As a writer, you live in two worlds: the world of business and the world of creative thinking. Creative types tend to focus on making the product and spend less time on marketing and selling it. My guest today is here to help us develop our business chops as writers. Paul Leon is a training leader and sales manager with nearly twenty years of experience providing sales management in many industries.  He has extensive experience developing and delivering sales training materials, including developing curriculum aligned with product training, facilitating new hire training, providing in-person and online classes, meeting and exceeding sales training goals, and leading cross-function teams.  Paul also hosts the Persistence Mastery podcast, a great show about helping professionals grow their communication skills.  In this conversation, Paul and I discuss creating your value proposition as a writer. What value do you bring to your clients, customers, and readers? How do you improve their lives? We also dive into the difference between cost and investment, and why this difference is so crucial. If you do client work as a writer, you’ll love this episode and the actionable steps you can put to work in your business immediately. ***  A big thank you to our sponsors: There is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block is the brand-new book from Honorée Corder. You’ll learn what’s really blocking you, the value of building your writer tribe, how to become the writer you’ve always dreamed of, and much more. Grab your copy today! Vellum is the go-to book formatting software for indie authors who care about creating beautiful ebooks and print books. Use the link to download Vellum for FREE. Need a great book cover? Kristi Griffith from Thumbprint Creative has created the cover design and interior layout for many of my own books, and books of my ghostwriting clients and friends. She works closely with you to create a design that perfectly captures the theme, message, and genre of your book.  

Like most writers, you probably have mixed emotions as we near the end of 2024. My guess is that you’ve had some great wins this year, but you’ve also had some challenges. One thing we all have in common, no matter what our specific business, is that we want the next year to be better than this one. As I’ve examined the past year in my business and talked to lots of writers about their experiences, I’ve concluded what’s holding most of us back from the success we want: You’re trying to do too much. If you want to grow exponentially in 2023, stop trying to do everything. Instead, focus on what truly matters in your business.  The answer is not trying to do more. It’s focusing on doing less. On this episode, we look at four ways to do that. 1. Determine the #1 thing you want to grow next year. 2. Be brutally honest about where you are most likely to win. 3. Maintain, eliminate, or defer everything else.  4. Have the courage to say “no.”  *** Today’s podcast is sponsored by editor Karen Hunsanger, also known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit. Today’s podcast is also sponsored by Plottr, the #1 visual book planning software for writers that helps you plan books in the same way you think. Plottr helps fiction and nonfiction authors, podcasters, speakers, and anyone creating content to organize their material and story points. Visit the link above to start your free 14-day trial.

One of the recurring themes of this podcast is leadership. Writing and creativity are, of course, a huge part of what we do. But if we want to operate a successful business, we have to be able to manage all the moving pieces in order for things to run smoothly and grow over time. I’m excited to have a guest today who can help us do that. Valerie Cockerell was born and raised in France, where she graduated with a degree in Business Hospitality. She eventually joined Disneyland Paris in 1991 as a retail manager. After succeeding in a number of roles, she eventually oversaw the planning for all Resort merchandise locations in the park. Upon moving to Florida in 1997, Valerie worked as the Assortment Planning Manager at Downtown Disney and Epcot Center, eventually moving to Merchandise Brand Management for both Epcot and the Disney Cruise Line. Valerie left the company and started consulting for outside organizations in the retail world. She returned to Disney in 2013 to become a contract facilitator for Disney Institute, where she facilitated professional development classes and custom programs in both French and English. She drew from her international management experience in retail and operations to teach Disney’s approach to Leadership Excellence and Customer Service.  Since May 2019, Valerie has been a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator with her husband, Dan Cockerell. In her speaking, she shares her expertise and methodology in leading teams and delivering outstanding customer service.  Valerie joins me today for a conversation about her new book, Manage like a Mother: Leadership Lessons Drawn from the Wisdom of Mom, which offers a simple-to-understand and easy-to-implement take on leadership inspired by a mother’s playbook. We talk about her career working for the Disney organization, how everyone can learn to become a better leader and manager by borrowing concepts from mothers (even men!), how writers can implement these principles, and more. You can connect with Valerie at https://cockerellconsulting.com. * * * A big thank you to our sponsors, who keep this podcast free for listeners:  Vellum is the go-to book formatting software for indie authors who care about creating beautiful ebooks and print books. I’ve used it for years and love it! Use the link to download Vellum for FREE. Feeling blocked as a writer? Grab a copy of There is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block by Honorée Corder. You’ll learn what’s really blocking you, the value of building your writer tribe, how to become the writer you’ve always dreamed of, and much more. Looking for a great book cover designer and formatter? I use and recommend Kristi Griffith, owner of Thumbprint Creative. She works closely with you to create a design that perfectly captures the theme, message, and genre of your book.  

On today's episode, Kent talks about the 4 fundamentals of a REAL Writing business: 1. Relationships with people 2. Excellence in your craft 3. Attitude toward business and money 4. Leadership in your business and industry

As an author, one of your biggest goals is to get your books into the hands of readers. It’s going to involve various levels of marketing, and in some cases, a PR (public relations) team. Imagine if you could sit down with a bona-fide expert who knows the industry and has gotten her book clients on every conceivable platform. You’d come away with some golden nuggets of PR wisdom to apply to your current or future books, no matter what your genre or publishing path. I’ve got you covered. My guest today is Morgan Canclini-Mitchell, who is the Principal and Founder of two|pr. Two|pr is a boutique publicity firm representing talent and brands in a variety of verticals, including television stars, nonprofits, best-selling authors, professional athletes, film projects, and more. The firm has a unique niche in representing a variety of crossover entertainment personalities/brands/organizations, positioning them securely in both the faith-based and mainstream media landscape. In her role, Morgan spearheads publicity and influencer marketing campaigns for her clients. She has been featured in Fast Company magazine, Bustle, Her Story of Success podcast, Inspire Magazine, Christianity Today, Nashville Lifestyles magazine, and other outlets. She’s also been a speaker at WriterFest, Baylor University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, and more. Morgan’s past and current clients include: New York Times best-selling authors, an Academy Award-winning documentary, award-winning radio show hosts, ASCAP’s Songwriters of the Century, Bravo and TLC reality show stars, cable news correspondents, NBA championship players, feature films, and Grammy award-winning recording artists. Morgan and I talk about paid vs. unpaid marketing, features you can bake into your books that help with PR, the best and worst time to launch books, how a PR agency works, avoiding common mistakes authors make with PR, and much more. You can find out more about Morgan and two|pr by visiting https://twopr.com. * * * A big thank you to our sponsors, who keep this email free for readers: Vellum is the go-to book formatting software for indie authors who care about creating beautiful ebooks and print books. I’ve used it for years and love it! Use the link to download Vellum for FREE. Feeling blocked as a writer? Grab a copy of There is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block by Honorée Corder. You’ll learn what’s really blocking you, the value of building your writer tribe, how to become the writer you’ve always dreamed of, and much more. Looking for a great book cover designer and formatter? I use and recommend Kristi Griffith, owner of Thumbprint Creative. She works closely with you to create a design that perfectly captures the theme, message, and genre of your book.  

Welcome to the first episode of The Profitable Writer podcast! Thanks for being here. On this episode, you'll learn: What problem we're solving with Profitable Writer The 9 steps of the Profitable Writer Pathway Who Profitable Writer is for What to expect from this podcast

One year ago today, I was going to quit my business. But I made a decision that helped me overcome the frustration and discouragement. On this episode, I tell the story and help you see why you should keep going also. This is the last official episode for The Daily Writer podcast! Thank you for listening and supporting the show. The Profitable Writer will launch in a few days and I hope to see you there!

We live in an amazing time when authors have lots of options for publishing. The main three options are these: First, you can self-publish your books, which means you assume all the risks, responsibilities, and rewards. Second, you can work with a hybrid publisher, which usually means you pay for their help with specific services, and they provide some of the functions of a traditional publisher. The third option, and the one most familiar to everyone, is traditional publishing. In this scenario, you sell your book to a publisher in exchange for an advance. They own the book but also take all the risk of producing and distributing the book, in addition to some marketing. Even though self-publishing has come a long way in the last ten or fifteen years, many authors still dream of getting a traditional publishing deal, especially with one of the big five New York publishers. If that’s your goal, you will need help in pitching your book to publishers to secure the best deal. That’s where a literary agent comes in. On today’s episode, I’m honored to talk with Mark Gottlieb, a New York literary agent who is here to give us the inside scoop on how to find and work with an agent. Mark is the vice president and literary agent at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group in New York City. He attended Emerson College and was President of its Publishing Club, and established Wilde Press. After graduating with a degree in writing, literature and publishing, he began his career with Penguin’s VP. His first position at Trident Media Group was in foreign rights. He was the EA to Trident Media Group’s Chairman and ran the Audio Department. He is currently working with his own client list, helping to manage and grow author careers with the unique resources available to Trident Media Group. He is ranked highly among literary agents in overall deals and other categories. Some of the topics I talk about with Mark are: how he became a literary agent, what an agent actually does in the publishing ecosystem, the benefits of traditional publishing, what kinds of projects he looks for and how to stand out as an author, what the most successful authors do when pitching and working with an agent, and some common mistakes to avoid when trying to secure an agent. You can connect with Mark at https://literaryagentmarkgottlieb.com and find out more about the Trident Media Group at https://tridentmediagroup.com. * * * Today’s episode is sponsored by Vellum, the go-to book formatting software for indie authors who care about creating beautiful ebooks and print books. Use the link to download Vellum for FREE. 📚 Download your FREE Daily Writer Starter Kit at https://dailywriterlife.com/free ✉️ Want writing tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Writer email at https://dailywriterlife.com/dailyemail 🚀 Want to grow your writing business and accelerate your success? Check out our Daily Writer Club. 📱 Follow us: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter

📚 Download your FREE Daily Writer Starter Kit at https://dailywriterlife.com/free ✉️ Want writing tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Writer email at https://dailywriterlife.com/dailyemail 🚀 Want to grow your writing business and accelerate your success? Check out our Daily Writer Club. 📱 Follow us: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter

Today’s episode is sponsored by editor Karen Hunsanger, also known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit. 📚 Download your FREE Daily Writer Starter Kit at https://dailywriterlife.com/free ✉️ Want writing tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Writer email at https://dailywriterlife.com/dailyemail 🚀 Want to grow your writing business and accelerate your success? Check out our Daily Writer Club. 📱 Follow us: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter