Recent content by Jeff Potts

OK, just a few thoughts. First - and you're probably not going to want to hear this - it ain't Amazon, B&N, or even Google that's stunting Christian literature. It's Christians themselves. When I went out and queried my book. Christian publishers weren't interested. In fact, they were...

This is patently untrue. If the reverse were true, no book would need a cover. If a company that makes mustard creates a TV commercial for their brand, does that mean no one eats mustard anymore? Of course not. Video trailers are commercials, and nothing more. Just like movie trailers are...

Thanks! My personal favorite is the trailer for THE WIZARD'S STONE, which started as a cover reveal, but ended up being the trailer. The soundtrack was actually a bunch of sound effects that I purchased online and fit together using Audacity. The voices were either done by me, Steve Fortune...

Some will take the manuscript, then ghost you. Some will tell you, after a month of waiting, that the book "wasn't for them." Some will provide details of the book that weren't there. The combinations are seemingly endless.

You don't. That's the big pitfall with beta readers.

I used to use BookSirens. I no longer do for some very good reasons. Yes, reviews are important. However, what you want are reviews from fans. The reviews you get from these services tend to be fairly mediocre, in my opinion. The people attracted to these sites are getting their free books...

That's the tricky part. Much of it depends on what you want to accomplish with the book. One example was the last book. THE REVENANT AND THE CULT was written as a single work, bit felt like two stories. So I broke it apart. But there was something I knew was missing from the first part of...

I use beta readers as a replacement for a Developmental Editor. Why? I want to tailor my books for fans, not based on the opinion of someone who may or may not like my genre or style. The process I use is simple: 1) Get a complete, clean-ish draft ready. 2) Get anywhere from 2 - 4...

As an aside, I was listening to a YouTube video on my way to work, done by a "Trans-Woman," about how the recent Romantasy trend was considered "Conservative Propaganda." Because the girlboss protagonists were always fawning over hot, hunky, bad boy types. I laughed so hard I nearly wet...

Welcome to self-publishing. Liethia already covered Morris Publishing, so I'll spare you the details with that. When you say, "I don't want to use Amazon," I'm not sure if you're talking about having Amazon publish your book, or having Amazon sell your book. There is a difference. Not...

Thanks for the shout-out! And it's good to know that Amazon is finally doing SOMETHING right, sending out notifications. It took 3 MONTHS before Audible finally posted it yesterday. I've been fuming about this since March 3rd, which was my release date. Everybody else had the audiobook...

This, seriously, looks like the work of an artist I know named Elliot Fernandez.

So, here's my list of the average book marketing video on YouTube. Maybe you'll recognize some of these: 1) Your best marketing move is to publish another book. This is the one piece of advice that actually works. 2) Make sure you have an author website. Duh. 3) Build you user platform...

Yes. My first-hand experience has been awful. And, from what I'm hearing from other authors, Amazon ads are no longer working like they used to. Amazon ads work in a couple of modes, but one mode relies on keywords. Knowing the magical combination of keywords that will entice readers to buy...

My works usually include 1 or 2 identifiable swear words. Because people do curse, and sometimes it fits a character or a situation. For example, in THE REVENANT AND THE CULT, BOOK ONE, there is a scene that Herodiani overhears a bunch of cultists talking in the room below. Then at the end...