The Profitable Writer

One of the most consistent themes I hear from writers is that many struggle with the business side of things. They become writers because they love the craft, the storytelling, or simply creating content. But the need for clear business thinking and processes often comes as a surprise. That’s why I’m excited to share this conversation with J.D. Barker, who’s here to help us understand how to navigate the business of being a writer. J.D. Barker is a New York Times and 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. He is the bestselling author of Dracul, The Fourth Monkey, and Something I Keep Upstairs, his newest novel inspired by a real-life haunted house. He brings decades of experience as an author, coauthor, and creative entrepreneur. J.D. is also the co-host of the excellent podcast for writers, Writers, Ink. In this conversation, J.D. shares his insights about building an author platform, developing income streams, his collaboration with James Patterson, mindset shifts you need as an author, the value of traditional publishing, how ghostwriting can help build your own writing business, and much more. Make sure to check out J.D.’s site, https://jdbarker.com/ as well as the Writers, Ink podcast at https://writersinkpodcast.com/.

I was born in 1974 and you’ve heard me talk about my love of 80s music before. And why not? The 80s, in my humble opinion, was simply the greatest decade in American culture as far as the amount and quality of music created. That’s why I’m excited to bring you this exceptionally fun and inspiring conversation with Jim Daneker. Jim is an award-winning and Billboard-charting composer and producer who specializes in the bold, evocative, and memorable. In addition to 27 years as keyboardist, musical director, and producer for CCM icon Michael W. Smith, Jim has enjoyed a diverse musical career. He has produced albums, created a virtual instrument series called Backstage Pass, and arranged and written music for film. His film music work includes trailers for Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and The Furious franchise, Transformers 2, The Chronicles of Narnia, and several Disney projects. After two decades of serving other artists, Jim took two years to pursue his dream of scoring a cinematic instrumental album, called AD ALTA, which was released in 2017. In 2018, Jim produced another Billboard #1 album, this time for quadruple #1 artist Paul Cardall—an album that had the unprecedented distinction of debuting on nine charts simultaneously and won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. In February 2023, Jim announced his retirement from touring and the launch of a lifetime dream project called Arcade Orchestra, which reimagines the biggest hits of the 80s in an epic live show. In this conversation, we dive into all things Arcade Orchestra. He shares his vision for AO, why the 80s were such an incredible decade for music and movies, what is was like to transition away from a steady music gig into building his own thing, and much more. In addition to being a very fun conversation about all things 80s, this is going to especially inspire you if you have been focusing exclusively on client work and have been dreaming of putting yourself out there in the spotlight more. I should note that Jim was very kind in opening up his home, near Nashville, to me for an in-person interview! It was so much fun to see his studio setup. To find out more about Jim and Arcade Orchestra, make sure to visit https://jimdaneker.com and https://arcadeorchestra.com.

I’ve always operated on the assumption that most of my listeners are introverts. If you don’t think of yourself as an introvert, that doesn’t make you less of a writer, of course. But I do believe most writers feel they get their energy from being alone, and that most of the time, being around people drains them. I certainly relate to that! Which is probably why I’m a full-time writer instead of some other job that requires me to spend time with people all day. One of the dilemmas you have to face as an introverted writer is knowing how to navigate conferences. While we recognize the immense value of conferences and events for learning our craft and building relationships, we also have to figure out how to be involved without completely draining ourselves. That’s why I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Ami McConnell, who runs WriterFest, a conference for writers in Nashville each November. Ami joins me to chat about what makes WriterFest unique, how to get the most out of it, how to navigate events as an introvert, and much more. Although WriterFest has already happened in 2025, I want to give you a heads up to make plans and attend WriterFest in 2026. Make sure to get on the mailing list for WriterFest so you’re notified about updates. You can do so by visiting https://writerfestnashville.com. Before we get into the conversation, let me tell you a bit about Ami, who in addition to being the Founder and President of WriterFest Nashville, is also the Founder and President of Ami McConnell Literary Agency. Ami is an author, writer, and editor with over twenty years of experience in-house at major trade book publishers. Having edited numerous New York Times bestsellers and award winners, she now works with authors of all stripes to create bestselling books. She’s a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller who has collaborated with singers, songwriters, psychologists, doctors, therapists, film and TV actors, and artists. Ami also serves on the board of Women’s National Book Association/Nashville Chapter and lives in the Nashville area with her family. You can find out more about Ami by visiting her website, https://amimcconnell.com, and the WriterFest site at https://writerfestnashville.com.

Today I’m bringing you an interview that will absolutely help you grow your impact and income, particularly if you’re a ghostwriter. You’ve probably heard of Gotham Ghostwriters, a New York City ghostwriting agency. It’s headed up CEO Dan Gerstein, who is a nationally recognized political writer, communications strategist, and idea man. He’s been writing professionally for more than thirty years. Gotham Ghostwriters has seen incredible growth in recent years, and I had the pleasure of talking to Dan about Gotham, as well as their annual event, Gathering of the Ghosts. This year’s event was recently held in NYC, and next year’s event is sure to be even bigger. Gotham also recently released a fantastic resource for ghostwriters—a course titled Ghostmasters 101: How to Break into the Business of Ghostwriting. And if you’re interested in joining the Gotham Ghostwriters network, you can find more info about how to do that on the Gotham website. In this conversation with Dan, we dive into all of these topics and much more. If you’re currently ghostwriting, you’ll find a lot to chew on here. And if you’re looking for a way to make extra income with your writing skills, or even build a robust full-time career as a ghostwriter just like I’ve done, this conversation will inspire and empower you to take the next steps. You can find out more about Gotham Ghostwriters and all it has to offer by visiting https://gothamghostwriters.com.

I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Chelle Honiker, publisher of Indie Author Magazine. She has a real passion for serving and empowering authors, and in her role as publisher, she helps authors navigate the business of storytelling with confidence, strategy, and community. I’ve been a subscriber to the magazine for a couple of years now. If you’re looking for a fantastic resource to help you navigate the often-complicated world of being an indie author, look no further! Indie Author magazine will give you an incredible bang for your buck! I highly recommend the print version, which I am thrilled to receive myself. In this conversation, Chelle and I dive into her journey of starting this incredible publication, how each issue comes together, why it’s so awesome to be an indie author, and so much more. If you’ve been sitting on a great idea for a while and have been afraid to take action, this conversation with Chelle is going to inspire you to finally get moving toward your dreams! And of course, I want to encourage you to subscribe to Indie Author magazine. You can do so by visiting https://indieauthormagazine.com/

As you know, I talk a lot about ghostwriting on this show since that’s my primary business. However, I’m thrilled today to bring on three other guests to help me dive even deeper into lots of ghostwriting-related topics. Maria Chapman is the Founder of Connected Ghostwriting, a writing agency built on one clear principle: connection drives success. Her agency does a variety of services, including books, web content, marketing materials, and more. Her site is https://connectedghostwriting.com. Karen Anderson is a Strategic Book Coach and Associate Publisher for Morgan James Publishing. She has worked in various roles in the book business and as a marketer for over 25 years. One of her most notable collaborations is The Bezos Letters, which she wrote with her husband, Steve. Her site is https://strategicbookcoach.com. And last but not least, Blake Atwood is a ghostwriter and editor who recently had two books he helped edit appear simultaneously on the New York Times bestseller list. Those two books are Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher. Blake’s site is https://blakeatwood.com. I’ve asked each of these friends to be a part of this roundtable discussion because I not only respect their work, but I also appreciate their philosophy and wisdom when it comes to ghostwriting. A few of the topics we talk about include: how to get started as a ghostwriter, the money side of ghostwriting, how to balance between writing for clients and writing for yourself, some of the biggest mistakes ghostwriters make, and much more.

If you think back to the early days of your writing journey, no matter if you’re at the beginning or you’ve been doing it a while, I’ll bet you were filled with joy and wonder at the power of writing. But somewhere along the way, you probably lost the spark a bit. You grew up, life got hard, and you felt overwhelmed with responsibilities in your family and career. It’s a common story most of us have experienced, especially if we do this full-time. It’s hard not to let the task of writing and business totally consume our thoughts and habits. We have to be intentional about injecting a sense of fun, wonder, and curiosity into our lives again. My guest today is here to help us do exactly that. Mike Brennan is an author and artist who tells stories on pages and stages. He’s a passionate advocate for reigniting the lost art of fun and creativity in our lives. He does this by the transformative power of play, fun, and creativity in both his storytelling and his work with clients. Mike is the author of several books on creativity, including Creative Power: 30 Days of Creative Affirmations, Make Fun a Habit: The Creative PLAYbook for Making Life and Work Fun Again, and the Daily Creative Habit Creative Journal. This call was from a session in our Profitable Writer membership last year. Mike helped our group explore our creative side and work toward building meaningful creative habits into our life and writing. I think you’ll enjoy this session as well. And of course, I always encourage you to check out our membership at https://theprofitablewriter.com. In addition, make sure to check out all of Mike Brennan’s books and offerings at https://www.mikebrennan.me.

If you write nonfiction, I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea that your book can be the first step your reader takes with you, but not the last step. Although many people certainly make a great living selling lots of books, there are also lots of consultants, speakers, and trainers who make the bulk of their income from those offerings. Their book is just the first step in their readers’ journey. My guest today is Steve Woodruff, and this conversation is all about helping you get a glimpse into his business as a consultant, and how his books have been a great entry point for the people who hire him. Let me tell you a bit about Steve. Steve’s goal is to help people flip the script on the corporate status quo by finding their focus and making themselves clear. He believes that with the right tactics, anyone can win at work through better communication. He wrote his first book, Clarity Wins: Get Heard, Get Referred, to teach people how to rise above the noise and get referred. In his second book, The Point: How to Win with Clarity-Fueled Conversations, he trains people to use his Clarity Fuel Formula, backed by practical brain science, to communicate with clarity and focus. Steve’s career spans three decades, progressing from a sales and marketing director to a trusted consultant for corporate clients such as Pfizer and many others. Today he gets to focus full-time on helping others discern, articulate, and maximize their own strengths as an author, speaker, facilitator, and trainer. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Sandy, a lifelong educator, and sharing his love of the great outdoors and photography with his family. In this conversation, Steve gives us the inside scoop on the role his books play in his larger business. You’ll learn why he wrote them and chose the particular publishing pathways he did, how his books build the other parts of his business, how he markets them to the people who might hire him, and his advice for nonfiction authors who want to use their books to grow their speaking, training, consulting, and related services. As a side note, most of the business books I ghostwrite are intended to do the exact thing Steve talks about—act as a gateway that leads to more profitable parts of their business. If you’re a business author, or you ghostwrite books for business authors, you’ll learn a lot from Steve’s approach.  Make sure to check out Steve’s books and other offerings at https://www.stevewoodruff.com.

I talk to a lot of writers who are just getting started in their 40s and 50s. That was certainly the case for me. I was a college professor for many years, then made the transition to ghostwriting and author coaching in my mid-40s. I can name dozens of other writers who have made similar transitions to a writing career mid-life. It’s tempting to feel like you’re getting a late start, but I believe the opposite is actually true: you have a head start because you have a wealth of knowledge from your previous career that you can apply to your writing. That’s certainly the case with my guest today, Patrick O’Donnell. He’s built a very successful career writing fiction, and I know you’ll be inspired by his journey. Let me tell you a bit about him. Sgt. Patrick O’Donnell worked in one of the nation’s largest police departments for 25 years. He has been in charge of thousands of crime scenes and investigations, including homicides, sexual assaults, and robberies. Now as an author, he helps people write the best crime-related novel or screenplay possible. Patrick is the product of two young Irish immigrants. He was born and spent his early childhood in the great city of Chicago. He lives with his wife, kids, and three dogs. Patrick has published self-help books under different pen names and made Amazon’s bestseller lists. His hobbies include physical fitness, travel, and riding motorcycles. In our conversation, Patrick and I discuss how he became interested in writing after a long career in law enforcement, his experience working with a co-writer, how he develops stories, how he uses podcasting in his business, how he markets and promotes his books, and much more. You can connect with Patrick and find out more about his resources and books at https://copsandwriters.com.

As an author, there are lots of ways to collaborate with other writers. You can co-write a book, ghostwriter for people and remain in the background, be part of a series or anthology, and more. However, I confess that until recently, I had never heard of MAPs, otherwise known as Multi-Author Projects. These are typically a series of books written by different authors, but set in the same world or universe, and often some of the same characters. I was talking via email with my friend, Mary Felkins, who is a fantastic author herself, about something entirely different. She mentioned she was participating in these kinds of collaborative projects, and I thought it would be fun to interview Mary and two of her collaborators, Dalyn Weller and Kit Morgan. Some of the topics we dive into include: What are the parameters of a MAP and how they work, why you might want to collaborate in this way, how cross-promotion works when doing these kinds of projects, the limitations and benefits, and much more. You can check out each of our guests’ individual sites by visiting https://maryfelkins.com, https://dalynweller.com, and https://authorkitmorgan.com.