Learn how legends launch their books

Plus, Kickstarter for Authors and a new project I am working on, and much more.

Author

Teddy Smith
April 23, 2025

Hey everyone,

Firstly, thanks everyone for asking for my prompts for the project I am working on, How to Write a Book in 4 Weeks, I hope you found them useful.

This week I’ve got something for everyone – whether you're writing your next thriller, planning your big book launch, or just wondering if LinkedIn could actually work for authors (spoiler: it can).

Also… I’m hosting two live events on the same day next week. One with the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter. The other with four incredible publishing experts (honestly I don’t know how I got them all in the same room…) . More on that below👇

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Isabelle is THE expert on author branding and PR, and I interviewed er for one of my very first shows. If you are looking to grow your author brand (and why wouldn’t you be…?) then this free masterclass will give you everything you need to know.

🎧 This Week on The Publishing Performance Show

1. Jonathan McClain – Narrating 200+ Audiobooks
Jonathan’s voice has told the stories of thrillers, romances, sci-fi epics – you name it. He’s even narrated books for Lee Child.
In this episode, we dig into how authors can work with narrators, what makes a great audiobook performance, and why your narrator might be your secret weapon.
🎙 Listen here

2. JD Barker – Co-Writing with James Patterson
Yes, that James Patterson.
JD shares how their co-writing process works, plus we get into the world of trad vs indie, why things are blurring fast, and what he’s learned from doing all three: indie, trad, and hybrid.
🎙 Listen here

3. Aryn Van Dyke – LinkedIn for Authors
Think LinkedIn is just for job hunters? Think again.
Aryn breaks down exactly how she helps authors grow their audience, build a community, and sell books using strategies that most writers haven’t even considered.

This episode is really important if you’re writing non fiction books, as linked in users are in their ‘self help’ mode when they are reading through horrible posts about how the death of the pope is connected to in bound B2B businesses.
🎙 Listen here

📅 Two Live Events You Won’t Want to Miss

These events are going to be a game changer, and they are both free. If you sign up I will also send you the recording if you can’t attend live.

🧨 Kickstarter for Authors with Oriana Leckert
She’s the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter – and I’ll be asking everything about launching books on the platform. Kickstarter could be the best way for you to launch your new book to an audience that isn’t on Amazon.
Sign up: subscribepage.io/ScxCj1

🚀 Book Launch Panel with Craig Martelle, Dale L Roberts, Julie Broad & Alexa Bigwarfe
How on earth I got these 4 legends into the same room, I will never know. These guys know everything there is to know about launching a book, so this session will be a complete game changer.

Four authors, four different strategies – this is going to be a masterclass in launching your book the right way.
Sign up: subscribepage.io/booklaunchpanelshow

📚 Teddy’s Book Club: Free Book of the Week

If you're into gripping detective thrillers, Her Silent Bones is a must-read. This heart-stopping novel has climbed into Amazon's Top 100, and it's easy to see why. I love a character heavy book, with lots of back story. The twisty plot, is perfect for fans of crime fiction. I go on about the Strike novels all the time, and these ones scratch my itch whilst I wait for the new book to come out. It is also a whole series, so you can get the first book and smash through the rest of the books.

That’s it from me – did you listen to any episodes? I would love to hear your feedback? Or have you got any book launch questions for the live panels? Hit reply, I’d love to hear from you.

Talk soon,
Teddy

P.S. I'm @teddyagsmith on all the socials if we’re not connected yet!