Speaking Info

As an award-winning speaker, Thomas Umstattd teaches creative people all over the world how to build their platforms, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about. As a podcaster, he hosts the Novel Marketing Podcast, and Christian Publishing Show. He currently serves as the CEO of Author Media.

 

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About Thomas

 

Twitter Bio

Christ Follower, in love with @MargUmstattd, Father of 2, Host of Novel Marketing and the Christian Publishing Show, CEO of @AuthorMedia.

Speaking Introduction/Short Bio

As an award-winning speaker, Thomas Umstattd teaches creative people all over the world how to build their platforms, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about. As a podcaster, he hosts the Novel Marketing Podcast, and Christian Publishing Show. He currently serves as the CEO of Author Media.

 

Medium Bio

Thomas Umstattd Jr. built his first website at the age of 13 and taught his first web design class at only 16 years old. Thomas went to the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Business Management. He founded Umstattd Media, his first web design and media company in 2007 while still in college.

In 2009 he started AuthorTechTips.com, a website to help authors use the web to promote their books. The site was twice featured in Writers Digest as one of the 101 most helpful websites for authors. AuthorTechTips.com is now AuthorMedia.com, a resource for authors timid about technology.

As an award-winning speaker, Thomas teaches audiences all over the world. His friendly speaking style blends multimedia and audience participation. He offers audiences a unique perspective to help them use the web in a whole new way.

In 2014, Thomas’s blog post Why Courtship is Fundamentally Flawed went viral and reached over a million people in just a few weeks. It led to a Kickstarter campaign and later the book Courtship in Crisis.

As a podcaster, he hosts the Novel Marketing Podcast, and the Christian Publishing Show.

Thomas currently serves as the CEO of Castle Media Group LLC, the parent company of Author Media.

He lives in Austin, TX with his beautiful wife who is expecting their first child in October.

Long Bio

You can find an even longer bio here.

 

Thomas takes complicated web issues and distills them down to knowable pieces.
Mary DeMuth

Author, Podcaster

Thomas can teach anyone, from the ‘technologically challenged’ to the tech-savvy, in a way that’s both fun and understandable. If you’re looking for a speaker who can energize, instruct, and entertain, you couldn’t do better than Thomas Umstattd.
Kathy Ide

Editor & Conference Director, California

Thomas is a dream faculty member: popular with the attendees, kind, knowledgeable, and always respectful. His presentations are well received, offering useful and practical information to both beginners and professionals.

Robin Miller

Conference Director, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)

Speaking Topics

 Book Launch Secrets

Learn tips and tricks to help your next book launch go off with a bang rather than a whimper. 

How to Leverage the Power of Podcasts

Podcasting has grown into a powerful tool to help authors build a platform and sell more books. But that is just the beginning! Discover four different ways authors can use podcasts to become better writers, reach new readers, and sell more books. 

How to Start Building a Rejection Proof Author Platform

If readers don’t know about your book, they can’t read it. This is why every author needs a platform to get the word out. But where do you get started? Find out in this webinar.

7 Secrets of Amazing Author Websites

Most author websites get very little attention and generate only a handful of book sales. In this class you will learn to avoid the common author website mistakes. You will also learn the secrets that will make your site great and your book sell.

Platform Boosting Email Newsletters

The number of email subscribers you have is a key component publishers look at to measure your platform. In this class you will learn how to attract subscribers, design beautiful emails and create content that gets forwarded around the web.

From Tech Timid to Tech Savvy: How to Master Any Technology

Conscious and subconscious fears sabotage many author’s ability to learn how to be effective online. This class is designed for the beginner who feels intimidated by technology. At the end of this class you will be more confident and less timid about technology.

How to Get Good at Goodreads 

Goodreads is a social network specifically for authors and readers. With over 20 million members it is one of the most visited websites in the world. Because of this book focus,  GoodReads is more effective than Facebook and Twitter at boosting book sales. Learn how to use GoodReads to boost your book sales.

How To Make A Living As a Writer

Book royalties alone do not pay enough for most writers to live on. However, by treating your writing like a business you can dramatically increase your income. In this class you will learn the basics of business for writers including tax tips.

The Art of Persuasion

Learn how to craft ideas that stick in people’s heads for years. You will also learn how to change people’s minds without changing their worldview.

The Secrets of Excellent Author Blogs

Many author blogs go unread because they don’t know the little things that make a big difference. In this class you will learn the fundamentals professional bloggers use to build a irresistible online platform.

How To Sell Yourself

Have you ever wondered why some great writers go unsold while poorly written books become bestsellers? The answer is simple and may change everything for your book. Learn if and when it is okay to “sell” yourself as a Christian and discover three simple techniques that will help you become a bestselling author without being “salesy”.

How to Crowdfund Your Next Book

The average self published book sells only 200 copies. Why? Usually, self-published books fail because the author doesn’t have the money to do it right. Authors need money to get sales and sales to get money. Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter are a great way to break the catch 22 of self publishing while also building a tribe and gauging interest.

How to Create a Marketing Strategy for Your Book

If failure to plan is planning to fail it is  no wonder that so many books fail to sell as many books as their authors hope. In this talk you will learn a strategy to successfully market books and how to adapt it to your book specifically.