Decoders

by David Gaughran

Join 17,000 authors and learn the latest techniques to give your books an edge from advertising, branding, and algorithms, to targeting, engagement, and reader psychology. Get some cool freebies for joining too, like a guide to building your platform and a comprehensive book marketing course. Yes, it's all totally free!

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How to do everything 🏋️

Hey, I'm writing from a beautiful little town called [Redacted] on the south coast of Portugal. If anyone ever gives you the chance to go there, I recommend taking them up on it, assuming their identity, stealing their house, and then dumping their body at sea. (Guess who has been watching Ripley?) The reason I have murder on my mind today is because I have a deal for you which slays. Not just any deal – THE deal. You know the one. It comes around twice a year. Everyone goes nuts. The world...

9 days ago • 8 min read

I made you a book marketing Tier List 🏆

Hey, I'm sure you know that feeling of not having enough hours in the day. Indie authors especially struggle with this because the moment we begin to unwind a sense of guilt creeps in. "Shouldn't I be doing something to promote my books?" It's an easy trap to fall into, even when at the writing desk which is supposed to be our happy place. And that's especially true when sales slow down because that tricksy inner voice we all have can plant seeds of doubt. "What's the point if no one's buying...

about 1 month ago • 8 min read

Huge change coming to Gmail next week 😲

Hey, Google is making a big change soon—like… in a matter of days—which will have a huge impact on email marketing. It’s highly technical (and super boring) but it could prison-shank your author newsletter unless you take a couple of steps now, and also embrace best practices generally over the longer term. Be warned: these are requirements not recommendations. Today we’ll run through what’s happening—in plain English—i.e. who is affected, how you can sort it out, and why this is ultimately a...

3 months ago • 6 min read

Writing is easy? 🤔

Hey, Writing a book is easy, I tell anyone with literary ambitions, just grab a dictionary and rearrange the words. Okay, okay, if you are one of those fussy sorts who cares about the quality of your books, things can be a little more complicated—especially if you keep putting words in the order wrong. But we really do have an endless well of words and stories inside of us… if we can get out of our own way. It's the same with writing newsletters. You might think you have nothing to say to...

3 months ago • 6 min read

The problem with email 📧

Hey, There are two ways to approach email marketing and one of them is dead wrong. If you focus on numbers vs. people, asks instead of gives, or building funnels over creating community, you're doing it wrong, sorry. But it’s not either/or. You can build a thriving community which is powered by slick funnels and monetized up the wazoo. If your overarching focus is on community — genuinely so, and you aren’t just paying lip-service to the idea — then you’ll get the balance right. (In fact, I...

4 months ago • 2 min read

This is happening in 2024 😮

Hey, When I look at the year ahead, I spend way more time thinking about challenges and opportunities in the tech sector, rather than anything the "publishing industry" might be doing. Is this the year that Twitter dies? Will Threads actually take off after what might be described as a false dawn? What changes will Facebook surprise us with? I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, quite frankly. I have opinions – if you’re curious my guess is… maybe, maybe not, and lots,...

4 months ago • 3 min read

6 reasons why your ads don't sell books 🎯

Hey, There is nothing more frustrating than a Facebook ad which gets lots and lots of clicks but no sales. Okay, okay, maybe getting stuck in an elevator with two crypto bros trying to sell you jpegs might be more frustrating, but I digress. Getting clicks on your Facebook ads is only the first hurdle but it’s a modest challenge in comparison. It's also quite straightforward to troubleshoot - you cycle through changes in the image, text, or targeting until readers start clicking. Conversion...

5 months ago • 5 min read

Decoders guide to Facebook Advantage - and how to turn it off

The 10 best Black Friday deals for authors 👉

Hey, I have a love/love relationship with Black Friday. The only bit I don't like is when it ends! The rest of the year is spent dealing with cold turkey, in one of the universe's enduring jokes. In those sad times bereft of deals I busy myself by making lists - things I want and need for myself or my business... and then I swoop on Black Friday like some kind of bargain hungry pterodactyl. "How do you cram so many deals into one newsletter?" asks anyone who doesn't realise how many deals I...

5 months ago • 9 min read

Two fantastic author tools for you 👉

Hey, It seems to start earlier and earlier every year – much to the chagrin of this traditionalist. Poor old Halloween hardly receives a proper burial before the holiday decorations go up. And with the huge focus on online everything these days, some fear that the true meaning of Black Friday is being lost. Which of course is the age-old practice of elbowing seniors out of the way to grab a ridiculously priced television. It’s the mooooost wooooooonderful tiiiiiiime... I want you all to...

5 months ago • 5 min read

Facebook forces the Advantage 👀

Hey, Meta made some pretty big changes to Facebook Ads – continuing its embrace of machine learning, AI, and Advantage branding. This has caused something of a panic, if my swollen mailbag is anything to go by, with authors worried that they are going to lose control over who sees their ads, and where they are shown. A lot of this stuff is now switched on by default, but fear not, compadres; I have your back – solutions, workarounds, and a handy video guide too. Call it my way of making up...

6 months ago • 6 min read

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