The 22 Lions Podcast: AI, Self-Publishing and Book Empire Secrets

Many authors ignore the conversion potential hidden in reader reviews. This episode teaches a practical, ethical workflow that uses AI to draft personalized review replies, short public thank-you posts, and targeted follow-up messages that invite engaged readers into your email funnel and audiobook upsells. In 8 minutes you'll get a simple 3-step framework for harvesting reviewer intent, writing e...

This episode teaches authors a practical, repeatable strategy: publish small, highly-targeted companion editions that intentionally link to each other on Amazon and in author funnels to create compounding discoverability and higher conversion rates. You’ll learn which companion formats work best (workbooks, checklists, translations, short audio previews, and low-content planners), how to structure...

Most authors publish one format and wait for sales. This episode flips that script with a practical, step-by-step plan to productize a single manuscript into a 3-product format ladder that converts browsers into repeat buyers. In 480 seconds you’ll get a clear framework: price and package the core eBook for discovery, design a value-added paperback edition with a companion workbook, and launch an...

Many authors outsource or use AI yet worry their ‘voice’ disappears. This episode gives a practical, ethically sound, 3-step workflow to preserve your signature author voice when using AI assistants or working with ghostwriters. You’ll learn how to capture distinctive voice signals from existing work, build a lightweight style kit that trains AI or guides collaborators, and run three fast micro-ch...

This episode teaches a practical microlearning playbook authors can implement in a single production sprint. You’ll learn how to identify teachable chapter slices, script 5-minute audio lessons, produce low-cost audio/video versions using AI-assisted narration and simple recording setups, and package those lessons as paid upsells, course bundles, or subscription micro-content. The episode lays out...

Stop guessing who your ideal reader is. In this episode Aria and Dan walk you through a practical, ethical method to generate three distinct reader personas with AI, translate each persona into tailored covers, blurbs, and ad hooks, and validate which messaging converts using three fast micro-tests you can run in a weekend. You’ll get a lightweight, 3-step framework: build personas, create low-fid...

Many authors sit on a title that never found its audience. This episode gives a systematic, executable relaunch blueprint you can complete in days to reignite sales and create ongoing revenue. You’ll get a clear diagnostic checklist to find the real bottleneck, three practical product versions you can publish from the same manuscript (short digest, expanded edition, workbook), and a prioritized re...

Stop assuming one product page fits all. This episode walks through a practical, repeatable system to optimize a single title for three Amazon marketplaces in a way that increases visibility and buyer conversion without full translation. You’ll get a concise framework for choosing which markets to target, localized keyword research, cover and pricing variations, Kindle Unlimited and distribution n...

Many authors focus on rankings and page reads while leaving money on the table through poor format, pricing, or distribution choices. In this focused 8-minute monologue Dan Desmarques walks you through a practical 3-step system to triangulate royalties across KDP (ebook/print), IngramSpark (wide print/distribution), and ACX (audiobook) so every format contributes maximum net income. You'll get cle...

This episode teaches authors to prioritize audio as the product and marketing engine, not just a repackaging step. You’ll get a tight, step-by-step workflow for planning an audio-first manuscript, producing a high-converting audiobook on a budget, and converting listeners into buyers and subscribers. I walk through narrator choices (human vs high-quality AI), chapter-sample teasers, distribution v...

In this tightly focused 8-minute episode Dan Desmarques gives authors a practical, repeatable 5-step cover testing system that combines AI-driven concept generation, low-cost external CTR validation, and Amazon A/B experiments to pick a higher-converting cover fast. You’ll get concrete thresholds for sample size and budget, a prioritized checklist for mockups that respect genre norms, and a simple...

This episode walks authors through a tactical, step-by-step system to turn a single book into a serialized audio product and a set of sellable micro-ebooks—without writing a whole new manuscript. You’ll get a clear 5-step workflow: select and chunk content, choose AI or human narration, produce weekly audio episodes, format micro-ebooks for KDP and storefronts, and stitch sales funnels that drive...

Many authors write one book and hope the next will sell itself. This episode flips that script: a practical, numbered framework to design a series that increases per-reader revenue and reduces launch friction. In eight minutes you'll get a clear three-part system—series architecture (entry points, series length, and reading arcs), release cadence and funnel mapping (pre-order, lead magnets, email...

You wrote a book — now make it sell in other languages and markets without waiting for a big publisher to discover you. In this episode Dan Desmarques walks a precise, step-by-step fast-start for authors who want to license translations, publish localized editions via KDP/Ingram, and create bundled international product pages that drive revenue. You’ll get five concrete actions: evaluate rights po...

This episode teaches indie authors a practical, low-cost tactic: order a small run of print-on-demand proof copies, seed them to micro-influencers, superfans, and local readers for unboxing clips and natural photos, then repurpose that real-world UGC into Amazon product images, social ads, and back-matter CTAs. You’ll learn how a tiny physical signal—real pages in real hands—can improve click-to-b...

Most authors treat backmatter as an afterthought. In this focused 8-minute monologue Dan Desmarques walks authors through a practical system to audit and rework the end pages of any book—paperback, ebook, or audiobook—into measurable income drivers. You’ll get a clear checklist to build three backmatter funnels (email capture + lead magnet, low-friction upsell to a short course or workbook, and au...

Many launches underdeliver. This episode gives a repeatable, data-first 7-point post-mortem so authors can stop guessing and start fixing. You'll get a numbered checklist of the exact metrics to pull from KDP, Amazon Ads, sales reports and your email funnel, how to interpret each signal, and the prioritized order of fixes based on impact and speed. I walk through concrete actions for discoverabili...

This episode gives authors a compact, executable five-step system to create high-converting Amazon ad creative using your own manuscript as the source material and AI as a drafting tool. In eight minutes you'll get clear steps to extract attention hooks from openings, craft short benefit-led headlines, generate three ad-length variants, align ad language to your product page, and run a simple A/B...

Authors often overcommit to full audiobook production without market validation. This episode shows a lean, repeatable approach to testing audiobooks: produce 2–4 short narrated samples (first chapter, excerpt, and an exclusive scene), run low-cost paid promos or short social ad tests, and measure conversion signals (engagement, click-throughs to your KDP/Audible page, and email signups) to pick t...

Authors often pour hours into writing and covers but leave discoverability to chance. This episode gives a compact, 7-step metadata playbook you can implement during your next upload or relaunch. You’ll get a clear rationale for each metadata element, specific wording formulas for titles and subtitles, a methodical approach to pick backend keywords and categories that actually drive impressions, a...

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Stop guessing why a book took off. In this episode Leo and Aria break down a practical, ethical method for reverse-engineering a competitor's bestseller pathway using only public data and inexpensive tools. You’ll learn how to read pricing history, edition changes, audiobook snippets, ad creatives, category moves, review velocity, and content pacing to infer the promotional funnel and product-mark...

Many authors treat books as standalones when the real long-term revenue comes from a well-planned series. In this 8-minute monologue Aria and Dan deliver a pragmatic, step-by-step framework for designing a KDP series that increases discoverability, improves Kindle Unlimited read-through, and turns first-time buyers into repeat customers. You’ll get clear guidance on series concept and arcs, per-bo...

Too many authors treat beta readers like optional cheerleaders — then wonder why their launch underperforms. This episode teaches a repeatable, ethical Beta Reader Lab that turns early feedback into measurable page-conversion assets. You’ll get a clear, numbered workflow for recruiting the right readers, using AI to synthesize feedback without misrepresenting authorship, extracting punchy quote bl...

Many authors stop at ebook and paperback sales and miss predictable, higher-margin revenue from rights and formats. In this 8‑minute monologue Dan Desmarques breaks down a practical 'rights stacking' system that converts one manuscript into five complementary income streams without sacrificing creative control. You’ll get a clear decision tree for DIY vs. outsource, contract checkpoints to protect...