The Profitable Writer

If you’re a podcaster who has dreamed of having your own book, you’ll love today’s episode! Last Fall, my good friend Jody Maberry and I co-led a webinar called “Podcast to Published.” The goal of the webinar was to test-drive some material we may later use to help podcasters use their podcast material as the basis for a book. I’ve been podcasting since 2013, and I’m a huge fan of repurposing your podcast content into books. Let me tell you a bit about Jody. He’s a former Park Ranger who is now a sought-after podcast producer, speaker, and consultant. He’s been featured in Inc., Entrepreneur, The Business Journals, at Podcast Movement, and many other places. Jody works closely with business leaders such as David Hancock, Lee Cockerell, Dan Cockerell, and others to bring their podcasts to life. In addition, he hosts three of his own podcasts: The Jody Maberry Show, The Park Leaders Show (for Park Rangers), and In the Front Row, a show he created for his son. Jody is not only one of the most brilliant minds in podcasting, but a kind and generous human being as well. I encourage you to check out Jody’s site at https://jodymaberry.com to find out more. In this webinar, you’ll learn all about the benefits of turning your podcast into a book, including what kind of book you should write based on your podcast, how to outline a great nonfiction book, and the steps to move from podcast to published book. * * * Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor 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.

We live in an incredible time! As an author, you have a variety of options for publishing and funding your books. If you’re doing self-publishing, one of the most interesting ways to fund the book is by crowdsourcing it through Kickstarter. If you’ve ever wondered how to use Kickstarter to fund your book launch, today’s your lucky day! Lestie May Zachary is a Southwest USA native who loves to write about her family roots. She is a veteran homeschool teacher of sixteen years. When Lestie isn’t writing or doting on family, she and her husband enjoy the cabin life on Crown Lake in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. I wanted to have Lestie as a guest today to talk about her new When Old School Meets New School, which is an exciting new guidebook from LMZ Publishing, perfect for children ages 11-14. When Old School Meets New School is full of fun and engaging activities that mix old-fashioned games and activities with modern technology, giving children the opportunity to learn and have fun in equal measure. With puzzles, activities and stories, this book helps children bridge the gap between the traditional and the contemporary. She funded the book through an impressive Kickstarter campaign last Fall, and I was thrilled to be one of her backers. I was even more impressed that this was Lestie’s first time using Kickstarter. The campaign was a lot of fun, and the book itself is even more impressive. You can really tell she put her heart and soul into it! In this interview, we discuss: Her book production process Various assets she created for the book launch Why she used Kickstarter, and the process for using it Details about the number of backers, her expenses, and other numbers The biggest challenges and benefits of using Kickstarter Her recommendations for authors considering using Kickstarter If you’ve never considered this unique way to fund a book, this conversation will give you insights you’ve probably not heard before. You can connect with Lestie through her website, https://www.lestiemayzachary.com. * * * Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor 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.

As a writer, you long to make a difference in the world. You want to use your creative gifts. You might even want to build a part-time or full-time business with your writing. We know that a writing habit is the bridge to everything we want as writers. Of course, marketing, relationships, handling your money wisely … all those things are vital, but none of it matters if you’re not producing the work. As creatives, we naturally resist routines and habits. But writing is a blue-collar job, like carpentry, plumbing, or anything else requiring regular, sustained labor. Without a writing habit, you will never get that blog built, you will never finish that book you’ve been thinking about all these years, and you will certainly never build a successful writing business. A great writing habit is the pathway to everything you have dreamed about as a writer. On this episode, we dive into the four "wheels" that keep it moving. *** Thanks to today's sponsor! 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. 

If there’s one thing we all want to do in 2024, it’s to write and publish more books. I’m excited to have a guest today who can help us learn the secrets of writers who get the work done and watch their success keep rising. Brock Swinson hosts the Creative Principles podcast, where he speaks with writers, actors, directors, musicians, and more. He has interviewed figures such as Aaron Sorkin, Ethan Hawke, Jim Gaffigan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylor Sheridan, Judd Apatow, and hundreds more for his show. Recently, Brock has packed all of this knowledge into the book Ink by the Barrel: Secrets From Prolific Writers, which you can get completely for free by visiting https://www.brockswinson.com/ink. The book is divided into three parts: Time, Voice, and Process. It contains advice on every single page to help novice writers become prolific. Brock has also been a copywriter for the last decade, working with entrepreneurs like Russell Brunson, Grant Cardone, and Tony Robbins. In this conversation, Brock and I discuss how he got into screenwriting, using your time well, why you need to take action now, how podcasting has helped his career, and much more. ***  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.  

One of the most important habits you can ever develop is reflection. The pace of life today is pretty fast and it’s easy to just keep going, going, going all the time.  (Turns out Ferris Bueller was right!) When you stop and think about where you’ve been, it’s much easier to figure out where you’re going. In the spirit of reflection, I’m excited to share 10 lessons I’ve learned about life, writing, and business I’ve learned over the last twelve months.  *** 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.

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.