53- Conventions and Author Networking with Alan Baxter

Listen to the companion podcast episode

Publishing News:

The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act leads to rank-stripping of Amazon titles

Will tariffs lead to publishing industry cutbacks?

Interview

Hidden City  


Write the Fight Right

Alan Baxter Website

Alan's Amazon Page

Alan on Twitter

Alan on Audible

46- Horror and Short Fiction with William Meikle

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This week I chat with William Meikle, author of a host of titles in the horror and speculative fiction
genres. We discuss the craft of writing horror, short stories vs longer works, and how publishing through indie presses can fit into your professional goals. We also talk about his fascinating new book, The Ghost Club.

Links:

William's Website

William's Amazon Page

William on Twitter

William's Facebook Page

44 In it for the Long Haul with Joanna Penn

Listen to the podcast episode

Gryphonwood/Adrenaline Press Holiday Sale

My fundraiser with indie author promo opportunities

JF Penn/Joanna Penn Links

JF Penn's Amazon page

Joanna Penn Amazon page

JF Penn Website

The Creative Penn

 

43 SciFi Success with Terry Mixon

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Terry Mixon is a bestselling author of military science fiction and space opera. He also cohosts the Dead Robots' Society podcast.

Topics we discussed

The Empire of Bones series

Humanity Unlimited saga

The Vigilante Duology with Glynn Stewart

Writing what you love.

The plot elements/tropes that make classic scifi fun.

The importance of productivity.

Potential benefits of collaboration.

Is Kindle Unlimited still worthwhile?

The importance of newsletters.

Terry's links

Terry's website

Terry's Amazon page 

Dead Robots' Society podcast.

42- Hybrid Publishing and Podcast Fiction with Paul E. Cooley

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This week we chat with Paul E. Cooley. Paul is a Parsec Award-winning podcaster and a hybrid author.

We discuss:

The Black series

The Derelict saga

Ten Open Graves collection

Paul's independently published fiction.

Pure indie vs indie press

Podcast fiction

Thoughts on indie publishing

Visit Paul's website

Paul's Amazon page

I'm Interviewed on Tim Knox's Show

37 The Art and the Business with Russell Blake

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Today we chat with NYT bestselling thriller and adventure author Russell Blake.

*Sorry for the squeaky chair and telephone interruption.

Highlights of our chat


"You'll make more money creating content if you're creating content for which there's a demand."

"I try to let myself be artistic when I'm creating content and then I take off my creative hat. Now you're in the retail business."

"The one guarantee is nothing is going to stay the same."

"From a production standpoint I find it much faster if I already have an idea of where I'm going and what I'm going to write."

"Figure out what you want to be and go be that. If you want to be a bestselling author, that's a full-time job."

"What's the hook? Why would anyone give two shits about your book?"

Russell's Links

Website

Facebook

Amazon

Russell's method of outlining 

Fantastic Fiction and Connecting with Readers with Karpov Kinrade

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Today we chat with the "better half" of the USA Today bestselling author team, Karpov Kinrade. Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife entertainment duo Lux and Dmytry Karpov-Kinrade, aka The KK Duo.

Highlights from our chat:

Do your research. Know what's selling and understand why it sells.

Look for the story hooks that get people excited.

Understand and utilize the themes and tropes readers want, some of which the readers might not even know they are reading for.

Don't limit yourself to the tropes and themes of your genre. Draw inspiration from other genres and look for ways to incorporate them.

The importance of wish fulfillment and escapism.

It's not enough to write well; your work needs to meet a need within the reader.

Considerations when choosing the next project:
-What do we know we can market?
-What is selling well right now?
- What are we going to enjoy writing?

Advice to indies:
-Do your research. Know what makes a bestseller.
-Constantly work to improve your craft.
-Study marketing.
-Be flexible. What works for one author might not work for another. What works today might not work tomorrow.
-Experiment. Learn from your mistakes.

Connect with Karpov Kinrade!

Website

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Amazon

Thrilling Fiction with Toby Neal

Listen to the podcast episode

Toby Neal is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wired Series, the Lei Crime series, and more.

Today she chats with us about getting started in the indie world, writing thrillers, co-authoring, branching out into new genres, and succeeding as an indie.

A few highlights from our chat

"Readers fuel my creative fire.  Readers wanting my work, encouraging me, and saying, 'Where's the next one?' That's what keeps me going."

"When you're an indie who's doing well, you're doing both [writing and marketing.] You're a business person who's writing."

"We're focusing on building our email list because these are readers who belong to us... If you begin [when publishing your first book] with the plan that you're going to build your email list, you're off to a good start."

"I think of my series as trains. Each book is a car on the train the the leading book is the engine... I add fuel to them with new releases, a Bookbubs, trying out a new ad campaign or something that gives them exposure.."

"Pick something you care about a lot because passion will drive your writing."

Check Out these Links!

Toby's Website

Toby's Amazon Author Page

Toby on Twitter

 Lei Crime Kindle World

Free books by Toby Neal

Blood Orchids

Wired In

Also check out her co-authored Apocalyptic Romance (free on KU, first book free at signup.)