Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

EP 447 - The Future of Hybrid Publishing with J.D. Barker

Dec 5, 2025

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Mark interviews J.D. Barker about his writing and publishing journey and his many collaborations over the years, including with James Patterson, and the unique publishing and distribution collaboration with Simon & Schuster that combines the best of the self-publishing and the traditional publishing worlds.

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 MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report.

In their interview, Mark and J.D. talk about:

How JD was always interested in writing including a little business endeavor he had when he was youngBeing told by his mother that writing is a fantastic hobby, but you have to get a "real job" - and following her advice
The main day job he had, which he hated, and coming home at night to write
How the first two decades he'd been writing he did ghost writing and did book-doctor sort of work
Having written six different books that hit the New York Times bestseller list but had other people's names on the cover
JD's wife coming up with a plan to get him to writing for himself
How putting his feet to the coals was what JD really needed
What it was like writing on his own
The value that JD recognizes in the 20 years of writing other peoples' books
Having Asperger's which often involves mimicking other people (which JD could do on paper, continuing to write in another person's voice)
How ghostwriting for celebrities/NYT Bestselling authors can be very lucrative
What it was like co-authoring with James Patterson
Being the only guy who has ever gotten James Patterson to "pants" a novel, but how Patterson convinced him to outline, which he now does for certain projects
What a typical work-day looks like for JD
Making a change in terms of what time of day JD does interviews
Working with a virtual assistant and the various PR agencies JD works with
Switching over to paying for PR a la carte rather than a monthly retainer
Selling more than half a million copies of his first self-published book, which caught the attention of agents
That "taste" of being an indie author which mean a loss of freedom
Creating his own unique path within publishing that's a blend of self-publishing and traditional publishing models
The imprint JD has with Simon & Schuster - Hampton Creek Press
How JD has done a number of recent co-authored titles under his imprint by paying the co-authors up front in a work-for-hire manner, which removes the complexity of paying royalties
The way JD can pay it forward by helping the mentor the co-authors that he is working on
Why JD gave away a skid of hardcover books at Reader Nation in Vegas
Advice JD has about authors who are constantly "chasing each other"
The unique marketing JD created for his book SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS that involved an overnight stay in a real haunted house
What James Patterson did to get his book ALONG CAME A SPIDER onto the New York Times bestseller list
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things from the conversation that have inspired him in different ways.

Links of Interest:

J.D. Barker (Jonathan Dylan Barker) is an international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.

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