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

Stop guessing which cover or title will sell — test it. In this 8-minute playbook you get a hands-on, repeatable system for rapid cover and title conversion testing that fits a single-session workload and a modest ad budget. You’ll learn how to design three distinct creative hypotheses, run short, controlled traffic tests, read conversion signals beyond raw clicks, and turn a winning creative into...

Too many authors stop at ‘finished draft’ and wonder why sales stall. This episode delivers a practical, five-step editing system that blends traditional editorial strategy with AI tools so your manuscript becomes a polished product that converts. In clear, numbered steps you’ll learn macro structural edits to strengthen promise and pacing; AI-assisted line editing without losing author voice; a p...

If you’re struggling to know whether your book will sell — or how to afford professional production — a disciplined pre-sale can solve both. In this 8-minute episode Dan Desmarques walks you through a five-step Pre-Sale Validation Sprint: validate the concept, create a minimal pre-sale offer, run a focused micro-campaign, use collected revenue to fund audiobook/cover/editing, and convert early buy...

Turn your audiobook from a cost center into a reliable profit channel. In this 8-minute, action-first monologue I map a practical 5-step playbook that blends Audible/ACX decisions, narration strategy, metadata and teaser clips, Amazon Ads tactics tailored to audiobook buyers, and a post-listen funnel that converts listeners into newsletter subscribers and course or book-bundle buyers. You’ll get m...

Many authors leave money on the table by treating their book as a single product. This episode gives a practical, step-by-step monologue that shows how to audit your rights, package deliverables, choose partners, set fair splits, and launch cross-format offers that scale. You’ll get five numbered steps with concrete micro-actions you can complete in a day, a concise case example of an author who t...

In this focused 8-minute monologue Dan Desmarques walks authors through a practical, ethical welcome-email funnel that boosts lifetime value without spamming or hype. You'll get five numbered messages—what to say, why it works, and quick AI prompts to generate personalized copy—covering the initial welcome, immediate value, social proof and book-pairing, an audiobook/cross-sell, and a segmented of...

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{"title":"Price Elasticity Lab: 5 Steps to Test and Optimize Book Pricing for Maximum Revenue","one_liner":"A practical, 8-minute playbook that teaches authors how to run small, controlled pricing experiments on KDP and allied channels to find the sweet spot between sales velocity and per-sale revenue.","description":"Many authors treat pricing as a guess. This episode turns pricing into a repeata...

Many authors treat translation as a distant, expensive rights play. In this episode you get a compact, practical protocol to turn one manuscript into multiple localized revenue streams without guessing. You’ll hear five concrete steps: validate which language markets will actually buy, assemble a fast AI-assisted plus human-edit translation workflow, configure KDP and metadata for localized listin...

Stop launching standalone books and hoping for luck—build a series that sells itself. In this 8-minute monologue Aria walks authors through five practical steps to design, launch, and evergreen a book series that multiplies lifetime revenue per reader. You’ll get a clear sequence: series architecture (story/benefit ladder), metadata and ASIN/linking best practices, staggered pre-orders and launch...

Authors often pour effort into writing and covers, then treat metadata like an afterthought — and watch visibility evaporate. This episode teaches a practical, five-step metadata architecture you can apply today to make your book findable and clickable across Amazon and reseller channels. I’ll explain the logic behind titles, subtitles, keyword banking, category selection, series metadata, and pro...

Low-content books are one of the fastest, most durable ways to add recurring revenue and email-list growth to your author business—when they’re built with strategy, not spam. In this 8-minute monologue Dan Desmarques and Aria’s formula are synthesized into five practical steps: niche validation, AI-assisted content templates, cover and interior split tests, KDP listing optimization, and scaling wi...

Your cover is the single most powerful conversion lever between a browser and a buyer. This episode gives a tight, actionable blueprint for running four low-cost split tests that remove guesswork and pick a cover that actually sells. You’ll get a clear testing sequence, the exact metrics to track, how to set statistically useful sample sizes on a budget, and a real mini case: a non-fiction author...

Discover how to turn the often-ignored backmatter of your ebook, paperback, and audiobook into a predictable list-builder and sales engine. In this 8-minute monologue Dan Desmarques lays out five practical, low-friction steps: map reader journeys to relevant offers, insert frictionless opt-ins and audio previews, craft micro-offers tailored to format-specific buyers, add measurement hooks that wor...

This episode teaches indie authors a compact, test-first approach to turning short-form social clips into measurable KDP conversion lifts. Dan and Aria explain how to harvest high-conversion moments from your manuscript, audiobook, or author narration; use AI to generate multiple script variants and headline hooks; and produce quick, mobile-friendly 20–45 second videos that drive clicks to your Am...

This episode teaches authors how to turn existing audiobook recordings into measurable marketing assets in one tight, 8-minute monologue. You’ll get a five-step playbook to extract short clips, craft ad scripts, match audio with visuals and captions, route listeners into high-converting email funnels, and measure ROI so every listen becomes a revenue signal. I walk through practical production tip...

This episode delivers a compact, actionable 'Pre-Sell Sprint' for authors who want to remove launch risk and generate working capital before they finish a manuscript. In five clear steps you'll learn how to create an irresistible pre-sale offer, set up a lightweight landing page and payment flow, use AI to produce a minimum viable manuscript and high-converting sample, run low-cost audience tests...

{"title":"Backlist Revival Blueprint: 5 Steps to Turn Old Books into Reliable Revenue","one_liner":"A tight 8-minute, five-step monologue that shows authors how to use AI, KDP updates, audiobooks, and microfunnels to revive underperforming backlist titles into steady income.","description":"Many authors sit on underperforming books that could become steady income with a focused, low-cost relaunch....

You already wrote a book—now monetize it beyond sales. This episode walks authors through a practical, repeatable process to convert any nonfiction or how-to book into a short, automated email course that captures leads, nurtures buyers, and creates a new income stream. Over five clear steps you'll identify the book’s teachable spine, chunk chapters into lesson-sized emails, design conversion-focu...

Many authors leave international markets on the table because they assume translation and foreign rights are complicated. This 8-minute, step-by-step episode gives authors a practical, low-risk blueprint to prepare, pitch, and profit from foreign translations and distribution without hiring an expensive rights team. You'll get five concrete steps: confirm and clean up your rights, select target ma...

Authors who publish a single book often struggle to build predictable income. This episode teaches a concise, 5-step system to design, produce, and monetize a multi-book series that multiplies discoverability, reader retention, and per-reader lifetime revenue. You’ll get concrete rules for series planning, production cadence, cross-book metadata and funnels, launch sequencing for first and later t...

{"title":"Reader Launch Squad: 5 Steps to Build a Reliable Pre-Release Core of Reviewers and Early Buyers","one_liner":"A tight, 5-step monologue showing authors how to recruit, onboard, and activate a small pre-release reader squad that produces honest reviews, early sales, and social proof before launch.","description":"Most authors launch into marketing after upload and pray for traction. This...

Worried your book listing isn’t converting? This episode teaches authors a compact, realistic way to stack low-cost bonuses that increase perceived value and lift conversions — built fast with ethical AI and lightweight production. Dan and Aria break down three complementary extras any author can create in days: an interactive workbook (task-based pages derived from your manuscript), a 3-email mic...

Most authors focus on covers and blurbs and then wonder why their book disappears in search. This episode gives a professional, step-by-step monologue that treats metadata as a conversion and discovery engine—not an afterthought. You’ll get five practical, repeatable steps for keyword research, category selection and requests, backend field strategy, series/ASIN tactics, and a monitoring/testing r...

Stop guessing which cover converts. In this 8-minute lab Dan Desmarques walks authors through a tight, five-step A/B testing sprint to measure and choose the cover that drives more clicks and buys on Amazon. You’ll get a clear framework: form a testable hypothesis, generate three distinct cover variants using fast AI mockups and designer briefs, run a low-cost split test to lightweight landing pag...