Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Cathy Rankin and Ken Mary about Cathy's new single "Now You've Gone." On October 29, 2024, Cathy Rankin released her debut single “Now You’ve Gone,” featuring renowned musicians David Ellefson (formerly of Megadeth) Ken Mary (formerly of Alice Cooper) and John Ronson. The emotional track, inspired by deeply personal experiences, reflects on themes of love, grief, and ultimately hope. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle - Only available until the end of November 2024.   In the interview, Mark, Cathy, and Ken talk about: Cathy's various family members who are musicians, her first exposure to music when she was young and how that impacted her creative life Getting into theatre, and acting, when she was little, but not having the confidence in music itself The first time Cathy had to perform a singing scene when she was acting in a film The difference between being a performing musician and being a live host Ken's background as a musician having toured with various different artists over the years How being the lead singer might be one of the more difficult positions to be in, since the majority of the audience focus is on them (rather than, for example, the drummer) The concept of the instrument choosing the musician rather than it being the other way around - and how that's the way it was for Ken and playing the drums How playing drums was never "work" for Ken no matter what type of band he was in The great producers that Ken has worked alongside over the years The way that Cathy and Ken first met and started to work together (When Jon Ronson asked Cathy to interview Ken about his most recent album) Cathy showing some of her poems to Ken and getting some feedback on the option to produce one of them into a song How everything in this production unfolded organically and the chemistry of Cathy and the musicians in producing the song The delightful lyrical and musical Easter Eggs that appear in the song The connection between Neil Peart's loss of his daughter and the loss of Cathy's nephew Christian and why the song is a tribute to both their memories What people who want to support the musical artists can do to help out   After the interview Mark reflects on three different things that came up in the conversation, including the magic of organic creativity, the concept of playing a character when on stage, and the value of art, music, poetry, and prose in expressing deep emotion and forging connections. Clips from "Now You've Gone" have been used with permission. "Now You've Gone" is performed by: Cathy Rankin - Vocals, Lyrics Ken Mary - Drums/Percussion David Ellefson - Bass John Bronson - Guitar Produced and Mixed by Ken Mary/Sonic Phish Studios with contribution by Thomas Laufenberg   Links of Interest: Now You've Gone (YouTube) Cathy Rankin (Website) Instagram Facebook YouTube TikTok Twitter (X) Ken Mary Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter (X) Superhero (Band) Merchandise from Deko Entertainment Storybundle.com/writing EP 388 - Unconditional Boundaries with Andy Lidstone EP 387- Rambling Reflections From The Disappointing Aftermath One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   One look and listen at Cathy Rankin and her stellar high notes, and you know she was born to entertain. Whether on stage, on camera, or in any crowd, Rankin brings a strong female voice to her music on every level. Never one to take a backseat, this force-to-be-reckoned-with doesn’t just move fans with her powerful vocals, but also proudly reps the girls while holding her own with the guys. And, in Cathy's case, it's not just any ordinary "guys" that are part of her project, its renowned rockers David Ellefson, bassist (Kings of Thrash, Dieth, formerly of Megadeth), Ken Mary, Drummer/Composer/Producer (Flotsam and Jetsam, Great White, Fifth Angel, formerly of Alice Cooper and House of Lords), and guitarist John Bronson. This formidable line-up is on display on her new single, "Now You've Gone," with more music arriving soon. Cathy’s natural inclination for music and performance was evident from an early age when she vowed she would be a singer and actor, and her dream never wavered. Her grandfather first influenced her love of music. An accomplished professional big band musician, he played saxophone, clarinet, flute, piccolo and piano, primarily by ear, practicing in his music room with Cathy paying close attention. This exposure, along with her grandmother, one of the first female violinists in the Scottsdale Symphony, and guidance from her big sister who played drums in the popular 80s metal band, Whiskey Blu, formed the musical foundation that would be a lifelong passion for this songstress. While Cathy’s influences were wide-ranging, her original work is deeply rooted in classic rock woven with elements of blues, a touch of prog and at times even country, taking listeners on a journey reminiscent of the iconic frontwomen that defined female rock, such as Nicks, Wilson and Benatar. As a member of popular cover bands, Superhero and Daisy Train, Cathy spent years performing full time for thousands of audiences on countless stages, from Superbowl Fanfest, to corporate events, festivals and the Vegas Strip. Cathy is also co-host of the Metal Hall of Fame with Eddie Trunk (That Metal Show, Trunk Nation), and host of the annual Bubba Bash honoring Neil Peart. And through in-depth interviews with award-winning artists such as John Waite, Geoff Tate, Lita Ford, KIX, Winger, Fifth Angel, and more, Cathy has been able to share that education and inspiration with countless other passionate music fans. Ken K. Mary is an American musician who has worked as a drummer, producer, engineer, and record executive on over thirty-five albums. He has worked in genres from heavy rock to choral music. Mary is best known for his work with acts such as Accept, Fifth Angel, Chastain, TKO, Impellitteri, House of Lords, Bonfire and Alice Cooper, and is currently the drummer of Flotsam and Jetsam and Jack Russell's Great White   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 Andy Lidstone about the unconditional boundaries he talks about in his life coaching as the Uncondictional Coach. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.    Links of Interest: Andy Lidstone's Unconditional Coach EP 387- Rambling Reflections From The Disappointing Aftermath One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Andy Lidstone is the Unconditional Coach. Andy's biggest dream it to help other people reach their goals. And HIS goal is to help people of all walks of life make their dreams into reality. He believes the best communities are the ones made up of people that build each other up and help one another reach for the stars.     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 how disappointed he is with the recent US election, and the importance of creators, artists, and writers to continue to do their work as storytellers and improving the world. This episode contains adult language, but only for a brief moment when Mark loses his cool when trying to express his anger and frustration.   Links of Interest: Amie McNee's Website Instagram We Need Your Art (Book) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link 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 Liz Worth about her new poetry book Inside Every Poem, A Raging Sea. Mark skips the regular introductory matter to skip right to the interview. In their interview Mark and Liz talk about: How the book is about p laying with the idea of the cross-over or similarities between spell-writing and poetry The way that every line, every word counts in each of them Thoughts on what intuition really is as opposed to what many people think it is The importance of having to know the rules before you break them and how that works in both divination and writing How a lot of the poems in this collection were written in the depths of the pandemic when things were closed down, as well as when Liz's mother was living with dementia and in the last years of her life Her mother being a magical thinker and the influence her mother had on Liz Certain lines and ideas that would come to Liz as she was going out on regular walks Filling up a notebook she had found on the curb with these ideas and poems The way a lot of writing happens for Liz not while she's sitting at her desk, but out walking or doing other things How every piece of writing can have its own energy and have a life of its own that helps guide you when creating it The unique interpretations that different readers can apply to a piece of writing The recent popularity in horror-adjacent poetry Remembering that poetry can be rebellious and that it doesn't have to be academic or dry The process of putting the book of poetry together and then pitching it to a publisher The joy of working with a publisher like Book Hug Press The type of light editing that happens with a book of poetry Specific placement of poems within the book A bit behind the title poem "Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea" Some of the themes that appear in the collection What Liz is working on now Advice Liz would offer to anyone wanting to try their hand at poetry And more...     Links of Interest: Liz Worth's Website Instagram Book Hug Press Episode 387 - Vulnerability in Writing....with Liz Worth One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Liz Worth is a poet, novelist and nonfiction writer. She is a two-time nominee for the ReLit Award for Poetry for her books The Truth is Told Better This Way and No Work Finished Here: Rewriting Andy Warhol. Her first book, Treat Me Like Dirt, was the first of its kind to provide an in-depth history of southern Ontario’s first wave punk movement. Her new poetry book, Inside Every Dream, a Raging Sea is published through Book*hug 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

In this solo episode, Mark shares a few thoughts from his hotel room in Victoria, British Columbia, on Canada's West Coast. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.    Links of Interest: One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building 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 shares a few thoughts from the hotel room at World Fantasy Con 2024 in Niagara Falls, New York. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.  From Mark's extremely detailed bullet points about what he wanted to reflect on: 1) Coming to WFC. 2) The nature of relationships in the writing world/community 3) Feeling like a real writer (via recent events) 4) But also feeling like a failure - afternoon at Indigo 5)    Links of Interest: One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building 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 talks through the logic and reasoning behind a recent book launch by sharing a little of his own experience and publication history. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie.    Mark shares the behind-the-scenes story of: Why he first self-published the book One Hand Screaming in 2004  The logistics and strategy behind making it fully returnable and why he was trying to push the envelope of publishing so early in the digital publishing revolution A little bit of his experience as a writer in those manual "mail out submissions" days The reasoning behind wanting to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of this first published book by launching One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Why he invested into getting this self-published book into a traditional distribution warehouse in Canada with a sales team -- and what that means Collaborating with a local brewery to create a tie-in beer One Hop Screaming   Some of the marketing and branding logistics, reasoning, and strategies being used for the book launch Products and marketing swag that Mark is leveraging, including a bonus "haunted beer" story to go along with the beer (QR code printed on the beer cans and the double-sided coasters   Mark also shares a couple of new marketing tools that he has come across and been experimenting with that are designed to help an author maximize their ability to create sales copy, draft up press releases, provide comp author/comp title information, and more.     Links of Interest: One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years Books2Read Link Counterpoint Brewing One Hop Screaming (Beer - online order) One Hop Screaming and One Hand Screaming (Online order) "As One Hop Screams" (Haunted beer story) Mark's 2006 to 2011 Podcast: Prelude to a Scream Shop Local (Canadian Indie Bookstore Lookup) Marketing Tools Mentioned NoteBookLM (Google) ManuscriptReport.com (Manuscript Marketing Report) Social Media Content Generator Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building 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 Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn about their new co-authored book From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker. Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor This episode is sponsored by the Fall 2024 Novel Writing Storybundle. In their conversation, Matty, Michael, and Mark talk about: A bit of a refresher/background for both Matty and Michael Dale L. Roberts being the person who connected the two of them together How they got the idea for the book when both at a Writer's Digest conference together The process of going about writing the book together The flight instructor term of the "awkward exchange of control" Why a writer might be interested in getting into speaking A look at the importance of fleshing out your goals from speaking How speaking can open up new opportunities for a writer Some of the key strengths that can be brought to a speaking engagement, such as storytelling or making a talk feel more like a conversation The "dress for the job that you want" aspect for speakers Ideas for how to get started particularly if you're nervous about speaking to a large group of people Some of the do's and don'ts for doing panels, author readings, keynotes, etc Advise for authors who are on a panel The concept of stepping up if necessary if the moderator isn't performing the job as well as they should Matty's concept of the two different bios - the "speaker application bio" and the "brief speaker introduction" bio Tips for professional behavior and things author speakers should consider doing And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things from the interview and also shares a special offer for Patrons related to the aforementioned Storybundle.   Links of Interest: Matty Dalrymple's Author Site Michael's Author Level Up Site The Indy Author EP 379 - Simplify Your Life and Your Work With Dre Baldwin Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Matty Dalrymple is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts. She also podcasts, writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as The Indy Author. Her articles have appeared in Writer’s Digest magazine, and she serves as the Campaigns Manager for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Michael La Ronn is the author of over 100 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and attending law school. Michael runs the award-winning YouTube channel “Author Level Up,” and Michael serves as the Outreach Manager for ALLi.   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 Andrew Snook about his writing and editing work as well as Canadian Independent Publishers magazine, which is celebrating its first anniversary. Prior to the interview Mark welcomes new Patrons, shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor This episode is sponsored by FROM PAGE TO PLATFORM by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn. You can learn more about the book at https://theindyauthor.com/platform. In their conversation, Mark and Andrew talk about: Celebrating the first year of publishing Canadian Independent Author Andrew's first ventures self-publishing many many ago Some of the early novels and novellas that Andrew released Moving to Ottawa to become a newspaper reporter so that he could write full time Moving back to Mississauga and getting a role in the Business-to-Business magazine business Starting up his own company in 2019 The six issues per year of Canadian Independent Publishers Magazine How the magazine is still a cost center and is not yet generating a profit - and how the goal is to have the magazine at least pay for itself The gig Andrew got going to local hockey games and covering them and how that led to an internship with Metroland (who owned the paper), and eventually a job with a local newspaper The form for Canadian authors interested in advertising their books in this magazine The flash fiction contest Andrew is running to help Canadian authors in showcasing their work When Mark and Andrew first met at Hamilton Comic Con several years ago The small reader fee for submitting to this contest, which is $25 How Mark is offering for any Canadian authors listening who are interested in submitting to this flash fiction contest that Mark will pay the entry fee for the first 4 who contact him (form link) The two books in the Remy series Andrew wrote The dice rolling interactive gamebook Andrew published The introductory chapter book Andrew published partially as a way to provide content for his daughter and other similar readers who were interested in the chapter book format, but with slightly longer chapters The impact that working on and producing this magazine has had on Andrew's writing time How Andrew used to work around his family and work schedule to get his writing done Andrew's experience teaching young kids creating writing and how that led to going back to further his post-secondary education Mistakes Andrew has made as a writer And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things from his chat with Andrew and then shares how Canadian writers can participate in the promotional ad opportunity as well as in the flash fiction contest.   Links of Interest:   https://www.canadianindependentpublishers.ca/ Canadian Independent Publishers Magazine Canadian Authors Interested in Cdn Independent Publishers Mag Opportunities Mark's Kickstarter for ONE HAND SCREAMING: 20 Haunting Years Wide for the Win Wide for the Win New YouTube Channel EP 379 - Simplify Your Life and Your Work With Dre Baldwin Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Andrew Snook has been working as a professional writer and editor for 15 years. He started his writing career as a newspaper reporter in the Ottawa area before moving to Toronto to take on various roles as a magazine editor and feature writer for a variety of business publications. In 2019, he founded his content creation company, Snookbooks Publishing.  In his spare time, Snook is an avid fiction writer and reader. He has published four works of fiction to date: Remy’s Dilemma (2015); Remy’s Dilemma: Special Delivery (2019); Dungeon Jest: The Ruby of Power (2022); and The Snookie-Cookie Crew and the Cranberry Cookie Cruncher (2022). Snook’s fiction and business writing have won him a combined 22 national and international awards, which is neat, but he's happier knowing he made someone laugh out loud while reading his books during an inappropriate moment. Snook is also passionate about promoting independent authors, bookstores and publishers. In 2023, he founded Canadian Independent Publishers Magazine, which is dedicated to offering a platform for showcasing Canadian writers.   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 Brianna Wodabek, Assistant Manager of Digital Marketing at HarperCollins about her lifelong love of reading, books, and writing, and her evolution in the book industry. Prior to the interview Mark welcomes new Patrons, shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor This episode is sponsored by FROM PAGE TO PLATFORM by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn. You can learn more about the book at https://theindyauthor.com/platform. In their conversation, Mark and Brianna talk about: How Brianna always loved reading and writing, but also knew that she wasn't interested in journalism Finding the brand new Creative Writing & Publishing degree program at Sheridan College Learning improv and how that helped with the overall process involved in publishing pitching Thinking that she would be focusing more on the writing program when she got involved, but pivoting over to the publishing side of things Getting an unofficial internship in her first year with a small Canadian publisher in Oakville, Ontario and being able to gain experience wearing multiple hats Her official internship at Wolsak and Wynn publishing in Hamilton Having to deliver her valedictorian speech for graduation via video because of the global pandemic Securing her first job as Digital Marketing Coordinator at Harper Collins US (HTP Books) within 2 months of graduating and then progressing through a series of promotions to other positions The fact that Harper Collins HTP Books interns are paid The in-house influencer program called "The Hive" that Brianna and one of her colleagues created How there's a growing trend of book influencers who collect more than one edition of a book Brianna's passion project achievement with Voyage of the Damned by Frances White and bringing it to North America despite not being an acquisitions editor How the role of the gatekeeping in the publishing world is being lowered due to additional influencers even from outside the publishing realm - social media influencers, for example The way some publishers are reaching out directly to authors via social media DMs Advice Brianna would share to authors and what she would like them to know about the traditional publishing world The value of being you and being authentic And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of a new type of reader who collects multiple editions of a book, how Brianna's passion led to a fantastic acquisition, and the importance of authenticity.   Links of Interest: HTP Books Voyage of the Damned by Frances White Brianna Wodebek on Instagram Mark's Kickstarter for ONE HAND SCREAMING: 20 Haunting Years Wide for the Win Wide for the Win New YouTube Channel EP 379 - Simplify Your Life and Your Work With Dre Baldwin Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) 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 Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Brianna Wodabek, an Honours Bachelor graduate in Creative Writing and Publishing, transitioned from independent publishing to her current role as Assistant Manager of Digital Marketing at HarperCollins. In this capacity, Brianna combines her expertise with her passion for storytelling, having notably personally acquiring important books like "Voyage of the Damned" by Frances White and collaborated with authors such as Colleen Hoover, Mary Kubica, Chelsea Devantez, Eve, and more to enhance their brands. Apart from her professional endeavors, Brianna's written works have been featured in publications like the Journal of Applied Social Science, PAUSE. Magazine, and The Mighty. With her industry experience and creative drive, Brianna is devoted to crafting compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.   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