Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Laura and Daniel Martone, former residents of New Orleans who now travel the country in their mobile writing studio, a cozy RV dubbed Serenity. Together they write urban fantasy, post-apocalyptic, time travel, epic fantasy, and space opera novels. Prior to the interview, Mark shares an update on the recent FREE promotion that he paid for via the Kobo Writing Life PROMOTIONS tab. We also talks about the importance for authors to listen, learn and then to adapt what they are seeing, hearing and learning into strategies and tactics that work best for them and their own unique goals and publishing plans. Then he launches the Tongue Twister segment, which is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can learn more about Findaway Voices at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. In the interview, Mark talks with Daniel and Laura about: The way they met via the world of films and film festivals The experience of having a horror screenplay altered to the tune of a director's completely different interpretation of their script The storytelling aspect of creating virtual audio ghost tours The incredible patience involved in working on building a product line and listening and learning for more than a year before launching their first collaboratively published book series The planned-out release schedule that they struggle with sticking to for their Space Opera series and their Zombie series How they work together to split the work required in creating and writing their books What Dan calls a "Skeleton Draft" which is a hybrid between a screenplay and story beats of about 17,000 words Laura's next step of taking that draft and fleshing it out into a "well nourished" format The next step where Dan then trims and cuts the 60,000 or 70,000 word draft back down by 5,000 or so words The 9 arc structure that each book they write fulfills Intertwining their different series in a multiverse that they have created How their background in film and screenwriting has woven itself into their writing process Playing off each others skills, preferences, passions and work habits for the ultimate complimentary benefit Being fans of the Supernatural TV show and Joss Whedon's Firefly and the impact that has had on their personal and creative lives Serenity, their mobile home The nature of learning and then adapting the things they have absorbed and learned into their own unique strategies How Laura was inspired by Lindsay Buroker, in particular her expressions of: "Be genuine, be generous" The lack of confidence that can result from not hitting that publish button (which can be a crippling thing for a writer – ie, just STARTING is sometimes the key, otherwise, one might never start) and the concept of learning from doing The collaboration that Laura and Daniel are doing with a larger group of authors (currently 43 writers) for a forthcoming massive project that will be releasing later this year – (Mark gets them to promise to return to the podcast to share an update on that project) The favorite bit of writing advice that resonates with each of them Where The Martones will be traveling (in Serenity) for the remainder of this year (including 20Booksto50K Vegas) After the interview, Mark reflects on a couple of things that his conversation with Laura and Daniel made him think about. One of those items was about that moment where a writer hesitates with their finger over the "publish" button and the wonder of whether or not they should go back to one more re-write, one more edit, one more re-polish before either publishing the manuscript or perhaps submitting it to an agent or editor. Links of Interest: The Martones Smarter Artist Summit Bundlerabbit Findaway Voices

In this episode, Mark interviews Danièle Cybulskie about how she translated her passion for The Middle Ages into featured articles at Medievalists.net that have reached more than half a million readers, has had her work as a subject matter specialist adopted for nine Ontario colleges, had created fun and informative books such as The Five-Minute Medievalist, Six Steps to Better Historical Fiction and many other great titles, not to mention fascinating speaking gigs, including a TedX talk, and as an author coach. Before the interview, Mark welcomes new Patreon Supporter Jamie Davis, thanks Patrons for their support and introduces this episode's tongue twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices, which is in honor of Book Expo America taking place in New York. The tongue twister is: "You know New York, you need New York, you know you need unique New York" Mark also shares a few personal updates, including a recently released BookNet Canada suvey result about 2017 Publishing Trends as well as an experiment he is doing related to a FREE book promotion he is running at Kobo. In the feature interview, Mark and Danièle talk about: How she has been writing for Medievalists.net for a number of years and has more than 150 articles published there Her passion for coaching authors in authenticity and accuracy for the smallest details about the Middle Ages Her favourite century, (the 14th Century) because it contained the Black Death and The Hundred Years War The most common elements that writers get wrong (it often involves food and clothing) The risks of getting one's historical elements only from fiction and movies Whether or not Holy Hand Grenade (as seen in the Arthurian Legend spoof film Monty Python and the Holy Grail) might have actually existed. (There WAS gun powder in Europe in that era) How the use of guns and canons changed the use of armour and the way castles were built Because Mark couldn't resist bringing up the coconuts in the aforementioned Monty Python movie, the historic scholar who has studied medieval coconuts The inaccurate food that is served at a particular "Medieval" style family dinner theatre show that contains foods that never existed in Europe at the time, such as potatoes Danièle book The Five Minute Medievalist and The Five Minute Medievalist's Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Her forthcoming release (recently signed with a UK publisher), Medieval Europe in Fact and Fiction How sitting at home with her first baby was her introduction towards sharing what she had studied through writing The challenge she has been enjoying writing the different survival guides each month, including the way that she used Twitter to help decide the latest title What she likes reading for pleasure (dystopian futures) and what her favorite medieval movie is (A Knight's Tale) How learning about the differences and the similarities of people in different historical periods can give us a better and more well-rounded ability to understand and have compassion for different cultures and people in our world today After the interview, Mark reflects on how he uses history for his own non-fiction writing. Links of Interest: Danièle Cybulski's website Danièle's Books Danièle's TedX Talk Danièle's YouTube Channel Findaway Voices BookNet Canada Mark's Nocturnal Screams Series Nocturnal Screams Books at Kobo

This episode includes clips of interviews that Mark conducted on a tour through the Findaway offices in Cleveland, Ohio that took place on Tuesday May 22nd. Mark chats with folks from the Findaway Voices team (Will, Wes and Eric) as well as Findaway CEO Mitch Kroll. In the introduction, Mark shares a few updates, including an update of the latest video for Patreon supporters and then explains the three levels of support that include ($1 - Plot Outline (Bronze), $3 - First Draft (Silver) and $5 - Completed Manuscript (Gold). He thanks new and existing Patreon supporters. Mark also shares some details about the percentage share of his eBook retail sales for 2017, revealing that 77% of his eBook earnings came from Kindle with Kobo coming in second at 17%. He also noted that Google started to make a return in terms of his eBook sales in 2017 and has already well surpassed his iBooks sales in 2018. Mark shares his own experiences with publishing exclusively to Kindle via KDP Select to try to leverage the Kindle Unlimited reading income opportunities) and why, strategically, he has been a part of the program since it first launched, even when he was in charge of Kobo's self-publishing platform. He also discusses a short story series "Nocturnal Screams" that he originally rolled out in KDP Select a year ago, but is now releasing wide. For this episode's tongue twisters, Mark turns the tables on Will Dages from Findaway Voices (sponsor of the Tongue Twister segment) and gets HIM to read the tongue twister. In the episode's central interview with Mitch Kroll, Findaway Co-Founder and CEO, Mark and Mitch talk about: The interesting origin of the name Findaway and how the term "Findawayer" and a misplaced thumb late one night led to the spark of inspiration The atmosphere and spirit of the entire Findaway company's culture How, independent of audio or the product set in general, it was all about building a place where a bunch of dynamic people (with Findawayer DNA) who could do great work The little quotes and core value slogans that appear in small font text on walls throughout the Findaway offices How the entire company was originally built on the Playaway devices, which introduced disruption and innovation to the industry The manner by which a talk by Steve Jobs is something Mitch and his co-founders derived inspiration from when building the first Playaway devices How, after selling more than 6 Million Playaway devices, the simple yet effective innovation remains a growth business The balance that Findaway plays in serving the needs of content producers (publishers and authors), curators of audio (retailers and libraries) and consumers/readers The origin of the name "Findaway Voices" and how it relates to the voice and the freedom that it gives back to independent authors Mark then speaks with Will Dages about One of his favourite elements of working at Findaway Voices and Findaway (the amazing people) The Nebula Awards and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America conference Will recently returned from where he shared information about the "pay for circulation" library purchasing model that raised a number of eyebrows Mark chats with Wes from the audio quality team at Findaway Voices about: One of the most common issue that he regularly has to deal with, related to specification issues The education and resources that Wes regularly shares with audio producers and authors in his daily work The importance of fixing things at the source (ie, when the audio is being recorded) Mark then speaks with Eric from the Business Development team at Findaway Voices about: The role that Eric plays in helping the Voices publishing arm in the creation of audiobooks through partnerships The importance of strategic partnerships for the creation of high quality audiobook solutions A side-conversation carry-over from lunch about Marvel superheroes and how this connects Venom with Captain America After the interviews, Mark reflects on the day spent at Findaway, how Findaway Voices was a remarkable turning point for indie authors and the things he learned from looking at his Findaway Voices sales reports, and a few new strategies he intends on implementing based on this experience. Links of Interest Findaway Findaway Voices Global Audiobook Opportunities for Authors (Episode 5) - Interview with Kelly Lytle from Findaway Voices Mark's Amazon Author Page Mark's Kobo Page Bumps in the Night Nocturnal Screams (Short story collection series) Night Cries Ode to Classics Dark Shadows Literary Haunts Unexpected Strangers Z is for Zombie Something Wicked

This episode features an interview with J Thorn and Zach Bohannon. They talk not only about the collaboration that the two of them do, but also a few of their more adventurous collaborations with other authors including the original train journey with Joanna Penn and Lindsay Buroker and how that unique writing experience evolved into an ongoing AUTHORS ON A TRAIN voyage from Chicago to New Orleans as well as an awesome 50th Anniversary of George A Romero's classic film NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD and how that relates to J and Zach's NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD event. Mark provides a personal update on the video views for his #FreeFridayFrights experiment and then shares the evil reaction he had to creating two "silly" versions of the Laurel VS Yanny audio debate. (He created a RickRoll version, reminding writers to get back to writing, as well as a JumpScare one, because, well, he thought it was funny). He notes that the short and silly videos are trending much higher than the more serious reading ones he has done. The Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices, was provided by Laura and Daniel Martone, who will be featured guests in a forthcoming podcast. They asked for another Monty Python inspired accent to read it in, and the Australian accent from the troop's Bruce Sketch came up. After a terrible attempt at singing the Bruce's Philosopher's Song, Mark twists his tongue and likely offends multiple groups of people, from Python fans, to Australians, to beer drinkers and philosophers. Mark thanks the users who have sent feedback and comments as well as the listeners who have become Patreon supporters of the podcast. In the interview, Mark, J and Zach talk about: How Zach and J started collaborating when Zach first became a fan of and then reached out to J The system for how their writing collaborations work and the way they leverage their unique strengths What StoryGrid is and how it shouldn't frighten the math averse The five basic components to story structure J and Zach's The Career Author Podcast, why they collaborated on it and how the process of putting the show together works The analytics of story that they two of them share on what makes a scene work and what makes a story work The original of the AUTHORS ON A TRAIN retreat with the original train trip from Chicago to New Orleans, and how it evolved into something that a slightly larger group of authors can get involved with Details about the forthcoming NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD that they are planning for later this year The difficult to measure yet critical value of in person connections After the conversation, Mark shares his own experience having just written a zombie story set at the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh (where the Romero film was shot and where NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD event will be taking place). He then reflects on something important that J and Zach speak about. Even though it was the revolution of digital publishing that has allowed authors to make a full time living off of their writing, a unique time in the history of writing, there's still something critical and important about real-world direct connections. Links of Interest All About the Fictional Worlds of J Thorn & Zach Bohannon: www.moltenuniverse.com J Thorn's Website J Thorn's Amazon Author Page Zach Bohannon's Website Zach Bohannon's Amazon Author Page The Career Author Podcast Authors on a Train Night of the Writing Dead The Sell More Books Show Summit Findaway Voices Patreon Page for Stark Reflections Mark's Z is for Zombie digital collection of short stories Marks Books at Dundurn The Rush themed 2113 Anthology edited by Kevin J. Anderson Zach Bohannon writes horror, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic science fiction. He is the author of the bestselling post-apocalyptic horror series, Empty Bodies. J. Thorn is a Top 100 Most Popular Author in Horror, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure and Fantasy (Amazon Author Rank). He has published over one million words and has sold more than 170,000 books worldwide.

Episode 20 is a solo episode where, in response to a few listeners who reached out and asked if he'd be willing to share more about his background and experience as an author, he takes the opportunity to reveal his own writer journey and the lessons learned along the way. Prior to the lessons, Mark shares a bit of a personal update that includes the following: Work on the forthcoming traditionally published book MACABRE MONTREAL which he is co-authoring with Shayna Krishnasamy Work on the forthcoming anthology he is editing for WMG Publishing called FEEL THE LOVE The new goal of weight-lifting at the gym now that the 21 K half marathon goal was reached (and the interesting way that ties in to LESSON ONE) This episodes "Twisting by the Fool" Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices came from a listener request. Mark does both the requested tongue twister as well as in the voice/accent specified by that same listener. He informs listeners that if there is a particular tongue twister they want him to try, or even if there is a silly voice they want to hear it in, to email ([email protected]) or ping him on Twitter (@MarkLeslie) The first lesson Mark shares is in relation to being open to new perceptions, new ways of seeing things and how, sometimes, locking ourselves into a fixed view can potentially lead to us limiting ourselves. He shares his own experience with the gym in this regard as well as a look back on how, just a little over ten years ago, he was biased and prejudiced against self-publishing. He shares what and how his eyes were opened in that regard. The second lesson that Mark shares takes him back to his earliest days of discovering the love for storytelling and writing. And that is the magic that happens with the pen kisses the page. Of something being created now and enjoyed later. Writers take that for granted, but it is tinkering with immortality. The third lesson has to do with the learning that happens when you are first writing and how, even when creating something that might be considered throw-away early fan-fiction style writing, there's a lesson to be learned. Mark shares what writing a terrible novel at the age of 13 taught him about discipline and sacrifice and so many elements that are important for a novelist to learn.

In Episode 19, Mark interviews Bruce Outridge, an artist, speaker, podcaster, television host, columnist, consultant and coach. I'm sure I missed a few things Bruce does there, because the man certainly fits a lot into a day. The podcast features a fifteen minute interview with Bruce as well as a couple of short clips from his Cashing in on Creativity podcast which has a format that is as fun and unique as Bruce himself. The interview took place at a Hamilton bar called The Ship. So you'll hear the ambient noise of music and chatter in the background. The Terrible Tongue Twister is sponsored by Findaway Voices. This one is a longer piece about a "pheasant plucker" not a pleasant fellow . . . In their interview, Bruce and Mark discuss: Bruce's podcast, Cashing in on Creativity and how authors can use it for inspiration and ideas from other creative people and independent artists for their own creative journey The passion that Bruce has for music and why he uses his podcast to feature and spotlight independent musicians Bruce's natural inclination for being open to opportunity and to saying "yes" The belief, Bruce has, that people need an option The importance of looking beyond one's own industry for learning, growth and ideas Bruce's background as a trucker (he has been a driver for more than 25 years), and how that led to writing for the trucking industry, the trucking specific podcast he produces and the speaking he does for that industry The challenge of wearing multiple hats when it comes to branding and how Bruce manages that using blocks of time Bruce's favorite piece of advice that creative people should attend to Mark then plays a couple of short clips from two of Bruce's recent podcast episodes that he found inspiring. After the interviews and clips, Mark shares a reflection about the networking that led him and Bruce to connecting and talks about that element which Bruce started off the interview discussing (and which is mentioned by Ann Brown in an episode of Bruce's own podcast) - being open to opportunity and authentic connections with others. He shares his own example of connecting with fellow author Julie Strauss and the benefits to writing and personal life that came from a few chance encounters that a friendship grew out of. Links of Interest: Bruce's Cashing in On Creativity Podcast Interview with Ann Brown – "Being Happy Being You" Interview with Supastarr – "True Determination" Bruce's website Free Book – How to Start an Artistic Business Bruce's Facebook Page Bruce on Twitter Bruce on Instagram Julie Strauss - Author Julie's Books Julie's Blog - Post on Adult Friendships The Ship (Hamilton Bar where interview with Bruce took place) Findaway Voices

In Episode 18, Mark interviews Ricardo Fayet, one of the founders of Reedsy, an online marketplace connecting authors with top editors, designers, ghostwriters and publicists. An avid reader and a person who travels the world to attend industry events and author conferences, Ricardo shares his insights and tips for authors, including a number of free resources that authors should be taking advantage of. In the introductory segment, Mark shares an update on the forthcoming half-marathon he has been training for with his partner, Liz, and also shares some information about their next collaborative project, the book Spirits Untapped: Haunted Bars & Breweries. In the Terrible Tongue Twister segment, sponsored by Findaway Voices, Mark doesn't trip over his tongue. It's a first in this ongoing series that makes Mark usually look like quite the fool. In their interview, Ricardo and Mark discuss: How Ricardo got involved in co-founding Reedsy straight out of business school via discussions with co-founder Emmanuel Nataf about the need for authors to find quality professional services The travel, book shows and author conferences Reedsy travels to and the growth the company has seen both internally and the many freelancers that are on the platform The vetting that is done for the professional services offered and how only 3% of applicants are approved to be listed on the platform How an author would use Reedsy to find, for example, a developmental editor for a particular genre (using Mark working on a non-fiction paranormal book, as an example) The various service providers that you will find listed on Reedsy (including editors, book design, book cover design, illustrators, web designers, ghost writers, publicity and promotions and book marketers) The free online editing tool (Reedsy Book editor) that allows authors to export a perfectly formatted ePub or PDF document for POD printing The more than 35 free online email text-based courses that Reedsy has available. (Which provide a daily 5 minutes per day way for an author to learn something new that they are interested in) How Reedsy makes money, and a comparison to another company that offered services and wasn't transparent about their business model Ricardo's impression of the industry having just returned from London Book Fair The predators whose practices prey on the hopes and dreams of writers and Ricardo's frustration with these companies Trends in the maturing indie publishing community that Ricardo is paying attention to both in English language markets as well as in Europe in German, French and Italian Why authors shouldn't just jump in and hire a marketing expert (one of the most common questions Ricardo receives) and the Book Marketing 101 Free Course on Reedsy that helps authors learn the core basics that can help them before they look at hiring a book marketer After the interview, Mark shares his thoughts and reflections on the free resources available, specifically calling out some of the free Reedsy resources that Ricardo mentions and how authors might be able to incorporate those types of free learning opportunities into their daily routine. He thanks the patrons who are supporting the podcast on Patreon and thanks listeners for offering him their free time in listening to the podcast. Use this affiliate link to sign up for a free account at Reedsy and get a $20 credit towards any purchases there. Links of Interest: Reedsy Blog Online Editing Tool Free Online Courses Ricardo's Article on 12 Book Marketing Mistakes Authors Make - https://blog.reedsy.com/book-marketing-mistakes/ The Creative Penn Podcast Kindlepreneur website Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries Free Friday Frights NINC (Novelist's INC) Conference Haslam's Bookstore Sixty Spooky Seconds about the ghost of Jack Kerouac

In this episode, Mark interviews Steena Holmes. Steena Holmes is an Award winning USA Today and Amazon best-selling author from Calgary, Alberta who writes psychological suspense, family drama, women's fiction and sweet romance. She publishes under an Amazon-owned imprint as well as her own self-publishing imprint, is a fan of reading, of chocolate and of traveling. Speaking of traveling, Steena, who is a wife and the mother of three daughters, has created an authentic and dynamic relationship with her readers, who she has been a caring and loving tour guide through as she took them on a unique journey with her on her path through writing. In our conversation, we talk a lot about the importance of this relationship with her readers and in always putting them first. Before the interview, Mark provides a personal update on the following items: His half-marathon training schedule His recent short fiction writing, including a zombie story to appear in Z IS FOR ZOMBIE Some non-fiction writing he has been doing, both short articles as well as the new book he is working on about writing and publishing (which he has written 14,000 words for so far this week) The status of the #FreeFridayFrights project, including some underwhelming responses and views from his recent Friday the 13th Facebook live and YouTube posted videos – but, (AND THIS IS IMPORTANT), why this isn't something to be down about Mark then shares this week's Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices. This week's twister (especially since you won't be able to understand what the poor boy is trying to say) is: Three sweet switched Swiss witches Watch three washed Swiss witch Swatch watch switches. Which sweet switched Swiss witch watches Which washed Swish Swatch watch switch? In their conversation, Mark and Steena talk about: Steena's hot new release, The Forgotten Ones, a psychological suspense novel that explores the deep dark secrets that are kept hidden from family The inspiration behind the writing of The Forgotten Ones, which came from a really dark time and place in Steena's life How, despite the darkness of the novel, this was the easiest novel of the more than thirty books that Steena has written Steena's first novel, Finding Emma, which was a runaway bestseller and the differences between that novel and her latest novel The journal that Steena took her readers on as she slowly migrated across genres The promise that a writer makes to readers with every book that they release and the importance of honoring that promise The emphasis Steena placed in focusing on the readers rather than the sales with each book's release One of Steena's pet peeves in a "Don't Do This" bit of advice for authors How an author can create a genuinely authentic relationship with their readers The tremendous response that Steena receives from readers after she shares a personable and relatable post on her blog Ways that an author can be personable and relatable without revealing personal and private details about their life or their families lives How Steena writes different books in different ways and in different locations to help create a distinction between book projects The way Steena plans on dealing with a recently missed deadline The juggling of writing books for a publisher and her self-publishing imprint Attempts to retain the creative writing into different parts of the day How in the first six months of publishing, Steena made a mere $100; but, in the first month of Finding Emma's release, she sold 10,000 copies How the readers of Finding Emma kept wanting more and more of the characters and their stories and the various ways Steena fulfilled their needs (without realizing that many of those things were things that a writer supposedly "couldn't do") The lesson Steena learned when someone called her out on rushing a book to press by saying "You're better than this, and your readers deserve better than this." Steena's "Branding with Intent" series of emails for writers After the interview, Mark reflects about Steena's talk about being personable and someone that readers could relate to. He also reflects on authenticity. Links of Interest: Steena's website Findaway Voices

Stark Reflections Episode 16 – Crowd-Funding and Audience Engagement with Natasha Bajema Mark interviews Natasha Bajema, a fiction author who lives in Washington, D.C. and has been an expert on national security issues for over 18 years, specializing in weapons of mass destruction (WMD), nuclear proliferation, terrorism and emerging technologies. In the introduction, Mark performs a Terrible Tongue Twister, sponsored by Findaway Voices and also goes off on a rant about how much time and energy authors waste worrying about Amazon's latest "scandal." In the interview, Mark and Natasha discuss: Natasha's background working for the United States Department of Defence in National Security for 18 years, specializing in Weapons of Mass Destruction and how recent research into emerging technologies has inspired some of the concepts in her new trilogy The original nuclear conspiracy trilogy she had originally been working on before she followed a whim to pursue the ideas behind the novel Bionic Bug The challenge that a new writer faces when attempting to build up their audience and how Natasha faced that fear of "publishing to crickets" by engaging in crowd funding Nanowrimo and the roll it has played in her life as a writer The conversation Natasha had with Mark at the Smarter Artist Summit in Austin in the spring of 2017, and how that chat played a role in the turning point she was stuck at The Kickstarter Project that Natasha launched and her reasoning behind it The decision behind various rewards offered, including the "uber" limited edition idea Natasha was inspired about from listening to Joanna Penn's The Creative Penn podcast Where in her life as a full-time employee she finds/makes the time to write (which works out to about 10 hours per week) The book launch party at Wicked Bloom (an actual setting from a scene early in BIONIC BUG) taking place on April 18th and how she is dealing with that as an introvert Why Natasha is publishing the book, as part of a soft launch strategy, only on Kobo and the five-star reviews the book has already received there Why Natasha is going to wait much longer before releasing the books on Amazon The difficulty putting aside a huge passion project Natasha had been investing in (at least emotionally) since 2010 in order to pursue the BIONIC BUG trilogy The importance of patience and discipline in Natasha's long-term strategy as an author, and the family traits that she believes she inherited Natasha's passion with the intersection of what is technologically possible and what society will accept and adopt (such as wondering whether or not Americans will ever accept a technology like self-driving cars) The love Natasha has for the works of Michael Crichton and similar styled techno-thrillers that rely on speculation about near real-time science and technology Natasha's new podcast where she will be talking about emerging technologies similar to the things that she likes to write about and then include an excerpt from her novel as well as insights into the inspiration behind the writing of that chapter After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of the investment that Natasha made into every single decision as she gathered information for her publishing journey and the choices she made related to not looking for short-term gain, but, instead, with a focus on the long-term strategy. He reflects on how this speaks directly to advice he admires from an author friend, James A. Owen, and shares a short audio clip from James' Drawing Out The Dragons book that further illustrates this point. Mark speculates that Natasha's diligence and patience are going to lead to a greater long term success as an author and applauds her for taking this important and difficult long-term view. Links of Interest: Natasha's website Natasha's WICKED BLOOM Podcast James A Owen's website James A Owen's Drawing Out the Dragons Findaway Voices

The smooth and sexy-toned Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling thriller author, with books available in hundreds of countries worldwide. With a long-standing career in film, television, radio, and podcasting, Kevin is a seasoned world traveler, and has produced documentary programming and films ranging from historic aviation to military history. His debut novel, a thriller, and the first in his Dan Kotler Archeological Thriller series was a 2016 Shelf Notable Indie award winner. Kevin's love for history, archeology, and science has been a tremendous resource for his writing. With thrillers, science fiction and genre-crossing books, including the non-fiction books the 30 Day Author and Writing a Better Book Description, Kevin has more than 30 novels, novellas and stories under his belt. Kevin is also the Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital, one of the most beloved and author-centric distribution platforms for independent authors. He lives in Texas, but works in random coffee shops, cafés, and hotel lobbies around the world. In the pre-interview introduction to this episode, Mark shares a few updates that include: How T S Paul (from Episode 13) ended up doing on Kobo in March as well as his continued growth (well ahead of the normal slow curve for sales growth on Kobo) His training (or lack thereof) for the end of April Waterloo half-marathon His rediscovery of the love of writing short fiction (and the #FreeFridayFrights he launches this week) A thank you to the latest Patreon supporters of the podcast This week's Terrible Tongue Twister, AKA "Twisting by the Fool" – this time done in the voice of the guard from the French castle, as played by John Cleese, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail In their chat, Mark and Kevin talk about: The fact that Kevin was always a writer and how Kevin wrote his very first "book" when he was five years old The early dictation that Kevin did with a cassette tape recorder when he was a child (dictating his own versions of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries) His introduction to reporting and journalism in high school and his first professional earnings as a writer ($10 per column) The "nice advance" with a "terrible contract" that Kevin signed early in his writing career and then made the tough decision to leave, and pay back that advance The Vimeo and YouTube web series Kevin and a few friends had planned, and how that story turned into a novel Kevin's move from writing science fiction and into thrillers and how that led to his best-selling and award-winning novel Kevin's goal to get 12 books in total written in the Dan Kotler series by the end of 2018 The pattern of alternating between writing novels and short stories that Kevin is considering The basic minimum daily word count goal that Kevin sets for himself. (It is currently 2500 words) How, regardless of what's on his plate or calendar, that the writing for Kevin comes first. (As in, the very first thing that he does in the morning) Stephen King's quote about Art or Writing being a support system for life (and not the other way around) The genesis and desire behind Kevin's creation of the Wordslinger Podcast How inspiration for writing and creativity can come from any source, or virtually any conversation, not just from authors and writers A bit of a background on Draft2Digital and Kevin's role as Director of Marketing at this author-centric company How the "caring about the author" was something that always stood out the most when Kevin was initially looking at Draft2Digital as an author himself How working at Draft2Digital has opened a lot of additional doors for Kevin The automated in-matter and the amazing Book2Read offering that Draft2Digital provides to authors, book bloggers or anybody who wants to create a universal book link that connects to everywhere the ebook is sold online (including the ability to add affiliate codes for Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, etc into those links) The newly launched Author Pages that Draft2Digital has recently released, which connects back to the Books2Read content After the interview, Mark reflects on something that Kevin mentioned, which was PLAN vs PROCESS, and the importance of having a flexible process. Mark spends some time thinking about how focusing on the process rather than the initially failed plan has benefited him in multiple ways in his personal life as well as his recent attempt to evolve into a full-time writer. Mark spoke openly about the process of transitioning in more personal detail on Episode 77 of the Inner Dominatrix Podcast, with host Dana Pharant back in December of 2017 (while he was in the midst of the latest transition in his life) Mark also shares that he was recently a guest on Patricia McLinn's new AUTHORS LOVE READERS podcast, where he and Pat had a fun time talking about the story behind the story of writing, where inspiration is found and other reader-centric questions about the writing life. Links of Interest Kevin Tumlinson's website W

This episode is a solo one where Mark shares the 5 Ways mentioned in the title, and then goes on to reflect how the chat with T S Paul in the previous episode, combined with the concept of FREE helped inspire a new project that he is launching in April. The Terrible Tongue Twister in this episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Click here to learn more about Findaway Voices. The tongue twister this week is introduced by a terrible spoof that Mark does of the Dire Straits song "Twisted by the Pool" modified to "Twisting by the Fool." FIVE WAYS TO USE FREE TO BUILD YOUR AUTHOR PLATFORM 1) To Get People Hooked on a Series Mark quotes from studies done at Kobo on how the first book in a series set to free can result in new readers and boosted sales for an author. 2) To Get People to Sign up to Your Author Newsletter Authors such as Mark Dawson and Nick Stephenson have not only perfected this craft, but they have also shared great free information on how to do this and also offer courses that include in-depth training. 3) To Get Readers / Reviews Free giveaways are something used in order to get reviews of a person's book. There's a great article at Written Word Media on how to get book reviews on Amazon 4) To Get Feedback / Engage with Readers Sometimes selling isn't the main goal. Sometimes a writer is looking to get feedback or merely have someone read their work. Platforms like Blogger or Wordpress, where authors can post their work and let people read it for free fit here. Also, places like Wattpad Mark share his own experience of using Wattpad to share the first draft of a novel, and how that led to a very positive experience. 5) Limited Time offers of FREE to drive returning traffic Mark talks about how author Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers a weekly Free Fiction Mondays, as well as an interesting story of how she, unknowingly, made life easier for a reader fan. He talks about M L Buchman and his monthly free "Ides of Matt" offering. And then he mentions how T S Paul (from Episode 13) uses a 24 hour monthly free short story offering. Mark then shares how the concept of free, inspired by the three authors mentioned immediately above, combined with the element of making something a habit with regularly returning visitors and some of his own previous experiments and successes, led to the creation of new project he is launching in April. Mark shares how his involvement in a weekly blogging meme called Half-Nekkid Thursdays led to the creation of an HNT Darth Tater SPUD WARS storyline that he rolled out over a few months and which drew a strong following and actively engaged audience. He then shares how he adapted two short stories into a story that was rolled out in real time over 9 months via a blog from the main character's point of view. That also attracted readers from around the world as well as highly engaged reader interaction. Entitled, I, DEATH, the blog was then re-adapted into a novel that was published in 2014. That all led to Mark's desire to want to do something like that again, and shares how he had been listening to Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing Formula Podcast where James interviewed Cecelia Mecca about engaging with your readers using Facebook Live. This is something Mark had been playing with for the past year or so and enjoyed the process as well as the engagement and feedback from it. So he adapted the three elements, all related to previous success: 1) Offering reading for free 2) Engaging with readers 3) Facebook Live videos Into FREE FRIDAY FRIGHTS #freefridayfrights which he'll be starting next Friday - Friday April 6, 2018 and rolling out weekly via www.markleslie.ca/freefridayfrights a free piece of writing (alternating between fiction and non-fiction) that will be available for 24 hours. But also, on that Friday, since different readers consume differently, he'll do a Facebook Live video of either a reading of the fiction then talking about it and answering questions, OR talking about the non-fiction article answering questions. Mark thanks listeners and reminds them of three ways to support the show: 1) Via Patreon (with bonus content available) 2) By Leaving a review of the show on the podcatcher of your choice 3) By sharing the podcast with a friend who would benefit from it

In lucky episode 13, Mark interviews author T S Paul about not listening to people who told him he was "crazy" with the ideas he had for his writing plan. T S Paul (AKA, Scott) writes Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Cookbooks, and Paranormal Fiction. His books used to be exclusively available thru Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, but towards the tail end of 2017 he started to publish a number of his books wide to Kobo, iBooks, Nook and Google Play. This episode's Tongue Twister is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark attempts to do the tongue twisted in the voice of Brian's Mum from the Monty Python movie, LIFE OF BRIAN. The tongue twister source is from a 2013 MIT research document (USA Today Article: World's Toughest Tongue Twister - no kidding) In the interview, Mark and Scott discuss: The fact that TS Paul is not a pseudonym. It's his real name. The S is for Scott and the T stands for an undisclosed name. (Despite the fact that Mark tries to trick him into saying it) The fact that Scott doesn't have an author newsletter, nor has he worried about starting to build one, or a domain name for that matter. The majority of his relationship with his fans happen via his blogspot blog (tspaul.blogspot.com) and his Facebook Author page The fact that he has only been writing since February of 2016 and using the blog and Facebook page since then. (3500+ followers on Facebook – 300 to 600 hits a day on the blog) The "Wilson Wednesday" free short story that Scott released on his blog every week. (with 45 short stories posted there in 2016) The fact that he bundled the stories into single volume story collections [EDITORIAL NOTE: Scott uses the term "anthology" but I have always subscribed to the idea that an anthology is a curated collection of stories from multiple authors, so I'm inserting the term "collection" in place of "anthology"] – into two different ebook volumes for that time period The Jack Dalton Monster Hunter series he started in Feb of 2018 and the release methodology he uses: Each new book's release (about 10,000 words) is on the first of the month On the third Wed of that month, readers can read the entire book content on his blog for free (for a 24 hour period) The fact there is also a buy button on that post for those who'd rather just read the ePub or mobi version on the retailer of their choice. And the fact that there's a pre-order button for the next month's release in the series How Scott has heard the words "you're out of your mind" many times before The $1.99 price point he has used (which, historically, was considered a really poor price, possibly the WORST price for an eBook) – but it's important to remember that those studies were related to full sized books (ie, 40,000 to 150,000 words) rather than shorter works (most of Scott's ebooks are in the 10,000 word range) Sales for Book One (from Feb 2018) – of more than 1500 units Sales for Book Two (so far – mid March) are in the realm of a little over 500 copies Scott's background as a bookseller who previously worked at Waldenbooks How Scott managed to use targeted ads to build up his Facebook followers, which started off with boosting a post on his author page of a picture of his cat, Merlin (and targeting science fiction readers who loved cats) Scott's theory about Facebook ads, which doesn't include a direct ROI, but to keep the ads in front of people's faces (using the old 7 touches/7 views methodology of marketing) How Scott built a sales base for himself in the Netherlands on Kindle, building that market from 2 EUR a month to 50 EUR a month The reason why this new series Scott is publishing was published wide to all eBook retailers (Kindle, Kobo, iBooks, Nook and Google, etc) rather than exclusive to Amazon using the KDP Select exclusivity option, which is how he started publishing The reality that Scott is a six-figure author (in 2016 he earned $100,000 and in 2017 he earned a lot more than that), and so losing a couple of thousand dollars from not getting Kindle Unlimited reads wasn't a big deal to him Some of the real stats of Scott's sales which include the Athena Lee series earning about $2500 to $3000 per month on Kindle (18 titles) How, when he launched wide, he earned about $200 on Kobo in January 2018, but that, by Feb, he had earned $1000 and for March at the point of the interview (the 20th), he had earned $700 on Kobo Scott's cover designer, Heather Hamilton-Senter (http://www.bookcoverartistry.com/) and the fact that he has ordered 18 new covers for his new series How Scott went from being on partial disability, finding it difficult to find a job and being a whale reader and then moving on to becoming a writer based on a kick-in-the-pants he received from Michael Anderle (of 20Booksto50K fame) How the 1970s movie Smokey and the Bandit was part of the inspiration for Scott's latest marketing/publicity experiment: A van with a wrap that features artwork from his book covers The fact that Scott is a "modified pantse

Let me be perfectly frank here. I screwed up and mis-counted episodes. So I produced the "next" episode as Episode 13, completely skipping episode 12 (the way some buildings skip the 13th floor) So I'm owning up to my goof, and inserting this quick episode which is a clip from an inspirational speech that Arnold Schwarzenegger gave to a group of graduating students about his 6 Rules for Success. It's a speech that I refer to in Episode 13, so it is pertinent, and is something writers will find value in.

In Episode 11, Mark interviews Kevin MacLeod, the writer, composer and producer for the music used in this podcast. Kevin MacLeod is an American composer and musician who is perhaps best known for his distribution of royalty-free library music through his website, Incompetech.com. He has made over 2,000 self-composed pieces of music available for download under a Creative Commons 3.0 license which basically allows anyone to use his music for free as long as he receives attribution. This open spirit has led to his music being used in millions of YouTube videos and thousands of films. As of July 2016, MacLeod had over 2,300 composer credits listed on the Internet Movie Database and his music has been used in Martin Scorsese's 2011 film Hugo, several commercial video games, and videos by online content creators such as CollegeHumor and Good Mythical Morning. The Terrible Tongue Twister on this podcast (which Mark stumbles over) is sponsored by Findaway Voices. You can find out more about Findaway Voices on www.starkreflections.ca/findaway In their discussion, Mark and Kevin talk about: Kevin's history as a musician and the origin of the launch of the incompetech website The debate between openly giving away one's work for free VS the "exposure doesn't pay my bills" concept Kevin's philosophy on exposure that includes the following concept: "100% of the people who have never heard you, don't like you." The importance of a service like Patreon that can help people support artists who are freely making their work available The tens of thousands of videos and games out there where Kevin's music is used and how that can lead to sales or custom work Kevin's thoughts on when he misses the target of his intended audience with a particular piece he composes The core basics of the equipment needed as a musician in the digital realm The types of conferences that Kevin gets the most value in attending The conflict Kevin faces, as an introvert at conferences who loves hanging out with people while, at the same time, finds it an overwhelming experience that requires multiple "solo" breaks during the day How his daily work process and work schedule continues to change over time and basic on the projects on his plate One of the ways inspiration strikes, which is not in experiencing something brilliant, but instead, experiencing something terrible and imagining a composition that he feels might have worked better in that instance How, when your job is to create media, every single activity can be a tax deduction Kevin's belief that everyone has the same job: to make life easier for other people How connecting with other musicians and composers is an important aspect of Kevin's world Measuring a Starfleet captain based on the number of times his Enterprise has blown up Kevin's words of advice for those interested in pursuing a creative passion (whether it be composing music or another creative pursuit) After the interview, Mark takes about two specific elements from the interview that he wants to reflect on. The first is Kevin's advice for creators, that is similar to advice we heard in Episode 10 from Jean Leggett of One More Story Games. And it's the importance of starting small, of actually working at your craft, at practicing, at getting better, at just DOING IT. Interesting that Kevin's take as a musician is similar to Jean's in terms of story. The second thing is a much bigger topic - and it's how free CAN work quite effectively in the rights ways at allow greater discoverability of an author's work which can lead to sales, to income, to opportunity that might not have previously existed. Mark then shares a clip from his 2009 to 2011 short fiction podcast PRELUDE TO A SCREAM, with a piece of music from Kevin called "Noir Mild Tension" Links of Interest: Kevin MacLeod's Incompetech.com website Mark's Prelude to a Scream Podcast Findaway Voices Tongue Twister Source

Episode 10 features a great interview with Jean Leggett, CEO and co-founder of One More Story Games. After her husband Blair's near-death experience in 2012, the two embarked on a journey back to his childhood hometown to each pursue their life's passion which includes the company One More Story Games and their software, StoryStylus, which simplifies video game creation for storytellers to create, publish and share story-based games. In their discussion, Mark and Jean discuss: The origin of the company One More Story Games that involves the creation of interactive narrative story games How StoryStylus is the underlying engine of One More Story Games that allows authors the ability to create a narrative-based game without needing to have technical know-how The 10 minute game that an 11 year old girl created using this software which is called "Attack of the Killer Zombie Cats" The game adaptation of the Charlaine Harris novel Shakespeare's Landlord featuring Lily Bard (part of a five-book series by the author) Julia Gibson, the voice actor for Lily Baird in the game The "smart games for smart women" and "games for word nerds" branding that One More Story Games employ, which breaks the mold for stereotypical violence of many video games How story is the central driving mission of this company Where authors who are interested in using this tool can start The "how to" YouTube videos authors can use to get started using StoryStylus Jean's recent TEDx Talk: "What 10 year olds taught us about our gaming tech startup" The experience of being hired by Microsoft to teach a group of 7 to 12 year old girls and how they each gravitated to areas that best suited their personalities and talents How important music is towards adding an atmospheric ambiance in a game What is possible when you say YES to imagination and you don't shut people down The award-winning game Danielle's Inferno created by Olivia Rivard and inspired by her story of the same name (Tied for Toronto Game Devs 2017 #1 PC Game of the Year) After the interview, Mark talks about the inspiration he derives from a company like One More Story Games and how a great tool like StoryStylus offers new hope and opportunities for writers. He then compares the training he has been doing for a half-marathon with the writer journey and goals he has been working on and addresses ideas on how he is planning on getting both the training and the writing back on track. Links of Interest: One More Story Games StoryStylus Jean Leggett's Website Jean's Fireside Chat with Charlaine Harris Charlaine Harris's Website Spirits Untapped

Featuring an interview with Chuck Heintzelman of BundleRabbit.com. Chuck lives in Spokane, WA with his beautiful wife and three children. Each day he juggles his passion for writing with his family, a full-time job as a computer programmer, and the inevitable curve ball life seems to throw. In the introduction to the show, Mark talks about being on the Oregon Coast at the Fiction River writer workshops which leads into this week's post-interview "reflection" about rejection for writers. He also talks a little about the success he has had with Findaway Voices (the episode's sponsor) for short audio books and how he measures success. In their conversation, Mark and Chuck talk about: The origin and inspiration for Bundlerabbit, a service inspired by Storybundle and Humble Bundle, that allow authors to combine their ebooks into bundles Chuck's "What if?" related to that which began with: "Wouldn't it be great if there was a more DIY option for authors and publishers?" The basic concept which is a single website you can go to where you can upload content, curate bundles and communicate about bundle collaborations with other authors How Bundlerabbit solves two major issues: The ability for readers to get the bundled material from a retailer they already buy from (rather than having to side-load the content to their Kindle, Kobo, etc) Revenue splitting and other accounting issues that authors might run into when trying to manage a multi-author collaboration How Joanna Penn and her desire to see a "collaboration engine" helped inspire Chuck to add a feature called "collaborative publishing" which includes: The ability for a curator/editor/publishing project manager to set unique author split percentages for a project and use this tool to publish on behalf of the publisher and take care of the monthly revenue split Using this tool for management of co-authoring a single title (rather than bundling multiple works together) The percentage that Bundlerabbit keeps (ie, the business model and how Bundlerabbit can afford to operate) Some of the forthcoming features that Bundlerabbit will be releasing that are related to the ability for authors and publishers to better communicate with one another and share information, marketing assets, etc. The potential for using Bundlerabbit for author/translator collaborations (and how that might compare to an existing platform like Babelcube) The original OOPS name for Bundlerabbit: Bundles Express Dot Com and the amusing "Bundle Sex Press" term that Chuck didn't originally see. After the interview, Mark talks about the FICTION RIVER anthology workshops and how it works. He takes an in depth look at rejection, and the importance of a writer to understand what rejection most likely means and how that lies directly to an ideal reader or ideal editor Links of Interest Bundlerabbit for authors Chuck's Website - http://chuckheintzelman.com/ Story Chuck dot com Story Tools Kydala Publishing (Chuck's Publishing Imprint) Chuck's Author Page on Amazon WMG Publishing Workshops Fiction River Editors Choice Feel the Fear --------- This episode has been sponsored by Findaway Voices. Findaway Voices provides all the tools that an independent author or small publisher needs in order to get into the digital audiobook market. Check them out at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. ---------

Featuring an interview with Ricci Wolman, founder and CEO of Written Word Media about the challenge that authors face with the most common questions they often have when first starting out; questions that include the following: How do I get the right people to discover my new book? Where can I find people to review my book on Kindle and the other retail websites? Is there a way for me to increase my visibility and my sales on multiple retail platforms? --------- This episode has been sponsored by Findaway Voices. Findaway Voices provides all the tools that an independent author or small publisher needs in order to get into the digital audiobook market. Check them out at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. --------- In the interview, Mark and Ricci talk about: How Written Word Media was born out of Ricci's background as a consultant and her desire to help her mother sell a book that she had published The way that Freebooksy was slowly built, using a small curated list of recommended free books (as a platform where Ricci could occasionally slip her book into the mix and help boost sales) The ongoing experimentation and playing that Ricci performed on the Freebooksy brand that helped it to continue to grow into a site where authors asked if they could pay to have their works featured there What each of the current service brands within Written Word Media are used for: Freebooksy – to feature/promote free books Bargainbooksy – featuring discounted books under $5 USD (But books $2.99 and below perform best) Red Feather Romance – both free and discounted/bargain books in the steamy contemporary romance category New in Books – a general promotional tool for newer release exposure rather than for discounted/bargain priced titles. (More of a FULL SERVICE promotion for authors) The importance of reviews to helping to sell a title and the importance of having some reviews on your retail listing for a book The advent of digital audiobooks and the current work that is happening to test out a "new in audiobook" style of notification How Written Word Media adds between 20,000 to 30,000 new readers to their reader pool every month (meaning writers who come back two or three months later to do an additional promotion ends up going to a larger batch of new readers) The over 12 million promotional emails that Written Word Media sent out in the month of December 2017 The critically important value of "HELP THE AUTHOR" that is at the core of Written Word Media Some of the book industry trends from the past year that Ricci is most interested in A bit about the husband/wife team aspect of managing the business as a couple How savvy authors understand that a marketing expense is made up of both dollars spent as well as time spent; and that a lot of things that look to be free might end up costing more in terms of time than originally expected Authors should ask these questions every time they go to take marketing action: What is this costing me in dollars? What is this costing me in time? What results do I think I'm going to get? (And how confident am I in those results?) After the interview, Mark shares details from his own recent experience with booking a Freebooksy promotion for a horror title and outlines the cost and the return on his investment for the promotion. Links of Interest: Written Word Media Main Site Freebooksy Bargainbooksy Red Feather Romance New in Books Written Word Media Facebook Page Written Word Media on Twitter Contact Page for Written Word Media (you WILL hear back from a real/live person) Findaway Voices

In the introduction Mark talks about the newly announced Book2Pod service announced by Jim Kukral on the Sell More Books Show podcast and shares two of the voices available (Nigel and Jessica) to talk about one of the things he likes best about it (freeing authors to be able to work on their next book). Authors interested in testing the service out can do so at https://www.book2pod.com/testdrive/ The main content of the podcast is an interview with Scott King, writer, photographer, podcaster, overall creator. Scott has worked as a college professor teaching photography, digital arts, and writing related classes. He now works full time as a game photographer and author. As a board game photographer, he shoots games for websites, online stores, and for other marketing needs. Scott has also served as a reporter for the school newspaper and although another student was assigned the article about the movie King was determined to write it, demonstrating his willingness to break down barriers (like the ones in traditional publishing), he snuck into a press conference where Gary Marshall was meeting with local media. The next day Scott was hired and he's been working in the entrainment industry ever since, and continuing to work relentlessly at producing the many novels and non-fiction writing projects that he continues to create. --------- This episode has been sponsored by Findaway Voices. Findaway Voices provides all the tools that an independent author or small publisher needs in order to get into the digital audiobook market. Check them out at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. --------- In the interview Mark and Scott discuss: How Scott balances the various creative endeavours that he engages in which include photography, various genres of adult fiction, YA fiction and non-fiction, a board-gaming calendar, among other pursuits Scott's school of thought of putting the story and the art first and not worrying about writing to market The board game photography that Scott does and how he leverages that for a unique board-game calendar project, producing a single mass-produced base version, and then, based on Kickstarter support levels, unique custom calendars where backers can choose their own unique 12 images from the hundreds available The joy of being a board game photographer and how, unlike a reviewer, where there will be criticism involved, Scott gets to celebrate new games by showing them off in interesting ways via the images he creates Elements from the photography world that have helped inform Scott's writing, including such concepts as contrast (ie, the dark areas making the lighter areas look brighter) The "problem with humans" in a photographer's life and how you really need to get a "performance" out of them for a good captured moment The way that Scott structures his work day for writing, marketing, publishing and photography Scott's favourite coffee shop when he lived in Houston, and how he went to try out the vibe of the neighborhood coffee shops in various towns just outside Pittsburgh to help determine where he and his wife would be moving to Scott's favorite style of coffee (because coffee is a huge part of his writing life) The origin behind Scott's Lovecraft-themed "Chooseable Adventure" young adult novel The Eye of Hastur How the book has been enjoyed by kids (particularly young boys) who don't like to read The learnings of using Kickstarter that Scott has reaped via the various projects he has run over the years An interesting new board game that Scott is looking forward to playing where the playing experience changes each time the game is played The steel mill industry crash and how that has affected the landscape and towns near Pittsburgh as well as the phenomenon of the "missing generation" The legacy of the Primanti Brothers Pittsburgh area sandwich/burger shop and the local fascination with French Fries on almost everything Scott's podcast, The Creators Cast and the reason why he started it How Scott's non-fiction projects were derived from his passion for teaching and how that helps him also continue to grow as a creator The multiple hats that a writer has to wear including the craft of writing, the business of writing, marketing, and how to balance all of those things After the interview, Mark reflects back on something Scott mentioned related to balancing one's spending with income and then considering that a book that was published might not earn back its investment immediate, but it keeps on earning money over time. Mark takes a look at the finances involved in publishing a book using a range of realistic prices and the looks at how many units are needed to sell at various price points in order to earn that investment back. Links of Interest: Scott King's Website Scott King's Podcast: The Creator's Cast Scott King's Books

Today's episode is a little bit different. It's a solo one, rather than an interview. But this week I wanted to do a solid reflection, or perhaps even a rant, on something I've been thinking about a lot, especially in the last few weeks. This episode is entitled "What's Wrong With Indie Publishing" or rather, "3 Things I Worry About And That I Think Could Improve Indie Publishing" I went with the first title because it's a bit shorter and has a more active tense to it. --------- This episode has been sponsored by Findaway Voices. Findaway Voices provides all the tools that an independent author or small publisher needs in order to get into the digital audiobook market. Check them out at www.starkreflections.ca/findaway. --------- The title of this episode is WHAT'S WRONG WITH INDIE PUBLISHING. But the purpose isn't to slam, it's to support and help self-publishing, indie publishing and all the amazing opportunities that come out of the evolution of publishing in all its aspects. I love self-publishing, and actually started in this space back in 2004 with a POD collection of short stories called ONE HAND SCREAMING. That experience opened up my eyes to the possibilities that occurred when you didn't have to wait for the gatekeepers of traditional publishing. ISSUE ONE: POWER Versus RESPONSIBILITY. Digital publishing has removed the gatekeepers of traditional publishing. You don't need approval from someone sitting behind a mahogany desk in New York to say you are good enough to be published. You can create a free account at Amazon, at Kobo, at Apple, at Nook, or at Smashwords or Draft2Digital or one of a dozen other great aggregators who'll distribute your book, and you'll have your ebook live in anywhere between 3 to 48 hours. But, to paraphrase a quote from Jeff Goldblum's character in the original Jurasic Park move, "You were so busy wondering if you could that you didn't stop to think if you should." We have given writers the ability to push the buttons, to publish direct; this amazing power. But we haven't given them all the support, all the information, all the elements to help them make intelligent and informed decisions. The only players that seem to invest heavily in attracting newbees are the sharks, the predators, the "Author Solutions" style companies out there whose business model isn't to make money selling books, it's making money off of the hopes and dreams of authors; by selling them snake oil, selling them un-necessary marketing packages, etc. That's why conferences that fous on helping provide writers with a well balanced perspective of traditional publishing and digital publishing, including self and indie publishing are a gold mine. But you don't need to attend an expensive conference. There is so much information available for free. Is it possible that so much of the amazing free information is being ignored the same way that people tend to put little stock in something that they have acquired without a cost? If you paid, even a little, for that advice, would it be worth more to you? Would you weigh it more carefully? Consider this: the time you spend reading and listening to free information DOES cost you. It costs you time; an investment of your time that you could have spent writing. Remember that cost, consider that cost, and carefully consider all the free advice and information that can help you wield that power with great responsibility. ISSUE TWO: THE "MAINSTREAM" OF INDIE PUBLISHING Have you ever watched a group of 5-year-olds play soccer? They're all just chasing after the ball. The ball goes left, the entire mob follows it left. The ball goes up-field, the entire mob scrambles to chase it. One person takes the ball and is making their way down the field and the entire rest of the field of players chase madly after them, a chaotic scrambling. Nobody is playing their own position, nobody is leveraging their own skills and spots and overall strategies. They're just madly bouncing around the field mindlessly chasing the ball. But here's the reality. There isn't a single ball. Yes, you can and should learn from others, you should pay attention to the great experiments that others are doing, but you need to know where your own ball is going, where it's going to be, and you need to work towards that. Brandon Sanderson gives a talk where he shares a joke about the publishing industry. He says that the minute a new author finds a way to break a hole in the gate that prevents new successful authors from "arriving" the industry madly scrambles to go patch that hole so that nobody else can get in that way. It's cute and funny, but it's sort of true. And it's true in the indie author community. There's no point looking for the holes that other people made and slipped through. Those holes might be closed, either by the saturation of everyone else trying to squeeze through those holes, or those holes just naturally close up due to changes in to atmosphere. You need to focus on your own uniqu

In the introduction, Mark talks a little about being in Colorado attending Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs, CO and the importance of understanding the business of writing and publishing. He shares that he will be doing Facebook Live videos of his experience at Superstars on his Stark Publishing Facebook page. This episode features an interview with Kelly Lytle from Findaway Voices. In their conversation, Mark and Kelly talk about: How Findaway Voices is a single service built to help independent authors and small publishers create and distribute their audiobooks, and that they are a fully non-exclusive platform to the largest network of audio sellers in the world (retailer, library and K through 12 markets) The pay per use model that Bibliotheca (3M) has. Meaning the library doesn't need to pre-purchase the audiobook in advance. It is listed (like on any major retailer), and the purchase doesn't happen until the library patron checks out that title The background to Findaway Voices as part of the larger Findaway family. Their "flagship" product, for example, was the Playaway Device, a single title pre-loaded audiobook player that is about the size of a deck of cards, with built in play and pause buttons. These devices have been hugely popular with the library market (as an easy to merchandise and easy to use for patrons who weren't savvy about digital check-outs or even using CD audiobooks) and the military Pre-loaded tablets called "LaunchPad" that are also in the library markets The platform called Audio Engine. The world's largest business-to-business audiobook service Kelly's own background as a passionate reader with a thirst for storytelling. Even though he worked on Wall Street and in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, his compass kept pointing back to that original passion and joining Findaway a little more than four years ago To Dad, From Kelly, the memoir Kelly wrote about his relationship to his late father who passed away in 2010. Kelly's experience going to TuneIn's studio in Santa Monica, California to record the audiobook himself How Findaway works with authors and as well as the sign-up and vetting process they use for narrators. Mark's very positive experience getting his short story collection Active Reader produced by Findaway Voices and how pleased he was with Eric Moore's recording. Which leads to the question of how a writer might be able to request to work with the same narrator again for a future project, or a narrator that they have already chosen (even if that narrator isn't already part of the Findaway Voices talent pool community) How to use Findaway Voices to upload an audiobook that you already have produced in order to leverage their distribution channels The price control that the author/publisher has on their audiobook (which is a critical differentiation of the way that Amazon's ACX sets the price and doesn't allow that control to the copyright owner) The urgent quest for Audiobook promotion platforms to provide a "BookBub" or "Bargainbooksy" style service, and the existing awesome audio review sites, such as BookRiot or AudioFile How they are seeing authors make hundreds of dollars through the aforementioned library "pay per use" model, which is a huge opportunity, as well as through sites most authors might not be paying much attention to, including Playster. A recommendation for authors to also make sure that the narrator, and not just the author gets the free Audible download codes to help promote the book. The partnership that Findaway Voices has with Draft2Digital.com that allows an author to easily port their ebook's metadata over to set up an audiobook at Findaway. Also, Kelly's respect for the "author-first" approach to authors that Draft2Digital employs in everything they do The notion of format-agnostic consumption of stories and the growth this means for authors After the interview, Mark talks about the importance of publishing wide and shares his own experience with earning revenue from Findaway Voices via sales channels that weren't even on his radar. His belief was that he would make most of his money from the audiobook sales via Audible, the Amazon-owned largest retail site for audiobooks, but the reality was, the majority of his earnings came from several other sales channels. He talks about the recent progress from Apple, Google and Kobo in the past week as an example of "you never know, so it's best to be available everywhere." He then shares a second reflection on how the investment related to the creation of an audiobook file is an important reminder to authors of focusing on the long-term, on looking at the various investments they make, not just in money, but in time, and in education. Links of Interest: Findaway Voices Website Findaway Voices on Twitter Kelly's book: To Dad, From Kelly Mark's Findaway produced books: Active Reader: And Other Cautionary Tales from the Book World Collateral Damage: A Sin-Eater Midadventure Superstars Wri

Mark chats with Canadian Science Fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history — and the only Canadian — to win all three of the world's top Science Fiction awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (the full list of such winners: Paolo Bacigalupi, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Connie Willis). In their conversation, Mark and Rob talk about: The fact that Rob was the very first science fiction writer in the world to have a website (sfwriter.com) which has grown to over 1 million words of text and more than 800 documents since it launched in 1995, including documents about the craft and business of writing and publishing The text-heavy nature of Rob's website and how he still manually codes his website in HTML The SEO involved in the creation of the SFWriter website using the three main key words: "science fiction writer" and how that has led to Rob being on the first page of search results for those in the media looking to talk to a sci-fi writer for various commentary on events (example, anniversary of the moon landing, cloning, the death of a famous science fiction writer, etc) How optimizing his brand and SEO has led to just under 1000 radio and television interviews The way that Rob's novels are typically grounded in real-life scientific research, such as his latest novel, Quantum Night, which is about psychopathy and what might happen if a psychopathy were to get into the office of the President of the United States The way Rob was able to pivot in the marketing of the book after Donald J. Trump became the US President The brilliantly supportive way that Rob's US audiobook publisher (Audible) worked quickly to resolve the issue of a few funny incorrect pronunciations that a US narrator made with a couple of "Canadian" words Advice for authors regarding dividing up your IP by format as well as by territory and how the aggregate of the sale of rights of each unique division adds up to far more than a single "world rights" offer would typically be How Rob used KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and KWL (Kobo Writing Life) and other direct to retailer and distribution platforms to publish to iBooks, Nook and other markets using the rights that he did not sell to a publisher (ie, direct selling an "international edition" of a book like QUANTUM NIGHT where publishers only purchased Canadian and US rights) How each new format that emerges for a book enlarges the audience, rather than cannibalizes upon the previous format editions The ABC Television program (FlashForward) which was based on Rob's 1999 novel of the same name and details about his involvement with that experience The approved changes in the television adaptation (which includes changing the "flash forward" from 21 years to 6 months) that helped to make the story more palatable for a US network television audience yet retained the important theme of "fate VS freewill" How a scene in that novel, published in 1999 had a scene which predicted the existence of the Espresso Book Machine, which can print and bind a paperback in about 15 minutes right inside a bookstore The changes within publishing since Rob's first novel was published in 1990 The different royalties received on the self-published version (70%) VS the traditionally published version (17.5%) of Rob's novel Quantum Night and a reflection on the time most likely spent by the author and by the publisher on a single book (typically a 12:1 ratio) and how that changes the perspective of the 3:1 split in the publisher's favor A teaser for Rob's next novel about the Manhattan Project, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020 and how that ties in to Rob's marketing plans for the book and himself The figure Rob has in mind for selling the Canadian, American and British rights to a publisher and, if his agent isn't able to secure those numbers, his plans to release it independently The odds that a book will never be made into a movie, including stats on how only 3 out of the 53 novels that have so far won the Nebula Award (often seen as the "best science-fiction novel" of the year) have been made into movies (They were: Dune, Ender's Game and Flowers for Algernon) The approximate 16 years that Rob's Nebula Award winning novel The Terminal Experiment has been optioned for film rights (but with no film ever having been made so far) After the interview, Mark reflects upon two elements from the conversation. First he looks at the manner by which Rob has acted as a linchpin within the writing and publishing community, mentoring other writers, assisting beginners and always looking to connect people together. Then he explores the way that, when Rob is talking about one of his novels, he focuses on the high level concept that makes people think or makes people want to engage, rather than a "blow by blow" of the plot details. He encourag

Mark interviews Sinead McElhinney, PR Coordinator on the Communications team from Rakuten Kobo in Toronto, Ontario about some interesting reading data that Kobo released near the end of 2017. They discuss the analysis of reading data, understanding core eBook readers better, as well as some of Sinead's favorite things about her role in the book industry. During the chat, they discuss: Where she started and how she got her start at Kobo Her role in marketing and the on-brand customer/reader experience The double-edged sword of social media The difference between using social media for personal use and for a corporation that needs to keep its target demographics in mind Details about the top "actually read" books from the previous year and the data dissection performed on this reading data Just because something is a bestseller doesn't mean that it is a book that has been read through to completion. IE, looking at books that were actually finished can be meaningful data The binge-reading that Sinead does the same way some others might engage in binge-watching a show via Netflix Some common themes in the most popularly read books The dynamic engagement with both writers and readers that Sinead participated in when visiting the Romantic Time (RT) Booklovers conference in Atlanta in May 2017 The diversity within the many different types of romance readers that Sinead discovered at RT Booklovers The launch of audiobooks at Kobo in late summer of 2017 and some of the things they learned about the types of books people prefer reading in eBook format versus listening to The integration of OverDrive library borrowing in the Kobo Aura ONE After the interview, Mark reflects on the evolution of storytelling and how, in oral storytelling, the creator could receive immediate and instant audience feedback that might help them to adjust their story's tone, pacing and other elements on the fly. He touches upon how story, as a written medium in print format, completely divorces that connection when the act of reading becomes a solitary pursuit, but that digital reading brings back an intriguing degree of those elements that writers and publishers could likely benefit if analyzed effectively. He shares his own experience telling ghost stories to live audiences and how, as a storyteller, he can easily adapt the tales based on audience reaction. He discusses the interesting metrics that a platform such as Wattpad.com offers to writers about the demographics of their readers and other reading stats. He also talks about the "real time" blog story I, DEATH that his novel was based upon allowed him the luxury of adapting the story as it was being rolled out based on reader reaction. And, finally, he suggests that platforms like Kindle and Kobo wield a fascinating opportunity related to the type of in depth reading data that Sinead was talking about that can significantly benefit writers and publishers. Links of Interest: Kobo PR - http://news.kobo.com/ Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Mark and Sinead on the KWL Podcast at RT (Romantic Times) – Episode 84 "How to be alone, but not lonely" - An article Sinead wrote about unplugging for a weekend in a style that Henry David Thoreau would certainly appreciate. Related Articles on Reading Data From EBooks: What Canadians Read in 2017 (Most Read and Longest Reading Session Titles) Behind the Digital Screens: Reading habits of the industry's most valuable customers Kobo Writing Life Titles Top Best-Selling and Best-Read lists The Guardian: Ebooks can tell which novels you didn't finish Sinead McElhinney is the Public Relations Specialist at Rakuten Kobo Inc in Toronto, Ontario, where, among other things, she manages Kobo's PR agencies in Canada, the United States, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. She believes in uniting professionalism and personality and is committed to the notion that the right story has the ability to spark meaningful change. This podcast was sponsored by Findaway Voices – a company that gives authors and publishers everything they need to create professionally-narrated audiobooks and reach listeners in more than 170 countries through the world's largest audiobook distribution network

Mark interviews Joanna Penn of www.thecreativepenn.com about her latest book The Healthy Writer: Reduce Your Pain, Improve Your Health, And Build A Writing Career For The Long Term (co-authored with Dr. Euan Lawson) and they also have a discussion about trends in publishing and speculation about the opportunities that might be coming for writers. In his introduction to the episode, Mark announces that Findaway Voices is now an official sponsor. He shares his own experience with using Findaway Voices to create audiobooks and also his plans for some forthcoming projects. In Mark's interview with Joanna, they talk about: The new book Joanna has co-written with Dr. Euan Lawson (The Healthy Writer) as a book she has written because it was something she needed to learn The "letter to sugar" that Joanna shares in the new book and how it was affecting both her physical and mental health How the decision to co-author this title came about (measuring the value that each brings to the project) and how Joanna and Euan worked on it together How Joanna balances her three different personas (JF Penn, dark fantasy/thriller author; Joanna Penn, the optimistic writing and publishing personality, and Penny Appleton, the co-authored books she is writing with her mother) The critical importance of scheduling one's time into blocks of activities, including "time off" from particular types of activities The role that personal connections can play in terms of building and sustaining a sense of community for a writer How Joanna incorporates business related travel and decisions on which events to agree to speak at for helping with research for her fiction projects The state of "burn-out" Joanna had reached almost two years ago and what inspired her to double-down on her own podcast instead of letting it go A strategy for how writers and entrepreneurs can approach out-sourcing some of the work they need to do for their own goals and objectives What has changed in the writing and publishing industry since Joanna started as a blogger and a podcaster almost ten years ago The thing that surprised Joanna the most about what happened in publishing in the past year The challenges that come with being an early adopter in the digital publishing space The potential forthcoming shifts that are likely to be coming within the book industry within the next few years and what it means to authors The story structure, drama, character development and masterfully storytelling from particular movies and television program like The Crown, which are also areas of opportunity for writers What the advent of self-driving cars might mean for content creation and distribution In his post interview wrap-up, Mark shares a short section from The Healthy Writer that has resonated with him, discusses the importance of optimism in a writer's life, and then shares his own plans to train for a half-marathon later this year and how that ties back to an inspirational talk that Joanna gave in a backlist episode from her own The Creative Penn Podcast about a 100 Kilometer ultra marathon that she completed and what that taught her about her own writing. This podcast was sponsored by Findaway Voices – a company that gives authors and publishers everything they need to create professionally-narrated audiobooks and reach listeners in more than 170 countries through the world's largest audiobook distribution network Links of interest: The Creative Penn (Joanna Penn's website) Joanna Penn on Twitter Euan Lawson (Doctor and writer) Euan Lawson on Twitter The Healthy Writer Joanna's 9 Lessons Learned about Writing (from the KWL Blog – Episode 74) Findaway Voices

The start of a new year is always a time for reflection. It's often a look back at the previous year and the goals accomplished during that period. And it usually also involves setting some goals or targets for the year ahead. In this episode, Mark Leslie Lefebvre shares three of the goals that he set for 2017 which he didn't complete. He walks through each of them and demonstrates not only where he missed the goal as well as how he could choose to beat himself up over not achieving his goals, or instead look at what he did manage to accomplish and how that has moved him forward. He also shares the meager earnings associated with a couple of these goals and explains why he feels it is important to share that information. When discussing audiobooks for indie authors, Mark reveals an unexpected source for his recent audiobook income, reminding authors of the importance of publishing widely to as broad a retail base as possible. He also looks at the trend of collaboration in publishing, calls out a few specific elements he has been interested in following (Authors on a Train - and BundleRabbit), and his vision for the continued future of collaboration through digital publishing. Links of Interest The Writing Show - Getting Published with Mark Leslie Public Lending Rights Program (Canada) Authors on a Train - J. Thorn & Zach Bohannon Bundlerabbit.com Mark Leslie's Author Website

Access to publishing has never been easier; and it's an amazing time to be a writer. But it may also be harder and more confusing than it ever has been. You currently have more choices, more options than ever in the history of publishing. What paths are right for you and for your goals? Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing is a weekly podcast starting in January 2018. Drawing upon more than a quarter century of experience as a bookseller, a writer, an editor and a respected and trusted book industry representative, I'm going to speak with folks from both the traditional publishing and indie-publishing communities, and share my own personal experiences and reflections on what I'm continuing to learn as a writer and industry consultant. I hope you'll consider me as an informative and inspirational companion on your writing journey.