Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode, Mark talks about the importance of attending events and conference outside one's own area. In this case, since Mark normally attends conferences about writing and publishing, he extols the value he reaped from attending CAPS Convention 2019. CAPS is short for Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Prior to the episode, 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. For his personal update, Mark shares details about the release of his new book AN AUTHOR'S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES as well as comments on Twitter. The twelve takeaways that Mark shares include quotes from the following CAPS CONVENTION 2019 speakers. Donald Cooper Mimi Brown George Saunders David Arvin Gair Maxwell Ben Moorsom Kelly Swanson Lisa "Longball" Vlooswyk Clay Hebert Links of Interest: CAPS - Canadian Association of Professional Speakers Findaway Voices Blog Post by Karen WIlliams An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores NaNoWriMo Episode 105 - Location Based Storytelling with VoiceMap Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections  

Mark interviews Talena Winters about her multi-genre fiction, and the numerous other creative tasks and entrepreneurial endeavors she is involved in. Prior to the interview, Mark plays an audiobook marketing tip from an interview with Will Dages in place of the regular Ad read for 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 then shares a few comments and tweets and then a personal update which includes: Completing NaNoWriMo while clocking in over 60,000 words An article featuring Mark entitled "Mark Leslie Lefebvre" Finds His Voice" His guest spot on the 6 Figure Authors podcast The completion and pre-order push of his new book An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores In their conversation, Mark and Talena talk about: The multiple creative pursuits that Talena is engaged in, and how she defines herself Talena's background as a musician and the creative evolution of her upbringing that eventually led to writing Getting married on the same day that both Talena and her husband had graduated from university The full length-full scale musical that Talena and a good friend dreamed up and created and which has remained on the back-burner for many years How inspiration strikes and keeps growing when Talena latches on to an idea The course that Talena took from Holly Lisle while she was still home-schooling her children and how much she valued things she learned in that class The legacy of the "story in the drawer" that Talena wrote and then tucked away The tragic family loss which threw their lives for a loop, the public way that Talena shared that experience, and the outpouring of community support The empty home, the overwhelming grief, and the surrounding environmental changes that led to a serious move into writing The "creatives for hire" ad for a new magazine that caught Talena's eye the led to journalistic writing Applying that journalistic experience to Talena's inspirational blog How Talena divides up and prioritizes her time The value and importance of learning how to say no to certain projects The app Timely that helps Talena track the things she does (so you can stop lying to yourself) The quote that Talena has on her website: "The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." by Muriel Rukeyser   After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of saying NO and in prioritizing the many tasks that often either fall onto a writer's plate, or come within a writer's horizon.   Links of Interest: Talena Winters - Website Talena's Blog article: Mark Leslie Lefebvre Finds His Voice An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores NaNoWriMo Episode 106 - Hybrid Publishing with Arthur Slade Episode 105 - Location Based Storytelling with VoiceMap Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections     Talena Winters is addicted to stories, tea, chocolate, yarn, and silver linings. She writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres, coaches other writers, has written several award-winning songs, designs knitting patterns under her label My Secret Wish, and is lead writer for Move Up magazine. She currently resides on an acreage in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, with her husband, three surviving boys, two dogs, and an assortment of farm cats. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up.   The 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 Samantha M. Bailey about her debut thriller Woman on the Edge, about her lifelong writer journey, her relentless determination, and the patience, practice, and persistence that it took to get here. Prior to the interview, Mark gives a brief personal update about his progress on NaNoWriMo and a trip he will be taking to speak to a group of writers in Sudbury, and then shares a word about the 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 interview Mark and Samantha talk about: How, at 10 years old, Samantha submitted her first manuscript to a publisher, which was rejected - and how it was her first lesson in developing a tough skin and not giving up Samantha's life-long love of really dark tales and thrillers, but how Jennifer Weiner's novels inspired her to write in a similar genre The completion of her first novel, landing an agent and trying to sell that first novel, then a second novel and how neither of them worked out The multiple queries Samantha sent to her current agent before the two actually connected Her experience self-publishing one of her novels under a different name several years ago and the relationships that came out of that How Samantha never considered giving up and knew that she just had to keep going The way that writing Woman on the Edge changed Samantha's life and the inspiration for the novel Why Samantha set this novel in Chicago rather than in her home of Toronto - but how Chicago, to her, invokes the spirit or essence of Toronto to her in several ways The two perspectives in this thriller, from the POV of Morgan (the main character), and the flashback sequences of Nicole, the woman who handed Morgan her baby before she jumped How Morgan's POV was re-written into first person to give that part of the tale such a sense of urgency The wonderful experience of working with her agent, Jenny Bent, who worked with Samantha to polish up the manuscript and then sold the book to Headline in the UK and Simon & Schuster Canada for CA and US distribution The sales of translation rights to 7 other countries The exciting promo that is planned for the book for release day in Canada (Nov 26, 2019) - eBook, audiobook, and paperback How the paperback is coming in the US in the spring of 2020, but the eBook is being launched in the US in November How Simon & Schuster Canada is the publisher of Samantha's dreams The morning television programs Samantha will be appearing on as part of the book's Canadian release, as well as the scheduled bookstore and library appearances Advice that Samantha would offer to her younger self: "It won't be fast, it won't be easy, but it'll all be worth it."   After the interview, Mark reflects on Samantha's upbeat positivity and the hard work, determination, and never-give-up attitude she adopted which helped lead to her unique path of success.   Links of Interest: Samantha M. Bailey's Website Woman on the Edge Simon & Schuster Canada An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores NaNoWriMo StoryBundle NaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle Mythulu Writing Binge Survival Pack 2019 Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   Samantha M. Bailey is a Toronto-based journalist and freelance editor who’s written extensively for Now Magazine, Oxford University Press, and several other publications. She is also the co-founder of “BookBuzz,” a promotional and interactive author-reader event held in New York City and Toronto that has attracted the attention of prominent publicists, influential media, and bestselling authors. Samantha holds a Master of Education in Applied Linguistics and credit that degree with her writing career because she wrote her first novel while taking a course on imagination. Now her imagination leads her to create dark and twisty stories. Her debut psychological thriller, WOMAN ON THE EDGE, is being published in nine countries world-wide, including with Garzanti in Italy, Roca Editorial in Spain, Heyne in Germany, General Press in Hungary, Euromedia in the Czech Republic, Ikar in Slovakia, Znak in Poland, and in North America with Simon and Schuster Canada, and the UK with Headline. Samantha loves reading as much as she loves writing, so if she's not tapping away at her computer, she's probably curled up on her couch with a book.   The 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 Arthur Slade, the author of twenty-five novels for young readers about his writing, about his multi-layered hybrid publishing activities, about writing at a treadmill desk, and about his author newsletter. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, discusses a few social media and podcast comments, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor , Findaway Voices. 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 Arthur talk about: The ten years that Arthur has been writing using a treadmill desk, walking a minimum number of kilometers per day How the energy boost has come from that allowing him to get more work done Working and writing at a standing desk verses actually walking - and how long it took Arthur to get used to it The walking speed that Arthur sets to enjoy a natural pace Writing in forty-minute bursts, then taking twenty minutes off, which assists with the necessary reset for his brain How long Arthur has been a full time writer and how he writes so much The moderate success of self-publishing the Amber Fang series, and how they were recently acquired and released by Orca The challenge of not being able to track sales on traditionally published titles Death by Airship, the book that Arthur wrote by coming up with the title first, then figuring out what it would be about while writing it The book Dragon Assassin, which was picked up by Scholastic Books in Canada, but which Arthur maintains non-Canadian rights to Working with Podium for one of his audiobooks Arthur's novel Flickers, set in the 1920s in Hollywood, which was also hybrid published The way that publishers and booksellers look at past sales history and how that affects their acquisition and buying decisions The way that Arthur adds a unique personal flavor to his newsletter, and how he manages unopened reads of it Arthur's love of audiobooks, as a writer and as a reader After the interview, Mark reflects on Arthur's hybrid publishing journey and talks about how it is a solid long-term publishing strategy.   Links of Interest: Arthur Slade's Website Descript (Audio Company with advanced audio editing, transcription and a beta Voice Double program) NaNoWriMo StoryBundle NaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle Mythulu Writing Binge Survival Pack 2019 WMG Publishing Business Masterclass Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   Arthur Slade was raised on a ranch in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan. He is the author of twenty five novels for young readers including The Hunchback Assignments, which won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and Dust, winner of the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. His lifetime of work has also received the prestigious Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence.  All of these awards mean that when he drinks tea he has to raise his pinky. It’s very fancy. He lives in Saskatoon, Canada.  P.S. He does all of his writing on a treadmill desk. And he listens to heavy metal. At the same time. The 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 Gary Morris, Head of Production at the South African-based company VoiceMap. VoiceMap takes stories beyond the screen. It papers them to walls, hangs them over statues, and plants them neatly in public parks. Then, when you come along, there they are: reflections on the soul of LA, murder on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, nostalgia for the vanishing hutongs of old Beijing, and much more, by storytellers and passionate locals all over the world. The episode opens up with Mark's Voice Double from Descript's new beta program welcoming people to the podcast. He then shares a bit of information about this new opportunity for authors, which he thinks is idea to talk about during the opening of this particular interview. Mark then shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. 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 Gary talk about: Gary's background as a creative person in audio, his early experiences with musical instruments, and the path that led to a role in sound engineering as a music and audio producer Joining VoiceMap two and a half years ago as an audio tour editor What VoiceMap is and how it works The underlying passion of VoiceMap which involves walking along while sharing a story Partnerships that VoiceMap has with various tour and tourism organizations How, while walking tours are the most common, there are also bicycle, driving, and boat tours Some examples of popular tours, such as the one of the theatre district of London with Sir Ian McKellen Specific techniques that need to be employed on a walking tour, including timely silences, directions, and reminders How authors can set up at VoiceMap account and set up their own tour Logistics of creating a tour map and crafting a script based on timing (word count and estimated time) to walk from location to location on a tour VoiceMap being in a 158 different countries at this point The types of tours that VoiceMap is looking forward to seeing authors create The use of VoiceMap to share fictional tales Different ways that authors can leverage promotion for the VoiceMap tours they have created Where people can find out more about VoiceMap and download the free app to their smartphones After the interview, Mark talks about how excited he is about the emerging audio opportunites for authors and storytelling in brave and bold new ways. He then shares a couple of examples of the sound-track to his Downtown Hamilton Ghost Walk tour from VoiceMap   Links of Interest: Voicemap.me Mark's Downtown Hamilton Ghost Walk Tour on VoiceMap Link to YouTube video of Mark presenting on Storytelling 360 The official Haunted Hamilton Website The Ghost Walks: Hamilton, Niagara & Toronto Mark's book Haunted Hamilton Descript (Audio Company with advanced audio editing, transcription and a beta Voice Double program) NaNoWriMo StoryBundle Saving the World StoryBundle NaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle Mythulu Writing Binge Survival Pack 2019 WMG Publishing Business Masterclass Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   VoiceMap takes stories beyond the screen. It papers them to walls, hangs them over statues, and plants them neatly in public parks. Then, when you come along, there they are: reflections on the soul of LA, murder on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, nostalgia for the vanishing hutongs of old Beijing, and much more, by storytellers and passionate locals all over the world. All you need is our mobile app for iPhones and Android devices. It uses your location to play audio automatically and includes offline maps. Just put on your headphones and you’re ready to explore. If you’d like to tell a story of your own, you can start right now, for free. Our publishing tool is easy to use and our team of editors delights in bringing new stories out into the world.   The 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 interview with Valerie Francis, who is is an author, a bona fide story nerd, a Certified Story Grid Editor and a podcaster. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is currently working on her first thriller. Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes and also provides a short personal update He also 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 their conversation, Valerie and Mark talk about: The way that Valerie slowly evolved from a full-time corporate dayjob into a full time writing career How writing was always part of Valerie's life and that she wrote her first "book" when she was 7. (It starred her teddy bear) - Her experience playing piano and jazz bass How if she is not expressing herself creatively, Valerie can get quite cranky What a StoryGrid Editor is, as well as the background to Shawn Coyne's StoryGrid methodology How Valerie got involved in StoryGrid The fact that Valerie learning more in two days spent with Shawn than she did in her entire journey getting a both her Undergraduate degree and her Master's in English Literature The two types of services that StoryGrid editors offer The commonality of how writers often resist "masterworks" in the StoryGrid methodology The way that writers often consume a story by analyzing novels and films The two podcasts that Valerie is involved in How a StoryGrid study group has been repurposed into a podcast so that more people could benefit from the ongoing learnings The difficult concept of hearing "Valerie, you are now the product" after exposing herself on a podcast Valerie's comparison between running and writing, which had inspired Mark when he read about it in her newsletter How all the world only sees the finished product and not all the hard work that happens in the background, for a long time, as well as the commitment from the person who has produced that work Advice that Valerie would offer to the person sitting there and looking at the daunting work in front of them The four hours a day, in two-hour blocks that Valerie writes in Six goal-achieving activities for each day, that Valerie prioritizes The advantage of being in the first time zone in Canada, two hours earlier than the most of the rest of the continent of North America wakes up The most recent fiction and non-fiction books that Valerie has released The 12 parts of Valerie's latest novel that can be consumed in bite-sized chunks, soaking in the tub with a glass of wine or standing in line at the grocery store How, given limited physical space, Valerie decides which books she will own in print as opposed to books she has in digital format (Spoiler, any books by Neil Gaiman, Ian Rankin, or Margaret Atwood always make that cut) ValerieFrancis/innercircle as a way for writers to see how Valerie is studying and learning from masterworks After the interview Mark reflects on the comparison Valerie makes between running a marathon and a writer's process. He also talks about being re-inspired multiple times by Valerie and the value of that.   Links of Interest: Valerie Francis' Website Valerie's Most Popular articles on the StoryGrid Website Narrative Drive: Mystery Narrative Drive: Suspense Narrative Drive: Dramatic Irony Podcast Episodes about Narrative Drive: Mystery: Murder on the Orient Express Suspense: Rear Window Dramatic Irony: The Queen Mark's Forthcoming Book: An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores Episode 92 - Strong Authors and the IP Legacies They Deserve with ML Buchman Episode 102 - NaNoWriMo Wisdom with Vanessa Ricci-Thode NaNoWriMo StoryBundle Saving the World StoryBundle NaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle Mythulu Writing Binge Survival Pack 2019 WMG Publishing Business Masterclass Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   Canadian writer, Valerie Francis is a bestselling author, a Certified Story Grid Editor and a podcaster. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is currently working on her first thriller. As a bona fide story nerd, her passion for the craft of storytelling led her to become a Certified Story Grid Editor in 2017. Her non-fiction credits include a Story Grid Guide to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (publication TBA) and regular articles for the Fundamental Fridays column on Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid website. Although Valerie writes across genre, there is a common thread in her work and that is, strong female characters. Women and girls of all ages have a particular perspective on the world and it’s this point of view she’s keen to explore. You can learn more about Valerie at: www.valeriefrancis.ca The 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 15 different quotes and ideas that inspired him during the Fall 2019 WMG Publishing Business Master Class workshop led by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith in Las Vegas. Mark shares a very brief personal update, explaining that this episode was recorded in a less-than-ideal acoustic environment, his hotel room in Vegas. Mark also 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. One of the over-arcing themes from the five day workshop event s was Diversification and the idea that "It's better to make a little bit of money from a lot of sources than to make a lot of money from one or two places." The 15 quotes come from: Kristine Kathryn Rusch Dean Wesley Smith Kevin J. Anderson Joanna Penn Loren Coleman Andrea Pearson Marie Whittaker Deidre J. Manna-Bratten Chuck Heinzelman Links of Interest: Episode 6 - 3 Things That Are Wrong with Indie Publishing Episode 44 - How To Deal with a Fire-Hose of Information Episode 77 - A Gut-Check on the State of Publishing with Kristine Kathryn Rusch NaNoWriMo StoryBundle Saving the World StoryBundle NaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle WMG Publishing Business Masterclass BundleRabbit Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   The 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 Vanessa Ricci-Thode, a fantasy author,  fiction editor and a NaNoWriMo veteran. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some recent comments from previous episodes and Twitter. He also 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 talks about how he is approaching NaNoWriMo this year. He skipped it last year; but this year he is focusing on getting 50,000 words written for at least 3 different projects and will be tracking that. He is also curious to see how many listeners are doing NaNoWriMo this year. In their discussion, Mark and Vanessa talk about: Mark and Vanessa talk about: How Vanessa, who is an experienced NaNoWriMo veteran (doing it since 2006), first got into NaNoWriMo Managing expectations with family during a month of regular commitment to writing time Writing 50,000 words in 30 days while working part-time and being a part-time student The first few NaNoWriMo novels Vanessa wrote Being an ML (Municipal Liason) in the Waterloo, Ontario region The fact that there are always a lot of first-timers who try NaNoWriMo each year Vanessa's most popular or common advice for writers interested in trying out NaNoWriMo Advice for authors who end up slipping in their writing goal early on or mid-way through the month The "Mad Dash to Midnight" NaNoWriMo event that is done on the night of Nov 30 How people can find their local NaNoWriMo region (nanowrimo.org), where they can search by country, state, province, city How Vanessa got interested in writing which began with making picture books when she was a young child Vanessa's change in approach to the business of publishing with the advent of digital Looking for ways to become a better writer, which led to Vanessa becoming an editor, opening her part-time freelance editing business in 2010 The genres Vanessa most prefers to edit (Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror), and why it's important to work with an editor who is familiar with and enjoys working in your particular genre Common writer issues, such as starting their story in the wrong spot The value of critique groups for writers, and how critiquing others can assist an author with their own writing NaNoWrimo as a great place to meet and connect with other writers Writing solo versus writing when in a group setting What Vanessa is most looking forward to for NaNoWriMo 2019 The importance of "stubborning through it" After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of committing to something like NaNoWriMo as well as the element of being persistent and "stubborning through it" as Vanessa so eloquently said. He then thanks Patrons of the podcast and closes out the show with a reminder that he's curious to hear from authors on whether or not they are doing NaNoWriMo and how they stubborn through things. Links of Interest: Vanessa Ricci-Thode's Website Vanessa's Books Vanessa's Editing Services NaNoWriMo WMG Publishing Business Masterclass Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   The 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

On Oct 17, 2019, Mark Lefebvre and Kevin Tumlinson from Draft2Digital hosted a live webinar "Ask Us Anything" Q&A about audiobooks, relaying questions from authors to Will Dages, head of Findaway Voices. This is a slightly abridged version of the audio track from this video, which you can see on YouTube. Discussion includes the following topics: Findaway Voices Giveaway Codes, how they work, how authors can request them and track their use StoryOrigin promotion site for audiobook giveaway codes How to get started with setting up an audiobook via Findaway Voices Standard calculation for determing finished audiobook hours (9300 words = 1 finished hour - or, for easier math, assume that 10,000 words = 1 hour) Typical studio production hours based on word count of the original manuscript (Most audio producers work on a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio - it, if the manuscript is 100,000 words, that'd be 10 finished hours and would most likely take 30 to 40 hours of production time The Voices Share royalty share program and how it works (50% up front payment for production hours and a 60/20/20 split for author/narrator/Findaway) - and how the buyout works if you want to get out early The recent Audible text transcription controversy Whether or not an author can narrator their own books (spoiler alert: YES, you can, with the right setup/equipment/software) The origin of Findway Voices and the back story about the company Findaway, that has been around alot longer in the audiobook industry The built in pricing suggestion tool in Findaway Voices How easy/difficult it is to update your audiobook (both metadata and audio files) The cost and benefit of using Findaway Voices for distribution VS going direct (spoiler: Findaway keeps 20% of your royalties) A little bit about how exclusivity with ACX to Audible works Thoughts about loading audio samples to YouTube or other ways of promoting their audiobooks And more...   You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   Links of Interest: Draft2Digital's Blog Post: Everything Audiobooks with Will Dages from Findaway Voices (Full Transcript) The YouTube Video of the Webinar Episode 5 - Global Audiobook Opportunities for Authors Episode 15 - The Process of a Writer's Life with Kevin Tumlinson Episode 52 - The Three Co-Founders of Draft2Digital Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   The 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 international bestselling author Mark Dawson about his journey through publishing, his author support business and the ground-breaking publishing deal he just signed. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some comments left on previous episodes and via Twitter. He also shares a word about the episode's sponsor Findaway Voices. 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 talks about Canadian Thanksgiving, putting up Halloween decorations in the front yard and a new anthology, Cursed Collectibles, edited by Angela Eschler, that he has a story in.   In their conversation, the two Marks talk about: Mark's background as a lawyer prior to becoming a writer, and how he has benefited from the skills he learned there The kick in the pants Mark received back in 1999 that led to his entry into publishing The surprisngly fast way he had found an agent and that agent had found a publisher for his first books The disappointing experience that came with having his print books appear in book shops and the two strikes that led to the end of that part of his writing career How John Milton was inspired by the original Equalizer television show staring Edward Woodward When Mark's indie writing journey began and the approximate 30 books he has published in that way The first time that Mark realized that writing could be a full-time endeavour - when the money he was earning from writing not only matched the money he was making working a full time job, but was more than double that amount for several months in a row The origin of the Self-Publishing Formula courses and podcast The 2020 Self Publishing Conference that will be taking place in London prior to the London Book Fair How Mark is able to continue to write his novels as well as offer support to the writing community via his intimate network The ground-breaking joint-venture print-only deal that Mark recently signed The 3-books a year release plan within this deal The international element of the deal to get the books into stores in multiple countries After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of this deal that Mark Dawson just signed and the significance it can have on publishing.   Links of Interest: Mark Dawson's Author Website Author Facebook Page Twitter Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Formula The Self Publishing Show Podcast Self Publishing Formula Courses Episode 99 - Getting Your Book Into Libraries Episode 97 - Ten Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short Fiction Episode  87 - You, Your Book, and Bookstores Episode 47 - In the Pilot's Seat with James Blatch Cursed Collectibles Anthology Eschler Editing Superstars Writing Seminars The Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship StoryBundle - NaNo Writing Tools Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   The 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