Tide Pods, Alien Probes, & Author Marketing: A Totally Normal Conversation

It's every author’s nightmare: you’ve written a book, hit “publish,” and… crickets.
No sales, no clicks, no clue what to do next.

In this episode of Pros Talking Prose, Stacey Smekofske (Edits by Stacey) and Troy Lambert (The Plot Dude) blow up the myth that there’s a magic formula to selling books.

If you’ve ever:
Spent more on ads than you made in royalties
Felt personally victimized by the word “algorithm”
Wondered why no one is finding your book on Amazon
Tried to “build your brand” without knowing what that even means
…this episode is your intervention.

Stacey and Troy break down the painful truth every author needs to hear—marketing isn’t a one-time event, it’s an ongoing relationship (and no, running Facebook ads isn’t a personality).

Get ready for laughs, reality checks, and the occasional alien abduction as they unpack:
Why you’re not selling books (and why it’s not Amazon’s fault)
How to turn your “author brand” from nonexistent to unforgettable
The difference between strategy and shiny-object syndrome
Why throwing money at ads is not a business plan
The single most valuable marketing tool you actually own (hint: it’s your email list)

By the end, you’ll stop Googling “how to market my book” and start actually doing it—with fewer tears, less Tide, and zero probing.

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