All Things Book Marketing

For authors navigating complex publishing pathways, a literary agent serves as a guide and advocate,
cutting through the noise and opening up the doors to new opportunities on your behalf. Not only is
working with a literary agent essential for any kind of traditional deal, but they can also help authors with translating publishing contracts from hybrid and indie houses as well and can curate long-lasting
relationships with editors and publishers alike. But first, before working with an agent, you have to query them. What does that entail? And once you’ve signed on, what are the best practices for creating a positive working relationship? We’re glad you asked!

Donya Dickerson, Literary Agent at Aevitas, and John Willig, Literary Advisor and Content Coach at
Literary Services Inc., joined Host Corinne Moulder, Smith Publicity’s VP of Business Development, to
discuss how to query and work collaboratively with literary agents.

Literary Agent and author Lucinda Halpern discusses tips for querying and other ways to get connected to and signed by an agent in this episode of All Things Book Marketing! 

Lucinda Halpern is a literary agent and the founder of Lucinda Literary, based in New York. She has worked with all major publishers, including Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Hachette, and Scholastic, and currently represents New York Times and internationally best-selling authors in the categories of personal growth, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction. Her classes and coaching programs have been taught to hundreds of writers worldwide, and became the inspiration for her new book Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author (Hay House; February 6th, 2024). Learn more at lucindaliterary.com or download Lucinda’s free author training. Follow Lucinda Halpern on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X @lucindaliterary and @luncindahalpern and learn more about her work at LucindaLiterary.com.

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Audio content is in with readers and that means that audiobooks are now expected from authors, not just recommended. David Wolf, Founder and CEO of Audivita, answers some commonly asked questions including the who, what, when, where, and why of audiobooks in this episode of Smith Publicity's All Things Book Marketing. 

David Wolf spent years serving as a music composer and producer of audio content for radio, TV, film, podcasts, audiobooks and multimedia. His previous company, Crywolf Productions, Inc. (1985-1999) and its recording studios provided music, sound design and production services for advertising and also studios such as Amblin, Discovery Channel, NBC Universal and Disney and for many well-known brands such as Southwest Airlines, Miller Brewing, Embassy Suites, Procter & Gamble, Texas Instruments, Brock Hotel Corporation and many more. 

David founded Audivita Studios in 2016 to apply his experience and the talents, skills  and expertise of his creative team to help companies, publishers, entrepreneurs, influencers and thought leaders grow their brands and businesses with podcasts and audiobooks. 

In 2024, Wolf is on a course to expand the core production business into related industry verticals with the creation of Media Capital Ventures, leveraging his experience in business building and operating experience in production and media. Concurrently, he co-founded 1125 Studios with Christian Bruun to develop and produce original series podcasts, film and television series. MCV has recently added Stock Day Media to its portfolio of companies to leverage the production team at Audivita Studios specifically for the OTC markets. Learn more at audivita.com and follow them on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn @audivitastudios.

Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

Audio content is BOOMING and it's no longer a question of IF you should have a podcast to promote your expertise, but HOW should you run a podcast to promote your expertise. Luckily, we have expert Traci DeForge to help us! 

Traci DeForge, founder of Produce Your Podcast, is recognized as an international podcast expert, sought after speaker and media contributor. Traci is the host of the Growth Accelerator Podcast, and co-host of Ask Brien Radio Show on KHTS AM & FM, Los Angeles, CA. She's been featured on all three major networks along with CNN, CTV, and American Express Open, RadioINK, and is a member of the Rolling Stone Culture Council. Learn more at www.produceyourpodcast.com and follow them on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. 

Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

Smith Publicity President, Marissa Eigenbrood, and Marketing Manager, Olivia McCoy, sit down to discuss the highlights and takeaways of 2024's US Book Show hosted in NYC by Publishers Weekly and the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA).

About the 2024 U.S. Book Show: Publishers Weekly and the Association of American Literary Agents presented an in-person educational conference for agents, editors, marketers and book publishing professionals for continuing education, discussion of emerging trends, and networking to foster relationships within the publishing community. This year's conference addressed emerging technologies and the AI landscape, diversity, publisher consolidation and growth opportunities as well as diving into bread-and-butter issues that can affect daily effectiveness and careers. Learn more about the hosts at publishersweekly.com and aalitagents.org.
 
Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

Jack Murtha joins us today to review brand strategy for companies, authors, and experts and how these different brands can collaborate and inform promotional efforts including marketing and publicity.

Jack Murtha is a co-founder of Map Change, a thought leadership agency specializing in healthcare and technology. His work has propelled the world's most innovative companies and leaders to new heights, earning millions in new business, securing exits, and steering policy change. He's also a co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book "Dead Wrong: Diagnosing and Treating Healthcare's Misinformation Illness." Learn more at mapchangenow.com and follow Jack on LinkedIn.

Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

We sat down with Bookshop.org's Director of Bookstore Partnerships to discuss the indie bookstore landscape in recent years and how authors and readers can further engage with their local indies.

Steph Opitz (she/her) is the Director of Bookstore Partnerships at Bookshop.org. Formerly, she was the founding director of Wordplay at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and a visiting instructor at the University of Minnesota. She serves on committees for the National Book Foundation, the Authors Guild, PEN America, and LitNet. She has curated literary events and festivals around the country—as the literary director of the Texas Book Festival, the fiction co-chair of the Brooklyn Book Festival, and on the programs team for the PEN World Voices Festival— and was the books reviewer for Marie Claire magazine. Learn more at bookshop.org.

Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

In celebration of Indie Author Month, we interviewed Amy Edelman, Founder of IndieReader, on what it means to be an indie author, the struggles they face, and the benefits they reap. Tune in for publishing insights, tips, tricks, and advice!

Amy is a twice traditionally published and twice self published author whose day job for two decades was working in PR and marketing. She founded IndieReader in 2009 to help give hybrid, small press and self published authors a more level playing field and was one of the first companies to offer professional book reviews. The IR Discovery Awards were launched a year later. Today IR offers many services designed to help raise the profile and discoverability of non-traditionally published authors. Learn more at IndieReader.com and follow them on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.

Speaking is becoming more and more of a priority for many authors looking to grow their professional brand, so we've invited Josh White, the Managing Director of Epic Keynotes, to explain how to begin developing your speaker brand, where your book fits in, and goals to consider.

Joshua White launched Epic Keynotes to help companies and speakers leverage the full potential of speaking engagements. Epic's business model does not quantify bookings as the measure of success; instead, Epic focuses on generating the maximum impact possible for its clients. To that end, Epic works not just with thought leaders but with leaders of thought, those rare individuals who can impart something so profound that it will stay with audiences for the rest of their lives.

Over the past decade, Joshua has been at the forefront of the professional speaking industry, working with some of the world's most renowned keynote speakers and corporate clients and charting a new direction for the sector. With Epic Keynotes, he helped pioneer a new approach to booking keynote speakers, from a transactional bureau to a consultant for both corporate clients and the keynote speakers themselves. Learn more at www.epickeynotes.com and follow both Josh and Epic Keynotes on LinkedIn.


Discover more about Smith Publicity at www.smithpublicity.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, & LinkedIn.