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

This episode shows indie authors a practical, low-cost serialization strategy that turns short, focused installments into a durable revenue funnel. We explain how to structure 6–8 microbooks (7–12k words), publish them on a steady cadence to create algorithmic momentum, and use short audiobook teasers and newsletter drips to convert readers into buyers and subscribers. You’ll get an ethical, AI-as...

Many authors sit on dormant backlists that could generate steady income with a focused refresh. In this episode Dan Desmarques walks you through a practical, 7-part system to extract more revenue from existing titles without rewriting the whole book. You’ll get a concise audit framework, AI-assisted cover and blurb refresh techniques that respect editorial integrity, a checklist for adding audiobo...

Stop treating a book as a single product. In this practical, step-by-step episode Dan Desmarques walks authors through a compact, repeatable system to extract three complementary revenue products from one manuscript: a free or low-cost lead magnet, the core KDP book (print + Kindle + audiobook), and a paid upsell (mini-course, workbook, or premium audiobook extras). You’ll get numbered steps for c...

Struggling to get a finished manuscript across the finish line and into stores? This episode breaks down a practical, 72-hour publish-velocity blueprint that combines AI-assisted polishing, fast interior formatting, cover and metadata optimization, and a KDP-ready upload checklist. You’ll get a clear sequence of actions that keeps quality high while cutting days or weeks from the typical timeline....

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Struggling with traffic but low buy rate? In this episode Dan Desmarques breaks down a practical, step-by-step lab for turning book metadata into repeatable sales. You’ll get a numbered, AI-friendly workflow to craft a persuasive title, benefit-driven subtitle, keyword map, Amazon-optimized description, backend keyword strategy, and an A/B testing playbook that fits an author’s budget. This is act...

Most authors treat pricing as an afterthought and live with weak sales or missed revenue. In this 8-minute episode Dan Desmarques walks you through a practical, ethical, AI-assisted 5-step pricing experiment you can run across Amazon KDP and wide platforms to discover the price that maximizes revenue, KU reads, and conversion. You’ll get a clear pricing primer, an exact experimental setup that use...

Struggling to turn browsers into binge readers? This episode gives authors a clear, reproducible method—chapter-cliff formatting—to increase page reads and repeat purchases without changing your plot or writing voice. In six numbered steps I walk through mapping chapter arcs, inserting micro-payoffs, engineering clean-but-compelling cliff endings, using AI to rewrite for tension without spoilers,...

Many authors stop at an English audiobook and miss high-value international Audible markets. This episode delivers a compact, actionable three-step plan to localize your audiobook using AI-assisted translation, cultural editing, and smart production choices so you can reach new listeners and increase revenue. You'll get a market-selection framework with metrics, a reproducible AI + human editing w...

Many authors treat preorders like a checkbox and miss out on pre-publication revenue and discoverability. In this 8-minute monologue Aria delivers a pragmatic, six-step preorder blueprint that produces measurable rank, early reviews, and cash flow before your release date. You’ll get a clear timeline for KDP and wide preorders, pricing levers that incentivize early buyers, email and lightweight ad...

{"title":"Rights-Ready: 5 Steps to Package Your Book for Licensing, Foreign Rights & Adaptations","one_liner":"A five-step, audio-friendly system to make any book rights-ready—so you can sell translation, audio, education, and adaptation licenses without an expensive agent.","description":"This 8-minute monologue teaches authors a practical, five-step 'Rights-Ready' system to package any book for...

Most authors sit on a goldmine: a backlist that underperforms because it’s scattered, mispriced, or never converted into audio and bundles. In this 8-minute, actionable monologue Aria walks you through a five-step Catalog Harvest system that Dan Desmarques uses with authors to multiply lifetime value from existing books. You’ll learn how to audit and prioritize titles by ROI potential, pick the ri...

This episode teaches authors how to turn any nonfiction or how-to–heavy manuscript into a compact, sellable micro-course in a weekend. You’ll get five numbered, actionable steps: scope three teachable modules from your book, use AI-driven templates to draft 5–10 minute lesson scripts while preserving your voice, produce low-cost video/audio and a simple workbook, assemble a lightweight sales funne...

This episode teaches authors a practical, repeatable A/B testing system for book covers and thumbnails that fits an author's budget and publishing timeline. In one clear monologue Dan Desmarques walks through five numbered steps: define a measurable hypothesis, design smart variations, run low-cost traffic and ad tests, read the data correctly, and implement winners across Amazon product pages, ad...

Many authors publish high-quality books that simply never get seen. This episode gives a practical, five-step Metadata Makeover you can execute in an afternoon to reindex your titles for better discoverability on Amazon and Kindle. You’ll get a clear checklist for rewriting titles and subtitles, choosing high-impact backend keywords and BISAC categories, optimizing descriptions and A+ content, and...

Authors hear "make videos" and freeze. This episode breaks that barrier with a tight, 5-step, production-light system that converts your best book moments into 15–30 second ads designed to sell books and drive audiobook clicks. I lay out how to select high-converting lines, write micro-scripts, cheaply produce videos using stock footage and AI voice, and run low-risk tests on Amazon and social pla...

If you keep finishing books only to wait months for sales, switch to an audio-first release that pays back faster and scales discoverability. In this episode I break down a practical, five-step audio-first workflow authors can execute in weeks, not months: prioritize narration-ready manuscript edits, choose a cost-effective production path, set up ACX and wide distribution, design a launch sequenc...

Most authors treat local events as one-off vanity wins. This episode flips that script: a compact, actionable playbook to use local relationships and micro-audiences as predictable funnels for long-term book revenue. You’ll get five sequential steps that start with a low-friction local trigger (library talks, bookstore consignment, community newsletters), move into data capture and a lead magnet t...

Most series authors leave money on the table by treating each book as a separate product. In eight minutes Dan Desmarques lays out a repeatable, publisher-tested pricing ladder specifically for series: how to price the first-in-series, sequence launches to maximize read‑through, time boxed-set promotions, tiered bundles, and the ad strategy that moves readers up the ladder. You’ll get five numbere...

Metadata is your silent marketing engine. In this episode Aria and Dan unpack a practical, ethically-sound playbook for tuning KDP categories, BISAC subject codes, and small metadata changes that measurably improve discoverability and ranking. You’ll get clear rules for choosing primary and secondary categories, how to map BISAC to reader intent, a fast A/B testing cadence authors can run inside K...

Many authors treat a book as a one-time product. This episode flips that script: a step-by-step, 8-minute monologue that teaches authors how to package a single book into a subscription — 'Book-as-a-Service' — so readers pay repeatedly for ongoing value. You’ll get a clear three-step framework: 1) pick the right membership model (community, serialized content, or toolkit); 2) map existing chapters...

Most authors think a book's lifecycle ends after launch. In reality, rights and licensing—translations, audio sub-licenses, course bundles, anthology placements, and film/serial options—are untapped, long-term income for indie publishers. This episode gives a practical, publisher-tested five-step playbook you can run in an afternoon to identify saleable rights, assemble a low-friction rights packa...

Struggling to get traction after a launch? In this practical monologue you’ll get a publisher-tested 4-step sprint to repurpose one manuscript into a sequence of short releases that convert casual browsers into repeat readers and email subscribers. I walk you through choosing the right short format and cadence, slicing and sharpening three chapters into standalone shorts with built-in hooks, publi...

Most authors assume Amazon Ads demand big budgets or agency help. In this 8-minute, tactical monologue Dan Desmarques delivers a repeatable five-step microbudget framework any author can run tonight to validate ad creatives, find profitable keywords, and scale without burning cash. You’ll hear exactly which tests to run with $50–$100, how to structure auto-to-manual campaigns, the creative tweaks...

This practical, 8-minute monologue teaches authors how to extract a single chapter or strong section from their manuscript and convert it into a paid mini-course that drives sales, builds an email list, and feeds book funnels. You'll get a clear four-step system—select, restructure, package, and promote—plus a short case example showing real numbers and a ready-to-run 30-minute action that moves y...