Daniel Hurst is a bestselling author with over 75 published books, primarily in the psychological thriller genre. Known for his rapid writing pace and prolific output, Daniel successfully transitioned from a procurement officer to a full-time author within just a few years. His breakthrough book "Till Death Do Us Part" allowed him to quit his day job, and he later achieved UK number one bestseller status with "The Doctor's Wife" through his publisher Bookouture. As a hybrid author, Daniel balances both self-publishing and traditional publishing, consistently delivering psychological thrillers that keep readers hooked with unexpected twists and compelling characters.

In this episode:

• Journey from childhood writing dreams to becoming a full-time author
• Transitioning from office work as a procurement officer to writing
• Writing process: from "pantsing" to structured outlining
• Achieving rapid writing speeds of 5,000-10,000 words per day
• The breakthrough success of "Till Death Do Us Part" that replaced his salary
• Marketing strategies that worked: Facebook ads and consistent newsletters
• Balancing self-publishing with traditional publishing as a hybrid author
• Time management and discipline required to build a writing career
• Common mistakes new authors make and how to avoid them
• Building a consistent reader base through regular book releases

Resources mentioned:

• 20 Books to 50K Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k/
• Craig Martell's writing community
• Facebook advertising platform
• KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) dashboard:
• Bookouture:https://bookouture.com/

Book Recommendations:

• Before and Laughter by Jimmy Carr

Connect with Daniel Hurst:

• Website: http://www.danielhurstbooks.com
• Free book download and newsletter signup available on website
• Latest book: "The Baby Swap" available on Amazon
• Weekly newsletter every Sunday with book updates and personal life

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Damon Courtney is the creator of BookFunnel, a platform that helps authors deliver digital books to readers and build marketing funnels. A former self-published fantasy author who published a trilogy in 2011, Damon created BookFunnel to solve the problem of easily delivering free books to readers' devices. What started as a simple solution for getting ebooks onto Kindles has evolved into a comprehensive platform that now delivers approximately 150,000 books per day and offers tools for author collaboration, group promotions, and building reader relationships.

In this episode:

• What a book funnel is and how it differs from traditional marketing
• The reader journey from discovery to becoming a superfan
• How to create effective reader magnets and lead capture systems
• Using group promotions to collaborate with other authors
• Author swaps for cross-promotion opportunities
• Different strategies for fiction vs. nonfiction funnels
• The lifetime value of readers and how to calculate it
• Creating bonus content to capture readers at the end of books
• Why giving away multiple books can be more effective than one
• Building organic vs. inorganic traffic through book funnels

Resources mentioned:

• BookFunnel.com - https://bookfunnel.com/
• Scrivener - https://scrivener.app/
• Vellum - https://vellum.pub/
• Atticus - https://www.atticus.io/
• Group promotions
• Author swaps

Connect with Damon Courtney:

• Website: https://bookfunnel.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Nat Eliason is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of multiple successful online businesses who is now pivoting to science fiction writing. After securing a $275,000 advance for his traditionally published non-fiction book "Crypto Confidential" with Penguin Random House, Nat has chosen to self-publish his debut science fiction novel "Husk." His entrepreneurial approach to book publishing includes a strong focus on professional production quality, direct sales through his own website, and leveraging his existing audience while building new channels specifically for his fiction work.

In this episode:

• Nat's transition from traditional publishing to self-publishing
• Creating a high-quality self-published book that doesn't look self-published
• The importance of investing in professional cover design and formatting
• Using Ingram Spark vs. Amazon KDP for print-on-demand
• Leveraging an existing audience for a genre pivot
• Building a marketing strategy focused on BookTube and Bookstagram
• The value of preselling books through your own website
• Nat's process for plotting and writing his novel in just four weeks
• How Nat's background in philosophy informed his sci-fi worldbuilding
• The challenge of keeping track of complex worldbuilding details
• Strategies for launching without a fiction-specific audience

Resources mentioned:

• Ingram Spark - For high-quality print-on-demand paperbacks and hardcovers
• Shopify - For selling signed book copies directly to readers
• Story Origin - Newsletter swap platform (mentioned by Teddy)
• Book Funnel - Reader magnet platform (mentioned by Teddy)
• Google Notebook LM - AI tool for organizing book details (mentioned by Teddy)

Book Recommendations:

• "Husk" - Nat's sci-fi debut novel about digital immortality
• "Neuromancer" by William Gibson - Classic cyberpunk that inspired Nat
• "Dune" by Frank Herbert - Example of long-lasting fiction impact

Connect with Nat Eliason:

• Website: nateliason.com
• Substack: blog.nateliason.com
• Book website: huskbook.com

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Joanna Penn is an award-winning author, New York Times and USA Today bestseller, and host of The Creative Penn podcast. With experience spanning both fiction (under J.F. Penn) and non-fiction, Joanna has built a sustainable writing business over nearly two decades. After leaving her IT consultant career in 2011, she's created multiple income streams from her writing and writing-adjacent activities while publishing over 50 books. Her latest fiction release is "Death Valley," and she's currently working on the 4th edition of "Successful Self-Publishing."

In this episode:

• Joanna's journey from IT consultant to full-time author
• How her definition of success evolved over time
• Multiple income streams for both fiction and non-fiction authors
• Strategies for making a living with writing beyond just book sales
• The importance of building an email list from day one
• Her "50 books by 50" milestone and creating a body of work
• Discovery writing vs. plotting approaches
• Using AI tools to enhance creativity and productivity
• The "great splintering" of indie publishing business models
• Creating premium products like special editions for higher income

Resources mentioned:

• The Creative Penn Podcast
• Books and Travel Podcast
• Scrivener: https://scrivener.app/
• ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com/
• Google Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google/
• Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/
• ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io/
• PickFu - https://www.pickfu.com/
• Patreon https://www.patreon.com/

Book Recommendations:

• "Successful Self-Publishing" (4th Edition coming soon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F66QLTL9?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• "Death Valley" - Her latest thriller: https://jfpenn.com/deathvalley
• "How to Write a Novel" : https://www.amazon.com/dp/1915425093?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Connect with Joanna Penn:

• Fiction website: https://jfpenn.com/
• Non-fiction website: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/
• The Creative Penn Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-creative-penn-podcast-for-writers/id309426367
• Books and Travel Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/books-and-travel/id1454367912

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Aurora Winter is the founder of SamePage Publishing and author of "Turn Words into Wealth." With a background as a film and television executive producer and award-winning screenwriter, Aurora now helps entrepreneurs, experts, and business leaders leverage books to grow their businesses. Her "Spoken Author Method" helps clients create high-quality books faster by speaking their content, which is then polished by her team. Aurora focuses on strategic book creation that can generate a 10X return on investment through backend products, speaking opportunities, and premium client acquisition.

In this episode:

• Seven blueprints for creating seven-figure income from your book
• Using short books as lead magnets to test market demand
• Building a business beyond just book sales
• Developing a speaking career through strategic book positioning
• Creating premium client funnels through targeted books
• Importance of proper book testing before publication
• Effective book launch strategies for maximum impact
• Tips for becoming more charismatic as a speaker
• The importance of ongoing business improvement
• Benefits of independent publishing vs. traditional publishing

Resources mentioned:

• Turn Words into Wealth - Aurora's comprehensive book - https://turnwordsintowealth.com/
• Marketing Fast Track
• Publisher Rocket - https://publisherrocket.com/
• Klytics - https://k-lytics.com/
• PickFu.com - https://www.pickfu.com/
• BookCall.biz - https://bookcall.biz/

Book Recommendations:

• The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/055380684X?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Connect with Aurora Winter:

• Website: https://aurorawinter.com/
• Publishing company: https://samepagepublishing.com/
• Free ebooks: https://turnwordsintowealth.com/
• Book a call: https://bookcall.biz/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

I had the pleasure of hosting this special panel edition of The Publishing Performance Show, bringing together four brilliant publishing industry experts to discuss book launch strategies. The conversation covered everything from hard vs. soft launches to advertising strategies, review acquisition, and genre-specific approaches.

Our incredible panel featured:

Craig Martelle - A publishing veteran with over 200 books published who runs some of the largest indie conferences in the world. Craig shared his unique approach of soft-launching a 10-book series in just 9 months, selling a quarter million dollars worth of books with minimal marketing.

Dale L. Roberts - YouTube expert and author who specializes in Amazon ads and book marketing strategies.

Alexa Bigwarfe - USA Today bestselling author and founder of Write. Publish. Sell, who offered insights into both children's books and romance marketing.

Julie Broad - Amazon bestselling author and founder of Book Launchers, who specializes in non-fiction book marketing.

In this panel:

• Hard launches vs. soft launches and when to use each approach
• Pre-order strategies and series launch considerations
• Building and managing ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) teams
• Generating book reviews without giving away free copies
• Genre-specific launch strategies for fiction, non-fiction, and children's books
• Amazon ads vs. Facebook ads for different book types
• The importance of email lists over social media followers
• Traditional vs. indie publishing distribution considerations
• Common launch advice myths and misconceptions
• Current and upcoming book projects from each panelist

Resources Mentioned:

• Book Funnel: https://bookfunnel.com
• Story Origin: https://storyoriginapp.com
• Book Sprout: https://booksprout.co
• NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com
• American Library Association: https://www.ala.org
• Written Word Media: https://www.writtenwordmedia.com
• Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com
• Amazon KDP: https://kdp.amazon.com
• IngramSpark: https://www.ingramspark.com

Connect with our panelists:

• Craig Martelle: https://craigmartelle.com
• Dale L. Roberts: https://selfpublishingwithdale.com
• Alexa Bigwarfe: https://writepublishsell.co
• Julie Broad: https://booklaunchers.com

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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H.H. Rune is the author of the "Find Me" series, a unique "fiction-ish" or autofiction work that blends real-life experiences with fictional storytelling. After conceiving the idea at age 30 while a stay-at-home mom, H.H. spent 25 years developing this five-book series before finally committing to publication during the pandemic. The series follows a creative social experiment where the author writes five books containing personal memories about people from her life, then sends them to random individuals across the country in hopes that someone she wrote about will recognize themselves and return a book to her.

In this episode:

• The concept of "autofiction" and blending real memories with fictional narrative
• Creating multiple storylines - the author's journal entries, memories of people, and the books' travels
• Character development across multiple locations and perspectives
• Writing process over a 25-year period before final publication
• The pandemic as a catalyst for finally completing the project
• Interactive elements including trackable books with QR codes
• Creating an interactive reader experience with sign-in pages at the back
• Working with a publicist to refine marketing messaging
• TikTok as a primary marketing platform for indie authors
• Breaking conventional writing rules about perspective and format

Resources mentioned:

• Find Me Book One: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZCFG8R4?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• Find Me Book Two: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DB8J1G3P?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• Find Me Book Three (coming soon) : https://www.amazon.com/Find-Me-Book-Three-Different-ebook/dp/B0F73BK11T?ref_=ast_author_dp
• Limited edition trackable versions with QR codes
• Interactive map on author's website (coming soon)
• Instagram page for the Find Me series: https://www.instagram.com/h.h.rune/
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
• Lauren Hathaway - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hathaway-39a3588

Book Recommendations:

• "The Anti-Rule: Navigating the Lies about Fiction Writing" by Christian Francis: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1916582052?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Connect with H.H. Rune:

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hhrune
• Website: https://hhrune.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Emily Crookston is the owner and "decider of all things" at Pocket PhD, where she specializes in ghostwriting and developmental editing for business books. With a PhD in philosophy and background as a professor, Emily transitioned to content writing, starting with blog posts before moving to longer formats like business books. Her focus is helping thought leaders and business owners create books that serve as effective tools for lead generation, authority building, and speaking opportunities. Emily recently published her own book, "Unwritten: The Thought Leaders Guide to Not Overthinking Your Business Book," which guides business owners through the process of writing and publishing their books without getting stuck in overthinking.

In this episode:

• Building a compelling business case for writing a book
• Finding your unique point of view among similar books
• Maintaining author authenticity when working with a ghostwriter
• Using AI effectively as a brainstorming partner
• Avoiding common overthinking traps in book writing
• Setting realistic word count goals for busy entrepreneurs
• Self-publishing advantages for business books
• Creating reader-centric content even in business memoirs
• Positioning your book strategically in the marketplace
• Finding time to write while running a business

Resources mentioned:

• Unwritten: The Thought Leaders Guide to Not Overthinking Your Business Book - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D94YDCP5?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• Website - https://www.thepocketphd.com/
• AI tools for book brainstorming and outlining
• Standard operating procedures (SOPs) as book content foundation

Book Recommendations:

• "Better Than Before" by Gretchen Rubin - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385348630?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_t

Connect with Emily Crookston:

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycrookston
• Website - https://www.thepocketphd.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show