Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers

Episode 098 / In this post-Thanksgiving show we walk through our writing and publishing process, delving into the tools we use from software to dictation apps.  We also chat about our favorite craft books, then we wrap up with some tips for keeping everything organized.  QOTW: What organizational tips do you have for writing and publishing? Show notes:  Jami’s Cyber Monday consulting sale: contact her at:  jamialbright1@gmail (dot) com. Episode 26 - Book Launch Plans: The Mega Episode  Dragon Dictation   Easy Voice Recorder Scrivener Vellum Draft2Digital Pacemaker Planner Plottr Grammarly Pro Writing Aid Authors AI Romancing the Beat Save the Cat Something Startling Happens My Story Can Beat Up Your Story Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Romance author Theodora Taylor shares tips for new writers and breaks down universal fantasies in Beauty and The Beast, Knives Out, Notting Hill, and Crazy Rich Asians. Discussion on writing series, genre hopping, and balancing personal life while pursuing a writing career.

Episode 096 / Troy Lambert, author, editor, freelance writer, and lead educator for Plottr joins us this week. We had a wide-ranging conversation including what he’s learned from interviewing authors who use Plottr. Troy also gives some out of the box tips for getting your books in bookstores. Intro links:  Jami’s talk, What I Wish I’d Known about Indie Publishing, at 20Books Vegas conference 2021 Advance Reader Copies panel at 20Books Vegas conference 2021 Plottr interview with Sara about writing a cozy mystery Jami’s interview on Not Your Average Lives podcast Spotify acquires Findaway (TechCrunch article) QOTW: Talk to us about conferences. What are your tips for having a good conference? Which conferences do you recommend? Show notes: Why Troy works to educate the educators about writing careers Troy’s tips for pitching your book to your local bookstore Why Troy is a hybrid author and how you chooses which projects to publish himself and which to hand off to a traditional publisher How to deal with writer’s block so that you get “unstuck” in your creative process How Plottr helps authors plan their books and what Troy has learned from interviewing authors who use the platform Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 095 / Cozy mystery and historical fiction author Heather Day Gilbert joins us to talk about the challenges of moving from a traditionally published author to an indie author. We touch on the mindset shifts she had to go through, and she gives us an overview of how she launched a successful indie cozy mystery series. Plus we delve into one of her lessons-learned that involves a snake. :)  Show notes: How Heather got started writing through NaNoWriMo Why Heather doesn’t recommend writing in several different genres at the beginning of your writing career (but sometimes we can’t help ourselves!) Why Heather goes against the advice to not read reviews and how she uses them to get feedback on her books The relationship she has with her readers and how they provide feedback for her on blurbs and titles The mindset change she had to make regarding awards and “fame fog” to become an indie author How Heather used a rapid release model that fit her life and writing habits to launch a new indie series Heather’s book for writers, Indie Publishing Handbook Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.   Links:  Heather’s website:  https://heatherdaygilbert.com/ Twitter: @heatherdgilbert Instagram: @heatherdaygilbert Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/heatherdaygilbert Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 094 / Romantic comedy author Tru Taylor shares how she stays positive and how she successfully launched a new pen name in 2021. QOTW: How do you stay positive? Do you use affirmations, meditation, or something else? Show notes: Tru’s shift from new reporter to author The books that helped Tru develop her writing craft and understand how to plot a book: Save the Cat and My Story Can Beat Up Your Story Why she recommends new writers move on to another book instead of continuing to revise the same “first”  book How her marketing plans changed with the launch of her new pen name  How she stays positive and uses meditations and affirmations Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Links:  Tru’s website: https://trutaylor.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Tru-Taylor-Author-107664454229005 Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/trutaylorauthor/ Mailing list signup: https://bit.ly/TruTales Bookbub profile:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tru-taylor Amazon Author Page: Amazon.com: Tru Taylor: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 093 / Paranormal cozy author Lynn Morrison joins us this week for the second installment of our New Author series. We talk to Lynn about her first series that was five years in the making. QOTW: How did you find your cover artist and editor? Links mentioned in the intro: FreeThesauras.com Apple Books Promotion Tips Show notes: How Lynn shifted from writing a parenting blog to writing fiction The grassroots marketing tactics she used to launch Book 1 in her first series How Lynn researched the paranormal cozy market before she began writing How she found her editor and cover artist  Why the term “Your Milage May Vary” has been the hardest thing for Lynn when it comes to indie publishing  How much it really costs to launch a book in 2021 Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Links:  Author website: lynnmorrisonwriter.com Twitter: @nomadmomdiary Instagram: @nomadmomdiary Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NomadMomDiary The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 092 / We kick off our New Author series with cozy mystery Victoria Tait, who began writing in 2019. She published her first book wide in 2020. She now has several books out in that series and is starting a new series. Show notes: How wrote her first book, including the resources she used to learn the craft of writing Her marketing plan for launching her book and series Why she’s focusing on building her email list How she found her editor and cover designer How she’s pivoting with a new series And how she’s publishing on a shoestring Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Genres discussed include cozy mystery. Links:  Victoria’s website: https://victoriatait.com/ The Creative Penn podcast SPA Girls Podcast: Episode with Rosanne Cheng about Pinterest for Authors Sara Rosett’s cozy course The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes  Jami’s Launch Plan Sara’s Book Release Timeline ChecklistSend us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 091 / Romantic comedy author Adriana Locke shares how she maintains balance in her life, shares some great tips on branding, and tells us how trauma in her life helped her make a big mindset shift. Intro notes:  The Creative Penn podcast about using mystery in all genres Six Figure Author podcast with Mark Leslie Lefebvre about his new book with Joanna Penn, The Relaxed Author Sara will be on Clubhouse October 14th, talking about translations with Ricardo Feyet of Reedsy and Dan Wood from Draft2Digital.  Question of the week: How would you like to edit your life?  Show notes:   Adriana started writing on a dare Why it’s important to not get stuck in a box of set expectations when it comes to marketing--why it’s good to question the premise A cover mistake that taught Adriana about branding The isolation of writing and why community is important for everyone--even introverts! Why asking “What should this book achieve for me?” helps Adriana keep her perspective and helps with work/life balance Why you sometimes have to “edit your life” to stay in balance  Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Links:  Adriana’s  website: www.adrianalocke.com Twitter handle: @authoralocke Instagram handle: @authoradrianalocke Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 090 / Steamy rom com author Kayley Loring joins us today to talk about how she went from writing screenplays to writing novels.  Intro link:  Historical Mystery Day  Show notes: How Kayley got into screenwriting in Hollywood Kayley’s “under the radar” marketing plan of writing several books before focusing on marketing The power of series when it comes to marketing Why responding to readers is a great form of marketing Kayley’s reader-focused podcast, Multiple Eargasms, and how she uses the podcast to share bonus material with her readers Kayley’s thoughts on the chances of a rom com books being picked up by Hollywood for options and adaptations  Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com.   Links:  Kayley’s website: https://www.kayleyloring.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayleyloring/ Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorkayleyloring/ The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes  Jami’s Launch Plan Send us a textSupport the show🚀 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

Episode 089 / Science fiction, fantasy, and horror author Angeline Trevena joins us today to talk about worldbuilding and being a discovery writer. Intro links:  Jami Albright free book Historical Mystery Day  Show notes:  The value of a university degree in writing versus the value of experience when it comes to novel writing The pros and cons of not writing specific tropes How Angeline came to run a sci fi/fantasy convention for her local library Why Angeline doesn’t have a reader Facebook group Angeline’s three rules of worldbuilding Myths about discovery writers Question of the Week: Are you a discovery writer or an outliner? Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Genres discussed include science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, and dystopian Links:  Angeline’s website: https://www.angelinetrevena.co.uk Twitter: @angelinetrevena Instagram: @angelinetrevena Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/angelinetrevena/ The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodesSend us a textSupport the show🚀 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