Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Denise Massar, a writer, an adoptee, and a mom via birth and adoption about her new memoir MATCHED and the ten-year journey she took getting it published. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from a recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers. During their conversation Mark and Denise talk about: How Denise had been "big five or die" when it originally came to her publishing dream and how and why that changed over the years Some of the feedback that Denise's agent got back on submission of her memoir in 2020 and how they fueled her in a positive way Denise's agent coming up with a strategy to change the title, to wait a year as publishing shifts and movements within editorial departments would naturally occur, then to try to send it out on sub to the market again Some of the limitations within traditional publishing that happen with titles that might be perceived by some as "somewhat similar" How memoir from an "unknown" person is one of the hardest things to sell Prince Harry's penis Having run the course with her agent on this book, and the respectful mutual decision to part ways Submitting the book to a number of university presses without her agent The sudden health scare that turned out to be a benign lump that Denise had to have surgery to remove Resetting those initial big dreams that she had about what would happen when her book was finally published The importance of her kids seeing her "finish this book" that she'd been working on for 10 years Deciding to take the indie publishing approach which allowed her several freedoms, including changing the title back to MATCHED, working with the cover designer artist that she knew and liked, among other things Leveraging 60 different ARC readers for her memoir The power of hearing readers say things like "me too" - and "I never knew that anybody else went through that" and other ways a writer can come to feel that their writing resonates with readers Writing about her own adoption and realizing that for the first six months of her life, before she was adopted, that she must have been in foster care Altering the names of some of the people in the book in order to preserve their privacy How the eight different birth mothers Denise was in contact with via the course of adopting her son who ended up changing her life Advice Denise would give to her younger self as well as advise she'd give to beginning authors And more . . .   After the interview Mark reflects on just how significant it is when an editor provides any sort of feedback beyond a form/token "not for us at this time" rejection, as well as an agent that's willing to "re-package" a book in order to try to put it out on submission for a second round. He also reflects on how nothing can stop a determined writer.   Links of Interest: Denise Massar's Website Denise on Instagram Mark's Kickstarter for ONE HAND SCREAMING: 20 Haunting Years EP 188 - A Gritty & Real Adoption and Publishing Journey with Denise Massar Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Denise Massar is a writer, an adoptee, and a mom via birth and adoption. Her essays have been published in HuffPost, Writer's Digest, Mutha Magazine, Raise Magazine, An Injustice!, and she’s a recurring guest blogger for Jane Friedman. Denise’s memoir, Matched, is about the nine months she spent obsessively searching for a baby to adopt, the nine potential birth moms she met on that journey, and how, in a twist of fate, her son’s birth mom led Denise to the one person she thought she’d never meet: The woman who gave birth to her. You can find Matched anywhere you buy books, and you can read the first ten pages right now, and get Denise’s Top Ten Memoir Recommendations on her website, http://www.denisemassar.org/   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 and award-winning author Dianne Scott about her Christine Lane Mystery series which is set on Toronto Island in the 1960s. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from a recent newsletter he sent out asking writers to share their thoughts on the collective noun for a group of editors, a personal update (including the launch of his new Kickstarter campaign), and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers. During their conversation Mark and Dianne talk about: How, after writing a creative writing piece in University that was supposed to be a research essay, Dianne's teacher suggested that she switch her major over to English The teaching that Dianne has done for the past 30+ years Other writing that Dianne has worked on and published Dianne learning from her father, how he, as a police officer, used to patrol Toronto Island, and the spark of that into some ideas for her novels Deciding to make her main character a female officer in that place in the 1960s Preparing the final and 5th book in the series, FINAL LOOK, for publication in June 2025 Pitching and submitting her work to various Canadian markets The innate conflict that was part of the first novel in Dianne's Christine Lane series The "old VS new" conflict that happens in the stories in this setting Dianne's first two years in self/indie publishing Some of the volunteer work that Dianne does within her realms of expertise The importance of literacy  The different types of creativity that can fulfill that internal desire Advice Dianne would give to other writers And more...   After the interview Mark reflects on the research Dianne had to do as well as the concept of being creative in different ways.   Links of Interest: Dianne Scott's Website Mark's Kickstarter for ONE HAND SCREAMING: 20 Haunting Years EP 374 - WMG Publishing Editor Round Table Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Dianne Scott lives a short ferry ride from Toronto Island, which is the setting of her mystery novels. She is the award-winning author of the Christine Lane Mystery series. The first book, Final Look, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, Kobo Emerging Writers Award nominee and winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award. The second book, Missing, was a Finalist for the CWC Excellence in Writing Award. Lost and Found and Sabotage are the third and fourth books in the series. When Dianne is not writing, she is walking Toronto’s neighborhoods, coffee klatching with friends and cuddling her Bichon Poodle. She also teaches literacy skills and is working on her Erne in pickleball. For more information about Dianne, visit her website at diannescottauthor.com   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 shares some behind-the-scenes insights and helpful tips offered to him for his forthcoming Kickstarter. He also loses it briefly after discovering that 40 minutes of in depth and detailed recording was lost due to a tech issue with Audacity crashing. Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes a new patron, and introduces a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers. Mark's Kickstarter, coming very soon, is for the 20th Anniversary edition of his book One Hand Screaming.     Links of Interest: Mark's Kickstarter (Preview link as of Aug 15, 2024) Anthea L. Sharp's Kickstarter for Authors EP 374 - WMG Publishing Editor Round Table EP 373 - Musings on Getting a Masters and Getting Married Kickstarter Episodes EP 149 - Russell Nohelty - Killing it on Kickstarter EP 327 - Joanna Penn - Writing the Shadow EP 357 - Kevin J. Anderson - 50 Years of Short Stories EP 356 - T. Thorn Coyle - The Midlist Indie Author Mindset DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 has a round-table discussion with the seven other editors in the August 2024 WMG Publishing Anthology Workshop. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by Cruising Writers. The WMG Publishing Anthology workshops help authors see behind-the-scenes on how editors compile and select stories for anthologies. This in-depth and in-person experience involves a panel of editors (for August 2024 it was a panel of 8 editors) debating the merits of stories written by the attending authors. In this round-table discussion, Mark chats with the other editors: Kristine Kathryn Rusch Dean Wesley Smith Loren Coleman Anthea Sharp Chris York Ron Collins Brigid Collins They discuss advice for writers, some of the details about the process as well as the learnings (both as writers and editors).   Links of Interest: WMG Publishing Workshops DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 reflects and muses on the past couple of weeks where we got his Masters in Creative Writing with a concentration on Publishing (July 26th in Gunnison, CO) and got married to his partner Liz (July 29th in New York City, NY).   Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, welcomes new patron Jo-Ann Carson, shares comments from recent episode, and announces the winner of the mindset coaching session with Thorn Coyle.   Links of Interest: EP 356 - The Midlist Author Mindset with T. Thorn Coyle EP 370 - Questioning and Reflecting with Becca Syme EP 371 - Rambling Reflections from the Road July 2024 DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 Rick Hipson, author of the new book A REVIEWER'S GUIDE TO WRITING BOOK REVIEWS: AND HOW TO GET PAID FOR THEM. Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, welcomes new patron Kevin J. Anderson, shares comments from recent episode, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Rick talk about: Rick getting his first stint at writing (A ginger man story) back in Grade 2 or Grade 3 Catching the horror bug first when reading "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" when he was about nine years old Getting into vampires and reading stories about them at a young age Starting off writing for publication (fiction, interviews, and reviews) for a magazine called Insidious Reflections Rick's first author interview with Jack Ketchum and how it's one of the most memorable interview and one of his absolute favorites How Jack was a true gentleman who was gracious and so supportive of so many other people in the horror industry Rick interviewing Brian Keene through tweets Some of the struggles with transcription The way that Rick likes to conduct interviews Rick's podcast of interviews with horror authors and the various articles that he writes based on the context from those interviews Rick's interview with Frank Darabont of The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Interview advice that Frank Darabont offered to Rick Leveraging one's non-fiction interview assets in as many ways possible Rick's book, which launched July 26, 2024, A Reviewer’s Guide to Writing Book Reviews: And How to Get Paid for Them Deciding to go with a publisher (Crystal Lake Publishing) instead of self-publishing this title, and why The way that Rick worked his way through having his non-fiction pieces published in various horror markets A horror story Rick shares about his first review The importance of meeting people in person The single conference Rick will go to every single year and why A bit about Rick's podcast, Dark Bites And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on Rick's reasoning to go with a publisher as well as the long-term marketing effect of a reviewer feeling like they "owe" an author.   Links of Interest: Dark Bites Rick's Book Rick's Linktree DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 reflects and talks his way through a several week stretch where there are many things to do and too little time to get them done.   Links of Interest: EP 301 - Procrastinating Partners: Collaborating with Liz Anderson DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   The introductory, end, and bumper 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

Author and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach Becca Syme discusses handling unexpected situations, Clifton Strengths, dealing with emotions in writing, and her coaching journey. Mark shares his top strengths, challenges in audiobook recording, and leveraging external motivation. Becca's books, including 'Dear Writer You Need to Quit,' spark humor. The podcast addresses writing challenges for high empathy individuals and emphasizes disconnecting from technology for creativity.

Mark interviews Kaye Lynn Booth about her writing life and her new book The DIY Author. Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons and Buy Me A Coffee buddies, as well as a word from this episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Kaye Lynn talk about: Kaye having written since 1994 and selling her first poem in 1996 Having always wanted to take a DIY approach to her creativity Signing up for a booth at a local fair without having anything to sell and how that led to a creative way of selling her poems Kaye's poem "Voices" and the perfect painting she found to use with it that was also called "Voices" and how that led to another collaborative poem and painting The early blog-related writing that Kaye had done when the internet was still "young" Creating the Writing to be Read brand on her blog/website and writing reviews for books she had read How Kaye's blog remains her biggest marketing tool The blog team that Kaye has writing specific content for her site Getting degrees in genre fiction and screen-writing and then going back with the concentration in publishing Kaye's perspective on what the harder part of writing and publishing is The long-term outlook that Kaye has taken when it comes to creating and building an audience with her blog The breakdown and sections of Kaye's book THE DIY AUTHOR Kaye's first poetry collection: Small Wonders The children's books that Kaye has written The various genres that Kaye writes in as she follows her passion And more . . .   After the interview Mark reflects making do with what you have and the creativity that can come when you find you've painted yourself into a corner.   Links of Interest: Kaye Lynn Booth's Writing to be Read Website EP 356 - The Midlist Indie Author Mindset with T. Thorn Coyle DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.   The introductory, end, and bumper 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 has a chat with Clayton Noblit, a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. Prior to the interview, Mark thanks Patrons, welcomes a few new Buy Me A Coffee buddies, shares a personal update, and shares a word from this episode's sponsor. episode's sponsor. Learn more about this self-publishing/WIDE-publishing focused cruise. In the interview Mark and Clayton talk about: What Written Media is (a book marketing/promotions company) Clayton's personal background as a marketer, and a big reader, but not an author The purposeful design of the Written Word Media dashboard to help authors schedule a marketing promotion in about 20 minutes then get back on to the other parts of their day The various Written Word Media reader-facing brands: FreeBooksy, BargainBooksy, Red Feather Romance, New in Books, and Audiothicket Their partnerships with other reader promo sites like eReader News Today, Book Barbarian, Hello Books, and others The strategy of promo stacking by spreading marketing promotions out over a series of 3 to 5 days How the Facebook Ads and Amazon Ads support at Written Word Media works The Written Word Media membership levels (Gold and Platinum) which offer a 10% discount on booking promos as well as additional exclusive promotion options and savings on other third party services The Limelight feature promotion option available for members The content that appears on the Written Word Media blog, including regular surveys of authors and industry trends A few of the responses from a survey conducted in late 2023 A discussion of author's perceptions of AI and social media The importance of diversifying instead of being reliant on a single platform Advice Clayton offers to authors working on promoting and marketing their books   After the interview Mark reflects on just how much Written Word Media has grown over the years, by listening to authors, and adding tools and options to allow for greater efficiency in marketing. He also notes how authors are becoming more professional in their approach of planning ahead, and admits to not being as good at making those plans as he'd hoped.   Links of Interest: Written Word Media EP 008 - Author Promotions with Ricci Wolman from Written Word Media EP 185 - Promotion Results and Analysis EP 285 - Written Word Media's Top 10 Publishing Trends for 2023 EP 342 - Publishing Trend Reflections for 2024 DropCap Marketplace  Use coupon STARK20 to get 20% off Cruising Writers Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard   Clayton Noblit is a senior marketing manager at Written Word Media. He is passionate about helping authors find their readers and finding ways to sell more books. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and making beverages. The introductory, end, and bumper 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