Mark Leslie Lefebvre's Blog, page 36

Episode 94 – Thanks for the Inspiration: Laurie Blake

Thanks for the Inspiration is a new type of show that will appear from time to time in the regular schedule.

As writers, we often absorb elements from the world, the places, and the people around us. We observe, we ask questions, we speculative, we listen, we watch, we feel, and we write so much of that down which gets re-integrated, like some sort of sausage creation, into the stories and words and worlds we share with our readers.

This Thanks for the Inspiration episode is an attempt to acknowledge and say thanks to the people, places, and things that have helped to either feed the muse, or perhaps just to feed the very soul and makeup of the writer behind that writing.

This particular episode, Mark thanks Laurie Blake for his role in both his life and in his life in storytelling.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast via patreon.com/starkreflections

In his reflective thanks, Mark shares the influence that Laurie Blake has had on:

His storytelling, in particular the memorable telling of “Angela’s Golden Leg” story that Laurie shared over a campfire, and how that continues to influence Mark’s own oral storytelling style to this dayHow Mark adapted that campfire tale into “The Legend of Prospero’s Ghost” which he has shared for the past two decadesHis perspective on trying to be open-minded and open-hearted in his approach to lifeHis respect for an honest and hard-day’s workHis fondness for roadtrips and excellent conversation with one’s traveling companionAnd more…

Links of Interest:

Levack Ontario (Onaping Falls, ON)
Fox Lake Lodge
The Golden Arm Ghost Story (Wikipedia)
Campus Chills
Prospero’s Ghost (Free Short Story)
Episode 90 – Interview with Craig Martelle
Patreon 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 93 – Draft2Digital Ask Us Anything August 2019

Mark shares a slightly abridged audio version of the Draft2Digital “Ask Us Anything” Webinar which was held in the Draft2Digital offices in Oklahoma City on August 29, 2019. It featured Mark, Dan Wood, and Kevin Tumlinson.

[image error]Screenshot from the Ask Us Anything webinar

Prior to the chat, Mark shares the following:

The winners of Craig Martelle’s book Release Strategies, which include the two winners from the comments for that Episode (Episode 90): Ted, and Chad Boyer.The two patron winners of the same book (automatically entered just for being patrons): Mary Jo Rabe and Matty DalrympleSome recent comments from the past few episodesA personal update, which includes editing a couple of recent Fiction River anthologies from WMG Publishing, and a recent “Writer Blowout” sale Mark was involved in that David Gaughran ran

. . . as well as a word from this episode’s sponsor Findaway Voices…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In the webinar, Mark, Dan, and Kevin discuss:

Quite a bit about libraries and getting eBooks into librariesSuccessfully selling series booksDigital box sets/bundles3D covers VS Flat/Rectangular coversGetting promos on Kobo, Apple, etcBooks2Read and universal book linksThe D2D Print betaFindaway Voices and audiobooksExclusivity VS Wide PublishingAssets for newsletter marketing….and more…

After the main segment of the show, Mark shares his reflections on hoopla and his optimism of having his eBooks available in another library channel, particular having seen some success with his audiobook income via hoopla from Findaway Voices.

Links of Interest:

Draft2Digital
Draft2Digital Facebook Page
August 19, 2019 – ASK US ANYTHING YouTube Video
Findaway Voices
Episode 88 – with David Wind
Episode 90 – with Craig Martelle
Episode 91 – with Stacey Kondla
Episode 92 – with M.L. Buchman
Killing It On Kobo
Fiction River Anthology Series (from WMG Publishing)
Fiction River: Feel the Love
Patreon for Stark Reflections
For Patrons – Download a digital copy of Matt’s Book for Free

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 92 – Strong Authors and the IP Legacies They Deserve with ML Buchman

Mark interviews M. L. “Matt” Buchman about his writing journey and the importance of ensuring that an author’s legacy and earning potential can be maintained for 70 years after an author’s death, which is the subject of his book: Estate Planning for Authors: Your Final Letter (and why you need to write it now).

[image error]Estate Planning for Authors

Prior to the interview, Mark welcomes new patron Kathy Mac and lets patrons know that they can all download a digital version of Matt’s book for free.

Listeners to the podcast can comment on this episode at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one of two print copies of Matt’s book.

Mark also shares a personal update about a fall he took the previous week (and how that made him think the topic of this episode was quite pertinent).

This episode is sponsored by Findaway Voices.

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 their discussion, Mark and Matt discuss:

Matt’s first novel, which he sold to a small traditional publisher in 1993The 2010 romance novel sale to a larger publisher that led to a series of booksWhat Matt calls “Transition by terror” moving from losing his job to writing full timeHow a shorter indie-published novel was the one that “popped” and led to the gamble of writing full time by moving from the large dream house and moving into a crappy smaller home and working diligently at writing in order to put out 8 or 10 books a year for six yearsThe first three years of that process, which involved loosing money the first year, then losing slightly less the second, and then, finally, in the third year, breaking evenThe clause in Matt’s traditional publishing contract that allowed him to keep the rights to anything in the world that was under 60,000 words (and how that led to the still best-selling 40,000 word Daniel’s Christmas and a huge career in indie publishingMatt’s enjoyment of telling the “side story” and how that led to having 11 simultaneous series going at the same timeThe idea of creating a map for what Matt calls the Emily Beale Universe of storiesThe use of initials in Matt’s author brand (M.L. Buchman) because “American wasn’t ready for a male romance author” and the volume of fan mail that said if they’d known he was a man, they never would have picked up one of his novelsMatt’s catch phrase for his writing: “Strong women and the men they deserve!”The approach that Matt took to get into audiobooks and how that made him a huge fan of “read by author” audiobooksThe new straight up thriller series that Matt will be launching shortly which is a military techno thriller with not an ounce of romance in itThe process of creating a word cloud from Matt’s existing reviews to reveal particular terms/phrases that came up a lotTracking how every work hour in the last 7 years has been spent (ie, writing, versus admin, marketing, etc)The importance of understanding how a writer’s IP (Intellectual Property) can earn money for up to 70 years after their deathThe process of trying to find out how to explain, in common English, what a person can do when they inherit a author’s estateHow Jane Austin’s family sold her novels for a tiny amount of money because they didn’t understand the true value of her booksOctavia Butler, one of the most seminal female science fiction authors ever whose books are now mostly all out of print just a little over a decade after her deathThe process of taking a full day to arrange and organize where all of his writing related assets are stored and filed (all documented in a single spreadsheet)The existence and importance of the 35 year reversion date for writer contractsCCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and the rights that they signed away and no longer own (but which can change as it has been 35 years since they signed it awayLimiting his writing travel to two different conferences per year and how this year it was RWA and NINCThe value of being in a mastermind, which replaces the twice weekly hour long walks Matt used to do with Dean Wesley Smith when they both lived on the Oregon coast



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After the interview, Mark reflects on the approach Matt took in using a word cloud from reviews to look for patterns in reader response and how beneficial mining such data can be.

He then shares detailed on how listeners who comment will automatically be entered into a chance to win one of two print copies of Matt’s book with a deadline of Sept 27, 2019 to leave a comment.

Links of Interest:

ML Buchman’s website
ML Buchman on Twitter
Matt’s Book: Estate Planning for Authors
Findaway Voices
Patreon for Stark Reflections
For Patrons – Download a digital copy of Matt’s Book for Free

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M.L. “Matt” Buchman started the first of over 60 novels, 100 short stories, and a fast-growing pile of audiobooks while flying from South Korea to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Part of a solo around the world trip that ultimately launched his writing career in: thrillers, SF/F, and romance.

His titles have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and 3-time Booklist “Top 10 of the Year” as well as being a “Top 20 Modern Masterpiece” in romantic suspense. As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has: designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, and solo-sailed a 50’ ketch, he is awed by what’s possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.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 91 – Book-lover Stacey Kondla on Becoming a Literary Agent

In this episode, Mark interviews Stacey Kondla about her life as a book lover and about the recent transition into the role of literary agent.

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Prior to the interview, Mark announces the winners of David Wind’s book The Indie Writer’s Handbook via a random draw for comments on Episode 88.

He also reads and reacts to comments from Episode 90 with Craig Martelle and reminds listeners they can win one of 4 copies of Craig’s new book Successful Indie Author Release Strategies. Listeners can leave a comment or reflection on Episode 90 of the podcast at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one of 2 copies. And all patrons will also be entered in a chance to win one of 2 other copies of the book.

Mark then welcomes new patron Linda Hill to the podcast, and reminds folks that for $1, $3, or $5 a month, they can become a patron and get access to additional content and audio via patreon.com/starkreflections.

After a personal update, where Mark talk about his new standing desk and office layout as well as being a recent guest on Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Show Podcast, he then shares a word from this episode’s sponsor…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In their chat, Mark and Stacy talk about:

The love of books that has been a major part of Stacey’s entire lifeThe veterinarian path she had been on, which didn’t work outThe “magical time” of a school book fair, and how much Stacey loved her work organizing Scholastic Book Fairs in the Calgary regionManaging the kids departments for Chapters/Indigo and the thrill of working closely with kids booksMeeting Sam Hiyate (President and CEO of The Rights Factory literary agency) at When Words Collide and how that led to discussions about Stacey’s desire to learn more about agenting, and the path towards becoming an Associate Agent with the firmHow, in the first year and a half, Stacey has aquired 30 clients and already sold 5 books, the first of which was to Scholastic USStacey’s experience attending Book Expo America for the first time and how that led to selling a book to Daughter Press in New YorkThe best part about being an agent, which is being an author’s champion and cheerleeder and the special thrill that comes with informing an author that a deal with an aquiring editor has been struckThe joy of being a matchmaker between different people in the book industrySome of the definite “do not do’s” when trying to pitch your book to an agent and one of Stacey’s pet peevesWhat Stacey looks for in a face to face pitch from an authorThe typical day in Stacey’s life as an agent, and how she has to compensate for being 2 hours behind New York’s time zoneThe fact that Stacey still reads for pleasure, but in different ways now that she is an agentSome of the best things that a writer can do to prepare for submission their manuscriptHow an agent’s job isn’t just reading queries and submissions, but that it involves so much more downstream in the processThe priceless value of networking at a literary conference

After the interview, Mark reflects on the way Stacey divides reading for work VS reading for pleasure and explores ways that writers can use similar divisions between writing and editing or even different physical spaces as cues for a way to break through or get over “walls” they face in their own writing.

Links of Interest:

The Rights Factory Literary Agency
Stacey Kondla’s The Rights Factory Profile
Stacey on Twitter
Episode 20 – Lessons Learned on my Writer Journey (Part One)
Episode 88 – Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind
Episode 90 – Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies
Episode 47 – In the Pilot’s Seat with James Blatch
Self Publishing Podcast – Episode 187 – The 7 P’s of Publishing Success with Mark Leslie Lefebvre
When Words Collide
Findaway Voices
A video tour of Mark’s new home office setup and standing desk
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Monty Python’s LIFE OF BRIAN



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Stacey Kondla has worked in the book business for 16 years. Her experience includes being a Field Representative for Scholastic Book Fairs, managing the IndigoKids department at two different Chapters/Indigo (Canada’s largest book retailer) stores, freelance editing, and serving on the organizing committee of When Words Collide (A Festival for Readers and Writers). Stacey is an associate agent with The Rights Factory and specializes in children’s books – picture books through to young adult and graphic novels, fiction and non-fiction.

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 90 – Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies

Mark interviews bestselling science-fiction author Craig Martelle about his journey into and through writing, the 20Booksto50K group and conferences, and his new book Successful Indie Author Release Strategies.

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Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update about his recent visit to Calgary, Alberta for the When Words Collide conference, where he sat on panels, did 1:1 author consultations, and gave a couple of presentations, including a new one on The 7 P’s of Publishing Success based on his book of the same name.

Mark then shares comments on Episode 88 from Michelle Norry and Tracy Arial, discusses the comments, and reminds them that they are now entered into a chance to win a signed copy of David Wind’s book The Indie Writer’s Handbook. (Contest is over end of day Friday August 16, 2019 and winners will be announced in Episode 91).

He also thanks patrons of the show, and reminds them that they are all already entered in a chance to win the other one of two signed copies. This is one of the bonuses for patrons, which include the additional “Stark Reflections on other Podcasts” special episodes. Mark shares that he recently pushed out a special patron-only reflection on other podcasts for Episode 85 of The Career Author Podcast where hosts J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon talked about using pen names.

Mark then shares a word about this episode’s sponsor that includes an update on the new Voices Share royalty splitting program.

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In their chat, Mark and Craig talk about:

Craig’s belief in working hard, putting in 12 to 14 hours a day for seven days a weekBeing close to the epicenter of the origin of Dungeons and Dragons and the influence that had on Craig’s reading and creative mindThe “Amateurs talk tactics and professionals talk logistics” philosophy from the Marine Corp that influences Craig’s author business approachApplying a business consultant approach to writing and the 100,000 word first novel that Craig wrote that took 61 daysThe importance of practiceCraig’s experience selling the rights to his first book to a traditional publisher (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)How Craig uses data to help him make decisions, and how data that doesn’t help a person make decisions isn’t necessarily important dataWhy he put an editor on salary early in his career so that the waiting period on an editor was as short as possibleThe origin of the 20Booksto50K(TM) movement initiated by Michael Anderle and the in person writing conferences that Craig runsWhy the 20Booksto50K Facebook group is so locked down in terms of comments/self-promotional posts, etc.How if you want to be carried that this business isn’t for youHow writing his non-fiction books is mostly Craig’s way of saving himself a lot of time answering the same questions repeatedlyElements from Craig’s book SUCCESSFUL INDIE AUTHOR RELEASE STRATEGIES, such as what is far more important than the volume of books you produce in a particular time period: consistency and establishing and keeping your promise to the readerThe recent overseas conference plus writing retreat that Craig ran which went well above his initial expectationsHow this year’s 20Booksto50K conference will have a significant number of live-streamed videos to the Facebook Group so that those authors unable to attend can benefit from it

After the interview, Mark talks about how Craig’s experience playing Dungeons & Dragons reminded him of his own experience playing that game as a youth, and how it inspired the very first book he wrote at the age of 14.

Mark reflects on the cartoon to text process he used when imagining the story, changing the main character’s name from Conan to Aaron (in recognition of copyright), and the struggle to sit at the typewriter over his summer vacation as a young teen instead of being outside and playing.

[image error]Mark around the age of 13 or 14

He reflects on how indie authors today can and often might release a book that isn’t yet ready for prime time and what that impact can be; particularly in relation to a book he recently read. He is thankful that this first terribly written novel never saw the light of day because of when it was written.

In the midst of reflecting on this trunk novel, he fondly remembers the first young woman to truly capture his heart, and the important role that she played as a creative spirit and fellow writer, in helping to shape and guide him into a writing life. He thinks about how there are people in your life who likely never come to learn just how much of a positive impact they have had on you.

Mark then shares how listeners can win one of 4 copies of Craig’s new book. Listeners can leave a comment or reflection on Episode 90 of the podcast at starkreflections.ca for a chance to win one or 2 copies. And all patrons will also be entered in a chance to win one of 2 other copies of the book.

Entrants will be collected until Sept 1, 2019 and the winners will be announced in the next week’s episode.

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Craig Martelle sees his other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they’re stories from a book. He sees his books as if he has lived there, as if he were friends with the characters.

Craig writes science fiction, mostly with a post-apocalyptic slant. Craig hit the $50k mark with his 19th book, without a single breakout title, although he’s had a number of books wear Amazon’s bestseller tag, albeit briefly. He calls himself the blue collar author and claims that quantity has a quality all its own. Craig has an extensive back list and a growing group of fans. At least that’s what he tells himself. Craig’s perspective is that the most important thing we can do as authors is give back in some way, whether through social lessons in our prose or helping others reach the next level in their journey as professional authors.

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 89 – Why You Can’t Have Mass Market POD Books

In this solo episode Mark explains why you can’t have Mass Market POD books; how the very definition of the term makes it impossible.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a comment from Linda from the previous episode, with a reminder that there’s a still a chance for those who comment on Episode 88 to win a copy of David Win’s book THE INDIE WRITER’S HANDBOOK.

Mark then welcomes Chad Boyer as a new patron to the podcast via Patreon.com/StarkReflections and mentions that this past Wednesday he loaded a new “Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts” episode for Patrons. This one was on a recent episode of The Creative Penn by Joanna Penn, whose guest, Jason Brick, shared a great bit about the four critical elements from a pitch.

Mark then shares a word from this episodes sponsor…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

As the main topic for this episode, Mark explains the background of the main formats of publishing: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and Mass Market. He then relays how just having the “mass market” size format option in POD, via Ingram Lightning Source or other POD providers, doesn’t ACTUALLY make it a mass market book.

He then explains what an actual mass market paperback is and its uniqueness in terms of production, warehousing, distribution, and returns.

He does come to the conclusion that indie authors already have a far better proper “mass market” format that they bypassed legacy/traditional publishers in: the eBook format.

Links of Interest:

The Creative Penn Episode 441 (with Jason Brick)
Episode 88 – Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind
Findaway Voices
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Snowman Shivers

Episode 89

In this solo episode Mark explains why you can’t have Mass Market POD books; how the very definition of the term makes it impossible.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a comment from Linda from the previous episode, with a reminder that there’s a still a chance for those who comment on Episode 88 to win a copy of David Win’s book THE INDIE WRITER’S HANDBOOK.

Mark then welcomes Chad Boyer as a new patron to the podcast via Patreon.com/StarkReflections and mentions that this past Wednesday he loaded a new “Stark Reflections on Other Podcasts” episode for Patrons. This one was on a recent episode of The Creative Penn by Joanna Penn, whose guest, Jason Brick, shared a great bit about the four critical elements from a pitch.

Mark then shares a word from this episodes sponsor…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

As the main topic for this episode, Mark explains the background of the main formats of publishing: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and Mass Market. He then relays how just having the “mass market” size format option in POD, via Ingram Lightning Source or other POD providers, doesn’t ACTUALLY make it a mass market book.

He then explains what an actual mass market paperback is and its uniqueness in terms of production, warehousing, distribution, and returns.

He does come to the conclusion that indie authors already have a far better proper “mass market” format that they bypassed legacy/traditional publishers in: the eBook format.

Links of Interest:

The Creative Penn Episode 441 (with Jason Brick)
Episode 88 – Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind
Findaway Voices
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Snowman Shivers

Episode 88 – Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing, with David Wind

Mark interviews David Wind about his forthcoming book THE INDIE WRITER’S HANDBOOK, which is coming in September 2019.

Prior to the interview Mark shares a comment from Episode 81 from Jules who shared why he finds it important to write every single day. He also shares a comment that came in via email from Caro who said that she would, in fact, appreciate an episode dedicated to getting your eBook and print book into libraries in the United States, Canada and the UK.

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

Learn more about Findaway Voices

In their conversation, Mark and David talk about:

When David first started writing and the first book he published in 1981, which he wrote under a female pen name as a way to break into the market because of an industry trendThe genres that David was passionate about writing and readingThe fact that English and Math were David’s two worst subjects in high schoolHis attempt at writing in college, which he set aside for a while before returning to writing in his late twentiesLeaving a position within the legal realm to work at a Playboy club in ChicagoWriting a thriller (his first novel) just to see if he could write a bookThe response from Agent William Morris not liking the submitted manuscript but liking David’s writingDavid’s agent, Kate Duffy, who was also his editorAndre Norton, a legendary science fiction writer David was a big fan of and how she came to mentor him and also publish one of his only short storiesHow the first book in a YA science fiction series David wrote which has been downloaded close to 70,000 timesWhy David hates the term “self-publishing”The vanity press, iUniverse, that David used back in 2000 in order to bring back one of his previously traditionally published back into availabilityHow, being fed up with traditional publishing, David whole-heartedly jumped into Kindle Direct Publishing in 2008The fun David had releasing his first POD self-published book, which was a book he had wanted to write for thirty years and how exhilarating that experience wasThe transition David experienced when he moved from traditional publishing over to indie publishing



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Why David decided to write The Indie Writer’s HandbookHow he was getting frustrated at how people were misunderstanding and looking down on what proper indie publishing can beThe 18 steps that the handbook walks authors through related to indie publishing your book

After the interview Mark shares a reflection on the reason why David decided to create the book, and shares how he recently wrote an article for a more traditionally focused magazine for writers to serve a similar purpose.

In addition, he shares the two winners of the print book COPS AND WRITERS by Patrick O’Donnell from Episode 84, one randomly selected commenter from that episode and one randomly selected Patron of the show.

And he explains how listeners can win one of two signed advanbced reader copies of David’s forthcoming book for writers.

Links of Interest:

David Wind’s Website David’s BooksThe Indie Writer’s Handbook Episode 81 – Jim Kukral on Being UnskippableEpisode 84 – From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O’DonnellEpisode 87 – You, Your Book, And BookstoresFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections



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David Wind‘s first novel was published in 1981 and since then he has had more than 40 books published in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, mystery, thriller and suspense.

A hybrid author who cut his chops in traditional publishing and then discovered the opportunity in indie publishing, David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this interview and to his forthcoming book.

He is currently the Vice President of the Florida Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America, and he has a lot to say about the way by which traditional publishing still looks down their nose and misunderstands what indie publishing is really about. David lives in Florida with his wife and their dog.

Episode 87 – You, Your Book, And Bookstores

In this solo episode, Mark offers a perspective on bookstores, booksellers, and bookselling, and shares ideas on how authors can best get their books into bookstores.

Prior to the topic, Mark shares a personal update about the move back upstairs to his renovated office, discusses a comment on a previous episode, reminds listeners about the contest to win a print copy of Patrick O’Donnell’s book COPS AND WRITERS, and also thanks Patrons and talks about the patron perks.

Mark then shares a word from this episodes sponsor…

Learn more about Findaway Voices

When discussing bookstores, Mark covers these topics:

The importance of relationships and communityUnderstanding the business side of print bookselling, including the marginsHow returns work and how that effects a bookseller’s willingness to stock booksDoing book launches and signings for different bookstores at different times of the day and seasonsHow Mark got chain bookstores to order his self-published book (and how that partially backfired)



[image error]Book launch for ONE HAND SCREAMING (self-published) Chapters Sudbury – 2004



How bookstores order books VS how consignment worksThe rules, and why bookstores might sometimes make exceptions to those rules in particular situationsThe origin of the Stark Publishing brandWhy Mark tied an onion to his belt back in the day7 things to consider when working with bookstores and trying to get your books into bookstoresAnd more….



[image error]A lunch time book signing at a Barnes & Noble in downtown Pittsburgh (2006)

Links of Interest:

Mark’s First Self-Published Book: One Hand ScreamingEpisode 29 – Interview with Terry Fallis
YouTube video of Terry Fallis interview
Episode 39 – ProfessionalismEpisode 84 – From The Academy to the Street with Patrick O’DonnellFindaway VoicesPatreon for Stark Reflections

Episode 86 – Draft2Digital Ask Us Anything: Marketing Questions – July 2019

In this episode, Mark shares audio from the July 19, 2019 Draft2Digital ASK US ANYTHING episode in which Kevin Tumlinson, Dan Wood and Mark answer marketing questions submitted by authors.

Topics covered in the Q&A include:

How to determine who your target audience is as well as methods to start growing that audienceThe importance of content marketing as a method of marketing, growing your readership/mailing listRelease strategies related to series: rapid release VS a slower scheduleHow to market your books beyond Amazon, including retailers such as Apple, Kobo, and NookMarketing and promotion that doesn’t involve discounting and price changesWays to sell your books to librariesAnd more

Links of Interest:

The Draft2Digital Facebook Page
The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video – June 2019The Ask Us Anything Live Chat Video – July 2019
Draft2Digital Blog Post with video & full transcript from June 2019Findaway VoicesStark Reflections SurveyPatreon 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