Host Edith welcomes author and coach Lee Baucom to Book Lover’s Companion to discuss what it means to treat writing—especially fiction—as a business. They distinguish hobby writing from pursuing income, emphasizing that authors must wear multiple hats, particularly marketing as simply making readers aware and connecting the right audience to the right book. They cover cutting through today’s “noise,” pitching podcasts with a clear hook and audience fit, planning publicity months in advance, and choosing platforms based on where readers are and what the author can sustain. Lee outlines strategies like consistency, building an email list (e.g., Substack/Beehive), engaging communities, and using constraints to stay productive, while noting time vs. money tradeoffs, the value of human editing, and AI’s limited role for fiction but usefulness for marketing tasks.

Find out more about Lee:

https://leebaucom.com

⏰ Timestamp

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:44 Writing as a Business

03:49 Marketing Hat Mindset

06:03 Publishing Noise and Consistency

06:57 Pitching Podcasts Right

11:17 Conversation Style Interviews

13:06 Choosing Promotion Channels

17:11 Audience First Platform Choice

18:48 Time vs Money Marketing

22:08 Constraints and Daily Writing

24:34 Start Marketing Early

27:45 Building Suspense and Community

31:02 Behind the Art Stories Sell

32:54 Introverts Going Pro

33:57 Marketing Is On You

35:54 Success Takes Many Books

37:36 Strategy And Growth

39:44 Swag Versus Substance

41:38 Stop Doing Readings

45:33 Step By Step Marketing

51:54 Invest In Editing

55:46 AI For Marketing

57:57 Reviews And Not Finishing

01:01:18 Final Takeaways

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Music: English Country Garden by Aaron Kenny

Video Link: https://youtu.be/mDcADD4oS5E