on the AI advantage that everyone can agree on: AI can help you market your books, which gives you more time to write. Most of us became authors…

1
The Sci-Fi Zeitgeist Has Shifted – What Authors Need to Know 37:47

2M ago37:47

37:47

Science fiction is changing, and so are its readers. The cultural landscape that shaped the last 40 years of sci-fi is shifting, including thoughts about wokeness, AI, WWIII, population, and more. If you're still writing about overused and cliched sci-fi themes, you're missing the mark. In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, we explore: Why cli…

1
Indie Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing 46:09

2M ago46:09

46:09

To indie publish or traditionally publish? That is the question. For years, indie publishing was seen as a fallback for authors who couldn’t land a traditional contract. But times have changed. Many indie authors now outsell and out-earn their traditionally published counterparts. And yet, while many traditionally published authors are switching to…

1
Stop Writing Book Series! 22:50

2M ago22:50

22:50

If you’re thinking about writing a book series, you might want to reconsider, especially if you’re a new author. That’s not to say you should never write a series, but it can be a risky endeavor, and I can prove it with math. In this week’s episode, I break down why writing a series may limit your potential readership. You’ll learn: The four steps …

1
Beginnings and Endings of Novels with Angela Hunt 51:36

3M ago51:36

51:36

Have you ever started a book but struggled to get past the first few chapters? Or maybe you finished one, only to feel let down by the ending? The truth is, beginnings and endings can make or break a novel. In this week’s episode, I sit down with Christy Award-winning author Angela Hunt to unpack what makes a strong opening that hooks readers and a…

1
How to Sell Books From a Table 45:21

3M ago45:21

45:21

Have you ever set up a book table and stacked your books neatly, only to walk away with disappointing sales? You're not alone. But there is a better way to sell books from your book table at in-person events. In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, I sit down with Sarah Hickner, an expert in book table sales, to uncover: Common mistakes authors …

1
Listen to This Before Your Next Podcast Guest Interview 16:42

3M ago16:42

16:42

Congrats on getting booked for a podcast interview! Whether you’re promoting your book or lead magnet, your audio quality on the podcast can make or break your credibility. In our latest episode, we share pro tips on: How to prepare for your interview (beyond just showing up) Microphone techniques that make you sound like a pro The gear you need (t…

1
A Storytelling Revolution: Inside the World of Serialized Fiction 55:53

3M ago55:53

55:53

Serialized fiction has been captivating readers for centuries, from nightly bedtime stories to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations to modern writers on platforms like Royal Road and Wattpad. In this episode, I interview bestselling author Seth Ring, who shares how serialized fiction helped him write 25+ books, build a dedicated fanbase, hone his cr…

1
How to Write Your First Novel 46:45

3M ago46:45

46:45

Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel but don’t know where to start? Maybe you've tried before, but the story just didn’t come together—or you’re staring at a blank page, unsure of what to do next. In our latest episode, we’re talking to Steve Laube, seasoned literary agent and co-author of Write Your First Novel. Steve shares actionable advice …

1
Is Traditional Publishing Dying? Surprising Trends Authors Can’t Ignore in 2025 32:16

4M ago32:16

32:16

Where is publishing headed in 2025? Are we witnessing the end of traditional publishing or the birth of something new? In this week's episode of Novel Marketing, we’re unpacking: The surprising trends reshaping the industry. Why successful indie authors are rejecting six-figure advances. How romantasy, premium books, and shifting political preferen…

1
Networking for Authors: How to Build Relationships Without Being Awkward 33:15

4M ago33:15

33:15

Many authors feel stuck. They're toiling away in obscurity, and none of their promotion efforts seem to go anywhere.Success in publishing is as much about who you know as what you know. And sometimes, the lack of knowing the right people keeps you from finding success.We still live in a world that's run by human people, and your connection to those…

1
Project Management for Authors 35:10

5M ago35:10

35:10

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless task of writing, publishing, and marketing your book? From deciding which software to use for writing to figuring out how to keep track of all the characters in your story, the choices can feel paralyzing, and the number of things that need to be done can be very overwhelming. Besides your writing tasks, y…

1
How to Become a Better Novelist 47:00

5M ago47:00

47:00

Imposter syndrome sometimes tells you the truth.Sometimes, you really do need to get better at the task in front of you to succeed. Many gurus will tell you that you already have everything you need. You just need to pay them money so you can be successful. But in the real world, success requires the hard work of improving your craft. Now, it's tru…

1
How to Build a Rejection Proof Platform in 2025 52:08

5M ago52:08

52:08

Your author platform is your ability to spread the word about your book. As an indie author, your platform is directly linked with how large your book launch can be. Bigger platforms lead to bigger launches. All else being equal, traditional publishers always prefer large-platform authors to authors with no platform. So, how do you grow your author…

1
Contact Page Dos & Don’ts for Authors 15:04

5M ago15:04

15:04

Is your website’s Contact page serving your readers and web visitors? In the past, authors simply shared their email addresses on their websites. But that opened the door to a flood of spam, which drowned out real messages from readers. Connecting with your readers is essential to building your readership, so you can’t simply remove your email addr…

1
How to Worldbuild Your Book into a Bestseller 53:09

6M ago53:09

53:09

Choosing the right setting can supercharge your book sales. Some people read a book just for its setting. A good setting can lead to spin-off products like board games, art books, coloring books, calendars, comic books, and even movies. Setting not only turns people on to a story, but it also turns people off. Every author must answer the question,…

1
How to be a Successful Author Entrepreneur 41:43

6M ago41:43

41:43

In college, I took a class on entrepreneurship, where our big project was to write a business plan. That same semester, I was also working on a book proposal, and I realized that book proposals are business plans. Fundamentally, they serve the same purpose. A business plan helps you convince investors to invest in your business, and a book proposal…

1
How to Run a Local Book Festival 28:26

6M ago28:26

28:26

Sometimes in marketing, it pays to zig when everyone else is zagging. In this digital age, when authors race to do everything online, it's easy to forget the magic of face-to-face interactions. Personal connections can transform your relationship with your readers and fellow authors. A book festival is a fantastic way to meet with readers and write…

1
How to Write Stories Readers Will Love by Knowing the Zeitgeist 1:08:22

6M ago1:08:22

1:08:22

As Yoda says, “Difficult to see the future is.” But difficult is not impossible. Causes have effects, and the more you have a sense of the rhythms of the past, the better you can sense the future. If it takes you two years to write a book, you owe it to yourself to ask, “What kinds of books will be popular in two years?” Reader preferences change o…

1
How to Use Reverse Coupons 19:08

6M ago19:08

19:08

Has inflation eaten away at your book profits? Perhaps you want to start advertising and need some margin. Or maybe readers are not taking you seriously with your book's current low price. You need to raise the price of your book, but how should you do it? Most authors raise prices quietly. One day, the price just goes up, and they hope no one noti…

1
How to Write Enduring Bestsellers with the Two-Act Chiastic Structure 30:24

6M ago30:24

30:24

The last time I visited Barnes and Noble, I marveled at the comic book section. Western comic books only filled a couple of shelves, while around the corner, there was an entire aisle of manga comic books. I wondered, “Why is Eastern manga so much more popular than Western comic books from DC and Marvel?” As I investigated, I discovered an interest…

1
The Strategy Behind Reader Super Magnets 41:23

7M ago41:23

41:23

Reader magnets are like real magnets. Sometimes, they aren't very magnetic, and other times, they're so magnetic that we can rapidly grow an email list of tens of thousands of readers. A reader magnet is supposed to magnetically draw readers onto your list so that when you have a book to announce, lots of folks are ready and eager to learn more or …

1
Announcing the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference 22:35

7M ago22:35

22:35

I'm excited to announce that tickets are now for sale for the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference. The conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 17th and 18th. This event is not a typical writer's conference where you learn how to write and publish a book. Our conference is focused on book marketing, and our goal is to help you make 2025 the…

1
What to do When Book Sales Start Slipping 29:02

7M ago29:02

29:02

Are your book sales starting to dip a bit? Perhaps your book sales were once great and are now starting to fall. You may see this drop in sales for several reasons, but you don’t have to stand by and watch them drop indefinitely. Most bestselling books see their highest sales during the pre-order period, followed by the launch month, and then exper…

1
Marketing a Book Series with Kristina Stanley 44:06

7M ago44:06

44:06

The Holy Grail for many authors is to write a popular book series where readers of book one go on to read book two and so on. Writing a popular book series provides many marketing advantages, namely that your advertising is far more profitable. But writing a series is also risky. Generally, you can only sell subsequent books to folks who purchased,…

1
Announcing the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference 22:21

8M ago22:21

22:21

I'm excited to announce that tickets are now for sale for the 2025 Novel Marketing Conference. The conference will be held in Austin, Texas, on January 17th and 18th. This event is not a typical writer's conference where you learn how to write and publish a book. Our conference is focused on book marketing, and our goal is to help you make 2025 the…

1
Show AND Tell With Angela Hunt 48:38

8M ago48:38

48:38

You've likely heard the advice that writers should show instead of tell. Sometimes, it's good advice and can make your scenes better and your story more compelling. But it can also be terrible advice that will make your book unbelievably long and hard to get through. If you show every single thing in the room or on the journey where your story take…

1
How to Write Novels Men Want to Read 57:03

8M ago57:03

57:03

A few weeks ago, Dazed Digital published an article asking why men no longer read novels. The article itself had no satisfying answers, but the question triggered a big discussion online, particularly on X, where everyone had a hot take. But men are buying and reading books. And authors who write what men want to read are making millions of dollars…

1
How to Deliver Your Book Baby 21:24

8M ago21:24

21:24

Authors often refer to their books as "babies." As I've worked in the publishing world with authors and now that we are awaiting the birth of our fourth child, I'm starting to see a lot of similarities between birthing a book baby and a human baby. We can learn a lot about delivering a book baby by looking at the process of delivering a real baby. …

1
How to use research to market your novel 44:57

8M ago44:57

44:57

Novelists often struggle with what to write or say in their email newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. Unpublished novelists often feel like they have nothing to talk about, and published authors know readers tire of constant book promotion emails. So, what should novelists write about? Writing a novel is a bit like woodworking. When you craft somethi…

1
How to Create an Online Course 35:30

9M ago35:30

35:30

Have you ever wondered if a course would be a better way to present the material in your book? Have your readers asked you to develop your book into an online course? You probably know that online courses tend to sell at higher price points than books, but you also know they are a lot of work. Will it be worth it for you? For your readers? I’ve bee…

1
How to Write Powerful Christian Stories 48:34

9M ago48:34

48:34

Stories communicate truth in ways that facts and statistics cannot. They touch places in our souls that sermons cannot reach. When you open your Bible, the very first thing you find is not the Ten Commandments but a story. Even biblical instruction is often couched in a story because a story is a powerful tool for communicating truth. God knows tha…

1
How writing short stories can make you a better novelist 42:51

9M ago42:51

42:51

You probably know that offering a reader magnet on your website is imperative to growing your email list, tantalizing readers with a sample of your writing, and eventually getting them to buy your book. If you write novels, your reader magnet should be a short story, but if you don’t know how to write a great one, you’ll miss out on the many advant…

1
Web Hosting for Frugal Authors 19:36

9M ago19:36

19:36

Your website is one of your most critical book marketing assets. It’s where you manage your online reputation, grow your email list, and sell books. But before you build a website, you need web hosting. You have thousands of web hosting options, which can feel a bit overwhelming. How do you know what kind of host you need for your website? In this …

1
How to Avoid Book Marketing Overwhelm 30:48

9M ago30:48

30:48

Feeling overwhelmed by book marketing can lead authors to look for shortcuts. Shortcuts lead to expensive complications. Expensive complications lead to dead ends. Dead ends lead to suffering. Yoda would call this “The path to the dark side.” Does this sound familiar? How do you escape this overwhelming cycle? There are ten different stressors that…

1
The Savvy Authors Guide to Passwords 18:52

10M ago18:52

18:52

Being an author requires you to have hundreds of online accounts for different software and services. Websites such as Amazon, ConvertKit, Publisher Rocket, Patreon, K-lytics, Bookvault, AuthorMedia.social, AuthorsXP, BookBub, Kickstarter, Teachable, Bluehost, WordPress, Grammarly, and Plottr (to name a few) all require a username and password. Som…

1
Faith and Love: Tips for Writing Authentic Christian Romance 41:09

10M ago41:09

41:09

Discover what makes a romance novel appeal to a Christian readership and how you can write Christian romance books your readers will love. Support the show

1
How Connor Boyack Sold Millions of Books Directly to Readers Without Using Amazon 48:56

10M ago48:56

48:56

Can you make a living as an author without selling through Amazon? Many authors wonder. Amazon is the sole revenue source for many indie authors, but Amazon’s algorithms can disable your KDP accounts and cut off your income without any human reviewing the action. Authors find themselves pleading with a computer to reactivate their accounts while th…

1
Are Pen Names Going Away? 19:25

10M ago19:25

19:25

With the rise of AI authors, how do you prove you are a human author? Most authors prove their humanity with their names and photos. Your identity protects you from being called a bot writer. But what if you use a pen name? Will AI bring the age of pen names to an end? While pen names are going out of style, there are some reasons you might still c…

1
Why Your Book is Still Unfinished (Hint: It’s Your Phone’s Fault) 17:51

10M ago17:51

17:51

I remember watching Steve Jobs's keynote presentation for the original iPhone. This magical new device, he said, would revolutionize our productivity. And at first, it did. But then, along came apps. Soon, user experiences were scientifically optimized to be as addictive as possible. An author's productive output is inversely correlated with time s…

1
Printing the Future: Quality Offset Print-on-Demand with BookVAULT 38:38

11M ago38:38

38:38

Authors around the world are trying to reduce their reliance on Amazon. However, most of us still use and like Amazon. In fact, many authors earn most of their money from Amazon. But any company with a 90% market share can't be fully trusted. One way indie authors can reduce their reliance on Amazon is by selling directly from their own author webs…

1
Crafting a Career: How to Become a Professional Author with Angela Hunt 42:25

11M ago42:25

42:25

Some authors just want to get their book "out there." They don't plan on writing additional books or becoming professionals. But others want to make writing a career and maybe pay the bills with income earned from their writing. If you want to have a career as a professional writer, you have to do at least two things. First, you must become an amaz…

1
The Powerful Nonfiction Pitching Recipe That Works for Both Fiction and Nonfiction 25:31

11M ago25:31

25:31

One key to becoming a bestselling author is the selling. And one element of sales is the sales pitch. Some authors think pitches are only to be used for pitching agents at writers conferences, but you can actually use a sales pitch whenever you talk about your book. Your sales pitch convinces readers to care about and read your book. The stronger y…

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