Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Tao Wong about his writing, LitRPG, entrepreneurship, and the Toronto Indie Author Conference that is coming in May 2024. Prior to the interview, Mark forgoes the usual brief personal update, or comments, and skips right to this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the Toronto Indie Author Conference. The Toronto Indie Author Conference is a two-day event tailored exclusively for Canadian independent authors. Do you dream of transforming your passion for writing into a thriving author business? Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Canadian indie publishing's first author business conference. www.torontoindieauthorcon.com In their interview, Mark and Tao talk about: How Tao has always been writing and telling stories, and how luck played a bit part in it Starting off writing LitRPG when he was living in the Yukon when it was night/dark all the time Writing a few novels and stories for fun, but then discovering Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog about the business of publishing and how authors were beginning to leverage digital publishing to do it themselves Learning about indie publishing industry, but not being in a place where he thought he would pursue traditional publishing Beginning to put his LitRPG titles up on Amazon in 2017 at a time when it was just starting to become hot (He caught the 2nd wave of Western LitRPG authors) Not having to do any marketing in those early days because he was still working a full-time job running a business, but still bringing in a hearty income from his self-published books Tao's experience doing marketing in selling board games online Flipping between the two hats he wears. 1) The writer hat of getting the book done and 2) the marketer hat of having to sell the things that are written Realizing he was a "scenic route" author, according to Becca Syme's author structure talks and courses Getting to a point where he started to hire staff to help him with some of the tasks Being burnt out from the constant churn in hiring and training staff and them leaving within about two years Joking that being an indy author is the "easy mode" of being an entrepreneur because the cost and minimum setup is a lot less than what he had to do for his business before Laughing at the cost of a $200 cover design bill because not that long ago, he had a single bill from Canada Post that was over $100,000 Working with about 5 active co-authors but realizing that he didn't want to be a publisher Starting the Toronto Indie Author Conference initially out of spite and to bring something useful to Canadian authors who might not be able to afford to travel so far to several US based conferences The importance of not having only 6-figure authors doing the presentations at the Toronto Indie Author Conference Some of the speakers who will be at the Toronto Indie Author Confernce and the various topics they'll be covering The significant amount of time and energy Tao had to invest into this conference The Kobo sponsorship of an accessibility fund for the conference where they'll be giving out 10 to 15 pre-paid seats A discount code STARK10 that members can use to get $10 off their ticket registration for the conference And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of those people who see gaps and step up to make a difference. It's a common theme from the past several interview episodes. He also reflects on just how easy it can be for authors as entrepreneurs when you factor in just how little an author has to invest when it comes to money, to get started, particularly in a world that has so many great free resources. Links of Interest: Tao Wong's Author Website Tao Wong's Publisher Website Toronto Indie Author Conference Stark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins Agency StoryGarden Summit (Virtual) - March 2024 ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Tao Wong is a full-time author in the scifi and fantasy genres, writing predominantly in the LitRPG and xianxia sub-genres. A multiple times international Amazon bestseller, he is best known for the System Apocalypse and A Thousand Li universes, with over 40 full-length novels and numerous shorter works published. Tao was a finalist for the Kindle Storyteller UK Award in 2021. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Katie Nelson, Mari Dietz, and Brandon Winn about No Margins Agency, which offers stock photography of underrepresented and marginalized people. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update, and then plays a few words about this episode's sponsor. No Margins Agency offers stock photography of underrepresented and marginalized people, because everyone deserves to be the hero of their own story. In the interview, Mark, Katie, Mari, and Brandon talk about: Katie's background writing when young, then getting back into writing science fiction with queer characters later in life shortly after reading a traditionally published book that disappointed her Meeting Mari at a conference in Fort Collins, Colorado and being introduced to Superstars Writing Seminars a little later How Mari has wanted to write her whole life, and the way her mom used to type out her poems when she was very young and post them on cupboards and elsewhere in the house Stopping writing for a while, but then picking it up again in 2011, with a focus on writing fiction that featured plus-size people Brandon feeling isolated during the pandemic along with feeling like his voice and wanting to see characters that were more representative of his own experiences Being aghast at what was available in typical stock image sites when searching for "plus size" models for example The often overlooked value of having to meet people where they're at, rather than assuming everyone is in the same place. A rising tide can only float all boats if people are in boats to begin with How not everyone has a visible marginalization or disability Getting in contact with them via hello@nomarginsagency.com Allowing models to bring and wear things that they are comfortable with and to be free with who they are The unofficial mantra of the company being "take up as much space as you want" How the galleries on their website is broken down One of the biggest challenges is convincing people that they don't have to have the confidence or "look" of a "model" in order to model for No Margins Agency Scheduling a photoshoot when they're together in Colorado Springs in Feb 2024 at Superstars Writing Seminars How they are starting to do reviews of books by more diverse and marginalized authors The way they are managing the overhead costs by doing things like scheduling only a single photo shoot per month The value and importance of finding the right community that can be there for you and support you And more . . . After the interview Mark shares a reflection about how this type of supportive community inspires him. He also makes an offer to listeners of the podcast (thanks to the help of those who support this podcast at patreon.com/starkreflections) with some of the services that No Margins Agency provides. Links of Interest: No Margins Agency Facebook Blog Stark Publishing Support for Authors Via Margins Agency StoryGarden Summit (Virtual) - March 2024 ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard No Margins Agency is a company dedicated to helping marginalized people reach their audience, tell their stories, and drive sales. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

In this brief solo episode Mark reflections on the importance of maintaining a streak - which is something he has done since first launching this podcast in January 2017. Links of Interest: ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews engineer and author Jeff Krehmer about his new book Infinite Resources: How to Sustainably Develop the Arctic, by Supplying Green Hydrogen, Fresh Water, and Healthy Food to the World. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #InspireInclusion. Learn more about International Women's Day and find resources at: InternationalWomensDay.com In the interview, Mark and Jeff talk about: Jeff's background in various disciplines, including mechanical engineering, project management, software, computer sales Sitting on the vision for this current book project for more than ten years, and how having a heart attack two years ago prompted the idea that he should get that work out into the world The basic premise of the book in that the arctic can create a sustainable solution if we leverage it in the right way "If global warming is the problem, then shouldn't we be maximizing global cooling?" The boiling temperature of different liquids, such as propane Some of the coldest temperatures ever recorded on earth How the book has numerous possible target audience readers, depending on which of the world's problems they are looking to solve (or the economics they want to reap benefits from) What people can do to help And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the fact that, in the same way that humans have had an impact on the world, and Jeff is reminding us of the positive impact we can have if we learn and we act, we have an impact on one another. This is a reminder to authors of the powerful impact that they can have with the words they write and share. Links of Interest: Infinite Resources Website Jeff Krehmer on LinkedIn International Women's Day ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Jeff Krehmer is a professional mechanical engineer and the author of "Infinite Resources." He is president and chief engineer at Big Time Engineering Corp. During his engineering career, Jeff has worked as a salesperson, technical support technician, estimator, project manager, product designer and engineering manager. He has more than a decade of experience designing equipment for the oil and gas sector and is a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP). Jeff has volunteered with and received awards for his volunteer work with the Canadian Ski Patrol System, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and APEGA, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author, podcaster, and publisher Edward Willett about his writing, his podcast, Kickstarter campaigns, and some bold new ventures he is pursuing with his publishing company Shadow Paw Press. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface. In the interview, Mark and Edward talk about: The very first short story Edward wrote at the age of 11, "Caster Glaz, Hyper Ship Test Pilot" Working as a newspaper reporter for about eight years while he continued to write - Selling his first short story Making reference to Canadian historical figures like John Diefenbaker and The Arrogant Worms, which non-Canadians might not understand. (Thank goodness for Google) Publishing a science fiction short story "Strange Harvest" in an agricultural magazine based on his reporting of oddly shaped plants. And how that story was adapted into a nationally broadcast CBC Radio drama and might just beward's most popular short story Becoming a full-time freelance writer more than thirty years ago The twelve novels that Edward has released with Daw Books The radio broadcast work that he did for seventeen years as a freelancer Why Edward started the Worldshapers Podcast The anthologies Edward released that tie in with the novel as well as the Kickstarters Edward has run for them The evolution and growth of Edward's Shadow Paw Press How in 2024 Edward is taking on a huge number of new and innovative products, including books by notable Canadian authors like Dave Duncan and Robert J. Sawyer Working with an actual sales force and distribution network like LitDistCo The ins and outs of grant writing and investments involved in trying to get real distribution Helping other authors with their self-publishing needs Advice Edward has for authors thinking about being a publisher as well as for writers in general And more.... Mark then reflects on the value of a publisher with actual distribution and the difference between that and what any indie author can do in digital publishing. Links of Interest: Edward Willett (Website) Shadow Paw Press The Worldshapers Podcast Endless Sky Books Crowdfundr For Shadow Paw Press ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) EP 348 - Amanda Byrd on Direct Sales and AuthorsGoDirect Coast to Coast AM with George Noory (Mark featured guest on March 1, 2024/March 2, 2024) Mark's Past Appearances on Coast to Coast AM Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Edward Willett is an award-winning author of more than sixty books science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for both children and adults. He's also host of the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers: "Conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process." (http://www.theworldshapers.com). He successfully Kickstarted and edited a new anthology, Shapers of Worlds, featuring authors who were guests during the first year of the podcast. Among his novels are twelve published by DAW Books, one of the premier publishers of science fiction and fantasy publishers: Lost in Translation, Marseguro (which won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author), and its sequel Terra Insegura (a finalist for the 2010 Aurora Award); Magebane (written as Lee Arthur Chane); the Masks of Aygrima fantasy trilogy for DAW Books, written as E.C. Blake; the stand-alone science fiction novel The Cityborn. His Worldshapers series began with Worldshaper ("a rollicking contemporary fantasy," Publishers' Weekly said in a starred review), and continued with Master of the World and The Moonlit World. His latest is The Tangled Stars, a humorous far-future space-opera adventure. Willett is also the author of The Shards of Excalibur modern-day YA fantasy series for Coteau Books, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, a collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry published by Your Nickel's Worth Publishing, and Paths to the Stars, a collection of his short fiction; Blue Fire a YA fantasy written as E.C. Blake, and Star Song, a YA science fiction novel that was a finalist for the Aurora Award for Best Canadian YA Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel, all published by Shadowpaw Press The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Amanda Byrd about her writing, direct sales, and the new platform she has launched called AuthorsGoDirect. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, welcomes new patrons Rob Johnson, Jennifer Brinn, and Rasana Atreya and then shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface. In the interview, Mark and Amanda talk about: How Amanda started writing non-fiction as a kind of joke back in 2015 Writing in car journals since she'd spent much of her life around cars Amanda's flagship female serial killer novels The new series that'll feature taking different historic female public figures and turning them into serial killers - starting with Amelia Earheart Describing her fiction as "Dexter meets American Psycho, but female" Recognizing a hole in the industry related to author newsletters Coming up with BooksGoDirect.com as a direct-sales only newsletter where the author provides the coupon code and the link The importance of owning all the data related to your readers/customers The ability for indie authors to add all kinds of bonus materials and direct-purchase swag related to their books How BooksGoDirect is currently a weekly newsletter that will eventually evolve into a daily send to readers The concern related to what happens with your writing when you spent so much time focusing on a tool that's helpful to writers Advice Amanda would offer to authors interested in learning more about selling direct And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on authors who see a gap in the market or a hole that needs to be filled and, instead of sitting back, they step up and do something about it. He also reflects on a few other things that he can't remember as he's typing up these show notes. But that happens sometimes. He can't even remember what he had for breakfast earlier today. (Does anyone even read these shownotes anyway?) Links of Interest: Amanda Byrd BooksGoDirect.com IndieAudioBookDeals.com ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) EP 347 - Library Advocacy Support with John Chrastka of EveryLibrary Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Amanda Byrd is obsessed with fictional serial killers. From Patrick Bateman to Dr. Hannibal Lecter to Dexter Morgan and every butcher in between, Amanda loves figuring out what drives fiction's deadliest monsters. When she's not busy writing, Amanda can be found reading, playing video games, or watching shows and movies like Mindhunter, Hannibal, and Dexter. She lives in Florida with her bloodthirsty, flesh-eating cat. BooksGoDirect is a new paid promo (think Free/Bargainbooksy or BookBub) for authors and their direct stores to reach readers who want/enjoy buying direct. Retailer links are not allowed and affiliate marketing is nonexistent. I put out all costs up-front and use the fees from authors for advertising/cost recoup (does this part matter so much? I wonder now that I put that in here lol) Readers never pay to sign up. Currently there are 6 available genres and 3 spots per genre that send out once weekly (with a resend to non-openers later in the week.) There's also a page on BooksGoDirect.com where This Week's Books can be found. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews John Chrastka, the executive director of EveryLibrary, the first nationwide political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit research and training organization focused on the future of library funding. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads comments from recent episodes, and says a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores. You can get the book online, order it through your local bookstore, or ask for it as your local library. Universal Book Link Smashwords Link (Coupon Discount for Feb/March 2024) In the interview, Mark and John talk about: John starting off his career in publishing as a bookseller in a small neighborhood Chicago community bookstore, and how that led to becoming a publishing sales rep Migrating over to the Ed-Tech realm as the internet came around Moving on over to The American Library Association from there What EveryLibrary is: a 501(c)(4) organization that is a political action committee for libraries How it's more of a network than a membership that is about 330,000 people strong Telling stories about how libraries are solutions to problems for people and librarians as enactors of those solutions In about 37 states, public libraries actually have to go to election days to get their funding secured The four different ways that voters stratify: Believers - People who love the library and have a relationship with their library (25%) Questioners Suspicious Voters Never Gonna Vote for you Never (22 to 25%) The answer for people who question the value of a local library because they "don't do books" How the library as a source for reading grew from 19% to 24% during the pandemic and the way that percentage is continue to hold in 2024 The way that the isolating of society is not just a library issue but a public health issue The popularity of book banning in the United States in recent years and the fact that it's easier to censor a book than it is to attack a person or a population How this censorship and book banning isn't merely a matter of freedom of speech issue, but a matter of human rights The pernicious nature of using the term "obscenity" and "obscene" to criminalize particular pupulations and to help skirt around First Amendment rights How libraries are an affordable way to put tax dollars to good use in the way they provide so much to their local communities The multiple pathways they have to help people move from "aware" to "active" And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on how books are being banned and censored as an underhanded way to strike at specific demographics and populations, and the value in focusing on the "Suspicious Voters" as a brilliant strategy. Links of Interest: EveryLibrary fightforthefirst.org Canadian Federation of Library Associations Canadian Library Association Ontario Library Association Canadian Urban Libraries Council Superstars Writing Seminars Author, Author (Indie Bookseller - Laura Hayden) EP 167 - Author, Author, Give Me The News: Bookseller Insights with Laura Hayden Fantasy Island (TV Show) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Superstars Writing Seminars How to Write a Howling Good Story Smashwords link Patron Coupon for 75% off The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard John Chrastka is the executive director of EveryLibrary, the first nationwide political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit research and training organization focused on the future of library funding. Since 2012, EveryLibrary has helped 133 library communities with ballot measures for funding, operations and buildings, winning over 80% and securing over $2.8 billion in funding on Election Days. Through its digital platforms, EveryLibrary provides advocacy support to state library associations for legislative issues and direct actions in support of school library program budgets. The EveryLibrary Institute supports the library funding ecosystem through its research, training, publishing, and programmatic agendas. Mr. Chrastka is the co-author of Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding and Before the Ballot: Building Political Support for Library Funding with Patrick "PC" Sweeney (ALA / Neal Schuman). He has contributed chapters to Planning our future libraries: Blueprints for 2025 (2014), and Re-envisioning the MLS: Perspectives on the Future of Library and Information Science Education (2018). In 2015, he delivered the McKusker Memorial Lecture, "The Accidental Candidate: Updating Voter Nostalgia about Librarians and Libraries on the Campaign Trail" for Dominican University and has written for numerous trade publications and journals, including Library Journal and Library Quarterly. In 2018 he delivered the keynote "Advocacy and Activism" for CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, in Brighton, England, and in 2020 he was invited by EKZ Group in Hamburg, Germany to present a colloquy on advocacy for their members and the profession. He is a frequent keynoter and speaker at state and national library conferences in the United States and abroad, is a sought-after trainer for state libraries, and is a regular guest lecturer for MLS / MLIS programs where he speaks on the topic of "political literacy". Prior to his work on EveryLibrary, Mr. Chrastka was a partner in AssociaDirect, a Chicago-based consultancy focused on supporting associations in membership recruitment, conference, and governance activities. He was Director for Membership Development at the American Library Association (ALA), was a principal in the education technology start-up ClassMap, and was the founder of the virtual publishers' sales rep group ReviewCopy, which focused on textbook adoption in the higher education market. In 2014 he was named a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal for his work with EveryLibrary. He was recognized by the Chicago Tribune in 2022 as a Chicagoan of the Year and by Publishers Weekly in 2023 as a Notable for his work opposing book bans and censorship. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

A solo episode where Mark shares an excerpt from four elements from his book PUBLISHING PITFALLS FOR AUTHORS. PAST PATRIARCHY PAUSE PAYING The main content (those four points) are read by Mark's AI voice via Eleven Labs. Links of Interest: EP 246 - Four of The Pitfalls of Publishing An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Superstars Writing Seminars How to Write a Howling Good Story Smashwords link Patron Coupon for 75% off The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews Josh Cook, Josh Cook, an author, bookseller and the co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004 about his writing, his book The Art of Libromancy and his life as a reader and writer. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, welcomes new patron Jennifer Brinn, thanks Buy Mark a Coffee patron Nikki Guerlain, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the books The Art of Libromancy and An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores. Ask for these books via your local indie-owned bookstore or via your local community library. In the interview, Mark and Josh talk about: Josh's earliest days really getting into reading and how he had wanted to be a writer since about the age of 16 After post-secondary education, landing in Boston and deciding that working in a bookstore would be a good place for a writer to work Discovering the "coming soon" and "help wanted" sign on a neighborhood bookstore: Porter Square Books Continuing to build a freelance writing career, crafting articles, reviews, fiction, and poetry Getting his first manuscript into the hands of a publisher that he knew well from his role in bookselling, which was the novel AN EXAGGERATED MURDER The path, via roles such as Online Presence Manager (website and social media) and Marketing Director that led to eventually becoming a co-owner of Porter Square Books The challenge of the most qualified people to take over owning and running a bookstore, the booksellers, often don't have the necessary money, funding, and resources to do so The model that has become a bit more common recently that enables employees the option of becoming a vested co-owner or interest sharing participant in a bookstore The genesis of the book THE ART OF LIBROMANCY The major reckoning that many people had in 2016 when Donald Trump got elected at trying to understand their place in a world that would allow something like that to happen The concept of how the book industry (publishing, bookselling) would continue to empower and legitimize the voices of misogyny, white supremacy, other bigoted ideas How it all clicked after Josh had participated in a virtual event with Biblioasis author Jorge Carrion for the book AGAINST AMAZON AND OTHER ESSAYS Pitching the book to Biblioasis and how the existing relationship and in-depth knowledge Josh had of their publishing house (and their editor's knowledge of Josh himself) led to an instant acceptance of his book proposal The importance of relationships and recommendations from people that you already know, like, and trust - and how that plays a significant role in book projects Elements of human curation that can happen in person within a community, particularly as something that Amazon can't do The idea of a bookstore as a "third place" that is neither home nor work where someone can go and be a human being with other human beings A few of the challenges, both expected and unexpected, that happened when Porter Square Books had to adapt into an online and curb-side order facility during the pandemic How the learned skills of booksellers being able to absorb information and insights about books from publishers, colleagues, and customers, even if they haven't read them, is such an important aspect of a bookseller's role ARCs (Advance Review Copies) as one of the primary ways Josh has of knowing what is on the way Christopher Morley's THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP and the Melville House edition that Josh first discovered which is a love letter to the art of bookselling How books are great ways to be safely uncomfortable The paradox of tolerance, as expressed by Karl Popper in THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES: If you tolerate the intolerable, your space will eventually become intolerant A bookseller's role within that paradox of allowing tolerance for voices that seek fresh voices, but prevent those voices whose mandate is to shut-down or not allow diverse voices the ability to be expressed Josh's perspective of how publishers, authors, bookstores and others within the industry involved in this process are all teammates working together to get books to readers Strategies authors can use to establish genuine relationships with their local community bookstores And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on walking away from fascinating conversations with a list of books to read, some of the parallels between Josh's journey into bookselling and his own, and how the employee-to-owner situation also parallels the change-of-ownerships of Words Worth Books, a local indie bookstore in Waterloo that Mark adores. Links of Interest: Josh Cook on Social Media: BlueSky Social Instagram The Art of Libromancy (Biblioasis) An Exaggerated Murder Porter Square Books (Cambridge and Boston) Words Worth Books (Waterloo, ON) Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024) Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Superstars Writing Seminars How to Write a Howling Good Story Smashwords link Patron Coupon for 75% off The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Josh Cook is a bookseller and co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is also author of the critically acclaimed postmodern detective novel An Exaggerated Murder and his fiction, criticism, and poetry have appeared in numerous leading literary publications. He grew up in Lewiston, Maine and lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author Eric T. Knight about his writing and about the origin of StoryFair. net a platform that seeks to pay authors the highest royalty of any other third party platform for their audiobook sales. Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, welcomes new patron Rob Johnson, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface. In the interview, Mark and Eric talk about: Eric's youth being way off the grid and in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, which made reading an important aspect How reading became a gateway for access and connection to the rest of the world Understanding that if he were to keep working at it, that he really could make it in writing some day The long and arduous road of submissions of writing to publishers, finding an agent, and pursuing traditional publishing The fantasy series that Erik had worked on starting back in the 80s Deciding to put one of his fantasy novels up on Kindle just for fun and how that led to a colleague's wife discovering the book and loving it Eric's mindset not changing until the year he decided to submit to a total of 50 agents The power of being able to write the series exactly the way he wanted to A bit about The Chaos Legacy universe and the various different linked series that take place within those books The experience of getting his books into audio and beginning to understand some of the barriers that existed within that realm for authors Beta launching StoryFair in the summer of 2023 and then making the site live in November 2023 How the payment to authors process at StoryFair works Plans for an affiliate program for authors to send readers to this platform The challenge of having to scale up their infrastructure so early in the process due to huge interest from some major players How the StoryFair app is currently only available in the United States (at least for now until some of the legal stuff can be sorted out) How to set up an account, load your book, and when the monthly payments to authors come in The way that a good narrator can bring characters and stories to life in ways that you might not be able to imagine And more... After the interview Mark reflects on that pioneering indie author spirit that leads to providing the market with elements that were previously missing but needed, as well as the value that a library brings to a community. Links of Interest: StoryFair.net EricTKnight.com Eric's books at Amazon ScribeCount (Mark's Affiliate Link) The Author Wheel Podcast - Season 5 Episode 3 - Overcoming Self-Doubt and Mastering Book Marketing with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Feisty Familiars Anthology Draft2Digital Self-Publishing Insiders with Jeaniene Frost (Jan 25, 2024) Matty Dalrymple (Episode Links) EP 116 - Taking the Short Tack EP 216 - Podcasting for Authors EP 236 - Reflective Round Table Feb 2022 EP 245 - Reflective Round Table March 2022 EP 258 - Reflective Hangout Highights - June 2022 EP 300 - Celebrating 300 Episodes with Guest Reflections Episode that mentions license plate and skeleton thief: EP 330 - Book Indexing Made Simple with Stephen Ullstrum How to Write a Howling Good Story Smashwords link Patron Coupon for 75% off Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Best Book Ever Podcast Lovers Moon Podcast The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Eric T. Knight grew up on a working cattle ranch in the desert thirty miles from Wickenburg, Arizona, which at that time was exactly the middle of nowhere. Work, cactus and heat were plentiful, forms of recreation were not. The TV got two channels when it wanted to, and only in the evening after someone hand cranked the balky diesel generator to life. All of which meant that his primary form of escape was reading. At 18 he escaped to Tucson where he attended the University of Arizona. A number of fruitless attempts at productive majors followed, none of which stuck. Discovering he liked writing, the author tried journalism two separate times, but had to drop it when he realized that he had no intention of conducting interviews with actual people but preferred simply making them up. StoryFair is a platform with a mission: Put an end to author exploitation in the audiobook industry There's a problem in the audiobook business. A MAJOR problem. Did you know that when you purchase an audiobook on Audible, Amazon keeps as much as 75% of the cover price of the book? The average price of a major publisher/new release audiobook is in the $24 range. That means Amazon keeps at least $18.00… after fees, it's actually a little bit more. That leaves very little for the publisher, authors, and narrators to divvy up, and ultimately, it means that readers are by and large paying exorbitant audiobook prices to do one thing above all else… pad Amazon's pockets. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0