Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

In this episode, Mark shares an article that he recently had published in WRITE magazine, the official magazine of The Writer's Union of Canada. In the word about this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices . . .. . . Mark shares a recent announcement from BookBub regarding Chirp, the new audiobook promotion service they are launching in partnership with Findaway. 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 reflects on how procrastination recently led to him finally being "caught with his pants down" at the recent WMG Publishing anthology workshop. For the main segment of the show, Mark reads an article entitled "Two Publishing Paths Diverged in a Digital World: A Stark Look at Self-Publishing" which appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of WRITE magazine. He then talks about why he feels it was important for this article to appear in that particular magazine. Links of Interest BookBub Announcement About Chirp (Audiobook Promotion) Findaway Voices Fiction River Pulphouse Magazine WMG Anthology Workshop The Writers' Union of Canada Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey 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 extremely short episode, Mark talks about Procrastination and how it has been a significant part of who he is and how he works on projects. He talks a bit about the Fiction River anthology project that he is currently in Vegas for as an editor (and how that relates to this topic), as well as Tim Urban's hilarious and yet accurate portrayal of what goes on in side the mind of a master procrastinator. Links of Interest: Tim Urban Tim Urban's TED talk on Procrastination: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator Wait But Why (Blog) Fiction River WMG Anthology Workshop Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey 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 plays clips from a couple of other podcasts, shares some personal updates related to his own audiobook products, and goes neck deep into his thoughts about audiobooks for authors. The 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. Some of the topics Mark covers in this episode include: How much he still loves the 1987 song "Somewhere Down The Crazy River" by Robbie Robertson A FreeBooksy promo he recently ran on an erotic horror title called SOMETHING WICKED (Nocturnal Screams 7) A BookBub promo he ran with his pal Sean Costello for the book HERE AFTER A new computer synth version of his book The 7 P's of Publishing Success that is now available and why he is pricing this version at 99 cents A sample from his new VocoCraft computer synth version of the book, as well as the same sample from the human self-narrated version of the book The recent Public Lending Right Program check he received for the appearance of his books in Canadian libraries and why authors in Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries that have a PLR program should take advantage of that His recent guest appearance on The Sell More Books Show with Jim Kukral (Mark stepped in at the last minute to replace co-host Bryan Cohen who was ill) A short clip from Episode 255 of The Sell More Books Show talking about a new "choose your own audio" project from Amazon A couple of clips from The Creative Penn podcast episode 417, where Joanna interviewed Will Dages from Findaway Voices The reveal of the new Voices Share program from Findaway Voices Mark also welcomes new Patron Sherilyn Decter and thanks all patrons who support the show and have access to additional audio content (Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts) and other material at www.patreon.com/starkreflections. He also thanks those who commented on Episode 62 and draws the name of two winners for the Mythulu creation cards. Links of Interest: Written Word Media (BargainBooksy, FreeBooksy, etc) BookBub The 7 P's of Publishing Success The VocoCraft Computer Synth Version VocoCraft Public Lending Rights Program (Canada) YouTube Video The Sell More Books Show (Episode 255) The Creative Penn Podcast (Episode 417) Mythulu Superstars Writing Seminars Patreon for Stark Reflections Stark Reflections Survey Something Wicked (Nocturnal Screams 7) 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 interviews Laura Shanae Crenshaw, a writer, a world-builder, a photographer, an all around creative person, and the creator of the Mythulu creation cards. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a few details from last week's Superstars Writers Seminars that stuck out to him, both writing and business-of-writing related activities as well as an unexpected pleasant personal experience. He then talks about the audiobook panels he was on and mentions this episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices. He shares that, in 2018, 6% of his writing income came from audio, and from sources well behind the major retailers for audiobooks (such as Audible, Apple, Kobo and Google). . . . you can learn more about how you can get your work distributed not only to those top retailers, but also to other retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their chat, Mark and Laura discuss: Laura's unusual introduction into writing via imaginary stories from her older sister The basic concept behind the Mythulu creativity enhancement tool that Laura created Daniel Kahneman (author of "Thinking Fast and Slow") and how his idea that the brain can only hold 6 ideas at a time led to the six packs in Laura's deck Filling a story with rich meaning instead of tropes and cliches The archetypes used in the tool: Elements, Habitats, Characters, Relationships, Traits, and Textures Examples of "Blood" as one of the 50 archetypical elements and the various interpretations associated with it How research led to the creation of something a lot more complex than was laid out by Joseph Campbell in his mythological archetypes Mark's consideration of Laura's reading of the deck as being similar to a Tarot reading Examples of how a writer might use the deck to fill in details or answering outstanding questions Laura's passion for helping writers tell new stories and incorporate new ideas into their writing The non-fiction book that Laura ghost-wrote called "Never Boss" How Laura was introduced to and invited to Superstars Writing Seminars by James Owen After the interview, Mark reminds listeners of their chance to win a copy of the Mythulu Creation Cards just by commenting on this episode at www.starkreflections.ca. The winner will be randomly drawn from all commenters, and patrons supporting the show via Patreon.com/StarkReflections who leave a comment will get an additional bonus opportunity to win. He then reflects on how Laura was welcomed in to the Superstars Writing Seminars Tribe, discusses the concept of that incredibly powerful "family" feeling at the conference, as well as elements of Love that go beyond notions of romantic love and are more about the beautiful way that people can connect to one another and support each other. Links of Interest: Mythulu Superstars Writing Seminars Fiction River: Feel the Love 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

This short episode includes a brief chat with Adriel Wiggins about her author resource business (author assistant and continuity editing) as well as a few quick nuggets from the recent Superstars Writing Seminars that Mark attended in early February 2019. The episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark shares a fun Valentine's promotion from them called FOR THE LOVE OF AUDIOBOOKS. Readers can use a coupon code ("loveaudio") to get as many titles from this wonderful collection of romance audiobooks in time for Valentines' Day. https://shop.authors-direct.com/collections/for-the-love-of-audiobooks . . . you can learn more at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. In their brief chat, Mark and Adriel talk about: Adriel talks about how she got involved in creating services to assist authors The "I'm not letting you go ever!" response from her first author client Her specialties which are related to data analytics and promotion schedules Some of the common mistakes authors make when hiring a personal assistant Mark explains that he'll be doing a full interview with Adriel in a forthcoming episode. For the last part of this short episode, he shares three of the many tidbits of things he learned at Superstars Writing Seminars. Three Small Nuggets From the Landslide of Gold at SSWS 1. Yasiv.com - a cloud map (visual representation of also boughts for AMS ads, BookBub and Facebook targeting, etc) - a great reminder from James Hunter. 2. QUOTE: "You don't have a muse, you have a mortgage." - Jim Butcher, reminding writers what being a professional means. 3. The D10 of Power Writing - The concept of using a 10 sided die to set a writing goal before you consider yourself finished. Simple - Multiple the number rolled on the die by 1000. If you roll a 1, you write 1000 words, if you roll a 10, then 10,000 words. Mark concludes by stating that he left Superstars Writing Seminars having lined up a wonderful series of interviews from several great people that you'll hear in forthcoming episodes. For example, next episode will feature a chat with Laura Shanae Crenshaw of Mythulu and she shares the incredible intriguing Mythulu deck that helps a writer come up with insightful characters, situations and incidents in their stories that move well beyond tropes or the low-hanging fruit of "the first thing that comes to mind." Links of Interest: Superstars Writing Seminars Adriel Wiggins James A. Hunter Jim Butcher Mythulu 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

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