Mark Leslie Lefebvre's Blog, page 25

Episode 207 – Library and Bookstore Strategies

This solo episode features a recording of a talk Mark gave at When Words Collide 2021.

Prior to the talk, Mark shares a personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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.

Links of Interest:

Episode 99 – Getting Your Book into LibrariesEpisode 191 – Insights from the Immersive Media & Books 2020 Consumer SurveyEpisode 177 – Author Insights from Youth Services LibrariansEpisode 110 – A Conversation About Working with Bookstores and LibrariesEpisode 87 – You, Your Book, and BookstoresEpisode 193 – Showcasing Indie Author Books in an Indie BookstoreEpisode 167 – Bookseller Insights with Laura HaydenThe Relaxed AuthorPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsPatreon for Stark ReflectionsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

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

Episode 206 – No One Will Believe In You More Than You: A WWC Keynote from Steena Holmes

This episode features a 2021 When Words Collide Keynote given by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Steena Holmes.

The talk was recorded on Friday August 13, 2021.

After the talk, Mark shares a couple of reflections and thanks patrons of the podcast who support it at patreon.com/starkreflections. He also shares that the presentations he gave at When Words Collide will be shared in video and audio formats for patrons.

Links of Interest:

Episode 17 – Focusing on Your Readers with Steena HolmesWhen Words CollideThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

Steena Holmes is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with over 2 million copies of her titles sold world wide, including The Forgotten Ones, Saving Abby and The Memory Child. Named in the Top 20 Women Author to read in 2015 by Good Housekeeping, she won the National Indie Excellence Award in 2012 for Finding Emma as well as the USA Book News Award for The Word Game in 2015. Steena has been featured in various newspapers and magazines, websites such as Goodreads, BookBub, RedBook, Glamour, Coastal Living and Goodhousekeeping. To find out more about her books and her love for traveling, you can visit her Website: http://www.steenaholmes.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

Transcript of Keynote by Steena Holmes

(Please note that this transcript was auto-generated and has not been human-verified/validated)

One thing that I have been saying since the beginning of my writing career – and it’s something that you’ll often hear me say when I’m speaking at conferences and I know I’ve said it a couple of times during some of the classes that I’ve done – no one will believe in you more than you.

I’ve said it from the very beginning.

I think I’m going to continue to say it.

As long as I keep writing, I believe it more now than I did before, only because I’ve realized how much I need to believe in life. The strong belief is why I pushed myself to learn my craft. It’s why I joined writing groups and critique groups to put my writing out there and get demolished and destroyed and be forced to write.

Right. It’s why I spent years submitting to agents and pushed past 307 rejections. Uh, yes. You heard me right. 307 rejections, for one book. I’m kind of stubborn and I don’t like being told no. I knew that this book I wrote was worth it. I knew readers would love it. And I knew I would only need one agent to agree with me.

So I kept trying. 307. I believe in myself is why I eventually realized that after 307 recycle rejections, no one else was going to believe in this book more than me. And if that was the case, then I needed to prove it. So I pulled it. I had seven agents who had requested for it. They took their time reading it.

I gave myself a deadline and I said, I think it was like March 1st or March 31st. If no one offered I was going to pull it and self-publishing it myself. That’s what I did. I self-published, it, it skyrocketed, it did really well. And I had a lot of those agents come back and be like, actually you’re interested.

Um, this self belief in myself, it’s why I later decided to accept it. Not the one with the most money. Uh, but the one with the most potential to find readers for my book, it’s also the same reason, the same. Self-belief why after nine bucks, I stepped back from a contract, then I knew it wasn’t healthy for me at the time.

Also my fired my then agent disbelief. This no one is going to believe in me more than me is what has kept my asthma. It’s what forced me to write book after book and take class after class and work with editor after editor to improve my writing, to improve my knowledge of the craft to make sure I write the absolute best story for my reader.

It’s why after walking away from my contract, after walking away from an agent, it’s why I published a book. I wanted to write a book I needed to write. It’s why I pushed through that downward journey. It was on when I knew I needed to put my own mental health. I needed to rediscover who I was as an author after way too long of following someone else’s conviction of who I should be as an number, no one will believe in you more than you.

And from anything. I hope that you will take this and hold it close. No one will believe in you more than you. No one will push you more than you. No one will fight for you. That’s what happens when you start being your biggest cheerleader? What happens when you stop believing in yourself when you stop pushing yourself and when you stop fighting for you?

It does happen and it will, I can promise you that it doesn’t matter where you are in your journey and you may be in your first year, maybe in your 30th year, you may be writing your first book. You may have put out 40 books, um, eventually along your journey, it’s going to happen for one reason or another.

And you’re going to get dropped by an agent or you, sorry, you’re not going to you, could they drop an agent? You could get dropped by a publisher. COVID happens when your debut is about. A family crisis will demand your attention and your contracts and writing have to take a back seat. Life happens. Life is always going to happen.

I can tell you from experience, what happens when you stop believing in yourself, at least when it comes to your writing career, it kind of takes a nosedive. You start doubting yourself in your abilities. You wonder what has happened to you. What has happened to that skill that you spent years? Huh? You retreat, you pull away and you even question if you’re ever going to write again, and I know silly because we’re creative and writing is what we do, but yes, you’re going to wonder, am I ever gonna write again?

Can I write again, you’re going to struggle with those empty pages. Wondering if the words that you put on there are any worth it or not. You’re going to look for other means to fill up that part of your soul, that writing used to feel. All the while knowing nothing can replace that drive that need or that desire to right.

I wish I wish someone had told me back way back in the beginning, that being a writer was one of the hardest jobs announced. I wish someone had taken my hand, sat me down over coffee or wine or both. And we could have done like a very long day and they could have just given me these honest talks that I needed.

And explain in very clear terms that the high highs can become low lows, but that success or failure does not change who you are in your core, in your core. In our core we’re writers, we’re creatives. We have this passion for storytelling that will never disappear. Is that a question? Do you believe in yourself?

I think you do because you’re here. I hope you do because you’re here. How often do you remind yourself? This is good. How often do you remind yourself that you are doing the one thing, almost everyone else wishes they could do, but don’t how often do you tell someone I’m a writer and they come back and say, oh, I’ve always wanted to write.

I have a story that, you know, I think it would be so good and they go on and on and on. But, um, and then they’re like, so like, what do you read. Yeah, they really don’t care. They just wanted to tell you that they could have been a writer if they had decided to make the effort. When people tell me that now I, you know, I nod and I smile.

I say, you know, yeah, go you, and then I have a simple question for them. What’s stopping you? If you really wanted to write a book, what’s stopping you. You know? So this is my, I see, we have the hardest job we are doing what everyone else wants to do. We put in those hours, we struggle over words. We struggle over those sentence structures.

We will write and rewrite and rewrite some more. We sacrifice family time and personal time in order to get few words written every single day we do what needs done in order to tell that story growing inside of us, because that’s who we are. We are writers doesn’t matter what success I’ve seen in my career so far.

I know I’ve had the high highs. I’ve also had low. It doesn’t matter how many books I’ve written. It doesn’t matter how many contracts I’ve had or the size of audience I’ve built, who I am. And what I’ve managed to do is really no different than who you are and what you can do. We’re all walking the same path.

We all start off with the same blank page. We struggled to figure out how to make this shrug or that smile different than the last. We all struggle with imposter syndrome at some point in our writing career. Now I know I have impact. I still do. And I am right now this minute, especially after listening to everyone else speak, who am I to be here, speaking with you, but something someone else more knowledgeable can give insight to who am I to teach on branding and marketing when I’ve had more failures and success.

Who am I to teach about making those first chapters shine? When it takes me days, weeks, hours to be happy with my own. My first book is that a dream come true tech story. It took me six minutes to write. I entered into a conscious much like what Kathy did, and I want a publishing contract. Fabulous. It changed my life.

I thought, yay me. I finally found something. I can do this something that’s mine. And then it took me another five years to write my notes. Even now after having 40 books published under different names, I have been working on a book for the past two years that I’ve just recently decided to put aside because there’s something wrong with it.

And I can’t figure it out. I’ve rewritten it three times and it’s still not working me after publishing so many books. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this. Put a book to the side. I wrote a crappy book when it’s not my first, when I first started. I have loads of books that’s never got completed. This is my first time like this.

I have a feeling it’s not going to be my last either. I’m no superstar. I’m also not lucky. It wasn’t luck that made my debut women’s fiction novel, jump the charts and garner attention. I spent years as chair, the ebbs and flows of my career, the highs and the lows. It happens to everyone in the school.

I’m you, you are me. Don’t roll your eyes. When I say that we’re all, we’re no different than anyone else within our small writing community. And it really is small. I may have a strength that helps me when it comes to connecting with my readers and then wrecking my books. You may have a strength that helps you to write those books that hit a note and make a difference in someone’s life.

We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. No one is better than the other. We just have a different way to take this journey that we’re on. And that’s why I’m here. I can push past the imposter syndrome voice. That’s screaming in my head. I’m here to help someone else succeed in an area. That’s my strength.

And it may be your weakness. I’m here to share the lessons I’ve learned the lessons that might help you not take the same path that I’ve had to trip over in my journey. What I love about our community is that connected. And at the core of who we are, we are all the same. We’re on the same journey. I wrote something that I want to share with you.

Um, something that helps reminds me of who I am and helps me when I struggle with that whole comparison game and that imposter syndrome, it helps remind me of who I am at the core and where my passion comes from and why I fight so hard to keep believing it. Remember? No, one’s going to believe in me more than me.

No, one’s going to believe you more than you. No one is going to fight for me more than me. No one is going to push me more than me. I can have a community of friends around me who understand, but that belief in myself needs to be there first, before I can believe it even from others. So here I go.

Originally, I wrote this as who I am and then changing it to who I am. Who are we as writers? I hope that you guys can see some resemblance in here. And I hope I’m not just talking about myself. We are dreamers, storytellers, lost art specialists in a world of electronics. We sit in chairs for hours, staring at blink screens, daydreaming of people in events with histories.

No one else knows about because we’ve closed. We are plotters, pantsers, begrudging synopsis writers. We are procrastinators, expert in deadline, chaos list makers and make work go-getters. We are our worst critics and our biggest supporters. We are pajama lovers, comfy clothes, huggers, pot of coffee, brewers that often go cold writers or tea.

You can say tea. We are worriers we’re taskmasters. We check our email every second after submitting coming up, kind of right. We are lovers of bookstores, coffee shops, and libraries. We are parents and spouses and caregivers who take on too much for too many, always placing ourselves. Last. We are encouragers, believers, supporters of other writers with dreams like our own.

We are exhausted. We are tired. We are worn down, worn out, unsure. If the dream we’ve carried for years can now. We are writers who have cried over our stories or for our careers over our dreams. And those til tears could fill a bathtub that then run over to cover the tiles. We placed in the middle of the night as fears, worries, dreams, plots, character submissions.

They’ve all kept us up too many nights in a row. We’re nervous authors who Bumble over storylines and plots when asked about what our story’s about, whose tongues triple her details and characters who know that less is more but more is really what we all want to talk. We are people with the best career in the world who follow their heart and passion who don’t give up.

Even when everything else falls apart, we are emotional eaters and drinkers. We celebrate and sympathize with wine and chocolate. We enable, but we can be a kick in the pants type of friend, too. We keep a daily word count. You Scribner for accountability and tell the world when we’ve met our goals. When we don’t, we blame it on Facebook or kids or life in general, when really we needed it.

We guilt ourselves more than we should. We binge watch and say it’s research. And that is okay. We tell people I’m just a writer when really we’re so much more than that. We are kick-ass writers who took the step and believed when everyone else is too afraid to try. We are tellers of stories, stories, readers, love to get lost in stories, readers want to know more.

We are someone who was living their dream, who refuses to give up and who denies all the naysayers. We push ourselves too much, too hard and too far. But even when we fall, we pick ourselves back up because what else are we going to do? We are writers.

Episode 205 – From Bookseller To Author With Simon Lowe

Mark interviews Simon Lowe, an author with a number of stories published in various magazines, who, after a decade working in book stores, released his first novel (The World is at War, Again) in June 2021 and now writes part time while also performing the role of a stay at home dad.

Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new Patrons Talena Winters,
Rachel Amphlett, and Carolyn Stein, reads comments from recent episodes, offers a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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 chat, Mark and Simon discuss:

Simon’s recent release of the speculative fiction novel The World Is At War, Again and how it’s about government declaring newer technology to be too much of a threat to be allowedHow the novel is set with the world at war without there being a specific single war such as WWII – as a commentary of the ongoing “state” of warSome of the parallels between the content of this novel and the current pandemic world we’re living inHow the removal of technology also reduces a person’s ability to “fake” who they are, in the same way they can behind the filters of social mediaConceiving of a world without technology as one of of being able to focus on how people interact directly with one anotherThe impact of external factors on the way people connect and focusSimon’s 10 years of experience as a bookseller and the various formats for paperbacksThe difference in UK and North American bookshop genre designations such as “Crime” in the UK which is “Mystery” in North AmericaMark’s experience on what people were looking for when they walked into a bookstore and asked for the “non-fiction books”How, for some people, walking into a bookstore can be an intimidating experienceThe way Simon’s experience as a bookseller informed him as a writer and within the business of publishingDecisions on which books to stock, which are based on understanding the marketplace and what is going to sell within that marketThe importance of not taking it personally when a bookseller or publisher is not interested in your bookHow thinking of the book in smaller chunks made the process of writing the novel more manageableAnd more….

 After the interview, Mark reflects on the concept of breaking your work/writing into smaller, more manageable chunks as one way to conquer the overwhelm of a large project in front of you.

Links of Interest:

Simon Lowe’s WebsiteEpisode 204 – Overcoming Self-Doubt with Tessa Smith McGovernEpisode 203 – A Rant on Unprofessional Author BehaviorOriginal Unedited raw Rant (Patron link)Episode 17 – Focusing on Your Readers with Steena HolmesWhen Words CollideThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

Simon Lowe is a British author. His stories have appeared in various publications, including AMP, Storgy, Ponder Review, EX/POST, Blackwater Review, and elsewhere. After a decade working in book stores he now writes part time as well as being a stay at home dad. His new novel, The World is At War, Again, was released in June 2021.

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

Episode 204 – Overcoming Self-Doubt with Tessa Smith McGovern

Mark interviews Tessa Smith McGovern an award-winning and best-selling author who has taught writing for 22 year.

Prior to the interview, Mark says comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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.

During their conversation, Mark and Tessa talk about:

How, during the lockdown and covid-19 pandemic isolation, Tessa had to come face to face with herself while stuck at homeThe recognition of guilt, misery, and self-doubt that led to self-sabotageTessa having been an author for thirty years and being traditionally published and indie publishedFinding herself humiliated in a situation with a writer whose work Tessa quite adoredTessa’s experience with teaching writers, and how writers often bring a significant amount of material to those lessonsHow we have to find the belief in ourselvesLighting the candle for someone else when the flame of inspiration goes outThings we can do to avoid self-sabotageSetting a goal that doesn’t end up engaging your ego (which can often introduce self-doubt to the equation)The Westport Writes writers program in Westport ConnecticutHow love and kindness meditation can improve your focus, your memory and your productivityThe importance of creative rest, and recognizing when we need thatIf you understand your creative process and what works, you can be more in control of itThe fifty+ short stories Tessa had from her writing career and how she found particular connections between the stories, based on themes, similar characters, and other factors that can be patternedHow the process of linking short stories can be a delightful processTessa’s book Cocktails for Book LoversThe value of a good editor, and how sometimes working with an editor from a traditional publishing house can offer perks that are difficult to buy from freelance editorsThe way that the right editor can help an author turn something that is good into something that is fantasticAnd more…

Links of Interest:

Tessa Smith McGovern’s WebsiteNewsletter SignupFree Coaching/Zoom ClassesHow to Link Stories & Memoirs into a CollectionBookGirlTVBookGirlTV on YouTubeEpisode 203 – A Rant on Unprofessional Author BehaviorOriginal Unedited raw Rant (Patron link)Episode 201 – Building Your Marketing From Day One with Julie Broad of Book LaunchersEpisode 197 – Rambling Reflections from the Darkness Within Sacha Black Instagram Video (33 Mins): Your Side Characters and You (with Mark) Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

Tessa Smith McGovern has taught writing for 22 years and, for the last ten years, at the Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY. She is an award-winning writer whose linked short story collection, LONDON ROAD: LINKED STORIES, received a ‘Featured’ review from Kirkus, is an Amazon best-seller, and a gold medal winner in the 2012 eLit Awards. Her non-fiction book, COCKTAILS FOR BOOK LOVERS (Sourcebooks), is also an Amazon best-seller. Her many publication credits include the Connecticut Review and Equinox, a UK poetry journal archived by the English Arts Council at the Southbank Centre, London. She’s currently writing a contemporary fantasy novel inspired by British mythology and pursuing her MFA in Writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

She is founder and editor of eChook Digital Publishing. eChook won a silver medal in the 2012 eLit Awards and its stories have been read by thousands of readers in 100+ countries.

Tessa is also host, writer and producer of BookGirlTV (BGTV), an award-winning digital channel that promotes books and reading. BGTV has 6 million+ minutes viewed on YouTube and 10,000+ likes on Facebook.

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

Episode 203 – A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior

Mark shares a rant about a particular thing he noticed continues to happen related to authors looking for promotional opportunities.

Prior to the main content, Mark talks about how this episode was born from content originally sent to patrons of the podcast who responded to his slightly rawer rant on the same topic. For that special episode, he merely turned on the microphone and just let it out.

But a number of patrons commented about that rant, suggesting that it would be beneficial to the larger author community to be aware of an author action that can really set off retailers, distributors, and other industry people.

Mark reads off the names of the current patrons, thanking them for their support, and for bringing this episode to all listeners.

This episode is sponsored by the patrons of the Stark Reflections podcast.

Patrons can support this podcast at http://patreon.com/starkreflections for $1, $3, or $5 a month, and gain access to additional content, text, video, and special audio episodes. A common theme to those episodes is “Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts.” As of July 29, 2021, there are 75 exclusive backlist patron posts available.

Within the main content, or rant, for this episode, Mark talks about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into finding promotional space for indie authors on the majority of the larger retail platforms outside of Amazon, and the thoughtless way that some authors treat all this hard work.

Links of Interest:

A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior (Patron link)Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

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

Episode 202 – Publishers and Predators

Mark shares an early draft excerpt from his forthcoming August 2021 book PUBLISHING PITFALLS FOR AUTHORS. Specifically he talks about Publishers and Predators and the things that authors need to be careful to look out for.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares some comments from a recent Patreon only rant episode he recently released talking about unprofessional author behavior and promises to release an edited and slightly modified version into the regular feed in the near future.

He thanks his patrons for the feedback on that episode as well as helping him realize that the learning and insights would be valuable to the greater author community.

He then shares a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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.

Links of Interest:

A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior (Patron link)Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

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

Episode 202

Mark shares an early draft excerpt from his forthcoming August 2021 book PUBLISHING PITFALLS FOR AUTHORS. Specifically he talks about Publishers and Predators and the things that authors need to be careful to look out for.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares some comments from a recent Patreon only rant episode he recently released talking about unprofessional author behavior and promises to release an edited and slightly modified version into the regular feed in the near future.

He thanks his patrons for the feedback on that episode as well as helping him realize that the learning and insights would be valuable to the greater author community.

He then shares a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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.

Links of Interest:

A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior (Patron link)Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

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

Episode 201 – Building Your Marketing From Day One with Julie Broad of Book Launchers

In this episode Mark interviews #1 bestselling author and founder of Book Launchers, Julie Broad.

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.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal upon, an opportunity for listeners to win one of three spots in a full day author boot camp workshop taking place in mid August 2021, and a new opportunity for listeners to win a 1:1 Story Stuck consultation with editor Clark Chamberlain.

In their conversation, Mark and Julie talk about:

The non-straight-line journey that Julie took to get to her current career in helping authors (which involved real estate, properties, and that world)Being approached by published in 2011 for some book ideas, and the back-and-forth of a book proposal done collaboratively by a major publisher that changed their course/plan at the last minuteHow Julie’s crushed-ego from that rejected led to her self-publishing the book and shepherding the book (More Than Cash Flow) to #1 for over a monthThe nightmarish horror stories that helped Julie’s real estate book sell really wellThe passion to help authors that drives Julie and is evident in her dynamic Book Launchers videosHow Book Launchers has learned that, once an author is past a certain point in developing their manuscript, it might be too late for effectively building those marketing efforts in earlySome of the common mistakes authors make such as an ineffective title, and even the TOC and chapter titlesHow the chapter title “You are Who Google Says You Are” in her book “New Brand You”The reality that Book Launchers only works with about 10% of the people who approach them – because they want to ensure they can truly help the clients they take onThe behind-the-scenes of the Book Launchers videos, including about five hours of research and writing that goes into the videos before they even begin to shootThe critical importance of those core supporters and the people who regularly interact and commentBeing recognized in public because of the popularity and value of her YouTube channelSome of the things that authors should look out for when it comes to service providers in the self-publishing spaceHow asking for and getting reviews is one of the most important aspects of the business of writingSome of the industry trends that Julie is tracking and paying attention toAnd more…

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things that the conversation made him think about.

Links of Interest:

Booklaunchers.tv (YouTube Channel)Booklaunchers.com (Main Website)Julie’s Video Review of KILLING IT ON KOBOEP 29 – Terry Fallis on Writing with Authenticity, Humor, and PassionEP 200 – Alas, Dear Author, I Reflected for 200 EpisodesEP 197 – Rambling Reflections Through the Darkness WithinMark’s TikTok #DuetMe Request (Planes, Trains and Automobiles)Mark’s YouTube Video of “You Play with Your Balls a Lot” Scene from Planes, Trains and Automobiles)Bibliofic DesignsThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

Julie Broad, founder of self-publishing services firm Book Launchers and Amazon Overall #1 Best Selling Author, knows what it takes to successfully self-publish a book. Julie’s titles include More than Cashflow, which topped Amazon, The New Brand You, and her latest book, Self-Publish & Succeed. An expert on writing a book with marketing in mind, Julie teaches authors how to write a #noboringbook on her popular YouTube channel BookLaunchers.TV. Her advice for authors and investors has also been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, Yahoo! Business, CTV, the Toronto Sun, and Medium.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

Episode 200 – Alas, Dear Author, I Reflected for 200 Episodes

Mark reflects on 200 episodes and also shares a reading from a chapter in his book WIDE FOR THE WIN on Quantum Eggs merged with ad hoc musings.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares an opportunity for listeners to win one of three spots in a full day author boot camp workshop taking place in mid August 2021, and also shares a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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.

Mark reflects on why he started the podcast, what he think it offers, then shares a chapter from the book WIDE FOR THE WIN interspersed with pauses and reflective asides.

Links of Interest:

Link to Entry Form for Full Day WorkshopFree Registration to Virtual When Words Collide Conference in August 2021Episode 192 – Bold Business Strategies for AuthorsParody Video: Stuck in This House Here with YouStupid Dad Joke ShortsPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

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

Episode 199 – Chelle Honiker & Chrishaun Keller-Hanna of Indie Author Magazine

Mark interviews Chelle Honiker and Chrishaun Keller Hanna of Indie Author Magazine.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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 conversion Chelle, Chrishaun, and Mark talk about:

Their backgrounds as writers, creatives, geeks, and entrepreneursChrishan’s “Organzied chaos with style” line and how she has honed and refined her “pitch” over time at consHow writing feels like one dimension of a way that you can tell a storyLearning about not being cut out for working FOR other peopleAn aborted attempt at becoming a digital nomad (due to the global covid lockdowns)How an accountability partner/mastermind group led to the origin of Indie Author MagazineThe desire to create an unbiased source of trusted information for indie authorsThe magazine being produced as a monthly digital and a print quarterlyHow the skill-set for the magazine was based on internal skills, talents, and experience from the teamThe range of topics and features planned to be covered and updated in each issueThe “Indie Annie” column in order to answer questions submitted by readersHow authors can get ahold of the magazine online or via the appThe way they manage to fit managing this magazine while maintaining their writing commitmentsAnd more…

After the interview Mark reflects on the power of priorities, partnership, and collaboration.

Links of Interest:

Indie Author MagazineThe Relaxed AuthorPatreon for Stark ReflectionsWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big City

The mission of Indie Author Magazine is to inform, educate, and inspire authors at every stage of their careers.

Our vision is to be the trusted industry leader for reliable resources and information for indie authors by providing unbiased, well-researched, and articulate content in a timely manner, in the most engaging format possible.

A

s the publisher of Indie Author Magazine, Chelle Honiker brings nearly three decades of startup, technology, training, and executive leadership experience to the role. She’s a serial entrepreneur, founding and selling multiple successful companies including a training development company, travel agency, website design and hosting firm, a digital marketing consultancy, and a wedding planning firm. She’s organized and curated multiple TEDx events. As a writer, speaker, and trainer she believes in the power of words and their ability to heal, inspire, incite, and motivate. Her greatest inspiration is her daughters, Kelsea and Cathryn, who tolerate her tendency to run away from home to play with her friends around the world for months at a time. It’s said she could run a small country with just the contents of her backpack.

Chrishaun Keller-Hanna is an award-winning journalist, teacher, technical writer, and fiction author that lives for explaining difficult concepts in a way that non-technical readers can understand. She spent twenty years teaching literacy and composition to a variety of students from kindergarten to college level and writing technical documentation for several tech companies in the Austin area. At the age of forty-three, she decided to write fiction and has published over thirty titles so far with plans to extend out to comics and board games. When she’s not writing, she’s traveling, playing video games, or watching movies. When she’s not doing THAT, she’s talking about them with her husband and grown daughters.

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