Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews author, coach & CEO/Founder of Little Labradoodle Publishing April Cox. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal updates and a word about this episode's sponsor, the Authorpreneur Summit 2023. Transform your passion to profit! Unveil the business behind the book and elevate your business acumen with 35+ industry-leading authorpreneurs at the Authorpreneur Summit. During their interview Mark and April talk about: April's background as a former IT consulting geek Leaving that corporate world to assist authors with their publishing goals and helping to make their dreams come true How her desire to write a story for her grandkids led to an entirely new and dynamic role and purpose Recognizing how she could make a huge difference being there to help authors who would normally be easy targets for so many of the predatory outfits looking to take advantage of them The origin of Little Labradoodle Publishing which was more of a legacy project How the consultant, programmer, and project manager in April were applied to help authors with navigating the complex world of publishing books for younger readers Why April puts so much free content on sites like her YouTube channel April's 12-week course that takes authors through the process of getting a book ready for publishing The importance of having a network of trusted professionals to work with Wanting to create a summit that focused more on the business side of publishing, which became the Authorpreneur Summit Some of the amazing interviews that have been lined up for this summit which takes place for free Dec 4 through Dec 8, 2023 The bonuses April will be releasing for those who sign up for the summit early Advice April would offer to authors who are receiving numerous rejection letters from traditional publishing And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the value when an author combines their passion with filling in a hole within a particular market. Links of Interest: April's Self Publishing Made Simple Website April's YouTube Channel Mark's Affiliate Link to the Authorpreneur Summit 2023 Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 April Cox is an Author, Coach & CEO/Founder of Little Labradoodle Publishing. She has successfully guided over 1,500 authors from manuscript to a high-quality, self-published book through her 90-day signature program, Self-Publishing Made Simple. April is a passionate teacher and speaker on publishing topics and has personally launched over 400 books. 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 writer and indexer Stephen Ullstrom about book indexing and his recent release BOOK INDEXING: A Step-by-Step Guide. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update about a skeleton and license plate theft, as well as word about this episode's sponsor, the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. In their conversation, Mark and Stephen talk about: Stephen's long-time interest in writing How his role working at UBC Press when he was attending university was his first exposure to indexing Using freelancing doing indexing to help support his writing, but how that freelancing kind of took over much of his career Still being interested in fiction, but how writing a book about indexing was a good full book-length project to complete Stephen's book: BOOK INDEXING: A Step-by-Step Guide His goal to make indexing simple and practical and more entry-level Why authors should care about indexing How indexing can become somewhat of a marketing tool The way an index can bring more value to a book The pros and cons of a keyword search (as opposed to an index, where the human filtering on what's relevant is being done for you) How an index can be much more granular than even a layered/multi-leveled table of contents The way an index works within an eBook What an embedded index is Cases where a fiction author might want to use indexing Considerations on whether or not it's best to do your own index or to hire that work out to a professional indexer The average length of time it would take Stephen to index a 200 page book (about 20 hours) The typical price range an author can expect to pay for having a book indexed (For example a trade book that's about 200 pages could cost about $800 to $900 CAD - about $4.00 CAD per page. A scholary book is usually about $6.00 to $6.50 to $7.00 CAD per page) The steps to go through when creating an index Stephen's use of the indexing software called Cindex Remembering that, ultimately, your index is for the READER How to hire Stephen if you're interested in leveraging his indexing services\ A common misperception authors often have about indexing And more After the interview, Mark reflects on the value of indexing as it pertains to some of his non-fiction and even fiction titles. Links of Interest: Stephen Ullstrom's Website Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Stephen Ullstrom is an award-winning professional indexer. He believes that the world is a better place with well-written indexes, and is passionate about helping authors, publishers, and the index-curious understand how indexing works. 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 actor/director/producer/writer Eriq La Salle about his latest novel LAWS OF ANNIHILATION and his life-long passion for storytelling. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, thanks Patrons, provides a personal update, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Eriq talk about: How Eriq had always wanted to be a writer Joining the high school drama club in junior high with the idea that they'd be able to put on the plays that he would write Being told by the drama teacher that he had to audition, and how that started the "acting bug" that took him through a multi-decade career acting, directing, and producing The way the author desire resurfaced about a dozen years ago The prequel story to The Martyr Maker series (which appears in the end of LAWS OF DEPRAVITY) and why Eriq wrote it The concept behind The Martyr Maker franchise Loving movies and television and being inspired by the storytelling conventions there The way each of the three main characters leads a little bit more in the first three books in the series Eriq's work as Executive Producer for several years on Chicago PD Directing and Executive Producing Dick Wolf's first show launched into streaming on Amazon Prime A minor character in the series (known as "The African") who was fashioned after the Luca Brasi character in The Godfather and who will return in a later book in the series How it took 10 years to find a publisher, and Eriq's DIY experience self-publishing The importance of understanding and participating in the grass-roots style marketing as an author Having to do a lot of marketing work even when you're with a larger publisher The way that the status of "celebrity" can sometimes work against you Eriq's respect for each medium and how to re-think, and re-learn in his unique roles within them The importance of humbling yourself How the marketing person that Eriq had hired and worked with eventually became his agent Feeling that he is a better writer of fiction novels than of screenplays, despite his years of experience as an actor, director, and producer The intention cinematic writing that Eriq did when crafting The Martyr Maker series Enjoying collecting "useless trivia" and how that can aid in the research aspect of writing a novel Giving credit to the technical advisors Eriq has worked with on shows like ER and Chicago PD The various first readers that Eriq works with Being an old fashioned paper book reader Eriq's great respect for librarians The delightful feeling of seeing your book in various bookstores of all sizes, including indie bookstores, big box stores, and airport bookstores Doing several events in New York for the week the book is launching, including a special "On the Couch with Eriq La Salle" The importance of listening to the messaging The understanding that "we are blue collar artists" Advice Eriq would offer to writers who are working at it and haven't yet found their success And more . . . After the interview, Mark reflects on a few of the things Eriq talked about, as well as a subtle, but important way Eriq spoke about the "team" he works with as an author. Links of Interest: Eriq La Salle's Website Eriq on Instagram Eriq on Facebook Eriq on Twitter Eriq on TikTok Eriq La Salle's Books Sourcebooks Video of The Interview with Eriq (YouTube) EP 328 - Reflecting on a New Season with Terry Fallis EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams Port Dover: Friday the 13th Best Book Ever Podcast EP 154 - Mark Leslie Lefebvre on "The Best Laid Plans" by Terry Fallis EP 155 - Canada-Palooza with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Best Book Ever Pod Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Actor/director/producer Eriq La Salle is best known to worldwide television audiences for his award-winning portrayal of the commanding Dr. Peter Benton on the critically acclaimed and history-making medical drama ER. Educated at Juilliard and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, his credits range from Broadway to film roles opposite Eddie Murphy in Coming to America and Robin Williams in One Hour Photo and Hugh Jackman in Logan. La Salle has maintained a prolific acting career while at the same time working steadily as a director, taking the helm for HBO, Showtime, NBC, Fox and CBS. He remains a valued member of the Dick Wolf Entertainment camp after 4 years as Executive Producer and director on Chicago PD in addition to directing episodes of Law & Order, and Law and Order Organized Crime. As a writer, La Salle is the author of several critically acclaimed thrillers published in 2022 and 2023-Laws of Depravity, Laws of Wrath, and Laws of Annihilation. He has also written an episode of The Twilight Zone which made WGA's list of 101 Best Written TV Series. He lives in Los Angeles, California. 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 Terry Fallis about his latest novel, A New Season. A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the author of nine novels, all of them national bestsellers—including six #1 bestsellers—and all published by McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes new Patron Nikki Guerlain, and a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Terry talk about: Terry's latest novel, A NEW SEASON, and the unique approach he took to his latest book Retiring from his day job as a communications/public affairs consultant in March 2022 Having wanted to write full time since the release of his first novel fifteen years earlier The precarious reality of the earnings an author is most likely to make, even if they are a successful author who regularly hits the bestseller lists in Canada How the novel was derived from fears (something Terry was inspired by John Irving to consider), and from events that unfolded during the pandemic, and the way Terry had to evolve his writing from the usual "bend" of humor he employed in his previous books Casting off the shackles/tyranny of humor Some of the "trademark" self-depracating humor of Terry's narrators (Jack McMaster in this one, Daniel Addison in his first couple of novels) Not being able to believe that he's currently 63 and the experience of writing a narrator (Jack) who is closer to Terry's own age Terry's experiences playing ball hockey every week and how ball hockey can be a bit of a time machine Writing the scenes from trying to speech French when in Paris from personal experience Terry's friendship with Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo fame) via his weekly ball-hockey and how the musician allowed Terry to write him into his novel The examination of make friendship which is an important aspect of this novel Terry's history of being a "closeted" singer-songwriter, which he's been doing since he was seventeen years old The song "More Than The Game" which Terry wrote about the comradarie of his ball hockey league Laying a few of Terry's songs into the audiobook produced by Penguin Random House The 42-year-old love song that Terry wrote for his University girlfriend (who he has been married to for 36 wonderful years) The long-time romantic tradition of Terry singing the love song to his wife on Christmas Eve Terry's personal connection to Paris and how it, like ball hockey, is a kind of time machine Writing a scene of the novel at the seat of Hemmingway's favorite table at a Paris cafe Hailing from the "why use 6 words when 12 will do" school of writing The saga of Constance Stanley's diaries becoming the final piece that Terry needed to complete the story How the title A NEW SEASON refers to so many different elements from the novel The next book that Terry has already started to work on, which has even more intrigue and suspense than two of his previous novels Advice Terry would have for writers who have long wanted to do it, but haven't yet taken that step And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of writing books from passion and intense interest. He then shares the name of the Patron winner of Joanna Penn's Writing the Shadow. Links of Interest: Terry's Website Terry's Substack A New Season (PRH Canada) Terry's previous guest appearances on this podcast: EP 029 - Terry Fallis on Writing with Authenthicity, Humor, and Passion Mentions of Terry on previous episodes: EP 189 - From Stage to Page and Back to Stage with Rod Carley EP 050 - 5 Things Learned in 50 Episodes EP 020 - Lessons Learned on My Writer Journey EP 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song with Meaghan Smith EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams EP 325 - Reflecting Back: 3 Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing Mark's YouTube Channel Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 Joanna Penn about her new book Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words, then associated Kickstarter she launched for it, plans she has to window its release, and much more. Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about: How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark's podcast (she was in episode 212) The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009) How sometimes there's a book that you really want to write that you're not ready to write yet The way we can often push the "shadows" down and repress them The importance of writing the things that fascinate you What happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it there Plato's Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmony The value of addressing what we're repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writing How critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadow The common themes in Joanna's writing about helping or saving the family or saving the world The only way we're going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated content How Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are "mid-life" books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style books Exploring how you're being held back by some of those things that you've allowed to be repressed The shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishing How you don't need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadow The Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the Shadow The way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategies Joanna's launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distribution The value of standing out as an author, particularly today How Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in it Building a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realm The importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn't change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and others Gifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of "after the curse comes the gift" The spiral bound workbook How thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the future The horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both in And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few things from the conversation, announces a bonus for his patrons related to a reward from Joanna's Kickstarter, and invites listeners to share their own reflections on this topic. Links of Interest: Joanna Penn's Main Website: The Creative Penn Writing the Shadow Halloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023) Joanna's Previous guest appearances on this podcast: EP 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed Author SELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / Appearances EP 164 - Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn Podcast Episode 517 EP 300 - Celebrating 300 Episodes with Guest Reflections Mark's YouTube Channel EP 324 - The Asset of Attention with Joe Solari EP 325 - Reflecting Back: Three Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 E.L. Williams about her writing life, about her books, about rebranding one of the books in her series, and more. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes a brief personal update, welcomes new patron T. Thorn Coyle, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. In their conversation, Mark and Emma talk about: How it took Emma about ten years to write her first book Getting slightly "bullied" into going to a writer conference from a fellow author Publishing her first book during Halloween season in 2020 How the global pandemic changed enough things with her day job that allowed her the opportunity to get the book finished and published The "Murphy's Law" events that piled up with the launch of book two, which led to a signifcant health issue that had to be dealt with The decision to change the title and cover for book two after realizing it wasn't hitting the market properly Being a great believer in learning by doing Rolling back on the unrealistic expectations Emma set herself up with and learning to enjoy the process and take a more relaxed approach Emma's ideas involving merchandise in relation to her book and how that led to collaborating with Deadweight Brewing The book "relaunch" party Emma planned out including the beer and book cakes The social media "long shot" that Emma took on Instagram asking if the beer book branding thing had ever been done before How social media can be a bit like marmite Beginning to check out experimenting with TikTok by doing a video a day Advice Emma has for other writers who haven't taken the plunge yet And more.... After the interview, Mark reflects back on a couple of things his conversation with Emma made him think about. Links of Interest: E. L. WIlliams' Website Instagram Facebook TikTok Deadweight Brewing Company Mark's YouTube Channel EP 324 - The Asset of Attention with Joe Solari EP 325 - Reflecting Back: Three Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 episode Mark reflects back to Episode 6 of this podcast, which was released on Feb 6, 2018. He shares clips from that episode, in which he outlined three of the things that bothered him about the indie publishing world. Reflecting back, he comments on a few things that have changed, and what is consistent more than 5 years after the initial broadcast. This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. Links of Interest: Episode 6 - What's Wrong with Indie Publishing Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 solo episode, Mark interviews Joe Solari about his new book May I Have a Moment of Your Attention? Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and then reflects on the reasons why he canceled a trip he was supposed to take to Florida to attend NINC (Novelist's Inc.) This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. In their conversation, Mark and Joe talk about: Joe's winding experience path, the long journey he has been on, and how there's no way you could possibly train for the job that Joe does The daily roadblocks that Joe had to overcome as he was beginning to learn about the complex writing and publishing business The importance of not assuming that the person on stage actually knows what they're talking about Also not assuming that what you "need" is what you're seeing presented on that "stage" Joe's very first 20BooksVegas conference (which he has been to since the very beginning of it) How Joe feels that we're still in the early stages of the entire self-publishing landscape Understanding different formats, like audio, where the consumers aren't necessarily readers, but do enjoy story The value of recognizing the assets in your business, which includes the asset of AUDIENCE and the related importance of DEMAND How ads aren't scaleable, but that audiences are scaleable Joe's latest book MAY I HAVE A MOMENT OF YOUR ATTENTION and how it's only available to buy direct from Joe How the book was created, and how, in part of Joe building his brand is NOT just putting the book up everywhere The audit statements in a survey that Joe asks readers of the book to complete The way this survey and other assets help the reader get to "know, like, and trust" Joe and then be willing to purchase from him How traffic to your Amazon page can be one of the worst things you do if that traffic doesn't convert to sales The value of a customer retention system The importance of feeling a special part of a brand's community Focusing on serving your ideal reader rather than trying to sell more books How author Chris Kennedy allows his fans to incorporate their own fan club about the worlds he has created and written The way that people who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on merchandise, cosplay, etc, are not even thinking about how much a book costs Joe telling authors to try out his author marketing audit survey and to pay attention to it and see how they can steal his ideas for their own branding and marketing efforts The free 20 minute calls that Joe offers The critical importance of focusing on your audience, and not on what other authors are doing After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of the things Joe talked about, including the advice on assumptions made about the person "on stage" offering advice, and on the critical value of focusing on how you can serve your ideal reader rather than focusing on trying to sell more books. Links of Interest: Joe Solari's Website Joe's Author Marketing Audit May I Have A Moment of Your Attention? (Book) EP 323 - Rambling Reflections From the Road: This Old House EP 096 - Focusing on and Delivering to Your Audience with Dale L. Roberts EP 232 - From Script Writer to Novelist with David Boito Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 solo episode, Mark reflects on his last few days in his old childhood home which has been in his family for three generations. This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast. Links of Interest: Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 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 Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy about their new online course on How to Write a Novel. Prior to the interview, Mark shares and reflects on a brief industry update related to Amazon's recent AI-related change, comments from recent episodes, and word about this episode's sponsor. Reedsy contains an online listing of vetted professionals from across the industry, including editors, cover designers, and marketing experts. Get $20 off hiring a pro through Reedsy using Mark's Reedsy affiliate link. In the interview, Mark and Ricardo talk about: Ricardo's persona and image being directly attached to Reedsy When Reedsy started and what the main idea behind it was, and the value proposition to authors How only 3 to 5% of the professionals who apply to be on Reedsy actually make it through The Reedsy online writing tool that you can use to write and export professional looking ePub and print-ready PDF files Some of the future development plans for the Reedsy writing platform, including collaboration with an editor Ricardo's HOW TO MARKET A BOOK, which is free in eBook edition The 2nd book he wrote and released in Jan 2023 called AMAZON ADS FOR AUTHORS which is the 2nd book in the Reedsy Guides series Some of the reasoning behind why one of the books is free in eBook and the other has a retail price associated with it (hint: it's a marketing tip) Important marketing information that Ricardo would want authors to know The new Reedsy course that runs 3 months and helps authors work through the first draft of their novel The various ongoing cohorts for the course, including one that opens in Sept and another that starts Oct 30th, to co-incide with NaNoWriMo, then the next that'll start in January 2024 The term "Reedsian" which is used to denote Reedsy employees Tom Bromley, the instructor they hired to teach the How to Write a Novel course The intial launch price for the course, which is $1000 - and that it'll be going up shortly after the September launch Ricardo's previous attempts to try to write a novel and how this course might be one that he himself can benefit from Some of the things that surprised Ricardo about Reedsy since it's launch nearly 10 years ago How to find Reedsy and Ricardo What Ricardo is looking forward to about the future of our industry And more... After the interview Mark reflects the overall supportive nature of the publishing industry Links of Interest: Reedsy Reedsy's How to Market a Book Online Course Subscriptions for Authors Episode 018 - Finding The Right Professional with Ricardo from Reedsy Episode 006 - What's Wrong with Indie Publishing (Mark's "10-year-olds playing soccer" analogy) Mark's Wide for the Win Update Page YouTube Video: OH NO! Is Amazon Anti AI? Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 Ricardo Fayet is one of the four founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the world's top publishing talent--from editors to cover designers, book marketers, or literary translators. He's the author of two books on marketing for authors, and a regular presenter at several prestigious writers' conferences: NINC, 20BooksVegas, and The Self Publishing Show Live, among others. 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