Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark Leslie Lefebvre
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Nov 14, 2019 • 54min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 105 - Location Based Storytelling with VoiceMap

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
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Nov 7, 2019 • 57min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 104 - Living the Writing & Editing Life with Valerie Francis

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
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Oct 30, 2019 • 35min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 103 - 15 Takeaways from the WMG Publishing Workshop

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
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Oct 24, 2019 • 45min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 102 - NaNoWriMo Wisdom with Vanessa Ricci-Thode

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
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Oct 22, 2019 • 1h

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 101 - Will Dages from Findaway Voices

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
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Oct 18, 2019 • 55min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 100 - Another Publishing Industry First with Mark Dawson

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
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Oct 11, 2019 • 51min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 099 - Getting Your Book Into Libraries

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
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Oct 4, 2019 • 38min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 098 - You Can Handle It with Laurie Wright

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
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Sep 26, 2019 • 49min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 097 - 10 Tips for Marketing and Making Money Off Your Short Fiction

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
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Sep 20, 2019 • 43min

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 096 - Focusing on and Delivering to your Audience with Dale L. Roberts

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

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