Ep 141: Introducing The Bestseller Experiment: Marketing a Novel from Zero Audience

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>> Get notified for The Bestseller Experiment <<

Marketing should work anywhere—but does it really? I put this challenge to the ultimate test by writing and launching a contemporary romance novel under a completely new pen name, with zero audience, zero borrowed credibility, and no marketing shortcuts.

The Bestseller Experiment is my new spinoff podcast that takes you behind the scenes of what happens when a professional marketer attempts to sell fiction from absolute scratch. Rather than hypotheticals or vague advice, I'm documenting every step of my real-world book marketing journey—both the spectacular wins and the humbling failures.

Just 10 days after launching my debut novel, the results surprised even me. Without spending a penny on advertising, I hit the top 10 in my Amazon category, maintained consistent daily sales, received over 30 reviews averaging 4.7 stars, and secured pre-orders for upcoming sequels. But more valuable than these metrics are the lessons learned through methodical experimentation.

>> Strings Attached by Sera Elly <<

Season one launches this July and will reveal exactly how I gained my first 100 readers, which platforms delivered unexpected success (TikTok was a game-changer), which strategies completely bombed, how I secured bookish media coverage, and the planning tools that kept everything on track. Season two follows in November, documenting my October book release with refined strategies based on these initial insights.

Whether you're a writer looking to market your work, a business owner launching a new venture, or simply fascinated by marketing psychology when building from zero, this podcast offers a transparent look at growth marketing without an established audience. Subscribe now through the show notes to join me on this journey and be first to know when new episodes drop.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome.
This is episode 141 of theUncut Summer Series edition of
Tiny Marketing.
This episode is going to be alittle bit different because I
am introducing the Best SellerExperiment, a spinoff podcast.
Enjoy, hello, I am Sarah NoelleBlock and welcome to Tiny

(00:21):
Marketing, where I help smallbusinesses grow without a big
marketing team.
But today's episode is a littledifferent.
This is your backstage pass toa brand new spinoff podcast I'm
launching called the Best SellerExperiment.
If you've ever wondered whathappens when a professional
marketer tries to write and sellfiction with zero audience,

(00:44):
this is the podcast for you.
So here's the deal.
I recently wrote a contemporaryromance novel under a totally
brand new pen name.
No crossover audience wasallowed, no borrowed credibility
and no cheat codes.
I wanted to know if I had tostart from zero.

(01:07):
Would my tiny marketingstrategies actually work for
book marketing?
Could I use everything thatI've taught service providers
and founders to sell a fictionbook?
So I built a plan and I ran theexperiments and I documented
everything the good, the bad andthe definitely could have done

(01:28):
that better.
That's what the bestsellerexperiment is.
Each season will follow a launch, starting with my debut, which
happened 10 days ago, and I'llwalk you through which
strategies I tested, what workedeven better than expected what
flopped and some things did andwhat I'm changing for the next

(01:51):
book, which happens in October.
It's not a course and it's nota highlight reel.
I will also show you thedumpster fires of what
absolutely bombed.
It's a documented experiment inreal-time fiction marketing.
If you're a writer, an indieauthor, or even just curious
about how marketing works whenyou're starting from scratch, so

(02:15):
this would apply to you.
If you're launching a newbusiness, launching a new
podcast, launching anythingwithout an audience, you're
going to get a lot from thisparticular podcast.
So let's talk numbers.
My book launched 10 days agoand here's what happened.

(02:35):
I hit the top 10 in my categoryon Amazon, with no ads.
I've had sales every single daysince launch.
I've been featured in bookishmedia outlets.
I've received 30 plus reviewswith an average of 4.7 star
rating and, yes, I already havepre -orders for the sequels.

(02:58):
Hence, this is a season andthere will be another season
when I launch the next book.
All of that came from organic,strategic, zero audience
marketing, no magic, justexperiments, seeing what worked
and then cutting what didn't.
Here's what you'll hear in thefirst season of the bestseller

(03:19):
experiment, how I got my first100 readers, what worked better
than I expected Spoiler alert,tiktok and partnerships was a
big one the strategies thatcompletely flopped and why.
How I got into bookish mediaoutlets.
The tools I use to plan andtrack everything, the aha moment

(03:42):
I'm bringing into my nextlaunch in October, and what
resources I use to make thiswork.
Of course, I'll take you alongas I run the next round of
experiments for book two.
This is going to be a seasonalpodcast, meaning each book
launch will have its own arcexperiments, results, lessons
and all.
If you want to follow along andlearn how a book launch really

(04:05):
works without the fluff, sign upright below in the show notes
and get notified when thebestseller experiment drops.
So season one is going to dropnext month and season two will
drop in November because ournext launch will be in October.

(04:26):
So if you're already hooked,make sure to hit follow here.
I will notify you on thispodcast too, when the bestseller
experiment drops officially inJuly and then again in October.
So that is it for now and Ihope to see you next time.
And I hope to see you over atthe bestseller experiment, if

(04:49):
you love the idea of thebestseller experiment.
Make sure to go to the shownotes page and subscribe, so you
are the first to get notifiedwhen this season drops in July.