June 14, 2025

Ep 141: Introducing The Bestseller Experiment: Marketing a Novel from Zero Audience

Send us a text >> Get notified for The Bestseller Experiment << Marketing should work anywhere—but does it really? I put this challenge to the ultimate test by writing and launching a contemporary romance novel under a completely new pen name, with zero audience, zero borrowed credibility, and no marketing shortcuts. The Bestseller Experiment is my new spinoff podcast that takes you behind the scenes of what happens when a professional marketer attempts to sell fiction from abs...

Send us a text

>> Get notified for The Bestseller Experiment <<

Marketing should work anywhere—but does it really? I put this challenge to the ultimate test by writing and launching a contemporary romance novel under a completely new pen name, with zero audience, zero borrowed credibility, and no marketing shortcuts.

The Bestseller Experiment is my new spinoff podcast that takes you behind the scenes of what happens when a professional marketer attempts to sell fiction from absolute scratch. Rather than hypotheticals or vague advice, I'm documenting every step of my real-world book marketing journey—both the spectacular wins and the humbling failures.

Just 10 days after launching my debut novel, the results surprised even me. Without spending a penny on advertising, I hit the top 10 in my Amazon category, maintained consistent daily sales, received over 30 reviews averaging 4.7 stars, and secured pre-orders for upcoming sequels. But more valuable than these metrics are the lessons learned through methodical experimentation.

>> Strings Attached by Sera Elly <<

Season one launches this July and will reveal exactly how I gained my first 100 readers, which platforms delivered unexpected success (TikTok was a game-changer), which strategies completely bombed, how I secured bookish media coverage, and the planning tools that kept everything on track. Season two follows in November, documenting my October book release with refined strategies based on these initial insights.

Whether you're a writer looking to market your work, a business owner launching a new venture, or simply fascinated by marketing psychology when building from zero, this podcast offers a transparent look at growth marketing without an established audience. Subscribe now through the show notes to join me on this journey and be first to know when new episodes drop.

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00:00 - Introducing The Bestseller Experiment

01:34 - The Zero-Audience Book Marketing Challenge

02:29 - Initial Launch Results Revealed

03:08 - What's Coming in Season One

05:10 - How to Follow the Experiment

WEBVTT

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Hello and welcome.

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This is episode 141 of the Uncut Summer Series edition of Tiny Marketing.

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This episode is going to be a little bit different because I am introducing the Best Seller Experiment, a spinoff podcast.

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Enjoy, hello, I am Sarah Noelle Block and welcome to Tiny Marketing, where I help small businesses grow without a big marketing team.

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But today's episode is a little different.

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This is your backstage pass to a brand new spinoff podcast I'm launching called the Best Seller Experiment.

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If you've ever wondered what happens when a professional marketer tries to write and sell fiction with zero audience, this is the podcast for you.

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So here's the deal.

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I recently wrote a contemporary romance novel under a totally brand new pen name.

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No crossover audience was allowed, no borrowed credibility and no cheat codes.

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I wanted to know if I had to start from zero.

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Would my tiny marketing strategies actually work for book marketing?

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Could I use everything that I've taught service providers and founders to sell a fiction book?

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So I built a plan and I ran the experiments and I documented everything the good, the bad and the definitely could have done that better.

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That's what the bestseller experiment is.

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Each season will follow a launch, starting with my debut, which happened 10 days ago, and I'll walk you through which strategies I tested, what worked even better than expected what flopped and some things did and what I'm changing for the next book, which happens in October.

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It's not a course and it's not a highlight reel.

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I will also show you the dumpster fires of what absolutely bombed.

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It's a documented experiment in real-time fiction marketing.

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If you're a writer, an indie author, or even just curious about how marketing works when you're starting from scratch, so this would apply to you.

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If you're launching a new business, launching a new podcast, launching anything without an audience, you're going to get a lot from this particular podcast.

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So let's talk numbers.

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My book launched 10 days ago and here's what happened.

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I hit the top 10 in my category on Amazon, with no ads.

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I've had sales every single day since launch.

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I've been featured in bookish media outlets.

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I've received 30 plus reviews with an average of 4.7 star rating and, yes, I already have pre -orders for the sequels.

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Hence, this is a season and there will be another season when I launch the next book.

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All of that came from organic, strategic, zero audience marketing, no magic, just experiments, seeing what worked and then cutting what didn't.

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Here's what you'll hear in the first season of the bestseller experiment, how I got my first 100 readers, what worked better than I expected Spoiler alert, tiktok and partnerships was a big one the strategies that completely flopped and why.

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How I got into bookish media outlets.

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The tools I use to plan and track everything, the aha moment I'm bringing into my next launch in October, and what resources I use to make this work.

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Of course, I'll take you along as I run the next round of experiments for book two.

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This is going to be a seasonal podcast, meaning each book launch will have its own arc experiments, results, lessons and all.

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If you want to follow along and learn how a book launch really works without the fluff, sign up right below in the show notes and get notified when the bestseller experiment drops.

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So season one is going to drop next month and season two will drop in November because our next launch will be in October.

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So if you're already hooked, make sure to hit follow here.

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I will notify you on this podcast too, when the bestseller experiment drops officially in July and then again in October.

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So that is it for now and I hope to see you next time.

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And I hope to see you over at the bestseller experiment, if you love the idea of the bestseller experiment.

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Make sure to go to the show notes page and subscribe, so you are the first to get notified when this season drops in July.

Ep 141: Introducing The Bestseller Experiment: Marketing a Novel from Zero Audience

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