Alexa Nazzaro is the founder of Axel Author Group, a publishing services company with the memorable tagline "we won't let you publish crap." With a background in writing and business communications, Alexa transitioned into author services after helping a client with an ebook project. Her passion for the creative process led her to support authors across various genres, offering everything from editing and formatting to comprehensive launch strategies. While running her publishing services company, Alexa also works on her own fiction writing, giving her unique insight into both sides of the author journey—as both a service provider and a working writer.

In this episode:

• Effective book launch strategies from planning to execution
• The 90-day pre-launch marketing timeline
• Building and mobilizing a street team
• Getting advanced reviews through NetGalley
• Optimizing Amazon categories and keywords
• Running successful bestseller campaigns
• Author networks and newsletter swaps
• Post-launch review generation tactics
• Staggered format releases (ebook, paperback, audiobook)
• Special considerations for children's books
• Full-service publishing vs. DIY approaches

Resources mentioned:

• NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com/
• Kirkus and Forward Reviews: http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
• Independent Book Publishers Association: https://www.ibpa-online.org/
• Story Origin: https://storyoriginapp.com/
• Podmatch: https://podmatch.com/

Book Recommendations:

• "Gasping for Air, Choking on Shame" by Dana S. Diaz: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6WBCWNG?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• "Summer's Blood" by Adele Royce: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4VZYCPX?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743235274?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143129252?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Connect with Alexa Nazzaro:

• Axel Author Group Website: https://aaxelauthorgroup.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin -

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Tom Wilde is the Head of Partnerships at ProWritingAid, a comprehensive writing toolkit designed for storytellers and creative writers. With a background as an English teacher, Tom brings educational expertise to helping writers understand craft elements like passive voice, sentence structure, and readability. ProWritingAid has evolved from a grammar checker into a full editorial assistant that works with writers across multiple platforms, offering 25 different reports that analyze everything from sticky sentences to character development. The tool integrates with popular writing software like Scrivener, Google Docs, and Microsoft Word, providing both real-time checking and deep manuscript analysis.

In this episode:

• What ProWritingAid is and how it's evolved beyond basic grammar checking
• How the tool integrates with Scrivener, Google Docs, Word, and other writing platforms
• The difference between real-time checking and deep report analysis
• Privacy guarantees: your text is never stored or used for AI training
• The sticky sentences report: identifying when 40% of your words are just padding
• How the all repeats report finds overused words and phrases you can't see
• Readability analysis at the paragraph level to prevent reader drop-off
• AI-powered features: Rephrase, Critique, and Sparks
• How the Critique report analyzes characterization, dialogue, plot, and structure
• Using ChatGPT's API responsibly without storing or sharing user text
• AI Sparks for writer's block: inspiration without replacing your voice
• Changing perspective, tense, or adding sensory detail with AI assistance
• Genre-specific writing goals and benchmarks for different fiction categories
• Writers Week events throughout the year for different genres

Resources mentioned:

• ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com/
• Writers Week events: https://prowritingaid.com/art/1163/learn-with-prowritingaid-this-month.aspx
• Integration with Scrivener, Word, Google Docs: https://prowritingaid.com/integrations
• YouTube channel tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClh8Sjuq-j17zxjfvvxmcIg

Book recommendations:

• Go As A River by Shelley Reed: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Go-River/Shelley-Read/9781954118232
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: https://www.amazon.com/Fingersmith-Sarah-Waters/dp/1573229725

Connect with Tom:

• Website: https://prowritingaid.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prowritingaid
• X.com: https://twitter.com/prowritingaid
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prowritingaid.insta/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prowritingaid
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClh8Sjuq-j17zxjfvvxmcIg

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/

Nick Thacker is a bestselling author of over 45 books across multiple genres, including the 16-book Harvey Bennett thriller series. What makes Nick's story unique is that he never wanted to be a writer—he hated writing in school and only started his first book as a Christmas gift for his father. After working in marketing and web design, Nick applied business principles to his author career and was able to quit his full-time job in 2017. Today, he runs Book Career in a Year, where he teaches authors how to build sustainable writing careers through strategic marketing, email list building, and treating their creative work as a business.

In this episode:

• Why Nick hated writing but became a prolific author anyway
• The "muddy middle" problem and how craft books saved his first manuscript
• How The Enigma Strain made only $80 in its first year but became a bestseller
• Why writing more books is the single best marketing strategy
• The crucial difference between fighting obscurity and making money
• Three marketing buckets every author needs: email, social media, and advertising
• How to build an email list as a fiction writer by giving away entire books
• Why you should make your social media attractive, not promotional
• Why "writing for yourself" is often an excuse to avoid marketing
• Productivity systems that work: the 12 Week Year and EOS (Traction)
• How to find your own writing process instead of copying famous authors
• Step-by-step guide to building a book career in one year
• When to start investing in Facebook and Amazon ads
• The importance of sending readers back to Amazon for algorithmic benefits
  
  

Resources mentioned:

• Book Career in a Year program: https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/
• Scrivener: https://scrivener.app/
• Email marketing platforms
• Amazon KDP: https://kdp.amazon.com/
• Facebook advertising platform: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads
• The 12 Week Year book: https://www.amazon.com/12-Week-Year-Others-Months/dp/1118509234
• Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS): https://www.eosworldwide.com/

Book recommendations:

• Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain: https://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917
• Amazonia by James Rollins: https://www.amazon.com/Amazonia-James-Rollins/dp/0061965839

Connect with Nick:

• Website: https://www.nickthacker.com/
• Book Career in a Year Coaching Program: https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/
• Online courses and training: https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/coaching/
• Books by Nick: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008A2W6XE

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/