Susie Bright’s Journal: Susie Master Classes

How Do I Let Readers Know About My Kindle Edition?

Susie Bright — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:28:03 GMT

Here’s the situation:

You self-published an e-book and want to promote it. How?

You had an existing paperback, or hardcover, or audiobook, and now you finally have your ebook ready. How do you tell all your old readers? —and the new fans who might like it?

You’re standing in the street screaming, “What the fuck is the difference between Kindle vs. Amazon vs. an Ebook vs LOSING MY MIND?”

. . . And, some of you wonder if it’s too late to promote an e-book, because you should have done it so long ago, it’s a disgrace and how are you suppose to rise like a phoenix at this late date.

Yes, I can help you, too.

Watch the video, and add any questions you have, in the comments! I will reply to all.

Should I Use a Pen Name?

Susie Bright — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:26:05 GMT

If you’ve been holding back from your best writing because of backlash fears, you are hardly alone. There are generations and communities of writers who had to go underground, write under pseudonyms, and maintain a closeted identity. They had something powerful to say, and they had to be ready for the reaction.

McCarthy’s Blacklist, who can forget? Women in fear of losing their kids. Gay writers with good reason to know they could be prosecuted. People who smuggled their work out of the country with their lives on the line.

“But that’s not me!” you may say. Your apprehension may be closer to home.

Your family members— your parents or children— might not be pleased with the “unexpurgated you.” Do you really have to wait ‘til everyone dies before you can write your opinion, your observations?

Finally— a group I hear from a lot: academics and scholars, who see their university &/or government watching them like hawks to pounce if they so much as comment negatively about the weather. “Alw…

How to Make an Audiobook & Do It Well

Susie Bright — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:59:43 GMT

I was born in what’s now called the “golden era” of recorded children’s books, the 1960s literary renaissance. Oh, how I loved them! Martyn Green reading Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Boris Karloff as the Grinch.

I was an early adopter of audiobooks as an author, before they were digital and it was rather laborious to produce and listen to them!

Then, as you’ll see me describe below, a fellow reporter friend of mine from Rolling Stone, invited me to be part of the first digital audio company. What a ride. I’ve recorded thousands of titles since then, and advised many friends and students— so much history in my head.

Today, I’ll share my notes and two videos with you. I talk a lot about the financial and practical aspects— that’s what I mostly get asked about. For me, it’s an artistic movement first, and that will never change.

Shall we?

Looking for Mr. Good Press

Susie Bright — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:07:19 GMT

When you compose a novel, and you’re in the thick of it, it is NOT the time to be wondering and worrying who your next publisher is going to be.

Believe me, it will have changed by the time you’re done with your first draft.

But in edits, as you’re closing in on your final draft, you’re correct to be thinking, “Where Do I Place This?”

Who’s the right editor, the publisher who will see its potential and quality?

This is the moment where you begin a pleasant and eye-opening bit of investigation for your new publishing partner. It IS kinda like getting hitched!

Stop the Blurb Masochism! New Approach!

Susie Bright — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:06:15 GMT

Dear Susie,

I am so in love with your new Masterclass series. It couldn’t be timed more perfectly for me.

I wrote a book called ______ back in 2012. It was published by “Prominent Indie Press.”

The Founder loved it but her conservative colleague was “uncomfortable” with one of my chapters. They buried the book.

Post-pandemic, I pitched a new edition of this book to a “Big 5 Publisher” and they bought it. Not only did they buy it, but they helped me reimagine it into something more than a revised edition! It will be published this August.

I know I am asking an extremely busy person, but here goes: Is it possible for you to give me an endorsement? I’ve attached a galley so you can see it in its new version.

I am way behind in getting endorsements, so if you can send me an endorsement it would make my editor very happy if you could manage it by 15 Feb. I’d offer you an antique chastity belt as a reward but I just gave away my last one. 😂

Thank you for considering this and THANK YOU for the m…

A Self-Interested Author’s Guide to Contracts

Susie Bright — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:10:28 GMT

Any author who doesn’t understand the basic tenets of their contract is in for rude awakening.

The basics are not hard. Not at all. You can learn the central issues in an hour, which is what we are going to do.

And, it will, if you don’t mind me saying, change your destiny as an author.

Susie on Books and Marketing - Part 2

Susie Bright — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 18:08:40 GMT

Yesterday, our video class introduced you to the essentials of book marketing, Part I. We covered positioning the book, and your master list of key contacts.

Today, in Part II, we learn how to ask both strangers and friends to consider your work— to buy it themselves, write a review, and yes, to treasure it in their library.

Okay— how is that magic trick performed?

First of all, you write a worthy book, which is no mean feat, but let’s assume you have!1

In the lobby of San Francisco’s Chronicle Books — my editor and publicist are making me laugh about our deadlines. Which is a good thing!

Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s video:

Writing a Book Announcement & Asking for Reviews

Assemble your “assets” — defined in Marketing Class #1 — and be ready to deploy them.
Assemble your contact list and their “whereabouts” on a spreadsheet, and sort them by category: Big Mouths, Friends and Family, etc.
What must you ASK your contacts to do, precisely? The power of the question mark.
How to offer …

Susie on Books and Marketing - Part 1

Susie Bright — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:00:31 GMT

My friend Debbie Friedman has a new book coming out next book, her first.1 It’s showtime.

She asked me, “What do I do? This is huge.”

It’s Deb’s first book; it took years to conceive and write. Selling it is daunting.

But you know what? You could be on your tenth book release, and marketing is still intimidating. You could be a veteran who’s reviving your backlist. You might be launching a title on your own, or working with a large publisher who supposedly (gulp) has a staff of pros to help you.

It’s still a LIFT. There is no avoiding the stakes.

I told Debbie I’d get her going, and I decided to videotape my advice for everybody. My video below is exactly what I’d say, if we were sitting in the kitchen with your manuscript.

I began as an author/journalist in the 80s, and I had a couple hits, created a backlist over the years. When I became an editor in the 90s, I saw things from the other side of the table. I published thousands of titles, hundreds of bestsellers. The analysis on how they…