Top Lessons From Our Most-Downloaded Episodes

As we wrap up the year, we’re celebrating you — the listeners who made this podcast such a powerful space for honest, practical conversations about author success.

In this episode, we’re counting down the top 3 most-downloaded episodes of the year — and more importantly, unpacking what your listening choices reveal about what authors really care about right now.

Spoiler alert: it’s not hacks, hype, or shortcuts.

These three episodes all point to the same deeper truth:
 authors are craving clarity, realism, and control over their long-term success.

Episode Highlights:

#3 – “The Grey Box Syndrome: Why Authors Who Skip the Basics Get Ignored”
We revisit why skipping foundational elements — like an optimized Amazon page, professional branding, and reader trust signals — quietly sabotages sales. If you’ve ever wondered why ads, promos, or media didn’t move the needle, this segment explains what’s really happening (and how to fix it).

#2 – “Creating Memorable Author Book Signing Events That Sell Books”
Bookstore events aren’t dead — boring ones are. We break down how authors can turn signings into experiences that build real reader connection, generate word of mouth, and create lasting momentum beyond a single day.

#1 – “The Sneaky Ways Authors Sabotage Their Own Success”
This listener favorite dives into the emotional side of publishing: unrealistic expectations, comparison traps, premature discouragement, and the habits that quietly derail careers. It’s equal parts tough love and reassurance — and a reminder that most “failures” are actually fixable patterns.

What These Episodes Reveal:

This year, authors weren’t searching for viral moments — they were looking for frameworks, confidence, and sustainable strategies. They want to stop wasting energy and start making progress they can control.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what actually matters next, this episode ties it all together — and sends you into the new year with clarity instead of noise.

🎧 Press play and see what your fellow authors taught us this year.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Year-End Setup
• 0:34 Scam Alerts And Protecting Authors
• 3:41 Listener Feedback And Survey Swag
• 4:16 Why These Three Episodes Rose To The Top
• 7:03 Gray Box Syndrome: First Impressions Matter
• 12:30 Retail Pages As Product Packaging
• 15:35 Taking Control Of What You Can Fix
• 16:15 Designing Author Events That Actually Sell
• 20:24 Partnering With Local Venues For Wins
• 23:20 Post-Event Halo Sales And Momentum
• 25:20 The Many Ways Authors Self-Sabotage
• 28:20 Comparisons, Shortcuts, And Unreal Timelines
• 31:10 Build For The Long Game
• 33:00 Links, Listener Deep Dive, And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the bookmarking tips and author success podcast. This is Penny Sansbury and Amy Cornell. And we are, I can't believe we're closing out the year already with our three final episodes of the year, Amy.

SPEAKER_00: 0:18

Very exciting.

SPEAKER_01: 0:19

I know flew by. It really did. Yeah, it did. It flew by, and we are getting ready to. So 2026 is gonna be our sixth year doing this podcast, which is amazing. Um so a couple things I want to mention. First off, just a little bit of a warning to those of you who are and we've gotten some emails from listeners about this too. So there are a lot of fake pennies out there um writing authors. It's the craziest thing, Amy. This is so crazy. And I went all Uncle Vinny on one of them and wrote I BCC'd Amy on it. So what they're doing is they're essentially writing from a Gmail account with my name, but it's misspelled, right? So um, and then they're it's the weirdest thing. And they're writing authors, I don't know how they're getting their email addresses, but they're writing authors saying, Oh, I really loved your book. I want to work with you, blah, blah. And then they're using my signature, like my basically my signature block with our website. It's very strange. It's a really weird, I don't know what they're doing, but it's not me. If you get an email like that, please forward it to us. Our contact information is in the show notes. Don't fall for these scams. And I'm very certain that this is happening to a lot of industry people where there are all of these scammers just creating these fake Gmail accounts. I do report them to Gmail, so please do forward the entire email to me because I need the header and I need the email address. But it's just so crazy. And then we've had we had somebody fake our website, which I had taken down. Took me quite a bit of effort, but I finally had it taken down. I mean, the scammers out there trying to take advantage of authors just make me crazy.

SPEAKER_00: 2:10

I know it's really, it's very wild. And these are not, in case it matters, these are not people we've worked with before. So I agree with you, Penny. It's even weirder. Like, I guess it doesn't change anything, but I'd love to know where they're finding these authors. Like, how are they, you know, deciding who to reach out to?

SPEAKER_01: 2:28

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00: 2:29

Thank you to those. If any of you listening, if this has happened or whatever, or just maybe this is just positive to put out into the universe. I really appreciate that people are letting us know.

SPEAKER_01: 2:37

Yeah, we yeah, because we've had some folks that have contacted us and let us know. Um, which otherwise we would never, because they're not gonna write me. Although I do get a lot of scammers that do, because I had somebody email me last week wanting to turn 52 ways to market your book into a movie. So there again, like I I almost wanted to write them back because you know me. I like to I like to mess with people, but just be on guard, be on guard, guys, because I'm telling you, there's just a lot of there are a lot of people out there just trying to scam you out of your money. So take note and always feel free to reach out to us if you're not sure if something is a scam or not, whether regardless of whether it's an email with a the fake penny emails, but definitely feel free to reach out to us because we we are and we've actually had emails from from listeners who've like, oh my gosh, you just talked about this on the podcast and now this has happened. Um, so they're out there. So be on guard. Feel free to get in touch with us if you if you end up with something. So um, oh, and I also wanted to remind you, by the way, we love your feedback. We love, we have a survey. The survey's in the show notes. We are we're getting ready to announce um not next episode, but the episode after that, we have a show coming up just all about what to expect for next year. And we are building these shows based on all of your feedback. So fill that out. Uh and and if you want to just let me know, we've already had a couple people do this. If you want to let me know that you filled it out, I thank you very much. Send me an email and I'll send you some swag. So, with that, um, our most, our top three most downloaded episodes of the year, which Amy, did these did these surprise you at all?

SPEAKER_00: 4:29

Like, you know, that's funny. I guess well, what's interesting is that I, you know, not to sound conceited or anything, but I do think we put a lot of time and energy into talking about things that are really relevant, things that are happening right now, things that authors are talking about. You know, we really dig into what makes sense. So part of me was like, no, I mean, I can't believe and I will say the list was pretty, it was a it was a pretty tight list. I actually pulled our top eight episodes, you know, based on downloads, just because I was curious. And we did legitimately go with our top three, but the number of downloads, even in the top eight, were pretty close. But I do think, I mean, the Amazon stuff makes a lot of sense. I think the success elements, I mean, yes and no, I suppose. I was I was happy to see what people were interested in because it shows their heads in the right place. But at the same time, I guess if the list included some other episodes, I wouldn't have gone, oh, why did they choose those? How strange. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 5:32

Because that says more about us than it does about them.

SPEAKER_00: 5:35

Exactly. Exactly. So not too, not too surprising. I think these were some really solid ones, though. And for the sake of how we're how we're reusing those and revisiting these, I think they were great choices. So good job to all of you listening.

SPEAKER_01: 5:47

Well, and I think that it also does reveal very much what authors care about. So, and that's part of the work that we're doing with the survey and the stuff that we're going to unpack um in one of the upcoming episodes. Um authors really, our listeners in particular, uh really care about improving their for their long-term success. Like they're in it to win it. And we actually do, we have a little bit of an author, we have a little bit of a listener profile, which again, we're not going to unpack on this show, but we are going to unpack on the show. Uh, I think it's it's gonna run on the 26th of December. So just the day after Christmas. And we're not, just so you know, we're not up rehashing all of these topics. We want you to go back and look, if you haven't listened to these episodes, definitely go back um and and listen to them. But we really wanted to talk about because we again, we found it really interesting um what the top ones were. And we wanted to untack why these episodes I think struck such a chord with um with listeners. So the first one, I gotta say this is kind of my kind of one of my faves. Uh the gray box syndrome, why authors who skip the basics get ignored. Now I love when I do talks, I love citing the gray box syndrome because authors, you know, the gray box syndrome, the the the whole the the concept of that was born out of being a gray box on Amazon. So in other words, you're forgetting to put up your profile picture, right? And that's part of the basics that authors sometimes skip. And one of the things, one of the reasons why I think this episode really resonated is it was one of those kind of head slappers, right? Where you think, oh my gosh, I didn't realize that it mattered that much. And I think a lot of authors don't, you know, omitting your profile picture on Amazon, which is not necessarily what the entire we did reference it in the episode, but it's not what the episode is about in its entirety. But omitting your your picture on Amazon is kind of one of those things where I think a lot of authors just didn't think that it really mattered, right? Like, ah, just you know, I'll get to my picture later, and then later it never happens. You know what I mean? And one of the things that we really unpack in this show is how these core elements that authors a lot of times think, well, my banner, the my banner image on Facebook matters so much more than all this other stuff. And yes, obviously it also matters, but these details are so significant to readers, and that's really what a lot of times authors will go by what they want to, you know, to take care of as opposed to looking at what really matters to readers.

SPEAKER_00: 8:54

Does that make sense? Right. Absolutely. And I I love this line from our notes because it really is true, and it's why we talk about how easy it is to get too close to your own work. Because a lot of authors want to think that readers make buying decisions with their heart because they love the genre or because they love this or because they love that. But the reality is they decide with their eyeballs, like literally in seconds. You're actually lucky if you get seconds, like full-blown seconds. Yeah. Because these people are shopping and they have been trained to shop smart. They have been trained to look for the most appealing elements on a product page. You know, it's just like shopping retail in person. Things get attention when they're packaged well, when they're presented appropriately, when they, you know, when there's some clever branding and marketing assigned to it. And that's really what the gray box syndrome is talking about. It's about skipping all those details that actually intrigue people into clicking buy.

SPEAKER_01: 9:54

Right, exactly. And I, you know, and I think that it's also it's it's kind of where, and we all get fatigued. So as authors, and I know this firsthand, obviously, as authors, we all get fatigued like by the time we get to uploading the book to Amazon, we're kind of done, right? We just want to just upload the book and move on, move on, you know, and move on to the next thing. And I I I completely get it. We want to jump to the things that really sort of excite us, right? We want to get to doing all of the other things and and the basics are the things that really matter. They're the things that really matter to your to your readers. And sometimes, you know, we feel like you know, as authors, we something's off. And we get this question all the time. Authors are like, you know, there's some reason why my book is not selling. I don't really know. I, you know, the cover is solid, all this other stuff. And in many cases the foundational work, which we've actually dedicated quite a few episodes to because it's so important. The foundational work wasn't complete. And it's not glamorous, right? It's not all of the really fun stuff, but it's it's absolutely necessary. So um, so I think that's where I, you know, I think that's really where we um that's part of the reason why this episode was the top one. The other thing is though, too, is that when you get somebody landing on your retail page on Amazon, so there's this there's a statistic out that says the users form first impressions of web pages in less than half a second. I've actually heard that it's a smaller number than that, like one fiftieth of a second or some, or one, you know, so it it just it is a minute amount of time that you have to grab somebody's attention. And I think when your core elements are missing, the reader doesn't necessarily look at your retail page and say, Oh, you don't have XYZ, you don't have A plus content, you don't have an author photo, I don't like this author. It it's not that it just it's this it's this instantaneous, kind of intuitive, something really fills off and they move on and you've lost a sale. You know what I mean? I mean, because we do a lot of retail page optimizations. And we see that a lot.

SPEAKER_00: 12:34

Yeah, it's the overall packaging. You have to think of your Amazon retail page for your book as the packaging that you've put together for your product.

SPEAKER_01: 12:43

Right.

SPEAKER_00: 12:43

You know, so when you go shopping in a store, things aren't just, you know, set up there on the shelf without any packaging, without any branding, without any messages about why it's great, you know, what to expect. Like all of these things are very intentional. And that's exactly what your Amazon retail page is. I mean, they are 100% judging you and your book based on what's there and how they feel when they immediately land on the page. And so you may not think that's fair, but that's just the reality. So if you don't have, again, if you don't have your author photo up, that affects their impression of your book. And so if you're there, if you're thinking like, well, that's not fair, I wrote a great book. Anybody that reads it has loved it. We hear that a lot, right, Penny? Everybody that reads it loves it. And that's fantastic. I mean, that means you've written a good book. But when you present it to consumers, you need to make sure that you make that process as appealing as possible as well. And like it or not, not having a photo, not having a fully fleshed out bio, not having all these other elements does affect how they feel about your book.

SPEAKER_01: 13:54

Yeah. Yeah. It does. And again, it just feels like it, it is one of those things where it just feels like there's something to the reader. If there, there's something off, right? There's something it doesn't, it doesn't appeal or it doesn't, you know, whatever that is. It's kind of like landing on a retail page where there are, you know, where there are no reviews, right? You're like, oh, the book really looks good, but right. So that was the first episode. All right. So you want to take the next one, Amy?

SPEAKER_00: 14:29

Yeah, for sure. And I just want to say one more thing about the gray box syndrome. And I will say one reason now that I've had a chance to think about when you asked, was I surprised? Now that we've chatted about it, I'm going to say I'm even less surprised because I what I think that episode did for people was reminded them that there's a lot within their control when there's so much not in your control in publishing. You know, once you put the book out there, there is a lot that you don't have control over. But these kind of foundational pieces, and especially your Amazon retail page, that is something you have full control over and you can make that really stellar. There's so many different things you can do with your retail page to avoid the gray box syndrome. And so if you're feeling a little frustrated about how things are going, especially if your book's been out for a while or if you've been doing this for a while, those kind of retail elements, take control of that and take back a piece of, you know, the buyer process. You know, start controlling the narrative more. And that's that's definitely a the number one way you can do that is by your first impression. Yep. Absolutely. Okay, so the next one, this is exciting. Creating memorable author book signing events that sell books. So I love this one. Yeah. I know exactly. So this was our next most downloaded episode. And this is an opportunity, this is, you know, an episode about opportunities that are often overlooked because for what it's worth, it does seem like a lot. Like, you know, think about so for people that are already get kind of stressed about planning a get together with people coming over to their house, maybe the idea of doing a full-blown author event is like, you've got to be kidding me, right? But but believe it or not, these can actually be a ton of fun. And when you understand how they work, both from the author, from your perspective and what you need to do, but also how they work for the host. You know, so wherever you're hosting this event, how much it can benefit them. And when you understand how many great opportunities you can help create for them as well, then it becomes really exciting and it becomes a lot easier to manage. So, you know, a quick refresh of the episode. Events absolutely matter whether this is in a bookstore or in, you know, I guess a non-traditional venue. We've, you know, again, listen to the episode because we give a lot of examples and great ideas. And I think we've done quite a bit of local that have where we kind of drop in little hints and ideas of different things that people have done. And it's just a fun way to get creative. Um, this is one of those moments where it's like you really get to dial into what makes your book special, who your readers are. I mean, these are really exciting, fun things that I hope as an author you can actually enjoy a bit, you know. But the it also includes tips on how not to be boring, because you know, we all have which I love because it's true. I mean, if you think about an author event that maybe has been presented, or maybe you've seen it happen, or just any event you've seen happen in a store, you pay attention when something interesting's happening, right? Like the idea of sitting behind a little table with your pen and a stack of books sounds really awkward. You win the prize because that is awkward. That is so, you know, beyond that is not what we're talking about when we talk about creating memorable author book signing events. And what's so great too is that you get to design these around your strengths and what you're comfortable with. So this is another one of those taking control moments, right? Like just figure out how you would like to host an event with your readers, how you would like to engage with them and build the event concept around that. And that makes so much more sense. Not only will it be easier for you to set up and manage, but it'll you'll make a much better pitch to the venue. Right. And it'll be a much better experience for those that are that come to see you because that kind of natural being in your own element is really what's going to sell this to people that attend the event. And then, you know, obviously in the episode, we talk a lot about how those in-person events and those recommendations that come from that. I mean, those people are likely going to buy every book that you put out in the future. You know, and they're going to talk to their friends about it. And those personal recommendations that come from those are gold. And this is such a fabulous way to create a baseline for future releases in terms of sales and momentum and marketing.

SPEAKER_01: 19:04

Right. I agree with that. And you know, the other thing though, too, is I think we we do so much stuff online, especially now, like in the, you know, during the holidays, like we're buying stuff online, whatever. I I think we oftentimes underestimate how much bookstores still matter, right? Just as an example, I realize the that the show talks about doing events in other, you know, creative doing creative events and things like that. But I think that we underestimate how much in person picking out something. You know, it's funny because I was listening to something. So Black Friday, I was listening to this, it was a business talk about the sales, and they were interviewing people. And several of the people that they were interviewing said, you know, I really like I'm very tactile. Like I really want to go and feel the sweater or page the book or show up at this, whatever it is, whatever they're doing. And it's funny because even though a lot of us do online shopping, I still think that as authors, we oftentimes underestimate the benefit, whether that's in a bookstore or in a tea shop or whatever, how much we underestimate that in-person connection and that that one-on-one connection with not just with readers, but also building those relate those foundational relationships with these stores or venues locally too.

SPEAKER_00: 20:40

Yes, 100%. And again, you know, just as much as I to your point, Penny, retailers also are constantly looking for ways to keep things interesting, especially if you're talking about small local businesses. Yeah. You know, we're not necessarily talking about big box stores, not that I mean, good for you, but really the locally owned businesses are a great place to focus your energy because they are in the same boat. They want to get in front of more people, they want to encourage people to keep coming back to the store on a regular basis and offering something unique and different, you know, is just it's it really works in their favor as well. And we went into a lot of those examples and tips and recommendations in the show to give you, to bolster, you know, your pitch to these people to really understand how to make sure they understand the value for them as well. And when it's mutually beneficial, that's when you get yeses. Because with our clients that we work with, we always see more yeses when the venue can really understand the mutual benefits to hosting an event. Like you can tell the people that get it, you know. Yeah. You go, um, yes, definitely. You know, that that's what my people are looking for. Or they love to get more people into the store on Tuesdays, which are normally very low sales days for them. Things like that. These, you know, this really is you have to kind of think like a business person with this, but that's why the episode included those kind of tips. But then again, we also go into a lot of examples about ways to get creative, which Penny and I could talk about for hours.

SPEAKER_01: 22:15

Yeah, that's that was also one of my favorite episodes too, because I love, I love the creativity of doing book events.

SPEAKER_00: 22:22

Yes, it's it's so much fun. And again, this is where you get to get really specific about what makes your book special, what makes your character special, what you know, to showcase your expertise in a particular area, the little touches like that that really make you stand out. And again, people will mention it, and that is priceless.

SPEAKER_01: 22:42

And I also think that there is something. So HarperCollins did a study about um authors who build real relationships with relationships, excuse me, with local stores often see halo sales. So post-event bumps lasting weeks. And I've seen this so many times with authors who are doing events, whether in regardless of the venue, where they see so, so the benefits of this, right? You're getting to know local readers, you're engaging with your local business network, potentially doing local media, but you're also seeing post-event, you know, the Halo sales, the post-event sales weeks after the after the event is over. So, and that's the thing, you know, leave those autographed books with the bookstore or the venue, whichever, if they're if they're if they're open to um, you know, carrying those after the event, and make sure, you know, that you have leave them a stack of bookmarks or whatever kind of swag that you want, because there's such um, there's such a trickle effect of people coming, you don't go, oh, I couldn't make the event on Saturday, but I really was interested in this book and this local author and you know, etc. And I realize, again, I realize we're in the high shopping season of the year, but people buy stuff, people need gifts all year long. So autograph books make great gifts. Absolutely. People love that. So remember that as you get into that, as we get into the new year, um, take a gander, head on over to that episode and get inspired for some events in in 2026.

SPEAKER_00: 24:29

Yes, especially after the holidays, right, Penny? Because it's kind of a lull for everybody.

SPEAKER_01: 24:34

Like, yeah, especially because in January, because January is like 35 weeks long.

SPEAKER_00: 24:39

I know it. I know it. It really is. This is a great, it really is a great opportunity because again, your local retailers go through that lull as well in January and February. A lot of places it's cold, it's dark. You know, Christmas was the star for so long, the holidays in general, and then now it's just winter. And so really giving them something fun and different and exciting and interesting to also offer their patrons is really a brilliant time to start making those. And you know, maybe the timing's not great, but it's still a really great time to start the conversation, right? Yeah. Even if it's not something that they can manage until maybe spring, it's still that kind of winter lull is a fun time to get creative and people are open to having conversations about it. So add it to your Q1 list.

SPEAKER_01: 25:31

Yes, I think that's a great idea. I think that is a great idea. I so we've talked about the gray box, we've talked about the events. All right, so now our third most downloaded episode is something that Amy and I are both very passionate about. The sneaky ways authors sabotage their own success. I was not surprised that this made the list. Were you surprised? Not at all. Yeah. Because I I think that I think that it is um first off, the process is very confusing. And I think this is another one of those kind of head slapper episodes where you're like, I had no idea that I was doing this, which is one of the reasons why we wanted to do it, and one of the reasons why I really love it. So here's the thing, and let's just let me just bottom line this. Most author failure moments aren't failures, they're premature verdicts. And I think that really in a nutshell um really kind of encapsulates the episode. Um I think that that a lot of it, I mean, to me, and one of the reasons that the episode was so necessary, and I think also why it's so popular, so much of author sabotage is really rooted in unrealistic timelines, expectations, bad comparisons, right? Um so the episode was also a little bit of tough love. I and I think that's um really kind of talking through where where authors get to be their own worst enemy.

SPEAKER_00: 27:18

Right. Yes. And I think it it also reminded people too of those it's they're very common, but those issues that pop up like chasing shortcuts, focusing on the wrong things, you know what I mean? You get focused on the hype and the what-ifs and the big wins instead of focusing on the path and doing things in the right order, which I know is not nearly as exciting, but you know, the reality is it's it's doing things in the right order and staying on target and staying on path is what leads to success. You know, it's and I think the a big one too, sabotaging your own success. I think one of the biggest ones, and I again I know it's like you said, Penny, tough love, but I think one of the biggest like overarching concepts is that assuming you are going to be the exception to the rule.

SPEAKER_01: 28:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 28:14

And I think we see that a lot because if you spend too long assuming you're going to be the exception to the rule, it's kind of like waiting for that big thing to happen. And by the fine by the time you finally come to terms with the fact that it didn't happen on the timeline you were expecting, so many opportunities have been missed. You're backtracking furiously to try to fix things. And it, you know, it's just it's what makes this process so challenging for so many authors, more so than it needs to be. You know, I hate to see an author that gets super discouraged, especially when there are, you know, clear indications of like how they got to that point, you know, and it's like it's it's sad to see that they did it to themselves because it's not the book, it's not the market, it's not this, it's not that. It's just quite literally these roadblocks that you essentially set up for yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 29:08

Right, exactly. And I think that that, you know, I mean, a lot of it, you know, a lot of the sabotage comes from comparison, right? And one of the things that we talked about, look, I'm a fan of I'm a fan of networking with other authors, I'm a fan of author groups on Facebook, whatever. But you do have to take, you do have to take that. A lot of times people will post sales numbers and oh my god, I sold a thousand books this weekend, whatever. I I my suggestion to you is take all of that with a grain of salt. Because unless somebody is bringing the receipts, and even then in the age of AI, receipts can be altered. And I'm not saying that everybody on Facebook is a liar, but but I mean, look, we know just from you know, social media in general, we typically don't post our failures, right? We don't post, we don't post our like, oh my God, my book's been out for six months and I've only sold five copies, and you know, four of them have been to my mother. Like people you people don't post failures, people only post success. So I I recommend, I mean, look, you cheer everybody on. I'm not saying just sit there in the comments, be like, I think you're lying. Penny said to bring receipts, but comparison um is a problem. And I think that is something that, and then you know, an author sees that they're like, well, why am I not doing better? And why is my book not doing better? And the this tends to spiral in, I think I'm just gonna give up, right?

SPEAKER_00: 30:35

Um, and in that case, stay off of Reddit because you'll find plenty of people saying. Oh my gosh, Reddit, hello. You'll be, I mean, Reddit can be fabulous for a lot of things, but it's also a very good place to go be sad with people. So be careful of Reddit too. There's a lot of Debbie Downers on Reddit as well. So, like both ends of the spectrum. If something sounds too good to be true, or if something sounds like, oh my gosh, if I could just get that opportunity, or if that could just happen to me, I'd be set for life. That's that's probably is too good to be true. And same thing on the other end of the spectrum, if you're following conversations that are very like this doesn't work, that doesn't work, I don't even know why I wrote this book, that's also not reality either. You know, a lot of times they're those individuals have made some mistakes and went again, went down the wrong path. They're focusing on the wrong things. So there really is, you know, no exact right way to do it, but there are definitely ways to get distracted from, you know, the goal at hand and the mission.

SPEAKER_01: 31:39

Right, exactly. And I think that's one of the reasons why all of these episodes really resonated with with listeners this year, because it they're they're they're tactile, they're like we said, head slapping moments, where it's like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot that. Um but they're they were, you know, the sabotage episode in particular was really a reality check. Um and and you know, the other thing though, too, is is that, and this is something that we I know we talk about this a lot in episodes, so I know I'm gonna sound like I'm just parroting myself, but it's worth mentioning that the majority of authors do not hit momentous success with just one book. Right, right. Uh Written Word Media, I think, did a study that found that 85% of authors who earn a living um publish at least one book a year. Right. So I I and I I one book a year, really. I've known some authors to write a book a month, which to me just sounds like that makes me want to go rock in a corner. But um one book a year, I think, is pretty doable for the majority of us. So, and that was another thing that I know that we talked about in that episode. So anyway, we're gonna link the episodes. Um, are we linking the episodes in the show notes? What are we doing? What are we doing with that? We can just tell people to go find them.

SPEAKER_00: 33:08

Right. We can link to them. It's not gonna work on all platforms. So depending on which platform you listen on, you may or may not be able to click it, but at least it'll give you a reminder of the full title of the episode. And remember, they are these are the top most downloaded episodes of this season. So if you're scrolling and you're hitting 2024, you've missed it. How about that?

SPEAKER_01: 33:28

That's amazing. That's amazing. I love that. Um we're, like I said, we're doing a listener deep dive on December 26th, which I'm really looking forward to because I love like listener psychology. Like I just I can totally geek out on that. But I think that one of the things that these three episodes show is that they weren't about hacks. This wasn't about how to shortcut your way to XYZ. This was really about taking control, which, Amy, as you pointed out in the first segment, as authors, we have so little control over so many things. Owning the things that we do have control over. So, you know, not sabotaging our own success, the book events, which again, I love, um, and paying attention to the foundational elements, those are the things that we can really control. Right. Exactly. You know? So we thank you so much for listening.

SPEAKER_00: 34:26

Um, we've got everybody great choices for your top most downloaded.

SPEAKER_01: 34:31

Yes, great choices for your top most downloaded. Thank you so much. And we welcome listener feedback. Oh, as a reminder, um, we are getting so many texts. We love it. Text support podcast 888-402-8940 with your show feedback, show notes, um, show ideas, all the things. And in the um, in the in the in the notes of this episode. Here's the two, which we love. Somebody in the survey said they want more of Amy's hot cake, which I thought is adorable. So that was so hot. That's dangerous. That's dangerous. All right. We hope that you have a great holiday, and we will see you next week. Bye bye.