Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

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

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