Episode 214 – Collaborations in Space with Carol Van Natta
Mark interviews Carol Van Natta about the collaborative author PETS IN SPACE series.
Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, recent comments, and shares an audio clip of Will Dages from Findaway Voices, this episode’s sponsor.
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 conversation, Mark and Carol discuss:
How, back in high school, Carol and a bunch of her friends wrote a great deal of fan fictionPitching her first co-written book to publishers, and then experimenting with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)The different series novels that Carol has written and releasedThe origin of the Pets in Space anthology series and the charity it raises funds for“Pigs in Space” from the Muppet Show and how the anthology is meant to be a fun one that doesn’t take itself too seriouslyEach release of the anthology being limited so that the rights can go back to all the individual authorsCarol being in numerous editions, then becoming the editor of Pets in Space 6The curation involved in creating the anthologyCross promotion opportunities for the 11 authors involved in this projectHow the giant anthology (Approximately 400,000 words) is only produced in eBook and not print (mostly for logistical reasons)The pros and cons of the anthology only being available for a limited timeWriting with music, and the “Pets in Space” playlistSusan Smith’s song that she wrote and producedHow writers interested in being considered for this anthology series can reach out to CarolThe fact that other writers are not competition for one anotherAdvice Carol would give her younger self: Outlining is a good thingAnd more…After the interview, Mark reflects on how easy misunderstandings can happen over different groups in the author and publishing communities using words to mean different products (such as “anthology”) and the power of author collaborations.
Links of Interest:
Carol Van Natta’s WebsitePets in SpaceRaia’s Song by S.E. SmithThe 6 Figure Author Podcast (Episode 102 – How to Keep Yourself from Stressing Out as an Author While Still Achieving Your Goals)Findaway VoicesAnnouncing MarketplaceSelf-Publishing Insiders Chat with Will Dages (YouTube)The 2nd Annual Online Sci-Fi & Fantasy Writers Conference (Oct 16, 2021)The 2021 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools StorybundlePatreon for Stark ReflectionsThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn 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
Carol Van Natta is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. Series include the Central Galactic Concordance space opera series that starts with Last Ship Off Polaris-G, Overload Flux, and Minder Rising, and the Ice Age Shifters® paranormal romance series that starts with Shifter Mate Magic and Shift of Destiny. She is also the editor of the Pets in Space 6 science fiction romance anthology. She shares her Fort Collins, CO home with just the right number of mad-scientist cat.
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
