Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers Advantages of Being a Part-Time Writer with Nathan Van Coops
Alternate history and time travel author Nathan Van Coops was a trooper and joined Jami Albight and Sara Rosett despite having a cold. They delve into the joys of being a part-time writer and creating the lifestyle you want as well as tips on mistakes involving doing a royalty share for a Book One and trying to juggle too many things. And, last, they laugh about Jami's lunch choices and geek out about plotting books.
There's a bit of lag in the opening when Sara's talking about the sequel to Knives Out and how Benoit Blanc is a perfect flat-arc character and provides an ideal set-up for a long-running episodic series.
The flu hit Jami's family and interrupted her writing week, but everyone is better and she'd back at the keyboard now.
Nathan, Jami, and Sara discuss:
-Tackling the thorny details of time travel and how dealing with the specifics appealed to fans of the genre
-How Nathan carved a new entrepreneurial path and created a lifestyle that blends art and aviation
-Living the life you want, which for Nathan means being able to wear flip flops to work
-Influence of children’s adventure book, The Neverending Story
-Advantages of being a part-time author: a financial safety net, reduced mental strain, and creative freedom
-Risk evaluation for indie authors
-How not all jobs are “soul-sucking” and you can love traditional employment and be a writer at the same time
-Writing a book in snatches of 15 to 20 minutes
-Why doing a royalty share on a Book One was a mistake
-Why trying to juggle too many things is a mistake
-Mindset and how to keep a healthy attitude
-The benefits of preorders
-Changes in the publishing industry, including pricing higher and how that can help you find new readers
-How understanding his love of adventures stories helps Nathan write satisfying books for his readers
-How finding your overarching brand draws readers to you as an author
-Sara and Nathan geek out about plotting and plotting resources
Genres discussed include time travel, alternate history, romance and mystery.
Links:
- Nathan’s website https://www.nathanvancoops.com
- Nathan’s Book Faces Live group https://www.facebook.com/groups/148998479097782/
- Book Faces Live podcast rss https://nathanvancoops.podbean.com/feed.xml
- The Neverending Story https://books2read.com/u/3G2268
🚀 Jami’s Launch Plan https://www.jamialbright.com/authorservices
❤️ Jami’s books https://amzn.to/3wSraA5
🔎 Sara’s books https://www.sararosett.com/bibliography/
📚 Sara’s How to Write a Series book and audiobook: https://www.sararosett.com/how-to-write-a-series/
The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes https://bookshop.org/lists/recommenced-resources-for-writers-from-the-wish-i-d-known-then-podcast
Resources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing