Mark Leslie Lefebvre's Blog, page 35

Episode 104 – Living the Writing & Editing Life with Valerie Francis

This episode features an interview with Valerie Francis, who is is an author, a bona fide story nerd, a Certified Story Grid Editor and a podcaster. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is currently working on her first thriller.

Prior to the interview Mark shares comments from recent episodes and also provides a short personal update that includes the progress he has been making with NaNoWriMo.

Mark then shares a word about this episode’s sponsor.

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In their conversation, Valerie and Mark talk about:

The way that Valerie slowly evolved from a full-time corporate dayjob into a full time writing careerHow writing was always part of Valerie’s life and that she wrote her first “book” when she was 7. (It starred her teddy bear)Her experience playing piano and jazz bassHow if she is not expressing herself creatively, Valerie can get quite crankyWhat a StoryGrid Editor is, as well as the background to Shawn Coyne’s StoryGrid methodologyHow Valerie got involved in StoryGridThe fact that Valerie learning more in two days spent with Shawn than she did in her entire journey getting a both her Undergraduate degree and her Master’s in English LiteratureThe two types of services that StoryGrid editors offerThe commonality of how writers often resist “masterworks” in the StoryGrid methodologyThe way that writers often consume a story by analyzing novels and filmsThe two podcasts that Valerie is involved inHow a StoryGrid study group has been repurposed into a podcast so that more people could benefit from the ongoing learningsThe difficult concept of hearing “Valerie, you are now the product” after exposing herself on a podcastValerie’s comparison between running and writing, which had inspired Mark when he read about it in her newsletterHow all the world only sees the finished product and not all the hard work that happens in the background, for a long time, as well as the commitment from the person who has produced that workAdvice that Valerie would offer to the person sitting there and looking at the daunting work in front of themThe four hours a day, in two-hour blocks that Valerie writes inSix goal-achieving activities for each day, that Valerie prioritizesThe advantage of being in the first time zone in Canada, two hours earlier than the most of the rest of the continent of North America wakes upThe most recent fiction and non-fiction books that Valerie has releasedThe 12 parts of Valerie’s latest novel that can be consumed in bite-sized chunks, soaking in the tub with a glass of wine or standing in line at the grocery storeHow, given limited physical space, Valerie decides which books she will own in print as opposed to books she has in digital format (Spoiler, any books by Neil Gaiman, Ian Rankin, or Margaret Atwood always make that cut)ValerieFrancis/innercircle as a way for writers to see how Valerie is studying and learning from masterworks

After the interview Mark reflects on the comparison Valerie makes between running a marathon and a writer’s process. He also talks about being re-inspired multiple times by Valerie and the value of that.

Links of Interest:

Valerie Francis’ WebsiteValerie’s Most Popular articles on the StoryGrid Website
Narrative Drive: MysteryNarrative Drive: SuspenseNarrative Drive: Dramatic Irony
Podcast Episodes about Narrative Drive:
Mystery: Murder on the Orient ExpressSuspense: Rear WindowDramatic Irony: The Queen
Mark’s Forthcoming Book: An Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries and BookstoresEpisode 92 – Strong Authors and the IP Legacies They Deserve with ML BuchmanEpisode 102 – NaNoWriMo Wisdom with Vanessa Ricci-ThodeNaNoWriMoStoryBundle
Saving the World StoryBundleNaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle
Mythulu Writing Binge Survival Pack 2019WMG Publishing Business MasterclassFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

Canadian writer, Valerie Francis is a bestselling author, a Certified Story Grid Editor and a podcaster. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is currently working on her first thriller.

As a bona fide story nerd, her passion for the craft of storytelling led her to become a Certified Story Grid Editor in 2017. Her non-fiction credits include a Story Grid Guide to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (publication TBA) and regular articles for the Fundamental Fridays column on Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid website.

Although Valerie writes across genre, there is a common thread in her work and that is, strong female characters. Women and girls of all ages have a particular perspective on the world and it’s this point of view she’s keen to explore.

You can learn more about Valerie at: www.valeriefrancis.ca

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

Episode 103 – 15 Takeaways from the WMG Publishing Business Master Class

In this episode, Mark shares 15 different quotes and ideas that inspired him during the Fall 2019 WMG Publishing Business Master Class workshop led by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith in Las Vegas.

Mark shares a very brief personal update, explaining that this episode was recorded in a less-than-ideal acoustic environment, his hotel room in Vegas.

Mark also shares a word from this episode’s sponsor…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

One of the over-arcing themes from the five day workshop event s was Diversification and the idea that “It’s better to make a little bit of money from a lot of sources than to make a lot of money from one or two places.”

The 15 quotes come from:

Kristine Kathryn RuschDean Wesley SmithKevin J. AndersonJoanna PennLoren ColemanAndrea PearsonMarie WhittakerDeidre J. Manna-BrattenChuck Heinzelman

Links of Interest:

Episode 6 – 3 Things That Are Wrong with Indie PublishingEpisode 44 – How To Deal with a Fire-Hose of InformationEpisode 77 – A Gut-Check on the State of Publishing with Kristine Kathryn RuschNaNoWriMoStoryBundle
Saving the World StoryBundleNaNo Writing Tools StoryBundle
WMG Publishing Business MasterclassBundleRabbitFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode 102 – NaNoWriMo Wisdom with Vanessa Ricci-Thode

In this episode Mark interviews Vanessa Ricci-Thode, a fantasy author,  fiction editor and a NaNoWriMo veteran.

[image error]Vanessa Ricci-Thode

Prior to the interview, Mark shares some recent comments from previous episodes and Twitter.

He also shares a word from this episode’s sponsor…

Learn more about 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 his personal update, Mark talks about how he is approaching NaNoWriMo this year. He skipped it last year; but this year he is focusing on getting 50,000 words written for at least 3 different projects and will be tracking that.

He is also curious to see how many listeners are doing NaNoWriMo this year.

In their discussion, Mark and Vanessa talk about:

Mark and Vanessa talk about:

How Vanessa, who is an experienced NaNoWriMo veteran (doing it since 2006), first got into NaNoWriMoManaging expectations with family during a month of regular commitment to writing timeWriting 50,000 words in 30 days while working part-time and being a part-time studentThe first few NaNoWriMo novels Vanessa wroteBeing an ML (Municipal Liason) in the Waterloo, Ontario regionThe fact that there are always a lot of first-timers who try NaNoWriMo each yearVanessa’s most popular or common advice for writers interested in trying out NaNoWriMoAdvice for authors who end up slipping in their writing goal early on or mid-way through the monthThe “Mad Dash to Midnight” NaNoWriMo event that is done on the night of Nov 30How people can find their local NaNoWriMo region (nanowrimo.org), where they can search by country, state, province, cityHow Vanessa got interested in writing which began with making picture books when she was a young childVanessa’s change in approach to the business of publishing with the advent of digitalLooking for ways to become a better writer, which led to Vanessa becoming an editor, opening her part-time freelance editing business in 2010The genres Vanessa most prefers to edit (Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror), and why it’s important to work with an editor who is familiar with and enjoys working in your particular genreCommon writer issues, such as starting their story in the wrong spotThe value of critique groups for writers, and how critiquing others can assist an author with their own writingNaNoWrimo as a great place to meet and connect with other writersWriting solo versus writing when in a group settingWhat Vanessa is most looking forward to for NaNoWriMo 2019The importance of “stubborning through it”

After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of committing to something like NaNoWriMo as well as the element of being persistent and “stubborning through it” as Vanessa so eloquently said.

He then thanks Patrons of the podcast and closes out the show with a reminder that he’s curious to hear from authors on whether or not they are doing NaNoWriMo and how they stubborn through things.

QUESTION: Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year (Nov 2019), and how are you planning to do it?

Links of Interest:

Vanessa Ricci-Thode’s Website
Vanessa’s BooksVanessa’s Editing Services
NaNoWriMoWMG Publishing Business MasterclassFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections



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Vanessa Ricci-Thode is a word sorceress — a fantasy author and fiction editor — who loves a good story. She’s a NaNoWriMo veteran and a bookish geek who loves dragons, superheroes, gardening, travel and good tequila.

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

Episode 101 – All About Audiobooks with Will Dages from Findaway Voices

On Oct 17, 2019, Mark Lefebvre and Kevin Tumlinson from Draft2Digital hosted a live webinar “Ask Us Anything” Q&A about audiobooks, relaying questions from authors to Will Dages, head of Findaway Voices.

[image error]Screenshot from the webinar

This is a slightly abridged version of the audio track from this video, which you can see on YouTube.

Discussion includes the following topics:

Findaway Voices Giveaway Codes, how they work, how authors can request them and track their useStoryOrigin promotion site for audiobook giveaway codesHow to get started with setting up an audiobook via Findaway VoicesStandard calculation for determing finished audiobook hours (9300 words = 1 finished hour – or, for easier math, assume that 10,000 words = 1 hour)Typical studio production hours based on word count of the original manuscript (Most audio producers work on a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio – it, if the manuscript is 100,000 words, that’d be 10 finished hours and would most likely take 30 to 40 hours of production timeThe Voices Share royalty share program and how it works (50% up front payment for production hours and a 60/20/20 split for author/narrator/Findaway) – and how the buyout works if you want to get out earlyThe recent Audible text transcription controversyWhether or not an author can narrator their own books (spoiler alert: YES, you can, with the right setup/equipment/software)The origin of Findway Voices and the back story about the company Findaway, that has been around alot longer in the audiobook industryThe built in pricing suggestion tool in Findaway VoicesHow easy/difficult it is to update your audiobook (both metadata and audio files)The cost and benefit of using Findaway Voices for distribution VS going direct (spoiler: Findaway keeps 20% of your royalties)A little bit about how exclusivity with ACX to Audible worksThoughts about loading audio samples to YouTube or other ways of promoting their audiobooksAnd more…



Learn more about Findaway Voices

Links of Interest:

Draft2Digital’s Blog Post: Everything Audiobooks with Will Dages from Findaway Voices (Full Transcript)The YouTube Video of the WebinarEpisode 5 – Global Audiobook Opportunities for AuthorsEpisode 15 – The Process of a Writer’s Life with Kevin TumlinsonEpisode 22 – Finding My Way With FindawayEpisode 52 – The Three Co-Founders of Draft2DigitalFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

Episode 100 – Another Publishing Industry First with Mark Dawson

Mark interviews international bestselling author Mark Dawson about his journey through publishing, his author support business and the ground-breaking publishing deal he just signed.

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Prior to the interview, Mark shares some comments left on previous episodes and via Twitter.

He also shares a word about the episode’s sponsor . . .

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In his personal update, Mark talks about Canadian Thanksgiving, putting up Halloween decorations in the front yard and a new anthology, Cursed Collectibles, edited by Angela Eschler, that he has a story in.

In their conversation, the two Marks talk about:

Mark’s background as a lawyer prior to becoming a writer, and how he has benefited from the skills he learned thereThe kick in the pants Mark received back in 1999 that led to his entry into publishingThe surprisngly fast way he had found an agent and that agent had found a publisher for his first booksThe disappointing experience that came with having his print books appear in book shops and the two strikes that led to the end of that part of his writing careerHow John Milton was inspired by the original Equalizer television show staring Edward WoodwardWhen Mark’s indie writing journey began and the approximate 30 books he has published in that wayThe first time that Mark realized that writing could be a full-time endeavour – when the money he was earning from writing not only matched the money he was making working a full time job, but was more than double that amount for several months in a rowThe origin of the Self-Publishing Formula courses and podcastThe 2020 Self Publishing Conference that will be taking place in London prior to the London Book FairHow Mark is able to continue to write his novels as well as offer support to the writing community via his intimate networkThe ground-breaking joint-venture print-only deal that Mark recently signedThe 3-books a year release plan within this dealThe international element of the deal to get the books into stores in multiple countries



[image error]Still shot from the video recording of the interview

After the interview, Mark reflects on the importance of this deal that Mark Dawson just signed and the significance it can have on publishing.

Links of Interest:

Mark Dawson’s Author Website Author Facebook PageTwitter Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula The Self Publishing Show PodcastSelf Publishing Formula Courses Welbeck PublishingEpisode 99 – Getting Your Book Into LibrariesEpisode 97 – Ten Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short FictionEpisode  87 – You, Your Book, and BookstoresEpisode 47 – In the Pilot’s Seat with James BlatchCursed Collectibles AnthologyEschler EditingSuperstars Writing Seminars The Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship StoryBundle – NaNo Writing ToolsFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

Mark Dawson was born in Lowestoft, in the UK. He has worked as a DJ, a door-to-door ice cream seller, factory hand and club promoter. He eventually trained as a lawyer and worked for ten years in the City of London and Soho, firstly pursuing money launderers around the world and then acting for celebrities suing newspapers for libel.

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Mark’s USA Today and Audible bestselling John Milton books involve a disgruntled British assassin who is trying – without much success – to put his past behind him. In order to atone for the blood on his hands he has decided to help those in need. His Beatrix Rose series follows the adventures of the most dangerous woman ever to serve at Her Majesty’s pleasure, and is currently in development for TV. The Soho Noir books, follow the glitz and glamour of criminal life in London’s West End from the 1940s to the present day.

Mark lives in Wiltshire with his wife and two young children.

Episode 99 – Getting Your Book Into Libraries

In this solo episode Mark talks about how authors can get their books into libraries in print, eBook and audiobook format.

He covers the topic by discussing the triple A’s of: AVAILABILITY, AWARENESS, and ACQUISITION.

[image error]Pics from a Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries event in Hamilton

Prior to the main topic of this episode, Mark shares a word about the episode’s sponsor Findaway Voices, which is suitably, all about how they can help authors get their audiobooks into libraries.

Learn more about Findaway Voices

Mark then shares a few comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update that includes two of his non-fiction books about writing and publishing being included in a new NaNoWriMo themed Storybundle.

In his discussion of libraries, Mark talks about the following:

Ways that authors can get their books in to libraries in print, audio and eBook formatQuestions that traditionally published authors should ask their publisher in relation to distribution to librariesThe difference within POD and returns as it pertains to the library buyers (as opposed to bookstore buyers)Why he calls Amazon’s KDP Print’s “extended distribution” option “pretended distribution”OverDrive and how they sell to library systems – including a talk about how authors can use OverDrive.com to find their books and librariesOnline resources to help writers easily find library websitesThe differences between the licensing model for selling digital assets (like eBooks and audiobooks) to libraries:  OCOU (One Copy, One User) and CPC (Cost Per Checkout)Three important people to contact at the library when reaching out to themThe value of getting to know the local public library and being familiar with itWhy authors should consider the value that they are able to offer and bring to a particular libraryThe value of the Public Lending Right program in Canada and 29 other countries around the world to help authors with additional revenue opportunitiesAnd more…

Links of Interest:

Episode 97 – Ten Tips for Marketing and Making Money off Your Short FictionEpisode  87 – You, Your Book, and BookstoresMark’s thriller Evasion on WattpadUniversal Book Link for EvasionLib Web (Over 8000 pages from libraries in 146 countries)Patreon Video walk-thru of OverDriveOverDrive.com Search “Mark Leslie” on OverDriveMark Leslie “landing page” on OverDriveExample of an eBook Link (Active Reader)Example of an audiobook link (Active Reader)Example of a book that has availability in librariesOverDrive – Find a Library Findaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode 98 – You Can Handle It with Laurie Wright

In this episode Mark interviews bestselling children’s author Laurie Wright who is on a mission to empower people one book at a time through her books and the support she offers other authors to take action and publish their own books.

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This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Based on a promotional campaign from NINC, Mark shares how with Findaway Voices you can get:

MORE distributionMORE optionsMORE controlMORE royaltiesMORE promotionsMORE freedom



Learn more about Findaway Voices

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a bit of an update about the previous week at NINC (Novelists Inc). He then congratulates the winners of copies of M.L. Buchman’s ESTATE PLANNING FOR AUTHORS.

Amy Tasukada And Vanessa Kier where the listeners who won by commenting on Episode 92 of the podcast. Julie Strauss and Amy Teegan were the two patron winners.

In their conversation, Mark and Laurie talk about:

Laurie’s background as a kindergarten teacher and how she was so motivated by the presence of “learned helplessness” to go home and write a book in order to address itIt wasn’t that the children couldn’t solve their problems it was that they didn’t take the steps to solve the problemLaurie’s belief that boredom is a good thing, particularly for creativity and that great things can come from boredomThe importance of the repetition in Laurie’s books for 4 and 5 year olds, such as “I Can Handle It!” that become their self-talk and a mantra and a pathway for themPutting the book aside for ten years before actually doing something with itWhy she went whole hog into self-publishing with this projectCreating the print book first (considering the audience) and the reason Laurie created an eBook via prompting from Brian Meeks and Amazon AdsSelling the foreign language rights of her book in Chinese, Korean, Romanian, Icelandic, and VietnameseThe importance of a foreign rights agent in the process of selling those foreign rightsLaurie’s interest in mental health for children and the importance of open non-scheduled time for children for free play (what she also calls “wildness”)How Laurie has fallen in love with the marketing and other aspects of writing, and how she adapted that into creating helpful content for other writersThe importance of “short and easy” in a courseLaurie’s podcast for children’s book writers





Laurie’s Tedx Talk: Release the WILD in our children

After the interview, Mark reflects on self-talk, self-doubt, negative thinking, and positive thinking. He works through a You-Can-Do-It attitude inspired by Laurie’s work.

Links of Interest:

Laurie Wright’s WebsiteLaurie’s Books on AmazonLaurie’s Foreign AgentLaurie’s Courses for WritersLaurie Wright on YouTubeLaurie’s Tedx Talk: Release the WILD in our childrenFindaway VoicesNINC ConferencePatreon for Stark Reflections



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Laurie Wright is a bestselling children’s author on a mission to empower people one book at a time. She empowers children through her books, that gently and with humor coach kids in self-regulation. She empowers writers by getting them to step up, take action and publish those books! In a weekly podcast ‘The Writer’s Way’ she shares stories of other everyday authors for inspiration. Walter Koenig (Chekov from Star Trek) reading ‘I Can Handle It’ on YouTube at https://lauriewrighter.com/Chekov is a definite high point in Laurie’s career. Connect on Facebook (www.fb.com/lauriewrighter or www.fb.com/lauriewrightauthor), or her website www.lauriewrighter.com, and check out Laurie’s courses at www.creativewrighter.com.

The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode 97 – 10 Tips for Marketing and Making Money Off Your Short Fiction

In this episode, Mark shares ten tips on how authors can leverage their short fiction to earn more money as well as for various marketing activities.

Learn more about Findaway Voices

This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark Talks about the promotional pricing tools built in to their tools.

Links of Interest:

Findaway VoicesRalan.con – (Short Fiction Market Resource)8 Podcasts and Audio Projects Looking for FictionDouglas Smith Article: Selling to Foreign MarketsDouglas Smith’s Foreign Market ListDouglas Smith’s Book: Playing the Short GameActive Reader (Digital Chapbook example)Snowman Shivers (Themed Collection – Free eBook)Episode 9 – Collaborative Publishing with Chuck Heintzelman of BundlerabbitEpisode 27 – Bundles, Curation, and Collaboration with Jamie FergusonBundlerabbitBooks Gone Bad BundleAmazing Monster TalesCollateral Damage (Short Story – Custom / Tie-in to Novel)Prospero’s Ghost (Free Short Story – Tie in to Anthology)NINC ConferencePatreon for Stark Reflections

The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode 96 – Focusing on and Delivering to your Audience with Dale L. Roberts

This episode features an interview with Dale L. Roberts, a fitness author, self-publishing advocate and video content creator extraordinaire. The interview is filled with inspiring ideas for creative people that can be applied to your writing journey, as well as ideas for applying that creativity to auditory and visual mediums.

[image error]selfpublishingwithdale.com

This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices. Mark shares insights about a great built-in pricing tool that Findaway Voices has for authors to use.

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In his personal update, Mark shares the fact that he finally loaded a media kit to his author website, which appears as a link on his main media, press & contact page.

He also talks about his forthcoming visits to Northern Hearts Romance Writers conference in Toronto and NINC (Novelists, Inc) conference in St Pete, Florida.

Video of the interview segment of this episode

In their conversation, Dale and Mark talk about:

Dale’s unlikely story of becoming a writer and how he shouldn’t be where he is todayThe first book that Dale wrote and published in 2013 as a “challenge accepted” response to a colleague at workHow, in the early days, Dale wasn’t even familiar with the eBook boom that had been taking placeThe “Do Not Do What Dale Did” advice that comes with sharing that he quit his day job after receiving his first $20 from Amazon for his first bookHow Dale gathered information on how to self-publish back in the early days by searching for free content and information on YouTube and other sitesThe value of investing in some courses as well as a coach, which Dale considers as pivotal for his author businessThe importance of being held accountable by a coach or a mentorWhy it is helpful to meansure time VS money in expenditures and focusing on the things that make more sense for you to focus onHow Dale started his YouTube channel as a way to more effectively answer the hundreds of questions filling up his email inboxThe bare/core minimum you need to start shooting video content and how you don’t need it to be sexy, and you don’t need it to be perfectBeing consistent as one of the most important factors in creating and building a video platform on YouTube. And how that’s not just a consistent time, consistent amount, and a consistent messageThe importance and value of authenticityThe parallels between writers creating written content and YouTubers creating video content – including the importance of perseveranceThe built-in schedule that Dale uses for his schedule and how his audience likes Wednesdays and SaturdaysThe importance of understanding who your audience is, what they are coming for, what they enjoy consuming, and then delivering that to themThe origin and use of the “banana sticker” and how something so simple and fun can build community

After the interview, Mark reflects on three elements that Dale spoke about: Consistency, Persistence, and Authenticity.

Links of Interest:

Dale’s Website: Self-Publishing with DaleSelf-Publishing with Dale on YouTubeDale on TwitterSelf-Publishing with Dale on FacebookDale on InstagramFindaway VoicesEpisode 15 – with Kevin TumlinsonEpisode 92 – with M.L. BuchmanNorthern Hearts ConferenceNINC ConferencePatreon for Stark Reflections

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Dale L. Roberts is a fitness author, video content creator, and self-publishing advocate. When Dale isn’t publishing books, creating videos, and networking with business professionals, he loves to travel with his wife Kelli and spend time playing with his cat Izzie. He currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.

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

Episode 95 – Pamela Brookes on Helping Learners with Dyslexia

Mark interviews author Pamela Brookes about the DOG ON A LOG series of books she writes that help kids learning to read with phonics, especially learners with dyslexia.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares some recent social media comments from podcast listeners as well as a personal update about the progress he has made with a POD version of his chapbook Snowman Shivers which he is releasing in print and audiobook formats.

He explains that he will share, thanks to a patron request, a full episode on marketing and making money off of short fiction, particularly with eBooks and audio, as well as release a special detailed examination of how he created the POD and audiobook versions of Snowman Shivers.

Mark talks a bit about narrating the audiobook himself for that same book and how he used Findaway Voices for it (which is part of the mention of this episode’s sponsor)

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In the interview Pamela and Mark discuss:

What dyslexia is and how people with dyslexia are of a normal range of intelligenceVery successful people who have dyslexi such as Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, Henry Winkler, Steve JobsHow Pamela started to write books specifically to help children with dyslexia that were more appropriate and useful for her daughter’s needs because she couldn’t find any books that fit her requirementsPhonics rules, sight words and decodable booksThe challenge and problem of the high cost of most books published in this area and how Pamela ensured they were affordable to the families who needed themWhy shes calls some of her books the “Let’s Go” books rather than “easy” or “beginning” booksHow 90% of Pamela’s book sales are in paperback over eBooks and how they sell via Amazon and IngramThe free eBook that Pamela makes available and which has been downloaded in 15 different countriesThe printable PDF book that Pamela has on her website for parents helping their children with dyslexiaThe importance of repetition in relation to the names of letters, keywords, and the sound that it makesThe difference between teaching children to read VS teaching children to guessPamela’s knack for research and self-teaching

After the interview Mark reflects on how Pamela is fulfilling something that is missing in the particular niche she is writing in and highlights how she is succeeding selling print books, which is not the norm for most indie authors who usually sell more eBooks.

He also considers a potential writing warm-up exercise for writers based on something Pamela said and using cards from the table-top game Taboo.

Links of Interest:

Dog on a Log Books (Pamela’s Website)
Free resources from Pamela
Killing It On KoboEpisode 87 – You, Your Book, and BookstoresThe Indy Author page on FacebookFindaway Voices – The Audiobook Mastering Guide (article)Mastering Audiobooks (Video and Detailed Blog)Snowman ShiversEpisode 92 – with M.L. BuchmanPatreon for Stark Reflections

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Pamela Brookes writes DOG ON A LOG Books for her daughter who has dyslexia. She makes them available to the public for all the other families whose children need decodable books as they learn to read. (And really, what kid doesn’t benefit from decodable books.) She is now creating printable boardgames, flashcards, and more to give families and teachers fun, affordable ways to help kids learn to read. They can be downloaded from her website www.dogonalogbooks.com.

Pamela lives in the saguaro-studded wilderness outside of Tucson, Arizona with her family, five rescue dogs, twelve laying hens, and six rescue barn cats. (And an amazing assortment of rattlesnakes, scorpions, javelina, coyotes, foxes, bunnies, and more.)

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