Book Marketing Mentors with Susan Friedmann
Hosted by Susan Friedmann
A veteran book marketing coach interviews niche experts to give authors practical, actionable advice on selling more books and building a brand.
A weekly interview show focused squarely on the business of being an author. The host, a publisher and marketing coach, brings on specialists like lawyers, speaker's bureau managers, and social media strategists to deconstruct specific, tactical challenges authors face after they've finished writing. The conversations are less about inspiration and more about providing a concrete, actionable playbook for marketing and monetization.
“The host's dual perspective as both a publisher and a successful self-published author provides an insider's angle. The show is relentlessly practical, avoiding broad motivational talk in favor of granular, expert advice on specific topics like copyright, speaking gigs, and book design.”
Who hosts this show
Susan Friedmann, CSP, is a book marketing coach and founder of Aviva Publishing. With over 30 years of experience, she focuses on helping nonfiction authors turn their books into business assets. She is the author of 18 books herself, including one that sold 500,000 copies to a single company, and hosts the award-winning Book Marketing Mentors podcast.
Credentials & credits
- CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)
- International bestselling author of 18 books
- Founder, Aviva Publishing & Marketing
- Creator, Author Authority-First Method
- 30+ years experience in marketing and publishing
Other ventures
- Aviva Publishing & Marketing
- Book Marketing with Susan (Substack)
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01How You Can Successfully Market a Debut Novel - BM531Jun 24, 2026 · 29 min
- 02How Nonfiction Authors Get Speaking Gigs to Sell More Books - BM530Jun 17, 2026 · 29 min
- 03AI and Copyright: What Every Author Needs to Know Before Publishing - BM529Jun 10, 2026 · 28 min
- 04How to Use Your Book to Build Authority and Charge What You’re Worth - BM528Jun 3, 2026 · 27 min
- 05How Can Authors Use Storytelling to Market Their Books More Effectively? - BM527May 27, 2026 · 32 min
- 06How to Position Your Book So AI Search Finds You First- BM526May 20, 2026 · 24 min
- 07How to Overcome Perfectionism When Writing a Nonfiction Book - BM525May 13, 2026 · 29 min
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01AI and Copyright: What Every Author Needs to Know Before Publishing - BM529
A timely and critical legal breakdown of one of the biggest emerging issues for authors, clarifying that AI-generated work is not copyrightable in the US.
- 02How Nonfiction Authors Get Speaking Gigs to Sell More Books - BM530
Provides a practical, insider's guide to a core monetization strategy for nonfiction authors, including what meeting planners actually want.
- 03How You Can Successfully Market a Debut Novel - BM531
Features a young author's modern approach to marketing, focusing on building a social media following on platforms like TikTok before the book is even out.
What you'll be asked on this show
Susan Friedmann's interview style is structured and pragmatic, designed to extract actionable advice for her author audience. She opens every interview with a warm, highly complimentary introduction that validates the guest's expertise and sets the stage for their 'mentor' role. Her questions are direct and often framed around common author pain points, such as 'Where should they begin?' or 'What are the most common mistakes?'. She uses her own experience as a publisher to add context and asks clarifying follow-ups to ensure the advice is practical. Towards the end of the conversation, she consistently offers the guest a chance to promote their own services, asking, 'Tell us about your services and how authors can find out more.'
The podcast follows a consistent weekly format, opening with a jingle and a standardized introduction. Susan Friedmann introduces each guest as a 'marketing master' or 'mentor,' providing a detailed, credential-heavy summary of their expertise before diving into direct, problem-oriented questions.
Questions Susan Friedmann keeps coming back to
12 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Susan Friedmann reaches for it.
advice
7- Q.01
“Why is [speaking, storytelling, etc.] such a powerful way to market a book?”
This is often her opening question to establish the value of the episode's topic for the listener.
- Q.02
“What are the key elements that make a speaker bookable or a book successful?”
This question seeks to define the core criteria for success in a given area.
- Q.03
“What are the most common mistakes you see authors or speakers make?”
Used to provide cautionary advice and highlight common pitfalls for the audience to avoid.
- Q.04
“What are authors getting wrong when it comes to [copyright, AI, marketing]?”
A direct opening that frames the conversation around correcting common misconceptions.
- Q.05
“Should authors disclose their use of [AI, specific tools] in their work?”
This question addresses best practices for business and legal transparency.
- Q.06
“Could you give authors a simple guideline or takeaway for [using AI, marketing]?”
Asked towards the end of the interview to provide a memorable, actionable summary for listeners.
- Q.07
“What advice would you give an author wanting to [achieve a specific goal]?”
A direct request for targeted, actionable advice for the listener.
process
2- Q.01
“For an author wanting to [get speaking gigs, use AI], where should they begin?”
She asks this early to get a practical, actionable starting point for authors.
- Q.02
“What are [meeting planners, clients] looking for when they hire a speaker or author?”
This question shifts the perspective to the buyer's needs, helping authors understand their market.
craft
1- Q.01
“How does [concept A] intersect or differ from [concept B]?”
She uses this to clarify the distinctions between related but different topics, like copyright and trademark.
origin
1- Q.01
“Where did your love of [storytelling, writing] come from?”
A question used to surface a guest's personal history and deeper motivations.
personal
1- Q.01
“Tell us about your services and how can our listeners find out more about you?”
This is her signature closing question, giving the guest a clear opportunity to promote their business.
Signature segments
- · Introductory music jingle
- · Host introduction: 'Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors...'
- · Introducing guests as 'marketing masters' or 'mentors'
- · Closing question: 'Tell us about your services...'
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books seasoned professionals who are experts in a specific facet of the author business. Guests are often founders or heads of their own companies, such as lawyers, speaker bureau managers, designers, and marketing strategists, who can provide tactical, proven advice.
- Kailey Holbrookon How You Can Successfully Market a Debut Novel - BM531
- Steve Markmanon How Nonfiction Authors Get Speaking Gigs to Sell More Books - BM530
- Elissa Heckeron AI and Copyright: What Every Author Needs to Know Before Publishing - BM529
- John Rayon How to Use Your Book to Build Authority and Charge What You’re Worth - BM528
- April Adams Pertuison How Can Authors Use Storytelling to Market Their Books More Effectively? - BM527
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The primary sponsor mentioned is Podcast Connections, a service that books guests on podcasts. This aligns perfectly with the show's audience of authors and experts who are actively trying to build their brand and visibility, making them an ideal customer for a podcast booking agency.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- What is the focus of Book Marketing Mentors?
- It's a weekly podcast that provides smart, easy, and simple ideas for authors to market their books. It features interviews with experts on topics like public speaking, copyright, social media, and author branding.
- Who is the host, Susan Friedmann?
- Susan Friedmann, CSP, is a book marketing coach, international bestselling author of 18 books, and the founder of Aviva Publishing.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is a weekly interview-based show where Susan Friedmann interviews an expert in a specific area of book marketing or the author business.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, it is an active weekly podcast with over 500 episodes published.
- Who is this podcast for?
- The podcast is primarily for nonfiction authors who want to use their book to build their brand, generate income, and establish themselves as experts in their field.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
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