In this week's episode I'm joined by The Author Maker Ginny Carter, book coach and ghostwriter. We talk about why the 'bestseller' label can be a vanity metric, how to streamline your book and your marketing, and what Ikea furniture can teach us about ghostwriting. 

In a world in which we're bombarded with information and have choices available to us every waking moment, curation - 'selecting and arranging to add value' - is just as important as creation. Michael Bhaskar argues that it's essentially a business model: you have a responsibility to your customers, your clients, your readers to select, organise and present material effectively. 

He also gives some insights into his own secret weapons as a writer, juggling his books with a full-time job and a new baby: structure, coffee and Google Docs. 

Book coach and mentor Karen Williams found writing her first two books easy, but quickly realised that not all her clients felt the same way. So she put together a course to help them, and in the process earned several thousand pounds and wrote another book! 

In this interview she shares her 'jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down' approach and offers top tips on planning and writing your book. 

Bryony Thomas knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote her bestselling book Watertight Marketing: 'Lots of people write a book and then go, "Now what?" I thought, "What do I want to be? Ah, a book's a good way of getting there."'

What she hadn't expected was the extraordinary community that she created, and the creative ways in which they've used her principles in their businesses. She reveals how she runs her community to maximise engagement and results, not just the businesses following her Watertight Marketing plan but also the consultants licensed to train her method.

As you'd expect from an author committed to revealing to readers how to create watertight marketing funnels, Bryony's own funnel from book to site to client engagement is perfectly executed, and I've learned a lot from simply walking through her process. She also has fascinating insight into how to use case studies for maximum impact, and the inestimable value of the post-it note.

This is a masterclass in embedding a book in a business for maximum impact.