This week, I’m thrilled to be joined by Thomas Umstattd Jr., someone who has shaped so much of my own thinking about book marketing. An author, award-winning speaker, and podcaster best known for hosting the world’s longest running book marketing show, Novel Marketing, Thomas has become a go-to guide for writers who want to reach readers and build sustainable careers through his book Courtship in Crisis, countless conference talks, and more than 500 podcast episodes.

In this episode Thomas walks us through his journey from building author websites and launching Novel Marketing to the big shifts that have reshaped publishing including the rise of Kindle and Audible, the hidden indie sales BookScan misses, the boom in courses for nonfiction, and why YouTube behaves so differently from podcasts. We also dive into his newest experiment “AI Thomas,” an assistant trained on everything he has taught to give authors personalized marketing advice.

If you are an author or book marketer trying to navigate a crowded and fast-changing industry, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply right away. You will learn how to choose the right format for your book, understand the real data behind sales, and prepare for the coming wave of AI-driven discovery so that your work keeps reaching readers.

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Check out his podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/novel-marketing/id721122555

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Learn more about Thomas, his book Courtship in Crisis, and the Novel Marketing podcast at: https://www.thomasumstattd.com/