Podcast appearances and mentions of craig martelle

After more than a decade of releasing this show on Mondays, I'm moving it to Wednesdays, and this is the first episode of the new time slot.  On the one hand, this might sound like nothing at all, but it's also a big deal, for you and for me, and in this episode, I explain why I'm making the change, and past guests give some tips on sustainable creativity for the long term. Joanna Penn is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, short stories and travel memoir under J.F. Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors and hosts The Creative Penn Podcast. Why the podcast is moving to Wednesdays (1) Take time out to question what you're doing (2) Learn to pivot if you want to keep going long term(3) Set a sustainable pace, and don't build reader expectations you can't deliver on (4) Don't try to do it all, and try to identify the fear that might be driving your choices (5) Question what still serves you, especially as things continue to change(6) Consider different approaches to creativity. It doesn't have to be every day, or every week(7) Creative humans evolve. Build a body of work for the long term. You can find the backlist episodes at TheCreativePenn.com/podcast, just click into the episode to find the transcript. Why The Podcast Is Moving To Wednesdays, And 7 Tips for Sustainable Creativity Here's my big news! After more than a decade of releasing this show on Mondays, I'm moving it to Wednesdays, and this is the first episode of the new time slot. On the one hand, this might sound like nothing at all, but it's also a big deal, for you and for me! I know many of you have a routine of listening to the show during a certain thing on a Monday, so I'm sorry to have to disrupt that, and I hope I don't lose you along the way — although I guess you could just save the episode for Monday! For me, it's a much bigger deal, because a Monday show has meant I have often recorded the intro and edited and scheduled the episode over the weekend. The main reason is that I need to record in the mornings when I have energy and when the house is less noisy, since Jonathan is often on the phone since he works from home as well. So I would prepare the episode on Fridays, and I type out this intro before reading it, and source the news and my thoughts and all that — and then I'd record it Saturday morning, or Sunday morning if Saturday was busy — and so recently, I have felt like something has to change.  Moving the show to a Wednesday means that I can prep on Monday and Tuesday, which is perfect. Its so funny because I agonised over this, in the same way I agonised over changing the theme tune a few years back. Some of you may remember that — and it also turned out to not be a big deal at all. We build things up in our minds and then sometimes the problem can be solved in a different way. So instead of going to ad hoc episodes, or once every two weeks, I hope that moving to Wednesday makes the show more sustainable again, because let's face it, there's a lot going on, and if I did a show every 2 weeks, I might have to make them longer to get through everything! So, same show, just on Wednesdays from now on. And this change underscores what today's episode is about: sustainable creativity over the long term. How do you keep writing, and publishing, and podcasting — and creating for years — and I am now at two decades — without burning out, and without becoming a slave to the algorithm, or the market, or even your own audience's expectations? The goal is not to just survive this year's release schedule, or to keep feeding the machine until you crumble under the speed of it all. The goal is to still be creating, and still be enjoying it, next month, next year, in five years, in 10 years, in 20, in 30. Who knows how many years we all have left — but for sure, we are NOT machines, we are not AI — and we cannot churn it out – and what is the point of that anyway?  So in today's show, I'll share some thoughts and tips from me and also other authors from the show on this topic, and you can find the full episodes in the backlist, and links as ever in the show notes on TheCreativePenn.com/podcast  (1) Take time out to question what you're doing In early 2024, The Tim Ferriss Show, one of the biggest podcasts in the world, hit its ten-year anniversary with over a billion downloads and over 750 episodes, and Tim decided to take a sabbatical. He paused the show for four months and seriously questioned whether to continue. Not because it was failing, it was hugely profitable and he enjoyed talking to people, but because the landscape had changed.  Podcasting had gone from a wide-open space in 2014 to a saturated market, and his question wasn't “can I keep competing?” It was “is this still the game I want to play?” Just a little note here, I started The Creative Penn Podcast in 2009 when there were even fewer shows so I know a lot about a changing podcast market! After four months, Tim came back from what he called a sabbatical with a blog post on My New Rules for Podcasting — To Keep Things Interesting. He starts with the sheer number of podcasts, saying, “Having a good show is no longer good enough. Having a great show is no longer good enough. If you want to survive in the mindshare of listeners, you need differentiation.” I think this is true for us as authors as well as podcasters, or YouTubers, or social media, or anything. But the good news is that your differentiation can be you. Regular listeners will know that I have questioned ending the show over the years, worried that I was no longer useful, or that my voice no longer mattered when there are so many podcasts on similar topics. But after your wonderful feedback, and the fact that the show still gets a lot of downloads every week, and the growth in my Patreon Community, I don't worry about that anymore. It's unlikely that any of us will have a podcast as big as Tim Ferriss's or sell as many books as The Four Hour Work Week, but that's OK, because we are not Tim. I am Jo Penn and you're here because you find my take on the publishing industry is still useful in some way. When it's not anymore, you will go elsewhere, and I find myself at peace with that. Back to Tim's article — he asks some questions of himself, including:If I get to do this for another decade, or had to do this for another decade, what new rules might I create to keep it interesting? Of course, we all have different ideas of what this means for us. And I have already implemented one of these rules, which is that I interview people on topics I find interesting. I frequently get pitched by more famous authors and bigger names, but most of the time I turn them down, and choose to talk to people who are not famous but are more interested in serving you, my audience, because that is the point of this show. I also have people on that I enjoy talking to, because checking in with my friends while you listen in, can be useful too, since my friends are often authors who've been in the industry a while now. I have to make the interviews time that I find interesting or useful or fulfilling as well. But the point is to stop and take time to consider what might need to change, even if you are really successful. You cannot be a slave to the algorithm, to the media, to your audience, for the long term. You have to put some circuit breakers in sometimes. It's the old adage about the small business. You have to work ON in the business, not just IN the business, which means you need to step away. This does sometimes mean that you have to get away physically. I had this realisation while we were in Bruges in Belgium talking to Jonathan about what changes I could make because I just felt a lack of freedom — and freedom is my highest value, so I really need to honour that. So, the first question for you is: If you feel like you need a change, if your routines are becoming too much, or your workload is too much, or you are eating into time you need for rest and recovery or family or whatever you need, can you schedule time out to have a think about what you need and how things can change? You don't need to burn it all down. You might find the answer is just moving the show from a Monday to a Wednesday! (2) Learn to pivot if you want to keep going long term I love talking to authors who have been doing this career for a long time, and in December 2025 in episode 839, I talked to Jennifer Probst, the New York Times bestselling romance author of more than sixty books, about why some authors build decades-long careers while others vanish after one breakout. Jennifer has been through the indie gold rush, the fallout, traditional deals, Kickstarter, all of it, and I asked her how she thinks about how everything keeps changing, and we start with marketing but it goes much further than that. Writing Free: Romance Author Jennifer Probst On A Long-Term Author Career *** Jo: In terms of how we do marketing, TikTok is still a thing, and we can see maybe generative AI search coming on the horizon and agentic buying. A decade ago it might have been different, more Facebook ads or whatever. Then before that it might have been something else. So there's always things changing along the way. Jennifer: Yes, there definitely is. It is a very oversaturated market. They talk about, I don't know, 2010 to 2016 maybe, as the gold rush, because that was where you could make a lot of money as an indie. Then we saw the total fallout of so many different things. I feel like I've gone through so many ups and downs in the industry. I do love it because the longer you're around, the more you learn how to pivot. If you want this career, you learn how to write differently or do whatever you need to do to keep going, in different aspects, with the changes. To me, that makes the industry exciting. Again, perspective is a big thing. But I have had to take a year to kind of rebuild when I was out of contract with a lot of things. I've had to say, “Okay, what do you see on the horizon now? Where is the new foundation? Where do you wanna restart?” Sometimes it takes a year or two of, “Maybe I won't be making big income and I cut back,” but then you're back in it, because it takes a while to write a few new books, or write under a pen name, or however you want to pivot your way back into the industry. Or, like you were saying, diversifying. I did a lot of non-fiction stuff because that's a big calling for me, so I put that into the primary for a while. I think it's important for authors to maybe not just have one thing. When that one thing goes away, you're scrambling. It's good to have a couple of different things like, “Well, okay, this genre is dead or this thing is dead or this isn't making money. Let me go to this for a little while until I see new things on the horizon.” *** I love that from Jennifer, because there are always new things on the horizon, and we try new things and we pivot, and we bring in other streams of income as some drop off, and we go again and we keep creating. Authors with longevity are authors who pivot over their careers. They may lament the end of one era, but they don't stop, they find a new way forward. (3) Set a sustainable pace, and don't build reader expectations you can't deliver on Kevin J. Anderson is one of the most productive writers alive, with hundreds of books, most of which he writes with dictation while out hiking, and he has been on this show many times. In January 2025, in episode 791, we talked about building a long-term author business, and how authors need to be careful about setting reader expectations around pace of releases. Building A Long Term Author Business, Dictation, Kickstarter, and Short Story Collections With Kevin J Anderson Kevin: Now, again, we get back to the longevity of a career. It is exhausting to write lots of books a year, and most people can't keep doing that for 20 years or 30 years. That's one of the reasons, especially indie authors, where readers expect you to write several books a year. Some indie authors I know are writing a book a month. I couldn't do that for any long period. Well, I couldn't do that probably for a single year. You start building expectations, and when you fail to meet those expectations, they will leave you very quickly. That's why you should have Plan Bs. If you really, really can't stand writing your steampunk vampire romance series after book number 29, well, make sure that you have some other series you're starting and building up. Well, Hugh Howey's got several series that are going. Michael Anderle has all kinds of series, and Craig Martelle has all kinds of series. You don't just put all your eggs in one basket. You need to have Plan B and Plan C, to circle around to what I started with. *** Whatever cadence you choose, for your books, your email newsletters, or or your podcast, or your social media, choose a pace you can still be keeping up in a decade, because this is a long term career, and longevity in the market is one of the most important things. It's better to pace yourself than burn out. (4) Don't try to do it all, and try to identify the fear that might be driving your choices I couldn't do an episode on sustainability without Becca Syme! Becca is an author coach who has worked with thousands of writers, she is the creator of the Better-Faster Academy and the Quit books, and the QuitCast podcast — and In January 2023, in episode 668, at the end of our conversation about intuitive writing and marketing, I asked her what authors who sustain long careers have in common. Intuitive Writing And Book Marketing With Becca Syme *** Joanna: So in terms of sustainability, let's talk about that. You coach writers every day, you see writers on every spectrum of every personality type, and people who write differently and release differently and publish differently. So what do you see as your recommendations or, I guess, commonalities for authors who want this sustainable career as a writer for the long term in order not to burn out? What are you seeing in terms of the best way to be sustainable in a creative career? Becca: Conquering the fear that we have that we're not going to get what we want out of the career, like 100%. Because the fear is the thing that's driving us to burn ourselves out. The fear that if I don't do it this way, I'm not going to make money. If I don't do it this way, I'm not going to have a long career. I'm going to miss out on something if I don't do absolutely everything. And then I think the most important knowledge that we can have is that everyone in this industry who's a nonfiction person, including me, is giving you a perspective on how author life can be done. Every single one of us, not the perspective on how it should be done in order to have success. And if we could just change our expectations of how we look at the people who are helping us who are being good, helpful people who are very sure that their way is the correct way and who should be, again, because like all experts, they've had success doing what they are doing. But the downside is from someone whose job is to sit with authors for 45 minutes at a time, all day, every day, I see the outcome of the people who have tried to “do it all,” in quotes, with capital letters, and who are burned out because they were doing everything out of a fear place. And I think one of the best things that can happen in our — and what burnout often does is it forces us to reckon with the fact that we were doing all of this because we were afraid. My book isn't going to sell, I'm not going to be able to do this, I have this dream that I'm holding on to and what happens if it doesn't manifest itself. Then we make a lot of our decisions about how much to take on based on fear, and we don't know it. Because we don't realize that our brains are wired for survival, and so anytime fear kicks in, your brain is like, well, we have to do that because if you're afraid of it, then that must mean that we need it in order to survive. And we don't. We will survive if our books don't sell. We have to calm that fear and answer the question. Like, what will happen if in five years, I have not sold more than $1,000 on every book that I am writing? Like if each of the individual books that I write have not made more than $1,000. And I have to reckon with what might happen if that happens, because if I don't, that fear is going to drive me to burnout over and over and over and over again. That is why we're making so many of our decisions, including: do I pay for this class or conference? Do I pay for this book? Do I spend money on this advertising? Do I hire this expert consultant? So many of us are making those choices out of fear and we don't realize it. And that's why when we do our public live coaching, and whenever I'm at a conference, I'm always listening for, “but what are you afraid is not going to happen? Or what are you afraid is going to happen?” Because if we don't deconstruct that part of yourself and calm your survival mechanism down, you're going to continue over and over again to make those decisions out of fear. Then you're going to not listen to your intuition because you think it's risky to listen to it. And so I really think, and some of this might include therapy for some of us, I'm just going to acknowledge some of us have trauma around not getting what we want or around not actualizing our desires, and we can't just talk ourselves into letting the fear go. But some of us do just need to consistently confront the fear and make a plan for what happens and then act in spite of that fear because we are not making good decisions when we are in survival mode. *** Becca is very wise, and also pretty hardcore! So if you feel like you are trying to do it all, and you are on the edge of burning out, can you identify the fear beneath it? (5) Question what still serves you, especially as things continue to change Sometimes we keep doing things the same way, even when things have changed. What is lost if we give things up? What is gained? And what kind of game do you want to play? In episode 845, Claire Taylor, humour and mystery author, owner of FFS Media, certified Enneagram coach, talks about how social media has changed and why she gave it up. Leaving Social Media, Writing Iconic Characters, and Building Trust With Claire Taylor *** Joanna: One thing I know will have perked up people's ears is: “I left social media.” Tell us a bit more about that. Claire: This was a move that I could feel coming for a while. I didn't like what social media did to my attention. Even when I wasn't on it, there was almost a hangover from having been on it. My attention didn't feel as sharp and focused as it used to be, back before social media became what it is now. So I started asking myself some questions: What is lost if I leave? What is gained if I leave? And what is social media actually doing for me today? Because sometimes we hold on to what it used to do for us, and we keep trying to squeeze more and more of that out of it. But it has changed so much. There are almost no places with sufficient organic reach anymore. It's all pay-to-play, and the cost of pay-to-play keeps going up. I looked at the numbers for my business. My Kickstarter was a great place to analyse that because they track so many traffic sources so clearly. I could see exactly how much I was getting from social media when I advertised and promoted my projects there. Then I asked: can I let that go in order to get my attention back and make my life feel more settled? And I decided: yes, I can. That's worth more to me. Joanna: There are some things money can't buy. Sometimes it really isn't about the money. I like your question: what is lost and what is gained? You also said it's all pay-to-play and there's no organic reach. I do think there is some organic reach for some people who don't pay, but those people are very good at playing the game of whatever the platform wants. So, TikTok for example—you might not have to pay money yet, but you do have to play their game. You have to pay with your time instead of money. I agree with you. I don't think there's anywhere you can literally just post something and know it will reliably reach the people who follow you. Claire: Right. Exactly. TikTok currently, if you really play the game, will sometimes “pick” you, right? But that “pick me” energy is not really my jam. And we can see the trend—this “organic” thing doesn't last. It's organic for now. You can play the game for now, but TikTok would be crazy not to change things so they make more money. So eventually everything becomes pay-to-play. TikTok is fun, but for me it's addictive. I took it off my phone years ago because I would do the infinite scroll. There's so much candy there. Then I'd wake up the next morning and notice my mood just wasn't where I wanted it to be. My energy was low. I really saw a correlation between how much I scrolled and how flat I felt afterwards. So I realised: I'm not the person to pay-to-play or to play the game here. I'm not even convinced that the pay-to-play on certain social media networks is being tracked in a reliable, accountable way anymore. Who is holding them accountable for those numbers? You can sort of see correlation in your sales, but still, I just became more and more sceptical. In the end, it just wasn't for me. My life is so much better on a daily basis without it. That's definitely a decision I have not regretted for a second. **** To be clear, we're not saying you should give up social media, but it's about questioning how things make you feel, and what you can sustain and how you want to spend your time. I did question once again whether to give up this show entirely, but it is an important part of my creative body of work, and quite frankly, I reach more people with the podcast than I do with my books, and I still love talking to people, and I learn, and it underpins my business. I don't do much social media though. I learn about AI things on X and I do post photos and things on Instagram but I don't do much else. You have to decide what is right for you, but also, what is right for you might change over time. If we have a long term career, or a long term anything, things will change, and we will need to move on sometimes, or at least question whether it is still working in the way it used to. (6) Consider different approaches to creativity. It doesn't have to be every day, or every week.  In April 2026, in episode 858, I talked to Sara Rosett, USA Today bestselling mystery author and co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then podcast, about low-key marketing, and a more seasonal approach, or phased approach to podcasting as well as writing. Special Editions, Seasonal Podcasts, and the Art of Low-Key Book Marketing with Sara Rosett *** Jo: Although I must say I had forgotten about your Mystery Books podcast and going to seasonal. I also had my second podcast, Books and Travel, which is now on a kind of hiatus, but going to a seasonal approach is actually really interesting. Do you find that listeners come back to that podcast? Sara: Yes, and it surprises me because I've always thought you have to be weekly with a podcast to gain any traction at all, which I think is the best way to do it. You can build an audience quickly then, but I just knew I couldn't sustain that. So when I set out, I started with maybe seven to ten episodes and I did them each year — each year has had a season — and I do five to ten episodes. Readers find it, and I have highlighted specific books. I think maybe they're searching for a podcast about the Thursday Murder Club or something like that. They find it that way, and I get downloads, just steady downloads throughout the year, and I don't do much. I do some Pinterest pins for that, and that's about all I do. This is one of those things — it's the kind of low-key marketing that's low threshold, but it does work. I think if your readers are looking for stuff to listen to about the topic you write about, it could be a good way to do some low-cost, long-tail marketing. I love it. I keep doing it because I love it. Jo: That just seems more sustainable to me. I didn't like doing everything every day or every single week. Sara: Me either. I like switching it up, and I do enjoy the different phases of writing. I like the research and then I like doing the — well, I don't like the drafting that much, but once I get a draft done, I like the editing. And then when it comes time to promote it or do a special edition or whatever, I enjoy that part. Finding whatever I'm going to use for the interior photos and stuff — just things like that. I enjoy each phase and I like switching it out. Jo: I think that's really good. Some people think this writer's life is you write new words every single day and you manage your ads every single day. That seems to be what some people do, but that's certainly not us, is it? Sara: No. And that's great if you want to do that. I just don't want to. And I think we've come to the point now where each person can do this as they want. Hopefully people don't feel the pressure to meet these self-imposed deadlines or parameters that don't exist. There's no rules for writing or publishing. You can do whatever you want. *** I am definitely a seasonal creator, I don't write every day. I never have. I binge write when a book emerges, or binge create. As I record this I am working on the treatment and trailer for what is now called Cathedral Zero, a positive futurist sci-fi feature film that I am entering in the FutureVision X Prize in the next week or so, and then I will move to the next project. I also love Kickstarter launches for this reason. They feel much more sustainable because it's such a focused marketing push. My Books and Travel Podcast is still on hiatus, but I may still resurrect that at some point. I still feel the pull of it. And of course, this show remains weekly, but the Wednesday shift will hopefully help keep it this way. I can't see me going seasonal with this, but never say never! The main thing is to consider seasonality, or consider phased approaches to your work, rather than trying to do exactly the same thing week in week out. (7) Creative humans evolve. Build a body of work for the long term. Roz Morris first came on this podcast in 2011, and in March 2026, in episode 853 we talked about her memoir, discovery writing, and slow, sustainable book marketing. Roz is an award-nominated literary author and former bestselling ghostwriter, an editor and I always appreciate her perspective as she has been doing this far longer than I have. **** JOANNA: Do you still actively choose indie for a particular reason? ROZ: I do. I really like building my own body of work, and I'm now experienced enough to know what I do well, what I need advice with, and help with. I mean, we don't do all this completely by ourselves, do we? We bring in experts who will give us the right feedback if we're doing a new genre or a genre that's new to us. I choose indie because I like the control. Because I began in traditional publishing—I was making books for other people—I just learned all the trades and how to do everything to a professional standard. I love being able to apply that to my own work. I also love the way I can decide what I'm going to write next. If I was traditionally published, I would have to do something that fitted with whatever the publisher would want of me, and that isn't necessarily where my muse is taking me or what I've become interested in. I think creative humans evolve throughout their lives. They become interested in different things, different themes, different ways of expressing themselves. I began by thinking I would just write novels, and now I've found myself writing memoirs as well. That shift would have been difficult if someone else was having to make me fit into their marketing plans or what their imprint was known for. But because I've built my own audience, I can just bring them with me and say, “You might like this. It's still me. I'm just doing something different.” **** Inspiring words from Roz there — “It's still me, I'm just doing something different.” And indeed, I am a very different Jo from the new author who started this podcast back in March 2009. I have evolved and this show has evolved and this is not the end, it is a new phase. It's funny because it's just a shift of two days, but it also breaks a habit, for you listening and for me creating. It changes a time slot, and that itself can be a way to change energy, to change direction, to shift what matters and how we do things.  So that's what I want to leave you with today. A question around how shifting something, even something small, might make a big difference to your creative body of work, the quality of time you have for yourself or your family, and I'd love to know what you think about today's episode and what we covered, as well as your thoughts on the Wednesday shift.  Please leave a comment on the show notes, or the YouTube channel, or email me. I will see you next Wednesday, so happy writing and I'll see you next time!The post Why The Podcast Is Moving To Wednesdays, And 7 Tips for Sustainable Creativity first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Our #IndieSummer journey comes to an end this week, but it's not a finish line that awaits us, this is just the beginning. Today Indie author powerhouse Craig Martelle joins us to talk about building a plan to launch your work into the world and to see the success that book deserves.  Craig is a million-selling author of science fiction (post-apocalyptic, military sci-fi, and space opera), thrillers, and non-fiction.  Craig retired from the Marine Corps after a long career in the military intelligence community, having worked with most of the U.S. Government's three-letter agencies. After a short stint with physical security, Craig went to law school, graduated summa cum laude, and went into business consulting. From intelligence, to the inner workings of company board rooms, to on-the-ground leadership, Craig has seen it firsthand.  His books are an extension of his experience, putting the trials and tribulations of a fast-paced world into your hands. Whether in Science Fiction, Thrillers, Fantasy, or even his Non-Fiction, you'll find consistent themes of justice and doing right by those who are counting on their leaders. Leadership is a service, not a crown to lord over others.  No matter where Craig went, he always had a book with him. Thanks to 21st Century technology, He now has thousands of books at his fingertips and with him wherever he goes. How many books would he have read on deployments had he not had to carry a physical book?  No one is encumbered like that now. Craig loves the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. He has been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, Craig aspires to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared him to. Through a bizarre series of events, Craig ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. He never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. He and his wife get to watch the northern lights from their driveway. Their dog has lots of room to run, just until temperatures reach fifty below zero. They have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer. It's all part of the give and take of life. If they didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.

Craig Martelle is an international bestselling author of thrillers and science fiction. His nonfiction book, Wit and Wisdom, provides incredible advice to authors. His first podcast interview was based on his thriller Ian Bragg Series. This interview is built around his book—a must-read for writers wishing to improve their game. He founded IASFA (Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors), which we also discuss in this interview. If you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, this is a great group to join. Learn more here: iasfa.org/

Craig Martelle is an international bestselling author of thrillers and science fiction. His nonfiction book, Wit and Wisdom, provides incredible advice to authors. His first podcast interview was based on his thriller Ian Bragg Series. This interview is built around his book—a must-read for writers wishing to improve their game. He founded IASFA (Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors), which we also discuss in this interview. If you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, this is a great group to join. Learn more here: https://iasfa.org/

I grew up in Iowa, joined the Marine Corps and got to see the best and the worst that the world had to offer. Then earned a law degree. No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly. We aren't encumbered like that now. Desmond Astaire I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling – she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to. FYSA, the new book I'm slinging is Epoch-1, which is also the one being featured in the Arc Manor bundle promo this month. I've attached the interview sheet I submitted to Martin for your background info; as you'll see Epoch-1 is a project only made possible due to being set up for success by the Writers of the Future experience. (Trailer: https://youtu.be/PMg1_LcI0no?feature=shared) Are there any particular talking points you want me to be familiar with for promoting Vol 41? What other show themes, topics, etc. can I prep for? JEN FINELLI Author & Screenwriter – Biography Jen Finelli is a world-traveling, award-nominated author and screenwriter deeply in love. My science fiction funds real-life superhero activities through various charities and adventures in austere and under-privileged medicine. Because I'm a licensed physician, and doctors are weird, I try to write things that make people leak bodily fluids. Like tears of hope. Or “OMG-THAT-WAS-AWESOME-I-JUST-WET-MY-PANTS.” Or the inspired sweat of fighting for what matters. Explosive things, kind superheroes, crude secret agents, sparkly fairies, biochemistry, guns, facts, and offensive gods show up in my pages, and sometimes that gets me published or gets me money or gets me in trouble. You can find my interactive resume below, but if you want to get to know me a little, or tell me about the things YOU like, you should follow me on twitter. You'll get a free short story if you do. You should DEFINITELY get on my e-mail list for a weekly short story, starting with a chance to fight a mermaid. Sometimes I also share secret opportunities and codes I steal for you. Let's change the world together. Find out more at: byJenFinelli.com

I'm here at Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. This is a podcast panel, meaning I am recording this podcast as I interview SoundBooth Theater founder Jeff Hays and international bestselling author Craig Martelle in front of a live audience. Jeff Hays is a prolific narrator and producer, and CEO of Soundbooth Theater, a full-service audio production company that specializes in multicast audiobooks and Cinematic Audio. Craig Martelle is the author of around 190 books. I am familiar with his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, covered in a separate podcast interview. He is also one of the geniuses behind the 20 Books to 50K Conference created by Michael Anderle.

80 plays80 View all likes1 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Podcast 262 followers262 272 tracks272 I'm here at Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. This is a podcast panel, meaning I am recording this podcast as I interview SoundBooth Theater founder Jeff Hays and international bestselling author Craig Martelle in front of a live audience. Jeff Hays is a prolific narrator and producer, and CEO of Soundbooth Theater, a full-service audio production company that specializes in multicast audiobooks and Cinematic Audio. Craig Martelle is the author of around 190 books. I am familiar with his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, covered in a separate podcast interview. He is also one of the geniuses behind the 20 Books to 50K Conference created by Michael Anderle.

146 plays146 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Podcast 260 followers260 266 tracks266 Craig Martelle has taken his more than twenty years of experience in the Marine Corps, his legal education, and his business consulting career to write compelling stories. He recommended the first in his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, “The Operator,” which I read and thoroughly enjoyed. But his bio also says he writes sf, urban fantasy, YA fantasy, and regular fantasy as well as thriller. But today, it's all about the thriller!

Craig Martelle has taken his more than twenty years of experience in the Marine Corps, his legal education, and his business consulting career to write compelling stories. He recommended the first in his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, “The Operator,” which I read and thoroughly enjoyed. But his bio also says he writes sf, urban fantasy, YA fantasy, and regular fantasy as well as thriller. But today, it's all about the thriller!

On Ron's Amazing Stories we're kicking off the show with a review of the thrilling new audiobook series, Free Trader. Set in a distant future, this space opera follows the adventures of the Golden Warrior, a deadly and cunning sentient cat who navigates the treacherous world of interstellar trade. With its fast-paced action, intriguing characters, and captivating plot, Free Trader is a must-listen for any fan of science fiction and fantasy. Next up, we have a spine-chilling tale from Hoyt, a listener who lives in the remote Appalachian Mountains. Hoyt's story takes us to a secluded home deep in the woods. For our featured story, we turn to the classic old-time radio series Lights Out, known for its gripping tales of horror and suspense. In this episode, we'll be transported to a world of dark magic and necromancy, as two rival magicians engage in a fierce battle for control of a zombie. So, sit back, relax, and let Ron's Amazing Stories take you on a journey of wonder, excitement, and the unknown. Featured Story - Battle Of The Magicians Our featured story is a strange one from the demented mind of Arch Obler and the OTR series Lights Out. Two magicians battle for control of a zombie. This is a fascinating story that is quite creepy. The concept of zombies completing unspeakable acts has been the stuff of nightmares, and is quite terrifying. It is titled Battle Of The Magicians and it first aired on July 27, 1946. You may never want to fly again. Stories Include - The Collectors Item, Audiobook Review - Free Trader series by Craig Martelle, The House In The Appalachian Mountains, and Battle Of The Magicians Ron's Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at . Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below. Program Info: Ron's Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from , stream it on or on the mobile version of . Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on . Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this . Social Links: Contact Links:  

Today on the show we are chatting with the director of Author Nation, Joe Solari!  Joe and Author Nation are taking the helm from Craig Martelle and the 20 Books to 50K Vegas Conference. 20 Books Vegas was the largest indie author conference and now Joe Solari and Author Nation have the epic task of keeping this amazing conference going and growing. Please enjoy my chat with Joe Solari.In today's episode we discuss:·      Will there be cookies as big as manhole covers at Author Nation?·      How Joe blended an MBA and a Fine Arts Degree into success. ·      What are some of the lessons learned and best practices that successful authors are now employing to maximize their author businesses? ·      Common errors you see authors make at the different stages of their careers and how to avoid them.·      How do we stand out in such a crowded market? Is this going to transfer over to the conferences? If so, how and what will be the emphasis?·      Why Joe Solari accepted the challenge of running the Author Nation conference.·      What are your goals for the Author Nation conference going forward?learn more about Joe Solari and his work on his website.Check out Author Nation Live!Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.  Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor, and maybe even a little romance?I have partnered up with Michael Anderle and we have released a new crime fiction series called “Brew City Blues.” If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch you're going to love Brew City Blues! Brew City Blues is now live! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLR7FX27Support the show

Today on the show we have returning champ, my friend and Superstar Author and director of the world's largest indie author conference, 20 Books Vegas, Craig Martelle.   It was my pleasure to attend the last 20 Books Vegas run by Craig. I have gone to all the Vegas 20 Books conferences and have seen the positive impact these conferences have had on authors. Please enjoy my chat with Craig Martelle.In today's episode we discuss:·      Craig's beginnings into writing after a career in the United States Marine Corps and being an attorney.·      How he and Michael Anderle became fast friends and grew the 20 Books brand and conferences. ·      Why did he undertake such a humongous responsibility and personal financial risk for a not-for-profit conference?·      How this conference literally has changed hundreds of author's lives for the better.·      When did he know it was time to step down and walk away from this conference?·      Words of wisdom for Joe Solari and Author Nation who will run the conference next year. ·      My personal gratitude to Craig and Michael for their friendship, partnership, and mentorship throughout the years. Learn more about Craig and his books on his website!Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website. Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor, and maybe even a little romance?I have partnered up with Michael Anderle and we have released a new crime fiction series called “Brew City Blues.” If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch you're going to love Brew City Blues! Brew City Blues is now live! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLR7FX27Support the show

The Blasters & Blades Podcast Just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom," "boop-beep" and rhyme with Science Fiction & Fantasy. Co-Hosts: Doc Cisca (Uber Book Fan) (Army Medic) JR Handley (Author) (Grunt) Nick Garber (Comic Book Artist) (Super Grunt) We work for free, so if you wanna throw a few pennies our way there is a linked Buy Me A Coffee site where you can do so. Just mention the podcast in the comments when you donate, and I'll keep the sacred bean water boiling! Support the Show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AuthorJRHandley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our Facebook Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/blastersandbladespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our YouTube Channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/BlastersandBladesPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/SF_Fantasy_Show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our LinkTree: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/blastersandblades⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Today's Sponsor IASFA Website: https://iasfa.org/ IASFA Newsletter: https://iasfa.org/newsletter/   Follow 20Booksto50K on social media 20Books50K Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k 20Books50K Vegas: https://20booksvegas.com/   Follow Craig Martelle on social media Craig's Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B01AQVF3ZY   Craig's Website: https://craigmartelle.com/ Craig's BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/craig-martelle    Craig's Author Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigMartelle/ Craig's Twitter: https://twitter.com/rick_banik Craig's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craigmartelle/ Craig's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@20Booksto50kRLiveEvents/ Craig's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/craigmartelle   #scifishenanigans #scifishenaniganspodcast #bbp #blastersandblades #blastersandbladespodcast #podcast #scifipodcast #fantasypodcast #scifi #fantasy #books #rpg #comics #fandom #literature #comedy #veteran #army #armyranger #ranger #scififan #redshirts #scifiworld #sciencefiction #scifidaily #scificoncept #podcastersofinstagram #scificons #podcastlife #podcastsofinstagram #scifibooks #awardwinningscifi #newepisode #podcastersofinstagram #podcastaddict #the #podcast #scifigeek #scifibook #sfv #scifivisionaries #firesidechat #chat #panel #fireside #craigmartelle #iasfa #religionquestion #stargate #babylon5 #battlestargalactica #bsg #freebooks #freebook #dragonslayer #conanthebarbarian #madmax #patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blasters-and-blades/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blasters-and-blades/support

Today on the show, we welcome back a returning guest: bestselling author and newly retired Lieutenant Scott Moon, formerly of the City of Wichita Police Department.Scott Moon is a writer of speculative fiction, mostly science fiction and space opera, and a fan of many storytelling. Prior to writing full time, he spent twenty-five years in law enforcement. Notable assignments included the Special Community Action Team, Special Weapons and Tactics team, Exploited Missing Children Unit, and various supervisory roles, including the executive officer to the chief of police.Scott has been writing since he was a cop and now is a full-time author in his retirement from law enforcement. He has published many bestselling books and has published over fifty books so far in his writing career solo or in collaborations. In today's episode we discuss:·      How and why, Scott got into law enforcement. ·      Scott's career with the Wichita Police Department, including his time as a SWAT operator, detective, sergeant, and lieutenant.·      When and why, Scott started writing books.·      Scott's plan for retirement and how that played out. ·      How his life has changed after retiring from police work and becoming a full-time writer. ·      How his self-discipline helps with his efficiency as a full-time writer.·      His advice for those contemplating or who have retired from police work.·      The pleasant surprise that happens after retirement from police work.·      What he misses the most and least from being a cop.Check out Scott's website which has links to his books and podcast.Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.  Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor, and maybe even a little romance?I have partnered up with Michael Anderle and we have released a new crime fiction series called “Brew City Blues.” If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch you're going to love Brew City Blues! Brew City Blues is now live! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLR7FX27Avenging Adam Audiobook by Jodi Burnett Get 50% off Avenging Adam audiobook with this link! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

This is a bonus show from last year with Craig Martelle who runs the 20 Books Vegas conference. Almost everything is the same, but better!!My guest on today's show is best-selling author and coordinator of the world's biggest and best indie author conference, 20 Books Vegas, Craig Martelle Craig is a fountain of knowledge as he breaks down the conference for us today that is happening November 6 - 10, 2023 at Bally's / Horseshoe Las Vegas. In today's episode we discuss:·      How 20 Book Vegas started and has grown into a premier world-class indie author conference.·      Why have the conference in Vegas?·      Navigating the 20 Books Vegas Facebook group.·      Best practices to enjoy the show.·      Best safety tips when in Vegas. ·      How to get to the hotel and other spots in Vegas. ·      Future 20 Book Vegas conferences. All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Check out the 20 Books Vegas Website!Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writer's book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupConsider buying me a coffee :-)Do you want to write crime stories that are accurate and believable, but lack first-hand experience in law enforcement? Join Cop Camp, the Cops and Writers Interactive Conference, and experience what real police officers and detectives do through hands-on activities this June 1st – the 4th at the Fox Valley police academy in Appleton, Wisconsin. Register now at premeditatedfiction.com/copcamp2023 and take your crime writing to the next level. Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor, and maybe even a little romance?I have partnered up with Michael Anderle and we have released a new crime fiction series called “Brew City Blues.” If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch you're going to love Brew City Blues! Brew City Blues is now live! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BLR7FX27Support the show

20Books is a multi-day networking and educational event for authors that covers the innumerable ways indie authors can earn revenue from their work. We'll catch up with Craig to learn how the event has grown over the year to become a "must-attend" event for indie authors looking to grow their careers.//Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//  Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor worldwide. We'll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way—and we won't charge you a dime.  We take a small percentage of the royalties for each sale you make through us, so we only make money when you make money. That's the best kind of business plan.  • Get started now: https://draft2digital.com/• Learn the ins, the outs, and the all-arounds of indie publishing from the industry experts on the D2D Blog: https://Draft2Digital.com/blog  • Promote your books with our Universal Book Links from Books2Read: https://books2read.com  Make sure you bookmark https://D2DLive.com for links to live events, and to catch back episodes of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.

20Books Vegas has come and gone and my brain is still a whirlwind regarding the entire experience. There was so much to see, so much experience, so much to learn... and then some! In today's podcast episode, I'm dishing out all the goods on the 2022 20Books Vegas Conference experience. I'm going to talk about my top 5 sessions (and maybe one bonus one!), as well as what I'd do differently next time around. Plus, you can get a little flavor for what it was like being in Las Vegas. Have a listen! Be sure to check out the show notes by going to https://authorrevolution.org/158.

My guest on today's show is best-selling author and coordinator of the world's biggest and best indie author conference, 20 Books Vegas, Craig Martelle Craig is a fountain of knowledge as he breaks down the conference for us today that is happening November 14-18, 2022 at Bally's / Horseshoe Las Vegas. In today's episode we discuss:·      How 20 Book Vegas started and has grown into a premier world-class indie author conference.·      Why have the conference in Vegas?·      Navigating the 20 Books Vegas Facebook group.·      Best practices to enjoy the show.·      Best safety tips when in Vegas. ·      How to get to the hotel and other spots in Vegas. ·      Future 20 Book Vegas conferences. All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Visit Craig at his website!Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!Enjoy the Cops and Writer's book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupConsider buying me a coffee :-)Do you enjoy gritty, action-packed real-life police dramas to get your fill of blood, heartache, and cop humor? You've come to the right series! If you're a fan of Hill Street Blues, Southland, or Bosch, you're going to love Brew City Blues! Book one of Brew City Blues, Field Training, is now pre-order and will be available for purchase on November 18, 2022 on AmazonSupport the show

On today's show, I will interview Damon Courtney, the creator, and CEO of BookFunnel.BookFunnel is an ebook and audiobook delivery service for authors and publishers. As a lifelong software engineer, Damon is an expert in just about everything technical and can offer unique insight into publishing as it relates to software and technology. He has also self-published a single Fantasy trilogy and continues to spin stories in his head that he hopes to publish soon.​In today's episode, we discuss:·      Damon as a coder and author.·      What is BookFunnel and who can benefit from this software?·      The process of loading a book onto BookFunnel.·      The excellent customer support that BookFunnel authors and readers receive.·      The many purposes for BookFunnel, including ARC copies and direct selling.·      Best practices for entrepreneurs.·      Damon's author career.·      The future for Damon and BookFunnelAll of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Check out the BookFunnel website to learn more about this fantastic tool. Visit Damon's author website.Listen to Damon's dramatic reading.Enjoy the Cops and Writer's book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupConsider buying me a coffee :-)Support the show

In today's episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I interview Michael Anderle and Craig Martelle. Michael Anderle started releasing books in November of 2015. Three in November, one in December, and one in January. By November of 2016, he was doing six figures a month in sales, and that December he started publishing others in collaboration with other authors. Over the last six years Michael's publishing company, LMBPN has published about 1,500 titles, 250 audiobooks (by them) with another 600 or so licensed, and about 170 foreign language translations in 7 languages. They have sold over 5,000,000 books and continue to release stories in multiple genres including paranormal, action-adventure, urban fantasy, fantasy, military science fiction, and space opera. Michael is the founder of 20booksto50K® Facebook author group which has over 60,000 members.Craig Martelle retired from the Marine Corps, spending time both as enlisted and as an officer. Then he went to law school and took his law degree in business consulting where he became a business diagnostics specialist and leadership coach. He retired from that at age 52 because he was away from home way too much. That is when Craig started his path to becoming a prolific bestselling author. Craig also runs the 20booksto50K® Facebook author group and the 20booksto50K® author conferences that are worldwide. The 20booksto50K® Vegas conference is the largest indie author conference in the world! In today's episode we discuss:·      How Craig and Michael started their bestselling author careers. ·      What “Outlaw Publishing” was and what their part was in it.·      How and why Michael started 20booksto50K®.·      The tips and tools they use to produce an extraordinary number of books each year.·      How and why Michael started his very successful publishing company, LMBPN.·      The future of 20booksto50K®. All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Learn more about Michael Anderle and his books at LMBPN Publishing.Check out the 20booksto50K® Facebook group. Head on over to Craig Martelle's website to learn more about him and his awesome books!Listen to Craig Martelle on the Cops and Writers episode #9Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupSupport the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

It's never too late to start writing and there are many pro writers ahead of you on the path lead the way. Craig Martelle shares tips on writing, self-publishing, and book marketing, as well as how 20 Books To 50K believes in the rising tide that lifts all boats, and how helping each other is […] The post Tips For Indie Author Success And 20 Books To 50K With Craig Martelle first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your day job and making a good living from your book business? My guest today did just that! Best Selling Author Dr. Cecelia Mecca had a good paying job in education and left that behind to pursue her passion for writing books. Since she left her day job, she has surpassed her income substantially and continues to grow her author career. Cecelia shares her incredible story with us and gives us a peek into her very successful author career and lets us know what works and doesn't work for her author business.In today's episode we discuss:·      How Cecelia started her author career.·      When she knew the time was right for her to be a full-time author.·      Her suggestions to those of you out there who want to go full-time as an author.·      What her writing process looks like and what a typical business day looks like for her. ·      Cecelia's marketing strategy and her adoption of TikTok and other social media platforms. ·      Why she chooses to be a self-published author.·      What's it like to have your husband being a part of your author business.  All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Check out Cecelia's website!Go on over to Cecelia's penname Bella Michaelis page.Check out Cecelia on TikTok!Head over to Cecelia's Instagram.Visit Cecelia on her Facebook page. Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupSupport the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

Fear, anxiety, terror, relief, joy, and more fear, are just some of the emotions that a book launch can bring out in authors, especially new authors. My guest on today's show Courtney Kenney has your back! Courtney has helped numerous best-selling authors launch their books at the top of the charts, and now she is here to help you.Courtney shares her vast experience in book launching with us today and hopefully will calm some of your fears related to book launches.In today's episode we discuss:·      How Courtney got interested in helping authors with their book launches.·      How Courtney uses her past as a project manager for a major corporation in her present business helping authors launch their books.·      Best practices when launching a book.·      Tips and tricks to help you with your successful book launch. ·      Common errors that occur when authors launch their books. ·      When to use and not use preorders and what length.All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Check out Courtney's website and get a free copy of the Pre-Order Playbook!Head on over to Courtney's author page. Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupSupport the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

You know that old saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction"? What if I told you it doesn't have to be? Today on The Writer's Journey, Lois Simenson and Craig Martelle are here to give us the skinny on drawing from your real-life experiences to write blazing-hot fiction. You won't wanna miss it, live!

More Books by Craig Martelle Craig's Non-Fiction Books for Writers Show Notes and Resources The 20Books Conference info here, especially if you're intrested in joining. Tickets for the 2022 conference in November open up on  January 8, 2022 and they have sold out in the past. Cool video about the 20Books Conference which we talked... The post MTTA 180: Craig Martelle appeared first on Meet the Thriller Author.

More Books by Craig Martelle Craig's Non-Fiction Books for Writers Show Notes and Resources The 20Books Conference info here, especially if you're intrested in joining. Tickets for the 2022 conference in November open up on  January 8, 2022 and they have sold out in the past. Cool video about the 20Books Conference which we talked... The post MTTA 180: Craig Martelle appeared first on Meet the Thriller Author.

When asked about the high-performing prolific authors, the first thing that comes to my mind is always the epic Facebook group, 20Booksto50K. Their success truly is the success of all indie authors and we, as a collective, are so lucky to have this group on our side. In today's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Craig Martelle - prolific author master and 20Booksto50K co-creator. We talk about his own role as an indie author, how 20Books has evolved over the years, and touch on the incredible conference the group puts on each year. Have a listen! Be sure to check out the show notes by going to authorrevolution.org/111.

I find that Thanksgiving week is always a great week for contemplating all the things I'm grateful for. I've had a really great year as an indie author coach, author, and entrepreneur in general. But there's one thing that tops the list... In today's episode, I want to express my appreciation for all of the amazing people I've interviewed and had on the Author Revolution Podcast over the past two years. I'm going to give you a rundown of each person, so in case you missed their chat, you can go back and have a listen. Here we go... Be sure to check out the show notes by going to authorrevolution.org/108.

Welcome to Jon's author diary for the week ending November 7, 2021. I've not had the best week in terms of mood. I can definitely feel seasonal affective disorder rearing its ugly head. This means I feel both restless and tired and my creative energy has been very low. I usually find this hits me around the end of October, so I'm not surprised that it's here. I've not written anything new this week, but I did get Dawn of Assassins back from the editor and went through that. That book is now ready for publication, so that's exciting. My original plan was to release it as an experiment on Kindle Vella while I'm working on the second book, but it's not available yet for UK-based authors, so I'll be launching the book in January. Hopefully that will do better than Black Death Survival, which on reflection has been a complete waste of time since starting the project. In future, I need to remember not to fall for the sunk cost fallacy. I spent a lot of time working on the book, several months I could have spent doing other projects. I'm sure it'll pay for itself over time, but it's not done well at all, and I don't think a post-apocalyptic story featuring real people in the UK is what the readers want. But this is good. This is me drawing a line under a project that had been open for over three years. It's also me drawing a line under writing post-apocalyptic fiction because what the readers want does not align with the types of stories I want to tell. So lots of reflection this week. Reflection about my writing career so far, the successes and failures, the ups and downs. In April 2017, I drew up a five-year plan to make a sustainable full-time income as an author. The plan worked. I did it. But as we're moving towards the end of 2021, I keep asking myself ‘what next?' Do I continue writing books and building up my back catalogue? Or, do I scale the business up? I feel like it's time draw up a new five-year plan. I can write more stories in the Ravenglass universe. I can work with other authors, outsource tasks, and expand what I do. I'm inspired by what companies like Games Workshop and authors like Michael Anderle and Craig Martelle have built. They've created universes and a cast of unforgettable characters. I wrote my twenty-one book series The Ravenglass Chronicles and Dawn of Assassins is set in the same universe. It's a universe where I can tell many stories, from stone age fantasy to space opera, and everything between. And that's exciting. That's potential. Me doing this alone isn't sustainable. I need to grow this thing. In terms of reading, I read Legion and Battle for the Abyss. These were books 7 and 8 in the Warhammer 40k Horus Heresy series. They couldn't have been different in terms of quality. Legion was very good, but I struggled to get through Battle for the Abyss. I've found with this series that some books are much better than others, but I like the idea of having a huge overarching story that gives space for many smaller stories to be told. So, next week is going to be interesting. I should be going to Egypt. We've got the tickets. My bags are packed. I'm still not fully convinced that I'm going, but if I do, I'm sure it will help with the SAD stuff. Finally, if you haven't done so already, you can get your free copy of Birth of Assassins by visiting joncronshaw.com. So, until next time, cheerio.

Episode Show Notes In this episode we cover:  Launch considerations   Release strategy mistakes Shorter vs Longer release strategies Boxset release strategies Preorder strategies Nitty gritty tactics This week's question is: what type of launch appeals to you most? Recommendation of the week is: Magick by C. M. Newell Apple  Kobo  Amazon UK  Amazon USA  Buy Direct from C.M.  ***this show uses affiliate links Links and events I mentioned: Villains Masterclass Storybundle  Patrons please email Becca on rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com and share the details of your published books with the team. Find out more about Craig on: Website 20 Books Vegas   Rebel of the Week is: Anonymous If you'd like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or instagram me @sachablackauthor No new patrons this week, but a big thank you to my existing patrons. If you'd like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack    THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.

Every three months or so Craig Martelle is a guest/host to share what's up with his fiction business. While Craig earns a six figure income from writing he also runs the largest indie author conference in the world.We talk about both.Join us to get an update on where craig is on his journey. What's working and what's not. THe latest on Vegas and a bunch of other stuff that we chat about when we do these calls.

Is it hot in here, or is it my two special guests today who were both former firefighters, now romance authors? In today's episode, we will be discussing firefighting with my two special guests, Lolo Paige and Kaye Kennedy. Lolo was a wildland firefighter in Montana and Alaska and Kaye was a city firefighter in Long Island. Both give us insights into the culture and the everyday life of being a firefighter in these two different, yet similar fields of firefighting.  Both of my guests are now successful full-time romance authors who share what is working well for them in their author careers, and what has not.  During this episode you will learn:• How Lolo Paige started her career in wildland firefighting and the training and equipment that she used to fight wildland fires. • How Kaye, a third-generation firefighter started her career as a city firefighter and the training and equipment she used to fight fires.• How both Lolo and Kaye's experience in theatre and stage helped them with their author careers.• What the biggest errors and misconceptions that authors make when writing stories about firefighters.• The best book marketing tricks and practices they both use for success.All of this and more on today's episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.Visit Lolo's website!Check out Lolo's Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series!Come visit Kaye's website!Check out Kaye's Amazon book page!Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupCheck out my affiliate link to Adam Richards new Crime Fiction Guns Course Support the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

Would you sell your Christmas presents and plasma so you could afford to attend a writer's conference and an editor for a book you haven't published yet? My guest today, Jami Albright, did exactly that. Jamie took a leap of faith and it paid dividends. She is now a successful indie author of Brides on the Run and The Small-Town Royalty series--fun, sexy, snarky, laugh-out-loud romantic comedies. If you don't snort with laughter, then she hasn't done her job.Jami also shares with us how she continues her successful author career by publishing one book a year! So successful, she was able to leave her day job and become a full-time author. How bad do you want to succeed as an author?Listen to Jami's podcast Wish I'd Known Then...For WritersCheck out Jami's websiteVisit Jami's Facebook pageVisit Jami on InstagramJami is also on Tik TokAnd of course, Jamie is on Goodreads and BookBub20 Books Vegas video of JamiEnjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook groupSupport the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

The Blasters & Blades Podcast Just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom," "boop-beep" and rhyme with Science Fiction & Fantasy. Co-Hosts: Doc Cisca (Uber Book Fan) (Army Medic) JR Handley (Author) (Grunt) Nick Garber (Comic Book Artist) (Super Grunt) We work for free, so if you wanna throw a few pennies our way there is a linked Buy Me A Coffee site where you can do so. Just mention the podcast in the comments when you donate, and I'll keep the sacred bean water boiling! Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AuthorJRHandley Our Website: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/blastersandbladespodcast Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/SF_Fantasy_Show We found some of our old episodes on a 8-track in Cisca's attic, so we decided to dust them off and bring them to you for your listening pleasure! This time we've got a fun interview of Craig Martelle! Storybundle Link: https://storybundle.com/scifi Craig Martelle's Links Craig's Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B01AQVF3ZY Craig's Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/craig-martelle Craig's Author Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigMartelle/ Craig's Website: https://craigmartelle.com/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades/support

The Blasters & Blades Podcast Just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom," "boop-beep" and rhyme with Science Fiction & Fantasy. Co-Hosts: Doc Cisca (Uber Book Fan) (Army Medic) JR Handley (Author) (Grunt) Nick Garber (Comic Book Artist) (Super Grunt) We work for free, so if you wanna throw a few pennies our way there is a linked Buy Me A Coffee site where you can do so. Just mention the podcast in the comments when you donate, and I'll keep the sacred bean water boiling! Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AuthorJRHandley Our Website: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/blastersandbladespodcast Our Twitter: https://twitter.com/SF_Fantasy_Show Storybundle Link: https://storybundle.com/scifi Follow Craig Martelle's Social Media Links Craig's Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B01AQVF3ZY Craig's BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/craig-martelle Craig's Author Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigMartelle/ Craig's Website: https://craigmartelle.com/ #bbp #blastersandblades #blastersandbladespodcast #podcast #scifipodcast #fantasypodcast #scifi #fantasy #books #rpg #comics #fandom #literature #comedy #veteran #army #usmc #marine #storybundle #milscifi #milsf --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blasters-and-blades/support

And now for something a bit different...thriller short stories! We had a blast chatting with author and editor Craig Martelle and his journey into self-publishing! Be sure to check out his most recent release - Make Them Pay - an anthology of thriller short stories centered around the theme of vigilante justice. Enjoy!   Please subscribe, rate & review using Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting platform. You can find us online at MitchRappPod.com and on Twitter for Instagram @mitchrapppod. And as always, “Just let Mitch be Mitch.”   This episode is made possible and kept ad-free thanks to our fantastic Patrons! For less than the price of a novel a month, you can help us keep the show going and get access to exclusive content and signed book giveaways! Become a Patron today at Patreon.com/MitchRappPod.   Disclaimer: This podcast is not affiliated with Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, or Simon & Schuster. The music soundtrack is Guerilla Tactics by Rafael Krux.

We're back. It's been ninety days and its time to update you on how business has been.We talk the numbers, plans and some new strategies around using your newsletter.

Today's special guest is none other than Craig Martelle!Craig explains his journey from being an intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps for twenty years, becoming an attorney, working as a business consultant, and eventually becoming a full-time author. Craig dispels myths and misconceptions regarding military characters, especially the way Marines are portrayed in books, movies, and television. Craig also gives us a look at his methods and systems he uses that enabled him to publish 106 books in five years.  He also shows us how he is giving back to the author community through running the 20BooksTo50K® Facebook group and conferences.Visit Craig at his website!Check out all of Craig's books on Amazon! Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.Please visit the Cops and Writers website.If you have a question for the sarge, hit him up at his email.Come join the fun at the Cops and Writers Facebook group. Support the show (https://patreon.com/copsandwriters)

In this episode Mark interviews Judith and Michael Anderle of LMBPN Publishing. 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. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update on the forthcoming release of Fear and Longing in Los Angeles and the ongoing work being done on Wide for the Win. He also talks about the benefits of PLR (Public Lending Right) programs.   In their conversation, Judith, Michael, and Mark talk about: How they each got started in the business of publishing Michael's first 90 days of writing and publishing Judith's background in the medical and pharmaceutical industry and how she made Michael create a profit/loss statement for the following year for LMBPN before she decided to step in and run the company How calculating the earnings of $7.50 per book per day led to the idea of the 20Booksto50K methodology, movement, and Facebook Group Judith's inkling for fashion and how that led to the company name LMBPN (London Madrid Barceloni Paris New York - the fashion capitals of the word) and how the complexity of the company name provided a "great, people will talk about it" essence The "Disruptive Imagination" tag line for LMBPN and the multiple pillars represented in the logo itself The generosity of spirit in working with authors directly at LMBPN as well as sharing with the larger author community Some of the international authors and employees of LMBPN who hail from all over the world How Michael and Judith have long operated not only within indie publishing circles, but also traditional publishing venues and international book fairs The recent acquisition of book industry veteran Robin Cutler as President of LMBPN Michael's recent health issues related to hypertension and other conditions The value of knowing yourself, and your nature, as well as understanding your strengths and weaknesses The unofficial "disrupting retirement" behavior of LMBPN How Judith never looks at a negotiation as a one-time business contract, but more about the benefit of the long-term relationship The OPUS-X project and the multi-layers of collaboration for this wide book launch Advice that Michael and Judith would give to the earlier versions of themselves when first getting into this business And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the ground-breaking changes that LMBPN is ushering in. He also thanks patrons of the podcast. Links of Interest LMBPN Publishing OPUS X Book One: Obsidian Detective Black History Month Organizations & Resources Findaway Voices Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Wide for the Win Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections LMBPN is the publishing company for the Kurtherian Gambit, Oriceran, Protected by the Damned and other Universes. In addition to Michael Anderle, they have have published in eBook, print, and audio format collaborations with Justin Sloan, Craig Martelle, TS Paul, CM Raymond, and LE Barbant, Paul C. Middleton, Amy Hopkins, Ell Leigh Clarke, PT Hylton, Candy Crum, Martha Carr, Sarah Boyce, A. L. Knorr, Sarah Knoffke, and many others.     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

What is BookBub, and what is a BookBub Featured Deal? BookBub is a gigantic email list that sends discounted or even free books to people. BookBub curates the deals they send to their subscribers. They send them “Featured Deals.” A BookBub Featured Deal is a chance to get your book in front of hundreds of thousands of readers – or even a million+ readers – interested in your genre. You’ll sell hundreds, maybe thousands, of copies, and you may even hit a bestseller list. However, a BookBub Featured Deal can be expensive. (It’s not like a Kindle Daily Deal, which is pure gravy). My BookBub Featured Deal itself cost over $1,000. I sold over 2,500 books. (I hope to break down my full campaign results in a future article subscribe to blog post updates so you don’t miss it). A BookBub Featured Deal is not a BookBub Featured New Release, nor BookBub Ads Note that BookBub has other ways of promoting books besides the Featured Deal. There are BookBub Ads, which are display ads you can run on BookBub’s website or in their emails. BookBub does not curate these ads – any author can advertise their book with BookBub. BookBub also has the Featured New Release, for new books, which is curated but is generally not as competitive nor sought-after as the BookBub Featured Deal. How do you get a deal on BookBub? Landing a BookBub Featured Deal is highly competitive, but if you stick with it, you can one day get a deal on BookBub. My book, The Heart to Start: Stop Procrastinating & Start Creating was finally accepted after fourteen rejections, over the course of eighteen months. Here’s my advice for finally getting accepted for a BookBub Featured Deal. Go wide Many self-published and indie authors only publish to Amazon. One reason they do this is that it’s more simple. Amazon makes up about 90% of my revenue from book sales, and it has nearly that share of the entire ebook market. BookBub (generally) only selects wide books But, BookBub rarely selects for a Featured Deal a book that is only on Amazon (though I’ve heard of exceptions). BookBub has many subscribers who read on other platforms, such as Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, and Barnes & Noble. So it’s a waste of email real estate for them to bother with books that are only on Amazon. By the way, what is “wide?” Amazon is so dominant in the ebook market that to have your book available in places other than Amazon is to be “wide.” Being wide is a lot of extra work: You have to upload and manage your book on a bunch of different platforms. This means any time you fix an error in your book, you have to re-upload it to all these places. Because Amazon matches the price of your book on other outlets, you also have to be careful not to have price discrepancies when you’re wide (more on a hard pricing lesson I learned in a bit). When you consider all the different markets and currencies in which your book is available, this is a lot to keep track of! BookBub is the best reason to be wide BookBub Featured Deals have been one of my main motivations for bothering with all the extra work of being “wide” (That and trying to “fight the good fight” to give readers choices other than Amazon.) Because being wide is so much work, I publish direct to Amazon, and use an aggregator to publish to all other outlets. I’ve tried publishing direct to various outlets, and I’ve tried different aggregators, but I’ve settled on PublishDrive. They have easy reporting, which saves a lot of energy putting together my monthly author income reports. If you want a shot at the “big break” of a BookBub Featured Deal, start by going wide. Rack up reviews (everywhere) When BookBub chooses your book for a Featured Deal, they’re putting their reputation on the line. Yes, they charge you money to feature your book, but they only have that privilege because readers trust them. Readers only trust them because readers know if BookBub has chosen to feature a book, it’s not just because they’re getting paid for it – it’s also a quality book. BookBub can’t go through the trouble of reading each book that applies for a Featured Deal. So how do they decide if your book is a quality book? Reviews! Work hard to get reviews for your book, not only on Amazon, but on other outlets as well. At the time The Heart to Start was accepted for a deal, it had about 275 ratings/reviews on Amazon (with a 4.8-star average), and a handful of reviews each on Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play (If you check my book out, note that I’ve since lost some of those precious wide reviews because I switched to an aggregator. It’s best to choose the right aggregator from the start.) I had and still have no reviews on Barnes & Noble. Get reviews by asking or running other promotions You can get reviews by sending an email to your audience and asking for it. Or, if you have a direct relationship with any of your readers who have reviewed your book on Amazon, ask them if they would kindly copy and paste their review to one of these other outlets. Any other promotions you can run before applying for a BookBub deal can also help rack up reviews. How did I get so many reviews for The Heart to Start? It helps that when I launched the book, it was free. I gave away more than 3,000 copies, which you bet drove some reviews. You can’t fake good reviews, so write a great book Of course, it helps if these reviews are generally positive. Having gained hundreds of reviews for my books, I can tell you there’s no point in trying to fake this. If there’s ever been a friend who positively reviewed my book just to be nice, it’s never been as powerful as the reviews by strangers who actually liked (or hated) the book. The takeaway underlying all this is write a great book. But that alone won’t bring reviews – you have to work for them. Keep trying How often can you apply for a BookBub Featured Deal? Four weeks from your latest rejection. So, each time you get rejected, apply again four weeks later! Remember, I was rejected fourteen times. It took eighteen months from my first application to my first acceptance. Why not fourteen months? Because getting rejected over and over can be exhausting! Put your application process on auto-pilot Make the process of applying as automatic as possible. Each time I got a rejection email, I used a tool called Boomerang to return the email to my inbox four weeks later. That reminded me to apply again. I kept an Evernote file where I recorded the date I applied as well as the pricing and markets I chose, and comments I made in my application. I also kept links for each ebook store, ready to be copied and pasted into my application. Once you have notes like this, you could easily delegate this process to an assistant. Mix up pricing BookBub wants great deals for their subscribers, but they counterintuitively don’t need the best possible deal for their subscribers. These days, most BookBub Featured Deals are $1.99. Sometimes books are selling for more than that, but there are also books on sale for 99¢ or even free. You might think that if you are BookBub, you want to offer as many free books as possible. But keep in mind BookBub makes money from authors and publishers paying for placement in their newsletter. The higher the price for your deal, the more BookBub charges for placement. A higher price may give you a better shot (then again, maybe not!) So, you might have a better shot at charging 99¢ for your book than offering it for free. You might have a better shot at charging $1.99 than 99¢. How do you know? There’s no way to know for sure. These choices are up to the curators of BookBub, and their preferences change based on the activity they see amongst subscribers. Keep an eye on books listed on BookBub in your genre. Do you see a pattern in the list prices and sale prices of similar books? Alternate prices in your auto-pilot process If there’s not a super clear pattern, mix up the pricing in your applications. I alternated between two prices: One month, I applied to offer my book for 99¢, the next month I applied to offer it for $1.99. ($1.99 was the price that eventually got accepted.) Don’t make yourself ineligible There are various requirements to be eligible for a BookBub Featured Deal, but the easiest to mess up is pricing. Your proposed BookBub Featured Deal must be: Either free, or a discount of at least 50% (It’s usually more like 70–85%) The best deal available in the past 30 days. (They also don’t want you to offer it for less in the near future.) I messed this up at one point. When I had an international deal (more on that in a bit), it turned out I had accidentally priced my book too low on the Google Play store in the UK. So, Amazon had been matching that price. The historical list price was too low for my sale price to meet the 50%-discount requirement. So, while I was paying full price for my deal, my deal was not sent to UK subscribers, because I had accidentally made myself ineligible in the UK. This is yet another reason I use PublishDrive to publish everywhere except Amazon. It makes it easier to avoid mis-pricing my books. Try international first Speaking of international deals, there’s one caveat to my fourteen-rejection journey to a BookBub Featured Deal. My book was rejected fourteen times in a year-and-a-half for a U.S. deal. However, it was accepted for an international deal, after seven months and “only” three rejections. An international deal covers the UK, Canada, Australia, and India. (With each application, you can choose to apply for an international deal, a U.S. deal, or “All”). I did apply for “All” until I had my international deal, but BookBub accepted my book only for an international deal at that time. An international deal is practice The performance of my international deal was underwhelming, but I’m glad I got to try it before a “big” U.S. deal. (My international deal went to 140,000 subscribers, my U.S. deal – over one million). My international deal gave me a chance to learn and plan better for a bigger deal. I also learned that hard pricing lesson: paying the full price for an international deal, only to realize my carelessness in international pricing made my book ineligible in the UK. Your international deal performance may prove your book to BookBub BookBub probably watches the performance of these international deals to consider how a book will do in the U.S. Maybe the underwhelming performance of my book in my international deal was why BookBub didn’t accept it for a U.S. deal for another year! On the other hand, if my book had done great, it may have increased my chances of being accepted. To learn the ropes and maybe even to prove your book’s worth in a less-competitive arena, consider applying for an international deal first. At the very least, if you’re accepted for an international deal, but not a U.S. deal, take it and learn. Include editorial reviews or notable blurbs On the application for a BookBub Featured Deal, there’s a “Comments” section. Use this section to show BookBub curators how great people think your book is. At the advice of Craig Martelle in the 20Booksto50k Facebook Group, I included my book’s review from Publisher’s Weekly in the comments field of my application, starting with my twelfth application. It didn’t magically get my book accepted, but within a few months, I had landed a BookBub, so it may have helped. Don’t bother copy/pasting Amazon reviews into the comments section. But if you have any good editorial reviews or blurbs from famous authors, try including them in the comments field of your application. Create your own luck (your day will come) The more times you apply for a BookBub Featured Deal, the better your chances you’ll one day be accepted. Readers’ preferences change, the publishing market changes, the world changes, and so too do the preferences of BookBub’s curators. Just because you were rejected last month doesn’t mean you’ll also be rejected this month. I think the coronavirus pandemic may have improved my chances of getting a BookBub Featured Deal. This is just a theory, but traditional publishers’ projects were delayed, and I bet BookBub was getting fewer applications for traditional books. My business as an indie author, on the other hand, was not affected by the pandemic. It’s likely I had more of a shot because there was less competition. The publishing business is a business of breeding “Black Swans”, and you never know how the world will change to bring your “big break.” You have nothing to lose by applying, and everything to gain, so create your own luck by giving yourself more chances to get lucky. Some final tips BookBub also has tips on their website. Besides similar points to what I discussed here, their tips include: Have a good cover Optimize your sales pages on retailers Be flexible with your promotion date I’ll add to these a couple honorable mentions that will probably help, and can’t hurt: Spruce up your BookBub profile. Upload a photo, fill out your profile, invite your audience to follow you, and recommend some books from your genre. It signals to BookBub you’re well-known amongst their subscribers, and that you’re professional. (By the way, you can follow me on BookBub.) Run some BookBub Ads. It’s good practice to learn how to use BookBub’s ads, because they’re useful for making your Featured Deal even more successful when you finally do get one. Plus, it can build your BookBub following, which might improve your chances of having a deal accepted. Getting a BookBub Featured Deal is a breakthrough for a self-published author. It can feel like you’ll never get accepted, but if you keep at it, it’s possible – and worth the effort. Mind Management, Not Time Management now available! After nearly a decade of work, Mind Management, Not Time Management is now available! This book will show you how to manage your mental energy to be productive when creativity matters. Buy it now! My Weekly Newsletter: Love Mondays Start off each week with a dose of inspiration to help you make it as a creative. Sign up at: kadavy.net/mondays. About Your Host, David Kadavy David Kadavy is author of Mind Management, Not Time Management, The Heart to Start and Design for Hackers. Through the Love Your Work podcast, his Love Mondays newsletter, and self-publishing coaching David helps you make it as a creative. Follow David on: Twitter Instagram Facebook YouTube Subscribe to Love Your Work Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify Stitcher YouTube RSS Email Support the show on Patreon Put your money where your mind is. Patreon lets you support independent creators like me. Support now on Patreon »     Show notes: http://kadavy.net/blog/posts/how-land-bookbub-featured-deal/

Mark interviews D.F. Hart about her journey through indie publishing, the mistakes she has made on that journey and the dramatic results of the decision to do a makeover on her thriller covers. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes as well as a personal update. He also shares a word from 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, DeAnna and Mark discuss: Why DeAnna writes under D.F. Hart and Faith Hart Her first experience publishing through a vanity press in 2010 How that first novel's idea came to her originally in 1989 How March of 2019 was Deanna's first experience publishing fully indie (as opposed to being done through a vanity press outfit) Reader reaction to the balance between law enforcement work and personal/home life in her main character How a supplemental character that Deanna felt sorry for and wanted to see her get a happy ending became the main character for the first book in her romance series Some of the other complicated ways the two series cross over with one another DeAnna's grandmother's advice to learn from the mistakes of others because you can't possibly make all those mistakes on your own The consult that DeAnna booked with Craig over at Hidden Gems and how that led to a discussion that helped her decide to change her covers Coming to the realization that, while her covers were pretty, they weren't right for the genre The book cover designer that DeAnna hired to re-do her thriller book covers The increase in sales and reviews/ratings on all the major retailers How December 2020 was DeAnna's first four figure month as an author, due to the cover update and the BookBub Feature Deal The uptake in newsletter subscribers and BookBub followers that has happened The importance of measuring results, analyzing data, and keeping a finger on the pulse of your business What DeAnna would have told her 2010 self How Vanity Press outfits prey on the lack of information of authors The importance of celebrating all of your successes along the way After the interview, Mark reflects on the decision DeAnna had to make to invest more in covers after having already invested in that in the past. Links of Interest DeAnna's Website Author Facebook Page D.F. Hart BookBub Goodreads Faith Hart BookBub Goodreads DeAnna's Article on Hidden Gems Rocking Book Covers Findaway Voices EP 170 - The Genre of Andrew Pyper EP 169 - The World Needs Your Book With Monica Leonelle EP 166 - Wording Around with Kathy Mac EP 165 - Rude Awakenings from Sleeping Rough EP 162 - Happy Accidents with Joshua Pantallaresco EP 138 - Cash Flow for Creators with Michael W. Lucas EP 127 - Consistency in Word Count with Blaze Ward EP 90 - Craig Martelle on Successful Indie Author Release Strategies Space: 1975 Anthology Wide Writer Survey Wide for the Win Submission Form Patreon for Stark Reflections   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 050 / Not to be outdone by the countdown to the new year (and who isn’t ready to wave goodbye to 2020?), Jami and Sara count the top ten episodes of the first year of the Wish I’d Known Then podcast. In the intro, Sara talks about reading Gail Carriger’s book The Heroine’s Journey. Jami is finishing her story that she’s sending to her newsletter. Jami recommends Warrior Nun and Sara’s binging Hallmark Christmas movies. You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Episode with the most comments/interaction: Ep 44: Narrating Your Fiction Audiobooks with Nikki Haverstock Episodes with the most Youtube views: 1 -Ep 15: Finding Success in Small Genres with Elana Johnson 2 - Ep 48: Becca Syme on Unrealistic Expectations and JOMO (the Joy of Missing Out) 3 - Ep 41: Robin Cutler on the Advantages of IngramSpark for Print and the Future of Publishing Countdown of Top 10 Podcast episode downloads: 10 - Ep 5: Learning to Reverse Engineer a Novel with Cecelia Mecca 9 - Ep 24: Why Isn’t This Book (or Series) Selling? Shea MacLeod on Analyzing Backlist Titles 8 - Ep 30: Understanding Your Motivation to Write with H. Claire Taylor 7 - Ep 17: Lindsay Buroker on Pen Names, Podcasting, and Rapid Release 6 - Ep 15: Finding Success in Small Genres with Elana Johnson 5 - Ep 22: How Pamela Fagan Hutchins Turned Her Writing Career Around 4 - Ep 1: Mistakes and Lessons Learned in Indie Publishing 3 - Ep 8: How David Gaughran is Using his Lessons Learned to Reboot his Fiction and Nonfiction Books 2 - Ep 29: Craig Martelle on Pricing Strategies, Making More Money with Less Books, and Writing with Health Issues 1 - Ep 26: Book Launch Plans: The Mega Episode The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group.

Episode 29 / Science fiction author Craig Martelle joins Sara and Jami to discuss pricing, book production strategies, and writing through health issues. This week Sara is uploading her Christmas mystery as a preorder. She reports on the new Apple interface for uploading books, authors.apple.books. After listening to The Creative Penn Podcast with Natalie Sisson, Sara looked for the bottlenecks in her processes and decided she was a bottleneck! She created a screenflow of some of her tasks then had her assistant create a workflow and take over those tasks. Jami’s working on her next book, and she shared that she’s creating two different giveaways, one for her newsletter list and another to attract new readers. Jami and Sara discussed the importance of remembering you have two different groups to market to--warm readers and cold (potential) readers--and different ways to reach both groups. Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: How Craig began writing after he retired What Craig wishes he’d known about story: John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story Why after writing hundreds of books, Craig hired a development editor for the first time How Craig used review feedback to learn which category was the best fit for his series and rebranded the books Why writing his first four different books in three different genres was a mistake and how he’s recovering Craig’s books for writers on release strategies, collaborations, writing compelling fiction, and pricing strategies Pricing at different levels to reach different readers and how to research and find the best price for your genre Pros and cons of cowriting Why Craig made more money during the second half of the year publishing four books than he did publishing 30 during the first half of the year Writing while dealing with health issues Genres discussed include science fiction, post apocalyptic, and thrillers. Links: Craig Martelle Successful Indie Author series 20Booksto50K Jami’s talk at 20Booksto50K Elena Johnson WITK podcast

Dan Wood, Mark Lefebvre, and Craig Martelle all join the chat to talk about collaborative writing and Craig's work with 20 Books to 50K. //Draft2Digital is where you start your Indie Author Career//Looking for your path to self-publishing success? Draft2Digital is the leading ebook publisher and distributor. We’ll convert your manuscript, distribute it online, and support you the whole way, and we won’t charge you a dime. We take a cut of royalties on each sale you make through us, so we only make money when you make money!• Get started:  https://Draft2Digital.com Get insider info on indie author success from our blog.• Visit: https://Draft2Digital.com/blogTune in to our monthly livestreams and ask us anything!• D2D Live: https://D2DLive.comPromote your books with our Universal Book Links!• Books2Read: https://books2read.com//Get ahead of the Self-Publishing game with our Amazing Partners//Findaway Voices || Find a narrator, produce your audiobook, and distribute it to retailers worldwide, including Audible.com and Apple Books.• http://findawayvoices.com/d2dReedsy || Assemble your team of publishing professionals! Find editors, cover designers, marketing experts, ghostwriters and more.• https://reedsy.comBookBrush || Build graphics and video that help you market and promote your books.• https://bookbrush.com/d2d-mockups///Join the D2D Community Online//Facebook || https://facebook.com/draft2digitalTwitter || https://twitter.com/draft2digital

Craig Martelle shares how he orchestrates the 20 books community. You'll learn how to craft a vision and build systems that create a valuable community.

Will talks about several informative shows he listened to this week that are relevant to all authors, including Nora Phoenix talking with Craig Martelle about self marketing, The Writing Gals and their 2020 goals, the Choose FI Podcast featuring an interview with Atomic Habits author James Clear and the Ask Alli Podcast with Joanna Penn and Orna Ross talking about the past decade and what may come in 2020. Jeff & Will also discuss Joanna Penn's new book, Productivity for Authors, and the tips they took away for themselves to kickstart their productivity. Complete shownotes for episode 24 are at BigGayAuthorPodcast.com.

To be in the Wu Tang Clan of Authors you must respect C.R.E.A.M. Cash Rules Everything Around Me and that is certainly true for authors looking to build a publishing empire. From your first launch on you must understand and respect your cash flow cycle. We will help you get your mind around the topic and become a Master.

Today Craig Martelle joins me back on the show to talk about his latest adventures in writing his audience beloved brand of sci-fi adventures including the Free Trader Complete Omnibus – Books 1-9: A Cat and his Human Minions and […]

How should you price your book? Craig has recently completed the draft of his book on pricing strategies and Joe shares his experience with strategic pricing, including some data from top performing authors.

The post BTF023: Craig Martelle Discusses The Art of Smuggling appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

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. 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 Dalrymple Some recent comments from the past few episodes A personal update . . . as well as a word from this episode's sponsor 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 the webinar, Mark, Dan, and Kevin discuss: Quite a bit about libraries and getting eBooks into libraries Successfully selling series books Digital box sets/bundles 3D covers VS Flat/Rectangular covers Getting promos on Kobo, Apple, etc Books2Read and universal book links The D2D Print beta Findaway Voices and audiobooks Exclusivity VS Wide Publishing Assets for newsletter marketing ....and more... After the main content, 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 Episode 88 - with David Wind Episode 90 - with Craig Martelle Episode 91 - with Stacy Kondla Episode 92 - with M.L. Buchman 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

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. 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 podcst, 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... 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 Stacy talk about: The love of books that has been a major part of Stacey's entire life The veterinarian path she had been on, which didn't work out The "magical time" of a school book fair, and how much Stacey loved her work organizing Scholastic Book Fairs in the Calgary region Managing the kids departments for Chapters/Indigo and the thrill of working closely with kids books Meeting 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 firm How, in the first year and a half, Stacey has aquired 30 clients and already sold 5 books, the first of which was to Scholastic US Stacey's experience attending Book Expo America for the first time and how that led to selling a book to Dottir Press in New York The 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 struck The joy of being a matchmaker between different people in the book industry Some of the definite "do not do's" when trying to pitch your book to an agent and one of Stacey's pet peeves What Stacey looks for in a face to face pitch from an author The typical day in Stacey's life as an agent, and how she has to compensate for being 2 hours behind New York's time zone The fact that Stacey still reads for pleasure, but in different ways now that she is an agent Some of the best things that a writer can do to prepare for submission their manuscript How an agent's job isn't just reading queries and submissions, but that it involves so much more downstream in the process The 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 Self Publishing Podcast - Episode 187 - The 7 P's of Publishing Success with Mark Leslie Lefebvre Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN   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

The post BTF008: Craig Martelle Discusses Book 5 in The Nightwalker Series appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

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. 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 from 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 chat, Mark and Craig talk about: Craig's belief in working hard, putting in 12 to 14 hours a day for seven days a week Being close to the epicenter of the origin of Dungeons and Dragons and the influence that had on Craig's reading and creative mind The "Amateurs talk tactics and professionals talk logistics" philosophy from the Marine Corp that influences Craig's author business approach Applying a business consultant approach to writing and the 100,000 word first novel that Craig wrote that took 61 days The importance of practice Craig'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 data Why he put an editor on salary early in his career so that the waiting period on an editor was as short as possible The origin of the 20Booksto50K(TM) movement initiated by Michael Anderle and the in person writing conferences that Craig runs Why 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 you How writing his non-fiction books is mostly Craig's way of saving himself a lot of time answering the same questions repeatedly Elements 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 reader The recent overseas conference plus writing retreat that Craig ran which went well above his initial expectations How 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. 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.   Links of Interest: Craig Martelle's Website 20Booksto50K™ Facebook Group 20 Books Vegas Craig's Book - Successful Indie Author Release Strategies Episode 88 - Indie Publishing, Not Self-Publishing with David Wind Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections The Career Author Podcast - Episode 85 - Using Pen Names Stephen Graham King (not that other guy) BOC (Blue Oyster Cult) Conan the Barbarian   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    

The post BTF003: Craig Martelle Discusses Legacy of Friend and Collaborator Tom Dublin appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

In this episode of The Indie Author Mentor, I go over the uploading process with Ingram Spark and KDP Print, as well as touching on the online stores, like Kobo and KDP (Amazon). I address pricing in various countries (even India).   Show Notes: Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 14, and it's 6/5//2019 as I record this. Today I'm talking about uploading your files to printers and stores, plus pricing tips. But first a personal update: Revised the chapter on characters this morning in my How to Write a Novel or Memoir book. Met with my architectural team via GoToMeeting this morning and had some technical difficulties. Got me thinking about working from another country and what kind of challenges I might face. Just found out our couch won't be delivered for another two weeks. So, in the meantime, the living room TV watching experience isn't as comfy as it used to be. I'M READING: Just finished Craig Martelle's non-fiction book on Successful Indie Publishing, a great section in the back on running conferences. He does 20Booksto50K. Here's the link for that book: https://craigmartelle.com/books/become-a-successful-indie-author-work-toward-your-writing-dream/ Next, I'll start Wired for Joy as my non-fiction book. In fiction, I finished Cold Comfort Farm and started The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. No NEW PATRONS this week, but I hope you'll consider becoming a patron and helping me reach my FIRST Patreon goal. To earn $125 in monthly income from Patreon. When that happens...extra bonus Q&A episode for Patrons only. Patreon.com/valerieihsan.  Main topic: uploading your files to distributors and stores, plus pricing tips.           https://craigmartelle.com/books/become-a-successful-indie-author-work-toward-your-writing-dream/

He's an ex-Marine, the 20 Books conference series show runner and a prolific writer to boot. It's not surprising that Craig Martelle knows a thing or two about author productivity.

Valerie Ihsan explains what Pre-orders are, how they work, and whether you should do them, or not. Show Notes: Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 11, and it's 5/15/2019 as I record this. Today I'm talking about Pre-Orders. But first a personal update: • I've written another three sections to The Nitty Gritty of Self Publishing. • I'm doing a time audit to find all the places my time hides, or places where I waste it. • Been doing quite a bit of WW work this week to get reintroduced to the organization and help the current co-chair take a little off her plate. • Did a lot of yard work over the weekend. Weeding and reclaiming spaces that had been covered over by ivy vines and shiny geranium. Hoping to create a pretty seating area. • Doing some backlog work and ordered print copies of my books for events this summer. No NEW PATRONS this week: Thank you to all my patrons! Remind folks that all of my patrons, at any level, get a Connection Video the first Monday of every month, so if you want to connect with me in this way, join me on Patreon. The support of my patrons on Patreon helps make this show and other projects possible. Plus, being a patron of the arts is a totally cool thing to do. Joining my Patreon community also gets you sneak peeks into my creative world, allows you to interact with me directly, and rewards you with exclusive bonus content you can't get anywhere else. For less than the cost of a tasty hot beverage or a pack of gum, as low as a $1/month, you too can become a patron of the arts, and me! Find me at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. Resources/reviews: Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing 101 course For education on business, I'm loving the Uncomplicate Your Business podcast with Racheal Cook, MBA. If you do any author related services like coaching, or your day job centers on heart-centered services that you provide, this might be a great resource for you. I'm (still) reading: I'm finishing up Become a Successful Indie Author: Work Toward Your Writing Dream by Craig Martelle. Almost done with Newsletter Ninja and will be starting up Wired for Joy next. Recommended by Becca Syme to me in our 1 on 1 coaching session. I'm listening to a new podcast called The Dream recommended by Rachael Herron of The Writers Well podcast and How Do You Write? Podcast. Main topic: Preorders

As a marketing strategy, which is better for your author business--KDP Select or Going Wide. Valerie breaks down the pros and cons of both.   Resources: Booksandtravel.page (new podcast I'm listening to) Speculative.Work: an author's diary (new podcast I found)   My show notes:  Hello Indie Authors! This is Episode 10, and it's 5/8/2019 as I record this. Today I'm talking about Marketing Strategies regarding your book launch and distribution methods. Specifically: To KDP Select, or Not But first a personal update: I signed up for the Career Author Summit in May of 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Meet for a coffee? Talk went well, despite losing my work. I've written another two sections to The Nitty Gritty of Self Publishing. Had another Skype meeting with the architectural team and saw an updated floor plan for our Costa Rican home. Homework, measuring our rooms and comparing it to the measurements in the floor plan--seeing if the rooms need to be bigger or smaller for our tastes.     No NEW PATRONS this week: (but I am getting some lovely comments and it's so fun to interact with other authors there.) "I'm really excited about all the great projects you're working on. Glad to be a supporter!" James says. Thank you to all my patrons! Remind folks that all of my patrons, at any level, get a Connection Video the first Monday of every month, so if you want to connect with me in this way, join me on Patreon. The support of my patrons on Patreon helps make this show and other projects possible. Plus, being a patron of the arts is a totally cool thing to do. Joining my Patreon community also gets you sneak peeks into my creative world, allows you to interact with me directly, and rewards you with exclusive bonus content you can't get anywhere else. For less than the cost of a tasty hot beverage or a pack of gum, as low as a $1/month, you too can become a patron of the arts, and me! Find me at: Patreon.com/valerieihsan.  Resources/reviews: I FB Lived my talk at Lane Connect, so if you'd like a few tips on how to self-edit without freaking out, join my private FB group, The Indie Author Mentor. (I'll try and put it up on Patreon...)   I'll be speaking next Tuesday in a small discussion group at WAAC on To Pre-Order or Not To Pre-Order. 14th at 7pm in the lobby.   I'm (still) reading: Become a Successful Indie Author: Work Toward Your Writing Dream by Craig Martelle. I'm really liking it.  I'm also reading Hook by Randall Horton and I'm not liking it so much. Art is so subjective and there isn't enough of the things I like in a memoir in there to hold my interest. I like the letters written by LXXX, but she's not the author of the book. And sometimes I'm riveted by Randall's use of language, and I was hoping to see into a world that was different than mine--drug deals and prison time--but it's just not capturing my attention enough. Should I stop reading? I'm listening to a new podcast called Books and Travel (.page) with Jo Francis Penn and the episode I listened to today was on scuba diving. (Tears) Speculative.Work: an author's diary--most recent episode was on abundance for authors, and saying Yes and No to opportunities. Main topic: KDP Select (or Not)    

This episode I chat with the brilliant Craig Martelle who was kind enough to chat with me and share his wonderful insight on writing and how he has found success. We discuss everything from his many published and upcoming books, to his work with the 20 Books to 50k Conferences and our love of science fiction and Chinese food. You can find more information on Craig's work at his website https://craigmartelle.com This is a great episode and I hope you really enjoy it!

Jo and Lindsay recorded early this week, since Lindsay is off to the 20Booksto50K conference (inspired by Michael Anderle, as Lindsay said in the show, but put together by Craig Martelle, which Lindsay should have said!). While Jeff was busy packing up his house to make his move to Phoenix permanent, Jo and Lindsay offered some tips on how to

Author conferences might seem downright scary to those who have never been. But I can tell you from personal experience that the ones I’ve gone to have had a prolific change in not only the way I write, but also the way I work with others. In this session of Marketers & Coffee, I’m bringing on my friend Craig Martelle who runs the 20Booksto5k Facebook Group. He’s created a community where authors can share ideas, learn from one another, and grow. But today, we’re talking about author conferences. Craig is also putting on the 20BookstoVegas Conference in November so he’s a great person to have a chat with about how authors can get the most from these conferences. For more information, visit the show notes at http://kindlepreneur.com/e48

Trial and Error. You can't do anything great without it. As an author, Craig Martelle had to be willing to "kill his darlings", scrap what wasn't working, and that was all fine by him. He's living his dream. Every great story has a hero that is a daydreamer - wondering what else is out there for them. Craig Martelle certainly fits the bill. He’s taken a path that started with the military, to a law degree, business consulting, and now writing every day. He's a best selling indie author with tips for anyone, Alaskan author or not, that wants to take the next step in their own Hero's Journey. For more on Craig Martelle, check out his website: https://craigmartelle.com/

Craig Martelle is a science fiction author. In just about two years, Craig has authored 30 full-length novels, numerous short stories, anthologies, and co-written books. He has written 2.25 million words written over the last 844 days, averaging 2,677 words a day. Talk about hard work! Craig is also the man behind the 20Books conferences.   What We Discuss with Craig Martelle: Assume your first novel is going to suck and that's okay! Writing the book is only half the battle, you still have to put it out there Where Craig gets his book writing ideas from and developing the writer's voice Developing the habit of writing everyday Craig's book writing process and the importance of creating relatable characters How the 20Books Conferences came about Building and developing relationships with your editors The challenges of publishing and the concept of vanity press Craig's process of creating audiobooks and how to write a very powerful first page Tools Craig use for writing and tips for creating the best cover for your book   Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Troy Otte, the owner of Feature Audio is our co-host again this week and we discuss the way in which errors and extraneous sounds are kept out of audiobooks. It’s another interesting behind the scenes discussion that leads into our featured story this week, Gene and Fu’s Epic Journey to the Crimea, written by Craig Martelle […] The post EC006: Gene and Fu’s Epic Journey to the Crimea, by Craig Martelle – Narrated by Kate Rudd appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

Today's guest is Craig Martelle. Craig is a best-selling author and the Godfather of the indie-focused 20books conferences that are held around the world. We discuss Craig's thoughts on some of what's changed for authors since his last visit 18 months ago, and some of the tried and true practices that are still critical to indie publishing success today. The post TAB142: How to Become a Successful Indie Author – With Craig Martelle appeared first on .

Troy Otte, the owner of Feature Audio is our co-host this week and we discuss the role his company plays in the production of LMBPN audiobooks. It’s a fascinating behind the scenes discussion that leads into our featured story this week, Timmons and Sue in Toronto, written by Craig Martelle and narrated by Kate Rudd.  […] The post EC005: Timmons and Sue in Chicago, by Craig Martelle – Narrated by Kate Rudd appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

Craig Martelle is our co-host again this week and he shares some background on today’s featured story, The Forsaken Called Joseph, which is narrated by Kate Rudd. We have an interesting second story this week, from the perspective of  Clovis, a four-legged member of the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles cast of characters. Kate and Craig have […] The post EC004: The Forsaken Called Joseph, by Craig Martelle – Narrated by Kate Rudd appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

You might say it was fortuitous that it's almost the Fourth of July with today's guest, a former Marine and now author extraordinaire, Craig Martelle! I had a blast discussing his writing habits, inspiration, daily goals, and even talked a little about his home in Fairbanks, Alaska. Craig reads to us a chapter from The Bad Company, Book One which is currently FREE on Amazon until July 6th so make sure after you hear this episode you go get a copy for yourself. I did! Craig's website:  The Bad Company Book One:  Amazon Author page: 

Craig Martelle is our co-host this week and he shares the very personal backstory behind today’s featured story, It’s All In The Mission, which is narrated by Kate Rudd. Kate and Craig have collaborated on about fifteen (and counting) audiobooks so far, which you can find here. You can find Craig’s latest book, YOU HAVE BEEN […] The post EC003: It’s All In The Mission, by Craig Martelle – Narrated by Kate Rudd appeared first on LMBPN Publishing.

Craig admins the 20booksto50k FB group, organizes live events for indie authors, and co-authors books with Michael Anderle. This episode is jam-packed with information that will help you make money with your books. Craig started writing just a few years ago, and is now an incredibly successful (6-figure+) indie author. Here are just a few of the things we touched on:

Craig admins the 20booksto50k FB group, organizes live events for indie authors, and co-authors books with Michael Anderle. This episode is jam-packed with information that will help you make money with your books. Craig started writing just a few years ago, and is now an incredibly successful (6-figure+) indie author. Here are just a few of the things we touched on: Why Craig doesn’t just sit at home eating bonbons The wisdom of learning from other successful indie authors Why keeping track of data is so important to his author success The difference between writing as a hobby versus writing as a profession The value of keeping your word to your readers How to turn readers into superfans (tons of good info!!!) What genre alignment means and why you NEED to do it and more...

We chat with rock star of indie publishing, Craig Martelle, bestselling author of the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles. He swears he hasn’t demolished a hotel room… yet! Craig tells us about what his sister did to the very first book ever wrote. Bring your tissues! He also talks about his collaboration with Michael Anderle and what they have going on with the 20Books conventions. We also discuss some of the creative innovations brought about by the changes in the publishing space. We also hear about some of the unique aspects of his hometown, Fairbanks, Alaska. My daughters and I also have a Bam What!? contest because why not!? Make sure to leave your vote for the winner in the comments section on this episode. All that and much more!

Best selling author Craig Martelle joins the show to discuss how through hard work he managed to kick off his writing career and make it his full time business in less than two years! To learn more about Craig, visit his site at: http://www.craigmartelle.com/

Craig is very well-known as one of the key members of 20BooksTo50k --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/self-publishing-journeys/message

Craig is very well-known as one of the key members of 20BooksTo50k

Terry and Paul interview author Craig Martelle

Terry and Paul interview author Craig Martelle

Today, science fiction author Craig Martelle joined us to talk about how he’s gotten rolling so quickly, publishing 20 novels in two years, spearheading three anthologies, and becoming super involved in the popular 20Booksto50K Facebook group, where he’s helping to put together a couple of huge conferences for indie authors. Here are some of the specifics on what we covered:

Today we're talking to former marine, former businessman, dog-friend, Alaskan resident, and writer-publisher mega-dude, Craig Martelle.Check out Craig's stuff --Craig's Website20booksto50k FB Group 20booksVegasBIG WHOOPSAmerican Demon Hunters Washing DCAlaska the PupNomad Avenged (& Craig's Other Books)MUSIC by Disasterpeace. The Story Studio — a podcast where an independent publishing company explores the world of self-publishing, independent art, and the future of storytelling. A show for filmmakers, authors, writers, comic book makers, crowdfunders, authorpreneurs, creators, and anyone looking to tell stories in the modern world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The question is, will you have a new appreciation when we are done, or will you throw shade? ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●  www.ArtIswear.com ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●  Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/art-i-swear/id1118069924?mt=2#_=_ ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● Craig Martelle: http://www.craigmartelle.com/ Venefica Corsetry: https://www.etsy.com/shop/VeneficaCorsetry Stuff You Missed In History Class | Women Of The Bauhaus: http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/the-women-of-bauhaus/ ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● Thanks: http://www.irdial.com/conet.htm https://soundcloud.com/joegigsdj

Craig Martelle is the essence of a modern prolific writer. A former officer in the Marine Corps, lawyer, and business consultant, turned Sci-Fi writer. Craig spends his post military life banging out thousands of words per day. At the time of our interview he's written over 28 stories in a few short years

Craig Martelle is the essence of a modern prolific writer. A former officer in the Marine Corps, lawyer, and business consultant, turned Sci-Fi writer. Craig spends his post military life banging out thousands of words per day. At the time of our interview he's written over 28 stories in a few short years See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Sign up for The Prolific Creator+ and get full access to the archives and weekly bonus content! https://plus.acast.com/s/the-prolific-creator.

Author Craig Martelle takes us through his first year as a published author, which has resulted in over a dozen titles, four series and a current author rank of 99. The post TAB105: A Year in the Life of a Blue Collar Author, with Craig Martelle appeared first on .

Author Craig Martelle talks about how he went from the Marines to being an author, how his military time affects his writing, and great advice for making it as a writer.