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TitreDateDurée
EP 416 - The Irony of a Woefully Inadequate Imposter Syndrome16 mai 202500:31:28

That pervasive feeling of self-doubt and insecurity you believe you are not deserving of your achievements and fear being exposed as a fraud known as imposter syndrome is especially common among writers and other creatives who often grapple with the vulnerability inherent in sharing their work with the world.

But perhaps your imposter syndrome is actually a positive sign about your progression as a writer.

That's the topic of this solo episode in which Mark reflects upon that.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 415 - April Showers Bring May Reflections09 mai 202500:42:37

In this solo episode Mark shares a personal update and some reflections about writing, publishing, and some marketing ideas.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 414 - Thanks for the Inspiration Nancy Kilpatrick06 mai 202500:19:49

In this episode Mark reflects on friend, mentor, and fellow author Nancy Kilpatrick.

Nancy Kilpatrick (May 6, 1946 – March 31, 2025) was a Canadian author who wrote stories in the genres of dark fantasy, horror, mystery, erotic horror, and gothic subculture and was perhaps best known for her vampire novels and stories.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 413 - Coming Home to Your Found Family with Aaron Fors02 mai 202501:10:11

In this interview Mark interviews author, actor, and narrator Aaron Fors about numerous aspects of his creative life.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.

During their interview Mark and Aaron talk about:

  • Recently hanging out at Superstars Writing Seminars
  • Aaron's creative life as an author, an actor, and a voice talent/narrator
  • How Aaron started acting when he was eight years old, and his supportive father who took a "sure, let's do this" approach when Aaron's older siblings talked about wanting to get into acting
  • Aaron's first scene doing a dark-themed dramatic monologue and how he fell in love with acting
  • The list Aaron created at the age of 5 which included being a famous actor, a rock star, President of the United States, and a basketball star
  • Being a voracious reader from an early age, with his favorite authors being Stephen King, William Shakespeare and Isaac Asimov
  • Latching on to "found family" style stories from science-fiction disguised as "bad ass robot movies"
  • Wanting to be a part of sharing stories that help remind people who feel alone or outcast that there's a place for them
  • Being a guest star on a lot of cop, doctor, and lawyer shows on TV and having to have read hundreds of scripts - and how that has played a role in studying story
  • Getting into writing books because of his sister C L Fors and her husband Jason Crawford suggesting it
  • How writing stories and novels felt a lot like "coming home"
  • The natural symbiotic relationship between performers of story and creators of story
  • Some of the fundamental storytelling aspects that translate well from screenplays to narrative fiction, such as the "camera's focus" on the relevant details in a scene
  • How having a healthy relationship with rejection as an actor has been helpful to Aaron in his role as a writer
  • Having 17 auditions in person in a single day driving from 6 AM until midnight to get to the various offices and studios
  • The concept of when you are doing an audition you're actually performing in front of an audience that's right there in the room (even if that audience is one or two or just a few people) - and that you're actually getting to do your job - you got to entertain
  • Aaron's story "Best Foot Forward" which appeared in the anthology Weird Wilderness edited by Lisa Mangum
  • The first two full length novel manuscripts that Aaron has written
  • Aaron's work doing voice-over performances in various different categories
  • How the industry for doing voice-over and narrator roles changed during the pandemic which allowed for a lot more work-from-home-studio opportunities
  • The way that the narrator themselves add a layer of artistry to the manuscript they are reading
  • The fact that Aaron is a dialectologist who studied in Masterclasses with Robert Easton
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark makes an offer to his patrons for getting a chance to work with Aaron and also reflects on three different things that Aaron mentioned.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Aaron Fors is a passionate actor, dialectologist, writer, and all around performer. He is a weaver of stories, with threads of magic, science, wonder, and love. He is a collector of information, skills, and wisdom. He also crafts with his hands, leather-working and woodworking. His two cats and wife (honorary third cat) love him very much, and are spoiled by his cooking.    He does all the things. Want a thing done? He can probably do it.   You can find Aaron online at www.aaronfors.com 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 412 - Books, Bookstores, and Community25 avr. 202500:41:48

In this solo episode, Mark talks about the importance of indie bookstores to the local community and what he is doing as an author to help support/promote indie bookstores on April 26, 2025, Independent Bookstore Day.

This episode is sponsored by Draft2Digital.

Check out the full day of PRINT BOOKS FOR INDIE AUTHORS videos here.

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 411 - Small Acts of Kindness in Every Little Thing With Janice Landry18 avr. 202500:58:09

Mark has a conversation with award winning writer and veteran journalist Janice Landryabout her seventh book, Every Little Thing: How Small Acts of Kindness Make a Big Impact, her 2023 diagnosis of Lyme disease which was part of the inspiration for this book, Janice's life as a writer, how having lived adjacent to the ocean in Canada's East Coast has impacted her creative spirit, and so much more.

Prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update, comments from recent episodes and reads a word about two Canadian conferences taking place at the end of April 2026: Toronto Indie Author Conference and GritLIT. (You can use code gritLITfriends at checkout to save 25% off the cost of registration).

Mark and Janice talk about:

  • Being of the generation that spent their entire summer days outside and not-connected to anything except friends and the world around them
  • The old school-style desk Janice had when she was young and starting to write which was shoved up against a window that looked out on the ocean
  • Telling herself fictional stories to amuse herself when she was young
  • The ocean being one of the single biggest factors on Janice's creative life
  • The importance of Janice's 2022 book EYE OF THE OCEAN
  • Why it's priceless that we create and share Canadian stories
  • How so much of what we do is about all of the people who help us in our achievements and why it's one of the core messages in Janice's latest book
  • The dramatically debilitating side-effects of Lyme disease
  • Why small acts of kindness and sharing uplifting and positive stories is so important
  • The tiny thing (a tick) that ended up inspiring Janice to write the book EVERY LITTLE THING
  • Importance messages of hope and that you're not alone, which come from the book
  • A very special note that a teacher gave to Janice when she was 10 years old, and why she carried it around for fifty years
  • Advice Janice would offer to beginning writers
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that came up in the discussion.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Janice Landry has won four national awards for her writing and work. In March 2025,
Halifax West MP Lena Metlege Diab presented Janice with the King Charles III
Coronation Medal from the Government of Canada for her body of work, books, and
longtime mental health advocacy.

Janice is a veteran journalist and proud Haligonian. In May 2025, she released her
seventh book, Every Little Thing – how small acts of kindness make a big impact,
following her 2023 Lyme disease diagnosis. Janice has since fully recovered and wrote
this “small book with big messages” to thank society’s many and varied helpers,
including some of her own. Janice’s longtime publisher is Nova Scotia’s Pottersfield
Press. Her last two books, Eye of the Ocean and Silver Linings, were both bestsellers.

Janice’s biggest inspiration is her family, husband, Rob, and daughter, Laura. Through
her writing, she also honours her late parents, Baz and Theresa. Janice began writing
longform non-fiction to tell the gripping story of her firefighter father’s national Medal of
Bravery for his part in the near-death rescue of an infant from a harrowing 1978 Halifax
house fire.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 410 - Writer Reflections at Lucifers Pizza with Robert J. Sawyer and Kevin J. Anderson10 avr. 202500:26:31

On Wednesday April 9, 2025, Mark had a pizza lunch at Lucifers Pizza on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It was a place recommended by friend of the podcast Nikki Guerlain.

In addition to agreeing that this was fantastic pizza (with wonderful staff), Mark, Kevin, and Rob had a conversation about Writers of the Future, and various aspects about the business of writing and publishing.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 409 - Show, Don't Tell With Suzy Vadori04 avr. 202500:40:45

Mark interviews Suzy Vadori, Calgary Bestselling author of The Fountain Series, the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, and the host of the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don’t Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you’re writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be.

During their interview, Mark and Suzy talk about:

  • The last time Suzy was on the podcast in an episode talking about doing a book launch in collaboration with her local bookstore
  • A little bit about who Suzy is and what she is passionate about
  • Suzy's background that includes having a Commerce Bachelors Degree and being a Chief Operating Officer for a startup
  • Suzy's main superpower, which is to take enormous amounts of information, feed them into her brain, and then to determine a path forward
  • Applying skills that come from outside writing into the writing world
  • The Suzy Vadori umbrella and how that came about
  • The areas that Suzy is most passionate about helping writers with: the actual writing
  • The myth that writing talent is all your need to be successful
  • The free newsletter Suzy sends out to writers and some of the content that's contained within it
  • Some of the tools Suzy uses to evaluate a writer's manuscript
  • Suzy's "Show Don't Tell" Podcast
  • The book that Suzy is currently working on which aligns with the branding for her podcast
  • Advice that Suzy would offer to beginning writers
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on something Suzy said about bringing in skills and experience from outside the writing world.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Suzy Vadori is Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical series has received three Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency.

Suzy is the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) and a Program Manager for When Words Collide (WWC), a festival for readers and writers.

Suzy specializes in breaking down complex writing concepts for newer writers into manageable steps, to get the book idea exploding in their minds onto the page in a way that will make readers take notice. She works with both fiction and nonfiction writers, in Memoir, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, and of course, Young Adult. Suzy is an Advanced Certified Book Coach from Jennie Nash’s Author Accelerator.

Suzy speaks to youth and adult audiences across Western Canada about how writing can unlock doors and help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 408 - Definitely A Chat With Definitely The Real Alex Lifeson (AKA Tony Binns)27 mars 202501:19:22

Mark interviews Tony Binns, an award-winning stand-up comedian and screenwriter whose feature #ROXY was nominated for 3 Canadian screen awards, 3 Canadian Comedy Awards, and took home Best Feature at the Ampia awards as well as Best Feature for Teens at the Kidscreen awards. Tony is also the man behind the parody profile on Facebook called Definitely The Real Alex Lifeson where he pretends to be a guy pretending to be the real guitarist from Rush.

Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, which includes a few engagements he'll be speaking at in person and virtually:

Mark then shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Toronto Indie Author Conference, taking place April 26 & 27, 2025 in Toronto, ON. The schedule appears below

Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 here.

 

In their chat, Mark and Tony talk about:

  • How Tony is a multi-faceted nerd who used to tape episodes of SCTV so he could play them back and memorize them
  • Being big into Monty Python and, of course, Rush
  • Always thinking that he was going to be an actor and his love of Shakespeare, but always getting the comedic parts
  • Being a good actor but not being so good at auditioning because he freezes when put in a pressure situation
  • Founding a comedy sketch troop called Obscene But Not Heard which was partially inspired by his love for Kids In The Hall
  • Evolving into doing stand-up despite being a shy person
  • Deciding to leave stand-up comedy around the time that Covid hit
  • The movie XROXY (a modern tale based on Cyrano de Bergerac) that Tony wrote after he pitched it to some producers he had done some other work for
  • Having a strength for dialogue but a weakness when it comes to plot
  • Being brought in to help punch up an episodic YouTube series that was a campy horror flick and make it funnier (TRUCKSTOP BLOODSUCKERS)
  • Tony's most recent script entitled SAVING MR. CHRISTMAS and how it evolved into a completely different movie than the one that he originally pitched
  • The "we love this, change everything" thing that happens with movies
  • Tony's WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOT which is a show about two women waiting for a production of the play Waiting For Godot which never happens, and how that play was inspired by the way that days could blur together for people, particularly as we get older and "become that guy"
  • Being a Rush fan since he first heard "Spirit of Radio"
  • How Tony was inspired to create a fake Alex Lifeson account on Facebook after he's seen a fake Geddy Lee account
  • The relation between ADHD and being "all in" on something -- like Rush, Monty Python and Rush for Tony
  • How, during Covid Tony did a one-man reading of Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Doing a Canadian overdub of Dragonball Z
  • Adapting a pilot from a Canadian novel called The Smeltdog Man by Frank Macdonald and leveraging the "Deadpool" style of breaking the fourth wall
  • Advice that Tony would give to the young nerdy Mark and Tony
  • How Tony used to write sketches even though he didn't have an outlet for them
  • The Dungeons & Dragons podcast that Tony is a part of called The +2 Rodcast
  • And more . . . 

 

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that came up in the discussion.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 407 - An Evening With A Drink And A Friend With Kevin J. Anderson20 mars 202501:22:00

Mark has a virtual beer with Kevin J. Anderson while they talk through various aspects about writing and publishing. This episode is from a live chat that was hosted on the evening of Sunday March 16, 2025.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place in early Feb 2026 in Colorado Springs, CO and where Mark will be a guest speaker.

Use code: STARK100 to get $100 off your registration.

In their chat Mark and Kevin talk about:

  • The loss of author and poet Danny Peart, Neil Peart's brother and how the first story Kevin and Neil wrote together named the main character after Neil's brother
  • Mark and Kevin's Rush and beer connection
  • Kevin's "music starter kit" to his grand-kids
  • The significance of the Rush album Grace Under Pressure to both Kevin and Mark
  • How the Columbia Music Record Club is what led to Kevin discovering Rush (because he was looking for sci-fi style album covers and Rush's 2112 jumped out at him)
  • The back-story to Kevin's Terra Incognita novels
  • Writing a novel that was a tie-in to a Rush album
  • How Kevin has been able to leverage Kickstarter to produce products that no New York publisher would likely ever get behind
  • The way a tribute song "No Words" about Neil Peart led to a new friendship and collaboration with Kevin
  • The music behind the Terra Incognita trilogy
  • Kevin's Kickstarter for Terra Incognita funding in 14 minutes, but the ultimate goal of earning back the high investment he has already put into it
  • The number of novels that Kevin has written
  • Benefits of being able to order books directly from the author versus going through the multiple layers of traditional publishing
  • Superstars Writing Seminars, the conference that Kevin, his wife Rebecca, Dave Farland, Eric Flint, and Brandon Sanderson started more than 15 years ago
  • The Masters of Creative Writing with a focus on Publishing that Kevin teaches at Western Colorado University
  • The annual anthology that this program publishes thanks to sponsorship from Draft2Digital
  • The latest musical collaboration Kevin recently announced
  • Kevin coming to Toronto's Massey Hall for RushFest on August 1, 2025
  • What books Kevin and Mark are currently working on
  • Favorite advice for running a Kickstarter and the real costs of shipping and handling
  • Kevin's love of hiking and dictating when he writes
  • And more . . .

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 406 - How Authors Can Engage With Their Library14 mars 202500:55:21

In this solo episode Mark shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND: Strategies for Optimizing Print Book Sales via Signings and Other In Person Events.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 here.

The content for this episode is an excerpt from the work in progress: A BOOK IN HAND.

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 405 - Ask Not What Your Bookstore Can Do For You07 mars 202500:35:31

In this solo episode Mark shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND: Strategies for Optimizing Print Book Sales via Signings and Other In Person Events.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place in early Feb 2026 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: STARK100 to get $100 off your registration.

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 404 - Elbows Up, Canada!05 mars 202500:28:28

In this special additional solo episode, Mark reflects on the term "Elbows up!" and recent events in Canada/US relations and the tariffs being needlessly opposed based on completely fabricated issues. He also discusses the disease of division that is so prominent today, and shares a clip of Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau from a press conference held on March 4, 2025.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 403 - The Magic of Combining Poetry and Playwriting with Richard Marsh28 févr. 202500:57:53

Mark interviews writer, actor and poet, Richard Marsh, the genius behind YIPPEE KI YAY the one-man poetry stage parody of Die Hard.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a brief personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you’re writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be.

Mark also mentions a free podcast event he'll be on with Suzie on March 7th called NAVIGATING TODAY'S PUBLISHING.

In the interview, Mark and Richard talk about:

  • How, ever since Richard started poetry, he ended up using it to tell the types of stories that one wouldn't normally think could be told via poems
  • The poetry rom-com stage show Richard worked on with a good friend
  • How the procrastination project of writing a Die Hard play told in poetry became a priority when Richard wasn't interested in the play he'd been intending to roll out that had a heavy themes of grief and loss. The Die Hard play was fun and silly and funny and warm, and was more of what the world could use at the time
  • How focusing on a few elements of what would make Richard himself laugh was a great place to start
  • The themes in the play of how love and life change through parenthood
  • The importance to Richard of not just retelling or parodying Die Hard, but to do so much more
  • How the personal story that Richard weaved into his Die Hard stage show ties in quite nicely to the relationship between John and Holly
  • Art impacting us differently through various stages in our life
  • The first time that Richard ever performed the play, which was an active reading in the middle of a crowded bar
  • The initial public performance of the stage show at The Omnibus theatre in London in March of 2022
  • Taking the show on the road beyond the UK by touring the US during Christmas 2023
  • Additionally touring in Australia and Canada
  • A little bit about the play Richard DIRTY GREAT LOVE STORY that Richard co-wrote and performed with Katie Bonna was created and launched
  • How the people who go to poetry events are some of the most loveable weirdos in the world
  • The various plays that Richard has published
  • Working with producer James Seabright to produce Yippee Ki-Yay
  • The numerous complex elements of staging Yippee Ki-Yay, including movement and physicality, puppet show aspects, props, finger guns, and more - and the importance of the collaborators that helped with this
  • The two-hander stage show WINGMAN which is a type of romantic comedy between a father and son, which has been optioned for both US and UK television
  • The numerous things Richard has written that ultimately end up as an "elaborate PDF" on his PC
  • The moment when Stephen E. de Sousa co-writer of Die Hard, went to see Richard's play at the London Action Festival
  • The musical Richard is working on which is based on the movie SON OF RAMBOW
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things that came up in the conversation.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Richard Marsh is a writer (film, TV, theatre, to-do lists). Actor (stage, radio, social events). CEO of the MCU (Marsh Connected Universe). He will rhyme for money (write poems on commission). You can find him online at: https://www.richmarsh.com/

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 402 - The Visible Author Method of Marketing with Laurie Cooper21 févr. 202500:43:50

Mark interviews Laurie Cooper, an award-winning speaker, and an author coach and marketing expert, who helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 here.

In their conversation, Mark and Laurie talk about:

  • The round-about way that Laurie got into the role of becoming a marketing coach for authors
  • Starting off as a virtual assistant, then moving on to more marketing-related and coaching for authors
  • It being 11 years since Laurie started working with authors
  • Some of the ways the marketing landscape and promotion strategies have changed over the years
  • Laurie's "The Visible Author Method" that authors can enroll in, but only after a discovery call with Laurie and an invitation
  • The idea that coaches need coaches and therapists need therapists
  • The most important aspect of what writers want, which is ways to connect with their readers, and having their books read
  • How "Niching Down and Branding" is at the core of everything Laurie offers to authors
  • How positioning, or establishing a positioning statement is one of the most taxing endeavors for an author
  • The way that working with a coach can help an author with being able to see themselves and their writing in a new light/different way is important
  • The tiny roadblocks that can stop us from moving forward, and the importance of getting over them
  • The concept of personalized repeatable systems
  • Navigating the road map of best practices, and the importance of trial and error and measurable metrics
  • Some of the differences related to marketing for traditionally published authors versus self-published authors
  • An example of working with a traditionally published author that took some extra effort but worked nicely in the end
  • Some resources that Laurie recommends
  • The three questions that you should always be answering for your readers
      1) What can they expect
      2) Why should they care? (What makes it special)
      3) What they can/should do next
  • The importance of the idea of "my brand equals my promise to my readers"
  • And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on how the the same process/procedure might work differently for different authors, as well as the importance of being able to pivot when unexpected elements clash with your plans and goals.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Award-winning speaker, Laurie Cooper, launched her online business, Pub-Craft: Marketing for Books and Brands, in October 2013. She helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers. In her first year of business, Laurie went from 1 to over 200 clients and helped 100+ authors hit the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Lists. While she works as a marketing coach with authors from around the world, Laurie calls Ottawa, Canada her home. Learn more about Laurie and her course,The Visible Author Method. Connect at www.Pub-Craft.com.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 401 - Reflections From the Road: Superstars Writing Seminars 202514 févr. 202500:31:33

Mark reflects on the power and importance of Superstars Writing Seminars and why it's one of the most important annual in person sessions he attends and participates in.

He also reflects on the rule of "no politics/no religion" in writing groups focused on supporting one another and helping to learn and grow, a new way he now sees this, and his desire for continuing to create bridges rather than divides without compromosing his morality.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 400 - Community Reflections07 févr. 202501:09:55

In this special 400th Episode, Mark shares comments from the Stark Reflections Community.

This episode's sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount’s handy all-in-one interface.

This episode includes comments from:

  • Matty Dalrymple
  • Zachary Kai
  • Birgit Constant
  • Stanley B. Trice
  • Donn King
  • Beth Biss
  • Matthew del Papa
  • Guylaine
  • Kathy Mac
  • Justin Trudeau

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 399 - Post Publishing Marketing with Deborah Kevin31 janv. 202500:56:10

Mark interviews Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, about her new book SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success.

Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you’re writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be.

During the interview Mark and Deborah talk about:

  • How Deborah describes herself as one of the most curious people you'll ever meet
  • First learning about the Camino de Santiago in 2013, and then later walking the pilgrimage in chunks
  • Learning to read when she was four years old, and Deborah's first library card at the age of five
  • Writing her first "novelette" when she was eleven years old, and then later adapting that initial story into a novel that she used to get into Stanford
  • The giant wall calendar that Deborah uses for planning out the year using different colored sticky notes
  • Launching Highlander Press, and the story behind the initial name Deborah wanted to use to denote  the idea of a mission
  • The 51 books that Highlander Press has released (as of November 2024 when the interview was conducted)
  • Shifting the structure of the way we talk about running a business from less masculine energy and more feminine energy
  • Deborah's new book: SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success and the origin of writing it
  • How promotion and marketing can be simple and easy and to properly serve readers
  • Suggestions for authors on pre and post publication promotions
  • The importance of ensuring that "fun" is a part of the work you do when showing off your creative works and life
  • How showing up as ourselves authentically is one of the best things an author can do
  • And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of dividing big tasks into chunks, the importance of not self-rejecting, and being one's authentic self.

Links of Interest:

 

Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, ignites change-makers to share their stories of healing and truth. Having steered hundreds of authors to literary success, she's a beacon for impactful writing. Deborah also hosts the STORYTELLHER podcast, amplifying women's voices one riveting episode at a time. When she's not shaping the future of publishing, she's globetrotting from the historic trails of Camino de Santiago to the comforts of home in Maryland with her soulmate, Rob, their adventurous sons, and a mischievous puppy, Fergus.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 398 - Multiple Outlets For Storytelling with Denise Baden24 janv. 202500:50:25

Mark interviews Denise Baden about the novel/book version of Murder in the Climate Assembly as well as the various incarnations and adaptions she had created for the stage and television.

Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode’s sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount’s handy all-in-one interface.

During the interview Mark and Denise talk about:

  • Denise's varied educational, professional, and personal background which has given her a finger in "every pie"
  • How Denise turned to fiction because it's her joy
  • The different formats that a story can take for a creative person
  • Denise's memoir "Confessions of a Climate Activist in a Business School" and how she adapted it into a novel by fictionalizing some elements
  • Also creating a re-adaptation of the story into a stage play "Murder in the Citizens' Jury"
  • The additional dramatic monolog version of the play that Denise created
  • The TV-script version that Denise also wrote based on this
  • The videos that Denise has that share these highlights
  • How the different mediums inform Denise's approach to each version of the story
  • Not feeling good about the traditional publishing offer Denise rec'd for the book
  • A Kickstarter project that Denise is launching related to this same IP
  • The struggle with what to do as a reward, and what to do as an add-on
  • How too much of existing climate fiction is so dystopian in nature
  • The white-washing that some companies tried to do in partnering Denise's Green Stories project
  • The idea of thrutopian fiction
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the choice Denise made to turn down a publishing contract and launch the book leveraging Kickstarter, as well as the genius way she's taken a single IP and adapted into numerous formats and platforms.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Denise Baden is a Professor of Sustainability at the University of Southampton and a writer. Her eco-themed rom-com ‘Habitat Man’ was published in 2021, followed by ‘The Assassin’ and ‘No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save the Planet’ in 2022. Denise is listed on the Forbes list of Climate Leaders Changing the Film and TV industry and has worked with Bafta on #ClimateCharacters exploring cultural aspects of sustainability. A TV adaptation of her play ‘Murder in the Citizens’ Jury’ was a winner of the 2024 Writing Climate Pitchfest and is under consideration by Hollywood producers. She is currently launching the novel version ‘Murder in the Climate Assembly’ on Kickstarter.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 397 - In It For The Creativity and Compassion with Ron Vitale17 janv. 202500:52:36

Mark interviews Ron Vitale about his writing, and his recent unflinching and honest looks at his writing income versus expenses.

Prior to the interview, Mark talks about wanting to hear from listeners on THEIR reflections via an online form or via a few Zoom hangouts (see more info here) for forthcoming Episode 400.

Mark also shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In their conversation Mark and Ron talk about:

  • Ron growing up in an environment where a family member stuggled with alcoholism and then learning how to heal from some of the trauma experienced in his past
  • The 2020 lockdown blog posts that Ron wrote and shared in order to help others who might be dealing with that and giving back to the community
  • The four "Let Go And Be Free" books he released that were derived from that blog content
  • Writing his first short fiction at the age of 9 and his first novel at 16
  • Ron's Masters degree and how his topic related to trauma
  • How to date Ron's best success as an author has been with his "Let Go and Be Free: 100 Daily Reflections for Adult Children of Alcoholics" books
  • Shooting for 365 reflections for his books, but ending up with 400
  • The value in creating content thinking of the benefit to himself as well as others, and how that worked out extremely well because of the way it hit with the correct audience
  • How Ron's fiction titles dealt with most of the same issues, but that they ended up hitting different with the audiences
  • Making a decision of what he needs to let go of in order to make more space for focusing on what he wants to do as a writer
  • The five different fiction series that Ron has written, including a Cinderella fairy tale-inspired series, and a Were-whale series inspired by Moby Dick
  • Ron's start in indie writing in 2009 and publishing in 2011
  • Why Ron has consistently shared such an honest and unflinching look at the economics of his own publishing journey
  • Sharing his annual numbers for about 10 years and how only two of those years were ones where he earned more than he spent
  • How 2024 was a "non-marketing-spending" year for Ron as an important experiment
  • The elements of the filter that most people put on before they share something publicly or on social media'
  • The regular habits that Ron says make an important difference
  • Being touched by a personal message from a reader who appreciated one of Ron's audiobooks and how it moved her
  • How Ron isn't in writing just for the money, but for so many other reasons
  • And more...

 

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things Ron said and also shares a special offer to listeners in support of both Ron and the Stark Reflections community, thanks to Mark's coffee buddy Nikki Guerlain.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 396 - Waubgeshig Rice on Community, Publishing, and The Creative Journey10 janv. 202501:12:01

Mark interviews Waubgeshig Rice, an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation, and the author of four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments, a personal update and word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In their conversation Mark and Waubgeshig talk about:

  • Waub's interest in high school with English classes but still feeling like there was no strong connection and that not many of the books and stories being taught in Ontario in the 1990s were all that relatable
  • Being shown books by indigenous authors via his Auntie that weren't being studied in school -- books by authors such as Richard Wagamese, Lee Maracle, Louise Erdrich -- and how that blew his world wide open and included thoughts such as maybe he could do that himself some day
  • The Grade 12 Writing Course taught by Tom Bennett at Parry Sound High School that helped Waubgeshig in shaping stories
  • Being side-tracked from creative writing by studying and beginning a career in journalism
  • The benefit of getting to know writers and artists in the Toronto area in the early 2000s
  • Applying for his first writing grant from Canada Council for the Arts in 2004
  • Waub's first book, Midnight Sweat Lodge, a connected short story collection
  • How things really changed when Waubgeshig's Moon of the Crusted Snow first came out in 2018
  • Leaving full time journalism employment at CBC to become a full-time writer in 2020
  • The Northeast Blackout of 2003 and how his experiences being back home at Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound when it was all going down is what inspired Waubgeshig in writing Moon of the Crusted Snow
  • Coming to the realization that home was the best place to be if this were actually a world-ending electricity blackout
  • The stereotypes and mythologies about what life on a reservation is, and how, during that dark moment, it was a reminder of the resources and the beauty that place could actually be
  • Expressing the heartfelt spirit of community that has withstood a lot of violence historically, and how that helps a group of people survive this latest major crisis
  • Deciding to set the story in a location that a little further removed from Southern Ontario than where Waubgeshig actually grew up
  • Waub's approach in writing the sequel and wanting it to take place several years after the events in the first novel and how that came to happen
  • How the second novel explores the way the people of the community are able to live more autonomously on the land as Anishinaabe people
  • The interesting publishing path that Waubgeshig's first novel took in landing at ECW Press
  • Working with acquiring editor Susan Renouf and how great an experience that was and the wonderful suggestions she made to improve the raw manuscript
  • The speculative fiction elements of a post-apocalyptic novel and Waub feeling so accepted in the SF/F community
  • How the success of Moon of the Crusted Snow led Waub to getting agent representation by Denise Bukowski
  • The path that led to Penguin Random House offering the contract for the sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves
  • The new project that Waub is working on now
  • Advice that Waub would offer to other writers
  • And more...

 

After the interview Mark reflects on several different things he was thinking about during and after the conversation.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation.

He’s written four books, most notably the bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Moon of the Turning Leaves.

He graduated from the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002, and spent most of his journalism career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a video journalist and radio host.

He left CBC in 2020 to focus on his literary career.

In addition to his writing endeavours, Waubgeshig is an eclectic public speaker, delivering keynote addresses and workshops, engaging in interviews, and contributing to various panels at literary festivals and conferences.

He speaks on creative writing and oral storytelling, contemporary Anishinaabe culture and matters, Indigenous representation in arts and media, and more.

He lives in Sudbury, Ontario with his wife and three sons.

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 395 - Rants and Reflections From The Road03 janv. 202500:57:29

Mark shares reflections on his 2024 sales, as well as a bit of a rant about people sharing their 2024 sales without disclaimers about how much they spent, or the other costs involved in achieving those sales.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 394 - Centerfold Stories with Charlotte Kemp26 déc. 202401:07:37

Mark interviews author and former Playboy Playmate Charlotte Kemp about her book CENTERFOLDS.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In the interview Mark and Charlotte talk about:

  • Charlotte adjusting her last name Helmkamp into Charlotte Kemp when she first began modeling
  • Being Playmate of the month December 1982 and the cover model for the October 1983 issue of Playboy
  • Interviewing about 40 women in order to get the 20 stories that she included in the book
  • Being blocked from publishing her book when she'd first started by Hugh Hefner
  • Using the title "Centerfolds" for her book because she wasn't able to use the term "Playmate" as the trademark is owned by Playboy
  • How Charlotte decided which of the stories ended up making it into the book
  • The backstory of how Charlotte became Playmate of the Month at the age of 19
  •  Charlotte's self-appointed bodyguard, Lance, who sat outside the Green Room and kept her safe from any men looking to take advantage of an innocent younger "girl next door"
  • How the payment works for Playboy models, which is pay for the first photo shoot but no residuals for re-use of those photos in other issues
  • Learning how to read when she was two years old and the voracious reading she's been doing since she was young
  • What Charlotte is reading now
  • The type of short stories that Charlotte likes to write
  • Charlotte being the first Playmate to ever have a license from Playboy for the running team that she created
  • The Playmates with a Purpose running group fund-raising and brand-raising Charlotte was passionate about
  • Charlotte's experience with the Playboy brand in Japan and how the associated merchandise was all high end
  • How more women have found their voices in recent times and own more of their own properties instead of letting men control them
  • Prince's role in taking back his name, and helping female artists with similar strategies, being a strong champion of women
  • Stories from the book such as one from Cynthia Myers and how she narrowly evaded a fateful event with Charles Manson
  • Charlotte's strong feelings about ensuring she preserved the voices of the people she interviewed for Centerfolds
  • How the women Charlotte interviewed were able to open up and share their experiences
  • The way that a person could feel "owned" by Playboy
  • The short story collection that Charlotte is working on releasing
  • Charlotte's Howard Cosell story 
  • And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on his own history as a Playboy magazine reader and writer, as well as a few things Charlotte shared in the interview.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Charlotte Kemp was Playboy’s “Miss December 1982” and Playboy’s cover model in October 1983. She also appeared in many ads and calendar photos for Playboy. She was the first Playmate ever given a license for “The Playboy Running Team” in 1993 and had ten Playmates on the team who successfully raised money for many charities. Her first book was For My Eyes Only, which includes poetry, prose and short stories. During her working years with Playboy, she was the first to hold the titles of “Miss Budweiser” and “The Best Breasts in the USA.” She has starred and appeared in several commercials and movies, including a top 25 B-Horror film of all time, Frankenhooker. She has appeared on Inside Edition, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and many radio shows all over the country. She has appeared in fourteen foreign editions of Playboy and lived for a time at the Playboy Mansion.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 393 - Book Adjacent Strategies with Jody Swannell19 déc. 202400:51:14

Mark interviews author Jody Swannell about her writing and the book ajacent activities and strategies she has employed.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place Feb 6 through 9, 2025 in Colorado Springs, CO.

Use code: MARK1592 to get $100 off your registration.

In the interview Mark and Jody talk about:

  • How Jody got started in writing about 20/30 years ago
  • Spending at least an hour a week at Chapters big box bookstores back in the day, with dreams of wanting to write a book
  • The way that the recent pandemic inspired a lot of people to actually take a shot at some of the things they'd wanted to do for a long time
  • The two novels and one novella that Jody has released in the past 3 years
  • Jody's interest and writing about Tarot card reading
  • Selling books in person at the local markets and how Jody was inspired by seeing local author Richard Stephens there
  • Jody's role as a host of a local community radio program (Readers Delight) on CKMS 102.7 FM - Radio Waterloo
  • The software and equipment that Jody had to learn how to use in order to host the show as well as the license that needed to be purchased
  • The additional work and stress that hosting this show took on Jody
  • Some of the things that guests did which made life so challenging for Jody as the host
  • The way this show helped Jody connect with so many other local writers
  • What creative/writing projects Jody is working on lately
  • The success that Jody saw at a recent event (Frightmare in the Falls) by having book-adjacent products.
  • Pivoting from Jody Swannell Author/Books to Jody Swannell Bookery
  • And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the ingenius strategies Jody has used to connect with other writers, to learn more, and to grow her author brand, the importance of giving something up when it's not working/causing too much stress, and things NOT to do when you're a guest on a podcast or radio program.

Links of Interest:

 

Jody Swannell is an author from the beautiful Region of Waterloo. Her love of adventure has taken her on incredible trips, such as visiting castles in Scotland, shopping in the West Edmonton Mall, snorkelling in Jamaica, and photographing glaciers during an Alaskan cruise.

Her goal is to keep readers eagerly turning pages while trying to guess what happens next—occasionally adding a splash of romance here and there to spice things up a bit. She loves writing contemporary fiction in thriller, mystery occult, sci-fi and horror genres.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 392 - Pillars of Author Success with Emma Dhesi12 déc. 202400:50:34

Mark interviews Emma Dhesi, a bestselling author and certified book coach who educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

New content for patrons has dropped here.

In the interview, Mark and Emma talk about:

  • How Emma got started in writing as a child at school
  • The waves of how that "itch" to write kept coming to Emma every 6 months or so
  • The feeling of writing that first draft and the effective challenge it was for her
  • Emma's first book THE DAY SHE CAME HOME and how it began as an exploration of post-partum depression
  • The concept of how engaging in the creative life can provide that balance we need
  • How it can look different depending on where on the creative journey we are, but the similarities
  • The importance of trying new things, but then recognizing when it's not the right thing for us at that time in our journey
  • Emma's decision to become an author coach and to help other writers like her
  • The first book being important "evidence" that you can do it
  • The value of even a little bit of positive encouragement
  • Emma's focus on a VERY SPECIFIC demographic instead of trying to create a service to please everyone
  • What Emma is working on now in her writing and in her coaching
  • The online summit Emma is hosting in January 2025 (Be A Bestseller 6.0 - Back to Basics)
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on the intrinsic satisfaction of completely that first novel, the importance of proving to yourself that you CAN do it, of trying new things (but being able to stop if that new thing is not for you), and the value of focusing in on a target audience.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Emma Dhesi, bestselling author and certified book coach, educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel.

Drawing from her own success and training, Emma guides writers to finish their first book through detailed feedback, accountability check-ins, and compassionate support in her year-long 1:1 mentorship.

Emma lives in Edinburgh with her husband, three children, three cats, and is passionate about helping authors achieve their dreams through her individualised mentoring.

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

 

 

EP 391 - Networking for Authors with Dale L. Roberts06 déc. 202400:56:31

Mark interviews Dale L. Roberts about his new book NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads comments from recent episodes, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Mark's book AN AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES.

You can get the book for 50% direct from Mark from now until Jan 2024 using coupon code STARK2024 at checkout. Patrons will get access to a 75% off coupon for that book and a wider range of titles from Mark's direct sale store.

In their interview Mark and Dale talk about:

  • How long it has been since Dale has been on the Stark Reflections podcast. (Episode 96 - Sept 2019)
  • Dale's first big breakthrough in the indie author space and how that led to him pivoting to becoming a YouTube content creator
  • Dale's passion for helping showing other authors things related to the business of writing and publishing
  • Their mutual passion for Rush
  • How the word networking can be thought of as a "dirty" word
  • Dale's unique approach to networking as an introverted person, by looking at it like a good movie or some other product that he enjoys and wanting to share that "thing" with someone else. IE, "This is super cool. You should know about this" translated into "This person is super cool. You should know them."
  • Having a pool of like-minded business professionals
  • An example of a solid and long-lasting bond Dale helped two people forge and the satisfaction that comes from that
  • How this type of work connecting people is a "let me feed my soul" type of thing
  • The way that some in person events can be extremely overwhelming for Dale and how he deals with it
  • Dale's YouTube platform being up to 1700 videos
  • How it's not about the number of times you fall down, it's the number of times you get back up
  • The advice Dale received from Nick Thacker whenever he's being too hard on himself and picking apart something he has done
  • The importance of at least showing up as a good starting step
  • How S.D. Huston is so good at what she does at connecting with people and making opportunities and the way she shows up in so many different places
  • Some of the things that authors can get wrong when they are networking
  • The importance of asking questions when you're networking not just because it makes you seem more interesting, but it also helps you to uncover more things, some of which you might have in common
  • How you should not try to rush relationships
  • Remember that authors are a rare breed (particularly when you're in non-writer circles)
  • And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things that Dale talked about.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Dale L. Roberts is a self-publishing advocate, award-winning author, and renowned video creator. With over 50 publications, he has become an authority in self-publishing, leading him to create his own YouTube channel, Self-Publishing with Dale, regarded as one of the premier information resources in the indie publishing community. Dale lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Kelli and two rescue cats, Auggie and Allie.

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 390 - Author Accounting Made Simple with D.F. Hart29 nov. 202400:52:00

Mark interviews author D.F. Hart about 2 of Harts Business Services, a company she founded with her sister by empowering indie authors and small businesses through bookkeeping services that not only track the ‘in and out’ but also provide tailored product analysis reporting to assist authors in growing their business.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle - Only available until the end of November 2024.

 

In the interview, Mark and DeAnna talk about

  • How long it has been since D.F. Hart and Mark co-authored a book (Accounting for Authors) in March 2022
  • The work she has done as an accountant which started with Wide for the Win, an indie author, and a local newspaper back in April 2022
  • Walking away from her full-time day job in July of 2024 in order to have the time to support the growing roster of clients she works with
  • The various specific things that she is tracking for her author clients every month
  • How book-keeping firms from outside the book industry might not effectively classify sales by the unique formats and categories, which can help authors track trends
  • Never asking for platform login information out of respect for the confidentiality and privacy of their clients
  • The benefit of having a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement that makes it easier for a CPA to get their taxes done more efficiently
  • How there is a difference between an MBA and a CAP - ie, that the services DeAnna offers do not include taxes
  • DeAnna's recommended 30/30/40 split rule for managing income
  • The importance of trying to figure out what your own time is worth when you're determining which tasks you'll be doing yourself and which tasks you'll hand over to others
  • The initial consultant DeAnna will do with a potential client who is interested in leveraging the 2 of Harts Accounting services
  • How DeAnna and her co-owner/founder sister have a combined 47 years of accounting experience between them
  • The impact that running this full time service for authors has had on DeAnna's own writing
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on the payment cycles for authors and then also talks about a special virtual workshop that DeAnna will be running for his patrons.

 

Links of Interest:

 

DeAnna Hart is an Accounting veteran with over twenty-seven years’ experience and a deep background in multiple industries including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, commercial construction, higher education, rotorcraft services, and industrial equipment sales and rental.

She’s done it all, from full cycle Accounts Payable all the way up to preparing monthly financial statements and everything in between.

DeAnna holds a Masters of Business Administration with Accounting concentration.

She’s also a fellow indie author! Her pen name is D.F. Hart, and with nineteen titles and counting under her belt – including Accounting for Authors – she understands the nuances and challenges specific to self-publishing that indie authors face.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 389 - "Now You've Gone" with Cathy Rankin and Ken K. Mary22 nov. 202401:05:50

Mark interviews Cathy Rankin and Ken Mary about Cathy's new single "Now You've Gone."

On October 29, 2024, Cathy Rankin released her debut single “Now You’ve Gone,” featuring renowned musicians David Ellefson (formerly of Megadeth) Ken Mary (formerly of Alice Cooper) and John Ronson. The emotional track, inspired by deeply personal experiences, reflects on themes of love, grief, and ultimately hope.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle - Only available until the end of November 2024.

 

In the interview, Mark, Cathy, and Ken talk about:

  • Cathy's various family members who are musicians, her first exposure to music when she was young and how that impacted her creative life
  • Getting into theatre, and acting, when she was little, but not having the confidence in music itself
  • The first time Cathy had to perform a singing scene when she was acting in a film
  • The difference between being a performing musician and being a live host
  • Ken's background as a musician having toured with various different artists over the years
  • How being the lead singer might be one of the more difficult positions to be in, since the majority of the audience focus is on them (rather than, for example, the drummer)
  • The concept of the instrument choosing the musician rather than it being the other way around - and how that's the way it was for Ken and playing the drums
  • How playing drums was never "work" for Ken no matter what type of band he was in
  • The great producers that Ken has worked alongside over the years
  • The way that Cathy and Ken first met and started to work together (When Jon Ronson asked Cathy to interview Ken about his most recent album)
  • Cathy showing some of her poems to Ken and getting some feedback on the option to produce one of them into a song
  • How everything in this production unfolded organically and the chemistry of Cathy and the musicians in producing the song
  • The delightful lyrical and musical Easter Eggs that appear in the song
  • The connection between Neil Peart's loss of his daughter and the loss of Cathy's nephew Christian and why the song is a tribute to both their memories
  • What people who want to support the musical artists can do to help out

 

After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that came up in the conversation, including the magic of organic creativity, the concept of playing a character when on stage, and the value of art, music, poetry, and prose in expressing deep emotion and forging connections.

Clips from "Now You've Gone" have been used with permission.

"Now You've Gone" is performed by:
Cathy Rankin - Vocals, Lyrics
Ken Mary - Drums/Percussion
David Ellefson - Bass
John Bronson - Guitar
Produced and Mixed by Ken Mary/Sonic Phish Studios with contribution by Thomas Laufenberg

 

Links of Interest:

 

One look and listen at Cathy Rankin and her stellar high notes, and you know she was born to entertain. Whether on stage, on camera, or in any crowd, Rankin brings a strong female voice to her music on every level. Never one to take a backseat, this force-to-be-reckoned-with doesn’t just move fans with her powerful vocals, but also proudly reps the girls while holding her own with the guys. And, in Cathy's case, it's not just any ordinary "guys" that are part of her project, its renowned rockers David Ellefson, bassist (Kings of Thrash, Dieth, formerly of Megadeth), Ken Mary, Drummer/Composer/Producer (Flotsam and Jetsam, Great White, Fifth Angel, formerly of Alice Cooper and House of Lords), and guitarist John Bronson. This formidable line-up is on display on her new single, "Now You've Gone," with more music arriving soon.

Cathy’s natural inclination for music and performance was evident from an early age when she vowed she would be a singer and actor, and her dream never wavered. Her grandfather first influenced her love of music. An accomplished professional big band musician, he played saxophone, clarinet, flute, piccolo and piano, primarily by ear, practicing in his music room with Cathy paying close attention. This exposure, along with her grandmother, one of the first female violinists in the Scottsdale Symphony, and guidance from her big sister who played drums in the popular 80s metal band, Whiskey Blu, formed the musical foundation that would be a lifelong passion for this songstress. While Cathy’s influences were wide-ranging, her original work is deeply rooted in classic rock woven with elements of blues, a touch of prog and at times even country, taking listeners on a journey reminiscent of the iconic frontwomen that defined female rock, such as Nicks, Wilson and Benatar.

As a member of popular cover bands, Superhero and Daisy Train, Cathy spent years performing full time for thousands of audiences on countless stages, from Superbowl Fanfest, to corporate events, festivals and the Vegas Strip. Cathy is also co-host of the Metal Hall of Fame with Eddie Trunk (That Metal Show, Trunk Nation), and host of the annual Bubba Bash honoring Neil Peart. And through in-depth interviews with award-winning artists such as John Waite, Geoff Tate, Lita Ford, KIX, Winger, Fifth Angel, and more, Cathy has been able to share that education and inspiration with countless other passionate music fans.

Ken K. Mary is an American musician who has worked as a drummer, producer, engineer, and record executive on over thirty-five albums. He has worked in genres from heavy rock to choral music. Mary is best known for his work with acts such as Accept, Fifth Angel, Chastain, TKO, Impellitteri, House of Lords, Bonfire and Alice Cooper, and is currently the drummer of Flotsam and Jetsam and Jack Russell's Great White

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 388 - Unconditional Boundaries with Andy Lidstone14 nov. 202401:08:17

Mark interviews Andy Lidstone about the unconditional boundaries he talks about in his life coaching as the Uncondictional Coach.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

 

Links of Interest:

 

Andy Lidstone is the Unconditional Coach. Andy's biggest dream it to help other people reach their goals. And HIS goal is to help people of all walks of life make their dreams into reality. He believes the best communities are the ones made up of people that build each other up and help one another reach for the stars.

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 387 - Rambling Reflections From The Disappointing Aftermath08 nov. 202400:34:59

In this solo episode Mark reflects on how disappointed he is with the recent US election, and the importance of creators, artists, and writers to continue to do their work as storytellers and improving the world.

This episode contains adult language, but only for a brief moment when Mark loses his cool when trying to express his anger and frustration.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 386 - Inside Every Poem, a Raging Sea of Writerly Advice with Liz Worth01 nov. 202400:48:09

Mark interviews Liz Worth about her new poetry book Inside Every Poem, A Raging Sea.

Mark skips the regular introductory matter to skip right to the interview.

In their interview Mark and Liz talk about:

  • How the book is about p laying with the idea of the cross-over or similarities between spell-writing and poetry
  • The way that every line, every word counts in each of them
  • Thoughts on what intuition really is as opposed to what many people think it is
  • The importance of having to know the rules before you break them and how that works in both divination and writing
  • How a lot of the poems in this collection were written in the depths of the pandemic when things were closed down, as well as when Liz's mother was living with dementia and in the last years of her life
  • Her mother being a magical thinker and the influence her mother had on Liz
  • Certain lines and ideas that would come to Liz as she was going out on regular walks
  • Filling up a notebook she had found on the curb with these ideas and poems
  • The way a lot of writing happens for Liz not while she's sitting at her desk, but out walking or doing other things
  • How every piece of writing can have its own energy and have a life of its own that helps guide you when creating it
  • The unique interpretations that different readers can apply to a piece of writing
  • The recent popularity in horror-adjacent poetry
  • Remembering that poetry can be rebellious and that it doesn't have to be academic or dry
  • The process of putting the book of poetry together and then pitching it to a publisher
  • The joy of working with a publisher like Book Hug Press
  • The type of light editing that happens with a book of poetry
  • Specific placement of poems within the book
  • A bit behind the title poem "Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea"
  • Some of the themes that appear in the collection
  • What Liz is working on now
  • Advice Liz would offer to anyone wanting to try their hand at poetry
  • And more...

 

 

Links of Interest:

 

Liz Worth is a poet, novelist and nonfiction writer. She is a two-time nominee for the ReLit Award for Poetry for her books The Truth is Told Better This Way and No Work Finished Here: Rewriting Andy Warhol. Her first book, Treat Me Like Dirt, was the first of its kind to provide an in-depth history of southern Ontario’s first wave punk movement. Her new poetry book, Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea is published through Book*hug Press.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 385 - Rambling Reflections From The Road: Go West Not So Young Man24 oct. 202400:30:46

In this solo episode, Mark shares a few thoughts from his hotel room in Victoria, British Columbia, on Canada's West Coast.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 384 - Rambling Reflections From The Road: World Fantasy Con 202417 oct. 202400:43:32

In this solo episode, Mark shares a few thoughts from the hotel room at World Fantasy Con 2024 in Niagara Falls, New York.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

From Mark's extremely detailed bullet points about what he wanted to reflect on:

1) Coming to WFC.

2) The nature of relationships in the writing world/community

3) Feeling like a real writer (via recent events)

4) But also feeling like a failure - afternoon at Indigo

5) 

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 383 - 20 Haunting Years10 oct. 202401:14:39

In this solo episode Mark talks through the logic and reasoning behind a recent book launch by sharing a little of his own experience and publication history.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. 

 

Mark shares the behind-the-scenes story of:

  • Why he first self-published the book One Hand Screaming in 2004 
  • The logistics and strategy behind making it fully returnable and why he was trying to push the envelope of publishing so early in the digital publishing revolution
  • A little bit of his experience as a writer in those manual "mail out submissions" days
  • The reasoning behind wanting to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this first published book by launching One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years
  • Why he invested into getting this self-published book into a traditional distribution warehouse in Canada with a sales team -- and what that means
  • Collaborating with a local brewery to create a tie-in beer One Hop Screaming

 

  • Some of the marketing and branding logistics, reasoning, and strategies being used for the book launch
  • Products and marketing swag that Mark is leveraging, including a bonus "haunted beer" story to go along with the beer (QR code printed on the beer cans and the double-sided coasters

 

Mark also shares a couple of new marketing tools that he has come across and been experimenting with that are designed to help an author maximize their ability to create sales copy, draft up press releases, provide comp author/comp title information, and more.

 

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 382 - From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker04 oct. 202401:08:28

Mark interviews Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn about their new co-authored book From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker.

Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Fall 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle.

In their conversation, Matty, Michael, and Mark talk about:

  • A bit of a refresher/background for both Matty and Michael
  • Dale L. Roberts being the person who connected the two of them together
  • How they got the idea for the book when both at a Writer's Digest conference together
  • The process of going about writing the book together
  • The flight instructor term of the "awkward exchange of control"
  • Why a writer might be interested in getting into speaking
  • A look at the importance of fleshing out your goals from speaking
  • How speaking can open up new opportunities for a writer
  • Some of the key strengths that can be brought to a speaking engagement, such as storytelling or making a talk feel more like a conversation
  • The "dress for the job that you want" aspect for speakers
  • Ideas for how to get started particularly if you're nervous about speaking to a large group of people
  • Some of the do's and don'ts for doing panels, author readings, keynotes, etc
  • Advise for authors who are on a panel
  • The concept of stepping up if necessary if the moderator isn't performing the job as well as they should
  • Matty's concept of the two different bios - the "speaker application bio" and the "brief speaker introduction" bio
  • Tips for professional behavior and things author speakers should consider doing
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things from the interview and also shares a special offer for Patrons related to the aforementioned Storybundle.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts. She also podcasts, writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as The Indy Author. Her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest magazine, and she serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors.


Michael La Ronn is the author of over 100 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and attending law school. Michael runs the award-winning YouTube channel “Author Level Up,” and Michael serves as the Outreach Manager for ALLi.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 381 - Showcasing Independent Bookstores, Publishers, And Authors with Andrew Snook27 sept. 202400:58:35

Mark interviews Andrew Snook about his writing and editing work as well as Canadian Independent Publishers magazine, which is celebrating its first anniversary.

Prior to the interview Mark welcomes new Patrons, shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor

This episode is sponsored by FROM PAGE TO PLATFORM by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn. You can learn more about the book at https://theindyauthor.com/platform.

In their conversation, Mark and Andrew talk about:

  • Celebrating the first year of publishing Canadian Independent Author
  • Andrew's first ventures self-publishing many many ago
  • Some of the early novels and novellas that Andrew released
  • Moving to Ottawa to become a newspaper reporter so that he could write full time
  • Moving back to Mississauga and getting a role in the Business-to-Business magazine business
  • Starting up his own company in 2019
  • The six issues per year of Canadian Independent Publishers Magazine
  • How the magazine is still a cost center and is not yet generating a profit - and how the goal is to have the magazine at least pay for itself
  • The gig Andrew got going to local hockey games and covering them and how that led to an internship with Metroland (who owned the paper), and eventually a job with a local newspaper
  • The form for Canadian authors interested in advertising their books in this magazine
  • The flash fiction contest Andrew is running to help Canadian authors in showcasing their work
  • When Mark and Andrew first met at Hamilton Comic Con several years ago
  • The small reader fee for submitting to this contest, which is $25
  • How Mark is offering for any Canadian authors listening who are interested in submitting to this flash fiction contest that Mark will pay the entry fee for the first 4 who contact him (form link)
  • The two books in the Remy series Andrew wrote
  • The dice rolling interactive gamebook Andrew published
  • The introductory chapter book Andrew published partially as a way to provide content for his daughter and other similar readers who were interested in the chapter book format, but with slightly longer chapters
  • The impact that working on and producing this magazine has had on Andrew's writing time
  • How Andrew used to work around his family and work schedule to get his writing done
  • Andrew's experience teaching young kids creating writing and how that led to going back to further his post-secondary education
  • Mistakes Andrew has made as a writer
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things from his chat with Andrew and then shares how Canadian writers can participate in the promotional ad opportunity as well as in the flash fiction contest.

 

Links of Interest:

 

https://www.canadianindependentpublishers.ca/

 

Andrew Snook has been working as a professional writer and editor for 15 years. He started his writing career as a newspaper reporter in the Ottawa area before moving to Toronto to take on various roles as a magazine editor and feature writer for a variety of business publications. In 2019, he founded his content creation company, Snookbooks Publishing. 

In his spare time, Snook is an avid fiction writer and reader. He has published four works of fiction to date: Remy’s Dilemma (2015); Remy’s Dilemma: Special Delivery (2019); Dungeon Jest: The Ruby of Power (2022); and The Snookie-Cookie Crew and the Cranberry Cookie Cruncher (2022). Snook’s fiction and business writing have won him a combined 22 national and international awards, which is neat, but he's happier knowing he made someone laugh out loud while reading his books during an inappropriate moment.

Snook is also passionate about promoting independent authors, bookstores and publishers. In 2023, he founded Canadian Independent Publishers Magazine, which is dedicated to offering a platform for showcasing Canadian writers.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 380 - Passion Project Publishing with Brianna Wodabek20 sept. 202400:58:53

Mark interviews Brianna Wodabek, Assistant Manager of Digital Marketing at HarperCollins about her lifelong love of reading, books, and writing, and her evolution in the book industry.

Prior to the interview Mark welcomes new Patrons, shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor

This episode is sponsored by FROM PAGE TO PLATFORM by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn. You can learn more about the book at https://theindyauthor.com/platform.

In their conversation, Mark and Brianna talk about:

  • How Brianna always loved reading and writing, but also knew that she wasn't interested in journalism
  • Finding the brand new Creative Writing & Publishing degree program at Sheridan College
  • Learning improv and how that helped with the overall process involved in publishing pitching
  • Thinking that she would be focusing more on the writing program when she got involved, but pivoting over to the publishing side of things
  • Getting an unofficial internship in her first year with a small Canadian publisher in Oakville, Ontario and being able to gain experience wearing multiple hats
  • Her official internship at Wolsak and Wynn publishing in Hamilton
  • Having to deliver her valedictorian speech for graduation via video because of the global pandemic
  • Securing her first job as Digital Marketing Coordinator at Harper Collins US (HTP Books) within 2 months of graduating and then progressing through a series of promotions to other positions
  • The fact that Harper Collins HTP Books interns are paid
  • The in-house influencer program called "The Hive" that Brianna and one of her colleagues created
  • How there's a growing trend of book influencers who collect more than one edition of a book
  • Brianna's passion project achievement with Voyage of the Damned by Frances White and bringing it to North America despite not being an acquisitions editor
  • How the role of the gatekeeping in the publishing world is being lowered due to additional influencers even from outside the publishing realm - social media influencers, for example
  • The way some publishers are reaching out directly to authors via social media DMs
  • Advice Brianna would share to authors and what she would like them to know about the traditional publishing world
  • The value of being you and being authentic
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of a new type of reader who collects multiple editions of a book, how Brianna's passion led to a fantastic acquisition, and the importance of authenticity.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Brianna Wodabek, an Honours Bachelor graduate in Creative Writing and Publishing, transitioned from independent publishing to her current role as Assistant Manager of Digital Marketing at HarperCollins. In this capacity, Brianna combines her expertise with her passion for storytelling, having notably personally acquiring important books like "Voyage of the Damned" by Frances White and collaborated with authors such as Colleen Hoover, Mary Kubica, Chelsea Devantez, Eve, and more to enhance their brands.

Apart from her professional endeavors, Brianna's written works have been featured in publications like the Journal of Applied Social Science, PAUSE. Magazine, and The Mighty. With her industry experience and creative drive, Brianna is devoted to crafting compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 379 - Simplifying Your Life & Work with Dre Baldwin13 sept. 202400:56:41

Mark interviews Dre Baldwin the CEO and Founder of Work On Your Game Inc. about his books and his experience helping others in finding their own paths to success.

Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor

This episode is sponsored by FROM PAGE TO PLATFORM by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn. You can learn more about the book at https://theindyauthor.com/platform.

During the interview, Mark and Dre talk about:

  • The importance of the simplification process as a great place to begin
  • The 80/20 rule and the less-than-smooth ways we have of not being able to drop the 80%
  • How, over time, Dre has accumulated little pieces of wisdom that have ended up being part of the training and coaching that he does
  • The first question that Dre often asks which is: What is your goal?
  • The challenge of being inundated with so many messages which results in trying to work on more than one priority
  • How Dre has always been a big reader and a bit of a closet computer geek
  • The appeal of self-generated media and being able to articulate his ideas
  • Putting videos on YouTube about the basketball he was playing professionally and how other players began to take advantage of his advice and coaching
  • How even people who weren't playing sports could benefit from those basketball videos, which led to Dre recognizing he could help people beyond athletes
  • How a lot of Dre's mindset stuff started to come out around 2009/2010
  • Blogging his ideas and starting to put out his books
  • How discipline is the most important hallmark of the professional
  • The way people can fall off their structure and the importance of finding the structure that works best for you
  • Coaches being one of the ways that people can find/apply the proper structure
  • How a true professional holds themselves accountable to a structure
  • Shortcuts as something that can come from the right coach
  • The way that a coach can KEEP a professional athlete good
  • Human beings doing better work when accountability is involved
  • The importance of showing yourself the same respect you would show to a "boss" or some other supervisor or superior you report to at work
  • How the two golden questions related to your goal (What do you want and why do you want it?) help you build that bridge to the structure that can get you there
  • Knowing that he had always wanted to write a book and combining that with the fact he knew he already had an audience via his YouTube channel
  • The reason Dre didn't really pursue traditional publishing and decided to publish it himself in 2010
  • Dre's book Buy Me A Game (which is available as a free download)
  • Publishing about 19/20 books between 2010 and 2017
  • Doing an in person speaking gig in Atlanta all on his own dime and what opportunities that led to, including a New York publisher (McGraw Hill) who was interested in publishing a book for him. That book was Working on Your Game
  • Why Dre wasn't interested in reliving that experience again without the right offer/contract in place
  • Adapting part of the traditional publishing editing process into his own procedure for self-publishing his books
  • Why Dre prefers to have direct sales of his books on his own website
  • How in business the most valuable thing you have is your customer list
  • Dre's book The Third Day: The Decision That Separates The Pros From The Amateurs
  • How a professional shows up and delivers even when they don't "feel like it" - that's what makes them a professional
  • The fact that most people don't hear something you say - repeating it or exploring it in different ways can help
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on several of the points Dre brought up in the conversation, including re-leveraging your own IP by exploring a single topic into further detail and the fact that a professional always shows up.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Dre Baldwin is CEO and Founder of Work On Your Game Inc. He has given 4 TEDxTalks and has authored 35 books.

Dre’s content has been consumed over 103 million times. His daily Work On Your Game MasterClass has amassed over 2,900 episodes and over 7.3 million listeners.

Dre had a 9-year professional basketball career, playing in 8 countries. Dre’s framework is the "roadmap in reverse" for professional Mindset, Strategy, Systems & Accountability.

 

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

 

EP 378 - Multimedia Storytelling with Dominician Gennari06 sept. 202401:02:21

Mark interviews Dominician Gennari, a writer, storyteller, composer, and musician about his multimedia book and novella opus, The War for Ascension.

Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, a word from this episode's sponsor, as well as a word about a previous episode sponsor.

One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years - Kickstarter

NEWS: Please note that the Feb/March 2025 Writers Retreat at Sea from Cruising Writers has been cancelled.

 

During their conversation Mark and Dominician talk about:

  • How Dominician's creative and artistic voice started with music at about the age of 13/14
  • Discovering Tolkien about six or seven years later
  • How, when writing, Dominician was imagining the accompanying soundtrack and the way the process became inseparable
  • Learning from one of the most incredible music teachers
  • Dominician's Italian heritage and how his family would gather in the kitchen and, while cooking together, would sing works like the music from Madame Butterfly and other classical sources
  • How that learning is layered and added in to the other styles and genres of music that Dominician composes and plays
  • The way that Richard Wagner would compose music with the elaborate use of leitmotifs (musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements)
  • Dominician picking ten of the key moments in his story to hit really hard with his own compositions
  • The various members of the local musical community who participated in the recording
  • About the 2nd track, "Light of the Hydroverse"
  • Advice that David Farland, a mentor who worked with Dominician, offered in relation to this project
  • Being told by Dave Farland that Dominician reminded him of Gene Wolfe
  • Unpacking numerous languages in order to re-package them into the original language he created for this universe
  • The Kenorian greeting in the language Dominician invented which says "may serenity follow you"
  • Working with producers on a script adaptation of The War for Ascension but coming to irreconcilable differences that resulted in an end to that project
  • How Dominician connected with Dave Farland via a course he took online from Writers of the Future
  • Turning down what could have been millions of dollars on that cancelled Hollywood project
  • How people can get ahold of the accompanying soundtrack
  • The process that Dominician uses when writing the stories and composing the music
  •  What's next for Dominician
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of creating in the kitchen and the power of that type of collaboration, as well as the integrity to say no to a huge opportunity if it crosses the line of what is deemed as acceptible.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Dominician Gennari grew up in the rough western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, in the 80's after his migrant parents fled war-torn Europe after WW2. As a young child, he would fantasise about imaginary creatures living in his backyard and he would dream of magical worlds.

As the years unfolded, Dominician's creative spirit flourished, giving birth to his mythical world, Númaria. This world, meticulously crafted, boasts a rich history and a complex ecosystem, providing the perfect backdrop for the vast timeline of his unfolding story called The War for Ascension.

Submerging himself in the fields of forbidden archaeology, esoteric wisdom, USAPs of the US government, and ancient warfare, a great awakening occurred as the veil of secrecy was lifted from his eyes. After learning humanity's obscured past was stranger than fiction, his desire to create a truthful and artistic message through fiction arose. This acquired knowledge segued into writing his epic fantasy series The War for Ascension and the sequential standalone series The Ascension Archive.

Having spent 3 years working alongside renowned Hollywood producers, Dominician garnered invaluable knowledge of screen craft and storytelling. But due to unforeseen events, he chose an alternative path to pursue his dream of writing wholesome fantasy stories.

Guided by fantasy author and genius, David Farland, Dominician is set to expand his grand mythology, The War for Ascension into a multimedia book and novella opus, along with accompanying soundtracks of epic music.

Dominician is also the producer of the epic industrial metal band Ark of Light, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor and National Champion. He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.

 

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 377 - Pivoting Your Publishing Dreams with Denise Massar30 août 202400:48:04

Mark interviews Denise Massar, a writer, an adoptee, and a mom via birth and adoption about her new memoir MATCHED and the ten-year journey she took getting it published.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from a recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers.

During their conversation Mark and Denise talk about:

  • How Denise had been "big five or die" when it originally came to her publishing dream and how and why that changed over the years
  • Some of the feedback that Denise's agent got back on submission of her memoir in 2020 and how they fueled her in a positive way
  • Denise's agent coming up with a strategy to change the title, to wait a year as publishing shifts and movements within editorial departments would naturally occur, then to try to send it out on sub to the market again
  • Some of the limitations within traditional publishing that happen with titles that might be perceived by some as "somewhat similar"
  • How memoir from an "unknown" person is one of the hardest things to sell
  • Prince Harry's penis
  • Having run the course with her agent on this book, and the respectful mutual decision to part ways
  • Submitting the book to a number of university presses without her agent
  • The sudden health scare that turned out to be a benign lump that Denise had to have surgery to remove
  • Resetting those initial big dreams that she had about what would happen when her book was finally published
  • The importance of her kids seeing her "finish this book" that she'd been working on for 10 years
  • Deciding to take the indie publishing approach which allowed her several freedoms, including changing the title back to MATCHED, working with the cover designer artist that she knew and liked, among other things
  • Leveraging 60 different ARC readers for her memoir
  • The power of hearing readers say things like "me too" - and "I never knew that anybody else went through that" and other ways a writer can come to feel that their writing resonates with readers
  • Writing about her own adoption and realizing that for the first six months of her life, before she was adopted, that she must have been in foster care
  • Altering the names of some of the people in the book in order to preserve their privacy
  • How the eight different birth mothers Denise was in contact with via the course of adopting her son who ended up changing her life
  • Advice Denise would give to her younger self as well as advise she'd give to beginning authors
  • And more . . .

 

After the interview Mark reflects on just how significant it is when an editor provides any sort of feedback beyond a form/token "not for us at this time" rejection, as well as an agent that's willing to "re-package" a book in order to try to put it out on submission for a second round. He also reflects on how nothing can stop a determined writer.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Denise Massar is a writer, an adoptee, and a mom via birth and adoption. Her essays have been published in HuffPost, Writer's Digest, Mutha Magazine, Raise Magazine, An Injustice!, and she’s a recurring guest blogger for Jane Friedman. Denise’s memoir, Matched, is about the nine months she spent obsessively searching for a baby to adopt, the nine potential birth moms she met on that journey, and how, in a twist of fate, her son’s birth mom led Denise to the one person she thought she’d never meet: The woman who gave birth to her. You can find Matched anywhere you buy books, and you can read the first ten pages right now, and get Denise’s Top Ten Memoir Recommendations on her website, http://www.denisemassar.org/

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 376 - Dianne Scott on Writing Historical Mysteries22 août 202401:06:17

Mark interviews bestselling and award-winning author Dianne Scott about her Christine Lane Mystery series which is set on Toronto Island in the 1960s.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from a recent newsletter he sent out asking writers to share their thoughts on the collective noun for a group of editors, a personal update (including the launch of his new Kickstarter campaign), and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers.

During their conversation Mark and Dianne talk about:

  • How, after writing a creative writing piece in University that was supposed to be a research essay, Dianne's teacher suggested that she switch her major over to English
  • The teaching that Dianne has done for the past 30+ years
  • Other writing that Dianne has worked on and published
  • Dianne learning from her father, how he, as a police officer, used to patrol Toronto Island, and the spark of that into some ideas for her novels
  • Deciding to make her main character a female officer in that place in the 1960s
  • Preparing the final and 5th book in the series, FINAL LOOK, for publication in June 2025
  • Pitching and submitting her work to various Canadian markets
  • The innate conflict that was part of the first novel in Dianne's Christine Lane series
  • The "old VS new" conflict that happens in the stories in this setting
  • Dianne's first two years in self/indie publishing
  • Some of the volunteer work that Dianne does within her realms of expertise
  • The importance of literacy
  •  The different types of creativity that can fulfill that internal desire
  • Advice Dianne would give to other writers
  • And more...

 

After the interview Mark reflects on the research Dianne had to do as well as the concept of being creative in different ways.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Dianne Scott lives a short ferry ride from Toronto Island, which is the setting of her mystery novels. She is the award-winning author of the Christine Lane Mystery series. The first book, Final Look, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, Kobo Emerging Writers Award nominee and winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award. The second book, Missing, was a Finalist for the CWC Excellence in Writing Award. Lost and Found and Sabotage are the third and fourth books in the series.

When Dianne is not writing, she is walking Toronto’s neighborhoods, coffee klatching with friends and cuddling her Bichon Poodle. She also teaches literacy skills and is working on her Erne in pickleball. For more information about Dianne, visit her website at diannescottauthor.com

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 375 - One Hand Kickstarting15 août 202400:25:51

Mark shares some behind-the-scenes insights and helpful tips offered to him for his forthcoming Kickstarter.

He also loses it briefly after discovering that 40 minutes of in depth and detailed recording was lost due to a tech issue with Audacity crashing.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes a new patron, and introduces a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers.

Mark's Kickstarter, coming very soon, is for the 20th Anniversary edition of his book One Hand Screaming.

 

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 374 - WMG Publishing Editor Round Table08 août 202400:40:44

In this episode Mark has a round-table discussion with the seven other editors in the August 2024 WMG Publishing Anthology Workshop.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers.

The WMG Publishing Anthology workshops help authors see behind-the-scenes on how editors compile and select stories for anthologies. This in-depth and in-person experience involves a panel of editors (for August 2024 it was a panel of 8 editors) debating the merits of stories written by the attending authors.

In this round-table discussion, Mark chats with the other editors:

  • Kristine Kathryn Rusch
  • Dean Wesley Smith
  • Loren Coleman
  • Anthea Sharp
  • Chris York
  • Ron Collins
  • Brigid Collins

They discuss advice for writers, some of the details about the process as well as the learnings (both as writers and editors).

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

EP 373 - Musings on Getting a Masters and Getting Married02 août 202400:43:46

In this solo episode, Mark reflects and muses on the past couple of weeks where we got his Masters in Creative Writing with a concentration on Publishing (July 26th in Gunnison, CO) and got married to his partner Liz (July 29th in New York City, NY).

 

Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, welcomes new patron Jo-Ann Carson, shares comments from recent episode, and announces the winner of the mindset coaching session with Thorn Coyle.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

 

 

EP 372 - Getting Paid For Authors Interviews and Book Reviews with Rick Hipson25 juil. 202401:04:20

Mark interviews Rick Hipson, author of the new book A REVIEWER'S GUIDE TO WRITING BOOK REVIEWS: AND HOW TO GET PAID FOR THEM.

Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, welcomes new patron Kevin J. Anderson, shares comments from recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Rick talk about:

  • Rick getting his first stint at writing (A ginger man story) back in Grade 2 or Grade 3
  • Catching the horror bug first when reading "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" when he was about nine years old
  • Getting into vampires and reading stories about them at a young age
  • Starting off writing for publication (fiction, interviews, and reviews) for a magazine called Insidious Reflections
  • Rick's first author interview with Jack Ketchum and how it's one of the most memorable interview and one of his absolute favorites
  • How Jack was a true gentleman who was gracious and so supportive of so many other people in the horror industry
  • Rick interviewing Brian Keene through tweets
  • Some of the struggles with transcription
  • The way that Rick likes to conduct interviews
  • Rick's podcast of interviews with horror authors and the various articles that he writes based on the context from those interviews
  • Rick's interview with Frank Darabont of The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
  • Interview advice that Frank Darabont offered to Rick
  • Leveraging one's non-fiction interview assets in as many ways possible
  • Rick's book, which launched July 26, 2024, A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them
  • Deciding to go with a publisher (Crystal Lake Publishing) instead of self-publishing this title, and why
  • The way that Rick worked his way through having his non-fiction pieces published in various horror markets
  • A horror story Rick shares about his first review
  • The importance of meeting people in person
  • The single conference Rick will go to every single year and why
  • A bit about Rick's podcast, Dark Bites
  • And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on Rick's reasoning to go with a publisher as well as the long-term marketing effect of a reviewer feeling like they "owe" an author.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 371 - Rambling Reflections From The Road July 2024 Edition19 juil. 202400:29:50

In this solo episode, Mark reflects and talks his way through a several week stretch where there are many things to do and too little time to get them done.

 

Links of Interest:

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 370 - Questioning & Reflecting with Becca Syme11 juil. 202401:15:13

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.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Becca talk about:

  • 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
  • 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.

 

Links of Interest:

 

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.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 369 - The DIY Author With Kaye Lynn Booth05 juil. 202400:45:43

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.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Kaye Lynn talk about:

  • 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.

 

Links of Interest:

 

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.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 368 - Written Word Media with Clayton Noblit28 juin 202400:54:39

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.

episode's sponsor.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Clayton talk about:

  • What Written Media is (a book marketing/promotions company)
  • Clayton's personal background as a marketer, and a big reader, but not an 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

 

After the interview Mark reflects on just how much Written Word Media has grown over the years, by listening to authors, and adding tools and options to allow for greater efficiency in marketing. He also notes how authors are becoming more professional in their approach of planning ahead, and admits to not being as good at making those plans as he'd hoped.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Clayton Noblit is a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. He is passionate about helping authors find their readers and finding ways to sell more books. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and making beverages.

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 367 - Amazing Stories, Fanzines, and Community with Lloyd Penney21 juin 202400:55:07

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.

Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise.

In the interview Mark and Lloyd talk about:

  • Meeting Robert J. Sawyer when they both attended Ryerson University in 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
  • 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.

 

Links of Interest:

 

Lloyd Penney is a Canadian science fiction writer, science fiction convention organizer and a dedicated fan who took his long time science fiction interest and turned it into a career recently - as the editor-in-chief of Amazing Stories one of science fictions longest running magazines. He had previously written extensively for science fiction fanzines.

 

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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