Kobo Writing Life Podcast

KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Nancy L. Baumann about Bookarma, a platform that allows authors to leverage the community in their social media endeavors. In the interview Mark and Nancy discuss: How Bookarma, an international marketing platform, allows you to break beyond your own personal marketing network and allows you to reach further The user friendly manner of creating an account, adding social media and importing books simply by entering the ISBN How Bookarma came out of Nancy's business as a non-fiction book coach as a way to help authors once their books were out in the market The multiplier effect of authors supporting other authors by sharing one another's efforts in reaching people through social media How the author queue works in terms of authors finding appropriate content to share with their followers The importance of book covers and how a bad cover doesn't help a good book The weekly webcasts that help authors with tips and suggestions on the best way to leverage Bookarma The ability to filter your queue by genre as an author The measurability that is built into the campaigns on Bookarma, such as the number of impressions and the number of clicks that another author made in the queue and then how many times the book was shared and the number of clickbacks that link received How both traditionally published and self-published authors can use this tool Mark then talks about the value of authors helping one another and how, as a bookseller for the past 20+ years he has paid attention to this in his own desire to help authors. There is an ask for KWL listeners to email [email protected] with any questions they might have that we can answer in future episodes as well as suggestions for guests and topics for future episodes. Please note that submitting a helpful question just might land you additional promotional placement at Kobo.

KWL US Manager Christine Munroe interviews Carla King, a travel writer and self-publishing expert. Tune in to hear them discuss: What self-publishing was like when Carla started out in 1995. Self-Publishing Boot Camp, the program of books and workshops that Carla co-founded and continues to manage. Balancing writing travel books and how-to guides. Tips for effective social media presence. Highlights from Carla's latest book, The Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors. After the show, KWL Author Care Coordinator Vanessa Ghosh offers tips for creating reflowable ePubs.

KWL US Manager Christine Munroe interviews Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo. They discuss: *National Novel Writing Month, the creative challenge in which authors write 50,000 words during the month of November, or 1,667 words per day. *The origins of NaNoWriMo, which began with 21 people in 1999 and has grown to support hundreds of thousands of writers each year. *Why November? If you can write a novel in November, you can write one anytime. It's a busy time of year leading into the December holidays. *NaNoWriMo's other initiatives, including Camp NaNoWriMo and the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. *Even if you don't "win" by hitting the 50k word count, every participant is a winner for choosing to make creativity a priority. KWL is a proud sponsor of NaNoWriMo for the third year in a row. Stay tuned as we embark on this challenge in November with our annual KoBoWriMo team! www.nanowrimo.org

This episode, recorded in collaboration with the Northern Colorado Writers Conference, opens in a conversation with Rich Keller, Assistant Director and Electronics Media Manager of Northern Colorado Writers, as well as an author, editor and the publisher of Wooden Pants Publishing. Rich talks about: the use of humor in his writing and publishing and how specific humor can be for different audiences the "Wooden Pants Readings" programming being used to help build this up how Rich has learned more in the past three months than he did the entire other year the difference between IngramSpark and CreateSpace and how Rich has been using each for print books use of Embedded Fonts and TrueType Fonts in a print/POD file the five year plan that Rich has set up to be doing writing and publishing full time and the importance of time and patience The second part of this podcast features a panel conversation between Kelly Baugh, Carrie Visintainer and Mark Leslie (aka KWL Director Mark Lefebvre, with his author hat on) Kelly Baugh, author of the new novel Miss You Once Again (Hot Chocolate Press) mentions: The inspiration for Kelly's book that came through her grandmother How Kelly had joined a write's group, spend a lot of time listening, and then attended the NCWC and started pitching the book idea How Hot Chocolate Press picked up the book unexpectedly after Kelly had given up on it The cookbook that this book inspired; particularly the manner by which Kelly's publisher kick-started the idea How Kelly could have written a whole cookbook on desserts alone as part of this project Carrie Visintainer, author of the upcoming book Wild Mama (Thought Catalog Books) discusses: How her writer's group helped Carrie decided to combine her travel essays into a book about traveling with children How, when the book was finished, instead of feeling excited, she felt like she wanted to puke due to the next steps involved How the business plan or book proposal was as important as the manuscript itself The manner by which her agent made the manuscript into a much better book How closing one door can often open several other doors Mark Leslie talks about: How embracing both traditional publishing and self-publishing has, essentially doubled his writing income Remembering that publishing is a business and that some books don't make economic sense for a publisher to produce; but that doesn't mean it won't make economic sense to self-publish How publishers and agents are constantly scanning the bestseller lists for self-published titles in the same way that they read from the slush pile At the end of the conversations, KWL Director Mark Lefebvre talks about how a fantastic book meant for traditional publishing can be applied in the new world of DIY publishing and spotlights Noah Lukeman's The First Five Pages. LINKS Northern Colorado Writers NCW Podcast - Episode #7 (Featuring Mark Lefebvre from Kobo) NCW Podcast - Episode #9 (Authors Panel) Wooden Pants Publishing Hot Chocolate Press Ingram Spark Old Firehouse Books (local Fort Collins bookstore)

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Director of Global Merchandising at Kobo, Nathan Maharaj interviews Dan Rubinstein, author of Born To Walk: The Transformative Power of A Pedestrian Act. Nathan and Dan discuss: · The fascinating manner by which we are pre-disposed to bipedalism · How, when he travels, Nathan prefers walking to get to his destination rather than figure out foreign transit systems · The physical, psychological and social implications of having pushed the walking activity out of our lives and how "sitting is the new smoking" · Treadmill desks and how the experiment with that didn't work so well for Dan. It was in the basement, thus dank and dark and without a window. Physically, it was okay, but Dan learned he was far more productive at his desk and would rather get the work done more efficiently to leave more room for walking. · How it's not just about walking, but also about the environment and the mind paying "effortless" attention to the surroundings, the serenity and the benefits · The recent research on the relationship between walking and creativity and how they both evolved at the same time · The manner by which we get together in groups and walk together; for protests, for celebrations and parades, for grieving, and more · How people perceive neighbourhoods and locations differently when driving through in a car rather than walking by the exact same scene · The phrase and sentiment of "walk more anywhere" · The masked character Peatónito – the defender and protector of pedestrians in Mexico · How the design of urban centers and our reliance on instant gratification seem to have channeled our focus onto the reliance of the car and less on walking Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre then speaks a bit about price points and global price-point strategy, outlining why it is important for authors to manually control all of the currencies they have edit access to rather than depending on the system to do the auto-conversion for them. He offers some advice based on the various differences in the dollar between US and other global currencies such as the Canadian and Australian dollars. Mark also speaks about the fact that there isn't a price cap of $9.99 to receive 70% via Kobo Writing Life. With no cap on the 70% royalty, authors can and should take advantage of creating more expensive digital box sets offering their customers a great value but earning the author a higher margin. LINKS: Born to Walk on Kobo Born to walk website ECW page for Born to Walk

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Alex P. Berg, author of the "Daggers and Steel" sci-fi mystery series. In the interview Mark and Alex talk about: Meeting at the Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs, CO. What Alex calls "The Superstars Effect" How, when Alex had finished his novel and started querying agents and publishers, he ended up getting nowhere fast. That was when his wife gave him a proverbial kick in the pants, telling him that if he was serious about this writing thing, he better figure out a way to get it done. The effect of seeing how hard the pro writers presenting at the Superstars Writing Seminars worked to achieve their success combined with their passion for it and how that inspire Alex to keep at it. Starting out as a fan of science fiction and fantasy, then watching Brandon Sanderson's online workshops, and following David Farland's online and daily email writing tips as a way to get started The commitment to finding and making the time to write while balancing a full time job and a family. How giving up other activities that weren't progressing Alex down the writing path he had wanted helped in this regard. The realization that anyone who says the cover doesn't matter is a whole lot of B.S. and how Alex found experts to assist with the professional touches in his books. Alex used South African based cover designer: Damonza, and for an editor, he relied on a personal recommendation from an author friend at Superstars Writing Seminars. The business plan approach that Alex took in which he worked at putting some money aside in order to afford some of the professional services for his books; with a highlight that he knew this would be a long term plan rather than just looking for some sort of short-term payback for his work. (IE, the income stream is going to last for a long time) If you're looking at trying to earn your $2000 back, for example, right away, you're likely to be disappointed. How, even though the success for his first few books came a lot sooner than he had planned or expected, his long term goals and plans haven't been altered or changed. The fact that it is absolutely true what they say about your second book. The importance of accurate and specific metadata in helping the right readers discover your books The music Alex listens to while he is writing, including something called "melodic death metal" which is not a lot like regular death metal. The band Alestorm and their brand of "True Scottish Pirate Metal" which Alex is listening to while working on a forthcoming project. One thing Alex wished he had learned a bit earlier and it was that there are great options out there for writers and that self-publishing can be a very viable option. After the interview, Mark discusses the concept of productivity that Alex spoke about and reads a short piece from Kevin J. Anderson's book Million Dollar Productivity and provides a coupon code allowing authors to get the book for $0.99 (rather than the $8.99 USD / $9.99 CDN price it is listed for). Use coupon code MILLION99 during checkout. (Please note that the coupon is only good until the end of May 2015)

Mark Lefebvre, Kobo Writing Life Director, in conversation with Dean Wesley Smith, a USA Today Bestselling author of books in multiple genres including Science-Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers and Westerns. Currently producing novels in four different series, Smith is also the co-publisher of WMG Publishing along with his partner Kristine Kathryn Rusch and runs a series of workshops designed to help writers become smarter not only about the craft but also about the business of publishing. During their conversation, Dean and Mark talk about: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} · The fact that Dean wasn't born into writing, actually loathed it when he was in college (He has a Masters in Architecture) · The various careers and roles that Smith played during his life, including his past as a Pro Golfer and hot dog skier · How his goal of being a Golf Course Architect led to writing via an English course that he had to take. · The English Professor who told Smith that his writing was too commercial · The writing class that forced Smith to submit a poem to a college poetry market (at which he won second place and $300) – at the time, he had to go see the professor to ask about it because he had no idea what it meant · After this experience, Smith tried his hand at fiction, wrote a 1000 word short story and mailed it off to a market right away. Then he wrote a second story and mailed that off right away. Both stories sold immediately. · How, after these first three successes, Smith started listening to people's advice (AKA myths) about writing, and re-wrote his stories to dead, and for the next 7 years never sold a single thing · It wasn't until 1982 that Smith ran across Robert Heinlein's Business Rules of Writing, followed the advice, started selling again and has never looked back (http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/heinleins-business-rules/) The RULES o 1 – You Must Write o 2 – You Must Finish What You Start o 3 – You Must Refrain From Rewriting Except to Editorial Order o 4 – You Must Put It on The Market o 5 – You Must Keep It on The Market Until Sold · Dean's books: Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing and Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing. · The magazine that Dean and Kristine Kathryn Rusch ran for 9 years, called Pulphouse. · The Starfleet Corps of Engineers Series that Dean kicked off in the Star Trek Universe – a series about the people who follow up after Captain Kirk, cleaning up his messes (which was originally meant to be an eBook back in 2000 and knocked John Grisham off the eBook bestseller list when it was released) · The challenge of writing within an existing restrictive universe, such as Star Trek, such as the reader having to hear Shatner's voice when writing the character Captain Kirk. · Smith's lesson for writers creating character voice by paying really close attention to the differences in voice you can easily see created for the Star Trek characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy · Regency Romance as one of the only genres that Smith really can't write in · How Westerns, (the old West) and Science-Fiction are two of Smith's go-two genres for writing. · The FICTION RIVER anthology series that Smith edits with Kristine Kathryn Rusch and how this river of fiction brings in new talent along with some major names from the genre. (For example, the latest FICTION RIVER property, Pulse Pounders, edited by Kevin J. Anderson, included a previously unpublished sci-fi story by Frank Herbert) · The Oregon Coast workshops where the FICTION RIVER anthologies are derived that include a board of 6 Editors critiquing the stories live on stage and how that helps inform writers that what one editor rejects another editor might have bought · How the workshops that Dean and Kris started originated as the "Denise Little" short story workshops; because of the similarity to the way that editor/agent Denise Little liked to teach these principles · A bit about Smith's Monthly Magazine, which has both a paper and an eBook edition · How Smith sees the approximate 80,000 words that he writes each month as still "not enough" · Smith's ongoing Blog in which he shares daily insights: Writing in Public · How the teaching that Smith does is part of his desire to try to give back or pay forward to the industry in the way that the industry and writers before Smith have given so much to him · One of the biggest myths from indie publishing,

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Kristine Kathryn Rusch, an award-winning writer of science fiction, fantasy, mystery and romance, at Superstars Writing Seminars. Apart from her decades of writing and editing experience which includes being published in 14 different countries in 13 languages, Rusch co-runs a publishing business (WMG Publishing) with her partner Dean Wesley Smith and provides authors invaluable insights about writing and publishing through her popular blog series: The Business Rusch. During the conversation, Mark and Kris talk about: · Her recent book, Discoverability and how it was derived from about 6 months' worth of blog posts outlining a bit about the history of publishing and how it relates to where we are today · A disclaimer that, unless you've already published about 10 books, you aren't likely to be able to use the advice from this book · The Business Rusch, the blog in which Rusch provides valuable insights that many smart writers ensure they read every week · Rusch has been a professional writer since she was sixteen years old and wrote an article for the local newspaper (insert appropriate and in-appropriate age jokes and laughing here) · How Rusch and author Kevin J. Anderson met while in college as like-minded writers with similar goals and how that social group expanded into relationships they've both had with writer friends ever since · How much Rusch gives back to the writing community and why she feels it's important to pay it forward to other writers the way that she was provided help, insights and support from writers who took the time to help her · The selfish reason why Rusch gives back – because she's an avid reader and wants more great books to read · The biggest pitfall that writers fall into – that they don't know enough about the business of writing · The reason why Rusch stopped editing full-time – how living in that critical space can affect your writing style and writing brain · The concept of "reader cookies" – a term that Rusch learned from editor Gardner Dozois – as well as "anti-cookies" and how that can affect an editor · Rusch's love of "secret identity" stories · The various different pseudonyms that Rusch has written under in various styles and genres, including Kristine Grayson, Kris Nelscott, and Kristine Dexter. · How Rusch puts up a free short story on her blog every Monday that people can check out with no strings attached. · Rusch's statement of advice to beginning writers Mark then talks a bit more about the books for writers that Rusch has written and shares a personal experience about how reading the book Deal Breakers helped him in a very significant way when he was negotating a contract for one of his most recent books, Tomes of Terror. LINKS Rusch's book: Discoverability Rusch's book: Deal Breakers: Contract Terms Writers Should Avoid The Business Rusch

Kobo Writing Life director Mark Lefebvre recently attended the 2015 Superstars Writing Seminars (Teaching you the business of being a writer) in Colorado Springs, CO. During the conference, he had a chance to interview several of the faculty and guest lecturers. Presented here is Mark's interview with Superstars Faculty member James A. Owen a comic book illustrator, publisher and writer who is best known for the comic book series Starchild and the The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica novels. Highlights from the discussion include: How Owen got to know Kevin J. Anderson and was first invited to be a guest instructor of Superstars Writing Seminars and that led to a permanent Faculty position The collaboration that Owen is working on with with Kevin The regular Standing Ovation that Owen's "Drawing out the Dragons" talk receives The speaking that Owen has done in Middle Grade schools, Art Schools and for Corporations Mark pauses to express the wonder he feels whenever Owen gives a talk, harking on how James is an example of one of the ultimate types of oral storyteller The mixture of storyteller and artist and how Owen self-identifies as a "Comic Guy" The manner by which the story beautifully derives from the words and pictures coming together How Owen puts the needs of others, of those he meets, those he works with, those who look to him for advice first Owen's perspective on how all of us are born into this world without prejudice, without hate, without anger; but how some can become conditioned to that. The shewing of things into a positive light is a choice James makes as a way to perceive a life in an attempt to return to the more natural state Owen's roll at Superstars in terms of a question he asks, which is "How can I serve you?" The philosophy of deciding to make things happen or allowing things to happen to you and the manner by which Owen embraces that at all turns Being in the depths of despair, and how Owen had posted publicly regarding where he had been and the demons he had been struggling with the previous year, his public posting of it and how, in the middle of it, he still had to do the "Drawing Out the Dragons" presentation on an empty gas tank Owen's belief in the attendees of the Superstars Writing Seminars and how he knew that they all had his back and would not let him down The difficulty most people have in not surfacing those personal struggles in believing that we won't be listened to and that we will be judged for our struggle. Which is why Owen is so open about that An intriguing depression-help line discussion that Owen was involved in when he'd been struggling with his own demons A moment when a story Owen shares is so emotional that interviewer Lefebvre is overcome with emotion and is rendered speechless Advice for writers: How no writer ever wrote a great book without first having finished it. Finish it and then it can be made better Owen's next projects: The Fool's Hollow novels (the novel versions of the stories told in Starchild) and The Hundred. Mark then discusses the importance of drawing attention to mental health issues such as depression, which can affect writers and other creative types, outlining the need to discuss these things openly in an understanding way, rather than trying to blame those who suffer from mental health issues. He mentions online resources that might help in Canada (Healthy Minds Canada), the US (Mental Health America) and the UK (Mental Health Foundation)

In the fall of 2014, Louise Penny visited Kobo's home office in Toronto and was interviewed by Toronto editor and book enthusiast Jen Knoch for a special Kobo in Conversation video. Introduced by Kobo's Director of Communications, Tracy Nesdoly, Knoch interviews Penny in front of a live audience about her writing, followed by a Q&A from the audience. In the discussion, Knoch and Penny discuss: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The difference between murder in a large city and murder in a the country in an idyllic small town setting like Three Pines How Louise had written the original Three Pines novel thinking of it as a stand-alone novel that she wanted to write mostly for herself How, when the book was originally written as an exploration of the world being dark (it was written post-9/11) and then modified to encompass a more warm and pleasant setting where the depth of friendship and the connections between people was more prominent – where the cast of characters would be people she would like to have as friends How the inspiration for the first Three Pines novels was inspired from a few specific lines from the poet WH Auden How it takes a whole lot more courage to be kind than it does to be cruel to others; and how the majority of characters of Three Pines are filled with so much compassion Good people who might have done bad things and bad people who are also capable of doing good things How Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is a balanced and complex character with flaws and strengths and yet is an incredible human being How Penny tries to hint at and provide information in order to let the reader imagine, creating a rich reading experience How Penny's first draft can be akin to a "huge pile of merde" – and the cutting and tweaking and polishing that happen in the next drafts and how she does 5 or 6 drafts before anyone else (ie, her editor) sees the manuscript Penny's belief that there isn't a single "right way" to approach writing – how different writers will find different approaches that work for them The dial-up connections in Three Pines are very much based on where Penny lives (where she only has a dial-up connection), and Penny's expression that it sounds, when you are connecting, that the internet is in pain. How the more high tech we become, the more we yearn for intimacy, and how that ties into the fictional setting of Three Pines quite wonderfully The interesting news Penny rec'd from her agent when, upon selling the first book to a publisher, she had also sold the second and third books How she was inspired to show the "critic" who had been writing the follow-up books the door and to let the Creative Spirit inside her write the first draft; and how important that was to free her up (and how that second book ended up winning the Agatha Award in 2013 The importance of giving yourself permission to make mistakes in that first draft How Penny writes "Fair Play" mysteries in which the reader realizes, at the end, that all the clues were there for them to solve it. How she knows, before she begins writing, who did it, how the person died as well as the overall theme of the book After the interview, Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre comments on a few of the things Penny mentioned and then talks about a new feature on Kobo Writing Life which allows authors the ability to enter the Volume Number for a Series into the system for their books. Lefebvre explains the critical importance that clean metadata plays in assisting readers with finding the right book and how Kobo intends on using this clean data to assist with the automatic curation of series books for customers who adore them.

Kobo and Kobo Writing Life have long been known for being open, social and collaborative. And this episode of the Kobo Writing Life podcast is no exception. In fact, to start 2015 off on the right foot, we thought it would be useful, in our ongoing communication with authors regarding the importance of making your work available on multiple platforms, and not just on Kindle, to help with that. This episode contains a collection of tips curated from the Author Marketing Podcast by Author Marketing Institute founder Jim Kukral covering tips and things you might not know about publishing a book to Kobo, Nook (Barnes & Noble), iBooks (Apple) and Google Play. Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre sets up the various clips from Jim's fantastic podcast. The tips that Jim shares are from the following original podcasts 7 Things You Didn't Know About Publishing A Book on Google Play 1) The Play Store is popular 2) You can post your book for free 3) It has Permafree benefits 4) There's less competition 5) It takes patience 6) Keywords matter 7) For some authors it's #1 or #2 Read the full blog post with details or listen to the Author Marketing Podcast 6 Things You Didn't Know About Publishing A Book on Apple iBooks 1) Apple is the #2 US eBook retailer 2) You need a MAC or a 3rd party to publish 3) More readers have iBooks access 4) Content is curated 5) You need to show your support 6) There are features you can't find on Amazon Read the full blog post with details or listen to the Author Marketing Podcast 6 Things You Didn't Know About Publishing A Book on Nook Press 1) Nook is on the decline 2) Indie authors dominate the bestseller list 3) You need to pay attention to format 4) Support has a bad reputation 5) Connections with merchandisers are key 6) It's still #2 for many authors Read the full blog post with details or listen to the Author Marketing Podcast 5 Important Things To KNow About Publishing A Digital Book on Kobo 1) It has an international focus 2) Kobo took over for SONY 3) You can schedule promos ahead of time 4) There's a page for Free Book Promos 5) Success requires networking Read the full blog post with details or listen to the Author Marketing Podcast There's also discussion about the Author Marketing Live events as well as other great resources from AMI, including: Author Marketing Academy Author Marketing Club

This podcast includes a roundtable discussion with Mark Lefebvre, Director of Kobo Writing Life as well as three other Kobo employees (Bessie, Camille and Shayna) who participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) 2014. The round table discussion includes the following: · Camille talks about the fact that during last year's attempt, she wrote about 25,000 words and that this year she wrote the entire 50,000 words. This year she took on a completely new project (rather than attempting the same one she attempted in 2013. Camille says she felt she got trapped in the wrong direction with last year's project, and that might have been what prevented her from completing the novel. This year, she prepared a synopsis in advance, and that is what she felt helped her. · This was Shayna's first attempt at NaNoWriMo – though she has written novels before – and she wasn't sure, going in, how she would do with the 30 day deadline involved. Though she completed the 50,000 word limit, she is still, in no way finished the book she is working on. (She estimates the book's length will be in the realm of 100,000 words) · Bessie, a self-confessed math nerd, admits this is the first time she has attempted writing of this nature. The whole experience was new to her and when it first started she was quite excited and wrote quite a bit, but then the "fun" aspect fell away, and so, too, did the writing. Her feeling was that the pressure of the deadline pushed her in the opposite direction – now that November and the NaNoWriMo deadline is out of the way, the writing has become fun for her again. · Mark got to 50,000 words at the "11th hour" cranking out close to 18,000 words in the final two days, so did complete the goal, but is still several thousand words away from the conclusion of his novel. · Shayna found that the deadline worked for her, despite her initial thoughts that it wouldn't be a good experience for her. · The group discussed the question about pre-planning and reveal who was a "pantser" and who was a "plotter" – who went just from notes and who created a chapter by chapter outline · How the roadmap of the chapter by chapter outline helped Camille, even though she didn't follow it precisely the entire time. · The fun that can happen when your characters make their own decisions and take you to places or situations that you hadn't originally intended or planned. · How Shayna doesn't always have her characters completely fleshed out in advance and how they discover their own voice as the story rolls out. · There is a discussion regarding whether or not they approached writing their novels in a linear fashion (ie, from the beginning of the novel to the end of the novel in the manner it would be read), or if they skipped around and wrote a number of scenes to be pieced into order for the final draft later. · Conventions of inserting notes into the manuscript in order to keep writing, such as Mark's use of inserting square brackets [with a note like this] inside the text for spots in which he might need to do research later on and fill in gaps, or Shayna's use of the letters TK as inserted into the text to denote spots that required filling in later (based on the principle that this is a very uncommon letter combination – thus, searching the document text later for 'TK' returns those spots you need to find and fill later. · The importance of avoiding the research rabbit-hole that can happen to a writer, but with an example of how one of those rabbit holes actually helped inspire Mark with an entire scene (based just on looking at a particular area of Toronto using Google Maps) · A discussion of what's next for these particular book projects now that NaNoWriMo is over. · Is it harder to write serious literary fiction as opposed to some of the other more "fun" genres · The answer to the question: What was one thing that you learned from NaNoWriMo that you're going to take forward in your writing? Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Mark then discusses the concept of "winning" or "losing" NaNoWriMo, with a thought that, ANYTHING you wrote during NaNoWriMo, regardless of your final word count, means that you are a winner. Drawing from his own personal experience of having "not won" NaNoWriMo in 2006, yet managed to take the project he had started more than half a dozen years ago and work it into a novel that will be coming out in 2015, means the

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} This podcast includes the full and unabridged audio feed of the Kobo in Conversation interview with Kathy Reichs conducted by Bob Ramsay and hosted by Kobo's Senior Director of Communications Tracy Nesdoly. The interview covers the following: The "Big Bang Break" that happens in an investigation – that one moment when realization explodes and the search hurdles forward on the right trajectory. The new YA writing she is doing in collaboration with her son How, even though she has sold millions of copies of her novels around the world, has a television series based on her popular recurring character Temperance Brennan, she is still on tour and treats every new book with the same enthusiasm as her first book Kathy's perspective on the book publishing business and the promotion and sale of books in the next five years, with respect to the fact that recent UK stats of Kathy's books show print sales up 30% and the electronic sales are up 68% The importance of a presence on social media and the fact that Kathy does all her own Twitter The difference between the book "Tempe" and the TV "Tempe" – and how on the TV show Teperance Brennan is a writer who writes a series about a fictional anthropologist named Kathy Reichs (a little tongue-in-cheek inside joke for her readers) The electronic-only "Viral" series of stories that feature the Tempe's great niece (Tory Brennan) and is about kids using science to solve cold cases. How Bones Never Lie is Kathy's second book about a female serial killer. Behind the scenes on the inspiration for Kathy's novel Monday Mourning, based on Kathy's real-life experience involving the eerie discovery of bones in a cellar. The terrible occupational hazard that comes with cases in which the victims are truly innocent. The forensic work that Kathy has done in places such as Iraq, the World Trade Centre and an interesting trip in which Kathy and a group of other authors took a Black Hawk helicopter to thank front-line troups in Afghanistan. What Kathy's next book is going to be about and how it is drawn from intrigue and mystery from the Carolina Mountains. How and when storytelling came into this scientist's life, including "The Mystery in the Old House" a hand-written "novel" Kathy had written when she was 9 years old. How a forensic examiner has to learn how to be objective and separate themselves from the personal in order to properly investigate and properly represent the victim. Thoughts about the "Holy Grail" of forensic mysteries. How Kathy writes "good old fashioned" murder mysteries, but where the key element in solving the mystery is science. KWL Director Mark Lefebvre talks a bit about the concept of "write what you know" based on Kathy's experience, the experience of author Melissa Yi and for writers who don't have first hand knowledge. The key, of course, is research. Mark references a great article by KWL's Shayna Krishnasamy called "I'd Rather Not Be Talking to You but I'm Writing This Book: How a Shy Writer Tackles Research" in which she outlines research options for writers and Mark also draws from his own personal experience doing research for non-fiction (Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries) as well as fiction. LINKS: Kathy Reichs website Bob Ramsay website Kathy's books at Kobo

Listen in as KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews nonfiction author Michael Rank, whose titles include HISTORY'S WORST DICTATORS and FROM MUHAMMED TO BURJ KHALIFA: A Crash Course in 2,000 Years of Middle East History. Mark and Michael discuss Michael's podcast, History in Five Minutes, self-publishing from a nonfiction author's perspective, and the challenges and rewards of translating self-published titles. Michael shares his thoughts about: His History in Five Minutes podcast, where Michael works to share stories about things that challenge our assumptions about the past, and the people who "shouldn't be there" in a moment of history, according to our idea of that era of history. Utilizing the podcast to develop a readership, connect with fans, and promote his books. "Think global, act local." There are many opportunities for independent authors to go broad and deep: broad, by reaching a global audience through online sales and translations; and deep, by cultivating relationships with niche and local readers. Michael recommends trying Babelcube for their translation services. Through Babelcube, translators earn a share of royalties, so they are invested in your success. Michael has worked with translators to get help with foreign marketing, for example, through translating reviews, Facebook posts, or tweets. It is important to educate yourself about writing and self-publishing, but mistakes and failures are inevitable as you work through the process of publishing. Accept and learn from these failures, and find the opportunities that work best for you. The podcast worked well for Michael, but he tried many other things along the way that did not. Similarly, find a writing schedule that works for your life and goals. As a PhD candidate, Michael knows that he can realistically only write for one to two hours per day. Following the podcast interview, KWL US Manager Christine Munroe shares an exciting update: for the second year in a row, KWL is sponsoring NaNoWriMo! Starting November 1, hundreds of thousands of writers will endeavour to write 50,000 words within one month. Several KWL and Kobo staff members are participating this year, carrying on our KoBoWriMo tradition. We'll keep the KWL blog updated with the trials and tribulations of our fearless WriMos, the great prizes we are offering this year, and more. Stay tuned!

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks met in person for the first time at Kobo's home office in Toronto in May 2014 and were interviewed by Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre about their individual works as well as the forthcoming collaborative graphic novel they are creating together and which will be coming from First Second books in 2016. The interview includes the following: · How these two "Twitter bro's" just met a few minutes before the interview (at Kobo's home office in Toronto in May 2014) · How Landline was a return to writing adult novels for Rainbow · The manner by which some of the travel, airport scenes and long distance phone calls to a family while traveling were somewhat predictive in Rainbow's journey as a touring author (and what she called "having a 'Landline' moment." · The speculative fiction element of Landline and Rainbow's love of reading science-fiction and the "geeky time travel" elements of the novel which features a "magic phone." · How Rainbow wrote the novel Fangirl during NaNoWriMo and how both that novel and Landline were the fastest books that Rainbow wrote · Faith Erin Hicks sharing the fact that she is a giant library nerd · The ARC of Fangirl that Faith rec'd from a colleague who knew that she would like it (and that it was the first book of Rainbow's that Faith had read) · The cross-over in writing between the two women and Faith Erin Hicks' The Adventures of Superhero Girl comic · Faith's use of Canada in this 2014 Will Eisner Award winning comic – (professing to a lack of supervillains in Canada) · The "geekiness" factor in The Adventures of Superhero Girl and the fact that Faith wrote it with a reader like her in mind (to fill a gap that she saw in the industry) · The cameo appearance of Faith's local neighbourhood comic book store (Strange Adventures) · Faith's Mom recognizing Faith as Superhero Girl and her real life "golden brother" · Faith's hilarious copyright notice for her work posted online and her belief that she wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for making her work available online for free · The way that Rainbow and Faith first connected via Twitter · The Twitter connection to First Second Books and how Rainbow and Faith's collaborative book project came together (in a very "When Harry Met Sally" way) · How collaboration between two creators can be like a weird marriage · The "Sherlock" tangent that Rainbow and Faith can often follow · The importance of giving yourself permission to do something new and, importantly, the permission to try something and fail · The fact that there will definitely be kissing in their collaborative book (because Rainbow likes to write "kissing" and Faith wants to draw "kissing") · The great fan art that exists for Rainbow's previous novels from artists such as Simini Blocker · The mutual admiration the two have for The X-Men (particularly the "blue" characters for Rainbow) · Faith's adoration of the character of Marrow from The X-Men (the least popular character of all time, according to polls) · The addictive nature and magic that happens when collaborations work really well · How someone at Groundwood Books tweeted (well before this project was conceived) that Rainbow and Faith we work well together · How KWL will continue to follow the progress of their collaboration (due to come out in 2016) Mark then talks about what can happen when writers are open, social and collaborative in nature, reflecting on how Rainbow and Faith were mutual fans of one another, had connected in an online community. Mark shares his own experiences from a recent conference in which he connected with other writers, editors, publishers, librarians and booksellers, and explains the beautiful serendipity that can happen when writers take advantage of the connections and opportunities that can arise from engaging with the community. LINKS Rainbow's Website Rainbow on Twitter Rainbow on Tumbler Rainbow's Books at Kobo Faith's Website Faith on Twitter Faith on Tumblr Faith's Books at Kobo

In the latest episode of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, we welcome NYT and USA Today bestselling author Diane Capri. KWL Content Manager Christina Potter and US Manager Christine Munroe speak with Diane - who offered jokingly to change her name to Christine for the purposes of this episode - about her daily writing life, the benefits of collaboration and mentorship, strategies for selling well on Kobo, and more. Tune in to hear about: The value of being part of writing organizations. Diane has been a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and others, for many years. Diane talks about how she joined many groups when she began writing and how these groups of allowed her to receive feedback on writing and upcoming projects. They are also a great place to connect with new writers and share information. How to find a writing schedule that works for you. Diane's advice? Try everything- it is the best way to refine your process. The importance of working closely with retailers and taking advantage of different programs that they offer. She specifically discusses Kobo's First Free in Series page as a strategy to find new readers. She also highlights that making her titles available through all retailers has been key to her success, and that exclusive programs have not worked for her. By their nature they exclude potential readers who find eBooks through other platforms. Diane talks about collaboration and her author collective, The Twelve. This group worked together and released the incredibly successful DEADLY DOZEN boxed set. She discusses the process of putting the boxed set together, highlighting pricing strategy and PR efforts to ensure the book was accessible to as many readers as possible. The ultimate goal of the group: do things that haven't been done before. Read Joanna Penn's blog post about DEADLY DOZEN's success here! There has never been a better time to be a reader and writer. One of things Diane enjoys the most is that readers who may not have been able to find her books in print can easily purchase them around the world as an eBook. Diane's relationship with her fans. Connecting with them is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of being an author. A sneak peek of what Diane is working on next.

In our latest podcast, KWL US Manager Christine Munroe interviews bestselling author and self-publishing expert Pamela Fagan Hutchins. Pamela has written the book on self-publishing, WHAT KIND OF LOSER INDIE PUBLISHES, AND HOW CAN I BE ONE, TOO? In the summer of 2013, she embarked on a 60-cities-in-60-days book tour, which she organized herself (with the help of her supportive family), so she has plenty of insights and advice for working successfully with bookstores. Listen in to Episode 020 as Pamela shares her thoughts on: Her mission to serve as an exemplary self-published author, in particular when working with bookstores, so they will open the door to fellow writers. Stories from the road during her 60-cities-in-60-days book tour, including the day when a book club showed up to her Boston reading… despite tornado warnings! Keeping it in the family - her husband, the five children between them, and her mom all joined her on the road to help support her work. Looking at self-promotion with a long-term perspective. "I'm hoping for a 10-year return," she says. Pamela recommends focusing on how to build your email list of people who welcome hearing what is next. Also, don't abuse that list - send a maximum of 2-3 updates per year. Promotion is 1/3 of the game in terms of your success. The other elements? Writing, of course, and giving back to the author community. Pamela's free strategy: giving away books is an amazing way to get those crucial reviews. Pricing the first book in your series for free is a great way to get started. Read her blog post on this topic here. What she wishes she would have known when she started, including thoughts on exclusive programs, and why moving books in and out of various platforms hurt her more than the benefits of exclusive helped her. Pseudonyms. Pamela believes, "I don't want to make it hard for someone who discovers me, to discover other things about my writing that they might like." However, that might not apply for writers who work in vastly different and contradictory genres, like erotica vs children's picture books. Hints about what's to come in Pamela's forthcoming novels.

At a recent visit to Kobo's home office in Toronto, Hugh Howey was interviewed by KWL Director Mark Lefebvre in front of an audience of about 150 people (60 of which were local Kobo Writing Life authors) for a Kobo in Conversation video. Here are some highlights from the discussion. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Introduction of Hugh Howey and Mark Lefebvre by Tracy Nesdoly, Senior Director of Communications at Kobo Hugh talks about how interesting it is that history re-writes itself to fit the model of what people think happened – his first book was actually signed to a small press before he made the decision to try the self-publishing route Hugh also reflects on how, in 2009, he was only concentrating on print books and traditional contracts for the first book, but then noticed his eBook sales were overtaking his print book sales How Hugh was pressured by friends and family to get his book out to publishers so they could see it in bookstores How Hugh's Mom had been a great critic, early reader and editor for his work (and Hugh's joke about how his wife and his mother have spent years telling him about all the mistakes that he makes, which ensures they are perfectly suited for this type of role in his writing) The twenty years it took Hugh to complete the first novel (and how it wasn't the same novel) Hugh's first manuscript, started at age 12, which was, essentially an homage to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy How Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, the first novel he completed, was written in a week How Hugh acquired "sequelitis" after finishing that first novel, and how, when you keep writing sequels you're left always promoting your first book How Hugh met his wife when he was living the boating life (and how she pulled him ashore and inland) The constant daydreaming and stories kept in his head while he worked at various other jobs How he used to get in trouble in grammar school for that "writing daydreaming" Where the darkness that surrounds the novel WOOL comes from (particularly from a writer whose persona is friendly, outgoing and positive) How Hugh felt sick to his stomach when he was out at a fancy restaurant to celebrate signing the contract for his first book because it was something he had worked so hard on and he was now signing it away (despite the fact it was a positive experience because someone was paying him for something he had written – ie, it was "the dream") Even though he still has a physical reaction thinking about that moment, it wasn't a reflection on the publisher – he still loves them and has a great relationship with them, but he quickly saw how he had too much energy for them and was driving them crazy with all of the things he wanted to do Hugh reminds people that, despite it looked like he knew what he was doing all along, he was terrified, clueless and making it up as he went along A look at www.authorearnings.com and Hugh's motivation for always putting the reader and the writer first How, bookstores come third on Hugh's list of priorities – writers first (because without them you couldn't have readers), then readers second Hugh asks the question of why we're not focusing on the right things, like how to make people love books more – such as these things shaped like books that we give to students in classrooms and inadvertently team them to hate. (If it's shaped like a book, it better be fun) How writers are always looking for excuses not to write, and how Hugh has to channel his fear of what might happen if he stops writing into looking towards working on projects that his readers and editors want Hugh's favourite novel I, Zombie, his most non-commercial work which represents his attempt to write about 911, and his favourite writing, which is the book Peace in Amber (a book he still gets emotional about when he speaks of it) The manner by which Hugh took the opposite tack of anything that might seem logical, such as not telling people he was a writer and had a book available Hugh's discomfort at promoting his own work and how he would rather just work on writing the next book Social media as being a great place to connect with your existing fans rather than trying to use it to find new ones The important role that agents have played in Hugh's career, particularly since initially, it wasn't something that he thought he needed. Hugh shares his respect for his agent Kristen Nelson Literary Agen

KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Moses Znaimer, co-founder and former head of CityTV, the first independent television station in Toronto, Canada, the current head of ZoomerMedia (Zoomer Magazine) and the author of The Zoomer Philosophy. Mark and Moses discuss: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} How Moses rarely stops to look back because he is always on to looking at the next thing that he is working on The Zoomer Philosophy (his book) and the definition of what a Zoomer is How the Zoomer Philosophy fits in with the idea of living longer and better lives How the words old, senior, elder and mature provide discomfort and make people squirm Znaimer's examination, through his essays at how Boomers, who sang songs like The Who's "My Generation" with lyrics like "I hope I die before I get old" have suddenly found themselves at the age they originally mistrusted How the first group of people who coined the phrase "don't trust anybody over 30" are now 60 years old How The Zoomer Philosophy was inspired by Hugh Hefner's The Playboy Philosophy The serialization of The Zoomer Philosophy in the print magazine and in eBook format and how Moses is likely to continue writing the serialized essays until he dies Demolishing that old "women of a certain age" stereotype The appeal that long-standing celebrities who are "of a certain age" in their mastery of the professions they hold and the confidence they exude The concept that what was important about the Boomers is NOT that they were young but that they were the largest generation ever made The stat that 1000 Canadians turn 65 every day and will continue to do so for the next 20 years (that number is 10 times as large in the US) The way that the print articles from the magazine endure and how digital helps bring them back into focus for some readers (by collecting them together in a single, easy to consume delivery system) The challenge of trying to find a type of media that Moses hasn't already been involved in How Moses draws inspiration daily from the environment around him Advice to writers on how it's not the mechanics of the medium that makes the difference How you don't learn broadcasting from going to broadcasting school, and the importance of living a life the best you can so that you end up with the type of life that gives you something to say The importance of accumulating a wide variety of life experience (reading or traveling – preferably both) Mark then compares The Zoomer Philosophy to the fact that eBooks are also in their mid-forties and reflects on how we are still at the cusp of the eBook revolution. He applies these thoughts to the concept of writing and publishing being a long-term game.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Camille Mofidi, European Manager for Kobo Writing Life interviews Italian author Vieri Tommasi Candidi about his Who's Jo Spatacchia? Series and the unique method by which he had released this in two languages with a regular and enhanced version for different audiences. During the conversation, Camille and Vieri discuss: Developing projects along with talented artists The concept of Who Joe Spatacchia is and the inspiration and thoughts behind the creation of this character How Vieri has mixed the story with drawings and music in this interactive eBook as well as how he chose the music and the drawings to accompany the story How music and images could give a choreography and elevated atmosphere to the story allowing people to enjoy it on many levels The 7 episodes as well as the scheduled release plans of either 1 episode per month or even, perhaps 2 per month The fact that there are two versions per episode – one with music and the other without music (for those devices and eReaders that don't have a way to play audio) The price point of those separate versions are 99 EUR for the version without music and 1.49 EUR for the version with music Vieri's smart move of releasing the eBook in both Italian and English and the international stradegy The challenge of getting people to find your work as being something that supersedes the difficulty of actually writing and publishing your book A perspective of publishing in Italy being on the pioneering edge The managing of the rights for all of the markets this series of books are available in within both languages How Vieri has managed the promotion for this series in both Italian and English A wonderful compliment that Vieri received regarding his activities that have been moving the face of digital publishing forward KWL Director Mark Lefebvre then talks about the recently launched Opening Up To Indie Authors campaign and the book launch which took place at the Kobo Booth at London Book Fair 2014. Links Vieri's Website: http://www.jospatacchia.it/ The Who's Jo Spatacchia? Series on Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/Search?Query=Vieri+Tommasi+Candidi&fcmedia=Book Opening Up To Indie Authors (Kobo Writing Life) http://kobowritinglife.com/2014/04/03/opening-up-to-indie-authors/ Kobo Listing for Opening up To Indie Authors eBook http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/opening-up-to-indie-authors The Open Up to Indie Authors Campaign http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/open-up-to-indie-authors/ The Launch – From ALLi's website http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/alli-book-launch-opening-up-to-indie-authors/ The Speech Orna Ross gave at the launch at the Kobo Booth at LBF 2014 http://www.ornaross.com/2014/04/opening-up-to-indie-authors-book-launch/

KWL Director Mark Lefebvre and US Manager Christine Munroe were joined by NYT bestselling author, professional speaker, and entrepreneur Joanna Penn. Joanna is an invaluable resource for indie authors through her blog, The Creative Penn, and podcast of the same name. Listen in as Joanna shares insights about: How Joanna began her journey as a fiction writer through NaNoWriMo in 2009. Why she defines herself and fellow indie authors as entrepreneurs: "I define an entrepreneur as someone who creates something of value from their own head… these days, if you're writing fiction and you're self-publishing, and you are being a businessperson, then you are being an entrepreneur." Other methods of earning income as an author: audio, print, and translation – and specifically how Joanna produced PENTECOST as an audiobook through ACX. How publishing her eBooks in English through kobo.com helped her reach readers in 30 countries and counting. Joanna's collaborative "give first" approach: if you give first, others will come back and give to you (which she calls "social karma"). Similarly, if you read others' books and review them, they will come back and review your books ("reading karma"). Why Pentecost is now permanently free – it is an easy way to draw readers into a funnel. This works best when you have many other books available. Joanna has seen an increase in sales of her other titles and sign-ups to her email list by using this strategy. The breakdown of Joanna's eBook price strategy for her latest novel, DESECRATION: week one following the release, $2.99. One week later, increased to $4.99. In general, at the moment she prices eBooks at $2.99 for novellas, $4.99 for novels, $0.99 for short stories, and $5.99 for nonfiction. How writing A THOUSAND FIENDISH ANGELS for Kobo (inspired by Dan Brown's INFERNO) enabled her write darker material and stop self-censoring, which helped her push her boundaries while writing DESECRATION. The distinction between her two brands, J.F. Penn for fiction and Joanna Penn for nonfiction – including her amazing title that every author should read, HOW TO MARKET A BOOK. She only recommends establishing two author brands if it's necessary, which is true in her case so that she can target to these two distinct audiences. Why she's a self-described "taphophile" - aka a "cemetery enthusiast." How reading five books a week, and traveling to the places where her books are set, inspire Joanna's writing. The best thing Joanna has learned as a writer: "It's all about the Compound Effect. Little things repeated every day over time are what makes the difference." Joanna recently became a NYT and USA Today bestselling author with the boxed set DEADLY DOZEN, which features her novella ONE DAY IN BUDAPEST. Learn more about this amazing example of author collaboration on Joanna's blog post about this experience

Christine Munroe interviews Brooklyn-based author Nathaniel Kressen, who took a truly unique approach to self-publishing his debut novel Concrete Fever and won over local independent booksellers along the way. Tune in to hear about: Why Kressen decided to hand-craft hard copies of his novel, and the misadventures he encountered as he mastered the bookbinding process What he learned by meeting Jenn Northington from WORD Bookstore, which helped him to become a favorite amongst local indie bookstores The essential components of a one-sheet to give bookstores along with hard copies of your book: your contact information, ISBN, retail price, suggested discount (60%), number of copies in the box, number of copies in store that have not yet been sold, payment information, whether you are a local and available for events, image of the cover. Not helpful: a press packet trying to convince stores how great the novel is Advice for getting your self-published book into bookstores: create a great product, and be respectful and professional of booksellers' time and needs The scalability problem of binding your own book (and hand-painting each cover, in the case of Concrete Fever) when you also have a 9-to–5 job. Kressen eventually decided to outsource the printing to The Sheridan Press Why eBooks haven't yet played a major role in Kressen's self-publishing journey — he has been focusing on making the book a "physical art object," then hand-selling it to independent bookstores His writing group, the Greenpoint Writers Group How you can support your local bookstore by buying eBooks, through Kobo, and how Kressen is building upon his relationship with bookstores through this partnership Kressen was featured on a recent KWL-sponsored ABA bookstore event – a panel discussion for self-published authors at Housing Works Bookstore Café – to which he added wonderful input from the indie author perspective. Additional links: http://www.nathanielkressen.com http://secondskinbooks.com http://electricliterature.com/blog/2013/10/28/why-self-publishing-was-the-best-thing-i-could-have-done-for-my-novel/ http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/concrete-fever-1

Mark Lefebvre, KWL Director, interviews Melissa Yuan-Innes, author of the hot-selling Hope Sze Medical Mystery series about... Melissa's role as an emergency physician and the role this plays in helping develop her fiction and the character of Hope Sze Melissa's latest book, TERMINALLY ILL which is coming out February 1, 2014 (and is available for pre-order) How the beloved yet frustrating city of Montreal is a prominent feature in her fiction How Melissa manages to find time to write on top of her demanding day job (10 to 14 hour shifts) and her family life. Melissa's "secret weapon" otherwise known as her husband The many pseudonyms Melissa uses for the different style of fiction that she writes (sci-fi/fantasy and non-fiction medical humour fiction) under Melissa Yuan-Innes, medical thrillers and mysteries written under Melissa Yi, medical romance written under Melissa Yin, children's books under Melissa Yuan and the reasons behind that (and how it has changed since Melissa first started) The unpredictability and wonderful escape factor as something that drew Melissa to science fiction Melissa won second place in the Writers of the Future when she was in medical school The importance and value of professional workshops, including the long term friendships that were forged at Writers of the Future, and the reason why Melissa has returned to Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch's professional workshops for over a decade Some early mistakes that Melissa made when she first started writing and sending submissions to editors (and great tips she learned from Kristine at the pro workshops) Some of the similarities and differences in the electronic age of writing and submitting and writing and publishing Melissa's amazing experience winning Kobo Writing Life's Win your Cover contest (featuring the talented and dedicated cover designer Scarlett Rugers Melissa's traditionally published short story "Burning Beauty" which appears in the anthology Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound, and how writing short fiction can be a refreshing change from writing novel length works, and still be a way of getting a lot of your material in front of a diverse and broad reading audience The CBC commissioned story written under Melissa Yi - No Air Melissa's yoga mystery story being published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and how Dean Wesley Smith calls being published in a market like that being one of the best advertising tools for a writer Melissa's dark humour December 2013 release: The Italian School for Assassins and the role that humour and dark humour plays in her life and in her writing. Melissa's advice to writers regarding persistence and humour Mark Lefebvre then talks about the difference between trying to find time to write and making time to write, outlining a few strategies that authors who work day jobs sometimes employ when carving out time in their busy schedules to make time for writing.

Camille Mofidi, European Manager for Kobo Writing Life interviewed three authors that Kobo sponsored for the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair Author Walk of Fame: Emily Bold, Kristie Cook and Hugh Howey. This is the third in the series of three interviews and features international bestselling author Hugh Howey. In the interview, Camille and Hugh discuss: Hugh's start into writing, the multi-faceted journey his life took, including being a ship's captain How Hugh was working as a bookseller when he started on the path of writing a book, publishing it, and then moving on to the next project writing the next book Hugh's perspective on the importance of joining a writing group; in particular the group he joined (the High Country Writers) The critical role that revisions of that first draft play for a writer, whether you are self-publishing or want to send it to an agent or publisher The role being a bookseller played in helping to inform Hugh about the realities of the publishing industry Hugh's belief that we should celebrate the fact that there are so many people out there able and willing to express themselves through literature like they do all other art forms How Europe, often seen to be lagging behind the North American trends is, in Hugh's opinion, actually progressing quite a bit more quickly than the U.S. in terms of accepting self-publishing The meetups that Hugh participates in when he is traveling, as a way to connect directly with readers How Hugh uses social media to make himself available and to interact with his readers and friends How Kobo Writing Life has been a major avenue to international readers for Hugh's eBooks How Hugh sees the KWL interface as the cleanest and most user-friendly platform, presenting data in an interesting format, and how he tells the other platforms they should be copying what Kobo is doing Hugh's 7 week tour through Europe promoting the book, and his embrace of a hybrid approach (Hugh sold the print only rights to WOOL to Simon & Schuster) The incredible innovation that several of Hugh's publishers have demonstrated in promoting WOOL Mark Lefebvre, Director of Kobo Writing Life, discusses a point that Hugh makes in the interview regarding patience and the strategy of continuing to work on your next book (rather than focusing all your time and attention worrying about your already published title or titles) -- he also references a recent blog post by Dean Wesley Smith entitled "The New World of Publishing: Some Perspectives of 2013" in which Smith notes the importance of building a career over decades rather than giving up after a few books and very little sales (or, as the case used to be with publishing, quitting after 50 rejections) Other Links: Hugh's website Hugh's books at Kobo The WOOL trilogy (WOOL, SHIFT & DUST)

Camille Mofidi, European Manager for Kobo Writing Life interviewed three authors that Kobo sponsored for the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair Author Walk of Fame: Emily Bold, Kristie Cook and Hugh Howey. This is the second of the series of three interviews and features bestselling New Adult paranormal romance author Kristie Cook. Camille and Kristie discuss: Kristie's bestselling series Soul Saver An exploration of Kristie's path to writing which began at the age of 8 years when she embraced a school writing assignment Kristie's experience in business and marketing writing and how that background helped provide her with a solid understanding of good marketing strategies for her books The importance of taking a business perspective and a professional midset Kristie's POV regarding flying across the ocean from the US to Germany and the UK for attend both Frankfurt Book Fair and London Book Fair in 2013 How meeting with Kobo representatives in person at the London Book Fair was the highlight of Kristi's visit to LBF back in April 2013 The importance of making contacts and the long term view of a writing a publishing career Kristie's thoughts on being a KWL Star on the Frankfurt Author Walk of Fame The inspiration for Kristie's novel The Space Between (which is in her The Book of Phoenix series) How self publishing authors help and support each other out and don't see one another as competitors, but rather as colleagues KWL Director Mark Lefebvre discusses one of the recently introduced Kobo Writing Life Dashboard tools, the Price Scheduling tool (for scheduling temporary/promotional or permanent price changes), why the KWL team developed this for KWL authors and publishers, and how price scheduling and being able to make your book free at other times without exclusivity requests are a hallmark of the Kobo and Kobo Writing Life spirit. Other Links/Resources: Kristie Cook's website and blog Kristie's books on Kobo The Soul Savers Box Set (a great value bundle of 3 novels plus a novella) Kristie's KWL Blog Guest post on why authors should consider attending conferences and conventions

Camille Mofidi, European Manager for Kobo Writing Life interviewed three authors that Kobo sponsored for the 2013 Frankfurt Book Fair Author Walk of Fame: Emily Bold, Kristie Cook and Hugh Howey. This is the first of the series of three interviews and features bestselling romance author Emily Bold. Camille and Emily discuss Emily's continued growth and rise not just in Germany but around the globe, something which saw a significant increase when she embraced the opportunities available to independent publishers and authors through eBook publishing. They also discuss working with agents regarding the sale of foreign rights as well as strategies for translating work into English and other languages as a way of broadening Emily's reach in the global market. This episode also includes the audio of a presentation that Kobo's Chief Content Officer Michael Tamblyn gave at Futurebook Conference November 2013 regarding this past October's "Eroticagate"

Christine Munroe, US Manager for Kobo Writing Life, interviews Darcie Chan, author of the NYT and USA Today bestselling novel, The Mill River Recluse. Christine and Darcie discuss: Darcie's dedication to this novel, which she finished writing almost 10 years ago, and her unique experience from experimenting with self-publishing to signing a deal with a traditional publisher The exciting moments when in 2011 MILL RIVER RECLUSE sold 100 copies – and when it hit the NYT Bestseller List a few months later Why it's important for authors to read across different genres – and whether Darcie would ever write outside of what she describes as her "mainstream fiction comfort zone" What Darcie would do differently given the benefit of hindsight: hint, it involves making your book as professional as possible Collaboration with other writers – Darcie describes the group Backspace as "the most invaluable source of information" she found on her journey as an author Darcie's daily writing life, including a description of her above-garage "Writer's Nook" where she does all of her work The real-life inspiration behind Mary, the protagonist of The Mill River Recluse, who left a legacy of generosity in Darcie's hometown, Paoli, Indiana Hints about the long-awaited follow-up to Mill River Recluse, which Ballantine will publish in 2014 Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self Publishing & Author Relations, talks about the "KoboWriMo" team at Kobo participating in NaNoWriMo and offers up a couple of helpful tips. The following links on the Kobo Writing Life Blog are useful and NaNoWriMo related. Kevin J. Anderson's "Tips from a Pro" – How to Boost Writing Productivity Episode 006 of the KWL Podcast includes an interview with Chele Cooke and outlines how she used NaNoWriMo for her new novel. Heidi Loney's "How to Write the Great American Novel. Well, not really…" article OTHER LINKS/REFERENCES: Darcie's website Follow @DarcieChan on Twitter Buy The Mill River Recluse on Kobo.com Stay tuned for Darcie's next book, forthcoming in 2014!

Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Terry Fallis, multi-award winning author of The Best Laid Plans, The High Road and Up and Down. Mark and Terry talk about: • How they met when Mark was a bookseller at McMaster University's bookstore, and Terry, a former McMaster student self-published The Best Laid Plans in 2007. • Mark's comparison of Terry's writing to John Irving • How Terry applied his knowledge of politics and engineering to create the characters of Daniel and Angus (the main characters from The Best Laid Plans and The High Road) • Terry's original nativity when venturing into the realm of self-publishing back in 2006/2007 • How Terry used podcasting to gain a worldwide audience for The Best Laid Plans and was the first Canadian to follow in the footsteps of such podcasting pioneers as Scott Sigler • Mark's original reluctance as a bricks and mortar bookseller to carry The Best Laid Plans or even read this satirical novel of Canadian politics, but how, after a single page, Terry's prose won him over • How, feeling "up" from the McMaster Bookstore launch event led to Fallis deciding to submit The Best Laid Plans to the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour (which Terry won and which led to his book deal with McClelland and Stewart) • How Terry is thrilled to have Beverly Slopen as his agent and Douglas Gibson as his editor & publisher • Winning November 2010's CBC Canada Reads for the Essential Canadian Novel of the Decade • The importance of local community bookstores and the great relationships that Terry has forged with so many amazing Canadian bookstores (Canadian Booksellers Association honoured Terry with the CBC Libris Author of the Year Award in 2013 • CBC's creation of The Best Laid Plans miniseries (and having lunch with the fictional Angus McClintock in Ottawa during filming) - (which will begin airing January 2014) • Terry's use of humour and heartfelt moments in The Best Laid Plans and The High Road • Terry's membership in the "Write What You Know" club – and how he takes advantage of that by writing about things he already knows a lot about (public relations, politics, etc) rather than spending more time doing research • How Terry's latest novel Up & Down seemed to almost predict the incredible manner by which Commander Chris Hadfield captured the hearts and minds of people who again became interested in the space program. • A bit of insight into Terry's forthcoming (spring 2014) novel No Relation – about a writer with the unfortunate name of Ernest Hemmingway (although spelled differently) who is trying to leave the family business to pursue a writing career • How Terry manages to write novels while working full-time • The importance of writing detailed outlines (each outline approximately 65 page long) and how, when you know that much about the story the efficiency of getting the manuscript completed in about 4 months • How, despite the detailed outlining, how at least half of the comedic moments and humour comes to Terry during the actual writing process • Terry's creative/musical family and the dinnertime family tradition which included the goal of trying to tell a story that would make his stone-faced father laugh • The importance of being true to one's own writing and one's own personality • How there are likely some fine manuscripts sitting in publisher slush piles right now and the opportunities authors have to creating bold new opportunities For this episode's side-bar note, Mark reflects back on Terry's journey into publishing and how he and authors like Scott Sigler used podcasting as a way to help find an audience for his novel. Mark mentions the website Podiobooks.com and using programs such as GarageBand (MAC) or Audacity for creating the audio files. OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES - Terry's books at Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search?Query=terry+fallis - Terry Fallis website - http://terryfallis.com/ - Terry's page for Up and Down - http://terryfallis.com/up-and-down/ - Terry's podcast page for The Best Laid Plans - http://terryfallis.com/the-best-laid-plans/tblp-podcast/ - Terry's Video "An Unorthodox Journey to the published land" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_zmv0MICU - Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php) - Podiobooks (http://podiobooks.com/)

Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Johnny B. Truant author of the Fat Vampire series, and co-author of The Beam and Unicorn Western. The two discuss: How Johnny is continuing and concluding the Fat Vampire saga, which began as a joke during a discussion on the Self-Publishing Podcast, but became a series featuring a loveable, sympathetic and genuine hero (Reginald) rather than just a simple series of fat jokes. Johnny's evolution as a writer – specifically, how Johnny's first novel, The Bialy Pimps, described as "Clerks" in a bagel shop, took him twelve years to publish it; compared to the incredible weekly word count he is currently producing (ie, 270,000 words for the Fat Vampire series in a single year) Giving oneself permission to simply write fast Johnny's first collaborative novel project (along with Sean Platt) entitled Unicorn Western, and the hilarious origin story of how the series stemmed from a research argument on the Self-Publishing Podcast that led Dave to crack a joke about unicorns appearing in a western. The Beam, an intellectual science-fiction series that Johnny is co-writing with Sean Platt How outlining, or creating "beats" for a story helped Johnny to write fast Johnny's continuing experiments with his writing, including the layout and placement of the tools, such as keyboard, monitor, etc Eminem as Johnny's "go-to" musical artist to listen to while he is writing Johnny's evolving philosophy on pricing strategies and funnels for writers, including making the first book in various series free The call to action including choice of links to the other books and bundles in a book published as part of a series. How the product image for The Beam books one through six is a three dimensional image conveys something one might normally only see when holding or looking at a physical boo How there is no instant fix or easy solution, but that being successful requires thinking long term, being patient and involves a lot of hard work The satisfaction of helping other writers that Johnny receives from producing the Self-Publishing Podcast For this episode's side-bar note, Mark speaks about social media strategies, including how it's not about "broadcasting" a message (such as "please buy my book") but, rather, engaging with and participating and adding to a community (with a reference to Episode 004 with Mitch Joel) OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES Johnny's books on Kobo The Self Publishing Podcast Episode 003 of KWL Podcast (with Johnny's podcast pals Sean Platt and David Wright)

Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Jacqueline Garlick, author of Lumière: A Fantasy Steampunk Romance Adventure (http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lumiere-1). Mark and Jackie discuss: Jacqueline's background in writing and experience working with SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators - http://www.scbwi.org/ ) under the mentorship of Ellen Hopkins (http://ellenhopkins.com/) How Ellen Hopkins helped promote and nurture a beginning writer, helping them to believe that they could do it The Niagara Retreat and Conference event (http://niagararetreatandconference.com/) that Jacqueline is a driving force behind The self-publishing approach that Jacqueline's agent suggested and supports Taking the long-term approach as a writer, in both the indie and traditional publishing spaces, determining where a project best fits in an industry that is in flux How the X-Ray machine used to be seen as a cure for everything Themes in the novel, such as: Science created for good being done for bad; and the concept of inclusion for a person with an internal affliction (epilepsy) vs a person with an external affliction (visible birth defect)– and what is more terrible to live with What it was like winning and participating in the Donald Maass Breakout Novel Intensive Scholarship (http://maassagency.com/) How self-publishing actually "takes a village" or, in Jackie's case, a team that includes a photographer and an animator The types of questions that are important to ask when hiring an editor, a designer, etc As part of this episode's soliloquy, Mark speaks about the importance of networking for writers, why attending local writing groups, conferences and seminars can be invaluable for a writer. OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES Jacqueline Garlick's website: http://jacquelinegarlick.com/ Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacqueline-Garlick/1395763840647691 Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackie_garlick Lumière on Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/lumiere-1

Diego Marano, UK Manager for Kobo Writing Life interviews Chele Cooke, author of Dead & Buryd. Diego is joined by KWL Director Mark Lefebvre. The trio discuss the following: Chele's start of writing when she moved, at the age of 14, to San Francisco, where she began writing fan fiction in the Harry Potter universe How Chele's degree in creative writing opened her up to different types and styles of fiction The effect of being short-listed for the Wicked Young Writers Award (http://www.wickedyoungwriters.com/) Some mistakes made early in a writing career and how that helps a writer to learn Chele's previous challenge of piles of unfinished manuscripts and HOW she overcame that during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – November) by investing some time in outlining rather than just sitting down and writing without planning OUTLINING was the key to Chele's success in completing a novel Chele's plans to write the sequel to Dead & Buryd during NaNoWriMo this year (and the fact that Kobo Writing Life is a proud sponsor of NaNaWriMo 2013) How being new in self-publishing is like being the new kid in school The full story of how Chele & Mark met at London Book Fair, with zombies in the park, spontaneous hugs with strangers and Kobo Writing Life swag One of Chele's favourite characters in Dead & Buryd and how she looked forward to writing scenes involving this character Embracing the challenge of killing off main characters and killing off the words in one's first draft How Chele wrote 21,000 words in three days (again, thanks to the aforementioned outline) Chele's book launch on October 5th at Big Green Book Shop (show up for a chance to win a Kobo eReader courtesy of Kobo Writing Life) After the interview Mark talks about the importance of personal relationships and networking for a writer's success. He calls out attending workshops, conferences and other in person events in order to make important connections. You never know when that connection you made might lead to a beautiful thing. Mark also talks about why looking for what you can do to help other writers is a great long term strategy for success. LINKS/RESOURCES Chele Cooke's website Chele Cooke on Twitter Chele's Pinterest page for Dead & Buryd Chele's Facebook Page Dead & Buryd on Kobo

Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Douglas Smith, an award-winning Canadian author of fantasy, SF, horror and supernatural fiction with over 100 short story sales in 30 countries and two dozen languages. Doug and Mark discuss the following: • Doug's start to writing in 1995 stemming from a "mid-life" crisis • How Doug's new novel The Wolf at the End of the World ties back to the very first short story he wrote in 1995, Spirit Dance • Doug's prestigious career as a short-fiction writer (how he turned the sale of 40 short stories sold into re-selling them to 170 markets globally), the importance of taking advantage of reprint rights • Doug's outstanding foreign language rights sales of short fiction: 25 languages in 30 countries • Ralon.com – online free short fiction market listings • Doug's strategy for hiring a cover artist, an ePub formatting conversion company to create a consistent professional look and feel to generate a catalog of eBook versions of his short story fiction collection. (And how he made his investment back within a year selling short stories in eBook version for 99 cents – where he keeps 35 cents on Amazon and 45 cents on Kobo per unit sold) • The adaptation of one of Doug's short stories "By Her Hand She Draws You Down" into a short film of the same name. • Doug's penchant for writing fiction that references Bruce Springsteen's music • How Doug discovered he had written a vampire story only after reading customer reviews Mark also talks about discovering ingenious use of social media by authors and cites author Chele Cooke's intriguing use of Pinterest for her forthcoming novel Dead & Buryd as an example. Here's a link to Chele's website and her forthcoming book on Kobo. OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES Daniele Serra – Italian Artist Doug's website: www.smithwriter.com Twitter: @smithwritr Doug's article on Selling Foreign Language Rights Doug's Foreign Market List Doug's Amazing Stories Blog Series Short fiction recommendations to check out Doug's writing: If you like Horror check out By Her Hand She Draws You Down If you like Urban Fantasy check out Spirit Dance If you like post-apocalyptic science-fiction check out Memories of the Dead Man If you like revenge/science-fiction/time-travel stories check out State of Disorder If you like martial arts/Japanese fantasy check out The Red Bird If you like modern thriller/fantasy, check out The Wolf at the End of the World

Check out the books we're discussing here! Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Mitch Joel, author of the books Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT DELETE: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends on it. The conversation between Mitch and Mark involve the following: Mark's riffing on Mitch's regularly used consistent classic opening for interviews in his Six Pixels of Separation Podcast The importance of creating consistently delivered content (Mitch's 6 times weekly blog content and his weekly podcast) and how that relates to author branding The nature of having an audience available BEFORE you have a book and providing value to the community that you are creating content for How publishing his first book Six Pixels of Separation was a bit of a social experiment Never making an ask unless there is something more to give/offer as part of that ask The reality that selling a book is really hard Mitch's expression: "digital crickets and virtual tumbleweeds" Twitter perspectives – who to follow, who is spamming, who is followed by who; why am I following someone? Figuring out your work/life balance: Mitch's blending theory for work and play and the three tiered-stool of professional, family/friends and community The importance of presenting your ideas and yourself The "mystery" aura of an author such as the time when Mitch met Michael Connelly in the hallway his publisher's NY office What, in Mitch's view, makes Margaret Atwood so amazing in the way that she tries new things and engages with the community in social media The size of certain physical books (like the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson or Under the Dome by Stephen King) and how reading on an eReader has freed Mitch up The importance of "above the neck" exercises – ie, reading OTHER NOTES Taking a note from Mitch's book, Mark talks about the concept of treating indie publishing as a profession and a business as well as highlighting the importance of connecting with your audience as opposed to being "that pushy guy." Mark also discusses the value of pitching your book to the right target audience rather than trying to broadcast to everyone and to people who aren't in your target audience group. Six Pixels of Separation – Mitch's Blog Six Pixels of Separation – The Podcast

Check out the books we're discussing here! Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews authors Sean Platt and David Wright about their Collective Inkwell properties which include the highly successful serial thrillers Yesterday's Gone, White Space and Available Darkness. Mark chats with Sean and Dave about the following: Collaboration between writers – tools used, the logistics of how they do it and the importance of honesty with each other (ie, not pulling punches when something "sucks") Writing a serialized story and Dave's behind-the-scenes inspiration from the old TV series "Cliffhangers" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhangers_%28TV_series%29) Communication with readers, reader feedback & responding to fan email Budgeting writing time, email time and the Sanelater email filter (Sanebox - http://www.sanebox.com/) Sean's 5 sentence email rule The importance of the duality of Mr. Sunshine and Mr. Cynical A mention of Unicorn Western (co-written by Sean and Johnny B. Truant) – Free First Book and Full Saga (Books 1 to 9) Writing an evil character like Bericio Wolfe (favourite "bad guy" from Yesterday's Gone) First Episode – Free, Full First Season (Episodes 1 to 6), Full Second Season (Episodes 7 to 12), Full Third Season (Episodes 13 to 18) Keeping track of timelines and Dave's favourite tool – Scapple (a brainstorming tool from the makers of Scrivener. Advice to writers just beginning on their path: which includes the importance of patience, trusting your instincts and the rabbit-hole of distractions that can steal an author's time Teaser talk about the sci-fi series The Beam (co-written by Sean and Johnny B. Truant) – Free First Episode or Full Season (6 Episodes) eBook The thrill of hearing from new fans who are Kobo readers. (And Dave's love of Canada and Canadians) Being real, being human and being honest Sean's perspective on the importance of speed, genre hopping and how he's like a monkey How sharing so much via their weekly podcast (Self-Publishing Podcast) keeps them honest The importance of giving yourself permission to suck in your first draft and keeping at writing, ideally every day OTHER NOTES Mark talks about Kobo's "open, social and collaborative" nature and the concept of embracing all retailers and making your work available everywhere – how certain retailer's exclusivity programs are akin to asking ALL your customers to only shop at a single bookstore. Not always a realistic option. Q&A Answer to: Do I need an ISBN to publish on Kobo Writing Life? Answer: No, you don't need an ISBN. You can certainly BYOI (bring your own ISBN) or, if you don't we'll assign a "dummy" ISBN – with a note on some of our retailer partners that don't ingest dummy ISBNs MISC LINKS Self-Publishing Podcast (which Sean & David co-host with Johnny B. Truant) - AKA SPP http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/ [SPP Episode 57 – With KWL's Mark Lefebvre as guest: http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/57/] Listen to the audio version of Yesterday's Gone via the YG podcast http://collectiveinkwell.com/category/podcast/

Check out the books we're discussing here! Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews author Robert Levine, the author of Free Ride: How Digital Parasites are Destroying the Culture Business, and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back. Mark and Robert discuss the following: The vision of the orderly process of interviewing subjects for a non-fiction book VS the actuality The hard part being stopping (research and interviews) when you feel that you have enough material Understanding copyright law when you're not an attorney The stress of publishing deadlines even with a supportive editor behind you What it's like traveling the globe for research and delivering the finished product The difference between writing for dailies/weeklies/monthlies and writing a book which relies more on the underlying ideas than current events & details The essence of what publishers do in terms of aggregating risk The concept of making it convenient to do the right thing and inconvenient to do the wrong thing The inconclusive nature of the way different generations respond to the concept of copyright, digital and free media The economics of windowing with respect to format releases in publishing The difference in cost between making Iron Man 2 and the book Free Ride Pricing books and eBooks to maximize revenue This episode also includes Q&A regarding the right price to set for your eBook as well as an overview of one author's experiment with increasing the price of her eBook on the various eBook retail platforms. Robert Levine's book Free Ride on Kobo (Please note there are two different links depending on which territory you're in): CA, US, HK, SG, ID, JP, BR www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780385533775 GB, AU, NZ, DE, FR, ES, NL, IT, HK, SG, AT, CH, ID, JP, PT, ZA, BR www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781448161331 Robert Levine's Website http://freeridethebook.wordpress.com/

Check out the books we're discussing here! Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews author Steve Vernon, a writer and storyteller of both written and spoken words and they discuss the following: · Aspects of writing a serialized story (Steve's Flash Virus Series), elements of humour in a thriller/horror story and the perspective of being able to laugh at life. · Steve's first published story in the mid 1980's in a magazine that featured "Busoms, beards and big bellied bikers." · Embracing both traditional publishing and self-publishing as a hybrid author and how that syncs beautifully with how Steve really "isn't a writer, just a windbag who likes to spin yarns" · The importance of being able to adapt and continue to learn as a writer · A few of Steve's titles: Sinking Deeper, Maritime Murder, Tatterdemon Omnibus · Steve's favourite advice for writers · Some book recommendations from Steve (The Scorpion Races & The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater) Also included in this episode are Mark's "Three P's of Self-Publishing Success" as well as a listener question regarding ensuring your Goodreads reviews appear on Kobo. Steve's Blog "Yours in Storytelling" http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/ Download Episode One of Steve's Flash Virus series (FREE) www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780988097223 Steve's Flash Virus Series http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=Flash+Virus&t=none&f=series&p=1&s=none&g=both Steve Vernon's Books on Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=%22Steve+Vernon%22&t=all&f=author&p=1&s=numpurchases&g=both&l=