Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this solo episode Mark talks about how authors can get their books into libraries in print, eBook and audiobook format. He covers the topic by discussing the triple A's of: AVAILABILITY, AWARENESS, and ACQUISITION. Prior to the main topic of this episode, Mark shares a word about the episode's sponsor Findaway Voices, which is suitably, all about how they can help authors get their audiobooks into libraries. 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 from recent episodes as well as a personal update that includes two of his non-fiction books about writing and publishing being included in a new NaNoWriMo themed Storybundle. In his discussion of libraries, Mark talks about the following: Ways that authors can get their books in to libraries in print, audio and eBook format Questions that traditionally published authors should ask their publisher in relation to distribution to libraries The difference within POD and returns as it pertains to the library buyers (as opposed to bookstore buyers) Why he calls Amazon's KDP Print's "extended distribution" option "pretended distribution" OverDrive and how they sell to library systems - including a talk about how authors can use OverDrive.com to find their books and libraries Online resources to help writers easily find library websites The differences between the licensing model for selling digital assets (like eBooks and audiobooks) to libraries:  OCOU (One Copy, One User) and CPC (Cost Per Checkout) Three important people to contact at the library when reaching out to them The value of getting to know the local public library and being familiar with it Why authors should consider the value that they are able to offer and bring to a particular library The value of the Public Lending Right program in Canada and 29 other countries around the world to help authors with additional revenue opportunities And more...   Links of Interest: Episode 97 - Ten Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short Fiction Episode  87 - You, Your Book, and Bookstores Mark's thriller Evasion on Wattpad Universal Book Link for Evasion Lib Web (Over 8000 pages from libraries in 146 countries) OverDrive.com Search "Mark Leslie" on OverDrive Mark Leslie "landing page" on OverDrive Example of an eBook Link (Active Reader) Example of an audiobook link (Active Reader) Example of a book that has availability in libraries OverDrive - Find a Library 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 bestselling children's author Laurie Wright who is on a mission to empower people one book at a time through her books and the support she offers other authors to take action and publish their own books. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark talks about the promotional pricing tools built in to their tools. 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 bit of an update about the previous week at NINC (Novelists Inc). He then congratulates the winners of copies of M.L. Buchman's ESTATE PLANNING FOR AUTHORS. Amy Tasukada And Vanessa Kier where the listeners who won by commenting on Episode 92 of the podcast. Julie Strauss and Amy Teegan were the two patron winners.   In their conversation, Mark and Laurie talk about: Laurie's background as a kindergarten teacher and how she was so motivated by the presence of "learned helplessness" to go home and write a book in order to address it It wasn't that the children couldn't solve their problems it was that they didn't take the steps to solve the problem Laurie's belief that boredom is a good thing, particularly for creativity and that great things can come from boredom The importance of the repetition in Laurie's books for 4 and 5 year olds, such as "I Can Handle It!" that become their self-talk and a mantra and a pathway for them Putting the book aside for ten years before actually doing something with it Why she went whole hog into self-publishing with this project Creating the print book first (considering the audience) and the reason Laurie created an eBook via prompting from Brian Meeks and Amazon Ads Selling the foreign language rights of her book in Chinese, Korean, Romanian, Icelandic, and Vietnamese The importance of a foreign rights agent in the process of selling those foreign rights Laurie's interest in mental health for children and the importance of open non-scheduled time for children for free play (what she also calls "wildness") How Laurie has fallen in love with the marketing and other aspects of writing, and how she adapted that into creating helpful content for other writers The importance of "short and easy" in a course Laurie's podcast for children's book writers   After the interview, Mark reflects on self-talk, self-doubt, negative thinking, and positive thinking. He works through a You-Can-Do-It attitude inspired by Laurie's work.   Links of Interest: Laurie Wright's Website Laurie's Books on Amazon Laurie's Foreign Agent Laurie's Courses for Writers Laurie's Tedx Talk: Release the WILD in our children Findaway Voices NINC Conference Patreon for Stark Reflections   Laurie Wright is a bestselling children’s author on a mission to empower people one book at a time. She empowers children through her books, that gently and with humor coach kids in self-regulation. She empowers writers by getting them to step up, take action and publish those books! In a weekly podcast ‘The Writer’s Way’ she shares stories of other everyday authors for inspiration. Walter Koenig (Chekov from Star Trek) reading ‘I Can Handle It’ on YouTube at https://lauriewrighter.com/Chekov is a definite high point in Laurie’s career. Connect on Facebook (www.fb.com/lauriewrighter or www.fb.com/lauriewrightauthor), or her website www.lauriewrighter.com, and check out Laurie’s courses at www.creativewrighter.com.     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 ten tips on how authors can leverage their short fiction to earn more money as well as for various marketing activities. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark Talks about the promotional pricing tools built in to their tools. 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: Findaway Voices Ralan.con - (Short Fiction Market Resource) 8 Podcasts and Audio Projects Looking for Fiction Douglas Smith Article: Selling to Foreign Markets Douglas Smith's Foreign Market List Douglas Smith's Book: Playing the Short Game Active Reader (Digital Chapbook example) Snowman Shivers (Themed Collection - Free eBook) Episode 9 - Collaborative Publishing with Chuck Heintzelman of Bundlerabbit Episode 27 - Bundles, Curation, and Collaboration with Jamie Ferguson Bundlerabbit Books Gone Bad Bundle Amazing Monster Tales Collateral Damage (Short Story - Custom / Tie-in to Novel) Prospero's Ghost (Free Short Story - Tie in to Anthology) NINC Conference 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

This episode features an interview with Dale L. Roberts, a fitness author, self-publishing advocate and video content creator extraordinaire. The interview is filled with inspiring ideas for creative people that can be applied to your writing journey, as well as ideas for applying that creativity to auditory and visual mediums. This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark shares insights about a great built-in pricing tool that Findaway Voices has for authors to use. 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 the fact that he finally loaded a media kit to his author website, which appears as a link on his main media, press & contact page. He also talks about his forthcoming visits to Northern Hearts Romance Writers conference in Toronto and NINC (Novelists, Inc) conference in St Pete, Florida. In their conversation, Dale and Mark talk about: Dale's unlikely story of becoming a writer and how he shouldn't be where he is today The first book that Dale wrote and published in 2013 as a "challenge accepted" response to a colleague at work How, in the early days, Dale wasn't even familiar with the eBook boom that had been taking place The "Do Not Do What Dale Did" advice that comes with sharing that he quit his day job after receiving his first $20 from Amazon for his first book How Dale gathered information on how to self-publish back in the early days by searching for free content and information on YouTube and other sites The value of investing in some courses as well as a coach, which Dale considers as pivotal for his author business The importance of being held accountable by a coach or a mentor Why it is helpful to meansure time VS money in expenditures and focusing on the things that make more sense for you to focus on How Dale started his YouTube channel as a way to more effectively answer the hundreds of questions filling up his email inbox The bare/core minimum you need to start shooting video content and how you don't need it to be sexy, and you don't need it to be perfect Being consistent as one of the most important factors in creating and building a video platform on YouTube. And how that's not just a consistent time, consistent amount, and a consistent message The importance and value of authenticity The parallels between writers creating written content and YouTubers creating video content - including the importance of perseverance The built-in schedule that Dale uses for his schedule and how his audience likes Wednesdays and Saturdays The importance of understanding who your audience is, what they are coming for, what they enjoy consuming, and then delivering that to them The origin and use of the "banana sticker" and how something so simple and fun can build community After the interview, Mark reflects on three elements that Dale spoke about: Consistency, Persistence, and Authenticity.   Links of Interest: Dale's Website: Self-Publishing with Dale Self-Publishing with Dale on YouTube Dale on Twitter Self-Publishing with Dale on Facebook Dale on Instagram Findaway Voices Episode 15 - with Kevin Tumlinson Episode 92 - with M.L. Buchman Northern Hearts Conference NINC Conference Patreon for Stark Reflections   Dale L. Roberts is a fitness author, video content creator, and self-publishing advocate. When Dale isn’t publishing books, creating videos, and networking with business professionals, he loves to travel with his wife Kelli and spend time playing with his cat Izzie. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.   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 author Pamela Brookes about the DOG ON A LOG series of books she writes that help kids learning to read with phonics, especially learners with dyslexia. Prior to the interview, Mark shares some recent social media comments from podcast listeners as well as a personal update about the progress he has made with a POD version of his chapbook Snowman Shivers which he is releasing in print and audiobook formats. He explains that he will share, thanks to a patron request, a full episode on marketing and making money off of short fiction, particularly with eBooks and audio, as well as release a special detailed examination of how he created the POD and audiobook versions of Snowman Shivers. Mark talks a bit about narrating the audiobook himself for that same book and how he used Findaway Voices for it (which is part of the mention of 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 interview Pamela and Mark discuss: What dyslexia is and how people with dyslexia are of a normal range of intelligence Very successful people who have dyslexi such as Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, Henry Winkler, Steve Jobs How Pamela started to write books specifically to help children with dyslexia that were more appropriate and useful for her daughter's needs because she couldn't find any books that fit her requirements Phonics rules, sight words and decodable books The challenge and problem of the high cost of most books published in this area and how Pamela ensured they were affordable to the families who needed them Why shes calls some of her books the "Let's Go" books rather than "easy" or "beginning" books How 90% of Pamela's book sales are in paperback over eBooks and how they sell via Amazon and Ingram The free eBook that Pamela makes available and which has been downloaded in 15 different countries The printable PDF book that Pamela has on her website for parents helping their children with dyslexia The importance of repetition in relation to the names of letters, keywords, and the sound that it makes The difference between teaching children to read VS teaching children to guess Pamela's knack for research and self-teaching After the interview Mark reflects on how Pamela is fulfilling something that is missing in the particular niche she is writing in and highlights how she is succeeding selling print books, which is not the norm for most indie authors who usually sell more eBooks. He also considers a potential writing warm-up exercise for writers based on something Pamela said and using cards from the table-top game Taboo. Dog on a Log Books (Pamela's Website) Free resources from Pamela Killing It On Kobo Episode 87 - You, Your Book, and Bookstores The Indy Author page on Facebook Findaway Voices - The Audiobook Mastering Guide (article) Mastering Audiobooks (Video and Detailed Blog) Snowman Shivers Episode 92 - with M.L. Buchman 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

Thanks for the Inspiration is a new type of show that will appear from time to time in the regular schedule. As writers, we often absorb elements from the world, the places, and the people around us. We observe, we ask questions, we speculative, we listen, we watch, we feel, and we write so much of that down which gets re-integrated, like some sort of sausage creation, into the stories and words and worlds we share with our readers. This Thanks for the Inspiration episode is an attempt to acknowledge and say thanks to the people, places, and things that have helped to either feed the muse, or perhaps just to feed the very soul and makeup of the writer behind that writing. This particular episode, Mark thanks Laurie Blake for his role in both his life and in his life in storytelling.   This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast via patreon.com/starkreflections   In his reflective thanks, Mark shares the influence that Laurie Blake has had on: His storytelling, in particular the memorable telling of "Angela's Golden Leg" story that Laurie shared over a campfire, and how that continues to influence Mark's own oral storytelling style to this day How Mark adapted that campfire tale into "The Legend of Prospero's Ghost" which he has shared for the past two decades His perspective on trying to be open-minded and open-hearted in his approach to life His respect for an honest and hard-day's work His fondness for roadtrips and excellent conversation with one's traveling companion And more...   Links of Interest: Levack Ontario (Onaping Falls, ON) Fox Lake Lodge The Golden Arm Ghost Story (Wikipedia) Campus Chills Prospero's Ghost (Free Short Story) Episode 90 - Interview with Craig Martelle 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 shares a slightly abridged audio version of the Draft2Digital "Ask Us Anything" Webinar which was held in the Draft2Digital offices in Oklahoma City on August 29, 2019. It featured Mark, Dan Wood, and Kevin Tumlinson. Prior to the chat, Mark shares the following: The winners of Craig Martelle's book Release Strategies, which include the two winners from the comments for that Episode (Episode 90): Ted, and Chad Boyer. The two patron winners of the same book (automatically entered just for being patrons): Mary Jo Rabe and Matty Dalrymple Some recent comments from the past few episodes A personal update . . . as well as a word from 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 the webinar, Mark, Dan, and Kevin discuss: Quite a bit about libraries and getting eBooks into libraries Successfully selling series books Digital box sets/bundles 3D covers VS Flat/Rectangular covers Getting promos on Kobo, Apple, etc Books2Read and universal book links The D2D Print beta Findaway Voices and audiobooks Exclusivity VS Wide Publishing Assets for newsletter marketing ....and more... After the main content, Mark shares his reflections on hoopla and his optimism of having his eBooks available in another library channel, particular having seen some success with his audiobook income via hoopla from Findaway Voices.   Links of Interest: Draft2Digital Draft2Digital Facebook Page August 19, 2019 - ASK US ANYTHING YouTube Video Episode 88 - with David Wind Episode 90 - with Craig Martelle Episode 91 - with Stacy Kondla Episode 92 - with M.L. Buchman Patreon for Stark Reflections For Patrons - Download a digital copy of Matt's Book for Free   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 M. L. "Matt" Buchman about his writing journey and the importance of ensuring that an author's legacy and earning potential can be maintained for 70 years after an author's death, which is the subject of his book: Estate Planning for Authors: Your Final Letter (and why you need to write it now). Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new patron Kathy Mac and lets patrons know that they can all download a digital version of Matt's book for free. Listeners to the podcast can comment on this episode at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one of two print copies of Matt's book. Mark also shares a personal update about a fall he took the previous week (and how that made him think the topic of this episode was quite pertinent). This episode is sponsored by 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 discussion, Mark and Matt discuss: Matt's first novel, which he sold to a small traditional publisher in 1993 The 2010 romance novel sale to a larger publisher that led to a series of books What Matt calls "Transition by terror" moving from losing his job to writing full time How a shorter indie-published novel was the one that "popped" and led to the gamble of writing full time by moving from the large dream house and moving into a crappy smaller home and working diligently at writing in order to put out 8 or 10 books a year for six years The first three years of that process, which involved loosing money the first year, then losing slightly less the second, and then, finally, in the third year, breaking even The clause in Matt's traditional publishing contract that allowed him to keep the rights to anything in the world that was under 60,000 words (and how that led to the still best-selling 40,000 word Daniel's Christmas and a huge career in indie publishing Matt's enjoyment of telling the "side story" and how that led to having 11 simultaneous series going at the same time The idea of creating a map for what Matt calls the Emily Beale Universe of stories The use of initials in Matt's author brand (M.L. Buchman) because "American wasn't ready for a male romance author" and the volume of fan mail that said if they'd known he was a man, they never would have picked up one of his novels Matt's catch phrase for his writing: "Strong women and the men they deserve!" The approach that Matt took to get into audiobooks and how that made him a huge fan of "read by author" audiobooks The new straight up thriller series that Matt will be launching shortly which is a military techno thriller with not an ounce of romance in it The process of creating a word cloud from Matt's existing reviews to reveal particular terms/phrases that came up a lot Tracking how every work hour in the last 7 years has been spent (ie, writing, versus admin, marketing, etc) The importance of understanding how a writer's IP (Intellectual Property) can earn money for up to 70 years after their death The process of trying to find out how to explain, in common English, what a person can do when they inherit a author's estate How Jane Austin's family sold her novels for a tiny amount of money because they didn't understand the true value of her books Octavia Butler, one of the most seminal female science fiction authors ever whose books are now mostly all out of print just a little over a decade after her death The process of taking a full day to arrange and organize where all of his writing related assets are stored and filed (all documented in a single spreadsheet) The existence and importance of the 35 year reversion date for writer contracts CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and the rights that they signed away and no longer own (but which can change as it has been 35 years since they signed it away Limiting his writing travel to two different conferences per year and how this year it was RWA and NINC The value of being in a mastermind, which replaces the twice weekly hour long walks Matt used to do with Dean Wesley Smith when they both lived on the Oregon coast After the interview, Mark reflects on the approach Matt took in using a word cloud from reviews to look for patterns in reader response and how beneficial mining such data can be. He then shares detailed on how listeners who comment will automatically be entered into a chance to win one of two print copies of Matt's book with a deadline of Sept 27, 2019 to leave a comment. Links of Interest: ML Buchman's website ML Buchman on Twitter Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections For Patrons - Download a digital copy of Matt's Book for Free     M.L. "Matt" Buchman started the first of over 60 novels, 100 short stories, and a fast-growing pile of audiobooks while flying from South Korea to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Part of a solo around the world trip that ultimately launched his writing career in: thrillers, SF/F, and romance. His titles have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and 3-time Booklist “Top 10 of the Year” as well as being a “Top 20 Modern Masterpiece” in romantic suspense. As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has: designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, and solo-sailed a 50’ ketch, he is awed by what's possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.   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 Stacey Kondla about her life as a book lover and about the recent transition into the role of literary agent. Prior to the interview, Mark announces the winners of David Wind's book The Indie Writer's Handbook via a random draw for comments on Episode 88. He also reads and reacts to comments from Episode 90 with Craig Martelle and reminds listeners they can win one of 4 copies of Craig's new book Successful Indie Author Release Strategies. Listeners can leave a comment or reflection on Episode 90 of the podcast at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one of 2 copies. And all patrons will also be entered in a chance to win one of 2 other copies of the book. Mark then welcomes new patron Linda Hill to the podcst, and reminds folks that for $1, $3, or $5 a month, they can become a patron and get access to additional content and audio via patreon.com/starkreflections. After a personal update, where Mark talk about his new standing desk and office layout as well as being a recent guest on Mark Dawson's Self Publishing Show Podcast, he then 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 chat, Mark and Stacy talk about: The love of books that has been a major part of Stacey's entire life The veterinarian path she had been on, which didn't work out The "magical time" of a school book fair, and how much Stacey loved her work organizing Scholastic Book Fairs in the Calgary region Managing the kids departments for Chapters/Indigo and the thrill of working closely with kids books Meeting Sam Hiyate (President and CEO of The Rights Factory literary agency) at When Words Collide and how that led to discussions about Stacey's desire to learn more about agenting, and the path towards becoming an Associate Agent with the firm How, in the first year and a half, Stacey has aquired 30 clients and already sold 5 books, the first of which was to Scholastic US Stacey's experience attending Book Expo America for the first time and how that led to selling a book to Dottir Press in New York The best part about being an agent, which is being an author's champion and cheerleeder and the special thrill that comes with informing an author that a deal with an aquiring editor has been struck The joy of being a matchmaker between different people in the book industry Some of the definite "do not do's" when trying to pitch your book to an agent and one of Stacey's pet peeves What Stacey looks for in a face to face pitch from an author The typical day in Stacey's life as an agent, and how she has to compensate for being 2 hours behind New York's time zone The fact that Stacey still reads for pleasure, but in different ways now that she is an agent Some of the best things that a writer can do to prepare for submission their manuscript How an agent's job isn't just reading queries and submissions, but that it involves so much more downstream in the process The priceless value of networking at a literary conference After the interview, Mark reflects on the way Stacey divides reading for work VS reading for pleasure and explores ways that writers can use similar divisions between writing and editing or even different physical spaces as cues for a way to break through or get over "walls" they face in their own writing. Links of Interest: The Rights Factory Literary Agency Stacey Kondla's The Rights Factory Profile Stacey on Twitter Episode 20 - Lessons Learned on my Writer Journey (Part One) Episode 88 - Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind Episode 90 - Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies Self Publishing Podcast - Episode 187 - The 7 P's of Publishing Success with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN   Stacey Kondla has worked in the book business for 16 years. Her experience includes being a Field Representative for Scholastic Book Fairs, managing the IndigoKids department at two different Chapters/Indigo (Canada’s largest book retailer) stores, freelance editing, and serving on the organizing committee of When Words Collide (A Festival for Readers and Writers). Stacey is an associate agent with The Rights Factory and specializes in children’s books – picture books through to young adult and graphic novels, fiction and non-fiction.   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 bestselling science-fiction author Craig Martelle about his journey into and through writing, the 20Booksto50K™ group and conferences, and his new book Successful Indie Author Release Strategies. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update about his recent visit to Calgary, Alberta for the When Words Collide conference, where he sat on panels, did 1:1 author consultations, and gave a couple of presentations, including a new one on The 7 P's of Publishing Success based on his book of the same name. Mark then shares comments on Episode 88 from Michelle Norry and Tracy Arial, discusses the comments, and reminds them that they are now entered into a chance to win a signed copy of David Wind's book The Indie Writer's Handbook. (Contest is over end of day Friday August 16, 2019 and winners will be announced in Episode 91). He also thanks patrons of the show, and reminds them that they are all already entered in a chance to win the other one of two signed copies. This is one of the bonuses for patrons, which include the additional "Stark Reflections on other Podcasts" special episodes. Mark shares that he recently pushed out a special patron-only reflection on other podcasts for Episode 85 of The Career Author Podcast where hosts J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon talked about using pen names. Mark then 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 chat, Mark and Craig talk about: Craig's belief in working hard, putting in 12 to 14 hours a day for seven days a week Being close to the epicenter of the origin of Dungeons and Dragons and the influence that had on Craig's reading and creative mind The "Amateurs talk tactics and professionals talk logistics" philosophy from the Marine Corp that influences Craig's author business approach Applying a business consultant approach to writing and the 100,000 word first novel that Craig wrote that took 61 days The importance of practice Craig's experience selling the rights to his first book to a traditional publisher (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) How Craig uses data to help him make decisions, and how data that doesn't help a person make decisions isn't necessarily important data Why he put an editor on salary early in his career so that the waiting period on an editor was as short as possible The origin of the 20Booksto50K(TM) movement initiated by Michael Anderle and the in person writing conferences that Craig runs Why the 20Booksto50K Facebook group is so locked down in terms of comments/self-promotional posts, etc. How if you want to be carried that this business isn't for you How writing his non-fiction books is mostly Craig's way of saving himself a lot of time answering the same questions repeatedly Elements from Craig's book SUCCESSFUL INDIE AUTHOR RELEASE STRATEGIES, such as what is far more important than the volume of books you produce in a particular time period: consistency and establishing and keeping your promise to the reader The recent overseas conference plus writing retreat that Craig ran which went well above his initial expectations How this year's 20Booksto50K conference will have a significant number of live-streamed videos to the Facebook Group so that those authors unable to attend can benefit from it   After the interview, Mark talks about how Craig's experience playing Dungeons & Dragons reminded him of his own experience playing that game as a youth, and how it inspired the very first book he wrote at the age of 14. Mark reflects on the cartoon to text process he used when imagining the story, changing the main character's name from Conan to Aaron (in recognition of copyright), and the struggle to sit at the typewriter over his summer vacation as a young teen instead of being outside and playing. He reflects on how indie authors today can and often might release a book that isn't yet ready for prime time and what that impact can be; particularly in relation to a book he recently read. He is thankful that this first terribly written novel never saw the light of day because of when it was written. In the midst of reflecting on this trunk novel, he fondly remembers the first young woman to truly capture his heart, and the important role that she played as a creative spirit and fellow writer, in helping to shape and guide him into a writing life. He thinks about how there are people in your life who likely never come to learn just how much of a positive impact they have had on you. Mark then shares how listeners can win one of 4 copies of Craig's new book. Listeners can leave a comment or reflection on Episode 90 of the podcast at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one or 2 copies. And all patrons will also be entered in a chance to win one of 2 other copies of the book. Entrants will be collected until Sept 1, 2019 and the winners will be announced in the next week's episode.   Links of Interest: Craig Martelle's Website 20Booksto50K™ Facebook Group 20 Books Vegas Craig's Book - Successful Indie Author Release Strategies Episode 88 - Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections The Career Author Podcast - Episode 85 - Using Pen Names Stephen Graham King (not that other guy) BOC (Blue Oyster Cult) Conan the Barbarian   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