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Jun 19
Love2

Announcing Free Radio & Podcast Marketing In 30 Minutes

By News

Newton, Mass., June 19 — Publisher i30 Media today released Free Radio & Podcast Marketing In 30 Minutes: Fire your publicist and leverage free radio and podcasting to market your business, brand, or idea (ISBN: 978-1-64188-020-6). In the book, authors Jim Beach and Rachel Lewyn demonstrate how practically anyone can get on the air, whether it’s via a niche podcast with an audience of just a few hundred people or a national radio program that reaches millions.

“No matter your company’s niche, no matter the nature of your product, the tactics in our book can deliver real results, whether it’s sales, awareness of an issue, or some other benefit,” Beach says. “With 93% of Americans listening to terrestrial radio on a regular basis, radio has the broadest reach of any media platform, more than TV or smartphones or other devices.”

“Prospective guests can spend thousands of dollars on publicists to pitch to radio and podcast producers,” Lewyn adds. “Doing it on your own can not only save a lot of money, it can also deliver better results — if you take the approach that we outline in the book.”     

Drawing upon their extensive entrepreneurial and broadcasting experience, Beach and Lewyn have prepared practical advice and tips for business owners, inventors, authors, and other experts. Topics include:

  • How free radio marketing can save thousands of dollars in advertising and publicist fees
  • Building credibility and showcasing expertise
  • How find the most suitable radio programs and podcasts
  • Crafting the perfect pitch and an irresistible hook
  • Best practices for reaching out via email, phone, and snail mail
  • Leveraging news and current events
  • Working with hosts, producers, and audiences
  • How to use sample questions and anecdotes in interviews  
  • Tips to sound great on the air
  • Using radio and podcast appearances to boost SEO and discoverability

The radio and podcast marketing book is written in plain English, and is filled with examples that can help readers prepare to get on their air. The ultimate goal is to make it easy and affordable for anyone to promote a business, product, brand, or idea using free radio and podcast appearances.

More information about Free Radio & Podcast Marketing In 30 Minutes as well as online ordering options can be found on schoolforstartupsradio.com, in30minutes.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book retailers. The retail price is $14.99 for the paperback edition, and $7.99 for the ebook editions. A hardcover edition is also available.

Praise for Free Radio & Podcast Marketing In 30 Minutes

“No matter what you sell, getting PR is critical for spreading the word. Today podcasts are as important as radio and this book is the best I’ve seen that handles both.”

—Martin Yate, author, New York Times bestseller
Knock ‘em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide

“Jim has given you the keys to the kingdom with this book! He breaks down the branding and booking process into easily accomplishable steps that can help almost anyone get booked on radio and podcasts. I hope my clients never see this book!”

—Wendy Guarisco, founder, Guarisco Group PR Agency

“If anybody knows about how to turn a radio show into revenue for your business, it’s Jim Beach. This book shares the secrets he’s learned by doing this for his own business over a decade. Pure gold.”

—Jamie Turner, author, speaker, and CEO, 60SecondMarketer.com

“Jim’s book is packed with nuggets on how to secure radio or podcast interviews to market your business. I’ve used many of his strategies in the past and they have worked well for me. I highly recommend checking it out—you’ll get a very good ROI on your investment.”

—Jason Treu, executive coach and #1 best-selling author, Social Wealth

About the authors

Jim Beach is an experienced author, broadcaster, educator, and entrepreneur. Jim’s first book, “School for Startups” (McGraw-Hill, 2011) was a top-ten title on Amazon. His small business radio show, School for Startups Radio, airs on 16 AM/FM stations across the United States and online.

At the age of 25, Jim started the American Computer Experience and grew the company with no capital infusion to $12 million in annual revenue and more than 700 employees. After the business was acquired in 2001 for $200 million, Jim taught at Georgia State University and was the top-ranked business school instructor for 12 consecutive semesters.

In addition to hosting his own radio show, Jim has also appeared on the other side of the microphone as a frequent media guest and commentator. Dubbed the “Simon Cowell of venture capital” by CNN, he has been interviewed by NPR, MSNBC, and the New York Times.

Rachel Lewyn studies anthropology at Emory University in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. A former producer for School for Startups Radio, she handled all aspects of screening potential guests and coordinating interviews. As a contributing writer for FanBolt.com, Rachel was responsible for creating search-optimized news articles about cinema, television, and pop music.  

About In 30 Minutes guides

i30 Media is the publisher of In 30 Minutes guides – “Quick guides for a complex world.” Thousands of readers turn to In 30 Minutes guides to understand mildly complex topics, ranging from genealogy to software. The tone is friendly and easy to understand, with step-by-step instructions and lots of examples. Top-selling titles include Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Twitter In 30 Minutes, and LinkedIn In 30 Minutes. For more information about the series, visit in30minutes.com

PUBLISHER CONTACT: info@in30minutes.com, +1 (617) 213-0811

Apr 13
Love2

Ben Franklin silver award goes to Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes

By News

Last week I flew to Portland to attend the Independent Book Publishers Association annual conference, Publishing University. I have attended in the past, but this time was special: In 30 Minutes guides was picking up a Ben Franklin award for Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes, by author Shannon Combs-Bennett!

Ben Franklin silver award goes to Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin awards are well-known in the independent publishing community. Submissions are judged by multiple people according to very specific criteria, and the competition is fierce: This year, there were 1,300 submissions across several dozen categories. Genealogy Basics In 30 Minutes was one of only three titles to make it to the final round in its category (crafts & hobbies) and we were very happy to be awarded a Ben Franklin silver award (congratulations to the gold winner in our category, Bricks, Cobblestones and Pebbles: A Path to Modern Quilts by author Gyleen X. Fitzgerald, as well as the other finalist, Building Block Dress: A Sewing Pattern Alteration Guide by author Liesl Gibson).

Shannon and a friend joined me at the awards ceremony–it was actually the first time I had ever met her in person–and we really had a great time talking about genealogy, history, and some favorite historical dramas. I did not know this, but Shannon and her friend are experts on period historical dresses and were able to answer a question that I had long wondered about–why do the men in the PBS drama Wolf Hall have such heavy clothes? Answer: It was a mini-ice age in Europe in the 1520s!

Congratulations to Shannon for all of her hard work in preparing a manuscript, rewriting the draft, providing materials, and answering questions from me and the copy editor. The guide has been a great help to many readers (including one as far away as Australia!) and it made me proud to see her accepting the Ben Franklin award.

Mar 13
Love2

Announcing Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes

By News

Crowdfunding book - Crowdfunding Basics In 30 MinutesPublisher i30 Media today released the first edition of Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes (ISBN 9781939924742) by author and crowdfunding expert Michael J. Epstein.

In a single sitting, readers will learn how to plan and execute successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, and other online platforms. Epstein explains different types of crowdfunding projects, including entrepreneurial startups, creative or artistic projects, charities and community causes, individual support campaigns, and patronage funding. The guide also covers budgeting basics as well as realistic goal-setting, not to mention the importance of preparing professional-looking campaign assets such as video clips, photographs, and calls-to-action.

Other topics include:

  • Determining how much money organizers can raise
  • Pros and cons of platforms such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, Patreon, and more
  • All-or-nothing campaigns vs. partial funding campaigns vs. patronage systems
  • Time requirements for organizers
  • Hidden costs, from shipping to backer melt
  • Taxes and legal requirements
  • Telling your story with images, video, and text
  • Best practices for tiered rewards
  • Why campaigns fail: 10 pitfalls to avoid
  • How to keep momentum going in a lagging campaign
  • The art of communicating with crowdfunding backers

Throughout Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes, Epstein cites his extensive experience organizing crowdfunding campaigns as well examples from some of the hundreds of other campaigns he has backed. Images, tables, and charts help illustrate additional concepts.

Crowdfunding Basics In 30 Minutes is available now in paperback and ebook editions for Kindles, iPads, and other mobile devices.

About the author

Michael J. Epstein is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, writer, musician, and scientist. His work has been featured in TIME, Scientific American, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, SPIN, CURVE, Famous Monsters, and Fangoria. Michael’s feature films TEN, Magnetic, and Blood of the Tribades were all funded using Kickstarter. His full bio is located here.

To contact the author or publisher, please use our contact form.

Feb 20
Love2

Should a self-published author get a distributor or agent?

By Blog

I recently received an email from a self-published author who wanted to know whether he should get a distributor or agent for his book. He had printed up 1,000 copies using a China-based printer, and wanted to know how he could get them into stores or noticed by an agent.

My answer: Getting distributors for printed books is extremely difficult … and probably not worth it. In-store retail paperback sales are falling While print sales have shown signs of life, margins are thin, there has been a lot of consolidation in the industry (or outright closures), and the distributors who remain are extremely picky about who they sign.

I tried for more than a year to get a distributor for In 30 Minutes guides on the terms that I wanted. The terms were key, as our guides are already very inexpensive. Selling the books at a wholesale rate (typically a 55% discount off the cover price) and giving the distributor a cut would lead to a gross profit of just a dollar or two per copy. Moreover, print distributors demand control (and a cut) over ebook distribution even though they add practically no value to this side of the business. Finally, distributors require publishers to adhere to their sales and marketing playbooks. That might be OK for some publishers, but not for i30 Media — in fact it would add significant delays and expenses to our production and marketing processes.

I ended up abandoning the effort to find a distributor. I now handle wholesale and direct distribution on my own through Createspace, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and a short-run digital printer. While it’s true I am missing out on some brick-and-mortar retail sales, it works a lot better for my business — I have more control over my product, keep more money from sales (gross profit is 2x-3x more than what it would be through a distributor), and if retailers want to order the book they can do so through Ingram iPage or contact i30 Media directly through our contact form.

What about agents for self-published books?

As for the question about agents, my response was similar. Reputable ones will want to see evidence of very strong sales on Amazon before talking with a self-published author. And frankly, if your self-published books already has good sales on Amazon, why would you need an agent or a publisher? It’s questionable whether the traditional agent/publisher approach can improve sales for most authors. Even if an agent scores an advance, it won’t be much, and they will end up taking more money from both retail and online sales, leaving just a small cut for the author. Many readers of this post may be surprised to learn that big publishers seldom market books by new authors.

The questions about distributors, agents, and publishers come up a lot. Many people who are new to publishing assume that these players from the 20th-century publishing world are something to aspire to, or are required for success. The reality is it is possible to publish and profit in the 21st-century industry without going through agents, distributors, or big-name publishers in New York. Yes, it requires more investment on the author’s part to edit a manuscript, find a professional cover design, and market the book, but it is doable.

As for the author who contacted me, it turns out that he had self-published a cookbook. I told him that for a book like this, it will be either local bookstores in the community or special venues that will provide the best opportunities to sell cookbooks. Special venues could be a farmer’s market, a community or school fair, or flea markets. At IBPA’s Publishing University conference last year, I heard a presentation by poet/author Kwame Alexander who said that he was able to sell thousands of copies of one of his books at farmer’s markets, based on his wife’s suggestion — and he wasn’t even trying to sell a cookbook, which would be an even better match for people buying fresh ingredients.

Another option: volunteering to speak about the dishes or giving a cooking class … and then marketing the book to attendees.

As for online efforts, I would try the following:

  1. Create a website for the book with links to Amazon or other options to buy
  2. Create some simple videos on YouTube with a link to the book website.
Nov 07
Love1

Soulene wins IPNE book award

By Blog, News

Soulene: A Healer in Paris IPNE Book awardOn this blog, I have documented the ups and downs of running an experimental nonfiction publishing venture—i30 Media, which I founded four years ago to publish In 30 Minutes guides. But one thing I seldom mention on this blog or elsewhere is the fact that i30 Media is also a publisher of fiction. I am pleased to announce that one our fiction titles, Soulene: A Healer in Paris, recently received an award from the Independent Publishers of New England for young adult fiction. Congratulations go to author Ursula Pearson, who put in a lot of hard work over a period of several years to tell the story of Soulene, a young healer living in medieval France and England.

You may wonder how a publisher of utility nonfiction got involved in publishing YA fiction. I’ve learned that once you hang out your shingle as “publisher” all kinds of people will approach you for help with their work. As the self-publishing explosion has demonstrated, there is an incredible well of untapped writing talent out there. Unfortunately, the process of publishing a book can be difficult. Not only are the tools unwieldy, but also most prospective authors don’t want to deal with the work associated with editing, formatting, designing, and marketing a new book. So they turn to people with more experience to help them get their books published.

While I have said “no” to most prospective authors who have asked me to edit or publish their works of fiction, I made an exception for Ursula. At the heart of her stories was a strong character, a young woman pursuing a passion to help the sick and injured. Soulene lived in an unjust and cruel world, in which poverty, plagues, and war were a constant presence. Only a small class of educated men (most of them from noble families or the clergy) could ever hope to become doctors. Yet Soulene was able to find an alternate path through a religious order for women, the so-called Red Heart Healers, who specialized in working with the poor of France and parts of England.

Soulene also had a fascinating backstory. I won’t reveal it here, but suffice it to say that it rivals a Mexican soap opera for plot twists, villains, and vengeful plots. Ursula also paid close attention to important historical details, including the types of herbs and plants used for treating wounds and illness, the spread of plague in medieval towns, and even the layout of 13th-century Paris.

These qualities, along with the short length of the books, convinced me to take on Ursula’s trilogy. Book 1, Soulene: A Healer’s Tale, was released in 2013. The following year Soulene: The Art of the Red Heart Healers came out. Last year, Soulene: A Healer in Paris, was released. While the first book required a lot of rewrites and editing, by the third book Ursula had hit her stride. The characters were fleshed out, the dialogue was strong, and the pacing was just right. We found talented graphic artists—Steve Sauer and Malgorzata Godziuk—to handle the covers and interior maps. Reader feedback was great, but I also thought there might be an opportunity to get wider recognition.

award-winning Soulene trilogyEnter the IPNE Awards. Every year the Independent Publishers of New England holds an awards contest, the winners of which are announced at the annual conference. A panel of librarians handles the judging in more than a dozen categories, which include art, literary fiction, mystery, and several nonfiction categories. i30 Media entered Soulene: A Healer in Paris as well as two In 30 Minutes titles. Last month, Soulene was named a finalist in the YA category, and at the conference in Portsmouth New Hampshire it won the IPNE 2016 Book award for YA fiction. It was a pleasure to pick up the award on the author’s behalf.

Does the award mean that i30 Media will be developing more fiction titles? I am not sure, but I have told Ursula that when she starts work on another book I will be ready to read her manuscript.

To learn more about Soulene, check out the official Soulene.com website.