You’re Not Just a Writer—You’re a Business Owner
By: Ginger | Posted on March 28, 2025
Most authors just want to tell stories, not crunch numbers. But in the world of self-publishing, writing a great book is only half the equation. The other, less glamorous (but equally vital) part is knowing how to track what’s working and what isn’t. That means thinking like a business owner. And every successful business runs on data. That’s why today, Ginger is going through the steps needed to turn your sporadic writing side hustle into a more sustainable, full-time income. By tracking key metrics like word count, book performance and marketing results, you’ll gain the insight needed to make smarter decisions. Once you start acting on those knowledge, you’ll find it easier to grow your audience, boost your sales, and ultimately stop leaving your publishing success up to chance. I’ve mentioned before how I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 9-years-old—but even back then, I had more of… Read More >
The One AI Use Writers Won’t Hate
By: Ginger | Posted on March 21, 2025
The soul of being an author is writing books—and no machine, no matter how advanced, will ever truly replicate that. But just because we don’t want AI handling our plot twists doesn’t mean it can’t serve us in other ways. In fact, when it comes to one of the biggest bottlenecks self-published authors face in selling more books, AI might actually be the perfect secret weapon. As Ginger points out in today’s blog, writing may be our passion, but publishing is a business. And buried in that business is a mountain of data—ad results, sales numbers, conversion rates—that most authors don’t have the time (or desire) to sift through. But AI was built to make sense of messy data, and in Ginger’s case, it helped diagnose the issues with his ads and pull him out of a recent slump. So if you’d like to stop crunching numbers and get back… Read More >
The Key to Selling Books: Find Your Hook
By: Ginger | Posted on March 14, 2025
If you want to sell more books, you need a hook that stops readers in their tracks. With thousands of new titles flooding the market every day, your book needs a way to stand out. A strong hook is what keeps readers from scrolling past your title and onto the next, as it compels them to stop and find out more! In today’s blog, Ginger breaks down what makes a killer book hook, how to identify yours, and why some of the most successful self-published books of all time owe their rise to a single, unforgettable concept. He’s sharing actionable tips to help you distill your book’s premise into a gripping one-liner that grabs attention, strengthens your marketing, and ensures your story doesn’t disappear into the void. A few months ago I wrote a blog post called “the only four ways to sell books” and I wanted to revisit one… Read More >
Returns, Refunds, and Chargebacks: The Ugly Side of Direct Sales
By: Ginger | Posted on January 17, 2025
Whether it’s the promise of greater creative freedom, faster payments, more control over pricing, or the opportunity to build a deeper connection with your audience, direct sales is steadily gaining popularity within the self-publishing community. Yet, this entrepreneurial approach comes with a hidden cost: the responsibility of personally managing customer service issues like refunds, returns, and chargebacks. But while having a customer demand their money back for one of your books can feel personal, it’s rarely a reflection of your work or talent. Instead, it’s simply part of the cost of doing business—a challenge that every business owner must eventually navigate. Today, Ginger takes a closer look at these customer service challenges, sharing his personal advice on managing refunds and chargebacks with ease. From understanding why readers request them to strategies for minimizing their impact, he offers practical tips to handle these situations efficiently and professionally. It doesn’t matter if… Read More >
Amazon’s Latest Ad Change Goes Too Far
By: Ginger | Posted on January 10, 2025
While Amazon can be credited with starting the self-publishing boom, it’s been a long time since it served as a true safe haven for independent authors. What was once a platform where organic discoverability thrived has slowly devolved into a pay-to-play system ruled by corporate greed. With product pages increasingly cluttered with ads, the “Also Bought” ribbon was the last hope an author had of being discovered without having to break open their wallet. But with this latest change, even that final refuge has been corrupted. As Ginger argues in today’s blog, this latest change to a book’s product page crosses a line at a time when fair play was already hanging by a thread. It’s arguably one of Amazon’s most brazen tactics yet, and not only erodes consumer trust but also signals that a company so fixated on profits over quality of service may be on the brink of… Read More >
How Bad Ad Creative Can Hurt Your Sales
By: Ginger | Posted on January 3, 2025
When it comes to book marketing, your ad creative—images, headlines, and taglines—plays a critical role in the success of your campaigns. Even the best advertising strategy can fail if the creative doesn’t resonate with your audience. Ads are often the first impression of your book for potential readers, and if that impression falls flat, no amount of targeting or budgeting can make up for it. Poor ad creative doesn’t just hurt your clicks, it can actively drive up your advertising costs. That’s why this week, Ginger is laying out exactly how the quality of your ad creative can make or break your book’s marketing efforts, and the strategies you can use to identify what works and what doesn’t. More importantly, he also shares some practical tips for creating engaging, high-performing ads that not only drive traffic but also connect with your readers. A few weeks ago I wrote a post answering… Read More >
Splitting Your Ad Budget When Doing Direct Sales
By: Ginger | Posted on December 27, 2024
Direct sales are gaining traction among self-published authors, offering not only higher profits but also faster access to your well-earned revenue. Yet questions still remain with regards to balancing the advantages of direct sales with the invaluable perks of driving traffic to Amazon—like boosted rankings, increased reviews, and organic visibility. Especially if this means having to split your ad budget to cover both cases. Is it worth it? That’s why today, Ginger is examining ways in which we can balance these two competing strategies. What if you could run ads that effectively drive traffic to both your direct sales site and your storefront listing without sabotaging one for the other? It’s a tactic with the potential to deliver the best of both worlds—and one that he’s personally tested. So whether you’re already selling direct or just considering it, these strategies will help you maximize every marketing dollar you spend. Recently,… Read More >
How To Set Up Defensive Advertising
By: Ginger | Posted on December 20, 2024
When it comes to advertising your book, few things are more frustrating than seeing your hard-earned customer traffic redirected to someone else’s work. Defensive Advertising is a strategy that makes sure your product pages showcase only your books, protecting your readers from clicking off to another author’s titles. Even better, it supercharges your marketing efforts by leveraging Amazon’s algorithms to your advantage. So, how do you set it up? Today, Ginger is breaking it all down, step by step, complete with handy screenshots. From gathering your book details to navigating campaign setup, this guide has you covered. Plus, he’s sharing personal tips to boost results while keeping costs low. If you’re running ads for your books, it is essential that you are familiar with the concepts below to ensure you’re keeping readers engaged and maximizing sales. Whenever I mention “Defensive Advertising” in one of my blog posts, I receive emails… Read More >
Do Shorter Novels Make a Bigger Impact?
By: Ginger | Posted on November 29, 2024
Many authors believe there to be an unspoken pressure to produce hefty novels, as if the length of a book is directly tied to its worth. But is there any validity to that assumption? Do readers always want longer novels, or could shorter ones offer equal—or even greater—value to both readers and writers? As Ginger highlights in today’s blog, modern readers juggle countless demands on their attention and time. Shorter books not only fit seamlessly into their busy lives but also create exciting opportunities for authors, from reaching a broader audience to increasing output while reducing costs. Maybe it’s time to rethink whether bigger truly means better in the world of storytelling. When it comes to credit card debt, suppositories, and the spiders you find in your bathroom, one thing is clear: Bigger isn’t always better. But does the same rule apply for novels? Some of my favorite novels are… Read More >
Does Running More Facebook Ads Produce Better Results?
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 22, 2024
Last week, we explored a question that many self-published authors grapple with: does increasing your ad budget directly lead to better sales metrics? While this strategy can yield results, it’s not without its risks. It also raises a less-discussed—yet equally important—question: regardless of your budget, could you increase sales simply by running multiple Facebook ads for the same book? As Ginger explores in this week’s blog, this isn’t about blindly multiplying your efforts and hoping something sticks. Instead, it’s about understanding the psychology of effective advertising and why diversifying your ad approach can have a significant impact. From the timeless “seven touches” rule to features built right into Facebook’s Ads Manager, Ginger breaks down why running more ads can deliver better results—and how you can easily implement this strategy without needing to redesign your creative from scratch. Last week, I wrote about how increasing your advertising budget could have a… Read More >
