Perspectives and reflections on the writing and publishing life. Mark Leslie Lefebvre, a writer, bookseller, digital publishing advocate, professional speaker, and publishing consultant explores inclusive and collaborative opportunities for writers and book publishing professionals via interviews, discussions, and reflections about the industry. (Mark's personal website is www.markleslie.ca)
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EP 470 - Building Your Author Brand with Isabelle Knight
Saison 9 · Épisode 470
jeudi 16 avril 2026 • Durée 39:38
Mark interviews former publicist to the stars Isabelle Knight who is the founder of Build Your Author Brand, an online consultancy helping fiction and non-fiction authors to grow your readership, raise your profile and give your books the best chance of success.
Prior to the interview Mark shares that he is on the road at the Writers and Illustrators of the Future annual workshops and gala as one of the writer judges and is using his digital voice clone from ElevenLabs to record the introduction and closing reflection. He also shares a word about this episode's sponsor.
This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.
During the interview Mark and Isabelle talk about:
Isabelle's background as a publicist for film, TV, and books
Recognizing how there's a real knack of knowledge for creating an effective brand/profile
Teaching authors the basics of that branding without using the terms PR or publicity
The idea of creating foundations of how an author can be able to pitch their books to an audience
How talking about marketing can quickly fill authors with a sense of terror
The importance of wanting to know, before helping an author, what makes them tick
How the author's story is what tells us who they author is and ultimately "why do we care?" about your book(s)
Finding the themes that can tie books together rather than what makes them different when an author has written more than one book
The challenge of wanting, too much, to share the details from a book, the plot, the tropes, etc versus sharing higher level themes and patterns
The misconception that PR and Publicity is only for celebrities or people who are comfortable being in the spotlight
A misperception that authors have about how to provide content for social media
How Isabelle doesn't work like a traditional publicist
The course that Isabelle runs with a cohort about three times a year
And more...
After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the conversation.
Former publicist to the stars, including titans of industry JK Rowling and the BBC, Isabelle Knight is the founder of Build Your Author Brand, an online consultancy helping fiction and non-fiction authors to grow your readership, raise your profile and give your books the best chance of success.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
EP 469 - Small-Town Canadian Superheroes with Matthew del Papa and Andy Taylor
Saison 9 · Épisode 469
jeudi 9 avril 2026 • Durée 01:05:03
Mark interviews Matthew del Papa and Andy Taylor, editors of SUPERCANUCKS: An Anthology of Small Town Canadian Superheroes.
Prior to the interview Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor.
This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.
During the interview Mark, Matthew, and Andy talk about:
Andy and Mat's writing background and how they got into editing an anthology like Super Canucks
How editing is a new experience for Andy
The consist "what if?" that has been a part of Andy's writing for most of his life
Matthew's background and the various genres he has written
What the appeal of writing fantasy and non-science-filled fiction is for Mat
The origin story of the Supercanucks anthology and how it relates to the "brain drain" to larger cities
How far the call-out for stories for this anthology went
The submissions and the whittling-down process
Having six stories set in Northern Ontario, but needing to ensure the stories were from across the country
The locales across Canada that made the cut for this anthology
The process of reading and selecting and editing the stories
Deciding who was going to edit which story and work with which authors
The uniqueness for some of the contributors with being able to use Canadian pop culture references and spelling
The sudden need for an aspect of the "Elbows Up!" motif into the anthology
Mat's learnings when it came to working with a traditional publisher rather than the previous self-publishing experience he'd had before
Some of the things they experienced editing this anthology that they hadn't expected
Advice Matthew and Andy would offer to writers who are interested in submitting to an anthology
EP 460 - Rambling Reflections From The Road: You Are Loved
Saison 9 · Épisode 460
samedi 7 février 2026 • Durée 14:48
In this short solo episode Mark shares a "Rambling Reflection From The Road" while at Superstars Writing Seminars talking about the important signals that seemed to come at the right time:
Mark interviews Becca Syme, an author and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who has been helping writers with coaching success alignment for more than a decade.
Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, shares comments from recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.
How Becca deals with unexpected situations such as someone being late for a virtual meeting (Mark was 20 minutes late getting to this interview) and how this aligns with her strength of "Arranger"
The Clifton Strengths personality metric and how Becca uses it to help writers
Mark's top 5 strengths and Becca's top 5 strengths
The pros and cons that come with a strength such as Empathy
How emotions can have residue - that emotions are not false just because they're fictional
Becca first taking the Clifton Strengths in 2005 and then immediately wanting to become certified and to figure this out; which is when her coaching began
The "Dear Writer"/"Question The Premise" books that Becca has written to help writers
How Becca's first book "Dear Writer You Need to Quit" has become a running joke, especially from people who have never read the book and have only heard the title
The challenge related to the new place Becca lives and trying to get audiobooks recorded
People who are pressure-prompted and the leveraging external motivation VS internal motivation
A look at home office versus having an office space separate from the home and how that can work better for some people
How our visions of ourselves are not correct because so much of it is based on impressions we were fed before we were able to effectively grasp a more pure vision of ourselves
Being able to look at what's often seen as a weakness as a strength
How even the more benign moments and experiences in childhood can have a dramatic life-long impact upon us
EP 369 - The DIY Author With Kaye Lynn Booth
Saison 7 · Épisode 369
vendredi 5 juillet 2024 • Durée 45:43
Mark interviews Kaye Lynn Booth about her writing life and her new book The DIY Author.
Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, as well as a word from this episode's sponsor.
Kaye having written since 1994 and selling her first poem in 1996
Having always wanted to take a DIY approach to her creativity
Signing up for a booth at a local fair without having anything to sell and how that led to a creative way of selling her poems
Kaye's poem "Voices" and the perfect painting she found to use with it that was also called "Voices" and how that led to another collaborative poem and painting
The early blog-related writing that Kaye had done when the internet was still "young"
Creating the Writing to be Read brand on her blog/website and writing reviews for books she had read
How Kaye's blog remains her biggest marketing tool
The blog team that Kaye has writing specific content for her site
Getting degrees in genre fiction and screen-writing and then going back with the concentration in publishing
Kaye's perspective on what the harder part of writing and publishing is
The long-term outlook that Kaye has taken when it comes to creating and building an audience with her blog
The breakdown and sections of Kaye's book THE DIY AUTHOR
Kaye's first poetry collection: Small Wonders
The children's books that Kaye has written
The various genres that Kaye writes in as she follows her passion
And more . . .
After the interview Mark reflects making do with what you have and the creativity that can come when you find you've painted yourself into a corner.
EP 368 - Written Word Media with Clayton Noblit
Saison 7 · Épisode 368
vendredi 28 juin 2024 • Durée 54:39
Mark has a chat with Clayton Noblit, a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media.
Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons, welcomes a few new Buy Me A Coffee buddies, shares a personal update, and shares a word from this episode's sponsor.
What Written Media is (a book marketing/promotions company)
Clayton's personal background as a marketer, and a big reader, but not an author
The purposeful design of the Written Word Media dashboard to help authors schedule a marketing promotion in about 20 minutes then get back on to the other parts of their day
The various Written Word Media reader-facing brands: FreeBooksy, BargainBooksy, Red Feather Romance, New in Books, and Audiothicket
Their partnerships with other reader promo sites like eReader News Today, Book Barbarian, Hello Books, and others
The strategy of promo stacking by spreading marketing promotions out over a series of 3 to 5 days
How the Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads support at Written Word Media works
The Written Word Media membership levels (Gold and Platinum) which offer a 10% discount on booking promos as well as additional exclusive promotion options and savings on other third party services
The Limelight feature promotion option available for members
The content that appears on the Written Word Media blog, including regular surveys of authors and industry trends
A few of the responses from a survey conducted in late 2023
A discussion of author's perceptions of AI and social media
The importance of diversifying instead of being reliant on a single platform
Advice Clayton offers to authors working on promoting and marketing their books
EP 367 - Amazing Stories, Fanzines, and Community with Lloyd Penney
Saison 7 · Épisode 367
vendredi 21 juin 2024 • Durée 55:07
Mark interviews Lloyd Penney, the editor of Amazing Stories magazine about his work on Amazing Stories, his forty years of engagement with the fanzine community, and more.
Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.
Meeting Robert J. Sawyer when they both attended Ryerson University in Toronto
Lloyd's first and only published science fiction story (which Rob was responsible for)
Getting involved in science fiction fanzines
Forty years of experience being engaged with fanzines from Canada, the United States and all over the world
The definition of what a fanzine is
How the common community ends up talking about almost anything else once they've established their commonalities in related to things they are fans of
How the production of fanzines have changed over the years, from mimeographs, to photocopies, to digital
Starting off his experience in engaging with fanzines by writing a letter of comment
The letter column being the heart of a fanzine
Social media having replaced the fanzine in a lot of ways, but how that has reduced the more nuanced, well-thought out responses and behavior
The "reaction" of social media verses the "responses" in fanzines
An example of a recent fanzine that Lloyd recently received
The first issue of Amazing Stories coming out in 1927
A fan, Steve Davidson, who, about 2008, wondered what happened to the copyright on the name Amazing Stories, found it was available and secured them
How Spielberg needing to purchase the rights to the name for a TV show helped pay for the production of the first few issues of the new version of the magazine
EP 366 - Bolts of Fiction with Daniel Willcocks and Samantha Frost
Saison 7 · Épisode 366
samedi 15 juin 2024 • Durée 27:29
Mark interviews Daniel Willcocks and Samantha Frost about their flash fiction anthology BOLTS OF FICTION and the unique engagement they created and managed through the month of February 2023 to inspire the writing community throughout the entire month.
In February 2023, the Activated Authors community embarked on an ambitious project: to respond to daily prompts and produce a flash fiction story by the next day.
The result was an outpouring of over 500 unique and imaginative pieces, from which the very best were meticulously curated for their anthology.
From heart-wrenching tales of love and loss to whimsical adventures in fantastical worlds, each story promises to transport you, even if just for a moment, into a different reality. Whether you have a minute or an hour, you'll find stories that will intrigue, inspire, and leave you yearning for more.
Featuring stories from:
Quenntis Ashby, Ara Bell, Amy Bulauski, Tracey Byrnes, S.F. Claymore, Cassi Emerson, Geoff Emberlyn, B.A. Ferguson, Michelle L.M. Gale, Renée Gallant, Megan L. Garner, Robert Gelik, Debbie Gravett, Karla Hailer, R.P. Howley, Jacqueline James, Claire Ladds, Arin Laney, Mark Leslie, Daisy Lythe, S.W. Millar, Kiz Moncrieff, Andrew Murray, Laura Nettles, Kymba Nijuck, Carolyn O'Brien, Leila Murton Poole, Karin Redclift, C.M. Simpson, K.T. Tate, and Karen Wicks.
EP 365 - An Interview That's A Hug with Gail Carriger
Saison 7 · Épisode 365
vendredi 14 juin 2024 • Durée 01:19:57
Mark interviews Gail Carriger about her writing life, her journey through publishing, analytics, the careful curation of her author brand, being a hybrid author and so much more.
Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.
In the interview Mark and Gail talk about:- How honored Mark is to learn that Gail listens to the Stark Reflections Podcast
Gail's branding phrase of "Gail Carriger writes books that are hugs" and the various experiments she's done with that over the years
Always being a person who wrote, or had a passion for writing
Reading The Lord of the Rings as a child and deciding to craft her OWN ending for the story
Growing up in a "commune" environment with a bunch of poets
Gail's career as an academic when her first traditionally published book (Soulless) came out and took off
The challenge/dare to herself of wanting to write a genre-blending/cross-genre tale of something that she would enjoy as a reader
Negotiations taking a long time because Gail dug in her heels on specific contract clauses
Her agent investigating a back-door deal with another publisher who offered her 3X the deal the first was looking at and was willing to adjust the right of first refusal clause
The vision that the publishers had that Soulless was the beginning of a series (despite Gail believing, when she first wrote it, that it was a stand-alone)
Having a two-book contract and then writing a cliffhanger at the end of the 2nd book in order to grease the wheels of a contract for other books
Gail's love-affair with spreadsheets and the fact she reads all 56 pages of her royalty reports
One of the main reasons she became an indie author was her ability to have direct access to data about her sales and her readers
EP 364 - 40 Years of Rubes® Cartoons with Leigh Rubin
Saison 7 · Épisode 364
jeudi 6 juin 2024 • Durée 59:01
Mark interviews Leigh Rubin about 40 years of his Rubes® cartoons and his latest book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST.
Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor.
The fact that in 2024 Leigh is celebrating 40 years of producing Rubes® cartoons
Some of the things that have changed since Leigh first started writing the cartoons - such as the way he delivers the daily cartoons
The tools that haven't changed over the years, such as the drawing instruments he uses
How far in advance the daily cartoons need to be sent in for syndication
The fact that Leigh rarely ever takes a day off from drawing something new for the cartoon
Leigh's book THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST and the story behind it
The various types of essays that appear in this book
Leigh's Cartoonist Pledge (inspired by the Boy Scout pledge)
The ease of sharing cartoons on social media without any compensation given to the artist
What a "workaround" is for cartooning
The challenges of when humor doesn't age well because of changing sensitivities
Testing the cartoons and deciding not to use certain ones that don't hit just right - (and the big stack of un-used cartoons that Leigh never submitted because they weren't funny enough)
And more . . .
After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of what Leigh calls a "workaround" and how a similar thing might apply to writers in general as well as the idea of testing cartoons and not publishing them unless the hit right.
After the interview Mark shares a few reflections about the value of understanding the process that editors use when selecting stories for an anthology, an admission of a goof-up he made in a recent submission, and his own experience with "brain drain" and "Elbows Up!"
Matthew D. Del Papa spent every Tuesday of his youth crisscrossing his hometown of Capreol in search of newly arrived comic books. He wore superhero-themed Underoos to a truly worrying age and still has his Batman (and Robin) lunchbox, backpack, and wrist-watch.
A graduate of Laurentian University, Matthew is a writer, editor, and self-publisher, and has released ten titles to some modest local acclaim.
He joined the Sudbury Writers' Guild in 2009 and his writing has appeared in Spooky Sudbury, Nothing Without Us Too,Mighty, and Sudbury Superstack: A Changing Skyline. His collection of humorous essays titled Jerry Lewis Told Me I Was Going to Die, was released in 2023 through Latitude 46 Publishing.
Andy W. Taylor has been a reader and writer of speculative fiction from an early age thanks in no small part to his mother's frequent trips to the public library with her kids.
Andy is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, past president and member of the Sudbury Writers' Guild, a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop and Playwright's Junction workshop, and a member of CODEX.
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Andy currently resides in Sudbury, Ontario with his family. His fiction has appeared in Nature: Futures, Polar Borealis, On Spec, FictionVale and on the streets of Sudbury. Visit him at www.SooGuy.com or on BlueSky at @sooguy68.bsky.social
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
The way that Becca questions almost everything, including the thoughts and feelings that she has
Being an intuitive writer verses writing a book to outline
How 100% of the things that "everyone says" are for everyone, are definitely NOT for everyone
That most people are not lying to you, but they are lying to themselves, often because they just don't understand
How a person who NEVER questions themself is a major red flag
The "reach for my phone" game that Becca plays when she's traveling or out in public
The 12-Hour Walk
Becca dating someone who was comfortably disconnected from their phone, rarely ever reaching for it, but just being in the moment
The problem with interrupting the thought cycle and being able to get all the way to the bottom of the cognitive process
And more . . .
After the interview Mark reflects on a handful of things that came up in their conversation, which he felt was a lot of good therapy for him.
Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has been coaching success alignment for more than a decade. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course. She also writes mystery novels in her spare time and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors' blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
After the interview Mark reflects on just how much Written Word Media has grown over the years, by listening to authors, and adding tools and options to allow for greater efficiency in marketing. He also notes how authors are becoming more professional in their approach of planning ahead, and admits to not being as good at making those plans as he'd hoped.
Clayton Noblit is a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. He is passionate about helping authors find their readers and finding ways to sell more books. When he's not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and making beverages.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
How Lloyd got involved with Amazing Stories in 2018 and then became the editor in chief of the magazine
The magazine being (at the time) an online magazine, with no current print issues available
The Patreon and merchandise that's available to help support the magazine's operation
Running two Kickstarters - one of which funded, and the other, which didn't fund
And more...
After the interview Mark reflects on the value of getting involved with such a prestigious magazine brand as Amazing Stories, as well as the strong sense of connection and engagement with readers that can happen within the fanzine community.
Lloyd Penney is a Canadian science fiction writer, science fiction convention organizer and a dedicated fan who took his long time science fiction interest and turned it into a career recently - as the editor-in-chief of Amazing Stories one of science fictions longest running magazines. He had previously written extensively for science fiction fanzines.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, author coach, and speaker. Dan writes non-fiction for authors and creatives, as well as dark fiction for the twisted reader, spanning the genres of horror, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi.
Sam Frost a.k.a. "Mastress of None," is a video-editor, poet, writer, painter, actor and creator. Based in the south of England (but not born there, that's an important distinction), Sam is passionate about helping creatives while battling the will of a medium sized human and the "affectionate" sneezes of a smaller sized pug.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Gail's cautionary note to authors that with a "right of first refusal" a publisher is allowed to take their time with that offer, which can significantly delay an author's forward-movement plans
The possible "rights grab" that a publisher might do even if it's not something within their regular publishing plans
How growing up Gen-X and being a non-native to computers and the internet has resulted in an abundance of caution about digital, computers, the world wide web, how she is presented on the internet, etc.
Gail's recommendation to test the waters in self-publishing with short stories first
Nerding out with Mark about the "old days" of self-publishing and podcasting
Being a social scientist by training and loving analytics and spreadsheets
Pinging her rabid fan base and testing things all the time
Gail's A/B testing on whether it's better to put a newsletter signup link at the front of a book or the end of the book, or both
Ensuring that her author brand is not diluted with author business stuff that she's known for from other authors and industry insiders
Talking to her readers constantly to continue to stay in the loop on insights
The importance, when communicating to your readers to use the same language that they're used to
Learning that her readers tend to not have a distinction between libraries and bookstores - that many of them see them under the same umbrella of a place they go to see what books are on display
Confirming the reports that "word of mouth" is, by a landslide, the way that most readers find out about new books and new authors to read
The value of a recommendation from another author in a newsletter or on social media
The challenges of book blurbs
A podcast that Gail recommends: Reading Glasses - and that authors should subscribe and listen to it in order to understand the language that readers use
The deliberate curation and creation of the Gail Carriger persona, including her love of wearing retro outfits
The side benefit of being able to be a fan at conventions, etc when "out of uniform" and how she's rarely recognized when not sporting that specific "look"
A little bit about Gail's book THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY
The next book for writers that Gail is working on called GOING HYBRID, structured to help established and existing traditionally published authors to learn the indie publishing landscape
And more . . .
After the interview Mark reflects on several different topics that came up in the conversation, including contract clauses, being incognito, and Gails's suggesting for testing the self-publishing waters.
Gail Carriger writes books that are hugs, mostly comedies of manners mixed with steampunk, urban fantasy, and sci-fi (plus cozy queer joy as G. L. Carriger). These include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, Tinkered Stars, and San Andreas Shifter series for adults, and the Finishing School and Tinkered Starsong series for young adults. Also nonfiction: The Heroine's Journey. She is published in many languages, has over a million books in print, over a dozen New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, and starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus, and Romantic Times.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Leigh Rubin is an accomplished author and cartoonist. He has written more than 20 books. 2024 will mark the 40th anniversary of Leigh's internationally syndicated cartoon, Rubes®, which is distributed by Creators Syndicate to hundreds of newspapers and media outlets worldwide.
His work has been featured in film, television, and advertising. Leigh also enjoys a busy schedule giving thought-provoking and entertaining presentations on art and creativity at conferences, as well as professional organizations all around the country.
In 2018 Leigh began serving at Rochester Institute of Technology as the college's first Cartoonist-in-Residence.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.comand is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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