Wish I'd Known Then . . . For Writers

Episode 033 / Fantasy and science fiction author Jamie Davis joins Jami Albright and Sara Rosett this week to talk about those critical times in your author career when you face hurdles and how to get over them. The conversation also touches on tips for new podcasters, the importance of connecting with authors outside your genre, and surveying your readers to understand them better. Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Intro recap In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How Jamie wrote his first book during NaNoWriMo and why he participates every year How Jamie’s background as a journalist was a benefit when it came to writing quickly, but he had to discover his own narrative voice What Jamie would do differently if he were publishing his first book now Jamie’s advice for new podcasters and why recording your first podcast is like writing your first draft Facing hurdles in your writing career The importance of connecting with authors outside of your genre How to survey your readers to help you understand your readers and what novels they like Genres discussed include fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance.  Links:  Jamie Davis  Jamie Davis Twitter BSend 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 032 / Fantasy author Andrea Pearson joins Sara and Jami to chat about the incremental growth of her writing career and how she learned to trust herself when it came to craft. They also delve into the worst marketing advice Andrea’s heard, how she finds time to write with small kids, and how she collaborates with her spouse. Come over and say hey to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In the intro this week, Jami shared she’s been busy with family-stuff, and Sara shared that her launch of her book went well. Sara’s currently recording her audiobook for How to Write a Series from a blanket fort. Sara also mentioned a book she’s reading, Fanocracy, which is a deep dive into fandom--what it is and how different companies and creatives develop and nurture their fans. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: Why Andrea turned down a traditional deal How many small successes have built over the years to give Andrea the career she has now How Andrea learned to trust herself when it came to craft Why reading “bad” stuff can help you become a better writer “Pick one thing you enjoy and focus on it until you master it and you’ll be a lot more successful at it.” How Andrea uses download bonuses to drive sales How Andrea finds time to write with young kids Tips for working with your spouse Genres discussed include fantaSend 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 031 / If you want to increase the number of reviews on your books, check out the tips and ideas from Jami and Sara in this episode. They discuss reviews in depth: the difference between reader and professional reviews, how to get reviews, and how to use the reviews for promotion after you have them.  Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In their personal updates, Jami shared that she’s writing on her new book and working on backlist sales. Sara has a book launch coming up. It’s the fifth book in the series, so it’s a lower-key launch than Jami’s recent Book One in a new series. To promote the launch, Sara’s emailing her list and running paperback giveaways. Jami’s branding her office with wood-cut letters of her author name. Head over to show notes on the WIKT website to see a photo. Reader questions: Allison: Indie market for middle grade and children’s books Children’s author Karen Inglis on The Creative Penn Podcast Children’s author Karen Inglis on the Self Publishing Formula    Several people asked what classes/courses/books  recommendations: Nicholas Erik  Write Naked by Jennifer Probst  Build-a-Book Erika Kelly David Gaughran’s blog post - How to Sell Books in 2020 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 030 / C.C. Hunter joins Jami and Sara this week to talk about how she blends genres. Plus she gives tips on writing humor and how she writes through the tough times. Jami is working with H. Claire Taylor. Claire does Story Alignments using the Enneagram personality test to help authors with characterization and storytelling. Claire has a free course, Indie Author Alignment. Jami is 30 days out from her book launch and is shifting to advertising all her books instead of focusing on the launch. Now that she’s finished her draft, Sara’s doing admin tasks. She shares she’s seeing a good number of sales through Ingram Spark. Her tip is don’t overlook Ingram Spark. If you’re selling lots of print books through KDP Print, then check out Ingram. Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How C.C. had initial success and sold a novel, then didn’t sell another for 13 years How C.C. learned to find her own voice and trust it Tips on writing humor  C.C.’s writing process of writing one draft, then polishing it What C.C. wishes she’d known about marketing:  blending genres and knowing where your book fits The difference between marketing a book to a publisher and marketing to a reader What C.C. thought was a mistake, but turned a good thing C.C.’s advice when new writers ask if they should indie publish or go for traditional publishing 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 29 / Science fiction author Craig Martelle joins Sara and Jami to discuss pricing, book production strategies, and writing through health issues. This week Sara is uploading her Christmas mystery as a preorder. She reports on the new Apple interface for uploading books, authors.apple.books. After listening to The Creative Penn Podcast with Natalie Sisson, Sara looked for the bottlenecks in her processes and decided she was a bottleneck! She created a screenflow of some of her tasks then had her assistant create a workflow and take over those tasks. Jami’s working on her next book, and she shared that she’s creating two different giveaways, one for her newsletter list and another to attract new readers. Jami and Sara discussed the importance of remembering you have two different groups to market to--warm readers and cold (potential) readers--and different ways to reach both groups. Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How Craig began writing after he retired What Craig wishes he’d known about story: John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story Why  after writing hundreds of books, Craig hired a development editor for the first time How Craig used review feedback to learn which category was the best fit for his series and rebranded the books Why writing his first four different books in three different genres was a mistake and how he’s recovering 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 028 / Ryan Zee of Booksweeps and Plottr joins Jami and Sara this week and shares tips on how to make your emails to readers more effective. They talk about how marketing, trends, and branding. You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Sara has shifted to revision for her WIP and she’s uploading audio to Kobo. Sara recommended The Creative Penn Podcast with Lindsay Buroker about writing a series. Sara has a book on the subject: How to Write A Series. Sara’s also using a pomodoro timer app, Flat Tomato.  Jami’s been helping her daughter move. She started writing her new book and shared that that Homecoming King is still doing great. Jami’s also been enjoying the Wish I’d Known For Writers Facebook group. Drop by and join them! In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How Booksweeps helps authors promote their books and grow their email newsletter lists How Plottr, a digital plotting and outlining software, can help authors write books Common mistakes authors make with email Why tenacity and focus are characteristics of successful authors Book trends in genres related to the pandemic 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 027 / Mystery and romance author Patricia McLinn joins Jami and Sara to discuss the pros and cons of traditional and indie publishing, how Patricia writes her books without outlining, and her tips for Bookbub ads. You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In the intro, Sara shares that she’s finished the first draft of her Christmas book, and Jami is seeing read-through from her book launch. There is a Wish I’d Known Then . . . For Writers Facebook group now. Come say hello! In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How Patricia learned to trust herself and her process instead of trying to write like you’re “supposed to” (i.e. with an outline, or in order, etc) Why learning that we are not our audience is essential to marketing Why Patricia is glad the publishing industry changes Patricia’s advice on how to get rights back from traditional publishers Pros and cons of indie and traditional publishing Myths around traditional publishing Why it’s key to find readers who are looking for new authors Patricia’s podcast for readers, Authors Love Readers  Genres discussed include traditional mystery, cozy mystery, women’s fiction, contemporary romance, historical romance, small town romance, and western romance.  Links:  Patricia McLinn Survival Kit for Writers Who Don’t Write Right 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 026 / Jami and Sara share how they launch a book, covering tactics for low-, medium-, and high-budget launches as well as sharing beau·coup tips about what’s working for book launches right now. In the intro, Sara talks about she’s started a German translation through Reedsy. Jami’s new book Homecoming King launched with a big splash--breaking into the top 100 of the Amazon store, then going all the way to number 81!  You can find show notes and links at https://www.wishidknownforwriters.com. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: Things to Consider Before You Launch:  KU or wide - weigh pros and cons of each Price point - consider typical price of genre and goals to pick the best price point (99 cents can generate preorders and sales while a higher price point give you a higher royalty and the option of dropping it for sales later) Preorders - a preorder lets you capture sales and get your sales pages live on the vendors, but some authors won’t do preorders because they feel Amazon doesn’t weight the preorder sales as heavily as purchases/borrows made after the books releases, which may impact rank. Don’t forget the impact of your newsletter to launch  Low-cost Launch Tactics for a New Author Blog tours Newsletter swaps Goodreads giveaways  Library Thing giveaways  Newsletter 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 025 / Science fiction author Malorie Cooper joins Jami and Sara this week to talk about advertising as well as the pros and cons of co-authoring books. They also dive into how Mal created a massive literary universe and Mal’s non-fiction books for authors. You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In the intro, Jami talks about her launch, which is happening today! (Congrats!) Jami also shared the title of a book Sara saw mentioned on The Creative Penn’s Twitter feed: 1000 character Reactions from Head to Toe by Valerie Howard.  Sara can see the end in sight for the first draft of what she thought would be a “short 40,000” Christmas mystery. (Current word count is 45,000 and climbing!)  Both Jami and Sara recommend the Six Figure Author podcast with David Gaughran, who has a new update out for Let’s Get Digital.  In this podcast episode, you’ll discover:   Why using tropes in ads can be game-changing   How reading helped Mal learn how to write and meet reader expectations Challenges around using action tags Inexpensive ways to gain readers How Mal went against type with a cover style and how it paid off Testing Mal’s done around pricing Calculating read-through and using it to assess the best price points for books What Mal wishes she’d known about also-boughts as well as the importance of the quality of the traffic you send to your sales page Mal’s experiment of going wide Tips for working with co-authors  How Mal created a sprawling literary universe      Genres discussed include science fiction, space opera, military science fiction, and hard science fiction. Links:  Malorie’s website Help I’m An Author series 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing

Episode 24 / Learn how cozy and historical mystery author Shea MacLeod analyzes her books and makes strategic changes to create solid-selling books that satisfy readers. You can find show notes and links at https://www.wishidknownforwriters.com. In the intro, Sara shares that she’s using Reedsy to find translators for foregin editions of her books. Jami had a cover reveal and is trying the new technique of including characters from the next book in her second epilogue. Sara also shared a podcast she found helpful, Kobo Writing Life’s podcast, Selling Audiobooks to the Kobo Customer with Elyse Daniels In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How switching to a new genre helped Shea level up Why Shea wishes she’d started her newsletter list earlier Why signing with a traditional publisher was a mistake for Shea and the lessons she learned  How Shea analyzes her books and tries different tactics to increase sales including:  Recovering a cozy series to fix discoverability problems and attract cozy readers Rewriting a paranormal romance series to make it a paranormal cozy mystery Why reading in your genre can be the key to understanding what changes you need to make to satisfy readers Shea’s strategy of having books in Kindle Unlimited as well as wide books Why cozies appeal to readers Genres discussed include cozy mystery, paranormal cozy mystery, historical mystery, and urban 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-podcastResources from the Author and Reader Community to Help Ukrainians https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E9QQhmcpa_dlxQY-GEqBiIbIZk-_J1MgQX_BxLI3F84/edit?usp=sharing