Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

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

In this solo episode Mark explains why you can't have Mass Market POD books; how the very definition of the term makes it impossible. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a comment from Linda from the previous episode, with a reminder that there's a still a chance for those who comment on Episode 88 to win a copy of David Win's book THE INDIE WRITER'S HANDBOOK. Mark then welcomes Chad Boyer as a new patron to the podcast via Patreon.com/StarkReflections and mentions that this past Wednesday he loaded a new "Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts" episode for Patrons. This one was on a recent episode of The Creative Penn by Joanna Penn, whose guest, Jason Brick, shared a great bit about the four critical elements from a pitch. 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. As the main topic for this episode, Mark explains the background of the main formats of publishing: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and Mass Market. He then relays how just having the "mass market" size format option in POD, via Ingram Lightning Source or other POD providers, doesn't ACTUALLY make it a mass market book. He then explains what an actual mass market paperback is and its uniqueness in terms of production, warehousing, distribution, and returns. He does come to the conclusion that indie authors already have a far better proper "mass market" format that they bypassed legacy/traditional publishers in: the eBook format. Links of Interest: The Creative Penn Episode 441 (with Jason Brick) Episode 88 - Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Snowman Shivers 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 David Wind about his forthcoming book THE INDIE WRITER'S HANDBOOK, which is coming in September 2019. Prior to the interview Mark shares a comment from Episode 81 from Jules who shared why he finds it important to write every single day. He also shares a comment that came in via email from Caro who said that she would, in fact, appreciate an episode dedicated to getting your eBook and print book into libraries in the United States, Canada and the UK. Mark then shares a word from this episodes 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, Mark and David talk about: When David first started writing and the first book he published in 1981, which he wrote under a female pen name as a way to break into the market because of an industry trend The genres that David was passionate about writing and reading The fact that English and Math were David's two worst subjects in high school His attempt at writing in college, which he set aside for a while before returning to writing in his late twenties Leaving a position within the legal realm to work at a Playboy club in Chicago Writing a thriller (his first novel) just to see if he could write a book The response from Agent William Morris not liking the submitted manuscript but liking David's writing David's favorite editor, Kate Duffy Andre Norton, a legendary science fiction writer David was a big fan of and how she came to mentor him and also publish one of his only short stories How the first book in a YA science fiction series David wrote which has been downloaded close to 70,000 times Why David hates the term "self-publishing" The vanity press, iUniverse, that David used back in 2000 in order to bring back one of his previously traditionally published back into availability How, being fed up with traditional publishing, David whole-heartedly jumped into Kindle Direct Publishing in 2008 The fun David had releasing his first POD self-published book, which was a book he had wanted to write for thirty years and how exhilarating that experience was The transition David experienced when he moved from traditional publishing over to indie publishing Why David decided to write The Indie Writer's Handbook How he was getting frustrated at how people were misunderstanding and looking down on what proper indie publishing can be The 18 steps that the handbook walks authors through related to indie publishing your book After the interview Mark shares a reflection on the reason why David decided to create the book, and shares how he recently wrote an article for a more traditionally focused magazine for writers to serve a similar purpose. In addition, he shares the two winners of the print book COPS AND WRITERS by Patrick O'Donnell from Episode 84, one randomly selected commenter from that episode and one randomly selected Patron of the show. And he explains how listeners can win one of two signed advanbced reader copies of David's forthcoming book for writers. Links of Interest: David Wind's Website David's Books The Indie Writer's Handbook Episode 81 - Jim Kukral on Being Unskippable Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell Episode 87 - You, Your Book, And Bookstores Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections David Wind's first novel was published in 1981 and since then he has had more than 40 books published in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, mystery, thriller and suspense. A hybrid author who cut his chops in traditional publishing and then discovered the opportunity in indie publishing, David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this interview and to his forthcoming book. He is currently the Vice President of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and he has a lot to say about the way by which traditional publishing still looks down their nose and misunderstands what indie publishing is really about. David lives in Florida with his wife and their dog. 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 offers a perspective on bookstores, booksellers, and bookselling, and shares ideas on how authors can best get their books into bookstores. Prior to the topic, Mark shares a personal update about the move back upstairs to his renovated office, discusses a comment on a previous episode, reminds listeners about the contest to win a print copy of Patrick O'Donnell's book COPS AND WRITERS, and also thanks Patrons and talks about the patron perks. Mark then shares a word from this episodes 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. When discussing bookstores, Mark covers these topics: The importance of relationships and community Understanding the business side of print bookselling, including the margins How returns work and how that effects a bookseller's willingness to stock books How Mark got chain bookstores to order his self-published book (and how that partially backfired) How bookstores order books VS how consignment works The rules, and why bookstores might sometimes make exceptions to those rules in particular situations Why Mark tied an onion to his belt And more.... Links of Interest: Mark's First Self-Published Book: One Hand Screaming Episode 29 - Interview with Terry Fallis YouTube video of Terry Fallis interview Episode 39 - Professionalism Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell 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 audio from the July 19, 2019 Draft2Digital ASK US ANYTHING episode in which Kevin Tumlinson, Dan Wood and Mark answer marketing questions submitted by authors. Links of Interest: The Draft2Digital Facebook Page The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video - June 2019 The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video - July 2019 Draft2Digital Blog Post with video & full transcript from June 2019 Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey 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 Annette Spratte a bilingual author living in Germany who has published books in various genres and languages, including a contemporary romance series self-published in English, a children's book series in German with three traditionally published books and two more scheduled for 2020. A historical romance will also be traditionally published in German in 2020. In addition to writing, Annette loves to support Indie authors with affordable translation services. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word from this episodes 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 goes on to thank Patrons of the show as well as those who left comments on episode 84, and who were entered in a chance to win a copy of Patrick O'Donnell's book COPS AND WRITERS. Thanks to Amy Tasukada, Chad Boyer, MZ Lowe, and Vale Nagle for leaving comments. Also, thanks to Patrick O'Donnell for answering the police related questions. In their conversation Mark and Annette talk about: Annette's history as a translator since 1995 before she moved over into book translation, which she enjoys far more The importance of getting the emotion and the tension right in a literary translation (as opposed to legal document translation) Annette's own writing experience with contemporary romance fiction (English) which was self-published and the children's adventure fiction (in German) that has been picked up by a publisher How Annette initially started with a self-publishing services company that she later on found out charged almost $50 for the print book in the US - she managed to get out of that deal and published the book directly herself The size of the German book industry and the fact that eBooks might be as little as 5% of overall book sales Those magic words from a publisher who said to Anette: "I read your book and I couldn't put it down!" How a lot of the romance books on the market in Germany are translations from English A bit of a perspective on the size and reach of Tolino, a major eBook retailer in Germany What it's like for an author from Europe using an American platform for eBook publishing Why authors shouldn't use something like Google translate for translating their novel Subtle differences in the form of address in the German language (formal VS familiar) The genres that Annette works with and prefers to work with in her translation business Why she prefers to avoid horror and erotica translations as well as a preference for fiction over non-fiction The research that can be involved in doing a literary translation, particularly for historical fiction Examples of terms or services that aren't used or known in Germany - such as "Uber" - for example The importance of using the same translator when working through a book series in order to have a consistent style/voice How word of mouth is the most common way that authors and translators connect with one another Typical costs of translations, and Annettes current and lower fees of 3 cents per word How an English speaking/reading author would be able to determine if the translation is a quality one Some of the legal aspects associated with copyright on translations in Germany The fixed price laws for books in Germany and how that has allowed for the continued existence of both chain and independent bookstores in that country The continued popularity of thrillers and romance in the German book market How German readers are perfectly content with books that aren't set in Germany The value of the resources on the site indiesgogerman.com Mark then reflects on the subtle differences in languages, terms, and even different laws in different countries, provinces and states and how this can both be something that can harm a story (ie, an inaccurate overlooked detail), or it can be something that brings an additional depth and realistic richness to a story if used effectively. Links of Interest: Chat with Annette (Blog) Annette's Website Annette's Facebook Page Annette on Instagram Indies Go German Website Findaway Voices Episode 84 - From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O'Donnell 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 Patrick O'Donnell who has been with a larger metropolitan police department for the past three decades, about his new book COPS AND WRITERS: From The Academy to the Street. Prior to the interview Mark shares a personal update and then also shares the names of the four winners of the print copies of the book UNSKIPPABLE by Jim Kukral (from Episode 81). Prior to the main segment, Mark shares a personal updateas 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 their conversion, which comes with a disclaimer that Patrick does not represent any specific police or law enforcement agency and does not intend for any of the information provided to be intended as legal advice, Mark and Patrick discuss: Patrick's life before police work which included Sociology, Crimonology and an intense passion for music The original goal of wanting to become a high school band director for his career The restaurant management roles that Patrick was involved in and how being a night shift manager at an IHOP he ended up getting in more fights than in the same time period as a police officer The various different ways you can get into a career with the police department and the details related to those methods of entry Learning how to read/understand people via experience as a car salesman The book (I Never Wore Plaid) he wrote about how to buy a car and navigate car salespeople under a pseudonym The unfortunate situation that led to the loss of an opportunity in selling this book to a publisher Patrick's book talking about the loss of his marriage (which is common in the police force) written under a different pseudoynm - Divorced Dad: Kids are Forever, Wives are Not Mad City, the post-apocalyptic novel that he wrote under his own name The reason why Patrick shelved the sequel to Mad City and started to write a series of books about the police force, which includes the first book, Cops and Writers: From the Academy to the Street The seventeen years of working the night shift as a cop The 50/50 chance that the average person has of their marriage failing, how being a cop bumps that up to 70% and how, if both partners are cops, the chances are 90% Some of the basic things that writers can get wrong when it comes to police procedures or protocols What Patrick has learned about book marketing through the various books and genres he has published in After the interview, Mark shares details on how listeners and Patrons can win a print copy of Patrick's new book (you have until July 31, 2019 to leave a comment or question for Patrick on the show notes for Episode 84 at www.starkreflections.ca) as well as his thoughts on the importances of a police procedural book that delves into such detail of this aspect of a police officer's life. Links of Interest Patrick O'Donnell's website Patrick's Books: Cops and Writers I Never Wore Plaid (Joel Grey) Divorced Dad: Kids Are Forever, Wives are Not (L.J. Burke) Mad City Findaway Voices Episode 81 - Becoming Unskippable with Jim Kukral Stark Reflections Survey 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 second half of a Draft2Digital "Ask Us Anything" Live Chat that was recorded on Thursday June 27, 2019. The chat was composed of questions submitted by authors and answered by Dan Wood, Kevin Tumlinson, and Mark. Prior to the main segement, Mark shares a personal updateas 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 Live Chat, Dan, Kevin, and Mark cover these questions: How does Draft2Digital work with its retail and library partners for various promotional opportunities, and what do those platforms look for? Formatting your own copyright page VS the system-generated copyright page option that D2D offers. An overview of publishing your eBooks "wide" to all retailers VS being exclusive to Amazon Kindle. The way that libraries purchase eBooks (the two main liscening options). What's going on with Draft2Digital and Google Play. How can an author get their books onto bookstore and retailer shelves. How Findaway Voices might change the landscape for audiobooks being available beyond Audible. After the recording, Mark reflects on the importance of actually reaching out when there is an offer available to you as an author and taking advantage of it because you and your writing are valuable and worth it. Links of Interest The Draft2Digital Facebook Page The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video Draft2Digital Blog Post with video & full transcript Findaway Voices Stark Reflections Survey 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