

WriterCon
William Bernhardt
Bestselling authors William Bernhardt and Lara Bernhardt, with audiobook producer Jesse Ulrich, discuss the latest news from publishing, offer writing tips, and interview major authors, agents, editors, and other book-world professionals.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 20, 2020 • 46min
Blending History and Thrills with Steve Berry
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews New York Times-bestselling author Steve Berry, author of the Cotton Malone historical thrillers.Chapter One: IntroductionTwisted Justice (Daniel Pike Legal Thriller #4) can be ordered now!Chapter Two: NewsBooks sales are down during the pandemic (except in juvenile nonfiction), but eBooks constitute a larger percentage of overall sales.Many indicators suggest that the pandemic will cause serious problems for traditional publishers.Comic book stores and independent bookstores are hit hard by the pandemic.The largest US printer has filed for bankruptcy.Barnes & Noble is late on royalty payments.Harlequin adds a non-disparagement clause to freelance contracts.The National Emergency Library continues to offend by offering access to eBooks without obtaining author consent.Congratulations to winners of the Walt Whitman and Conclave prizes.There are many sources of financial aid for writers in need.Chapter Three: Writing TipsShould you write about the coronavirus pandemic?Chapter Four: InterviewSteve Berry has sold more than 25 million copies of his historical thrillers worldwide. In this interview, he talks about the lessons he has learned during this incredibly successful writing career.Chapter Five: Parting WordsDid I mention that Twisted Justice is now on sale?This podcast was edited by Jesse Ulrich, CEO of Rant9 Productions

Apr 6, 2020 • 49min
Four Decades of Writing Excellence with William Martin
Bestselling author William Bernhardt analyzes the latest news from the world of books, offers tips for writers during the coronavirus crisis, and interviews New York Times-bestselling author William Martin.Chapter 1: IntroductionBernhardt offers listeners a free Red Sneaker Writers book.Bernhardt's new thriller, Twisted Justice, can now be ordered.Bernhardt's sons have a movie review YouTube channel. Search for: William BernhardtChapter 2: NewsScribd is offering free access for 30 days.Kindle Unlimited subscriptions are free for two months.Apple is offering free eBooks and audiobooks.The Internet Archive has created a controversial National Emergency Library to distribute free eBooks during this crisis--with no compensation to the authors.Book sales continue to drop in most areas--but not in juvenile nonfiction.Penguin Classics is diversifying its list of classics.Chapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt shares what has inspired him to write these past thirty years--hoping to inspire listeners. Use this time to write!Chapter 4: Interview with William MartinWilliam Martin has been a bestselling author of historic thrillers, most recently Bound for Gold, for almost forty years. He shares some of the secrets and lessons he has learned during this amazing career.Chapter 5: Parting WordsFor your free book, email: wb@williambernhardt.comPlease consider ordering Bernhardt's latest thriller, Twisted JusticeThanks to the composer of our new theme music:Funny Adventures by WinnieTheMoogLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/6048-funny-adventuresLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/Summer Hit by WinnieTheMoogLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/6036-summer-hitLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Mar 22, 2020 • 34min
Ghostwriting for Profit with Melanie Hemry
Bestselling author William Bernhardt analyzes the latest news from the book world, offers writing tips, OFFERS FREE BOOKS, and interviews successful ghostwriter and Christian writer Melanie Hemry.Chapter 1: IntroductionWhile we persevere through this world crisis, William Bernhardt is offering all podcast listeners a free copy of any one of his nine books on writing--your choice. Email him at willbern@gmail.com and tell him which book you want. Chapter 2: News1) Book events cancelled during the coronavirus crisis.2) Simon & Schuster for sale for $1.2 billion.3) Baker & Taylor reveals which genres libraries buy most.4) Amazon, Scribd and others make special offers to readersChapter 3: Writing TipsWilliam Bernhardt encourages authors who are homebound or quarantined during the coronavirus scare to USE THIS! If this has given you extra time to work at home, double-down on your writing. Emerge from this crisis with something wonderful.Chapter 4: Interview Melanie Hemry discusses her ghostwriting career, largely in the Christian book market, which has led to great success and more than fifty published books.Chapter 5: Parting WordsStay safe. And write.For a free digital copy of one of the Red Sneaker books on writing, email: willbern@gmail.com.

Mar 8, 2020 • 38min
Publishing Romance Brilliantly with Liz Berry
Bestselling author William Bernhardt hosts this podcast for Red Sneaker Writers--writers who are serious about building a writing career and looking for useful information to help them do it. In this podcast, he discusses the latest news, offers writing tips, and interviews Liz Berry, co-publisher of the 1001 Dark Nights romance line.Chapter 1: IntroductionThere's new content on the WriterCon website! Register now to get the Early Bird price!Chapter 2: NewsIngram announces new content integrity standardsSimon & Schuster is for saleCli-fi genre emergesHallmark and Walmart announce a new romance lineScott Carney Reddit posts discusses the merits of self-publishingChapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt discusses the importance of setting and advises writers to choose a setting that will heighten the key elements of your novel.Chapter 4: Interview with Liz BerryBernhardt interviews the book marketer and co-founder of the 1001 Dark Nights romance line. Liz explains how in five years she built a company that has already sold over three million books.Chapter 5: Parting WordsRegister now for WriterCon while you can still get into the small-group Lunches with the Stars, the banquet, and the Monday Masterclasses. Learn more at writer con.org

Feb 24, 2020 • 36min
Publishing Your First Novel with Laurel Thomas
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the book world, offers tips for increasing sales of your books, and interviews Laurel Thomas, author of the novel River's Call.Chapter 1: IntroductionRecovering from the WriterCon Cruise--and planning the cruise for next year.Chapter 2: Newsa) Colin Kaepernick opts to self-pub his memoir and makes deal with Audibleb) Codex Group says Amazon Publishing has the most clicked coversc) Two new romance imprints have been announcedd) Details on Audible settlement over Captions programe) Entire RWA Board resignsf) Poetry sales soared last yearg) Proposed Missouri law could charge librarians for "age-inappropriate" materialsh) Twitter account nominated for literary prizeChapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt discusses the takeaways from a panel at the SF Conference describing how Amazon Publishing promotes a debut novel, which includes strategic marketing, visibility, pricing, and much more.Chapter 4: InterviewBernhardt interviews Laurel Thomas, a regular face at the annual WriterCon conference in Oklahoma City, and the author of her first novel, River's Call. She discusses how the book came to be and her personal road to publication.Chapter 5: Parting WordsBernhardt invites comments on the podcast. Email him at: wb@williambernhardt.comWriterCon: www.writercon.orgSummer Writing Retreat: www.williambernhardt.com/writing-retreats

Feb 12, 2020 • 25min
Live from the WriterCon Cruise: Mysteries at Sea
Bestselling author William Bernhardt podcasts live from the 2020 WriterCon Cruise.Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, presents writing tips, and interviews Rick Ludwig, author of the Maui Mysteries, most recently Pele's Fire.Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Newsa) The American Dirt controversy intensifies.b) Independent online bookstore Bookshop launches.c) Amazon sales reports indicates many self-pub authors are making over $100,000.Chapter 3: Writing TipsThree writers attending the WriterCon Cruise--Betsey Kulakowski, Cary Herwig, and Martin Ludlum, share what they have learned.Chapter 4: Interview with Rick LudwigThe author of Pele's Fire discusses the unique flavor of his Maui Mysteries, what makes a great mystery, and how to survive in the modern publishing world.Chapter 5: Parting WordsWriterCon will sponsor another cruise in 2021. In the meantime, William Bernhardt will host a summertime small-group writing retreat in Eureka Springs, and the annual writing conference, WriterCon 2020, will take place in Oklahoma City over Labor Day weekend.Retreats: https://www.williambernhardt.com/red-sneaker-writersConference: https://writercon.org

Jan 27, 2020 • 40min
Storytelling for Games with Randy Varnell
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews Randy Varnell, video game designer and writer at Gearbox.Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Newsa) Sales reports for traditional publishing in 2019 show double-digit declinesb) Mike Shatzhin reports that traditional pub new titles sell low numbersc) Oprah Book Club choice stirs controversyd) SF pub yanks story after LGBTQ+ controversye) Avon launches LGBTQ+ linef) RWA leaders cancel awards and resign in midst of controversyg) Audible settles lawsuit regarding CaptionsChapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt recommends the MSWishlist website and Twitter streams for writers interested in what prominent agents want, and also suggests developing a large and appealing premise for your work before you start writing it.Chapter 4: Interview Bernhardt interviews Randy Varnell about the importance of storytelling to a successful video game.Chapter 5: Parting WordsThe next podcast will be recorded during the WriterCon Cruise. The latest book in the Red Sneaker Writers Book Series, What Writers Need to Know, is on sale now.Contact info:www.williambernhardt.comwb@williambernhardt.com

Jan 13, 2020 • 33min
Writing Young Adult with Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the author of nineteen successful young adult novels.Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Newsa) Writer Beware offers warnings about scams targeting aspiring writers.b) New report offers insight on Amazon's market share.c) Findaway Voices report suggests advantages to marketing "wide."d) Can you buy your way onto the New York Times bestseller list? Yes.e) Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing was the top-selling book on 2019.Chapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt discusses the furor arising at Romance Writers of America from a member's online accusation of racism--and how all Red Sneaker Writers should protect themselves so this doesn't happen.Chapter 4: InterviewBernhardt interviews Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the author of nineteen young adult novels, about what works in YA, what she sees in the future of YA, and how to write a YA novels that appeals to adult readers as well.Chapter 5: Parting WordsThe latest book in the Red Sneaker Writers Book Series, What Writers Need to Know, is now available for pre-order at Amazon and other online booksellers.

Dec 30, 2019 • 28min
Romancing the Readers with Lauren Smith
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews USA Today-bestselling romance author Lauren Smith.Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Newsa) 2019 sales are down in brick-and-mortar bookstores.b) Bertelsmann buys out Pearson to control Random House.c) Random House president makes forecasts for 2020.d) BookBub offers free Book Marketing 101.Chapter 3: Writing TipsBernhardt discusses the most important takeaways from 2019 and how writers can put them to use in 2020. Amazon, advertising, audiobooks, series characters, and much more.Chapter 4: Interview with Lauren SmithBernhardt interviews bestselling romance author Lauren Smith about the key elements of a successful romance, how to write a compelling sex scene, and how she built her huge fanbase.Chapter 5: Parting WordsThe next book in the Red Sneaker series is What Writers Need to Know: Essential Topics, which can be ordered now: https://amazon.com/What-Writers-Need-Know-Essential-ebook/dp/B0838NMFNM/

Dec 15, 2019 • 27min
Making Memoir Matter with Barry Friedman
Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, then interviews Barry Friedman, comic and author of Four Days and a Year Later.Chapters1) Introduction. Trial By Blood, the third book in William Bernhardt's Daniel Pike legal thriller series, will be released on December 17, 2019.2) Newsa) Could the Big Five become the Big Four? Simon & Schuster may be sold.b) Another foolhardy attempt to trademark a common word.c) Amazon is now the #3 ad platform in the US.d) One analyst predicts audiobook sales will soon overtake eBook and print sales.e) Stuck in your outline? Try Drama Plot Generator.3) Interview with Barry FriedmanIn his memoir, Four Days and a Year Later, Barry Friedman confronts the death of his son with strength, honesty, and talent. In the interview, he discusses how to turn the difficult challenges in your life into prose of value to yourself and others. His takeaway? Love forward. There are other people who still need your love.4) Parting WordsWilliam Bernhardt's Trial by Blood, and Barry Friedman's Four Days and a Year Later, are both on sale December 17, 2019.www.williambernhardt.comwb@williambernhardt.com