Posts Tagged ‘Book Marketing’

Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] It’s a Multiple Whale Year for Ursula

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:54 — 34.2MB)

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“Genre is a marketing tool, just like a book cover.” – Mur Lafferty

Ditch Diggers Season 11 logo featuring ursula illustrated In this episode of Ditch Diggers, Mur and Ursula rant about genre expectations, marketing, and what happens when you decide that genre isn’t for you because you’re special. 

Ursula lists her whales, and Imposter Syndrome doesn’t really make a showing when Mur travels. 

Highlights:
– (05:12) Ursula’s anxiety over multiple deadlines and projects
– (12:45) Mur’s recent business trip and the absence of imposter syndrome
– (25:30) The ongoing debate about happy endings in romance
– (38:15) The role of marketing in shaping reader expectations
– (47:50) The challenges of genre classification and reader assumptions
– (55:30) How personal growth as a writer often goes unnoticed

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(This post went live for supporters on June 9, 2025. Join the Fabulists or support my newsletter at Ghost if you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes!)

Transcript

Links: 

Evergreen Links:

Support Local Book Stores!

Ditch Diggers credits:
theme song by Devo Spice, art by Numbers Ninja,
site hosted by Libsyn (or Patreon).
June 12, 2024 | Season 11 Ep 6 | murverse.com
“It’s a Multiple Whale Year for Ursula” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] Trad Marketing vs Self Marketing

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:23 — 29.8MB)

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“The best way to survive is to turn everything into hilarity.” – Ursula Vernon

Ditch Diggers Season 11 logo featuring ursula illustrated
In this episode we dive into the chaotic world of writing, marketing, and the ups and downs of self-publishing. Mur shares her recent trip to Maryland for Independent Bookstore Day, and Ursula catches us up on Swordheart’s launch. 

Self promotion is hard, ya’ll.

Highlights:

  • (05:12) Mur’s experience running a solo RPG at an independent bookstore
  • (12:45) Ursula’s updates on Swordheart and her UK marketing team
  • (25:30) The difference between traditional marketing and self-promotion
  • (38:15) The importance of targeted outreach to influencers
  • (47:50) Mur’s thoughts on new marketing tools and strategies
  • (55:30) Reflections on the passage of time and creative endeavors
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(This post went live for supporters on May 22, 2025. Join the Fabulists or support my newsletter at Ghost if you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes!)

Transcript

Links: 

Evergreen Links:

Support Local Book Stores!

Ditch Diggers credits:
theme song by Devo Spice, art by Numbers Ninja,
site hosted by Libsyn (or Patreon).
May 19, 2024 | Season 11 Ep 4 | murverse.com
“Trad Marketing vs Self Marketing” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] Navigating Agents, Rights, and Reality

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:00 — 43.9MB)

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“If you can tolerate the boring and lonely, then hopefully you’ll be rewarded on the other side.” – Ursula Vernon

Ditch Diggers Season 11 logo featuring ursula illustrated In this episode of Ditch Diggers, Mur and Ursula navigate the chaotic world of freelancing, taxes, and the ups and downs of being a writer. They discuss the recent Hugo nominations (two for Ursula, one for Mur!), share insights into their creative processes, and delve into the challenges of working with agents.

Chapters:

(03:29) Congratulations to Hugo Finalists!
(04:06) Several people from the podcast have been nominated for various awards
(05:41) Ursula has been working on several projects
(21:25) NaNoWriMo reportedly folded due to poor financial decisions
(22:03) NaNoWriMo brought hope to authors for decades
(28:07) Other writer community options?
(30:39) There are many guides on how to get an agent and how to spot a scam
(36:02) Agents are all different people.
(48:54) How much creative control does the author have over their book
(51:25) Where your agent is plugged into the ecosystem of the genre is very important
(54:48) How do you know when it’s the right agent
(01:00:45) Brief side quest with Andrew the plant guy
(01:01:53) Ursula’s new book hit number five on the New York Times bestseller list

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

(This post went live for supporters on April 21, 2025. Join the Fabulists or support my newsletter at Ghost if you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes!)

Links: 

Evergreen Links:

Support Local Book Stores!

Ditch Diggers credits:
theme song by Devo Spice, art by Numbers Ninja,
site hosted by Libsyn (or Patreon).
Apr 14, 2024 | Season 11 Ep 3 | murverse.com
“Navigating Agents, Rights, and Reality” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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