Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #106: Mike Underwood and Marketing

by

Mur

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:26 — 39.8MB)

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annihilation aria coverMike Underwood comes on to talk to us about his new book, ANNIHILATION ARIA (The Space Operas, Vol. 1), but the talk also goes into Mike’s experience with book marketing, and, boy, the stuff he tells us, no lie, is enlightening.

  • Matt and Mur come to you live from the haberdasher in the Ditch Diggers Manor that is also occasionally a Mansion, with special guest, author, podcaster, and book selling/marketing veteran, Michael R. Underwood!
  • Very important cowboy hat discourse preempts the main topic of the episode, with an aside into the difference between a comically small bowler hat and a fascinator.
  • Everyone talks about what’s new in their freelancing lives, and Mike discusses being an SWFA mentor working with multiple mentees.
  • Mur is a runaway Twitch sensation, and anyone who hasn’t joined in on the phenomenon is going to be left behind (according to Matt. Mur insists she’s having to build a new platform from scratch and it is difficult).
  • Mike talks about his new space adventure found family novel, ANNIHILATION ARIA, and Matt and he discuss how their careers have intersected at multiple points in weird ways.
  • Mike discusses the spectrum of traditional publishing, small presses, and self-publishing from the perspective of someone who has released books through all three, and worked as a bookseller and publisher rep.
  • Different ways to think about marketing your book as an author.
  • The big ways the publishing industry is broken, how that affects the staff, including publicists, at the publisher itself, and your relationship/dynamic with them as an author.
  • Virtual book tours, and the importance of diversifying your marketing content in the age of COVID, and balancing everything with self-care.
  • The traditional end of episode shilling commences!
  • Mike will return in Michael R. Underwood vs. The World Crime League (no, seriously, Mike will be back in a future episode to talk more about publishing and marketing).

Mentioned in This Episode…