WRITER 2.0: Writing, publishing, and the space between

On episode 84 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with author and lawyer Helen Sedwick about all the legal issues authors and aspiring writers need to think about. We discussed: * what type of business entity an author needs; * why she recommends avoiding assisted self-publishing packages; * defamation, and whether it’s okay to write bad stuff about people we know; * how to avoid using copyrighted photos on your blog; * whether it’s okay to use song lyrics in your book; * whether it’s okay to edit blurbs when marketing our books; * when it’s okay to use brand names in a negative way. Plus, on “Today in Writing,” Ann Patchett’s This is the Story of a Happy Marriage (a wonderful book for writers). About our Guest: Helen Sedwick grew up in New York City and majored in English at Cornell University. She spent several years as an advertising copywriter, but when she grew tired of being broke, she attended University of Chicago Law School, then moved to San Francisco where she has practiced business law for almost thirty years.  She’s the author of the historical novel Coyote Winds and the legal guide for writers: Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to the Legal Issues of Self-Publishing, which Joel Friedlander called, “absolutely required reading for authors who want to publish their own work…. It should be on every self-publisher’s desk—highly recommended.”  

On episode 83 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I speak briefly about the recent success of my book, The Anonymous Source. I then discuss four of my favorite writing quotes, including this one, from Natalie Goldberg’s book, Writing Down the Bones: “We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think, this is how we must sit down with pen in hand. We were here; we are human beings; this is how we lived. Let it be known, the earth passed before us…A writer must say yes to life, to all of life: the water glasses, the Kemp’s half-and-half, the ketchup on the counter. It is not a writer’s task to say, “It is dumb to live in a small town or to eat in a café when you can eat macrobiotic at home.” Our task is to say a holy yes to the real things of our life as they exist – the real truth of who we are: several pounds overweight, the gray, cold street outside, the Christmas tinsel in the showcase, the Jewish writer in the orange booth across from her blond friend who has black children. We must become writers who accept things as they are, come to love the details, and step forward with a yes on our lips so there can be no more noes in the world, noes that invalidate life and stop these details from continuing.”

On episode 82 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I was joined once again by romance author Emma Scott. Emma is the author of 4 books—all released in the last 13 months: Love Beyond Words, Unbreakable, Rush, and Endless Possibility: A Rush Novella In a fun, wide-ranging interview, we discussed: the costume she’ll be wearing to the new Star Wars film; why she often writes the sex scenes first; the most awkward moment she’s had while telling a stranger she’s a romance author; how she uses Facebook to connect with readers; her recent Facebook post that went viral and reached 10 million people; how she managed to release 4 books in 13 months. About our guest: Emma Scott writes romances with flawed characters (not just the heroes, but flawed, real women too), in as real a setting as she can make, but with big smooshy, over-the-top Happily Ever Afters. She believes in diversity, open-mindedness, and inclusion in her books and likes sweetness mixed with steam, love conquering all, and above all, hope. She lives and work in the Bay Area, California with her (patient) husband and two sweet little girls. Find her on Facebook or on Twitter: @EmmaS_writes  

On episode 81 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I discuss my recent Bookbub promotion, which resulted in: 49,000 downloads in 72 hours; Hitting #1 free thriller status in 7 countries; Ranking in the top 50 in every Amazon country; Hitting #1 or #2 overall in 5 countries. I also go into detail about the Bookbub selection process, which you can read about here or find below.   How BookBub’s Selection Process Works

On episode 80 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I talked writing, blogging, and platform creation with bestselling author Nina Amir. How writing conferences changed her career The advantages of meeting agents in person The specifics of how to blog a book The advantages of giving away your book for free The biggest mistake novelists make (they don’t make a business plan) Why agents are seeking Novelists with book proposals in this new market Plus, on “Today in Writing,” happy birthday to Charlie Kaufman About our guest: Nina Amir, bestselling author of How to Blog a Book andThe Author Training Manual, transforms writers into inspired, successful authors, authorpreneurs and blogpreneurs. Known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach, she moves her clients from ideas to finished books as well as to careers as authors by helping them combine their passion and purpose so they create products that positively and meaningfully impact the world. A sought-after author, book, blog-to-book, and results coach, some of Nina’s clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She writes four blogs, self-published 13 books and founded National Nonfiction Writing Month, aka the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge.

On episode 79 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I discussed the sophomore writing slump. In addition to speaking about my own experience, I examine the following quotes: From Edward Nawotka at Publishing Perspectives: “Personally, I think that in many cases, the slump does exist. But is easily explained: An author will spend much of their young adult and adult life honing that first published novel, most likely with a number of false starts and/or inferior manuscripts sitting sitting in a drawer somewhere. The aggregate time, effort, and emotion that goes into that first novel far surpasses the one or two years they’re typically given to deliver a follow-up. It only makes sense that the second book may be somewhat anemic when compared with first and is entirely excusable.” And, from Theresa MacPhail at Chronicle Vitae: “Novelists often talk about the dreaded “sophomore slump” — that seemingly interminable period after publishing a first book and before beginning a second. There is much camaraderie and empathy and doling out of advice, since most successful writers have been there. The slump is said to be much worse if the first book has been a relative success; the pressure is on for the next book to be even better. As you might imagine, the anxiety produced by such high expectations only exacerbates the writer’s block that goes hand in hand with a sophomore slump.”

On episode 78 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Deeann Graham, author of the book Head On: Stories of Alopecia. She shared some of the most powerful stories from the book, and we also discussed: * the process of creating a beautiful coffee-table book; * the differences in print quality between Amazon and local printers; * what Alopecia is; * whether men and women have different experiences with hair loss; * what physicians sometimes get wrong about Alopecia. Also, if you’d like to find Reuben, the boy from the cover of the book we discussed, find him here: https://www.facebook.com/reubensworld Plus, on Today in Writing, the 64th birthday of THE TWO TOWERS.  About Deeann Graham: Ten years ago, Deeann was thrown into the turbulent waters of alopecia, a hair loss condition that affects over 146 million people throughout the world. She began daily journaling and her pages and pages of writing eventually turned into the realization that there must be others who also had stories to tell. So she set out to gather stories of other men, women and children with alopecia, and to have them tell their stories. The result is the book: Head-On, Stories of Alopecia. You can find her at: http://www.headonpublishing.com/

Episode 77 is all about literary agents. If you listen to this show regularly, you know that some authors find literary agents and have great success soon after. Most don’t. And now, with the options opened up by self-publishing, many wonder whether they should even try to get an agent. Some ask whether agents are still relevant at all. I think they are, and in this show I explore 5 things I wish I’d known about agents a few years ago. Listen above, or check out the list below. * You absolutely don’t need an agent to get your work into the world and sell books. * But getting an agent can REALLY help you with your career in many circumstances. * You don’t want AN agent, you want THE RIGHT agent. Not all agents are the same, and some who call themselves agents are scam artists. * To find the right agent, get to know agents. Research them, follow them on Facebook, meet them at conferences. But don’t stalk them. They hate that. * Agents are changing with the times. The traditional agency model still exists, but so do some newer, hybrid agencies doing very cool things.

On episode 76 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Kim Dower. Kim is both an esteemed poet and the founder of Kim from L.A., an author publicity firm that has worked with many top authors and celebrities in fiction and non-fiction, including Paulo Coelho, Robert Bly, Paris Hilton, George Carlin, Peter Fonda, Brad Meltzer, and many others. Kim read two of her poems for us and opened up about her writing process, but first we discussed: What authors need to do to connect with audiences and sell more books; How authors can prepare for their first interviews; Living in LA vs. living in NYC; What kind of of authors have the most difficult time talking about their books; How to use anxiety to “power up” before an interview or public presentation; How she knows when a poem is done. Plus, on “Today in Writing,” one of John Lennon’s most famous lines, the video of which can be found here.  About our guest: Kim (Freilich) Dower was born and raised in New York City and received a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, where she also taught creative writing. Her first collection, Air Kissing on Mars, published by Red Hen Press in 2010, was on the Poetry Foundation’s Contemporary Best Sellers list, and was described by the Los Angeles Times as, “sensual and evocative . . . seamlessly combining humor and heartache.” Slice of Moon, her second collection, (Red Hen Press, 2013), nominated for a Pushcart, was called, “unexpected and sublime,” by “O” magazine. Kim’s work has been featured in Garrison Keillor’s, “The Writer’s Almanac,” and Ted Kooser’s, “American Life in Poetry,” as well as in Barrow Street, Eclipse, Los Angeles Review, Ploughshares, and Rattle. Her poems are included in the anthology, Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond, published by The Pacific Coast Poetry Series, an imprint of Beyond Baroque Books. She’s the founder of the Literary Publicity Company, Kim-from-L.A., and teaches a workshop called, Poetry and Memory in the B.A. Program of Antioch University. Her third collection, Last Train to the Missing Planet, will be published by Red Hen Press in the Spring of 2016.

On episode 75 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with writer, book reviewer, and project manager Wendy Kendall. We talked: What is project management and how to apply it to your writing; Breaking down a book into smaller pieces; How to get more committed to your writing; What people don’t know about Seahawks fans; Why I’m terrible at celebrating small milestones.  About out guest: Wendy Kendall writes book reviews for myedmondsnews.com, works as a freelance editor, and is writing a series of mysteries that involve purses. She’s also a manager with over 20 years of leadership providing exceptional customer service, directing operations, resolving customer inquiries, and problem solving. Find her on Twitter at @wendywrites1

On episode 74 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I discuss my ten best tips for when writing gets hard. You can listen to the detailed explanations above, or get the summaries below.  * Skip ahead: Look over your outline, or think ahead in your book, and pick a scene you’re excited about writing. Then go write it. * Exercise: Sometimes the best way to forget about your work, reset your mind, or crack a tough scene, is vigorous exercise. Some people prefer walks. * Stop looking ahead to an imagined positive future: I think Will Self puts it best: “You know that sickening feeling of inadequacy and over-exposure you feel when you look upon your own empurpled prose? Relax into the awareness that this ghastly sensation will never, ever leave you, no matter how successful and publicly lauded you become. It is intrinsic to the real business of writing and should be cherished.” If we can remember that difficulty is often just part of the process, we might be able to stop resisting it. When we stop resisting it, it becomes less difficult. * Sleep alone: Many of us dream differently when we’re sleeping alone. Try saying goodbye to your significant other for a night or two to see if it gets your writing moving. * Get a new support: Though buying something is rarely the answer, occasionally it is. For me, it was an automatic coffee maker that I scheduled to go off at 4:25 a.m. * Write against character type: If you’re writing a stereotypical character, you may be bored, and your reader will be as well. * Do a page of journaling: As fast as you can, away from your desk. Sometimes there is a nagging thought that we really need to get out and, once we do, it’s easy to get back the scene we’re supposed to be working on. * Have a cocktail: Of course, I’m not suggesting that you develop a drinking problem. But sometimes a cocktail (or a beer or glass of wine), combined with scribbling down some thoughts on a napkin, is enough to move us to the next scene, or deepen an existing one. * Go back and read something good you wrote: Then do one of the previous tips like exercise, skip ahead, or have a cocktail. * Change something fundamental: If all else fails, something may be missing from your book or book concept. Anne Enright says, “Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die.” Sometimes, we need to make drastic changes. But try the other tips first.

On episode 73 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with author and book-launching mastermind Tom Morkes. Tom offered up tons of valuable advice about how to plan your book launch up to a year in advance. We also touched on: * his transition from commissioned officer to entrepreneur; * the keys to a great author website (also discussed on here); * why there are no shortcuts to building your social media following; * the differences between fiction and nonfiction platforms; * how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien built their “platforms”; * how to build community around your book 6 months before it comes out; * his company, Insurgent Publishing. Plus, on “Today in Writing,” Hemingway questions his Nobel Prize. About our Guest: Tom Morkes was born in the Chicagoland area, grew up in West Michigan with his 3 brothers and 3 sisters and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he double majored in Human Geography and Russian and fought on the boxing team. After graduating, Tom served five years as a commissioned officer, including a deployment to Iraq as a Gun Truck Security Platoon Leader. Tom is the CEO of Insurgent Publishing, a book marketing and publishing company, the creator of Publishersempire.com, a book launch platform and private self-publishing community, and the author of The Art of Instigating, Notes from Seth Godin’s Revolution Conference, The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing, and Collaborate. Tom writes a blog at Tommorkes.com where he applies what he’s learned leading troops in combat to the world of entrepreneurship, writing and art. Check him out and say hi – he loves it when you do that!  

On episode 72 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, I discuss the most common piece of writing advice: Write Every Day. In general, this is good advice, but it’s important to understand that not everyone does it this way. It’s also important to understand how you personally relate to the practice of writing every day. With that in mind, I discuss two perspectives on writing every day: * Workers who don’t dream and dreamers who don’t work. * Not too tight, not too loose. If you’re someone who works hard but lacks inspiration, this is the episode for you. And if you’re someone who’s full of inspired ideas but has trouble actually doing the work to bring them into reality, this is the episode for you, too. I hope it’s helpful. To send comments or questions, find me on Facebook, Twitter, or email me at podcast(at)acfuller.com. And remember, emailed questions can come either as text or as MP3 audio files, which I will drop directly into the show.

On episode 71 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with author and former accountant G. Elizabeth Kretchmer. In a wide-ranging discussion, we touched on: * the accounting firm that helps out the Academy Awards; * our shared obsession with mountaineering; * how she got, and lost, her literary agent; * a difficult book club appearance; * her love/hate relationship with marketing; * the value of an in-person book launch; * 3 books that changed her writing life; * her novel, TheDamnable Legacy and her new book of short stories, Women on the Brink.  Plus, on “Today in Writing,” Aldous Huxley writes a letter to George Orwell. About our guest: Elizabeth Kretchmer grew up on the south side of Chicago, the youngest of three children in a family that revered the annual summer vacation. They traveled east to frolic in the waves of the Atlantic, north to ride untamed horses in the Canadian Rockies, and south to barter for trinkets in the border towns of Mexico. But her favorite trips were always to the Great American West, where raptors soared and mountains loomed and evergreens towered overhead, and where history and adventure and spirituality seemed somehow inextricably and inexplicably linked to the landscape. By the time she was in her mid-twenties, she found a permanent ticket to the West and has lived there ever since. Although Ms. Kretchmer earned her undergraduate degree with her left brain, subsequently working for a number of years in public accounting and high technology finance, she found her right brain was becoming increasingly assertive and unsettled. At last, she retired from the business world, ostensibly to raise her three real sons, but in truth she has also been raising a cast of mostly fictional characters who have been seeking her guidance and discovering their personal truths and journeys along the way. Ms. Kretchmer is now a full-time writer of novels, short stories, and creative nonfiction. The Damnable Legacy was her debut novel, independently published July 2014 and republished by Booktrope July 2015. Women on the Brink, a short story collection, is coming out October 2015. Ms. Kretchmer is currently working on a novel set in the Yellowstone area. When she’s not writing, she’s helping cancer patients, domestic violence survivors, yoginis, and others experience the transformative power of the written word through her therapeutic and wellness writing workshops.

On episode 70 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I share the story of how I went from offering a free class to 12 people at the local library to getting paid, international speaking gigs. Plus: how my dad landed a feature in the New York Timesand outsold Harry Potter (for 3 days); how to start your author platform today; how I pick podcast guests.