Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode Mark interviews Adam Croft and talks about the important and significant change in Adam's mindset that allowed him to become a successful best-selling author. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a marketing/release strategy tip 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. Mark then shares and talks about some of the comments from Episode 113 and reminds listeners of the chance to win a copy of Joanna Penn's PRODUCTIVITY FOR AUTHORS by commenting on that episode show notes at www.starkreflections.ca by Jan 31, 2020. Within that comment talk, he shares a short clip from a podcast he had started in 2006 (and then abandoned in 2011 after only 18 episodes) called Prelude to a Scream. In their conversation, Mark and Adam talk about: How long it took to plan out the interview (based on both Mark and Adam being disorganized) The beginning of Adam's journey into writing - from school and then 2008 when he wrote his first book and 2010, the early days of digital publishing Adam's first book TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, and the planning of the 10th book in that series How Adam spent 5 years floundering about and not really sure what he was doing in the early days The recognition of how his writing itself was a small business, and not a hobby - and how that led to an important and significant change The importance of changing his way of thinking, and bringing the business mindset into his writing The value of taking courses and learning, such as Mark Dawson's Facebook Ads for Authors course How a stand-alone book (instead of a series) was the first big breakaway for Adam, because of the dramatic and attention-grabbing/marketing hook: "Could you murder your wife to save your daughter?" (This was HER LAST TOMORROW) Questions, and how they need to be psychologically answered, as a log-line/hook for getting a potential reader's attention The tag line for TELL ME I'M WRONG: "What if you discovered your husband was a serial killer?" Adam's translated novels in Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Korean The comparison between sending Adam's son to pre-school and the releasing of a novel (regularly considered an author's "baby") out into the world Trying not to have an emotional attachment to any novel, but consider it as a commercial/business enterprise The "imposter syndrome" that continues to plague Adam with each new novel release The two or three "life changing" books Adam has released that did blockbuster sales numbers, and the many other books which have done well, but weren't nearly as remarkable - and the candid nature he has always shared that How Adam deals with the ins and outs and highs and lows of the waves of sales trends in publishing The importance of preparing for the long term, which is an important element in the indie author mindset The value of "evergreen" and a solid residual revenue - The partnership with Kobo to have a few of his books translated into Dutch (for the Netherlands market with Kobo's partner BOL.com) The courses Adam runs as well as the Indie Author Mindset Facebook group Why Adam has created simple and short courses, but why he isn't interested in creating any sort of "super" course The more organic long term approach that Adam has taken with his writing business Understanding the multiple paths to success and how different roads work best for different authors The way that Adam balances his writing, his family, and helping other writers After the interview, Mark reflects on something Adam said: "No book is going to sell a negative amount of copies." Of course, Mark manages to work in a reference to Monty Python during that reflection. Then he shares a coupon code listeners can use to get 50% off of any of Adam's courses, as well as a giveaway. (Use the code "STARK" at checkout to save 50% off any of Adam's online mini-courses) Mark then shares the opportunity for listeners of the podcast to win a generous giveaway from Adam for his course on Productivity for Writers. ----> Adam is offering one lucky listener a chance to win a free course. All patrons of the podcast will automatically be entered in a chance to win. And anyone who comments on this episode at starkreflections.ca by the end of day Jan 31, 2020 will also be entered into that random draw. Patrons at the $1 per month level, will get 1 entry Patrons at the $3 per month level will get 2 entries Patrons at the $5 per month level will get 3 entries Patrons that comment will get an additional entry. All entries will be assigned a number and a random number generation will pick the winter. I'll announce the winner in a forhtcoming episode. Links of Interest: Adam Croft Website (Author) Adam Croft Indie Author Mindset Website Adam's Online Mini Courses (Affiliate Link) (Be sure to use "STARK" coupon code to save 50%) Episode 113 - Productivity for Authors: A Panel Discussion Episode 11 - The Power of FREE with Musician and Composer Kevin MacLeod Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections About Adam Croft - With almost two million books sold to date, Adam Croft is one of the most successful independently published authors in the world, and one of the biggest selling authors of the past few years, having sold books in over 120 different countries. His 2015 worldwide bestseller Her Last Tomorrow became one of the bestselling books of the year, peaking at number 12 in the combined paperback fiction and non-fiction chart. Adam lives in the UK with his wife and their child, and continues to write fiction, co-host the Partners in Crime podcast with Robert Daws and write books and create courses to help other authors. 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 type of show that appears from time to time in the regular schedule for this podcast. 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. Thanks for the Inspiration episodes are 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. In this particular episode, Mark thanks Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for RUSH and writer, for the way his work has repeatedly inspired him over the decades. 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 Neil Peart has had on his writing and talks about: How his buddy Pete got him into RUSH with the album Grace Under Pressure How RUSH lyrics have long been a significant part of his life (and, sometimes to the annoyance of friends), part of everyday conversation. "There is a RUSH lyric for that!" A column Mark wrote for a high school newspaper that was entitled QUOTH, which were articles inspired by lyrics written by Neil Peart Mark's friends with Kevin J. Anderson, and how the two bonded over their mutual love of RUSH and craft beer Re-publishing the co-authored story "Drumbeats" by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart. Once in Tesseracts Sixteen, and forthcoming in an issue of Pulphouse Magazine Writing a story inspired by the song "Losing It" which Anderson published as editor in the RUSH-themed anthology 2113 Re-publishing the aforementioned story "Some Are Born to Save the World" in NOBODY'S HERO. Peart's desire for privacy and not being treated as separate from the rest of society or in any celebrity manner Memories of sharing RUSH with the people that he loves How Peart's music, lyrics, and writing has inspired Mark in multiple ways over the years and the way that has been infused into his own creative pursuits And more.... Links of Interest: RUSH Neil Peart (Wikipedia) Neil's Website Bubba's Bar N Grill Levack Ontario (Onaping Falls, ON) Mark's Blog Post about Neil: There's Somethings Here As Strong As Life Nobody's Hero (Story Collection) 2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of RUSH Galaxia (includes the short story "Grace Under Pressure) Episode 94 - Thanks for the Inspiration: Laurie Blake 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 a live webinar panel discussion that Mark moderated with authors: M Jane Colette Tracy Cooper-Posey Andrea Pearson Talena Winters ...who have all mastered productivity in different ways. As Mark attempts to learn more about how to be a productive author, he asks questions and solicits tips from these masters. 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. Prior to the panel discussion on productivity, Mark shares a recent comment as well as a brief personal update. In the discussion, the following questions and more get discussed: Why is productivity important? Is it important for someone to be productive? How do you measure productivity? How do you figure out the best time of day that works for you to be productive? What tools are effective in helping with your productivity? How do you find time to write when you have conflicting priorities, such as a day job or a busy/demanding family life? After the conversation, Mark asks listeners to share their own reflections on what they learned, or perhaps their own unique tip on productivity. All listeners who comment on the episode show notes over at starkreflections.ca for Episode 113 will be entered into a chance to win either a hardcover or paperback (their choice) copy of Joanna Penn's Productivity for Authors. Links of Interest: YouTube video of the panel discussion M Jane Colette Instagram Tracy Cooper-Posey Productive Indie Fiction Writer Andrea Pearson 6 Figure Authors Podcast Self Publish Strong Talena Winters Instagram Twitter Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections M Jane Colette writes tragedy for people who like to laugh, comedy for the melancholy, and erotica for men and women who like their fantasies real. She believes rules and hearts were made to be broken; ditto the constraints of genres. The result? "A whole new sub-genre of her own… social realist erotica that's frenetic and complex and funny and very well observed." Tracy Cooper-Posey is a #1 Best Selling Author. She writes romantic suspense, historical, paranormal and science fiction romance. She has published over 100 novels since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award. Andrea Pearson - Andrea is the author of many full-length novels (the Kilenya Chronicles, Mosaic Chronicles, and Koven Chronicles), and several novellas. Writing is the chocolate of her life - it is, in fact, the only thing she ever craves. Being with her husband and kids, family, and close friends is where she's happiest, and she loves thunderstorms, the ocean, hiking, public speaking, painting, and traveling. Talena Winters writes page-turning fiction for teens and adults in multiple genres including young adult, urban fantasy, romantic suspense, and women's fiction. She loves travel, music, whole food, sewing, knitting, reading, and chocolate. She is addicted to tea and silver linings. 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 takes a look at his 2019 goals compared with his accomplishments for the year and also shares the %'s of his eBook, audio, and print sales for his indie published books in 2019. Prior to the main content, Mark shares some recent comments and emails received. He also talks about a forthcoming live webinar he will be hosting featuring: M Jane Colette, Tracy Cooper-Posey, Andrea Pearson, and Talena Winters talking about productivity for 2020 (On Monday Jan 6, 2020). 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. Mark thanks Lindsay Buroker for joining the team of Patrons supporting the show over at Patreon.com/starkreflections. In the main content, Mark reviews his 2019 goals and discusses the fact that he only achieved one of those items on his list. He then looks at the things he DID accomplish in 2019 that weren't on the initial list. And he follows that with outlining 16 goals he has set for 2020. He then looks into the breakdown of his sales % from his indie publishing income for 2019 broken down by format: eBook, print, audio. He then breaks each format down by source, exploring where his income earnings came from. Links of Interest: Jan 6, 2020 Webinar on Productivity The 7 P's of Publishing Success 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 shares the chapter on Progression from his book The 7 P's of Publishing Success. The introduction is very brief because, as Mark explains, he has been hit hard with a nasty flu virus. 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: The 7 P's of Publishing Success 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 shares an interview that was conducted in the Draft2Digital offices for a Facebook Live video where Dan Wood interviewed Mark about his new book An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores. This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of this podcast, who support it over at www.patreon.com/starkreflections Links of Interest: An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores 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 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