Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews James Fell, the author of The Holy Shit Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in An Instant about his new book. This episode comes with a special offer. If you comment on the show at www.starkreflections.ca (Episode 60) in the first week, your name will be entered into a random draw for winning a copy of the book. The choice of the format (Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook) will be decided by the winner.  (Please note this podcast is airing Feb 8, 2019) Prior to the interview, Mark shares a bit of a personal update, which includes mention of his trip to Superstars Writing Seminars this week as well as a brief word about the episode's corporate sponsor,  Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   In their conversation, Mark and James talk about: The approach James takes when it comes to merging research, attitude and humor in the different articles and columns he writes Where and when the submit matter of an article seems to naturally call for profanity How a cold call (and not following the "standard advice" on the matter) led to a role as a bi-weekly columnist for the La Times The dopamine rush that comes with the recognition of progress The length of time and the amount of work it takes to make it as a writer James' first book, Lose it Right, which sold only to a publisher in Canada (Random House Canada) The decision to write a book within the system of the markets that went beyond fitness and weight loss while maintaining a consistent moral code How there are plenty of self-help books out there that are absolute crap Being goal and motivation oriented Early positive feedback already received on the book and the personal revelations shared from early and beta readers How the book idea came to James in the middle of a long bike ride The concept of System 1 and System 2 from Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Malcolm Gladwell as an example of an author who drilled down in a narrow and focused way into a specific subject within common knowlege, including reference to science and insightful anecdotes The concept of making this a "how to" book about making insights/epiphanies happen The outreach for personal stories and the series of interviews with field experts on the topic How running is a creative process for James The two important elements: 1) The open-ness to the belief that this (a transformative event) can happen 2) Analysis followed by distraction Giving yourself the opportunity for an ephiphany to arrive after first setting the stage by asking questions The importance of being comfortable turning distractions completely off and engaging with nature for arriving at these types of scenarios (looking out the window rather than reading or listening to music) What "shower thoughts" are and why they are important The great value of a "walk in nature" The wave of emotion that comes when "the answer" arrives How we struggle with making "baby steps" because we are not inspired - more likely we felt like it was something we "had to do" The challenging process of recording the audiobook, which was different than any of the radio or speaking experience James has had Recording the audiobook in a music studio that was most often used for "death metal" The four seven-hour days of recording the book and how exhausting the experience was After the interview Mark reflects on how writers can often experience revelations or sudden insights related to the characters in the books and stories they are writing. He also comments on the Thoreau-like perspective Fell shares, about the importance of walking in nature. Links of Interest:   James Fell Website James Fell Twitter Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo   James Fell, MA, MBA, is a motivation, health, and fitness writer for the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. He has written extensively for Chatelaine and AskMen.com, and authored pieces in TIME Magazine, the Guardian, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and many other publications. He has a massive and highly engaged following on Facebook and Twitter, and his blog, Body For Wife, has millions of visitors a year. He is also the author of Lose It Right. He lives in Calgary, AB.   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 Episode 59 Mark interviews Sara Rider, author of contemporary romances full of heart and heat about strong women and the men who can’t resist them. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few personal updates which include: Recently reading THE HOLY SH!T MOMENT by James Fell A forthcoming trip to Colorado Springs for Superstars Writing Seminars Thanks Patreon supporters with a note that there'll be additional content posted for them upon his return from Superstars in early Feb 2019 Mark also shares a word about this episode's corporate sponsor,  Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   In their conversation, Mark and Sara talk about: How Sara's passion for and experience in soccer and reading romance novels led to a series of romance novels that focus on professional soccer players The wishfulfilment element of those novels Sara's experience with slush piles, an agent and having her first novels published by an imprint of Pocket Books, one of the world's largest publishers The reasons why Sara decided to self-publish her next series, which included the ability to give away free books How Sara continues to work with her agent while exploring both traditional publishing and self-publishing opportunities Mark's discovery of Sara's Books and Brews series because of the unique craft brewery setting for these novels and the reasons why Sara decided to use that as part of the setting How the idea for a book can pop right into Sara's head almost fully formed The elements that connect the books in the Books & Brews series (which include the intertwined world of writers and brewers) The division of time related to working full time, raising a family and writing The role of deadlines in Sara's writing life Tips for ensuring that her break and lunch-time writing sessions are not compromised Sara's biggest regrets from when her first novel was launched and what she would have changed The approach Sara takes with her newsletter   After the interview, Mark reflects on Sara's mention of the fact that readers are interested in and want to like the writers that they read. Links of Interest:   Sara Rider's Website Sara on Twitter Findaway Voices Superstars Writing Seminars Superstars Writing Seminars 2018 Video Highlights Video - Using Exercise to Help Process Information Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo   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 speaks with Win Charles. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Win has defied the odds by becoming an author. Her memoir I, Win is an amazing story of how she remembers her life through the years of having a condition called “CP”. Win truly is an unstoppable inspiration. Before the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update about the progress he is making on recording the audiobook for The 7 P's of Publishing Success. He also shares the sources of the most recent royalty payment he has received from Findaway Voices, indicating that the four that made up his most recent audiobook income came from: Playster hibooks Bountiful Authors Direct If you want to learn how you can leverage the power of Findaway Voices . . . . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.   In their conversation, Mark and Win talk about: The 10 books that Win has written and published How easy it is to use Draft2Digital to publish eBooks Win's latest book Smile With Dictation which explains the process of how Win uses dictation to assist with writing The combination of using Siri and Dragon Naturally Speaking Dictation that Win uses to write her books How long it takes to train dictation software Win's first book I, Win, which came out 8 years ago The improvement in technology of dictation software between Win's first book and her latest one The writing space Win prefers to write in The passion for writing that Win has always held The story behind the book I, Win and how it ties in to the loss of her mother How Win does her best using social media to support independent authors The origin of Win's jewelry company Win's experience participating in the Kona Ironman The role that teaching and education has played in Win's life The journalism degree that Win is currently in the process of working towards Win's podcast (AskWin) that has reached more than 1000 episodes Existing audiobooks Win has created (and how), and the plans Win has for future audiobooks After the interview Mark reflects on Win's message of the importance of showing people what you CAN do, not what you CAN'T do.   Links of Interest: Win Charles' Website Win's Books2Read Author Page Smile With Dictation I, Win Findaway Voices Draft2Digital Hibooks Dragon Speech Recognition Solutions Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo   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 the episode Mark interviews Donna Cook who has published over a dozen books in two genres. She writes epic fantasy under her own name and writes contemporary romance as Jordyn White. Donna talks not only about her writing life as both Donna and Jordyn, but also offers up advice on the important topic of Cash Flow for Writers. Before the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . which includes their recent announcement of two new international distribution options: MLOL and AudiobooksNZ. You can read more about that here: Findaway Blog. Mark provides a personal update and also welcomes new patron Pranathi K. In their interview, Mark and Donna talk about: The fact that writers and creative types don't often talk about money Donna's eye-opening experience understanding the importance of her relationship to money The importance of applying her financial know-how to her author business The basic principles of understanding money flow and cash flow The additional costs of charging and using credit Where people can go to find more information about cash flow via Donna's course and Excel tool: jordynwhitebooks.com/courses The difference between the creative writer Donna Cook and the romance author Jordyn White The fact that Donna can write contemporary romance faster than she can write epic fantasy The satisfaction that comes with the regular production of creative writing The eclectic music that Donna listens to when she is writing The Wonder Woman sound-track and accompanying poster in Donna's "power woman" room The "no need to sign up" ability to read a complete book right online that Donna has recently created and how it removes a barrier for readers The "Writer CEO" one day conference Donna and her colleague Colleen are running in Sept 2019 in Boise, Idaho The fact that Donna will be presenting at NINC in the fall of 2019 How Donna divides up the different writing, coaching and teaching work she does in order to make her writing time more effective The advice Donna would give herself when she was first starting up, including the importance of patience After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of patience, and the hard work and blood and sweat and tears that writers put in behind the scenes. Links of Interest: Donna Cook Website Jordyn White Website Donna's Online Courses Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey WMG Publishing Business Master Class The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo   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 speaks with Katie Cross, a writer, mother and out-door enthusiast. On her website, Katie describes herself in this way: "I am a creator of worlds, destroyer of evil, and a born wordsmith bringing light to the dark night of those that need an escape." This is the perfect description for her, which you will get a solid taste of in the interview. Before the interview, Mark welcomes new Patron Ember Casey, thanking her for her patronage of the Stark Reflections podcast. Ember and other patrons will have access to 27 patron-only posts, 3 special mini "Stark Reflections on other Podcasts" episodes and other additional audio and video content for as little as a coffee or two a month. If you are interested in the extra content or supporting the show, you can check it out at patreon.com/starkreflections. Mark also shares a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . . . . as part of his personal update, which includes:   2019 audiobook plans An update on the progress with recording of the audiobook for The 7 P's of Publishing Success A detailed look at three different views of Mark's 2018 writing income, broken down by type, format and activity. In the interview Mark and Katie talk about: The inspiration behind the first YA Fantasy series that Katie wrote, which started with the novel Miss Mabel's School for Girls, which was published in 2014 The Wattpad-like platform that Katie first started releasing the book on in order to get honest feedback before she published it Learning how to read as an author rather than reading as a reader The reason why Katie has the entire Antebellum series book covers designed and ready to go even though she hasn't published them yet How the Dragonmaster Trilogy was initially supposed to be part of the Antebellum Collection, but became it's own unique project The process of finding professionals to work with, through networking, slowly, over the years The importance of Efficiency and Intention The concepts of balance and counterbalance Outsourcing particular tasks, like housekeeping and accounting, to allow for prioritizing writing activities The two businesses that Katie runs - the Fiction Business and the GhostWriting Business (ghost-writing non-fiction books for high end entrepreneurs who want to write a book but either don't want to do the writing or aren't able to) The scheduling for tasks such as social media, email, and interacting with fans The importance of scheduling "self-care" time into each day The community of about 200 people that Katie and her family are a part of The daily hiking routine that is important for the entire family (including the dogs) How Katie runs Facebook ads for her fiction and how much she spends per month on these ads The two distinct mailing lists that Katie has for her different fan bases (YA Fantasy and Chick Lit), and how she interacts with and cares for the people on each list The importance of talking to the reasons why reasons gravitate towards each of those unique genres The advice that Katie would give to her herself when she was first starting, which includes finding a good mentor After the interview, Mark reflects on the concept of Balance and Counterbalance.   Links of Interest: Katie Cross Writing Katie Cross ChickLit Katie Cross Ghostwriting Findaway Voices Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Jeff Goins Blog Wattpad The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo   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 takes a look at his 2018 writing and publishing goals and shares the hits, the misses and the alterations that took place in the past twelve months. He feels it is important to remind writers that if they are already beating themselves up for not completing all the previous year's goals, that he didn't hit all his goals; that he failed at most of them; that he screwed up along the way; that he made mistakes. But also that he adapted several of the goals he'd set as I went along. And he inserted new goals mid-year. That can happen. It will happen. It's how you deal with those changes that can make the difference between seeing it as a complete failure, or seeing it as an ongoing work in progress. Mark then says a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . Mark first talks about the goals he had set at the beginning of 2018 and how he did with them: 1) Write a non-fiction book called INDIE PUBLISHING INSIDER SECRETS 2) Finish the sequel to A CANADIAN WEREWOLF IN NEW YORK 3) Finish the sequel to EVASION 4) Pitch and write a traditionally published book SPIRITS UNTAPPED - to Dundurn 5) Compile a new full book short story collection 6) Stay retired   He then shares a number of goals for 2019: 1) Publish Audiobook for 7 P's of Publishing Success 2) Publish Audiobook for Killing It on Kobo 3) Finish writing and Publish eBook/Print and audio for Indie Publishing Insider Secrets 4) Publish Audiobook for ACWWINY 5) Publish Audiobook for I, DEATH 6) Publish Audiobook for ONE HAND SCREAMING (story collection) 7) Write and release SCREAMING SKULLS: And Other Haunted Objects in eBook/print and audio 8) Finish the first draft of FEAR AND LONGING IN LOS ANGELES 9) Book new speaking gigs - Ideally, another keynote either in the last half of 2019 or the first half of 2020   Mark also shares his 2018 eBook sales percentages: Kindle - 45.97% Kobo - 20.68% StoryBundle - 20.27% BundleRabbit - 6.80% Apple - 3.25% Nook - 2.30% Direct Sales - 0.30% Google - 0.21% Scribd - 0.12% Tolino - 0.06% Smashwords - 0.04%   Mark talks about what he achieved and what he didn't achieve in 2018. He talks about what he did well and what he didn't do well. He reminds writers of the importance of focusing on the forward momentum made, even where a goal wasn't completed, if there was forward momentum that is a step in the right direction.   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 the final episode of 2018, Mark interviews Science Fiction and Fantasy author Lindsay Buroker, a successful author who has been indie publishing for about eight years.  Prior to the interview, Mark shares a short personal update and thanks new Patron, Michael Lister; he also mentions that he recently released the third special "Reflections on other Podcasts" episodes for Patrons, which appears at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. He also thanks those who reached out to him after hearing him on episode 408 of The Creative Penn Podcast which was released on Dec 23rd. Mark then says a word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .In their conversation, Mark and Lindsay talk about: The main differences between when Lindsay first started out more than eight years ago releasing her first novel, The Emperor's Edge (while also producing her first podcast), and today The joy of getting to a place where each book's sales are enough to ensure paying for the cost of production The pros and cons of writing in multiple series in different genres Reasons why Lindsay released a new series of novels under a fresh and then-unknown pen name in 2014 Managing three mailing lists for the different reader bases that Lindsay has acquired over the years for different genres and pen names Maintaining a very personable persona in the mailing lists and in discussions with her fans The benefit of hosting a podcast with two other people for the SF & Fantasy Marketing Podcast, compared with the solo podcast (Saavy Self-Publishing) that Lindsay created many years earlier What Lindsay gets out of her guests from being one of the hosts of the SF & Fantasy podcast Why she is happy that she didn't experience a lot of luck early on in her writing success, and, instead, slowly built up her readership over time and how they can become loyal fans Lindsay's one experience writing collaboratively and whether or not she plans on doing that again Some of the reasons why, despite her success, Lindsay hasn't yet hired a personal or virtual assistant The early adoption of audiobooks that Lindsay invested in years before most indie authors began creating audiobooks What Lindsay would tell her younger self who was just beginning as a writer After the interview, Mark reflects on the personal connection that Lindsay enjoys and maintains as an important and authentic element of her author journey. Links of Interest: Lindsay Buroker's Website Lindsay's Facebook Page Lindsay on Twitter Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast Findaway Voices WMG Publishing Anthology Workshop RUSH - Hold Your Fire Album Info Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey   Lindsay Buroker has early memories of convincing childhood friends, pets, and stuffed animals to play the roles of characters in her worlds, so it’s safe to say she’s been making up stories for a long time. She published her first novel, The Emperor’s Edge, in December of 2010 and has written and published more than 50 novels since then, most under her own name, but a few steamier ones under a pen name. When she’s not writing, she’s usually hiking with her dogs, practicing yoga, playing tennis, or eating entirely too much dark chocolate (she only does one of those things truly well, and she will let you guess which it is). She grew up in the Seattle area but has itchy feet and has moved several times over the years. She most recently landed in Bend, Oregon, where she and her dogs now have eighty acres to roam around on. Someday, she may even have a house on that land.  If you’re interested in reading more of her work, you can download The Emperor’s Edge, Star Nomad, and Balanced on the Blade’s Edge for free in your favorite store.    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 Aaron Pogue (President), Kris Austin (CEO) and Toby Nance (CTO), the co-founders of Draft2Digital about how they worked together and played off one another's strengths to create the company. This episode is a bit of a response from a few listeners who heard Mark mention that he recently joined the D2D team, but they weren't familiar with the company. They asked if it might be possible to share a bit of information about what Draft2Digital is all about. If you're not familiar with Draft2Digital, this will provide a decent introduction. And if you think you know Draft2Digital, perhaps there'll also be some deeper info and insights for you to learn even more by pulling a bit of that curtain back on three gentlemen who usually prefer to operate behind the scenes at this author-friendly company. Prior to the interview, Mark talks about the new announcement from this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .. . . which is called VOICES PLUS. Mark then provides a personal update which includes his recent visit to Oklahoma City to visit the Draft2Digital office, his short story "The Ritual of the Drawing" which recently appeared in the anthology Amazing Monster Tales: Dawn of the Monsters. Mark also mentions his recent appearances on a few other podcasts, including the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast and the Disruptor Podcast.   In their conversation, Mark, Aaron, Kris and Toby talk about: How Aaron has been a writer since he was six years old and how his interest in self-publishing led to his desire to have a tool to make it easy to publish The fact that the three of them became best friends in college The initial "Google Doc to eBook" conversion tool that was a command line program that Aaron had requested Toby create for him How that tool was the beginning of the collaboration between Aaron and Toby, and Kris to create a platform all authors could benefit from The business proposal Kris put together that involved making a product that gave authors power in the industry Toby's joking description of Aaron as both Draft2Digital's first user and least supported user The company's goals to offer the best customer support of any of the other players in the industry The importance of making the systems and systems easy for non-techical persons The partnership of being there to help writers achieve their writing and publishing goals The origin of Universal Book Links from looking in detail at author problems that everyone knows about but nobody has time to work on (such as allowing the author a single link to their book where readers can choose the retailer where they'd like to purchase that book) How Books to Read links work better the more readers who use it (including the ability for users to set their own prefered store that Books2Read will automatically take them directly to The recently announced Account Sharing Controls that allow for virtual assistants, for example, to manage some of an author's metadata and assets without having access to their more sensitive information, such as banking information The things that they are each most looking forward to as we head into 2019 After the interview, Mark reflects on three things this conversation and recent trip to Oklahoma City made him think about: Personal connections in a digital world, collaboration and being open minded.   Links of Interest: Draft2Digital D2D Blog D2D Announcement about Shared Accounts Findaway Voices Voices Plus Announcement Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast Episode 210 Disruptor Podcast Episode 5 Amazing Monster Tales Stark Reflections Episode with Jamie Ferguson (Episode 27) Kelsie Stelting Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey   Aaron Pogue is the President and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a company offering online, author-assistance tools to enhance the business of publishing. Sporting simple but beautiful ebook formatting and conversion as well as easy distribution across some of the most powerful digital stores available, D2D is growing both its market share and its influence in the self-publishing world. Draft2Digital was founded in 2012 and enjoys continued growth and success. Before taking his post at Draft2Digital, Aaron worked as both a Technical Writer with the Federal Aviation Administration and a writing professor at the university level. He holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Oklahoma. He also self-publishes novels in the fantasy and science fiction genres. His books have sold a quarter of a million copies since his debut in 2010. Kris Austin is the CEO and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a company offering online, author-assistance tools to enhance the business of publishing. Sporting simple but beautiful ebook formatting and conversion as well as easy distribution across some of the most powerful digital stores available, D2D is growing both its market share and its influence in the self-publishing world. Draft2Digital was founded in 2012 and enjoys continued growth and success. Before taking this post with Draft2Digital, Kris worked for a private information technologies firm, where he managed the IT departments of dozens of Oklahoma City businesses. He received a B. S., Computer Science from Oklahoma Christian University in 2004. Toby Nance is the CTO and co-founder of Draft2Digital, a company offering online, author-assistance tools to enhance the business of publishing. Sporting simple but beautiful ebook formatting and conversion as well as easy distribution across some of the most powerful digital stores available, D2D is growing both its market share and its influence in the self-publishing world. Toby has been the head of development for Draft2Digital since its founding in 2012. Before taking this post with Draft2Digital, Toby worked at MSCI as a team lead writing custom workflows in LISP. He also worked on the Core Development Team, improving their tool support for LISP. Before that, he worked as Senior Design Engineer at Lowrance Electronics in charge of automotive mapping. He wrote a turn-by-turn routing navigation system and tides and currents prediction software and maps.     The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mark interviews author Gary Collins about the simple life, both the name of a series of books as well as the new life he enjoys after some very unique experiences that include military intelligence and Special Agent. Before the interview, Mark shares a personal update that involves flying to Vancouver for the annual CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Convention and then to Oklahoma City to spend some time with his colleagues at Draft2Digital. Mark then says a few words about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . . In their conversation, Mark and Gary talk about: Gary's long and circuitous approach into publishing, the great lessons learned and passions experienced along the way The concept of not just knowing how the sausage was made but actually being the sausage via his life as a government agent The early 40's burnout Gary experienced, which led to a new beginning and new passions that included health and fitness The valueable mentorship and tough love that Gary experienced from Steven Pressfield Gary's first experience in self-publishing where mistakes were made and more lessons were learned Books that were derived from trying to provide information to clients without having to repeat the same info over and over The purchase of twenty acres of land and building a house off the grid and the resulting influx of questions about it that led to another book The process of saving money for six months, then building for another six months, then working and saving money for the next period, in a repeated cycle How the sales of the book about the simple life and going off the grid attracted a distribution company The mistakes on Gary's path and how he didn't find his purpose, but his purpose found him How Gary doesn't rely on scheduling for his writing, but the disclipline involved when he actually sits down 20Booksto50K being the first writer conference that Gary has ever attended and the fortuitous break of being able to attend after being on the waiting list for the sold-out show Learning the importance of integrating oneself with other writers How Mark and Gary connected via the RUSH shirt that Gary had been wearing one day at 20Booksto50K The fact that Gary will go ahead and reach out to anyone without any fear because "what's the worst that can happen?" Gary's withdrawl from social media in the past year and his belief on how it can suck the life out of a person Advice on how to adapt the simple life methodology into one's life How a person's purpose can change over time, and the reality that the purpose doesn't have to be dramatic or enormous The importance of putting effort into the positive rather than into the negative After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of "reaching out to anyone" and explores the possible risk along with the possible opportunity involved in that. Links of Interest: Gary's Website CAPS Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey   Gary Collins has a very interesting and unique background that includes military intelligence, Special Agent for the U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Collins’ background and expert knowledge brings a much-needed perspective to today’s areas of simple living, health, nutrition, entrepreneurship, self-help and being more self-reliant. His website www.thesimplelifenow.com, and The Simple Life book series (his total lifestyle reboot), blows the lid off of conventional life and wellness expectations, and is considered essential for every person seeking a simpler, and happier life. Gary now lives off-the-grid part of the year in a remote area of NE Washington State, and the other part of year exploring in his travel trailer with his trusty black lab Barney. 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 Rachel Amplett, the author of the successful Dan Taylor and Kay Hunter police procedural thrillers as well as stand alone thrillers and mystery novels. The interview includes a lot of information related to this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .Mark shares a bit of an update about the the new Authors Direct option that Findaway Voices is beta testing. In their chat, Mark and Rachel talk about: What compelled Rachel to writing in the first place. The confusing and conflicting messages she received from different publishers when shopping her first Dan Taylor novel around. How Rachel started out in indie publishing a stand alone novel, WHITE GOLD, seven years ago after a suggestion from a friend (and how it all started with a Goodreads page and an author account at Smashwords). The emails from readers around the world that prompted Rachel to write a sequel to her first novel; something she hadn't planned in the first place. How the experience of being approached by a publisher in Italy interested in publishing an Italian version of her novel WHITE GOLD (having found her "by accident") prompted her to see what could be done by applying her experince as a project administrator into a business plan with marketing efforts, which she started at 2015. The fact that Kobo was the first retail platform where her sales really started to take off after a 99 cent BookBub deal. Being so successful that she was able to go full time as writer without having actually "broken out" in the US, the one market that seems to be the easiest for authors to break into. Getting into the audiobook market relatively early as part of a strategic business plan. Investing some of the money that was coming in from Rachel's Kay Hunter novels into the creation of the audiobooks and the stacked-up rapid release of the first several books in the series within a couple of months. The producer and narrator Rachel found in the UK for the audiobooks. How the narrator, Alison Campbell, has become the voice of Kay Hunter for Rachel and many of her listening readership. The challenge of staying on the exhausting "hamster wheel" that a writer can find themselves on working on steady releases and how Rachel is avoiding burn-out by strategic scheduling and the inclusion of passion projects. How success can come from sitting down at the end of a project and engaging in an exercise of "lessons learned." The early success Rachel has seen via Findaway Voices sales at Playster. How you can never know where in the world the sales of your books can come from. What happens when you try something a little bit different and focus on the niche markets that are working for you. How Rachel Findaway Voices Authors Direct program was a Godsend. How a large portion of Rachel's print books sell to libraries around the world - a great way for readers to read their favorite authors for free in eBook, print and audio. The things Rachel thinks will be the most important for authors to think about in the next year. After the interview, Mark shares his thoughts on the success Rachel had outside of Amazon as well as her systematic project management process that helps keep her on track and balanced in her writing life. He then shares a few appearances he had recently on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast as well as in a Reedsy live webinar about selling more on Kobo.   Links of Interest: Rachel Amplett's Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Rachel's Novels Kay Hunter Series English Spy Mysteries Dan Taylor Series Standalone Thrillers Rachel's Shop Direct Audiobook link (via Authors Direct) Mark's Shop Direct Audiobook link (via Authors Direct) Findaway Voices Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast - EP 210: Selling More at Kobo and Relying Less on Amazon Reedsy Webinar (Video Replay) - Getting Your Book Featured on Kobo The 7 P's of Publishing Success Killing It On Kobo Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey   Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant. She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series. After living in Brisbane, Australia for 13 years, Rachel has now returned to the UK. She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag. Her novels are available in eBook, paperback and audiobook formats from worldwide retailers including Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Google Play. A keen traveller, Rachel holds both EU and Australian passports and can usually be found plotting her next trip two years in advance! 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