Episodios

  • EP 368 - Written Word Media with Clayton Noblit

    EP 368 - Written Word Media with Clayton Noblit
    Jun 28 2024
    Mark has a chat with Clayton Noblit, a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons, welcomes a few new Buy Me A Coffee buddies, shares a personal update, and shares a word from this episode's sponsor. episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Clayton talk about: What Written Media is (a book marketing/promotions company)Clayton's personal background as a marketer, and a big reader, but not an authorThe purposeful design of the Written Word Media dashboard to help authors schedule a marketing promotion in about 20 minutes then get back on to the other parts of their dayThe various Written Word Media reader-facing brands: FreeBooksy, BargainBooksy, Red Feather Romance, New in Books, and AudiothicketTheir partnerships with other reader promo sites like eReader News Today, Book Barbarian, Hello Books, and othersThe strategy of promo stacking by spreading marketing promotions out over a series of 3 to 5 daysHow the Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads support at Written Word Media worksThe Written Word Media membership levels (Gold and Platinum) which offer a 10% discount on booking promos as well as additional exclusive promotion options and savings on other third party servicesThe Limelight feature promotion option available for membersThe content that appears on the Written Word Media blog, including regular surveys of authors and industry trendsA few of the responses from a survey conducted in late 2023A discussion of author's perceptions of AI and social mediaThe importance of diversifying instead of being reliant on a single platformAdvice Clayton offers to authors working on promoting and marketing their books After the interview Mark reflects on just how much Written Word Media has grown over the years, by listening to authors, and adding tools and options to allow for greater efficiency in marketing. He also notes how authors are becoming more professional in their approach of planning ahead, and admits to not being as good at making those plans as he'd hoped. Links of Interest: Written Word MediaEP 008 - Author Promotions with Ricci Wolman from Written Word MediaEP 185 - Promotion Results and AnalysisEP 285 - Written Word Media's Top 10 Publishing Trends for 2023EP 342 - Publishing Trend Reflections for 2024DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Clayton Noblit is a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. He is passionate about helping authors find their readers and finding ways to sell more books. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and making beverages. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    55 m
  • EP 367 - Amazing Stories, Fanzines, and Community with Lloyd Penney

    EP 367 - Amazing Stories, Fanzines, and Community with Lloyd Penney
    Jun 21 2024
    Mark interviews Lloyd Penney, the editor of Amazing Stories magazine about his work on Amazing Stories, his forty years of engagement with the fanzine community, and more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Lloyd talk about: Meeting Robert J. Sawyer when they both attended Ryerson University in TorontoLloyd's first and only published science fiction story (which Rob was responsible for)Getting involved in science fiction fanzinesForty years of experience being engaged with fanzines from Canada, the United States and all over the worldThe definition of what a fanzine isHow the common community ends up talking about almost anything else once they've established their commonalities in related to things they are fans ofHow the production of fanzines have changed over the years, from mimeographs, to photocopies, to digitalStarting off his experience in engaging with fanzines by writing a letter of commentThe letter column being the heart of a fanzineSocial media having replaced the fanzine in a lot of ways, but how that has reduced the more nuanced, well-thought out responses and behaviorThe "reaction" of social media verses the "responses" in fanzinesAn example of a recent fanzine that Lloyd recently receivedThe first issue of Amazing Stories coming out in 1927A fan, Steve Davidson, who, about 2008, wondered what happened to the copyright on the name Amazing Stories, found it was available and secured themHow Spielberg needing to purchase the rights to the name for a TV show helped pay for the production of the first few issues of the new version of the magazineHow Lloyd got involved with Amazing Stories in 2018 and then became the editor in chief of the magazineThe magazine being (at the time) an online magazine, with no current print issues availableThe Patreon and merchandise that's available to help support the magazine's operationRunning two Kickstarters - one of which funded, and the other, which didn't fundAnd more... After the interview Mark reflects on the value of getting involved with such a prestigious magazine brand as Amazing Stories, as well as the strong sense of connection and engagement with readers that can happen within the fanzine community. Links of Interest: Amazing Stories Website Store (Includes Amazing Selects imprint of books)Submissions efanzines.comEP 366 - Bolts of FictionEP 365 - An Interview That's A Hug With Gail CarrigerDropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Lloyd Penney is a Canadian science fiction writer, science fiction convention organizer and a dedicated fan who took his long time science fiction interest and turned it into a career recently - as the editor-in-chief of Amazing Stories one of science fictions longest running magazines. He had previously written extensively for science fiction fanzines. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    55 m
  • EP 366 - Bolts of Fiction with Daniel Willcocks and Samantha Frost

    EP 366 - Bolts of Fiction with Daniel Willcocks and Samantha Frost
    Jun 15 2024
    Mark interviews Daniel Willcocks and Samantha Frost about their flash fiction anthology BOLTS OF FICTION and the unique engagement they created and managed through the month of February 2023 to inspire the writing community throughout the entire month. In February 2023, the Activated Authors community embarked on an ambitious project: to respond to daily prompts and produce a flash fiction story by the next day. The result was an outpouring of over 500 unique and imaginative pieces, from which the very best were meticulously curated for their anthology. From heart-wrenching tales of love and loss to whimsical adventures in fantastical worlds, each story promises to transport you, even if just for a moment, into a different reality. Whether you have a minute or an hour, you'll find stories that will intrigue, inspire, and leave you yearning for more. Featuring stories from: Quenntis Ashby, Ara Bell, Amy Bulauski, Tracey Byrnes, S.F. Claymore, Cassi Emerson, Geoff Emberlyn, B.A. Ferguson, Michelle L.M. Gale, Renée Gallant, Megan L. Garner, Robert Gelik, Debbie Gravett, Karla Hailer, R.P. Howley, Jacqueline James, Claire Ladds, Arin Laney, Mark Leslie, Daisy Lythe, S.W. Millar, Kiz Moncrieff, Andrew Murray, Laura Nettles, Kymba Nijuck, Carolyn O'Brien, Leila Murton Poole, Karin Redclift, C.M. Simpson, K.T. Tate, and Karen Wicks. In this interview, Mark, Dan, and Sam talk about: June 15th being National Flash Fiction DayWhat flash fiction isThe inspiration for this projectThe tight deadlines involvedCreating daily prompts to inspire writersThe blind submission/reading processAnd more . . . Links of Interest: Bolts of FictionDevil's Rock PublishingDan's WebsiteSam's WebsiteDropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, author coach, and speaker. Dan writes non-fiction for authors and creatives, as well as dark fiction for the twisted reader, spanning the genres of horror, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi. Sam Frost a.k.a. "Mastress of None," is a video-editor, poet, writer, painter, actor and creator. Based in the south of England (but not born there, that's an important distinction), Sam is passionate about helping creatives while battling the will of a medium sized human and the "affectionate" sneezes of a smaller sized pug. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    27 m
  • EP 365 - An Interview That's A Hug with Gail Carriger

    EP 365 - An Interview That's A Hug with Gail Carriger
    Jun 14 2024
    Mark interviews Gail Carriger about her writing life, her journey through publishing, analytics, the careful curation of her author brand, being a hybrid author and so much more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Gail talk about:- How honored Mark is to learn that Gail listens to the Stark Reflections Podcast Gail's branding phrase of "Gail Carriger writes books that are hugs" and the various experiments she's done with that over the yearsAlways being a person who wrote, or had a passion for writingReading The Lord of the Rings as a child and deciding to craft her OWN ending for the storyGrowing up in a "commune" environment with a bunch of poetsGail's career as an academic when her first traditionally published book (Soulless) came out and took offThe challenge/dare to herself of wanting to write a genre-blending/cross-genre tale of something that she would enjoy as a readerNegotiations taking a long time because Gail dug in her heels on specific contract clausesHer agent investigating a back-door deal with another publisher who offered her 3X the deal the first was looking at and was willing to adjust the right of first refusal clauseThe vision that the publishers had that Soulless was the beginning of a series (despite Gail believing, when she first wrote it, that it was a stand-alone)Having a two-book contract and then writing a cliffhanger at the end of the 2nd book in order to grease the wheels of a contract for other booksGail's love-affair with spreadsheets and the fact she reads all 56 pages of her royalty reportsOne of the main reasons she became an indie author was her ability to have direct access to data about her sales and her readersGail's cautionary note to authors that with a "right of first refusal" a publisher is allowed to take their time with that offer, which can significantly delay an author's forward-movement plansThe possible "rights grab" that a publisher might do even if it's not something within their regular publishing plansHow growing up Gen-X and being a non-native to computers and the internet has resulted in an abundance of caution about digital, computers, the world wide web, how she is presented on the internet, etc.Gail's recommendation to test the waters in self-publishing with short stories firstNerding out with Mark about the "old days" of self-publishing and podcastingBeing a social scientist by training and loving analytics and spreadsheetsPinging her rabid fan base and testing things all the timeGail's A/B testing on whether it's better to put a newsletter signup link at the front of a book or the end of the book, or bothEnsuring that her author brand is not diluted with author business stuff that she's known for from other authors and industry insidersTalking to her readers constantly to continue to stay in the loop on insightsThe importance, when communicating to your readers to use the same language that they're used toLearning that her readers tend to not have a distinction between libraries and bookstores - that many of them see them under the same umbrella of a place they go to see what books are on displayConfirming the reports that "word of mouth" is, by a landslide, the way that most readers find out about new books and new authors to readThe value of a recommendation from another author in a newsletter or on social mediaThe challenges of book blurbsA podcast that Gail recommends: Reading Glasses - and that authors should subscribe and listen to it in order to understand the language that readers useThe deliberate curation and creation of the Gail Carriger persona, including her love of wearing retro outfitsThe side benefit of being able to be a fan at conventions, etc when "out of uniform" and how she's rarely recognized when not sporting that specific "look"A little bit about Gail's book THE HEROINE'S JOURNEYThe next book for writers that Gail is working on called GOING HYBRID, structured to help established and existing traditionally published authors to learn the indie publishing landscapeAnd more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on several different topics that came up in the conversation, including contract clauses, being incognito, and Gails's suggesting for testing the self-publishing waters. Links of Interest: Gail Carriger WebsiteScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and ...
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    1 h y 20 m
  • EP 364 - 40 Years of Rubes® Cartoons with Leigh Rubin

    EP 364 - 40 Years of Rubes® Cartoons with Leigh Rubin
    Jun 6 2024
    Mark interviews Leigh Rubin about 40 years of his Rubes® cartoons and his latest book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Leigh talk about: The fact that in 2024 Leigh is celebrating 40 years of producing Rubes® cartoonsSome of the things that have changed since Leigh first started writing the cartoons - such as the way he delivers the daily cartoonsThe tools that haven't changed over the years, such as the drawing instruments he usesHow far in advance the daily cartoons need to be sent in for syndicationThe fact that Leigh rarely ever takes a day off from drawing something new for the cartoonLeigh's book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST and the story behind itThe various types of essays that appear in this bookLeigh's Cartoonist Pledge (inspired by the Boy Scout pledge)The ease of sharing cartoons on social media without any compensation given to the artistWhat a "workaround" is for cartooningThe challenges of when humor doesn't age well because of changing sensitivitiesTesting the cartoons and deciding not to use certain ones that don't hit just right - (and the big stack of un-used cartoons that Leigh never submitted because they weren't funny enough)And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of what Leigh calls a "workaround" and how a similar thing might apply to writers in general as well as the idea of testing cartoons and not publishing them unless the hit right. Links of Interest: Leigh Rubins Website / Rubes CartoonsThink Like a Cartoonist (RIT Press Website)EP 152 - Drawing Inspiration with Cartoonist Leigh RubinDramatic Exit (YouTube Short Inspired by one of Leigh's cartoons)EP 316 - Free Your Inner Non-Fiction Writer with Johanna RothmanScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Leigh Rubin is an accomplished author and cartoonist. He has written more than 20 books. 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of Leigh's internationally syndicated cartoon, Rubes®, which is distributed by Creators Syndicate to hundreds of newspapers and media outlets worldwide. His work has been featured in film, television, and advertising. Leigh also enjoys a busy schedule giving thought-provoking and entertaining presentations on art and creativity at conferences, as well as professional organizations all around the country. In 2018 Leigh began serving at Rochester Institute of Technology as the college's first Cartoonist-in-Residence. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    59 m
  • EP 363 - Greatness Together with Sarah McVanel

    EP 363 - Greatness Together with Sarah McVanel
    May 30 2024
    Mark interviews Sarah McVanel, a recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker about her books, speaking, and her the new podcast she co-hosts with her daughter. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Sarah talk about: What Sarah has been up to since Mark last had her on the podcastHow Sarah is an expert-based author rather than a "traditional" authorThe difference between writing for a keynote as a speaker and writing a bookThe various books that Sarah has previously written and how she went about putting them together, including FLIPSIDE OF FAILINGThe research and legwork done in order to send hand-signed copies and hand-written notes to medical/health-care leaders for Sarah's book ROCKSTAR: Magnify Your Greatness in Times of Change for Healthcare LeadersProviding space in the back of a specially printed edition of her book ROCKSTAR: Magnify Your Greatness in Times of Change for Women Leaders for conference organizers to put their own messaging inThe needless bloating in some non-fiction books; something which Sarah strives to not doSatisfaction that's felt when you finish reading a bookHow companies, publishers, and authors often bundle products together and how it might affect the readerHow we earn the right to be read as authorsParticipating in physical bundles with other speakers as part of a conferenceThe way the most special readers deserve something specialThe new podcast (The Greatness Together Podcast) that Sarah has started with her daughter and which runs every other weekVarious topics related to the human dimension that mother and daughter Sarah and Simonne talk throughAnd more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on Sarah's perspective on the author needing to ensure that they deliver on their promise and that after earning the reader's attention, they need to keep it by delivering on that promise in the content. He also reflects on the incredible value Sarah brings as a greatness recognition expert. Links of Interest: Sarah's WebsiteThe Greatness Together PodcastEP 76 - Recognizing Success in Failure with Sarah McVanelEP 109 - 12 Takeaways From CAPS Convention 2019EP 361 - The Author Wheel with Greta Boris and Megan HaskellScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker. She created F.R.O.G. Forever Recognize Others’ GreatnessTM to invigorate companies so they can see their people as exceptional and, together, create a scrumptious, thriving culture where everyone belongs. Sarah has 25+ years of experience training, coaching, and leading teams. From her senior leadership role, she founded her boutique firm Greatness Magnified. Proclaimed as the “Frog Lady,” she can be found freaking out perfect strangers (in a good way) by handing out squishy frogs and asking them, “Have you been frogged lately?” and then acknowledging their greatness. She’s a Certified Senior Organizational Development Professional (CSODP), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL). She is one of 700 Certified Speaking Professionals (CSP) worldwide. She has a BA in Psychology, MSc in Family Relations, and Diplomas in Human Resources and Healthcare Administration. You can catch her kayaking in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter with her husband, or cooking a feast (while listening to an audiobook on double speed). She’s a die-hard carb-ivour, amateur hip hopper, and TikTok embarrasser to her two kids. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    1 h y 7 m
  • EP 362 - The Book To Read Before Giving Up On Your Writing Dreams with Todd Fahnestock

    EP 362 - The Book To Read Before Giving Up On Your Writing Dreams with Todd Fahnestock
    May 29 2024
    Mark interviews author Todd Fahnestock about his latest book for writers: Falling to Fly: The Book To Read Before Giving Up On Your Writing Dreams. This episode is sponsored by the Patrons and Coffee Buddies of the Stark Reflections Podcast. Patreon for Stark Reflections Podcast Buy Mark a Coffee In the interview Mark and Todd talk about: Who Todd is and the edge of the seat epic fantasy he writesA little bit about Todd's memoir of hiking the Colorado Trail with his 15-year-old sonThe pitch for Summer of the Fetch, one of his one-off booksTodd's latest book FALLING TO FLY: The Book to Read Before Giving Up on Your Writing DreamsHow the book includes several completely frank episodes where Todd fell flat on his face and failed, and yet picked himself up one more timeThe idea of failure being the classroom and success being the diplomaBeing bored with a story where there's no challenge, or struggle, or flaws in the main characterHow fantasy books saved Todd's life when he was young and the fact he wanted to do the same thing for someone elseThe "writer dream" interviews that Todd is doing on social mediaThe chapter called "The Little Rebel" and what that particular voice does for ToddThe nightmare that inspired the idea for the title FALLING TO FLYAnd more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on how great a storyteller Todd is, how much he enjoyed Todd's latest book, and the value when someone paints an authentic picture of the actual stark realities of the writing life. Links of Interest: Todd Fahnestock's WebsiteEP 340 - Personality, Passion, Presentation, and Persistence with Todd FahnestockScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Todd Fahnestock is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age Award. Threadweavers and The Whisper Prince Trilogy are two of his bestselling epic fantasy series. He is a founder of Eldros Legacy—a multi-author, shared-world mega-epic fantasy series—three-time winner of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence, and two-time finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy (2021) and Khyven the Unkillable (2022). The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    50 m
  • EP 361 - The Author Wheel with Greta Boris and Megan Haskell

    EP 361 - The Author Wheel with Greta Boris and Megan Haskell
    May 23 2024
    Mark interviews Greta Boris and Megan Haskell of The Author Wheel. Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode’s sponsor. This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount’s handy all-in-one interface. In the interview Mark, Greta, and Megan talk about: How Megan started writing as a creative outlet when she was working for a major accounting firmThe writing done on the train on the way in to work in Los Angeles and the blogs she had writtenContinuing writing after having her daughter in 2012 and then publishing her first book before her second child was bornGreta's magazine background (her father was an editor and publisher of some major magazines back in the day)The writing she did for a number of magazines over the years and the various genres and topics she took onBeing inspired by interviewing a bunch of fiction authors, including Joanna PennHow Greta got her first publisher doing a Twitter pitchTwitter pitches being really good for writing log linesMegan and Greta's "meet cute" at the Southern California Writer's Conference in 2014Pitching a course to that conference at a later date so they could attend it again without having to pay which got turned into a book (Publish: Take Charge of Your Author Career)How they started The Author Wheel courses, podcast, and other resourcesThe metaphors for The Author WheelThe way they try to break topics down into the smallest bits possible to simplify peopleWhy it's helpful to recognize that authors are all at different places and there are so many different paths and choices an author can makeTheir course Trope Stacking and Other Genre Magic which is a companion to a quick-guide Understanding Your GenreGreta's pioneering with writing a book she felt was a "Cozy Horror" novelStrategies for mixing and layering in genres that are complimentary to one another while creating something uniqueHow writing to an outline made Megan feel like her creativity was being stifledThe way that Megan and Greta collaborate in their writing, the podcast, the social media, and the coursesAnd more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of the "Twitter pitch" and the benefit of having to craft writing that has tight restrictions as well as the importance of understanding that there's no one-size-fits-all solution, and that there's no single right way for authors to do things. Links of Interest: The Author Wheel PodcastCourses: 7 Days To ClaritySelf Publish or Get an AgentFinish Your Novel FasterLayering Your Story WorldTrope Stacking and Other Genre Magic Megan Haskell's WebsiteGreta Boris's WebsiteMark's Interview on The Author Wheel Podcast: Overcoming Self-Doubt and Mastering Book Marketing with Mark Leslie LefebvreScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link)DropCap Marketplace Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising WritersBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Greta Boris is a USA Today Bestselling mystery and thriller author. Megan Haskell is an award-winning fantasy adventure author. Together, they founded The Author Wheel, publishers of books, courses, and a podcast to help writers overcome roadblocks and keep their stories rolling. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    1 h y 1 m