The Profitable Writer – Détails, épisodes et analyse

You probably didn’t know this, but I recently turned 50—on July 26, to be exact. And while I don’t feel 50 in my mind, in my body I’m definitely starting to feel it a bit!

50 is an interesting age: a watershed moment when many people re-evaluate their lives. Over the last few years, I’ve started paying more attention to how different people deal with this important transition in life.

I’ve noticed that people generally make one of two choices when it comes to middle age.

When you enter this period of life, you stand before two objects: a ladder and a recliner. You have the choice of whether you are going to sit down in the recliner and focus on being comfortable … or whether you’re going to accept the challenge to keep climbing up the ladder of personal success.

Most people choose the recliner. At this point in life, many people are tired, beaten down from life, and have no interest in new challenges. So they sit down in the recliner with no intention to grow and learn as a person.

On the other hand, a much smaller percentage of people realize that life isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about growing into your full potential and using the challenges of life to propel you to new heights. So instead of turning away from the challenges and checking out of life, they take a good, long look at the ladder … and they start climbing.

Which brings me to my guest on this episode, my friend Laura Venecia Rodriguez.

Laura is an author, researcher, and speaker dedicated to helping individuals over 50 regain or discover their mojo and “shine” with renewed purpose and passion after reaching an impasse or experiencing a major upheaval or change in their lives.

She shares information on ancient and contemporary tips, techniques, and wisdom that enhance the body, mind, and spirit. You can find her inspiration and wisdom in her weekly newsletter, “Shine After 50:  Regain Your Sparkle” as well as her “Shine After 50” Youtube channel.

Laura is also the author of Gentle Yoga After 50: Get Fit, Flexible, and Feel Fantastic!, where you’ll learn information and insights about yoga that Laura has learned since starting yoga at age 15. You can find out more about Laura and her writing at her website, https://shineafter50.com.

I’ve asked Laura to be a guest on today’s episode to especially help those of us 50 or older (or who are approaching that age) to understand what we can better to shine and succeed as writers.

You’ll learn about some of the key challenges we face in this period of life, how to navigate life transitions, lots of insights about how yoga can help you be more healthy and centered, and much more.

One of the most common questions people ask me about ghostwriting is, “Where do I get clients?” It’s a natural question, of course, because all writers who are doing client work would probably like to increase their income and have more consistent work.

My answer to these friends is sometimes a little disappointing because almost all of my clients have come to me via referrals from colleagues, friends, and previous clients.

A great network takes time to build, but it’s worth it because those relationships are the foundation for a client-based business over the long haul. However, there are other sources for client work as well. One of the most popular ones is Reedsy, a marketplace for writers, editors, marketers, and designers.

I've asked my friend, Alice Sullivan, to join me for a conversation about Reedsy since she's had a lot of success connecting with ghostwriting clients there over the last few years.

Alice Sullivan is a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling ghostwriter, New York Times bestselling editor (11 times over), collaborator, and speaker. A natural-born storyteller, she has written 64 books and edited over 1,300 titles since 2001.

In addition to her NYT and WSJ bestsellers, other books have achieved Amazon bestseller status and won several awards, such as Readers’ Favorite, Living Now Book Award, and Nashville’s Best Local Children’s Book Award.

She has written for Forbes, Hay House, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), Abingdon Press, Made for Grace Publishing, World Net Daily, Changing Lives Press, Carpenters Son Publishing, Clovercroft, and KN Literary Arts.

Alice specializes in memoir, self-help, personal growth, and leadership because she loves personal stories and practical advice. Her favorite projects challenge her point of view, expand her knowledge, and add meaning to her life.

Alice is not just a consummate storyteller and writer. She's also one of the most kind and down-to-earth people I know.

In this conversation, I get to ask Alice all my burning questions about getting started on Reedsy. We talk about:

• Alice’s experience on Reedsy.
• How to connect with clients and be successful there.
• Alice's income from Reedsy projects.
• How to get started on Reedsy.
• How the platform is different than going to clients directly.

If you want to expand your client base as a ghostwriter, editor, or designer, you'll love Alice's advice! Make sure to connect with Alice at https://alicesullivan.com.

I’m a big fan of learning from other industries and professionals. It’s very easy as a writer to spend all your time around other people who only think about books and publishing. Yet it’s important to remember that at the end of the day, you’re a business owner.

That’s why I’m excited to bring you this conversation with my friend Anastasia Forrest, a rockstar real estate agent!

Anastasia Forrest is a lifelong learner, creative, and sobriety-enthusiast based out of St. Augustine, Florida. She has two amazing daughters and an awesome husband who builds beautiful houses.

Her main profession is helping people buy and sell homes as a Real Estate Broker Associate with EXP Realty. Her creative passions are songwriting, authoring books, and painting. Her favorite things to do with her family are to go out on boat adventures, explore new places together, and have pizza and movie nights.

Anastasia is also the author of The Creative Real Estate Agent: How to Build a Rocking Real Estate Business and Be More Creatively Productive Than Ever in addition to her previous book, The 30-Day Sobriety Experiment: A Guided Journey of Self-Discovery.

I was fascinated by Anastasia’s ability to write a compelling book for real estate agents, but do it through the lens of creativity, which is a passion of hers. On today’s episode, she shares some lessons from her experience as an author and real estate agent that you can use to boost your creativity and grow your business.

Topics in our conversation include:

• Why real estate is indeed a creative field
• How she developed a unique take on a familiar topic
• Various ways to cultivate a creative mindset to work and wealth
• How to build great relationships … especially if you’re an introvert
• How she has found success on social media by just being herself

Be sure to check out Anastasia’s book, music, and real estate business at https://www.anastasiaforrest.com.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

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It has been quite an eventful week at the Daily Writer. This past week, I did an official public launch of the Daily Writer Community. I know that I have mentioned it several times already here on the podcast, and I even did a full episode a couple of weeks ago sharing about it.

But this past week was the first time I really put it out there on social media and shared it more widely than I ever have.  On this episode, I wanted to dive into the behind the scenes of creating this group and what I have learned from it. 

We take a look at these five lessons:

1) Do your market research before you launch something.

2) When you launch, you will be surprised by the people who will ignore you and support you.

3) You must put in the work to build something meaningful.

4) You will never feel ready to launch, but do it anyway.

5) Don't take anything personally.

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Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.

Follow Kent Sanders:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

I'm thrilled to bring you this bonus interview with Joe Ricci. We dive into all my geeky questions about story structure and the specifics of writing for the Hallmark channel.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

I'm excited to bring you this conversation with one of the coolest and most interesting people I have met in a while. His name is Joe Ricci, and he is an actor, playwright, screenwriter, and director.

Joe has been an actor in stage productions such as the off-Broadway hit “I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change,” the national tour of “Carousel,” the first national tour of “Saturday Night Fever,” and the Broadway revival of “A View from the Bridge” with Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber. 

As a director, Joe’s two current projects are the rock musical Whiskeyland!, as well as a play called Squirrel Screams and Other Dating Sounds (major points for a great title). He just recently adapted Whiskeyland! into a screenplay and they are in the very early stages of developing Squirrel Screams into a TV pilot.

Joe has also written for the Hallmark channel, most notably the movie In the Key of Love, which we will talk about more in the bonus episode airing tomorrow. His other current writing projects include a rom-com musical called Third Party Ruling, as well as some new pitches for the Hallmark channel.

If you have been listening to this podcast a while, you may remember that I interviewed Tricia Brouk last year on the show. Joe is Tricia’s husband, and it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know them both and featuring them here on the show.

In this conversation, Joe shares quite a bit about his theater background and how that turned into writing and directing. He also shares talks about the process of turning a play into a screenplay, as well as some other projects he's working on. I also had the chance to ask him about his rituals and habits for staying focused and productive.

No matter what kind of writing you do, I know you will be inspired by Joe's creativity and his approach to writing. I know I was!

You can connect with Joe at his website, JoeRicci.net. And if you have the Hallmark Channel, make sure and catch In the Key of Love the next time it airs. Even if you don't regularly watch the Hallmark channel or consider yourself a rom-com kind of person, I think you'll really enjoy it.

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If you enjoyed this episode, we would be grateful if you leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more people discover the show, and the more people listen, the more we can invest into it and improve the show.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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If you’re not mechanically inclined, maybe you can relate to this scenario. You’re driving down the road one day, and all of a sudden you realize that your car has been running kind of rough lately. The engine is a little bit noisier than it used to be and wonder what might be wrong.

Then it dawns on that you can’t remember the last time to had the oil changed. You wonder if maybe you’ve done some damage to the engine, and you’re also thankful you haven’t let it go on for much longer because you might damage the engine.

A lot of writers and creative types operate this way. They keep working, keep driving, keep pushing and never do the basic maintenance required to keep their emotional, physical, and mental engine running smoothly.

On this episode, Kent challenges the notion that in order to make great art, you must destroy yourself in the process.

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Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.

Follow Kent Sanders:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists who ever lived. As a sculptor, painter, designer, architect, and so much more, he transformed history and was a major force of the Italian Renaissance.    But have you ever considered exactly what it was that made Michelangelo so great? Was it his creative genius? His relationship with powerful and influential people such as the Pope? His ability to organize massive projects such as the painting of the Sistine Chapel?    All those factors surely played a part in his greatness. But above all, Michelangelo was a guy who got things done. He finished projects and saw them through to completion.   On this episode, Kent explains how this artist's great example can help us finish our writing.   *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.   Follow Kent Sanders:   Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

There is something quite magical about a book. Of course, you already know that since you’re a writer. You’re already committed to the art and craft of writing books.

But it’s interesting that so many writers don’t make a lot of time to read. We love books and are committed to creating them … but we struggle with fitting reading into our schedules.

Reading is a critical part of the creative process. Of course we need to have other inputs as well, such as listening to great talks, watching videos and movies, seeing plays, and other ways to experience great art. But above all, we must read.

On this episode, Kent shares a very simple tactic for getting more reading done.

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Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.

Follow Kent Sanders:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders