Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews David Wind about his forthcoming book THE INDIE WRITER'S HANDBOOK, which is coming in September 2019. Prior to the interview Mark shares a comment from Episode 81 from Jules who shared why he finds it important to write every single day. He also shares a comment that came in via email from Caro who said that she would, in fact, appreciate an episode dedicated to getting your eBook and print book into libraries in the United States, Canada and the UK. Mark then shares a word from this episodes sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and David talk about: When David first started writing and the first book he published in 1981, which he wrote under a female pen name as a way to break into the market because of an industry trend The genres that David was passionate about writing and reading The fact that English and Math were David's two worst subjects in high school His attempt at writing in college, which he set aside for a while before returning to writing in his late twenties Leaving a position within the legal realm to work at a Playboy club in Chicago Writing a thriller (his first novel) just to see if he could write a book The response from Agent William Morris not liking the submitted manuscript but liking David's writing David's favorite editor, Kate Duffy Andre Norton, a legendary science fiction writer David was a big fan of and how she came to mentor him and also publish one of his only short stories How the first book in a YA science fiction series David wrote which has been downloaded close to 70,000 times Why David hates the term "self-publishing" The vanity press, iUniverse, that David used back in 2000 in order to bring back one of his previously traditionally published back into availability How, being fed up with traditional publishing, David whole-heartedly jumped into Kindle Direct Publishing in 2008 The fun David had releasing his first POD self-published book, which was a book he had wanted to write for thirty years and how exhilarating that experience was The transition David experienced when he moved from traditional publishing over to indie publishing Why David decided to write The Indie Writer's Handbook How he was getting frustrated at how people were misunderstanding and looking down on what proper indie publishing can be The 18 steps that the handbook walks authors through related to indie publishing your book After the interview Mark shares a reflection on the reason why David decided to create the book, and shares how he recently wrote an article for a more traditionally focused magazine for writers to serve a similar purpose. In addition, he shares the two winners of the print book COPS AND WRITERS by Patrick O'Donnell from Episode 84, one randomly selected commenter from that episode and one randomly selected Patron of the show. And he explains how listeners can win one of two signed advanbced reader copies of David's forthcoming book for writers. Links of Interest: David Wind's Website David's Books The Indie Writer's Handbook Episode 81 - Jim Kukral on Being Unskippable Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell Episode 87 - You, Your Book, And Bookstores Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections David Wind's first novel was published in 1981 and since then he has had more than 40 books published in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, mystery, thriller and suspense. A hybrid author who cut his chops in traditional publishing and then discovered the opportunity in indie publishing, David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this interview and to his forthcoming book. He is currently the Vice President of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and he has a lot to say about the way by which traditional publishing still looks down their nose and misunderstands what indie publishing is really about. David lives in Florida with his wife and their dog. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark offers a perspective on bookstores, booksellers, and bookselling, and shares ideas on how authors can best get their books into bookstores. Prior to the topic, Mark shares a personal update about the move back upstairs to his renovated office, discusses a comment on a previous episode, reminds listeners about the contest to win a print copy of Patrick O'Donnell's book COPS AND WRITERS, and also thanks Patrons and talks about the patron perks. Mark then shares a word from this episodes sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. When discussing bookstores, Mark covers these topics: The importance of relationships and community Understanding the business side of print bookselling, including the margins How returns work and how that effects a bookseller's willingness to stock books How Mark got chain bookstores to order his self-published book (and how that partially backfired) How bookstores order books VS how consignment works The rules, and why bookstores might sometimes make exceptions to those rules in particular situations Why Mark tied an onion to his belt And more.... Links of Interest: Mark's First Self-Published Book: One Hand Screaming Episode 29 - Interview with Terry Fallis YouTube video of Terry Fallis interview Episode 39 - Professionalism Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark shares audio from the July 19, 2019 Draft2Digital ASK US ANYTHING episode in which Kevin Tumlinson, Dan Wood and Mark answer marketing questions submitted by authors. Links of Interest: The Draft2Digital Facebook Page The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video - June 2019 The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video - July 2019 Draft2Digital Blog Post with video & full transcript from June 2019 Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Annette Spratte a bilingual author living in Germany who has published books in various genres and languages, including a contemporary romance series self-published in English, a children's book series in German with three traditionally published books and two more scheduled for 2020. A historical romance will also be traditionally published in German in 2020. In addition to writing, Annette loves to support Indie authors with affordable translation services. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episodes sponsor... You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark then goes on to thank Patrons of the show as well as those who left comments on episode 84, and who were entered in a chance to win a copy of Patrick O'Donnell's book COPS AND WRITERS. Thanks to Amy Tasukada, Chad Boyer, MZ Lowe, and Vale Nagle for leaving comments. Also, thanks to Patrick O'Donnell for answering the police related questions. In their conversation Mark and Annette talk about: Annette's history as a translator since 1995 before she moved over into book translation, which she enjoys far more The importance of getting the emotion and the tension right in a literary translation (as opposed to legal document translation) Annette's own writing experience with contemporary romance fiction (English) which was self-published and the children's adventure fiction (in German) that has been picked up by a publisher How Annette initially started with a self-publishing services company that she later on found out charged almost $50 for the print book in the US - she managed to get out of that deal and published the book directly herself The size of the German book industry and the fact that eBooks might be as little as 5% of overall book sales Those magic words from a publisher who said to Anette: "I read your book and I couldn't put it down!" How a lot of the romance books on the market in Germany are translations from English A bit of a perspective on the size and reach of Tolino, a major eBook retailer in Germany What it's like for an author from Europe using an American platform for eBook publishing Why authors shouldn't use something like Google translate for translating their novel Subtle differences in the form of address in the German language (formal VS familiar) The genres that Annette works with and prefers to work with in her translation business Why she prefers to avoid horror and erotica translations as well as a preference for fiction over non-fiction The research that can be involved in doing a literary translation, particularly for historical fiction Examples of terms or services that aren't used or known in Germany - such as "Uber" - for example The importance of using the same translator when working through a book series in order to have a consistent style/voice How word of mouth is the most common way that authors and translators connect with one another Typical costs of translations, and Annettes current and lower fees of 3 cents per word How an English speaking/reading author would be able to determine if the translation is a quality one Some of the legal aspects associated with copyright on translations in Germany The fixed price laws for books in Germany and how that has allowed for the continued existence of both chain and independent bookstores in that country The continued popularity of thrillers and romance in the German book market How German readers are perfectly content with books that aren't set in Germany The value of the resources on the site indiesgogerman.com Mark then reflects on the subtle differences in languages, terms, and even different laws in different countries, provinces and states and how this can both be something that can harm a story (ie, an inaccurate overlooked detail), or it can be something that brings an additional depth and realistic richness to a story if used effectively. Links of Interest: Chat with Annette (Blog) Annette's Website Annette's Facebook Page Annette on Instagram Indies Go German Website Findaway Voices Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Patrick O'Donnell who has been with a larger metropolitan police department for the past three decades, about his new book COPS AND WRITERS: From The Academy to the Street. Prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update and then also shares the names of the four winners of the print copies of the book UNSKIPPABLE by Jim Kukral (from Episode 81). Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal updateas well as a word from this episode's sponsor Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversion, which comes with a disclaimer that Patrick does not represent any specific police or law enforcement agency and does not intend for any of the information provided to be intended as legal advice, Mark and Patrick discuss: Patrick's life before police work which included Sociology, Crimonology and an intense passion for music The original goal of wanting to become a high school band director for his career The restaurant management roles that Patrick was involved in and how being a night shift manager at an IHOP he ended up getting in more fights than in the same time period as a police officer The various different ways you can get into a career with the police department and the details related to those methods of entry Learning how to read/understand people via experience as a car salesman The book (I Never Wore Plaid) he wrote about how to buy a car and navigate car salespeople under a pseudonym The unfortunate situation that led to the loss of an opportunity in selling this book to a publisher Patrick's book talking about the loss of his marriage (which is common in the police force) written under a different pseudoynm - Divorced Dad: Kids are Forever, Wives are Not Mad City, the post-apocalyptic novel that he wrote under his own name The reason why Patrick shelved the sequel to Mad City and started to write a series of books about the police force, which includes the first book, Cops and Writers: From the Academy to the Street The seventeen years of working the night shift as a cop The 50/50 chance that the average person has of their marriage failing, how being a cop bumps that up to 70% and how, if both partners are cops, the chances are 90% Some of the basic things that writers can get wrong when it comes to police procedures or protocols What Patrick has learned about book marketing through the various books and genres he has published in After the interview, Mark shares details on how listeners and Patrons can win a print copy of Patrick's new book (you have until July 31, 2019 to leave a comment or question for Patrick on the show notes for Episode 84 at www.starkreflections.ca) as well as his thoughts on the importances of a police procedural book that delves into such detail of this aspect of a police officer's life. Links of Interest Patrick O'Donnell's website Patrick's Books: Cops and Writers I Never Wore Plaid (Joel Grey) Divorced Dad: Kids Are Forever, Wives are Not (L.J. Burke) Mad City Findaway Voices Episode 81 - Becoming Unskippable with Jim Kukral Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark shares the second half of a Draft2Digital "Ask Us Anything" Live Chat that was recorded on Thursday June 27, 2019. The chat was composed of questions submitted by authors and answered by Dan Wood, Kevin Tumlinson, and Mark. Prior to the main segement, Mark shares a personal updateas well as a word from this episode's sponsor Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the Live Chat, Dan, Kevin, and Mark cover these questions: How does Draft2Digital work with its retail and library partners for various promotional opportunities, and what do those platforms look for? Formatting your own copyright page VS the system-generated copyright page option that D2D offers. An overview of publishing your eBooks "wide" to all retailers VS being exclusive to Amazon Kindle. The way that libraries purchase eBooks (the two main liscening options). What's going on with Draft2Digital and Google Play. How can an author get their books onto bookstore and retailer shelves. How Findaway Voices might change the landscape for audiobooks being available beyond Audible. After the recording, Mark reflects on the importance of actually reaching out when there is an offer available to you as an author and taking advantage of it because you and your writing are valuable and worth it. Links of Interest The Draft2Digital Facebook Page The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video Draft2Digital Blog Post with video & full transcript Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark shares the first half of a Draft2Digital "Ask Us Anything" Live Chat that was recorded on Thursday June 27, 2019. The chat was composed of questions submitted by authors and answered by Dan Wood, Kevin Tumlinson, and Mark. Prior to the main segement, Mark shares a personal update, talks about comments from previous episodes and shares a word from this episode's sponsor Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the Live Chat, Dan, Kevin, and Mark cover these questions: What is the biggest missed opportunity on D2D for most indie authors already using the platform? I understand that the ebook will go out to places that are checked on the next page. How can I check on the results? In addition to universal links, what's the benefit of using D2D to list our books? Why are payments from Draft2Digital sometimes delayed? Is the expense for purchasing my own ISBNs worth the outlay? How do promo opportunities work for the various channels you distribute to? Places like Kobo and Apple and OverDrive. I'm confused over how to make Books2Read work for me. Beyond a link on my website, what more should I be doing to help readers find me? Is there some sort of pre-built chart or graph in the Draft2Digital dashboard that shows all your sales in one place? Questions about formatting WORD documents with images for eBooks as well as using Vellum for eBook formatting. After the recording, Mark shares a few thoughts about the idea of asking questions and how questions can be understood differently by different people. Links of Interest The Draft2Digital Facebook Page The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Jim F. Kukral, author of Your Journey to Becoming Unskippable™: (in your business, life & career). Prior to the interview Mark Shares a comment from a previous episode Talks about a new short story he is working on and some of the logistical research challenges that were holding him back Talks about an ASK US ANYTHING Facebook Live chat that Mark, Kevin Tumlinson and Dan Wood will be hosting on the Draft2Digital Facebook page on Thursday July 27 at 3PM Eastern Mark then says a word about this episode's sponsor Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Jim and Mark discuss: Why Jim opened the book sharing his perspective on goals and priorities that have more to do with personal satisfaction than seeking wealth and status The importance of the merger between mindset and business The deeply personal and vulnerable way Jim shared his experience getting involved in local politics The authenticity of Jim's voice in the book which matches the way that he would deliver the same content in person via a conversation or on stage The strategy of not wanting to write a straight-up marketing book, but, instead, a book with business lessons and personal inspiration Jim owning the trademark for the term Unskippable™ The importance of creating powerful moments and "talk triggers" that people will remember well beyond just the "cheapest price" or "fastest delivery" or some other temporary perk from a popsicle hotline at a hotel pool to the Jolly Ranchers that a business supply owner added in to every order The reasons that set you apart, take you to th next level, and make you unskippable and memorable The story behind the mysterious persona "Johnny Showtime" The importance of actually standing for something as a brand in order to reach "belief-driven buyers" After the interview Mark shares the logistics of how listeners can download a free digital copy of Jim's new book, and also possible win some signed copies. Free Digital Download Click here to access your free copy of Unskippable™ Win a Signed Copy of the paperback of Unskippable™ Leave a comment for Episode 81 at www.starkreflections.ca by July 10, 2019. Entrants will be entered into a random draw for a signed copy of the book that Jim will be shipping. All entrants who leave a comment by July 10, 2019 will be entered Possible things to comment about include: What's one point you took away from this interview that you'd want to highlightor reflect on? What's one unique thing about you or your writing that might help you towards establishing yourself as unskippable in today's skippable world? This copy is courtesy of Jim Kukral Win a paperback copy of Unskippable™ All entrants, as above, will be entered in a second random drawing for an additional copy of the paperback Mark will be ordering this via an online bookstore (most likely Amazon, unless the listener is in a country where shipping via a local store there is preferable) One more chance for winning the 3rd paperback copy All Patrons of Stark Reflections will automatically be entered in a chance to win the third copy of the book. (Yes, that means Patrons who comment get an additional chance to win) A final chance for the 4th copy (also for Patrons) Over on Patreon, patrons of the podcast can comment on this post for an additional chance to win a print copy of the book Mark then reflects on something that Jim spoke about in the interview. When Jim was talking about standing for something and brands taking a stance, a solid, non-wishy-washy stance that focuses on beliefs and core values, it reminded Mark of the age-old advice to authors that your book is NOT for everyone. Links of Interest Jim Kukral's Website Your Journey to Becoming Unskippable™ (All Retailers) Jim's other books Jim's podcast: Unskippable with Jim Kukral Jim's co-hosted podcast - The Sell More Books Show The Creative Penn Podcast (Joanna Penn) Episode: How To Be An Unskippable Author with Jim Kukral Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections Jim Kukral is recognized as an expert in online marketing and branding. He delivers insightful and entertaining keynotes to growth-oriented organizations on attention-getting marketing, creative branding and understanding how customers think, react and most importantly, buy. With a passion for speaking and teaching, Jim travels around the world to teach brands and business owners on how they can apply his UNSKIPPABLE method to their marketing and brand mission to generate positive ROI-based outcomes and purposely attract lifetime customers. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Mark O'Neill a writer of German spy thrillers who has released more than a dozen books in his Department 89 spy thriller series in the past couple of years after spending thirty years passionate about writing. Prior to the interview, Mark talks about a Twitter comment from Rachel Amphlett regarding episode 78. He also thanks Patrons of the show who support it via www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Mark also shares a personal update about receiving his annual royalty statement and cheque from one of his publishers, referring to it as "Schrodinger's Envelope" - before the envelope is opened it is both larger than and small than last year's at the same time. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation Mark and Mark talk about: Mark's background in writing via journalism and a life-long passion until he encountered Mark Dawson who opened his eyes to the self-publishing side of things The value of the introduction to self-publishing course that Mark Dawson taught The reasoning behind setting his spy thrillers in Germany as well as making the lead character a strong female spy Mark's contacts in the police, embassy and military that have been helpful for research in his novels The concept of Mark's thrillers not being for those who want 100% accuracy but are there to enjoy the escape and fantasy of a novel that is just an entertaining romp The importance of not focusing on Captain Sophie Decker, the main character, as a sex object, but as a specialist and capable professional regardless of being male or female A bit of the backstory of how Decker created Department 89 The different English and German media programs that Mark might have been partially inspired by when writing this series The German translations that Mark has produced for the first two books in the series A little about the difference in the German market as compared to the North America and UK markets The media page that Mark has on his author website What Mark would go back and tell his younger writer self about what he has learned in the past two years Links of Interest Mark O'Neill's Website Mark's Media Kit Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Formula Courses Episode 51 - Interview with Rachel Amphlett Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark is a 40-something Scotsman, now living the expatriate lifestyle in Würzburg, Germany. He has been writing in one form or another for the past 30 years. However, he is now an independently published fiction writer, currently working on the Department 89 espionage novels starring the female spy Captain Sophie Decker, protecting the German state. The first D89 book, "The Renegade Spy" was downloaded more than 4,000 times in the first 4 weeks. Plots have been outlined for up to 20 Department 89 novels. The first book, "The Renegade Spy" has received rave reviews, with one reviewer comparing Sophie Decker to the female version of Bruce Willis's character, John McClaine, in the Die Hard movies. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this slightly shorter episode (which was initially intended to be a bonus episode for Patreon supporters of the podcast), Mark does a "reflections on other podcasts" show. He shares a clip from the Kobo Writing Life Podcast where Christine Munroe interviews Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn and then reflects on some of the things that Michael talks about. Prior to the interview, Mark reads some listeners comments from Pranathi and Chad Boyer and also thanks new podcast patron Linda Stirling for supporting the show via www.patreon.com/starkreflections and talks a little about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by BundleRabbit You can learn more about how authors can use BundleRabbit as a collaborative publishing tool over at www.bundlerabbit.com. In the interview, which is a clip from Episode 153 of the Kobo Writing Life podcast, podcast co-host Christine Munroe interviews Michael Tamblyn. Michael shares an intriguing and meaningful response to the question Why Kobo? and also talks about other things that are important to this eBook and audiobook retailer that is focused on the reading experience. After the short clip, Mark reflects on the comments from Michael. Links of Interest Kobo Writing Life Podcast - Episode 153 - Why Our CEO Loves Indie Authors Bundlerabbit Episode 9 of Stark Reflections - Interview with Chuck Heintzelman of BundleRabbit Episode 27 - Jamie Ferguson on Bundles, Curation and Collaboration Killing It On Kobo Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark shares some thoughts and reflections from last week's visit to Book Expo America in New York. He explains a bit about what the fair is, why the fair is, his impressions and thoughts of this year's fair and a bit about its history, as well as a few news items related to the fair. Prior to the main content, Mark talks about a few comments and welcomes new Patron Stanley B. Trice. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During the episode Mark talks about: Headline - a cool way to promote your audio content An intriguing blog series from Penguin Random House with insights into traditional publishing A deal between Dreamscape Media and LMBPN Publishing (Michael Anderle's publishing company) James A. Hunter and the publishing company (Shadow Alley Press) that he runs with his wife Jeanette Links of Interest Book Expo America BISG (Book Industry Study Group) LMBPN Publishing Dreamscape/LMBPN Press Release Shadow Alley Press Penguin Random House Blog Series (Book Lover's Guide to Publishing) 1 - Publishing Ephemera 2 - Publishing Process 3 - Printing & Production 4 - Design & Size Findaway Voices Blog post on using Headliner to promote your audio Stark Reflections Survey Patreon for Stark Reflections The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark chats with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch about writing with chronic health issues, contract negotiations with publishers, mistakes that authors are making, and so much more. Prior to the interview, Mark does a little house-keeping regarding winners of Danny Bell's first novel from Episode 70, reads new comments, thanks Patrons who support the show, and talks about being in New York this week for Book Expo America. Mark also shares a recent presentation that Michael Tamblyn, CEO of Kobo, presented to the BISG (Book Industry Study Group) in late April. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation Kris and Mark talk about: Kris's recent move and the discoveries made in relation to a book she recently released called WRITING WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS How Kris's entire life has revolved around exercise and writing and that likely made a positive difference for her despite huge health challenges that she faced, and potentially is what might have kept her alive The realization that Kris made only recently that she had never learned how to rest The way she utilizes running and walking to benefit her writing How Kris's training in radio automatically activates her "critical voice" The rotating playlists Kris uses when running (often ones that have to have a really good beat) The move from 5000 square feet (with offices across the house from one another) to 1600 square feet (and a shared office) and how Kris and her husband Dean manage their own unique writing spaces The value for writers in understanding the way that different editors approach a piece of writing Breaking down the myth that there's a single book (or story) out there that everyone will love What "reader cookies" are and how they can play upon an editor's personal preferences A look at "anti-reader cookies" - element or content in a story that an editor hates or will refuse to read How Ray Bradbury practiced writing a short story a day The concept of "writing into the dark" when creating your first draft and how that plays into the fact we have been consuming stories since we were pre-verbal How, with so many tasks, deadlines and balls in the air, Kris decides what writing project to work on next The importance of growing as a writer by writing about things that stretch or challenge her How Kris's book DEALBREAKERS helped Mark negotiate a much better contract with his publisher The choice of "walking" which writers always have when being presented with a publishing contract The three big things that Kris sees that indie authors are not doing correctly: Following Trends, Burning Out and Neglecting their Personal Lives/Families/Health, Following the Scams (that promise seemingly impossible results) The free content that Kris shares (both fiction and non-fiction) on her website on a regular basis, and the origin for both The value of networking and personal connections made during in-person workshops (both the craft workshops as well as the business workshops) The "no politics" and "no religion" rules that Kris and Dean operate within for their workshops (which allows writers to bond regardless of their political or religious biases After the interview, Mark reflects upon one of the things Kris said regarding taking a workshop when it's in town as opposed to removing yourself from your regular schedule/life, and why the travel/removal of one's self from day to day life for such a learning/bonding experience can be valuable. Links of Interest Kristine Kathryn Rusch Business Musings Blog Posts Book: Writing with Chronic Illness WMG Publishing WMG Writing and Publishing Workshops Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Kris writes in almost every genre and her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in more than twenty best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov's Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award. Kris also has an extensive history in publishing and editing, having been the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction as well as co-publishing the original Puuse Magazine with her husband, Dean Wesley Smith. The two now run WMG Publishing, which publish a revised version of Pulphouse, the Fiction River anthology series and many other projects, along with running publishing workshops both online and in person.

In this episode Mark interviews Sarah McVanel, author, professional speaker, and owner of the boutique firm Greatness Magnified, about her latest book FLIP SIDE OF FAILING. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update (which includes being stuck in Oklahoma City for a couple of extra days due to tornado-rich storms) and also shares a word from this episode's sponsor Findaway Voices . . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Sarah and Mark talk about: Sarah's introduction to being a writer and a speaker when a work colleague that she adored decided to retire How we (the corporate world) don't properly leverage recognition Sarah's first book F.R.O.G. (Forever Recognize Others' Greatness) and the accompanying workbook that provided tools she co-authored with Brenda Zalter-Minden How Sarah and Brenda collaborated on the books Recognizing the two distinct author voices in their particular collaboration and how they leveraged that The exploratory method that took two years for Sarah and Brenda to write their first book How Home Depot was the first big corporate client to hire Sarah because they discovered her first book A personal and professional turning-point moment involving Sarah's son, dealing with bullying, and cutting Sarah's new book Flip Side of Failing and how she didn't plan on writing a book on failure The common theme of the book that you can fail and still be great - and how failure can help us achieve greater success How we have to have a failure-friendly mindset, and be in a context that accepts failure in order to elevate from failure The acronym ACCEPT (Acquire / Choice / Connection / Expect / Progress / Transformation) How Sarah launched the book exclusively at the Spark Women's Leadership Conference on May 16th prior to the book's global release on May 21st. Everyone at the conference gets a book, Sarah does a keynote, and there's a panel that Sarah moderates on the topic of failing How you are going to show up if you believe in your new book and what it offers to readers The importance of attaching your book launch to an event After the interview Mark reflects on two things from the conversation with Sarah that were important to him. First, the importance of recognizing the greatness in others. And second, the concept Sarah mentioned that you don't always write the book you planned to write. Mark then thanks Patrons of the show and reminds them of the additional audio content available to them (including a few answers to four questions post that went up earlier that same day) - he also riffs off of a couple of verbal errors he previously made. Links of Interest Sarah McVanel's Website Flip Side of Failing Forever Recognize Others' Greatness The FROG Effect Workbook Sarah's Speaker Profile Sarah's Video Resources Findaway Voices EP 005 - Global Audiobook Opportunities for Authors EP 022 - Finding my Way with Findaway Patreon for Stark Reflections CAPS - Canadian Association of Professional Speakers Stark Reflections Survey SARAH McVANEL helps individuals leverage the exponential power of recognition to retain top talent, fuel healthy teams and sustain healthy bottom lines. She speaks nationally on the topic, leads workshops, coaches leaders, and conducts organizational recognition program reviews. Sarah specializes in working with service-based organizations and "helping professionals." Sarah is a Certified Speaker Professional (CSP), Certified Senior Organizational Development Professional (CSODP), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), and president of the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). She has a BA in Psychology, MSc in Family Relations, and Diplomas in Human Resources and Healthcare Administration. Sarah has over 18 years' experience including at a senior leadership level and now owns boutique firm Greatness Magnified. She is an author of peer-reviewed journals, articles and four books. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark has a chat with Carolyn Arnold (the author of the Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures) and her husband George. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares the fact that he is in Oklahoma City, OK, spending a week at the Draft2Digital offices. He also talks about the importance of connecting in person (both with respect to hanging out with his colleagues from D2D as well as the in-person connections that happen at writer conferences). He also shares his experience attending the Alicia Witt concert at The Blue Door in OKC and as well as his involvement "working backstage" or "front of house" for the evening. In addition, he talks about the anger that fans of Game of Thrones have been expressing recently, and a petition fans are signing along with the thought that the emotional investment fans are displaying is evidence of really powerful and effective storytelling. In their chat, Mark, Carolyn and George talk about: How long Carolyn and George have been collaborating as a husband and wife team and writer and publisher George's 25 years of experience as a designer before he adapted that knowledge into designing Carolyn's book covers Carolyn's start in writing in a serious way in 2006 shortly after a work colleage asked her to tell her a story What drew Carolyn to the dark corners of murder and mysteries The way that Carolyn doesn't really know the end of her novels and that she investigates along with her investigators How writing 10 books in a single year led to Carolyn's need of having George start to do the formatting of the eBooks and print books for her Carolyn's belief that, though she is the creative person (the writer) that George is also a very creative person in their partnership The need for divided and separating their at home work spaces Strategy and detailed analytics that into the launch of each new book How the message in Carolyn's book IN THE LINE OF DUTY is nearest and dearest to her heart The research involved ERT and SWAT to ensure accuracy in the details of Carolyn's novels The origin of Carolyn's two main branding catch phrases The spreadsheet Carolyn and George have with various contacts and specialists from police, FBI, coroners, etc Long term and patient curation of and engagement with Carolyn's fan base The way Carolyn alternates between writing in her difference series books The business decision behind the settings for Carolyn's novels in the US rather than in Canada The value of ARC and early reader feedback and how they use Bookfunnel for that The "empowering to women" effect of Carolyn's Madison Knight series and character How SHADES OF JUSTICE was influenced by a double homicide that happened in Toronto Strategies regarding moving into audiobooks How the beauty of a leaf led to freeing up Carolyn's creative mind in determing the solution to a novel she had been working on Advice that Carolyn and George would offer to help a creative person transition their passion to a full time career After the interview, Mark reflects on the creativity involved in publishing and marketing. He then thanks recent commenters on the podcast and Patreon supporters. Links of Interest Carolyn Arnold's Website Hibbert and Styles Publishing Alicia Witt A clip from the end of the song "Liz" that Alicia wrote for Mark A recent blog post where Mark gushes about Alicia's music The Blue Door OKC Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™. Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. She currently lives in London, Ontario with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime. GEORGE ARNOLD is a graphic design artist with nearly thirty years experience. Through his employment with a local graphic company, his talent has been put to work for many big names including 3M, M

In this episode, Mark shares a live discussion from the Rock Apocalypse conference and workshop in Cleveland, OH that took place in early May 2019. The session is a recorded panel discussion from the two day event. Zach Bohannon moderated a panel discussion with T.W. Piperbrook, J, Thorn, Jim Kukral and Mark. Prior to the interview, Mark reads a few comments from listeners from the previous episode and thanks Patrons and commenters for engaging with the podcast. He then shares a word from the episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares the details of how he planned a marriage proposal for his girlfriend with Alicia Witt at her recent Toronto live concert performance, and plays a few clips from the song Alicia wrote for the engagement. The panel discussion that was recorded at the Cleveland conference features Zach asking the panelists about: How they got started in publishing What's advice they'd offer their 2019 self What they think might be coming in the future of publishing Links of Interest Alicia Witt A clip from the end of the song "Liz" that Alicia wrote A recent blog post where Mark gushes about Alicia's music The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto The Career Author Summit Findaway Voices J. Thorn Zach Bohannon T. W. Piperbrook Jim Kukral Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Additional music in this episode: "Liz" was written, composed and produced by Alicia Witt. Copyright © 2019 Alicia Witt. "Bobcaygeon" written by Rob Baker, Gord Downey, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, from the album Phantom Power Copyright © 1999 by The Tragically Hip

In this solo episode Mark reflects upon the concept of Digital Minimalism that he is reading about in Cal Newport's new book. Prior to the main topic of this episode, Mark shares a personal update regarding his travel to Cleveland, OH to participate in the "Rock Apocalypse 2019" event held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and run by J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon. The event is described, quite aptly as: "A world-building experience, writer's seminar, and your destination vacation in two epic days!" Along with the intimate and engaging world-building with the small group of writers, Mark talks about Eric and Rinn from Findaway Voices (this episode's sponsor) and things they shared with the writers. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark talks about listening to Newport's latest book on his drive from Waterloo, ON to Cleveland, OH. This book is a bid for Newport become the Marie Kondo of technology - to help people realize where digital technology bring value and where it takes away value. Mark also shares how the book references the writing and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, and shares a clip from a radio program he hosted in 2008 that asked how much more connected we could get. He finds it startling how much MORE has happened since that 2008 reflection. He then shares a concept for his own attempt at adapting some of Newport's recommendations into his own digital life and at the importance of disconnecting from technology, connecting with the physical world, being in the moment, and the value and benefit that comes with allowing yourself to become bored. As the show ends, Mark thanks new patron Leigh Anne Beckett, as well as all patrons and listeners to the show. He also shares the winners of the prizes for comments on Episodes 70 and 71. Links of Interest Cal Newport's Website Cal Newport's Books Findaway Voices Blog post about Authors Direct StoryBundle "The Write Stuff" Bundle (limited time offer) Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Sheena Cundy, the author of the Witch Lit series of novels that include The Madness and the Magic and Bonkers and Broomsticks. Prior to the personal update, Mark shares a word from the episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices - specifically about the promotional opportunities available through Voices Plus as well as the fact that Findaway is opening their Authors Direct beta up even wider.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update Mark talks about: The 12 hour delay in publishing of this episode due to meetings, taxes and Avengers: Endgame No spoilers, just how much Mark enjoyed the new Avengers movie (and brief reflections on previous spoilers from The Empire Strikes Back and The Crying Game) Visiting Cleveland for Rock Apocalypse event run by The Career Author Podcast folks J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon In their interview, Mark and Sheena talk about: The origin of Sheena's treehouse and the different creative tasks she does in the treehouse Sheena's interest in promoting other creative people via her Treehouse TV YouTube video The band, Morrigan's Path, that Sheena has played in for five years Her origin getting into the band with her husband as a lyrisist and vocalist based on her poetry The "single release" strategy that the band has engaged in as a lead-in to the release of their third album How, even though they get paid to perform gigs, the band and the music has always been for the love of it Sheena's Witch Lit series (about a crazy witch having a mid-life crisis) which includes The Madness and the Magic and Bonkers and Broomsticks The initial serialization of Sheena's first book on a pagan blog after writing it during NaNoWriMo The role of Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing 101 course in helping Sheena evolve from traditional and into indie publishing How Sheena divides up her time and schedule with her various creative activities The DIY approach she has taken with her publishing tasks and schedule The timing of the release of Book 2 (Bonkers and Broomsticks) on May 1st with Beltane ("May Day") a Gaelic pagan seasonal festival Sheena's forthcoming visit to 20Books50K Edinburgh and her fascination with the ethos of that group How you can become like a sponge when you're thirsty for learning The importance of being with people who are already doing what you want to do The value of networking and connecting with people in the flesh as well as on a 1:1 basis Focusing on your target audience and readers How Witch Lit is defined as being Chick Lit with Witches The creativity that all of us have and the importance of trusting that it will find its own expression in its own format After the interview, Mark reflects on what Sheena said about the importance of having good feedback and encouragement in your creative endeavors which helps provide the confidence to keep moving forward and to keep writing and to keep practicing. Mark shares one of his own experiences of a fantastic high school English teacher, Gary Furhman, whose comment on a short story he wrote in Grade 11 had a profound and lasting impact on him. Links of Interest Sheena Cundy's Website Music: https://morriganspath.bandcamp.com/ Morrigan's Path Video: TreehouseTV (YouTube) The Witch Lit Facebook Group The Witch Lit YouTube Show Promo Video for lastest Morrigan's Path Album Findaway Voices Blog post about Authors Direct CNET Article on when to take a pee break during Avengers: Endgame Public Lending Right (PLR) Program Canada Australia New Zealand United Kingdom StoryBundle "The Write Stuff" Bundle (limited time offer) Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Sheena Cundy is a witch, wife, mother, and musician. She teaches the Tarot, spiritual development and horse riding, and sings and writes songs for her pagan band - Morrigans Path. She is also the author of a non-fiction book The Magic of Nature Oracle and the Witch Lit series of novels that include The Madness and the Magic and Bonkers and Broomsticks. Sheena says that she wrote this debut novel to keep out of prison, a straitjacket and the divorce courts while battling with dodgy hormones during a mid-life crisis. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews USA Today bestselling author Patricia McLinn about her three decades of experience in writing and publishing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the personal update section Mark shares the following: A reminder about the Public Lending Right for Canadian authors (and authors from UK, AU, NZ) An article he recently wrote for Hamilton Magazine (including a bit about the TV show The Hilarious House of Frightenstein An interview he did with the guys from the Paranormal Faction Podcast in Harriston, Ontario in a haunted theatre His forthcoming visit to Book Expo America in New York An update on the prize offered for commenters on Episode 70 The deadline to comment has been extended to the end of April A new StoryBundle called the Write Stuff 2019 Spring Bundle that is available until early May. A steal for $5 for 4 books or 15 for all 12 books plus a $50 online lecture. Listeners will have a chance to win this bundle In their chat, Mark and Patricia talk about: The original publishers Patricia worked with when she had a few different series traditionally published How hearing a talk at NINC given by Chris Anderson (who coined the concept of "The Long Tail") inspired Patricia to take a fresh look at the publishing industry and to consider indie publishing opportunities The "Writer's Work" website Patricia created in 2009 as "insurance" in case the publishing industry went a little bonkers Getting the rights back for all of her previously released works (except for one German edition of a title) CONTROL being one of the main differences between traditional publishing and indie or self-publishing The difference in timeframes and how publishers will sometimes sit on a manuscript for a year The reality of the "16 days" you had on the bookstore shelves with titles published in the Harlequin Silhouette imprint What clauses and types of contracts would have to have for Patricia to consider signing one again Of course, mid-way through the interview, Patricia turns the table and starts asking Mark questions. After a brief section of talking about things publishers do well, and things they don't do so well, Mark realizes what Patricia has done (she is a great podcast host and asks great questions), and turns the tables back on her. They then talk about: What dried wallpaper paste has to do with helping Patricia make the move towards writing and publishing The one letter Patricia got back from an editor earlier in her career that said: "It's clear that you know nothing about the publishing industry" The various elements of romance and mystery that Patricia likes to include in her writing How Patricia feels that writing 3 to 5 books a year still isn't enough to keep up with the characters and ideas floating through her mind The reasons why Patricia started the Authors Love Readers Podcast and how she wanted to model over a simple conversation with a writer where readers could eavestrough Patricia's recent non-fiction book for writers called Survival Kit for Writers Who Don't Write Right How authors have approached Patricia with tears in their eyes after she delivered a presentation on this same topic because they thought they were the only ones who wrote in a more "pantsing" type of style The reason why Patricia has the book for sale for 99 cents on her own website Patricia's number one piece of advice for writers - that writing advice is a buffet. You can try a bit of this, a bit of that, go back for seconds of something else. YOU control the buffet After the interview Mark reflects on the concept of writing advice being a buffet that authors can selectively pick and choose from. Links of Interest Patricia McLinn's Website Patricia on Twitter Patricia's Author Facebook Page Patricia's Pinterest Patricia on Instagram Patricia's Podcast: Authors Love Readers Findaway Voices Public Lending Right (PLR) Program Canada Australia New Zealand United Kingdom StoryBundle "The Write Stuff" Bundle (limited time offer) Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey USA Today bestselling author Patricia McLinn spent more than 20 years as an editor at the Washington Post after newspaper stints in Rockford, Ill., and Charlotte, N.C. She received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University. McLinn is the author of more than 47 published novels, which are cited by readers and reviewers for wit and vivid characterization. Her books include mysteries, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, historical romance and women's fiction. They have topped bestseller lists and won numerous awards. Now living in Northern Kentucky, McLinn loves to hear from readers through her website, Facebook and Twitter. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompete

In this episode, Mark interviews author Danny Bell and voice actor and model Whitton A. Frank about The Black Pages series that Danny writes and Whitton narrates. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the personal update segment Mark shares an update on the work for the self-narrated audiobook version of The 7 P's of Publishing Success as well as his recent guest spot on Episode 6 of Joanna Penn's new Books & Travel Podcast. In their chat, Danny, Whitton, and Mark talk about: How the initial idea for "The Black Pages" came to Danny from a variety of sources, including something he reflected upon when watching Doctor Who. Danny's interest in the deaths of secondary characters on various television shows in which are often shared as no big deal, whereas if the protagonist or their close friends suffered the same fate, it was a major trauma. Purposly not making the protagonist a straight white guy The element of humor that is a part of the narrator in Empty Threat. How Elana is a black and white character in a morally grey universe and was created with a lot of room to grow through each book. The unique experience of Whitton as both the voice and the face of Elana. How Danny and Whitton clicked when they met at a party that neither of them had been in a mood to want to be at. The way that Danny started seeing Whitton in his head when he was writing the character of Elana. Whitton modeling for the concept art for the cover, which led to the cover designer asking if she would be the model in the actual shoot. Voice Over Atlanta, the biggest VO conference in the US that Elana just got back from. The plans for the release of book three in the series and the special "full cast" production of this one (with Whitton still as the main narrator). The debate over whether or not Elana needed to have a love interest in the first two books And more . . . After the interview, Mark makes an offer to do a random giveaway to two people who comment on the show notes for Episode 70 at www.starkreflections.ca. Comments have to be posted by Noon EST on Thursday April 18th and eligible entries will be comments about one of the following: What book would you love to escape into? (the way Elana can slip into a book) What secondary character from any fictional world? (book, television, movie, etc) would you love to save (the way Elena saves the lives of secondary characters) Mark then reflects upon the concept of something Danny said in the interview - "the most important thing you can do is to FINISH." After, Mark shares a brief clip from the opening of Empty Threat. Links of Interest The Audiobook Mastering Guide (by Wesley Ingram) The 7 P's of Publishing Success (Computer Narrated Version) Findaway Voices The Books and Travel Podcast Episode 6 - Macabre Montreal Danny Bell Author Central Profile The Black Pages on Facebook Matt Altman IMDB Star Wars Toy Stories Anthony Brodeur Whitton Frank - Website Whitton Frank - ACX Narrator Profile Getting Published with Mark Leslie (The Writing Show Podcast Reality Series where Mark attempted to write A Canadian Werewolf in New York while being tracked and interviewed about his progress) Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Danny Bell is the USA Today Best Selling Author and Amazon #1 Best Selling Author of The Black Pages and he nearly had an out of body experience when he realized that the song Mr. Brightside by The Killers is thirteen years old and that would surely mean that he was also older than thirteen. Older than double in fact! Certainly not triple. He has three cats, Mister, Jameson, and Koala, and they all tolerate each other. He would never compare himself to Robocop, why would he do that? He plans to continue to write books forever with hope that one day there will be a Quantum Leap style thing where Dr. Sam Beckett will help fix his life, or failing that, the time-traveling ghost of Samuel Beckett, the author, will tell him that he has been pronouncing 'Godot' wrong the whole time. He isn't sure why anyone ever wants a bio, but if you're willing to read random things about him that may or may not be true, he's willing to provide you with them. Whitton Frank performed in her first show when she was 8 years old, and spent her summers through her high school studying at theAmerican Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.After majoring in Acting and Creative Writing at Carnegie Mellon University, Whitton travelled to Russia to study at the Moscow Art Theatre. Following this Whitton moved to Los Angeles and was subsequently discovered by Tony Basil. This meeting led to her role in the US TV series 'Cold Case' and the films 'Amnesia' and 'Who Are You?', both of which won awards at various film festivals around the USA. In 2016 Whitton launched her own production compa

In this solo episode, Mark shares an article that he'd had published in the summer of 2009 when he was asked to make a prediction about something that likely wouldn't exist in publishing ten years later. WARNING: This episode contains a short clip of Mark singing a parody version of "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams. (He couldn't help it. Song lyrics haunt his brain. The minute he mentioned the summer of 2009, the classic Adams song came to mind.) Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .He talks about the sources of his latest payment from Findaway Voices, which don't include the big players, like Audible or Apple, or Google, or Kobo. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. As an introduction to the article, Mark shares the back-story of how he wrote article for an online magazine called The Mark News (no relation) on the topic of publishing and bookselling. This had been back when he was on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Booksellers Association, an active member of a couple of Campus Bookstore associations as well, and heavily involved in using the print-on-demand technology of The Espresso Book Machine in a bookstore in Hamilton, Ontario. The reason Mark started thinking about the article in question was because of a sale he noticed on Kindle for the book that the article was republished in. A 2011 volume called Living at the Tip: Navigating the Digital Tipping Point of the Book World. This book is something Mark published in the space of a few hours when Kindle first announced KDP Select, their exclusivity program. He collected the articles together, used Amazon's cover generation tool and published it, just to have a title in the program at all times. In the article being shared, Mark explains the basic workings of territorial rights and how it has historically operated with publishers in various countries, agents, and authors. He also shares his own frustration with the fake virtual borders in a digital world that don't seem necessary because the old ones were based on warehousing books inside the borders of a country after they were shipped there, or the rights were acquired for that territory. In a digital world, the shipping of dead trees from continent to continent is not an issue, and, therefore, is something that Mark speculated SHOULD begin to disappear ten years from when he wrote it in 2009. He goes on to explain how self-published and indie authors and smaller publishers have embraced the new digital world in ways that the major or larger publishers haven't. This is most likely due to the fact that big publishers are heavily invested in printing, stocking and shipping physical books, which represents the majority of their revenue. Links of Interest Living at the Tip (Amazon link) Reflections on Digital Publishing (Video clips from an interview with Mark in 2012) Mark's Super-Brief History of Publishing (a breif excerpt from a talk about the Future of Publishing from a 2014 Writers of the Future Awards ceremony - HINT: Mark's predication was that it would involve more collaboration than ever before) Findaway Voices Bryan Adams Website Music video for "Summer of '69" Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The song "Summer of '69" was performed by Bryan Adams. It was written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, a long-time writing partner of Adams. It was produced by Bryan Adams and Bob Clearmountain and released in June 1985 by A&M Records as the fourth-single from the album Reckless. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark interviews Brian Meeks, author of Mastering Amazon Ads and Mastering Amazon Descriptions. The interview was recorded during a Facebook Live video on the Stark Publishing Facebook page. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the personal update area, Mark talks about a recent 40% off Box Set promotion that he and author Sean Costello had with Kobo, how they added their own push for the promo, and how it helped them sell more copies not just on Kobo, but also on Kindle, Apple and Nook. Mark talks about the detailed analysis of the promo which he published for Patreon supporters of the podcast and thanks them for their ongoing support. In their chat, Mark and Brian talk about: How Brian once put off launching a fiction title for 60 days because he wanted to avoid the task of writing the product description How a description done correctly will convert at about 1 in 10 (1:10) - ie, ten views of an ad will result in a click through to the product by a potential customer The most common problems that authors face when trying to write their book product description The idea of using previous or existing reviews of a book to find hints and clues to what made the book special to readers Ways authors can practice writing or creating compelling product descriptions The ultimate goal of a product description, which is to get a potential reader to READ your book Creating a log line that can be used as an "elevator pitch" How formatting of a description can be as important as the words used in that description How the main goal of the FIRST line (or opening hook) of a product description is to get the reader to read the SECOND line The concept of the call to action to request the reader to "buy" or "get" the book today Brian's story of the "miracle product description" How customers don't care so much the difference between $2.99 or $4.99 and that their TIME in reading the book is something they consider more valuable, more precious The concept of variance, and how it can take 1000 clicks before you have enough data to accurately measure the results of a data set Amazon Ads for authors who are published exclusively to Kindle (KDP Select and part of Kindle Unlimited) VS authors who publish their books "wide" to all retail platforms Why an author shouldn't spend more than 90 seconds writing up their advertising copy What is a good place to start or to learn how Amazon Advertising works for you The critical importance of patience and setting expectations and how much investment of time and energy it takes to perfect the process How "Bid Plus" is a terrible idea for authors to use in Amazon Advertising How Brian gives about 7 to 10 days for an ad to see if they are "getting turned on" and, if it isn't, he kills it The differences of playing within the Amazon Advertising world today compared to how it used to be In his post-interview reflections, Mark talks about three things from the chat that stuck with him. The idea of NOT using the "Bid Plus" option when creating Amazon Advertising Ads The concept of having a first line / log line of 4 to 6 words to grab the attention of a potential reader in your book description The methodology of incorporating elements from reader reviews of your book when revising your book's blurb Links of Interest Brian Meeks Website Mastering Amazon Ads Facebook Group Mastering Amazon Descriptions Facebook Group Brian's Amazon Page The Facebook Live video for the interview segment of this podcast Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Brian D. Meeks is an author who writes under his name and the pen name Arthur Byrne. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark interviews Nancy Christie, the author of the award-winning book Rut-Busting for Writers. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . .You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the personal update for this episode, Mark shares some of the work he has done in his "Canadian Werewolf" universe, including the recent audiobook version of the short story "This Time Around," reworking the cover for A Canadian Werewolf in New York and the short story to include a wolf image (giving the book a bit more of an urban fantasy look and feel), and the new short story he is currently working on that he is calling "Stowe Away" and which he describes as a cross between "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" and "Logan." In their conversation, Mark and Nancy talk about: Nancy's passion for writing that started in the 2nd grade How she had never planned on being an author until she "accidentally" published her first book The two years of personal journal entries she started when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and how that evolved into a book project The Rut-Busting workshops Nancy had been offering which ended up being adapted into a book Strategies for dealing with procrastination The concept of creating a writing roadmap The importance of consistency with devoting the time to writing The value of the 30 minute / 30 day strategy that Nancy recommends The writing toolbox and the objects Nancy uses from them in a writing workshop And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on a few things Nancy said, including the concept of "just get started" as well as the idea of making time to write for 30 minutes every day for 30 days. Links of Interest Nancy Christie's Website Nancy's Author Profile on Facebook Nancy on Twitter Nancy on Pinterest Nancy on Instagram Nancy on YouTube Nancy's Blog Article on Book Launch Tips Findaway Voices Scott Overton Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Nancy Christie is the author of the award-winning Rut-Busting Book for Writers, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and The Gifts Of Change. Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications. Peripheral Visions and Other Stories, Christie's second short fiction collection, won a second place award in the prestigious 2018 Royal Palm Literary Award Competition. It's scheduled for publication in 2020 by Unsolicited Press. She is currently working on Rut-Busting Book for Authors, a companion book to Rut-Busting Book for Writers, that will be released Fall 2019. A professional writer based in Ohio, Christie provides copywriting services to agencies, businesses and organizations nationwide through her company, Professional Writing Services. A member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Florida Writers Association and Short Fiction Writers Guild (SFWG), Christie teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries and schools. She is also the founder of the annual "Celebrate Short Fiction" Day (www.nancychristie.com/focusonfiction/celebrate-short-fiction-day/). The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark interviews Adriel Wiggins about the behind the scenes support she provides authors as both a virtual assistant as well as a continuity editor. Prior to the interview, Mark provides a short personal update and talks about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their chat, Mark and Adriel discuss: The backstory of how Adriel got involved in becoming an author's virtual assistant The random jobs she had been working at prior to taking editorial and VA type work The different and unique tasks that each author Adriel works with use her for What she looks for in terms of authors that she is interested in working with How an author can determine if they are ready for a virtual assistant Typical charges for a virtual assistant's various tasks What continuity editing is and why it is important The four types of editing (Developmental Editing, Copy/Line Editing, Proofreading, Continuity Editing) The eggs benedict breakfast that James A Owen hosts at Superstars Writing Seminars The importance of valuing yourself After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of valuing yourself and your time as a writer. Links of Interest Adrielwiggins.com Adreiel's Pricing Info Adriel on Working with an Assistant Adriel's curated resources Findaway Voices Scott Overton Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Whether she is running her own business, tackling administrative duties at her local Christian school, or raising her family, Adriel Wiggins always seems to find herself the center of a situation in need of organization. Combining her passion for organization and optimization with her love of books, Adriel Wiggins now helps authors to streamline the non-writing aspects of managing a successful writing career. For more than four and a half years, she's balanced the in's and out's of book promotion, community growth, online marketing, and more for a growing roster of clients from around the world. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark shares an article that he recently had published in WRITE magazine, the official magazine of The Writer's Union of Canada. In the word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .. . . Mark shares a recent announcement from BookBub regarding Chirp, the new audiobook promotion service they are launching in partnership with Findaway. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark reflects on how procrastination recently led to him finally being "caught with his pants down" at the recent WMG Publishing anthology workshop. For the main segment of the show, Mark reads an article entitled "Two Publishing Paths Diverged in a Digital World: A Stark Look at Self-Publishing" which appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of WRITE magazine. He then talks about why he feels it was important for this article to appear in that particular magazine. Links of Interest BookBub Announcement About Chirp (Audiobook Promotion) Findaway Voices Fiction River Pulphouse Magazine WMG Anthology Workshop The Writers' Union of Canada Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this extremely short episode, Mark talks about Procrastination and how it has been a significant part of who he is and how he works on projects. He talks a bit about the Fiction River anthology project that he is currently in Vegas for as an editor (and how that relates to this topic), as well as Tim Urban's hilarious and yet accurate portrayal of what goes on in side the mind of a master procrastinator. Links of Interest: Tim Urban Tim Urban's TED talk on Procrastination: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator Wait But Why (Blog) Fiction River WMG Anthology Workshop Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark plays clips from a couple of other podcasts, shares some personal updates related to his own audiobook products, and goes neck deep into his thoughts about audiobooks for authors. The episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices.. . . you can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Some of the topics Mark covers in this episode include: How much he still loves the 1987 song "Somewhere Down The Crazy River" by Robbie Robertson A FreeBooksy promo he recently ran on an erotic horror title called SOMETHING WICKED (Nocturnal Screams 7) A BookBub promo he ran with his pal Sean Costello for the book HERE AFTER A new computer synth version of his book The 7 P's of Publishing Success that is now available and why he is pricing this version at 99 cents A sample from his new VocoCraft computer synth version of the book, as well as the same sample from the human self-narrated version of the book The recent Public Lending Right Program check he received for the appearance of his books in Canadian libraries and why authors in Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries that have a PLR program should take advantage of that His recent guest appearance on The Sell More Books Show with Jim Kukral (Mark stepped in at the last minute to replace co-host Bryan Cohen who was ill) A short clip from Episode 255 of The Sell More Books Show talking about a new "choose your own audio" project from Amazon A couple of clips from The Creative Penn podcast episode 417, where Joanna interviewed Will Dages from Findaway Voices The reveal of the new Voices Share program from Findaway Voices Mark also welcomes new Patron Sherilyn Decter and thanks all patrons who support the show and have access to additional audio content (Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts) and other material at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. He also thanks those who commented on Episode 62 and draws the name of two winners for the Mythulu creation cards. Links of Interest: Written Word Media (BargainBooksy, FreeBooksy, etc) BookBub The 7 P's of Publishing Success The VocoCraft Computer Synth Version VocoCraft Public Lending Rights Program (Canada) YouTube Video The Sell More Books Show (Episode 255) The Creative Penn Podcast (Episode 417) Mythulu Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Something Wicked (Nocturnal Screams 7) Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Laura Shanae Crenshaw, a writer, a world-builder, a photographer, an all around creative person, and the creator of the Mythulu creation cards. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few details from last week's Superstars Writers Seminars that stuck out to him, both writing and business-of-writing related activities as well as an unexpected pleasant personal experience. He then talks about the audiobook panels he was on and mentions this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. He shares that, in 2018, 6% of his writing income came from audio, and from sources well behind the major retailers for audiobooks (such as Audible, Apple, Kobo and Google). . . . you can learn more about how you can get your work distributed not only to those top retailers, but also to other retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their chat, Mark and Laura discuss: Laura's unusual introduction into writing via imaginary stories from her older sister The basic concept behind the Mythulu creativity enhancement tool that Laura created Daniel Kahneman (author of "Thinking Fast and Slow") and how his idea that the brain can only hold 6 ideas at a time led to the six packs in Laura's deck Filling a story with rich meaning instead of tropes and cliches The archetypes used in the tool: Elements, Habitats, Characters, Relationships, Traits, and Textures Examples of "Blood" as one of the 50 archetypical elements and the various interpretations associated with it How research led to the creation of something a lot more complex than was laid out by Joseph Campbell in his mythological archetypes Mark's consideration of Laura's reading of the deck as being similar to a Tarot reading Examples of how a writer might use the deck to fill in details or answering outstanding questions Laura's passion for helping writers tell new stories and incorporate new ideas into their writing The non-fiction book that Laura ghost-wrote called "Never Boss" How Laura was introduced to and invited to Superstars Writing Seminars by James Owen After the interview, Mark reminds listeners of their chance to win a copy of the Mythulu Creation Cards just by commenting on this episode at www.starkreflections.ca. The winner will be randomly drawn from all commenters, and patrons supporting the show via Patreon.com/StarkReflections who leave a comment will get an additional bonus opportunity to win. He then reflects on how Laura was welcomed in to the Superstars Writing Seminars Tribe, discusses the concept of that incredibly powerful "family" feeling at the conference, as well as elements of Love that go beyond notions of romantic love and are more about the beautiful way that people can connect to one another and support each other. Links of Interest: Mythulu Superstars Writing Seminars Fiction River: Feel the Love Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This short episode includes a brief chat with Adriel Wiggins about her author resource business (author assistant and continuity editing) as well as a few quick nuggets from the recent Superstars Writing Seminars that Mark attended in early February 2019. The episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark shares a fun Valentine's promotion from them called FOR THE LOVE OF AUDIOBOOKS. Readers can use a coupon code ("loveaudio") to get as many titles from this wonderful collection of romance audiobooks in time for Valentines' Day. https://shop.authors-direct.com/collections/for-the-love-of-audiobooks . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their brief chat, Mark and Adriel talk about: Adriel talks about how she got involved in creating services to assist authors The "I'm not letting you go ever!" response from her first author client Her specialties which are related to data analytics and promotion schedules Some of the common mistakes authors make when hiring a personal assistant Mark explains that he'll be doing a full interview with Adriel in a forthcoming episode. For the last part of this short episode, he shares three of the many tidbits of things he learned at Superstars Writing Seminars. Three Small Nuggets From the Landslide of Gold at SSWS 1. Yasiv.com - a cloud map (visual representation of also boughts for AMS ads, BookBub and Facebook targeting, etc) - a great reminder from James Hunter. 2. QUOTE: "You don't have a muse, you have a mortgage." - Jim Butcher, reminding writers what being a professional means. 3. The D10 of Power Writing - The concept of using a 10 sided die to set a writing goal before you consider yourself finished. Simple - Multiple the number rolled on the die by 1000. If you roll a 1, you write 1000 words, if you roll a 10, then 10,000 words. Mark concludes by stating that he left Superstars Writing Seminars having lined up a wonderful series of interviews from several great people that you'll hear in forthcoming episodes. For example, next episode will feature a chat with Laura Shanae Crenshaw of Mythulu and she shares the incredible intriguing Mythulu deck that helps a writer come up with insightful characters, situations and incidents in their stories that move well beyond tropes or the low-hanging fruit of "the first thing that comes to mind." Links of Interest: Superstars Writing Seminars Adriel Wiggins James A. Hunter Jim Butcher Mythulu Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews James Fell, the author of The Holy Shit Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in An Instant about his new book. This episode comes with a special offer. If you comment on the show at www.starkreflections.ca (Episode 60) in the first week, your name will be entered into a random draw for winning a copy of the book. The choice of the format (Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook) will be decided by the winner. (Please note this podcast is airing Feb 8, 2019) Prior to the interview, Mark shares a bit of a personal update, which includes mention of his trip to Superstars Writing Seminars this week as well as a brief word about the episode's corporate sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and James talk about: The approach James takes when it comes to merging research, attitude and humor in the different articles and columns he writes Where and when the submit matter of an article seems to naturally call for profanity How a cold call (and not following the "standard advice" on the matter) led to a role as a bi-weekly columnist for the La Times The dopamine rush that comes with the recognition of progress The length of time and the amount of work it takes to make it as a writer James' first book, Lose it Right, which sold only to a publisher in Canada (Random House Canada) The decision to write a book within the system of the markets that went beyond fitness and weight loss while maintaining a consistent moral code How there are plenty of self-help books out there that are absolute crap Being goal and motivation oriented Early positive feedback already received on the book and the personal revelations shared from early and beta readers How the book idea came to James in the middle of a long bike ride The concept of System 1 and System 2 from Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Malcolm Gladwell as an example of an author who drilled down in a narrow and focused way into a specific subject within common knowlege, including reference to science and insightful anecdotes The concept of making this a "how to" book about making insights/epiphanies happen The outreach for personal stories and the series of interviews with field experts on the topic How running is a creative process for James The two important elements: 1) The open-ness to the belief that this (a transformative event) can happen 2) Analysis followed by distraction Giving yourself the opportunity for an ephiphany to arrive after first setting the stage by asking questions The importance of being comfortable turning distractions completely off and engaging with nature for arriving at these types of scenarios (looking out the window rather than reading or listening to music) What "shower thoughts" are and why they are important The great value of a "walk in nature" The wave of emotion that comes when "the answer" arrives How we struggle with making "baby steps" because we are not inspired - more likely we felt like it was something we "had to do" The challenging process of recording the audiobook, which was different than any of the radio or speaking experience James has had Recording the audiobook in a music studio that was most often used for "death metal" The four seven-hour days of recording the book and how exhausting the experience was After the interview Mark reflects on how writers can often experience revelations or sudden insights related to the characters in the books and stories they are writing. He also comments on the Thoreau-like perspective Fell shares, about the importance of walking in nature. Links of Interest: James Fell Website James Fell Twitter Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo James Fell, MA, MBA, is a motivation, health, and fitness writer for the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. He has written extensively for Chatelaine and AskMen.com, and authored pieces in TIME Magazine, the Guardian, Men's Health, Women's Health, and many other publications. He has a massive and highly engaged following on Facebook and Twitter, and his blog, Body For Wife, has millions of visitors a year. He is also the author of Lose It Right. He lives in Calgary, AB. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In Episode 59 Mark interviews Sara Rider, author of contemporary romances full of heart and heat about strong women and the men who can't resist them. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few personal updates which include: Recently reading THE HOLY SH!T MOMENT by James Fell A forthcoming trip to Colorado Springs for Superstars Writing Seminars Thanks Patreon supporters with a note that there'll be additional content posted for them upon his return from Superstars in early Feb 2019 Mark also shares a word about this episode's corporate sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Sara talk about: How Sara's passion for and experience in soccer and reading romance novels led to a series of romance novels that focus on professional soccer players The wishfulfilment element of those novels Sara's experience with slush piles, an agent and having her first novels published by an imprint of Pocket Books, one of the world's largest publishers The reasons why Sara decided to self-publish her next series, which included the ability to give away free books How Sara continues to work with her agent while exploring both traditional publishing and self-publishing opportunities Mark's discovery of Sara's Books and Brews series because of the unique craft brewery setting for these novels and the reasons why Sara decided to use that as part of the setting How the idea for a book can pop right into Sara's head almost fully formed The elements that connect the books in the Books & Brews series (which include the intertwined world of writers and brewers) The division of time related to working full time, raising a family and writing The role of deadlines in Sara's writing life Tips for ensuring that her break and lunch-time writing sessions are not compromised Sara's biggest regrets from when her first novel was launched and what she would have changed The approach Sara takes with her newsletter After the interview, Mark reflects on Sara's mention of the fact that readers are interested in and want to like the writers that they read. Links of Interest: Sara Rider's Website Sara on Twitter Findaway Voices Superstars Writing Seminars Superstars Writing Seminars 2018 Video Highlights Video - Using Exercise to Help Process Information Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark speaks with Win Charles. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Win has defied the odds by becoming an author. Her memoir I, Win is an amazing story of how she remembers her life through the years of having a condition called "CP". Win truly is an unstoppable inspiration. Before the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update about the progress he is making on recording the audiobook for The 7 P's of Publishing Success. He also shares the sources of the most recent royalty payment he has received from Findaway Voices, indicating that the four that made up his most recent audiobook income came from: Playster hibooks Bountiful Authors Direct If you want to learn how you can leverage the power of Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Win talk about: The 10 books that Win has written and published How easy it is to use Draft2Digital to publish eBooks Win's latest book Smile With Dictation which explains the process of how Win uses dictation to assist with writing The combination of using Siri and Dragon Naturally Speaking Dictation that Win uses to write her books How long it takes to train dictation software Win's first book I, Win, which came out 8 years ago The improvement in technology of dictation software between Win's first book and her latest one The writing space Win prefers to write in The passion for writing that Win has always held The story behind the book I, Win and how it ties in to the loss of her mother How Win does her best using social media to support independent authors The origin of Win's jewelry company Win's experience participating in the Kona Ironman The role that teaching and education has played in Win's life The journalism degree that Win is currently in the process of working towards Win's podcast (AskWin) that has reached more than 1000 episodes Existing audiobooks Win has created (and how), and the plans Win has for future audiobooks After the interview Mark reflects on Win's message of the importance of showing people what you CAN do, not what you CAN'T do. Links of Interest: Win Charles' Website Win's Books2Read Author Page Smile With Dictation I, Win Findaway Voices Draft2Digital Hibooks Dragon Speech Recognition Solutions Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In the episode Mark interviews Donna Cook who has published over a dozen books in two genres. She writes epic fantasy under her own name and writes contemporary romance as Jordyn White. Donna talks not only about her writing life as both Donna and Jordyn, but also offers up advice on the important topic of Cash Flow for Writers. Before the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . which includes their recent announcement of two new international distribution options: MLOL and AudiobooksNZ. You can read more about that here: Findaway Blog. Mark provides a personal update and also welcomes new patron Pranathi K. In their interview, Mark and Donna talk about: The fact that writers and creative types don't often talk about money Donna's eye-opening experience understanding the importance of her relationship to money The importance of applying her financial know-how to her author business The basic principles of understanding money flow and cash flow The additional costs of charging and using credit Where people can go to find more information about cash flow via Donna's course and Excel tool: jordynwhitebooks.com/courses The difference between the creative writer Donna Cook and the romance author Jordyn White The fact that Donna can write contemporary romance faster than she can write epic fantasy The satisfaction that comes with the regular production of creative writing The eclectic music that Donna listens to when she is writing The Wonder Woman sound-track and accompanying poster in Donna's "power woman" room The "no need to sign up" ability to read a complete book right online that Donna has recently created and how it removes a barrier for readers The "Writer CEO" one day conference Donna and her colleague Colleen are running in Sept 2019 in Boise, Idaho The fact that Donna will be presenting at NINC in the fall of 2019 How Donna divides up the different writing, coaching and teaching work she does in order to make her writing time more effective The advice Donna would give herself when she was first starting up, including the importance of patience After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of patience, and the hard work and blood and sweat and tears that writers put in behind the scenes. Links of Interest: Donna Cook Website Jordyn White Website Donna's Online Courses Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey WMG Publishing Business Master Class The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark speaks with Katie Cross, a writer, mother and out-door enthusiast. On her website, Katie describes herself in this way: "I am a creator of worlds, destroyer of evil, and a born wordsmith bringing light to the dark night of those that need an escape." This is the perfect description for her, which you will get a solid taste of in the interview. Before the interview, Mark welcomes new Patron Ember Casey, thanking her for her patronage of the Stark Reflections podcast. Ember and other patrons will have access to 27 patron-only posts, 3 special mini "Stark Reflections on other Podcasts" episodes and other additional audio and video content for as little as a coffee or two a month. If you are interested in the extra content or supporting the show, you can check it out at patreon.com/starkreflections. Mark also shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . as part of his personal update, which includes: 2019 audiobook plans An update on the progress with recording of the audiobook for The 7 P's of Publishing Success A detailed look at three different views of Mark's 2018 writing income, broken down by type, format and activity. In the interview Mark and Katie talk about: The inspiration behind the first YA Fantasy series that Katie wrote, which started with the novel Miss Mabel's School for Girls, which was published in 2014 The Wattpad-like platform that Katie first started releasing the book on in order to get honest feedback before she published it Learning how to read as an author rather than reading as a reader The reason why Katie has the entire Antebellum series book covers designed and ready to go even though she hasn't published them yet How the Dragonmaster Trilogy was initially supposed to be part of the Antebellum Collection, but became it's own unique project The process of finding professionals to work with, through networking, slowly, over the years The importance of Efficiency and Intention The concepts of balance and counterbalance Outsourcing particular tasks, like housekeeping and accounting, to allow for prioritizing writing activities The two businesses that Katie runs - the Fiction Business and the GhostWriting Business (ghost-writing non-fiction books for high end entrepreneurs who want to write a book but either don't want to do the writing or aren't able to) The scheduling for tasks such as social media, email, and interacting with fans The importance of scheduling "self-care" time into each day The community of about 200 people that Katie and her family are a part of The daily hiking routine that is important for the entire family (including the dogs) How Katie runs Facebook ads for her fiction and how much she spends per month on these ads The two distinct mailing lists that Katie has for her different fan bases (YA Fantasy and Chick Lit), and how she interacts with and cares for the people on each list The importance of talking to the reasons why reasons gravitate towards each of those unique genres The advice that Katie would give to her herself when she was first starting, which includes finding a good mentor After the interview, Mark reflects on the concept of Balance and Counterbalance. Links of Interest: Katie Cross Writing Katie Cross ChickLit Katie Cross Ghostwriting Findaway Voices Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Jeff Goins Blog Wattpad The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark takes a look at his 2018 writing and publishing goals and shares the hits, the misses and the alterations that took place in the past twelve months. He feels it is important to remind writers that if they are already beating themselves up for not completing all the previous year's goals, that he didn't hit all his goals; that he failed at most of them; that he screwed up along the way; that he made mistakes. But also that he adapted several of the goals he'd set as I went along. And he inserted new goals mid-year. That can happen. It will happen. It's how you deal with those changes that can make the difference between seeing it as a complete failure, or seeing it as an ongoing work in progress. Mark then says a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . Mark first talks about the goals he had set at the beginning of 2018 and how he did with them: 1) Write a non-fiction book called INDIE PUBLISHING INSIDER SECRETS 2) Finish the sequel to A CANADIAN WEREWOLF IN NEW YORK 3) Finish the sequel to EVASION 4) Pitch and write a traditionally published book SPIRITS UNTAPPED - to Dundurn 5) Compile a new full book short story collection 6) Stay retired He then shares a number of goals for 2019: 1) Publish Audiobook for 7 P's of Publishing Success 2) Publish Audiobook for Killing It on Kobo 3) Finish writing and Publish eBook/Print and audio for Indie Publishing Insider Secrets 4) Publish Audiobook for ACWWINY 5) Publish Audiobook for I, DEATH 6) Publish Audiobook for ONE HAND SCREAMING (story collection) 7) Write and release SCREAMING SKULLS: And Other Haunted Objects in eBook/print and audio 8) Finish the first draft of FEAR AND LONGING IN LOS ANGELES 9) Book new speaking gigs - Ideally, another keynote either in the last half of 2019 or the first half of 2020 Mark also shares his 2018 eBook sales percentages: Kindle - 45.97% Kobo - 20.68% StoryBundle - 20.27% BundleRabbit - 6.80% Apple - 3.25% Nook - 2.30% Direct Sales - 0.30% Google - 0.21% Scribd - 0.12% Tolino - 0.06% Smashwords - 0.04% Mark talks about what he achieved and what he didn't achieve in 2018. He talks about what he did well and what he didn't do well. He reminds writers of the importance of focusing on the forward momentum made, even where a goal wasn't completed, if there was forward momentum that is a step in the right direction. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In the final episode of 2018, Mark interviews Science Fiction and Fantasy author Lindsay Buroker, a successful author who has been indie publishing for about eight years. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a short personal update and thanks new Patron, Michael Lister; he also mentions that he recently released the third special "Reflections on other Podcasts" episodes for Patrons, which appears at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. He also thanks those who reached out to him after hearing him on episode 408 of The Creative Penn Podcast which was released on Dec 23rd. Mark then says a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .In their conversation, Mark and Lindsay talk about: The main differences between when Lindsay first started out more than eight years ago releasing her first novel, The Emperor's Edge (while also producing her first podcast), and today The joy of getting to a place where each book's sales are enough to ensure paying for the cost of production The pros and cons of writing in multiple series in different genres Reasons why Lindsay released a new series of novels under a fresh and then-unknown pen name in 2014 Managing three mailing lists for the different reader bases that Lindsay has acquired over the years for different genres and pen names Maintaining a very personable persona in the mailing lists and in discussions with her fans The benefit of hosting a podcast with two other people for the SF & Fantasy Marketing Podcast, compared with the solo podcast (Saavy Self-Publishing) that Lindsay created many years earlier What Lindsay gets out of her guests from being one of the hosts of the SF & Fantasy podcast Why she is happy that she didn't experience a lot of luck early on in her writing success, and, instead, slowly built up her readership over time and how they can become loyal fans Lindsay's one experience writing collaboratively and whether or not she plans on doing that again Some of the reasons why, despite her success, Lindsay hasn't yet hired a personal or virtual assistant The early adoption of audiobooks that Lindsay invested in years before most indie authors began creating audiobooks What Lindsay would tell her younger self who was just beginning as a writer After the interview, Mark reflects on the personal connection that Lindsay enjoys and maintains as an important and authentic element of her author journey. Links of Interest: Lindsay Buroker's Website Lindsay's Facebook Page Lindsay on Twitter Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast Findaway Voices WMG Publishing Anthology Workshop RUSH - Hold Your Fire Album Info Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Lindsay Buroker has early memories of convincing childhood friends, pets, and stuffed animals to play the roles of characters in her worlds, so it's safe to say she's been making up stories for a long time. She published her first novel, The Emperor's Edge, in December of 2010 and has written and published more than 50 novels since then, most under her own name, but a few steamier ones under a pen name. When she's not writing, she's usually hiking with her dogs, practicing yoga, playing tennis, or eating entirely too much dark chocolate (she only does one of those things truly well, and she will let you guess which it is). She grew up in the Seattle area but has itchy feet and has moved several times over the years. She most recently landed in Bend, Oregon, where she and her dogs now have eighty acres to roam around on. Someday, she may even have a house on that land. If you're interested in reading more of her work, you can download The Emperor's Edge, Star Nomad, and Balanced on the Blade's Edge for free in your favorite store. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark interviews Aaron Pogue (President), Kris Austin (CEO) and Toby Nance (CTO), the co-founders of Draft2Digital about how they worked together and played off one another's strengths to create the company. This episode is a bit of a response from a few listeners who heard Mark mention that he recently joined the D2D team, but they weren't familiar with the company. They asked if it might be possible to share a bit of information about what Draft2Digital is all about. If you're not familiar with Draft2Digital, this will provide a decent introduction. And if you think you know Draft2Digital, perhaps there'll also be some deeper info and insights for you to learn even more by pulling a bit of that curtain back on three gentlemen who usually prefer to operate behind the scenes at this author-friendly company. Prior to the interview, Mark talks about the new announcement from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .. . . which is called VOICES PLUS. Mark then provides a personal update which includes his recent visit to Oklahoma City to visit the Draft2Digital office, his short story "The Ritual of the Drawing" which recently appeared in the anthology Amazing Monster Tales: Dawn of the Monsters. Mark also mentions his recent appearances on a few other podcasts, including the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast and the Disruptor Podcast. In their conversation, Mark, Aaron, Kris and Toby talk about: How Aaron has been a writer since he was six years old and how his interest in self-publishing led to his desire to have a tool to make it easy to publish The fact that the three of them became best friends in college The initial "Google Doc to eBook" conversion tool that was a command line program that Aaron had requested Toby create for him How that tool was the beginning of the collaboration between Aaron and Toby, and Kris to create a platform all authors could benefit from The business proposal Kris put together that involved making a product that gave authors power in the industry Toby's joking description of Aaron as both Draft2Digital's first user and least supported user The company's goals to offer the best customer support of any of the other players in the industry The importance of making the systems and systems easy for non-techical persons The partnership of being there to help writers achieve their writing and publishing goals The origin of Universal Book Links from looking in detail at author problems that everyone knows about but nobody has time to work on (such as allowing the author a single link to their book where readers can choose the retailer where they'd like to purchase that book) How Books to Read links work better the more readers who use it (including the ability for users to set their own prefered store that Books2Read will automatically take them directly to The recently announced Account Sharing Controls that allow for virtual assistants, for example, to manage some of an author's metadata and assets without having access to their more sensitive information, such as banking information The things that they are each most looking forward to as we head into 2019 After the interview, Mark reflects on three things this conversation and recent trip to Oklahoma City made him think about: Personal connections in a digital world, collaboration and being open minded. Links of Interest: Draft2Digital D2D Blog D2D Announcement about Shared Accounts Findaway Voices Voices Plus Announcement Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast Episode 210 Disruptor Podcast Episode 5 Amazing Monster Tales Stark Reflections Episode with Jamie Ferguson (Episode 27) Kelsie Stelting Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Aaron Pogue is the President and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a company offering online, author-assistance tools to enhance the business of publishing. Sporting simple but beautiful ebook formatting and conversion as well as easy distribution across some of the most powerful digital stores available, D2D is growing both its market share and its influence in the self-publishing world. Draft2Digital was founded in 2012 and enjoys continued growth and success. Before taking his post at Draft2Digital, Aaron worked as both a Technical Writer with the Federal Aviation Administration and a writing professor at the university level. He holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Oklahoma. He also self-publishes novels in the fantasy and science fiction genres. His books have sold a quarter of a million copies since his debut in 2010. Kris Austin is the CEO and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a company offering online, author-assistance tools to enhance the business of publishing. Sporting simple but beautiful ebook formatting and conversion as well as easy distribution across some of the most powerful digital stores available, D2D is growing both its market share and its influence in the self-publishing world. Draft2Digital was founded

Mark interviews author Gary Collins about the simple life, both the name of a series of books as well as the new life he enjoys after some very unique experiences that include military intelligence and Special Agent. Before the interview, Mark shares a personal update that involves flying to Vancouver for the annual CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Convention and then to Oklahoma City to spend some time with his colleagues at Draft2Digital. Mark then says a few words about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . In their conversation, Mark and Gary talk about: Gary's long and circuitous approach into publishing, the great lessons learned and passions experienced along the way The concept of not just knowing how the sausage was made but actually being the sausage via his life as a government agent The early 40's burnout Gary experienced, which led to a new beginning and new passions that included health and fitness The valueable mentorship and tough love that Gary experienced from Steven Pressfield Gary's first experience in self-publishing where mistakes were made and more lessons were learned Books that were derived from trying to provide information to clients without having to repeat the same info over and over The purchase of twenty acres of land and building a house off the grid and the resulting influx of questions about it that led to another book The process of saving money for six months, then building for another six months, then working and saving money for the next period, in a repeated cycle How the sales of the book about the simple life and going off the grid attracted a distribution company The mistakes on Gary's path and how he didn't find his purpose, but his purpose found him How Gary doesn't rely on scheduling for his writing, but the disclipline involved when he actually sits down 20Booksto50K being the first writer conference that Gary has ever attended and the fortuitous break of being able to attend after being on the waiting list for the sold-out show Learning the importance of integrating oneself with other writers How Mark and Gary connected via the RUSH shirt that Gary had been wearing one day at 20Booksto50K The fact that Gary will go ahead and reach out to anyone without any fear because "what's the worst that can happen?" Gary's withdrawl from social media in the past year and his belief on how it can suck the life out of a person Advice on how to adapt the simple life methodology into one's life How a person's purpose can change over time, and the reality that the purpose doesn't have to be dramatic or enormous The importance of putting effort into the positive rather than into the negative After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of "reaching out to anyone" and explores the possible risk along with the possible opportunity involved in that. Links of Interest: Gary's Website CAPS Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Gary Collins has a very interesting and unique background that includes military intelligence, Special Agent for the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Collins' background and expert knowledge brings a much-needed perspective to today's areas of simple living, health, nutrition, entrepreneurship, self-help and being more self-reliant. His website www.thesimplelifenow.com, and The Simple Life book series (his total lifestyle reboot), blows the lid off of conventional life and wellness expectations, and is considered essential for every person seeking a simpler, and happier life. Gary now lives off-the-grid part of the year in a remote area of NE Washington State, and the other part of year exploring in his travel trailer with his trusty black lab Barney. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark interviews Rachel Amplett, the author of the successful Dan Taylor and Kay Hunter police procedural thrillers as well as stand alone thrillers and mystery novels. The interview includes a lot of information related to this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .Mark shares a bit of an update about the the new Authors Direct option that Findaway Voices is beta testing. In their chat, Mark and Rachel talk about: What compelled Rachel to writing in the first place. The confusing and conflicting messages she received from different publishers when shopping her first Dan Taylor novel around. How Rachel started out in indie publishing a stand alone novel, WHITE GOLD, seven years ago after a suggestion from a friend (and how it all started with a Goodreads page and an author account at Smashwords). The emails from readers around the world that prompted Rachel to write a sequel to her first novel; something she hadn't planned in the first place. How the experience of being approached by a publisher in Italy interested in publishing an Italian version of her novel WHITE GOLD (having found her "by accident") prompted her to see what could be done by applying her experince as a project administrator into a business plan with marketing efforts, which she started at 2015. The fact that Kobo was the first retail platform where her sales really started to take off after a 99 cent BookBub deal. Being so successful that she was able to go full time as writer without having actually "broken out" in the US, the one market that seems to be the easiest for authors to break into. Getting into the audiobook market relatively early as part of a strategic business plan. Investing some of the money that was coming in from Rachel's Kay Hunter novels into the creation of the audiobooks and the stacked-up rapid release of the first several books in the series within a couple of months. The producer and narrator Rachel found in the UK for the audiobooks. How the narrator, Alison Campbell, has become the voice of Kay Hunter for Rachel and many of her listening readership. The challenge of staying on the exhausting "hamster wheel" that a writer can find themselves on working on steady releases and how Rachel is avoiding burn-out by strategic scheduling and the inclusion of passion projects. How success can come from sitting down at the end of a project and engaging in an exercise of "lessons learned." The early success Rachel has seen via Findaway Voices sales at Playster. How you can never know where in the world the sales of your books can come from. What happens when you try something a little bit different and focus on the niche markets that are working for you. How Rachel Findaway Voices Authors Direct program was a Godsend. How a large portion of Rachel's print books sell to libraries around the world - a great way for readers to read their favorite authors for free in eBook, print and audio. The things Rachel thinks will be the most important for authors to think about in the next year. After the interview, Mark shares his thoughts on the success Rachel had outside of Amazon as well as her systematic project management process that helps keep her on track and balanced in her writing life. He then shares a few appearances he had recently on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast as well as in a Reedsy live webinar about selling more on Kobo. Links of Interest: Rachel Amplett's Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Rachel's Novels Kay Hunter Series English Spy Mysteries Dan Taylor Series Standalone Thrillers Rachel's Shop Direct Audiobook link (via Authors Direct) Mark's Shop Direct Audiobook link (via Authors Direct) Findaway Voices Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast - EP 210: Selling More at Kobo and Relying Less on Amazon Reedsy Webinar (Video Replay) - Getting Your Book Featured on Kobo The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant. She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series. After living in Brisbane, Australia for 13 years, Rachel has now returned to the UK. She's a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany's Luzifer Verlag. Her novels are available in eBook, paperback and audiobook formats from worldwide retailers including Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Google Play. A keen traveller, Rachel holds both EU and Australian passports and can usually be found plotting her nex

In this episode Mark reflects on five of the many things he has learned on the journey through the first fifty episodes of this podcast. Those five things are within the theme of: GLOBAL IS MORE GLOBAL THAN JUST GLOBAL THE POWER OF AUDIENCE FEEDBACK THE POWER OF COMMUNITY & THINKING BEYOND ONGOING GROWTH & IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION BRANDING & PROFESSIONALISM Throughout the five points (which do overlap), Mark mentions many different episodes and interviews that came to mind as he was drawing these themes. Links of Interest: Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Patreon for Stark Reflections

Henry David Thoreau said: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you imagined." In this episode's interview, Mark speaks with musician and writer Tommy Ray about how he had done just that. They talk about Tommy's experience of how he took a dream (an actual dream) and transitioned it into reality by listening to his heart and trusting his instincts in recreating his life. Before the interview Mark shares a quick personal update that includes: Being interviewed by Joanna Penn for a forthcoming episode of The Creative Penn podcast, which will air on Dec 24, 2018 A shout-out to Patrons of the show who support this podcast via www.patreon.com/starkreflections - By saving up the monthly funds Mark was able to order a higher quality microphone for the podcast The printed proof copies of THE 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS that Mark sourced locally, but will be distributing to all retailers as a POD file through Draft2Digital's new beta D2DPRINT option The "Kobo Publishing: Getting Your Book Featured" Webinar Mark will be hosting via Reedsy Live on Wed Dec 5th Mark then shares a word about the podcast's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .In their chat, Mark and Tommy talk about: The origin of Tommy's dream mid year in 2015 that had him jumping into his pickup truck and traveling across America to play and share his music How Tommy was also inspired by books from authors Paulo Coehlo and Dan Millman as well as music from artists like Cat Stevens How long music has been a part of Tommy's life (including a memorable photo of Tommy as a young child standing next to a guitar) The concept of being "meant to live a creative life" Music Tommy wrote that was derived from the experience of following the creative dream The preplanning that involved reaching out to 100 venues Tommy had intended on playing in (but not having heard back from any of them) The two award nominations that Tommy rec'd prior to his trip (which altered his trip from a full year to 7 week one, where he drove through 15 trips and clocked 9,000 miles) Zama (population 36), the town where Tommy was born and where his father lived most of his life How Tommy's experience as a musician intertwines with his creative writing The extensive research that Tommy did to teach himself writing, and to learn about publishing and how to find support, such as editors and cover designers for his books Tommy's use of 3 editors on his book RAMBLING ACROSS AMERICA Maintaining passion, strength and integrity when the road is difficult Tommy's temporary return to a day job where he currently is: St. Croix of the US Virgin Islands The preference Tommy has for playing his own music rather than playing cover songs at the local bar The way that being on stage as a musician is easier for Tommy than the prose he shares via the page The new series of dark/horror fiction that Tommy has started writing, inspired by actual dreams and actual mental and emotional torment, starting with the book MIRROR OF PERCEPTION How you should never take this life for granted and how you can leave your mark on this world in a positive and optimistic way After the interview, Mark talks about Tommy's creativity and his relentless optimism and passion for living a creative life. He finds it fitting that, at the same time he was producing this episode he was watching his friend Julie Strauss post updates about the catch-up she has been doing on her latest novel for NaNoWriMo. What Mark loves about the past week of writing sprints in which Julie is trying to catch up for some lost writing time during the month, that love is that, as frustrated and restless as she is, she hasn't once stopped digging into the work with all her heart and soul. And she is turning the angst into hilarious and cheeky updates so many other writers are cheering her on for while being entertained by her musings of the writer's struggle. Mark then plays a short sample of Tommy's song Zama, reflecting on the creative life and the places we have all called home, lived in and loved. Links of Interest: Tommy Ray Books Tommy Ray Music Tommy Ray Insights (Blog) Tommy Ray's Email: [email protected] Tommy Ray's YouTube Channel Findaway Voices The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Patreon for Stark Reflections Julie Strauss's Website Episode 35 (Featuring Julie Strauss) Stark Reflections Survey Tommy Ray chooses to become an author to create value and inspiration to the world. He desires all to leave their mark, do not take this life for granted, as well as never give up on your dreams. He has always been inspired by travel adventure tales of real-life journeys. He always had a voice inside of him telling him he desired to live his life through a creative voice. For many years, he ignored the voice to follow other endeavors, but the voice was always there and increasing in volume. Tommy loves to travel, write, compose, blog along with performing. He decided it was how he desired to spend his life. "Difficult

In this episode, Mark chats with Andrea Pearson, an author, a marketing guru and a mother. We talk about how she balances all three roles, about the tools she uses, her latest fiction, how she manages to get so much writing done as well as some of her personal takeways from the recent WMG Business Master Class workshop she had attended. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update about the status of some of his recent November goals, which include the print version of his two recent non-fiction books about writing and publishing (The 7 P's of Publishing Success & Killing It On Kobo). Mark also shares a word about the podcast's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . During the interview Mark and Andrea discuss: The genesis of the Self-Publish Strong podcast where Andrea and her husband Nolan discuss movies in a way that writers can learn from The motivational marketing or publishing tips/quotes provided in each and every episode of the podcast The balanced blend between comedy and instruction that the two balance in their episodes Andrea's desire to help people and how that led to various tools and resources within her Self Publish Strong brand The fiction Andrea writes, including a new urban fantasy book which is her latest release (The Shade Amulet) How having children has helped Andrea become more structured and write more books The software that Andrea uses for dictating her novels (and the high volume of works she can create in an hour of dictation) Additional take-aways Andrea reflects upon from the recent WMG Publishing workshop The work that Andrea's virtual assistant does for her vs the work she does herself How hiring a virtual assistant paid for itself because of how it cleared up Andrea more time to publish more books Marketing advice for authors who are just beginning After the interview, Mark reflects upon one of the things Andrea said regarding the needless stress authors often place on themselves when looking at their lack of sales, or, conversely, a great sales trend - particularly when that time could be better spent working on the next book. Links of Interest: Andrea's Author Website Andrea's Books Andrea's Self Publishing Strong Website Episode 38 of the Self Publishing Strong Website (Takeaways from the Vegas WMG Business Master Class) Findaway Voices The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey USA Today bestselling author Andrea Pearson has been a leader in the indie author arena since early 2011, with 50+ books under her belt and over a hundred articles published on professional blogs and websites. She hosts the popular Self-Publish Strong podcast that focuses on both publishing and craft, and she offers multiple online courses that surround her favorite topic: marketing. Andrea was executive director for Indie Author Hub for a year and a half, and she is frequently invited to teach reader engagement through advanced newsletter marketing tactics and successful promotional campaigns at conferences and workshops. Andrea has been interviewed on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing podcast, the Rocking Self-Publishing podcast, and the Author Hangout. She has guest posted on JA Konrath's A Newbie's Guide to Publishing blog, and her tips have been mentioned several times on the Sell More Books Show.

If you are familiar with the Self Publishing Formula Podcast, you'll likely recognize James Blatch as Mark Dawson's right-hand man; his co-host, or, perhaps, his co-pilot for the podcast. But in this episode Mark puts James in the pilots seat with a focus on Blatch's own writing, his background as a reporter, a videographer and, of course, as a pilot. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the podcast's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .In his personal update, Mark reflects upon the recent death of Stan Lee and talks about the impact Lee's writing had on him, and, in particular, the influence that the character Peter Parker (Spider-Man's alter-ego) had. In the interview, Mark and James talk about: The type of specific videos or books that lend themselves best to YouTube videos VS Facebook videos How videos for most authors, specifically fiction authors, is a medium that can be used to connect and engage with a community of readers The intimacy of radio and digital audio format A bit about James' experience at the BBC and how the skills, particularly of his final few years there lent to this new role as a co-host of the Self Publishing Formula Podcast James' first writing experiences as a young man and his more recent NaNoWriMo experience where his current novel came to him in a single flash of inspiration The evolution of this novel with various feedback from readers and editors The turning point moment for James of meeting and working with editor Jennie Nash Jennie's prompting question: "Why do you need to tell this story" and all that question sparked in James Other questions that Jennie asked or prompts given that helped with the re-imagining of the way the story was unrolled The origin of his love for aviation How James is an even split between the exuberant mother and his reserved and "stiff-upper-lip" father James' recent experience in Florda flying with Nathan van Coops (from episode 38) The advice that James would go back and give to himself when he was just starting After the interview, Mark reflects upon the latest "catastrophy" in the indie publishing space, the recent disappearance of the buy buttons on Amazon for thousands of titles. He offers a reflection on the likely reason for this odd phenomenon and then suggests that much time is wasted worrying over the matter instead of working on the next book. He also considers, if it truly is the negative thing authors think it might be, it's yet another reason why authors shouldn't be putting all their eggs in a single basket. Links of Interest: James Blatch's Website The Last Flight James Blatch on Twitter The Self Publishing Formula Podcast Episode 133 - The Author Accelerator with Jennie Nash Findaway Voices Stan Lee Spider-Man A Canadian Werewolf in New York Kobo NaNoWriMo Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey James Blatch is co-host of the Self Publishing Formula podcast. He is a former BBC Television News reporter and is currently writing his first novel, a military thriller set in 1960s Britain. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark interviews Phillip McCollum about an intriguing project of writing 52 stories in 52 weeks. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from the podcast's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . and then a personal update which includes a push-up challenge he participated in at the 20Booksto50K conference in Vegas. Michael Anderle instigated this challenge for a good cause, with the following companies each donating $150 to the cause LMBPN Publishing Kobo Draft2Digital BookFunnel Reedsy $750 USD was raised for two worthy charities in a push-up challenge between Mark and Christine Munroe from Kobo. Chrissy's chosen charity was Children's Book Bank and Mark's chosen charity was First Book Canada. Mark thanks the companies previously mentioned for their generosity to two great children's reading programs and then also thanks new Stark Reflections Patron, Katie Cross, for supporting the podcast via www.patreon.com/starkreflections. In the interview Phillip and Mark talk about: The genres that Phillip tends to write in most often How long Phillip has been writing Thoughts about NaNoWriMo and other similar "competitions" to help inspired writers to write Phillip's inspiration for the 52 stories in 52 weeks, which was derived from Ray Bradbury The discipline involved in undertaking such an endeavor on starting each week on Monday morning and posting the story by Sunday night The typical word count of the stories that Phillip wrote during this process The importance of being adaptable and recognizing that you might not always reach every single goal you set Plans that Phillip has for the stories which included 3 ebooks: 1 for writers (52 Stories in 52 Weeks) and 2 for readers (splitting them into two volumes of 26 stories: Fantastic Shorts Vol 1 and Vol 2) Feedback that Phillip has received on the notes added to the stories Forthcoming challenges that Phillip has in mind to keep challenging himself as a writer Things that Phillip learned about himself as a writer by taking this challenge After the interview, Mark talks about the importance of challenges that impose deadlines and require a writer to actually get their butt in the chair and their hands on the keyboard. He also reminds writers of the importance of the "fail to success" theory from Dean Wesley Smith that Phillip mentions. If you try to hit a certain word count, for example, and don't make it, instead of fretting about the missed words, focus on the words that have actually been written, or the parts of the goal that were actually accomplished. Links of Interest: Phillip McCollum's website Phillip McCollum on Twitter Findaway Voices Draft2Digital Kobo Bookfunnel Reedsy NaNoWriMo Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Phillip McCollum spent 52 weeks writing 52 short stories in an effort to prove to himself that he might be cut out for this writing thing after all. He hails from Southern California where he shares living quarters with his wife, son, an old cat, and young betta fish. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews authors Kerrie Flanagan and Chuck Harrelson about the steamy romantic comedy novels they have been co-authoring under the name C.K. Wiles. Before the interview, Mark shares a personal update explaining why he isn't participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, even though he loves it. He talks about how he will be using the month of November to get caught up on previous unpublished NaNoWriMo novels - in an effort he is calling NaNoComMo (National Novel Compleition Month) as well as a few other outstanding book projects he has in the works, including print and audiobook versions of two of his recent books on writing & publishing, The 7 P's of Publishing Success and Killing It On Kobo. He then thanks new Patron of the show, Mary Jo Rabe as well as the other existing patrons via www.patreon.com/starkreflections for their support, then gets side-tracked into remembering television shows like Romper Room and The Polka Dot Door. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . .During the interview, Kerrie, Chuck and Mark talk about: How Kerrie and Chuck first met, about ten years ago, via a developmental editing project The support Chuck has offered in helping hold Kerrie accountable for various writing projects over the years The strategic decisions behind the collaborative C.K. Wiles project The origin of the psuedonym The process of how they brainstorm, map out, outline, and write each of the novels How Chuck uses AutoCrit's web-based editing software (which provides automated recommendations for improving your manuscript in over 20 areas – categories like poor dialogue, use of adverbs, and relying on cliches) The cast and universe of characters that they have created and draw upon for each novel in this series The interesting and unplanned story arc that is beginning to reveal itself as they were working on the third book The logistics of how they published the C.K. Wiles books to the various retail platforms The co-author contract/agreement that Kerrie and Chuck created regarding this author name and series The importance of trusting one another and "having no ego" on a collaborative work - looking at the work as "ours" as it is being worked on and re-written The different elements that Kerrie and Chuck each bring to the narrative that make it better Plans they have for promotions and attention for this series After the interview, Mark reflects on one of the elements that Kerrie and Chuck mentioned, which is playing off one another's strengths. He considers teamwork and the importance of recognizing strengths and weaknesses when working with others. Links of Interest: C.K. Wiles Website C.K. Wiles Books Sign up to get Book One for FREE Kerrie Flanagan Episode 31 - Interview with Kerrie about Writing Magazine Articles Northern Colorado Writers Group Findaway Voices NaNoWriMo Romper Room The Polka Dot Door Polkaroo AutoCrit Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P'S Of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Kerrie Flanagan is a freelance writer with over 20 years' experience and is the author of Guide to Magazine Article Writing. As a writing consultant, she works with writers, giving them the encouragement, support, resources and tools to find success on their writing journey. She is the author of 8 books under her label, Hot Chocolate Press. Chuck Harrelson resides in Denver Colorado and is an active member of both the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the Northern Colorado Writers Group. His past manuscripts won the 2014 Top of The Mountain Book Award competition, the Ballot Press Competition and one was a finalist at the 2016 San Diego Writers Conference. The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Having just spent six days at the WMG Business Master Class workshop in Las Vegas, Mark reflects on the overwhelming and head-spinning influx of information, insight, wisdom, ideas, inspiriation, and perspective that he had just taken in. In this episode, he walks through some of the ideas on how authors can process such a deluge of information and adapt the curated learnings and ideas into things that are likely to best work for them. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . Some of the elements that Mark talks about are: A few key things to remember before setting out to try to implement the ideas gathered The importance of first stepping back to take a breath and get perspective A list of questions to ask yourself when looking at all of the ideas that you have jotted down or taken in The importance not just of deciding on something, but deciding to act on that something The concept of EAT, FEED, DRAIN The FOUR-D way to update a to-do list The importance of taking responsibility for your own career Mark then thanks new Patron to the show, Matty Dalrymple, and sends a thanks to all patrons for their ongoing support of the show via www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Links of Interest: WMG Publishing Workshops Findaway Voices Dean Wesley Smith Kristine Kathryn Rusch Kevin J. Anderson Rebecca Moesta David Farland David P. Vandagriff (aka The Passive Voice) Damon Courtney (Bookfunnel) Christina F. York Andrea Pearson Donna Cook Loren L. Coleman T. Thorn Coyle Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P'S Of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode Mark chats with Dave Sweet and Sarah Graham about their new book SKELETONS IN MY CLOSET: Life Lessons from a Homicide Detective, an unorthodox police memoir taking readers on a ride-along like no other, revealing poignant truths about life and death, and how we can all work and live together. Danger and grit pair with humour and compassion in this gripping, fresh read. Dave Sweet, a conservative, veteran homicide detective has teamed up with Sarah Graham, a liberal, optimistic author to write this unconventional universal life-lessons book. Before the interview, Mark shares a personal update which includes: Why he is pushing back the release date of his book INDIE PUBLISHING INSIDER SECRETS Some reflections on how previous Stark Reflections podcast guest Dana Pharant turned a mistake into a win Mark's forthcoming trip to Las Vegas to teach at a WMG Publishing Master Class about the business of writing and publishing This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . In the interview, Mark and Dave and Sarah talk about: How Dave and Sarah first met and then decided to work on this project together The work Dave has been doing with local area writer groups looking for insights and realistic detail related to actual police work The dichotomy of "Homicide Cop" and "Life Lessons" The importance that this book be optimistic and not be gratuitous in its portrayal of Dave's experiences The transformation that is witnessed in the various people involved in a homicide investigation and the lessons learned along the way The early reader expectation of "more grit" and how the authors responded to that with respect for the victims and their loved ones The decision to release this book as by Dave with Sarah rather than keeping Sarah's name hidden like a more traditional "ghost written" book, because of the way that Sarah's voice and influence helped to smooth out some of the rougher edges that come from Dave's experience The processes and different techniques used in how they wrote this book together (actual writing, raw words, interactive presentations, phone calls) What Dave learned about writing through this process What television actually gets right about police work and police life How Sarah's experience as a writer was different than the writer/cop partnership seen on television programs like Castle The publishing options, agent feedback and choices made for the publication of this book The intriguing "sneak peak" preview eBook their publisher created in a "Behind the Scenes" chapbook The comparison between when Sarah is all-consumed when working on edits and Dave is all-consumed when focusing on a case The "Reading Guide/Study Guide" section at the end of the book Forthcoming books in this series which will each explore courage and death After the interview, Mark reflects on how Dave and Sarah kept working at testing out different ways of making the collaboration work, not giving up, but continuing to experiment and find new ways for the process to happen smoothly. He discusses their publishing path as well, which was a series of learnings and tweaks and changes, until they found the one that suited them best. He considers how they applied patience, persistence, partnership and progression in their path towards publication. Mark then thanks Patrons for their sponsorship of the show via www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Links of Interest: Skeletons in My Closet Mischievous Books WMG Publishing Workshops Findaway Voices Dana Pharant on Stark Reflections Dana's Facebook Video about mistakes & wins Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P'S Of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this week's episode, Mark speaks with Tina Dietz who is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and content marketing expert. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few personal updates that include the launch of his new traditionally published book Macabre Montreal, and how that book launch interfered with attending the NIGHT OF THE WRITING DEAD event in Pittsburgh that same weekend. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . . . . and also by the Patrons of the show at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. All patrons will find, this week, the full audio of the first chapter about PRACTICE from Mark's forthcoming audiobook of The 7 P's of Publishing Success. In their conversion, Mark and Tina talk about The link between writing/expression and entrepreneurship How writing (particularly in print) can be an enduring format as a tangable legacy Tina's introduction into podcasting and audiobook production Tina's Forbes article "Do You Sound Like a Leader?" that focuses on the relationship between vocal qualities and how a person is viewed as a leader Getting used to and comfortable with the sound of one's own voice Breathing techniques and facial exercises used for voice or singing voice Food and drink to avoid when doing voice work (dairy and citrus, for example) The coaching Tina does helping authors getting ready to do interviews for radio or podcasting The difference between forms of media like television, radio and podcasting Trends in the audiobook industry that authors might not be familiar with The concept that anything you create needs to be an asset and not a burden The free download that Tina has on her website that helps demystifies the audiobook process - www.launchyouraudiobook.com Things to consider when deciding between narrating and producting an audiobook yourself or outsourcing that How Tina's clients often "come for the audiobooks and then stay for everything else" The pre-interview Tina sent to Mark ahead of the podcast which made things so much easier for Mark In the post-interview reflections, Mark talks about how Tina's info PDF made his job as an interviewer so much easier and he also shares a link to a WORD document template that authors can download and modify so they have something similar to use for their own podcast or radio interviews. Tina Dietz is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and content marketing expert who has been featured on media outlets including ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes. Tina's podcast, The StartSomething Show, was named by INC magazine as one of the top 35 podcasts for entrepreneurs. Tina's company, StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, connects leaders, entrepreneurs and experts with larger audiences, resulting in expanded influence and income. Tina divides her time between the US and Costa Rica, where she's part of a leadership team building a conscious community called Vista Mundo. Links of Interest: Tina's Website Tina on Twitter Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Goodreads Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Night of the Writing Dead More Information about Stark Publishing Solutions Stark Reflections Survey Macabre Montreal The 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this solo episode, Mark reflects upon some of the things that happened at NINC and why he enjoys attending it every year. One of the things, of course, was that he recently became Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices . . . . . . and also by the Patrons of the show at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. Links of Interest: Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections More Information about Stark Publishing Solutions Stark Reflections Survey NINC (Novelists Inc) Macabre Montreal The 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

This episode centers upon four quick chats with industry folks from NINC (Novelists Inc) 2018 in St Pete, Florida. Mark shares chats (originally posted as Facebook Live videos on Sept 27, 2018) with: Carlyn Robertson from BookBub Damon Courtney from BookFunnel Christine Munroe from Kobo Writing Life Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy Prior to the interview, Mark shares some personal updates, including some activities that happened at the conference (such as a bookstore visit to Haslam's in downtown St. Pete) as well as prior to the conference. He also shares that his book The 7 P's of Publishing Success is now live at all the major eBook retail sites, with the print and audiobook versions coming soon. He also mentions a comment on the previous episode which inspired him to make getting the audio version of the book a priority, and talks a bit about using Findaway Voices (the sponsor for this episode, to get that book distributed and into the market).After the interview, Mark reflects upon the learning that can happen, at all levels, at a conference like NINC. Links of Interest: Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections More Information about Stark Publishing Solutions Stark Reflections Survey NINC (Novelists Inc) Haslam's Book Store Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries The 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this episode, Mark shares an early audio draft of the chapter on Professionalism for his forthcoming book THE 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS which will be released under his "Stark Publishing Solutions" imprint by the end of Sept 2018. Prior to the audiobook excerpt, Mark shares a few personal updates which include: Attending NINC (Novelist's, Inc.) writer conference in St Pete, Florida, where he will be giving a talk entitled 5 CAREER KILLING ERRORS AN AUTHOR SHOULD AVOID as well as co-hosting an open discussion entitled BRAINSTORMING "THE FUTURE" FOR AUTHORS AND VENDORS Also, while at NINC, Mark will be visiting Haslam's Book Store which is allegedly haunted by Jack Kerouac (Mark wrote about it in his book Tomes of Terror) A thank you to the Patrons supporting the podcast via www.patreon.com/starkreflections A shout-out to Rook Winters for an awesome photo of some skull plates he shared on Twitter Thanking new folks who continue to fill-out the Stark Reflections Podcast Survey (with a mention of how the show has been modified in line with a few common comments from some previously rec'd surveys Mark also talks about how the main content for this episode is a test/early draft for the audiobook version of his book THE 7 P's OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS and mentions the way he'll be using Findaway Voices (the sponsor for this episode). In the main content of the episode, Mark talks about the importance of professionalism for authors and breaks it down to three main elements: Paperwork, Contracts and Content In Person Appearances and People Skills Adversity and Rejection After the main section, Mark shares the behind a behind the scenes look at how the book this chapter is taken from came to be. Both it and another book, were originally chapters in the main book he had been working on to capture the many things he has learned in his decades of experience in the bookselling and publishing industry. But these two particular chapters grew a life of their own and became unique products as part of a larger line up of titles in the Stark Publishing Solutions Imprint/Series. These books will be: THE 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS (Sept 2018) KILLING IT ON KOBO (Oct 2018) INDIE PUBLISHING INSIDER SECRETS (Nov 2018) While still finalizing re-writes and edits of the books, Mark talks about the desire to get them all up for pre-order as soon as possible. He shares where people can sign up to be informed about them as well as other related "Stark Publishing / Stark Reflections" updates: www.markleslie.ca/starkpublishingsolutions Links of Interest: Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections More Information about Stark Publishing Solutions Stark Reflections Survey NINC (Novelists Inc) Haslam's Book Store Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries The 7 P'S OF PUBLISHING SUCCESS The music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0