Lindsay - May 28, 2020On today’s show, we did the third of our three co-host interviews, this time with Andrea Pearson. We asked her questions about book launches, re-launches, dictation, and the ways she manages to do all she does (writing and publishing, coaching, creating courses for authors, and being a host of this podcast) all while homeschooling her young children and dealing with health issues.
In the news, Andrea mentioned that she’s switched mailing list providers recently and is having good luck so far with MailJet.
For the meat of the show, Lindsay and Jo asked Andrea a few questions on launches and dictation and then turned to listener questions from our Facebook group (you can join here if you haven’t yet: https://www.facebook.com/groups/504063143655523/).
Here’s what we asked her:
- What does a book launch look like for you in 2020?
- What’s best to focus on for people who don’t have a lot of time or money? Core stuff when you need to keep it simple?
- I know you’ve tinkered with changing out covers for your series. Have you done a full re-launch and what does that look like?
- What are some of the pros and cons of getting new ASINs at Amazon for the re-launch?
- You’ve spoken about how you’ve done physical merchandise in the past, with a reasonable degree of success. How did you handle shipping and such efficiently?
- Elena: I don’t know how much she will want to talk about this, but she’s mentioned having some chronic health problems, and I’d be interested in hearing strategies she uses for maintaining a doable level of activity while taking care of her health. It seems like it’s really easy to overdo things as a full-time writer.
- Laura: How do you manage kids and writing?
- Kalee: What’s the bare minimum for keeping an indie author career afloat? If, due to family circumstances or illness, an author has to cut back on all of the ‘extra’ things, what are the most important ones that need to be done?
- Hanna: I’m a mom of three, and first of all, I’m always impressed that she has time to do the podcast, let alone write! Thank you Andrea! I’d love to know if she has a daily schedule, or just wings it. How much work does she get done in a week, and what does she prioritize when time gets short?
- Amity: I’m a mom (of four, youngest 6mo) and I am starting my career–releasing my second book next month. I am exhausted and overwhelmed as much as I am exhilarated. There is SO MUCH to do and learn. And Covid has banished the babysitters. Andrea, what is your advice for triage–what would you learn/do vs farm out, and in what order, if you were launching your career today with the family you have now?
- Maureen: How and when does she dictate and what does she use? (Andrea uses Dragon Naturally Speaking version 15 and SONY ICD PX333 Digital Voice Recorder.)
- Kura: When she re-released one of her books under a new title 1) did that mean she had to sacrifice the reviews attached with the original title? And 2) did she include a note on the copyright page saying something like this work was previously released under title “X”?
- Lettie: You’ve mentioned reader bonuses (to get readers to buy your book when it is released and not wait). Could you explain more about that? What do you give away, how, how long, what works best, etc…
- Anne: Do you have any specific advice for marketing Young Adult fiction?
- Naomi: What social media does she use and on which does she feel most connected with her audience?
- Jordan: If she could interview any guest for your podcast who is her dream ‘get’?
- Taellaneth: What one thing has made the biggest impact on her writing career? (Actually, I’d love to know what each of the hosts think here.)
- Brenden: I was wondering what your editing process is like and also any editing/writing tips you have for fellow Dragon users?
If you want more information from Andrea, you can check out her courses at Self-Publish Strong.
Her latest one is Launching and Relaunching Everything You Need to Know about Book Launches. You can get 50% off with the coupon code: COLON.
