Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Jenn T. Grace, a nationally recognized business strategist, speaker, and award-winning author who is passionate about helping people share their stories of adversity. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, welcomes new patrons and offers a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Jenn discuss: How, from the earliest age, Jenn had always wanted to be a "Dear Abby" type of writer A 2012 advice column that was an early "Dear Abby" dream-come-true for Jenn The LGBTQ inclusion consulting work that led to very random questions and great learning opportunities to share The "raw and real" level of vulnerability that helps to break through the noise and clutter How authors don't often include their story enough in non-fiction to connect with readers in a way that they don't expect The way you can tell, when writing a memoir, if you're going deep enough into the emotional resonance of a story Jenn's memoir House on Fire, which she released in Sept 2020 and how she had no choice but to have to share that story How Jenn likes to think about writing, which is a solo event, as a team sport The profound experience Jenn had of listening to her narrated memoir in another person's voice How most people confuse memoir with autobiography The admiration that Jenn has for Dani Shapiro as a memoirist The difference between a writer coach and an author coach Publish Your Purpose Press, the service that Jenn runs to help thought leaders create their books The "Getting Started for Authors" program and how it can help writers earlier in their journey Jenn's role in helping writers to recalibrate their focus and purpose and to ensure they're always attending to that "North Star" for their project How writing a memoir as a piece of fiction is one strategy that writers can use when the stories they need to share are so raw and exposing The emotional, personal, and legal ramifications related to sharing true stories about other people A "second pass" approach to changing identifying details/features/descriptions that can be done, but only after the core writing and re-writing is completed Strategies for how to change names, locations, specifics in a memoir The value of Jenn's other non-fiction books inspired from her "Dear Abby" writing The personal satisfaction of helping other people realize their dream of writing a book After the interview Mark shares a reflection about the importance of emotional resonance in writing memoir or fiction. Links of Interest Jenn T. Grace Website Publish Your Purpose Website Wide for the Win Findaway Voices 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 Patreon for Stark Reflections Jenn T. Grace is a nationally recognized business strategist, speaker, and award-winning author. Guided by the mantra, "Change happens in business," Jenn believes social change happens first in the workplace before spilling over into mainstream society. She has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Passionate about helping people share their stories of adversity, Jenn is the Founder of Publish Your Purpose Press, a publishing company that includes the PYP Academy, with programs that teach aspiring authors how to publish their books. In addition to publishing 60+ books that share the stories of others, Jenn has written six. 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 Jenn Taylor, Mom of 18 and The Naked Podcaster about raw, open and honest conversations, vulnerability, and more. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In his personal update, Mark shares a number of things: The audiobook release of Fear and Longing in Los Angeles, and the inclusion of Alicia Witt's music The launch of Wide for the Win and multiple events associated with that The release of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine #10 which Mark guest edited Mark also welcomes new Patron David Perlmutter, thanking him and all patrons for supporting the podcast. In their conversation Jenn and Mark discuss: What Jenn does, coaching women executives, primarily Moms and what that can do to stress levels, sleep, motivation, exercise, and time The coaching certifications that Jenn has and the fact that people don't ask often enough if a coach has a certification NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programing) Jenn's role as Mom, executive, single mom, etc. The importance of not feeling that you're failing on all fronts when juggling all the balls and how it can happen to the best of us How we take our own struggles and use that to make it faster, harder, smarter for others to do the same things The numerous Jenn Taylor brands When the opportunity to write a book first happened to Jenn and how she treated it like a job, and had tremendous support for her husband to make it happen How, as of April 8th Jenn will have been a Mom for 29 years How having a book was like having a child and the way Jenn was inspired to want others to have the same feeling The way that learning about abuse her children had suffered allowed Jenn to open up regarding stories of struggles toward success Jenn's book HELLO, MY NAME IS . . . WARRIOR PRINCESS How we don't have to accept the labels that people put on us and letting go of those negative labels The origin of the creation of Wonder Woman and how that resonated with Jenn How a joke about wanting to be able to work at home without having to wear pants lead Jenn and her husband to come up with The Naked Podcaster brand Jenn asks her guests to bare it all in an uncomfortable moment emotionally, so she's willing to be uncomfortable and bare it all physically in support of them How everything that Jenn does has to come from a place that is raw and genuine How in Western culture we often see nakedness as something sexual The fact that Jenn has only has two rude comments in the past four years of The Naked Podcaster show The "Stripping with my Daughters" segment of Jenn's show that's about being very raw and is always on a topic that they choose to discuss Why Jenn asks her guests for a bullet-point list in advance of the interview The time Jenn found out during a live chat with her daughter about a planned suicide that was prevented via a circumstantial phone call that happened And more... After the interview Mark reflects on those who have opened up and been vulnerable in order to reach out and ask him questions about writing and publishing and how hearing Jenn talk about her experiences, reminded him of the great honor this has been. Links of Interest Jenn Taylor's Website and Social Media Links Website: http://www.momof18.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momofeighteen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momofeighteen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MomOfEighteen Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/momofeighteen/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-taylor-96442b98/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYzMhPtJ2PpgmXMJTgP3oA? Podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-naked-podcaster Wide for the Win Findaway Voices 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 Patreon for Stark Reflections Jenn Taylor is Mom Of 18 and The Naked Podcaster and is a Mindset Coach and Motivational Speaker. She is an NLP Practitioner and has 15+ years in the foster care sector as both a parent and a trainer, has written the blog - Mom's Running It - for 9 years, and is a published author of a self-help memoir "Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess". She teaches Compounding Joy, bringing fast, easy, actionable exercises to people to increase their joy and gratitude. She is also married to an amazing man in Reno, NV, is a runner, minimalist, and healthy lifestyle enthusiast. Find her at momof18.com 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 shares an excerpt from the introduction to the March 2021 book Wide for the Win, in which he shares his vision of what truly wide publishing is. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a brief personal update as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. The Chapter of the book that Mark reads from a draft of Wide for the Win is: Introduction: Prefatory Disclaimers, A Note on Biases, and How to Use this Book What is Wide? No, Seriously. Get to the Bloody Point: What is Wide? Disclaimers A Note on Biases An Admission of Exclusivity My Numbers on Wide How to Use This Book Links of Interest Wide for the Win Findaway Voices 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 Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 shares three short sections from his forthcoming book Wide for the Win. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a brief personal update as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. The three chapters/segments that Mark reads from a draft of Wide for the Win are: Amazon's Exclusivity Program is Called KDP Select, Not KU My Biggest Pet Peeve About Amazon Exclusivity I Don't Hate Amazon Links of Interest Wide for the Win Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections 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

This episode features an excerpt from Mark's forthcoming book Wide for the Win, which was also shared on an Alliance of Independent Authors online article. To "go wide" or "publish wide" is to distribute and sell books via multiple platforms, rather than limiting yourself to a single outlet, usually Kindle (the only retailer with a blatant exclusivity program). Publishing wide is a common recommendation for long-term, sustainable, and scalable growth. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update that includes a forthcoming promo run and the exhaustion he is recently feeling with multiple book launches in a relatively small window, as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In the reading of the book excerpt/article excerpt, Mark shares ideas for authors at different stages of publishing wide. At the Start of Your Indie Writer journey Coming out of a Tour of Duty in KDP Select Returning to WIDE You've Been WIDE and You're Not Selling Links of Interest For Independent Authors: The Ultimate Guide to Publishing Wide (ALLI article) Wide for the Win Findaway Voices 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 Patreon for Stark Reflections 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 interviews Emily Goodwin. Emily is the Vice President Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc. based in Los Angeles, California. She has been involved with book publishing since 2007, including the international Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future annual Achievement Awards as well as the online writing workshop. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update that include some mistakes he made in the recent release of his novel Fear and Longing in Los Angeles as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Emily and Mark talk about: The blind-judged free to enter contest that Writers of the Future operations for beginning writers How stories can be read by NYT Bestselling science-fiction and fantasy writers like David Farland, Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, and a dozen others The four quarters of the contest, and the fact that authors can enter each quarter Winners for each quarterly contest who get flown in to spend a week long boot-camp in a hotel just off Hollywood Boulevard with the esteemed bestselling sci-fi and fantasy judges The way that Illustrators and Writers collaborate and the amazing "art reveal" experience that happens when the artists, who have been working on pieces to match each story, reveal their work for the first time Some of the details of the workshops and lectures they participate in during the weekly boot-camp, including the "24 hour story" challenge Getting to learn from authors like Larry Niven, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta The gala book launch event for the Writers and Illustrators of the Future anthology that usually involves signing upwards of 500 to 600 copies of the book The follow-up media support offered to authors once they return to their respective homes The incredible networking that happens at the annual event, between the writers and illustrators and the attending judges and presenters and workshop leaders How the annual event was affected in 2020 because of the global pandemic The purpose of the contest to help new writers and illustrators with a bit of a boost and kick-start to their career based on their talent The free online WOTF workshops that are available for anyone to participate in which are led by Dave Farland, Tim Powers, and Orson Scott Card And more... Links of Interest Writers of the Future Writer Contest Illustrator Contest Free Online Workshop Writer Judges Illustrator Judges Black History Month Organizations & Resources Findaway Voices 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 Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Emily Goodwin is the Vice President Public Affairs for Author Services, Inc. based in Los Angeles, California. She has been involved with book publishing since 2007, including the international Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. She is the producer for the Writers of the Future annual Achievement Awards as well as the online writing workshop. She has been active with the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards as a judge. She is involved in community activities in the greater Los Angeles area and has been Vice President Community Outreach for the Hollywood Christmas Parade since 2014. Emily has also been an Honorary Commander for the US Air Force since 2018 and as of 2020, the US Space Force. 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 interviews Judith and Michael Anderle of LMBPN Publishing. This episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update on the forthcoming release of Fear and Longing in Los Angeles and the ongoing work being done on Wide for the Win. He also talks about the benefits of PLR (Public Lending Right) programs. In their conversation, Judith, Michael, and Mark talk about: How they each got started in the business of publishing Michael's first 90 days of writing and publishing Judith's background in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and how she made Michael create a profit/loss statement for the following year for LMBPN before she decided to step in and run the company How calculating the earnings of $7.50 per book per day led to the idea of the 20Booksto50K methodology, movement, and Facebook Group Judith's inkling for fashion and how that led to the company name LMBPN (London Madrid Barceloni Paris New York - the fashion capitals of the word) and how the complexity of the company name provided a "great, people will talk about it" essence The "Disruptive Imagination" tag line for LMBPN and the multiple pillars represented in the logo itself The generosity of spirit in working with authors directly at LMBPN as well as sharing with the larger author community Some of the international authors and employees of LMBPN who hail from all over the world How Michael and Judith have long operated not only within indie publishing circles, but also traditional publishing venues and international book fairs The recent acquisition of book industry veteran Robin Cutler as President of LMBPN Michael's recent health issues related to hypertension and other conditions The value of knowing yourself, and your nature, as well as understanding your strengths and weaknesses The unofficial "disrupting retirement" behavior of LMBPN How Judith never looks at a negotiation as a one-time business contract, but more about the benefit of the long-term relationship The OPUS-X project and the multi-layers of collaboration for this wide book launch Advice that Michael and Judith would give to the earlier versions of themselves when first getting into this business And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the ground-breaking changes that LMBPN is ushering in. He also thanks patrons of the podcast. Links of Interest LMBPN Publishing OPUS X Book One: Obsidian Detective Black History Month Organizations & Resources Findaway Voices Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections LMBPN is the publishing company for the Kurtherian Gambit, Oriceran, Protected by the Damned and other Universes. In addition to Michael Anderle, they have have published in eBook, print, and audio format collaborations with Justin Sloan, Craig Martelle, TS Paul, CM Raymond, and LE Barbant, Paul C. Middleton, Amy Hopkins, Ell Leigh Clarke, PT Hylton, Candy Crum, Martha Carr, Sarah Boyce, A. L. Knorr, Sarah Knoffke, and many 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

Mark interviews Julie Bonser (Head of Youth Services) and Michelle Rutter (Teen Services Librarian) from Eastern Munroe Public Library in Pennsylvania. Prior to the interview is an message about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark, Julie, and Michelle talk about: Julie and Michelle's respective titles, the role each of them plays at the library and a little about their background The five different locations in Monroe County where Michelle provides the teen services programing How Julie is not typical as a librarian as a "book-centric" person An explanation of the designation of the term "librarian" what that means and how it differs in different states and the difference between "provisional" and "professional" The significant differences and focuses of public, academic, and school libraries What the average day in the life of a youth services librarian might be like Some of the strange and odd activities that a teen services librarian might find themselves doing Changes that Julie and Michelle have seen since the start of the pandemic Collaborations and sharing with different departments in the library Examples of some of the activities programmed for the library, such as a teen writing workshop The circulation of physical YA books as being the highest it has ever been at the library Platforms the library uses for book acquisition, as well as how they find out about and decide what books to purchase Preferences and biases that librarian curators might have Why a writer of books for younger readers might have a bigger challenge or more resistance to getting books into libraries verses authors of adult titles Librarians looking at holes in title selection as well as specific representation of indigenous voices, #ownvoices, etc Recommendations for how to contact and reach out to libraries to let them know about your book And more... After the interview, Mark shares a couple of reflections about things the conversation with Julie and Michelle made him think about. He also thanks patrons and listeners. Links of Interest Eastern Monroe Public Library An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Black History Month Organizations & Resources Findaway Voices - Royalty Bonus Opportunity Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Julie Bonser graduated with a degree in Elementary Education but somehow ended up in libraries. She is currently the Head of Youth Services at the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, but also has prior experience in circulation, cataloging, and adult reference. Serving kids and teens is her main passion, which keeps her energized, up-to-date, and endlessly entertained. Julie is a lifelong resident of the Pocono Mountains. She enjoys children's literature, board games, Tetris, and strumming the ukulele. Michelle Rutter is a Teen Services Public Librarian in NE Pennsylvania along with her skeleton assistant Bona Lisa. She is a lifelong bibliophile and has enjoyed teaching such a big word to little kids when she worked in school libraries. She has also worked in an academic library where she once cataloged a piece of heavy machinery as a joke because the facilities department parked it in the library for so long. When she's not perpetrating benign mayhem at work or reading she enjoys dancing, yoga, and various creative pursuits. Bona Lisa is a Halloween decoration given a greater afterlife as Michelle's pandemic companion and trusty sidekick on the job. She's a bit thin-skinned but her work ethic is hard to beat as she has worked her fingers to the bone. 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 interviews Nadine Williams, a storyteller, a writer, a poet, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. Prior to the interview Mark shares some recent personal comments, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their conversation, Mark and Nadine talk about: How being a writer, speaker, and poet was something that Nadine stumbled upon after life threw her some curve balls The way that writing became therapy Nadine's career in construction and a trade show encounter that led to her first published article The idea of a book being the result of the marriage between a writer and her pen Nadine's use of the term "tears to ink" to describe the earliest therapeutic writing she had done The early reading Nadine did as a child, and the oral storytelling tradition she grew up with The experience of opening up for a talk that Michelle Obama did in Toronto in 2017 The poem "Us Women" that Nadine read for the Obama event, which was originally the poem "Us Africans" that she re-adapted A custom line thrown in to page homage to Michelle Obama specifically What Nadine learned from an error made at that event The art of performance poetry and how all of Nadine's writing has that element of performance The way that an entire poem can come from a single word The significant event that led Nadine into speaking at libraries and schools The art installations and nominations that Nadine was involved in Advice that Nadine would offer to beginning writers Some of the issues we have in Canada related to intolerance and people not being aware of their prejudices and biases Nadine's 2021 Black History Month Theme - "Nurturing Hope through Allyship" And more... After the interview, Mark reflects on Nadine's ability to adapt and re-adapt both creatively and in an entrepreneurial way. Links of Interest Nadine Williams Website Instagram Twitter Facebook Black History Organizations & Resources EP 175 - ScribeCount EP 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black EP 155 - Rebel Reflections with Guest Host Sacha Black EP 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson The Indy Author Podcast - EP 063 - Wide for the Win with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Rebel Author Podcast EP - 71 Findaway Voices 7 Audiobook Trends for Authors to Watch in 2021 Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Nano-Chameleon Parody Video Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Nadine Williams is an avid child reader, turned wordsmith, turned working Artist. She is a storyteller, a writer, a poet, an arts educator, a Keynote Speaker and host workshop Facilitator, a visual artist, and entrepreneur. Nadine is the author of the books The Culmination of Marriage Between Me and My Pen, Love Rocks, With This Pen I Do Tell, and Pen on Fyah.

Mark interviews Philippa A. Werner, a two times USA Today Bestselling author and the public face of ScribeCount about her writing and the new sales analytics tool for authors. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. Mark also thanks Patrons of the podcast and announces the patron winner of Clark Chamberlain's Story Stuck Coaching package. In their conversation, Mark and Philippa talk about: Philippa's background as a writer (under the pen names Moira Katson and Natalie Grey The initial release to the sound of crickets, and the later release of the Light and Shadow trilogy which really took off How Philippa learns best by "jumping off the deep end" Advice that if you're having trouble coming up with a blurb for your book, that might be an indication that there's a fundamental problem with the story itself The ScribeCount platform which is a sales aggregator that helps authors analyze their sales in a single dashboard Why ScribeCount was created because the creators themselves (Philippa and Randall Wood) wanted that tool they could use The launch of ScribeCount on Jan 15, 2021 The easy process by which an author can set up an account on ScribeCount in a matter of minutes The beginning-author-friendly cost structure for ScribeCount Some of the details and analytics that are easily available to see on ScribeCount And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the importance of sales analysis and access to amazing tools created by folks from within the author community. Links of Interest ScribeCount ScribeCount on Twitter ScribeCount on Facebook Moira Katson Website Moira Katson Facebook Page Randall Wood Author The Indy Author Podcast - EP 063 - Wide for the Win with Mark Leslie Lefebvre EP 173 - DF Hart on Recovering from Mistakes Findaway Voices Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections Philippa A. Werner is the public face of ScribeCount, overseeing the customer interaction, content, and overall service side of the company. Her main goal is to reduce friction for our subscribers. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Mathematics she brings her analytic skills to the team and then balances them with her creative abilities. With 19 novels to her name, including 2 USA Today Bestsellers, Philippa speaks the complicated language of indie-author very well. A native of Minnesota she can often be found shoveling snow, watching science fiction movies, or arguing thermostat settings. She is an expert at getting socks on a fleeing toddler. 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