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The post SPA 63: Compromise! is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
This episode is great for beginning podcasters, but it’s also just a really fun episode in general. Don’t miss it!
Oh, and maybe you wouldn’t mind swinging by the podcast’s homepage and rating the show on iTunes?
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The post SPA 62: Live from the NETWO Conference! is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Wikipedia’s word count rules:
- Short story: under 7,500 words
- Novelette: 7,500 – 17,500
- Novella: 17,500 – 40,000
- Novel: over 40,000
Links to great short fiction, and other helpful tidbits:
- Hills Like White Elephants – Ernest Hemingway
- How They Were Found – Matt Bell
- Lester Dent’s Master Plot Formula
What are your thoughts? How do you define a short story (or novella, or that weird novelette thing)? How do you write them? Any tips and tricks you have for us?
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The post SPA 61: Short Stories and How to Use Them is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
She has two courses up as well that I (Nick) highly recommend. One is free, one is premium:
If you’re selling on Amazon (or hope to), don’t miss this episode!
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The post SPA 60: Genre Targeting for Authors is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Tune in to see how the guys respond to some great – and tough – questions!
How to launch more than one book (as in, you have more than one book ready to go)? Plenty of different ways to do it. A few answers we gave:
- Set the first one permafree
- Release one (for sale), and one for pre-release
- The Liliana Nirvana Technique
The second voicemail they answer is about making books free – what’s the strategy there? Why not just give away a free book at Amazon AND on your website? Tune in to find the answer!
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The post SPA 59: How to Plan A Book Launch (Listener Voicemails) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Today the dudes talk about how they maintain positivity and celebrate their wins. There are plenty of ways to “celebrate” little victories (and big ones), and the guys chat about their weird and not-so-weird ways of doing just that.
Before they jump into things, they discuss (yet again) new strategies with BookBub, whether or not to “go wide” and try for a BookBub, and pricing tactics.
Bottom line: we need to celebrate little victories (and big ones), and we need to practice not feeling guilty about it. Everyone needs to read the short and sweet book called The Practicing Mind.
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The post SPA 58: Relaxing with Indiana Jones is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Also Nick got a van.
Mentions:
- Tony Robbins – Unlimited Power
- Neil Gaiman’s Commencement Speech
- J.K. Rowling’s interview with Oprah
- Veteran’s Writing Project
- Austin Film Festival
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The post SPA 57: The Most Inspirational, Awesome Books of All Time is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Also, the boys discuss Kevin’s recent experience with theft and plagiarism – he had his book stolen and reposted under a different Amazon account. Kevin tells the horror story and what he did to resolve it. He also shared an article that claims Amazon will actually recompense the original author for this stuff. Nick throws in this gem (affiliate link): Ice Station Wolfenstein, a clear and blatant ripoff by a guy named “Preston W. Child” (I know, right?!) of a lot of well-known authors and books in that genre.
They also tackle an important technical ebook issue – how to make graphs, charts, illustrations, and images appear nicely in an ebook format.
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The post SPA 56: Trilogies, Theft & Plagiarism, and Ebook Images is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Which rules are meant to be broken? Which are the rules that are necessary? When should you break them?
The guys chat about these rules, their processes, and what they’ve heard other authors do.
Justin’s process for writing wearing four hats during four phases of the journey: “The Madman” (first draft), “The Architect” (second draft and moving big pieces around), “The Carpenter” (moving the tinier “boards” around the story), and “The Judge” (the final “is it good” draft). Here’s a great lecture explaining the process.
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The post SPA 55: Improvisation and Revising for Writers is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Specifically, we talked about:
- What is Christian fiction?
- Why write it?
- How in the world do you keep everyone happy (“it’s too Christian,” or “it’s not Christian enough…”)
- Marketing strategies for Christian fiction
And way more. As usual, this was an awesome, super-informative happy-fun-time. Don’t you want to be a part of it? Well, click “download” and start listening!
And please don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 54: Writing Christian Fiction with Rachel Starr Thomson is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
It’s a look back at 2015, a look ahead at 2016, and a discussion of our dreams, goals, and what we want to accomplish this year.
Don’t miss this one.
Also (IMPORTANT!): Since we had some podcast issues, we had to set up a new feed on iTunes, which means that all of your awesome reviews are gone! Would you mind heading to iTunes to leave us a fancy review? Thanks!
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The post SPA 53 – 2016 Goals and Dreams, and Looking Back at 2015 is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Seth Wilks writes in: “Would it be better to release stories as they come out, doing the full edit cycle, or wait for several to be done, and release at the same time after editing? What are your thoughts?”
- Nick’s take: “The fact that you have a plan means that you’re already ahead of the game. More power to you!”
- Justin’s take: “It seems like you’d be better off writing the ‘full cycle,’ because you’ll be so much better at writing in general after you finish a complete book.”
- Kevin’s take: “I agree with Justin, but I love the idea of having a body of work ready to go.”
Further reading on this topic: Hugh Howey: The Liliana Nirvana Technique (write 5 books, release 4 all at once, and then release the next one a month later)
Bottom line: If you’re focused on writing the best possible books, it probably makes more sense to release one book at a time. But if you’re confident that your work is good, you’ll probably have more success launching them closer together.
Seth also asks: “What do you think is the best way to get lots of writing done while also doing other big projects?”
Nick’s take: “I ‘theme’ my days: Monday is for meetings, Tuesday is for weekly (small) projects, etc. Since I have a day job at a church, I have to build in my writing time around that schedule. While I try to write every single day, I have to ‘theme’ what type of writing I’m doing depending on the day of the week.”
Kevin’s take: “Figure out what your strengths are, and schedule around that. Do a lot of writing/work in advance, then ‘batch’ launch it or schedule it so that while it’s being published, you’re working on the rest of the projects.”
Justin’s take: “Multitasking. While you’re watching movies to get the ‘feel’ for what you’re working on, you can be writing or drawing. What I’ve found works the best is playing to my mood. I know I’m creative and undistracted in the morning, so that’s when I’m going to be the best.”
Also mentioned is this episode:
- Kevin Costner on Building His Career, Positive Self-Talk, and Making Dances with Wolves Happen
- How I Work On Several Projects At Once – Productivityist.com
- Writing Two Books At Once – Productivityist.com
- Sara Mednick – Take a Nap, Change Your Life (the science behind why we’re more productive/creative in the morning)
- Telltale Games (Justin Sloan’s job)
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The post SPA 52: Reader Questions, Tackling Multiple Projects at Once, and Napping is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Not much else to say about this episode, except…
…LISTEN TO IT!
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The post SPA 51 – Better Book Descriptions with Bryan Cohen is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
We answer a voicemail about building a website, then jump into the topic: “overcommitting.”
Basically, “overcommitting” is committing to too much at one time. How do you know you’re overcommitted? Can you effectively diagnose overcommitment?
- Justin: “When I have to start sacrificing time with my family because there’s too much on my plate.” Also, “I use a stick-on whiteboard where I put all my books and ideas, then I just do what I want.”
- Kevin: “Doing too many tasks or things that don’t coincide with my long-term goals.” Also: “My whole life, I’ve always balanced my life and tackled projects, but it’s always been in my head.”
Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech
What would you tell newer writers/authors?
- Kevin: “Beware of chasing the good ideas!”
- Justin: “Don’t be afraid to overcommit, to a degree.”
- Nick: “Plan in your 20s so you can do what you want in your 50s.”
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The post SPA 50: Overcommitting – How to Determine What is Worth Your Time is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
What sets this book apart from all other writing craft books?
Instead of merely explaining how to write fiction well, this book demonstrates how. It is packed full of Before and After passages that show clearly what each “fatal flaw” looks like — in a variety of genres, POVs, and writing style—then shows how those flaws can be remedied. Some of these fatal flaws, for example, are overwriting, weak construction, faulty dialogue mechanics, telling instead of showing, and POV violations.
Writers learn best by seeing examples — of both great writing and weak writing. No other fiction-instruction book goes into the depth this one does. At nearly 100,000 words, this comprehensive book gives writers the arsenal to successfully learn how to spot the twelve most prevalent types of writing flaws.
This book offers a fun, engaging, and sometimes snarky approach to annihilating these writing culprits with the aim of helping writers become proficient wielders of words.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Five Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing
- How Fiction Works
- On Writing
- The Writer’s Toolkit series
- Independent Publishing Solutions – full-service self-publishing company.
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The post SPA 49: 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Don’t miss it!
And, of course, don’t forget to rate us on iTunes!
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The post SPA 48: How to Write in A “Cinematic” Way is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- Dream Guild Chronicles
- Weapons of Mass Deception
- The Yesterday Adjustment
- The Seal Bearer
“Rules and limitations set on you by the author’s world is strangely liberating.”
Other cool stuff we chatted about:
- Apocalypse Weird – a multi-author universe
- Pets for Vets
- Future Chronicles
- DavidBruns.com
- ReadyCovers.com
…And Kevin invents the term #PodcastBombing
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The post SPA 47 – Talking with David Bruns About Writing in Other Authors’ Worlds is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
For the show, we delve into some voicemails that we’ve left unanswered for a special occasion.
Links mentioned:
- Nick’s favorite fantastic calendar app for Mac: Fantastical 2
- Kindle Kid’s Book Creator
- Jonah Lehrer’s plagiarism (of himself), discussed by Steve Laube
- Nina Amir’s How to Blog A Book
- eBooks and audiobooks totally free at NoiseTrade Books
Want to be on the show? Leave us a voicemail by calling 978-48-ASK-ME, or visit SPApodcast.com! (Don’t forget to leave us a review!)
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The post SPA 46: Children’s Books, Book Printing, Exclusivity, Fraud, and Plagiarism is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
The bottom line for us? It seems like everything you do costs time, energy, or money (or some combination of all three).
A few resources mentioned:
- LeadPages
- 99designs
- WordPress (custom web design for authors)
- A great website costs $10,000
- Canva.com
Check out the website at SPAPodcast.com, and don’t forget to leave us a review!
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The post SPA 45: When Do You Start Paying for Author Services (and What Services)? is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Want more advice? Read on, and listen in to this week’s show:
We chat with Mark Dawson, of Self Publishing Formula course fame (and a damn fine author, to boot!), about Facebook (and other) advertising. One of the things that (naturally) came up was a discussion about building a mailing list, and the immense value therein. For instance:
- Mark has an advance team (like Nick’s “Street Team“) of over 700 readers
- Those readers help with technical issues, errors, typos, plot edits, etc.
- He’s able to launch every book he writes to the Top 100 in Amazon’s store
In short, he’s been able to do that using nothing but Facebook’s advertising platform.
Questions we asked Mark:
- How much money do we need to start?
- What about genre? Young Adult (young) readers aren’t really on Facebook/able to purchase books
- What’s next, after Facebook?
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The post SPA 44: Talking Book Marketing and Advertising with Mark Dawson is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
So, in addition to some great ideas for books to read, podcasts to listen to, and resources to use, we chat about how to make the best of these things, as well as when to use this stuff and when to PBIC (put butt in chair) and write.
Example resources:
- Podcasts
- Books
- Conferences
- Other writers
- …and more. Seriously, just listen to this one.
And don’t forget to rate us on iTunes! Visit us online at SPApodcast.com!
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The post SPA 43: How Not to Suck at Writing (Resources, Podcasts, and Books) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
The result is a great resource for writers of all types: Pixar’s 22 Rules of Story Analyzed as a PDF eBook, available for free on Stephan’s website.
This week, Kevin and Justin (Nick was feeling lazy today) interview Stephan and talk story!
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The post SPA 42: Analyzing Pixar’s 22 Rules of Story with Stephan Bugaj is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
You, as an author, have certainly already had this debate, at least internally. Now listen to three authors have the same debate out loud!
And, as always, feel free to give us a ring at 978-48-ASK-ME any time.
Leave us a review on iTunes here!
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The post SPA 41: Pricing is a Tricky Thing is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Then we start discussing some things you should be focusing on while you’re working on your first book:
Build your list!
We use Author.Email (currently in beta), but WAY better (and WAY cheaper) than any other option, and designed specifically for authors.
Write that book!
This is even more important in some ways as building your list.
Develop a writing relationship with one or more people
Writer/critique groups, find like-minded people. (Nick’s dead-simple hack: find someone who has the same sense of humor as you)
Books mentioned (affiliate links):
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary by Gary Keller
7 Habits for Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Creative Writing Career by Justin Sloan
The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown
How Fiction Works by James Wood
Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker
Until next time,
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The post SPA 40: First Book? What You Need to be Focusing On is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
…No other introduction needed, really.
Probably NSFW, for what it’s worth…
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The post SPA 39: How Not to Be A D-Bag Author is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
“Amazon pays out 70% up to $9.99 and half that for ebook prices above. Why would anyone ever charge between $10 and $20 for an ebook, when the author gets less from amazon (and presumably sells fewer at a higher price)?
Thanks,
David”
Our response: Probably not worth it to price higher than $9.99. Obviously there a few exceptions, but generally keeping your stuff within that “Amazon-approved” range of $2.99 to $9.99. Here’s a post from Nick that describes his pricing strategy a bit more.
Topic du jour: Panels! Writing Conferences! And More!
We discuss how to get into speaking publicly, why you should, what to expect, and what you should try to get out of going to these shindigs.
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The post SPA 38: Panels, Signings, and Guest Appearances is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Some things Kevin and Nick mention:
“Stuff at the Back of the Book” – Kevin’s strategy for launching the next book in the series
Launching a book can certainly be done with big, epic, things, but for most of us small changes can lead to big wins:
- Sending emails to friends/family/acquaintances, asking them to support me in some small way
- Slowly building a mailing list from scratch
- ASK PEOPLE to do the things you need them to do!
Best strategies for launching a book with no list:
- Guest posts
- Interview posts
- Build that mailing list!
There’s much more hidden in this episode, so give it a listen! When you’re finished, give us a review on iTunes!
Check out our new offering – the BEST email service provider for authors. PERIOD.
www.author.email or www.authoremail.com (both go to the same place)
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The post SPA 37: Crafting a Killer Book Launch is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
We all do.
In this episode of the Self-Publishing Answers Podcast, we discuss a few different to generate more reviews for your books. There are a handful of “proven” methods to gain reviews, and there are some other “best practice” methods.
All of them work, and all of them are strategies you should be implementing!
Listen the episode by clicking “play” below, or subscribe to the entire show using your favorite podcast player app and visiting us on iTunes!
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The post SPA 36: How to Get Reviews for Your Books is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Some ideas include better “recommendation engines” for discoverability, Amazon’s using reading speed to recommend books to readers (and possibly all kinds of other scary things), and more!
Don’t miss this episode of The Self-Publishing Answers Podcast, back after an all-too-long absence!
And don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes: spapodcast.com.
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The post SPA 35: The Future of Self-Publishing is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
On this show:
- TumThack Anticourse: Don’t miss out on this one! We are offering three 2-hour phone calls with yours truly (both of us) and you! Check it out here!
- Jackie Bolen asks us a question! Woohoo! Niches, what to focus on, and audience!
Mentions:
- Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich): How to make money online (the step-by-step instructions)
- Dorie Clark: Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build A Following Around It
Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income and how he “niches down:”
Haven’t rated or reviewed the show on iTunes yet? Why not? Do it here!
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The post SPA 34: “To Niche Or Not to Niche” is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
As we promised, this week we’ll spend most of the time talking about the imagery on the cover — that is, everything else that’s not typeface or font. From where to find those images/pictures to tips and tricks to making them look great with your title and author name, and special announcement about a sweet new service we created!
Stock Photo Sites
- 123rf
- Shutterstock
- iStockPhoto
- Dollar Photo Club
Design Programs
- Photoshop
- Gimp
- Pixlr.com
- Canva.com
Tips and Tricks
- Use the Hue/Saturation tool
- Colorize the image first (tint)
- Use textures to overlay grungy images on top of photos
- Burn/dodge tool or gradient on images below text to make text pop
Premade book covers?
YES! Check out ReadyCovers.com for a premade book cover, ready-made for your book!
Don’t forget to rate the show on iTunes!
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The post SPA 33: How to Design a Great Book Cover (Part 2) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
News from Nick:
- Nick has a BookBub ad, so we’ll talk about the results of that next week
- KDP (Amazon) has a new Dashboard look and feel, and it’s oh-so-nice!
- The Enigma Strain audiobook edition is in production, once again by Mike Vendetti (produced The Golden Crystal and The Depths) – at ACX.com
- The Atlantis Deception has 44 reviews! It hit the #9 spot in Kindle Worlds!
News from Kevin:
- Sterling and Stone Colony Summit – Indie author mastermind group
- Libbie Hawker’s Gotta Read It – How to write a great book pitch
- New covers and book descriptions for Sawyer Jackson and Citadel series
- New “Books” page on KevinTumlinson.com
- Audiobook Empires with David H Lawrence XVII
Most important features, in order, of a great cover:
- Scale: needs to be able to be read at a small size
- Title: needs to be readable, designed well
- Fonts/Typefaces:
- Start simple, get “fancier” only if needed
- Use dafont.com
- Pulpit Rock Church – check out the logo (lots of tracking on that Gil Sans!)
- The difference between Leading, Tracking, and Kerning (typesetting 101)
- Brands: Typefaces help make the cover noticeably part of “your brand,” examples are James Patterson’s, Tom Clancy’s, James Rollins’, Dan Brown’s books
- Use an artboard like Pinterest to see a lot of great covers at once, or use Scrivener
…and then we gave up for the week. Check us out next week for the follow-up to this episode!
And leave us a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 32: How to Design A Great Book Cover (Part 1) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
We continue our (long overdue) discussion about story structure and crafting great books. Once again, we wanted to start with a high-level, “birds-eye-view” approach first, then move into some more granular, tactical ways to structure, outline, and craft fiction.
We get into a few specific resources, including:
- Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker
- The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O’Neil
- Blue Topaz: Machine Helicopter (don’t ask)
- Scrivener. Seriously, go buy this.
- Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain
- Announcing: TumThack! The all-new author, self-publishing, and writing hub for awesomeness. Go. Write. Now.
- How to Write A Review On iTunes
Come see us over at TumThack and give us a shout! And don’t forget if you have a question, please send us a voicemail!
Most importantly, tell your favorite podcast hosts what’s up by leaving a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 31: Story Structure and Crafting Great Books (Part 2) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- Story by Robert McKee
- Screenplay by Syd Field
- Larry Brooks – StoryFix.com
- Kevin’s Resources Page
- Hemingway: Hills Like White Elephants
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces
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The post SPA 30: Story Structure and Crafting Great Books (Part 1) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
As authors interested in translating our own works, we thought it would be helpful to interview Yannick and ask about the differences between “translation” and “localization,” why both (or neither) are important for authors, and her thoughts on “bargain-priced” options like Babelcube.
Don’t miss this episode!
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The post SPA 29: Translation and Localization with Yannick Nelson of Azoogma is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
The biggest professional networking mistake Nick has ever made.
And how Kevin talks Nick off the ledge when he wants to lash out and punch people in the face.
- Distance yourself from the criticism. Possibly physically, always emotionally.
- Take time to process the criticism. Pause, reflect, realize, have empathy, etc. “Disruption.”
- Admit fault (if needed). Redirect
- Paraphrase, re-paraphrase, redirect, and close.
- “Are they saying something offensive or are you just being offended?”
- Take responsibility for yourself. YOU are most often the reason you’re feeling a certain way.
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The post SPA 28: Dealing With Rejection as a Writer and Author is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Want to be a productive writer? Write.
Outside of that, here are the best tips we could think of (on the spot, at least) to help us be and stay productive as a writer:
- “Feeling like you’re not productive enough is often what keeps me productive…” – Nick
- Jon Morrow’s advice: “What gets on the calendar gets done.”
- Steven Covey: “Put first things first”
- Eban Pagan productivity video: “We have a finite amount of willpower each. Use it to build habits instead of spending it on something else.”
- Affirmations
- Scott Adams’ How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
- Inbox Zero
- Take a walk
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The post SPA 27: How to Be (and Stay) Productive As A Writer is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Show links:
- CompletelyNovel.com
- The Book Depository
- Lightning Source
- Nick said “cup o’ joe”
- Completely Novel Guide to Marketing (book)
Tune in next week, and don’t forget to give us a rating/review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 26: POD With Spotify Model – CompletelyNovel with Sarah Juckes is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- 20 Master Plots: and How to Build Them – Ronald B. Tobias
- Story Cubes
- The Amazing Story Generator
Nick’s Methods:
- Swipe files: Popular Science magazine, National Geographic, etc.
- “Iterative Approach:” Iterate and change a simple, granular idea until you have a better idea
- Rewrite a book you’ve read in the past (don’t worry, it will likely be completely different when you’re done with it!)
Kevin’s Methods:
- Get inspiration from pre-made book covers, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.
- Get inspiration from artwork, “fantasy/sci-fi artwork” (or generalize for your genre)
- “Characters might be born out of a conversation with someone in real life”
- “Forensic Approach:” Ask yourself questions about a (theoretical) story
- “Epic doesn’t start with epic”
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
“Blue Topaz: Machine Helicopter.”
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The post SPA 25: How to Generate Book Ideas is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
What are you doing to secure your author future in international markets?
If you haven’t thought about it, definitely listen to this episode!
Here’s a little of what we discuss:
- Babelcube: Translations
- Fiverr.com: Easy, quick, and cheap jobs (I used it to review the Babelcube translation)
- ACX: Audiobook narration, owned by Amazon
- Azoogma: Localization and translation services
- The Lucid: Episode 1
- Lumbersexual – the article from TheAtlantic.com
Tune in next week, and don’t forget to leave a review!
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The post SPA 24: Foreign Markets for Indie Authors is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
What is it? Basically, getting someone else to do work for you. What kind of work?
That’s the question. In this episode, Kevin and I chat about outsourcing as an author, what we outsource, what we want to outsource, and, of course, tangents.
Here are the books mentioned:
- Miracle Morning by Hal “Yo Pal Hal” Elrod: MiracleMorning.com
- My Life as an Experiment by AJ Jacobs
- The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
And a few of the services offered:
Tune in next week!
Want to rate this show on iTunes? Yeah, we thought you did. Just click here!
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The post SPA 23: Outsourcing is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- First, our own stuff!
- Scrivener (free trial available)
- Learn Scrivener Fast program
- Calibre
- Self-Publishing Podcast
- Audience Business Masterclass
- On Writing – Stephen King
- Poop (literally)
- Cards Against Humanity
- Apples to Apples
- Story Cubes
- Writer Emergency Packs
- The Productive Writer – 2015 Productivity Planner
- Evernote
- Dropbox
- MacBook Pro
- Reclaimed wood bath caddy (because… it’s awesome)
Hope you had a Merry Christmas, happy holiday, and a great New Year!
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The post SPA 22: The Merry Christmas Episode! is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
1. Should I “ship” (release the book) right away or wait until it’s “perfect?”
Nick’s answer: Have a process (“The Gauntlet”) that protects you. Here’s mine:
- Write
- Rewrite
- Self-Edit
- Send to Editor
- Beta Readers
- Final Read-Through
- Release!
Kevin’s answer: Don’t wait until it’s “perfect” — it never will be! However, have an “MVP” (Minimum Viable Product) that’s been edited, polished, make it something you’re proud of. Don’t just go for “good enough,” but make it something you’re truly happy with. Just not perfect!
2. Should I buy an ISBN? Do I need one?
In short, no. Unless you’re really keen on having your book show up in book distribution catalogs and systems with your publishing company listed as the name. Kevin and I use CreateSpace for paperback versions, and I use IngramSpark for hardcover (they have a really nice matte finished cover option). CreateSpace is listed as the publisher according to Bowker when you look it up in the store (brick-and-mortar).
Bottom line: build your audience through ebooks, not print. You’ll make about the same amount from each anyway, and ebooks are obviously cheaper.
Most importantly, Kevin knows the phone number! 978-48-ASK-ME
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The post SPA 21: Voicemail Q&A is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Also, The Productive Writer: 2015 Productivity Planner is back for a limited time! If you missed out on one earlier, grab one here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/nick-thacker/the-productive-writer-2015-productivity-planner/paperback/product-21941917.html
We also mention:
- Evernote
- Lift
- Commit (iOS app)
- “Beat the Week” (Kevin’s brand of goal setting/keeping)
- Don’t Break the Chain (Seinfeld’s well-known recipe for goals, and the associate website)
- Tim Ferriss’ “Lifestyle Costing” (or dreamlining)
As always, if you like this stuff, PLEASE rate us on the iTunes podcast store/page!
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The post SPA 20: Dreams, Goals, and “Breaking the Chain” is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
I found myself taking notes on things I’d never even considered. Jonny goes in-depth into some of the advanced list-building and marketing techniques that took him and his clients into the sales and success stratosphere.
If you’ve got a book, or just something to say, don’t miss this episode!
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The post SPA 19: The Kevin and Jonny Andrews Show! is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- Scrivener – Mac
- Scrivener – Windows
- The Lucid – Episode One (now live!)
- The Wake-Up Call: What It Means to Be A Self-Published Writer
- How to use Twitter
Ask us a question: 978-48-ASK-ME. We’ll air it on the show!
Also, leave a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 18: Systems for Writers (Part 2) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
- NaNoWriMo
- Scrivener
- Learn Scrivener Fast
- Writing 10k Words A Day
- Nick’s 3 Hacks for Writing A Whole Bunch-A-Lot:
- Plan!
- Leave on a cliffhanger
- Set a writing schedule
Don’t forget to rate the show on iTunes!
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The post SPA 17: Systems for Writers (Part 1) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Today on the show, Kevin and I briefly talk through our current projects, including The Lucid: Season One, Sawyer Jackson: Book 2, and life while trying to write four books a month (me!).
Kevin mentions the Author Earnings website, and why it’s imperative as a self-published author to be reading these updates.
Finally, we jump into an article that took me forever to find (had to remember where it was!) about routine, then finished with some shout-outs to some services we’re currently using (ACX and Babelcube).
Show notes:
- Author Earnings side-by-side comparison
- The Lucid – Season 1, Episode 1
- Sawyer Jackson, Book 2
- Woody Allen on routine
- Babelcube
- ACX – Mike Vendetti
Like the show? Give us a call at 978-48-ASK-ME, or email [email protected]. Leave a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 16: Routine, Author Earnings, and Book Markets is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
On the show today we talked about the thing we’ve talked about talking about for the last two times we’ve talked (still following?):
Focus and Productivity for Writers
Focus and productivity for writers means anything that helps us, as writers, focus and stay productive. It means doing things that improve focus and increase productivity.
Show notes:
Hey, if you have a sec, would mind rating us on iTunes?
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The post SPA 15: Focus and Productivity for Writers is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Show notes:
- The Lucid – Almost done! Check it out here, and pre-order here.
- The Enigma Strain – Also almost done (in editing). Check it out and pre-order here.
- NaNoWriMo – National Write A Novel Month, kicking off very soon!
- The Productive Writer: 2015 Productivity Planner – Coming soon (sign up for emails to stay up-to-date and get first access!)
- WriteHacked.com – New website design/features! Soft launch with new pants…
- Sawyer Jackson & Citadel (Omnibus) – Kevin’s books
- KevinTumlinson.com
- Washington Post article: “Popular on Amazon: Wildly misleading self-published books about Ebola, by random people without medical degrees”
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The post SPA 14: Momentum is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
In this week’s episode of the Self-Publishing Answers podcast, Kevin Tumlinson and I chat about the same sort of stuff we chatted about last week… self-publishing, books, and random tangents.
Don’t miss out!
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The post SPA 13: Riffing with Kevin Tumlinson (Part 2) is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Starting TODAY, please welcome to the show THE Kevin Tumlinson, author and marketer extraordinaire! He’s written a handful of fantastic books, all of which can be found at his website, Kevin Tumlinson, and he’s also been co-writing a series with me called The Lucid. (The Lucid is about a man who’s being chased by baddies because they need something from him. He realizes they’ve put something in the water supply, and he needs to figure out what it is. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon).
Today’s episode is more of a “fireside chat” with Kevin Tumlinson, without the fire. And without being next to one another (he’s in Texas, and I’m in Colorado). We discuss an article Kevin found called 5 Reasons Why Your Self-Published Book Isn’t Selling, written by Crystal Ponti. Aside from that, we sort of just… go off on tangents, which we think (*we hope*) is funny and somewhat entertaining. Also, I’m in a coffee shop, which is why you’ll hear a bunch of noise in the background. I had internet connectivity issues up at my Writer’s Cabin (aka “home”), so I apologize.
We’re both, uh, quite tangential in this show, so hopefully you’ll join us on the ride!
Links:
- 5 Reasons Why Your Self-Published Book Isn’t Selling (Huffington Post)
- KevinTumlinson.com – Homepage of Kevin Tumlinson
- NickThacker.com – Homepage of me
- TumlinsonThacker.com – Homepage of Kevin Tumlinson meets Nick Thacker
As always, leave us a review on iTunes and let us know what you think of the podcast!
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The post SPA 12: Riffing with Kevin Tumlinson is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Another Friday means another podcast… and this one’s AWESOME as well.
Seriously, if you’ve never heard of Roz Morris, go check out her stuff right now. She’s a fantastic writer, editor, and professional ghostwriter (no, that doesn’t mean she writes stories about ghosts). She’s written or ghostwritten so many books that she’s had over 1 million readers! Seriously: her average sales per book were 500,000 copies! Check out more on her homepage.
In addition to writing, she teaches creative writing masterclasses for The Guardian in London. Check out more about Roz Morris on her Amazon.com page as well.
In this interview we chat about ghostwriting as a business model, publishing, and some of the finer points of writing craft. Take a listen!
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The post SPA 11: Interview with Roz Morris is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
So today’s a great day.
Yep, we’ve got Joanna Penn, full-time indie author and self-publishing expert. I don’t use that term lightly, either. Joanna knows her stuff. Enjoy this one, and keep it handy — you’ll want to take notes on what she has to say!
Show notes:
I ask about Joanna’s history — how did she get to where she was? Who was she before she was a super-duper famous author? How did her early career experience prepare her for this indie lifestyle?
Joanna and I talk about running an author blog, separate from a “nonfiction” or self-publishing blog. It’s something I’ve considered for quite some time, and she ended up talking me into setting up my own (see the link mentioned below).
Also, we discuss the concept of running a “media empire,” or basically an “author business.” What does it mean to be an entrepreneur and author, and how do you keep it all organized? When should you make the switch, and why?
There’s much, much more in this episode, so be sure to download it and listen to it when you’ve got some time!
Mentioned in this episode:
- NickThacker.com – my new online home!
- JFPenn.com – Joanna‘s author website
- TheCreativePenn.com – Joanna’s self-publishing blog and resource site
- Pentecost – Joanna’s FREE thriller (affiliate link)
See you in two weeks! As always, please help out by rating this podcast in iTunes, and by sharing it on social media!
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The post SPA 10: Interview with Joanna Penn is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Show Notes:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all
http://wegrowmedia.com/bittersweet/
http://wegrowmedia.com/publishing-is-a-team-sport-with-a-singular-black-hole-in-the-middle/
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The post SPA 9: Interview with Dan Blank is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
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The post SPA 8: Interview with Denise Wakeman is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
I’ve been there. It wasn’t anything too life-threatening, nor was it chronic, but it was a form of mild depression, caused by work stress, the feeling of never-ending boredom, and that I’d reached a dead-end with my job. At the time, I was working a 9-t0-5 at a marketing company that was going nowhere fast. It was a ruthless, sales-focused environment, run by people who cared more about the bottom line than the people they worked with.
It was all I could do to keep showing up to work each day…
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The post SPA 7: Depressed? is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
That’s really the “secret” to building a successful, sustainable online platform.
Mentions in this episode:
Downcast – Best podcasting app I’ve used (iOs and Mac)
Michael Hyatt’s Ideal Week – Explanation
Michael Hyatt’s Ideal Week – Spreadsheet
Leave a review on iTunes and let us know what you think of this show!
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The post SPA 6: Write Another Book is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
Don’t do things that don’t work… do things that do work.
It’s not a difficult concept, but it can still be a little confusing to try to wade through all of the “proven” marketing strategies that are out there. In this episode we look at ways to determine what “works” for you, and I answer a reader question about online bookstores and which is right (or wrong) for her book.
Don’t forget to write an iTunes review!
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The post SPA 5: What Works for You? is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
As mentioned in the show, here are the links to the 10 (really 11) books I talked about:
- The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss
- $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau
- Techniques of the Selling Writer – Dwight Swain
- Plot & Structure – James Scott Bell
- Story – Robert McKee
- How to Market A Book – Joanna Penn
- Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World – Michael Hyatt
- Let’s Get Digital/Let’s Get Visible – David Gaughran
- Your First 1,000 Copies – Tim Grahl
- Welcome Home – Nick Thacker
Also, I mentioned that I’m re-releasing Welcome Home: The Author’s Guide to Building A Marketing Home Base sometime later this year (hopefully), and that I hired a freelance designer to do it for me.
There’s a cool story there, but I’ll just make you wait 
Rest assured, I’ll be posting about that release and my process here pretty soon!
Well, what do you think? Leave a comment, and if you enjoyed the show, leave a review on iTunes!
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The post SPA 4: Always Add Value is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
This episode looks at the importance of “running your writing business,” even we we, as authors, don’t want to anything other than write. Your writing is your business, so you should take it seriously and build systems, set goals, and measure progress.
If this all sounds boring, well, then, just wait for the question at the end: “How would you produce a book for $500?”
Enjoy the show! Also, I’m getting tired of hearing my own voice — would you consider sending a voicemail? Use the box on the side of the page at LiveHacked.com, or just call 978-48-ASK-ME and record your question!
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The post SPA 3: You Don’t Need An MBA… is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
I also answer a great question about finding your target readers. Don’t miss out on this one!
If you want to submit a question, just call 978-48-ASK-ME and leave a voicemail! I’ll try to answer it during an upcoming show.
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The post SPA 2: Write A Great Book is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.
In this first episode, I talk about what you can expect from the podcast. Basically:
- I try to answer self-publishing and writing-related questions
- There’s a new episode every week
- I’m the person talking, with some interviews thrown in for good measure
- How to submit questions: 978-48-ASK-ME
I hope you enjoy this — it’s a big project, but it’s been fun so far to work on the intros, outros, and content!
First, a huge thank you to those of you who completed the 2014 Reader Survey! There has been GREAT feedback from everyone so far, and while I’ll spend the next few weeks really crunching the data, it looks like there were a few major points from everything. Generally:
- You have questions/problems and want to know more
- You wouldn’t be opposed to paying money for whatever that solution is, but would love more free advice, tips, and help
I’m working on it.
As I mentioned in that post, I want to provide massive value to you, so that you are able to achieve your writing and authorship goals. I want to help with whatever it is you’re struggling with.
Also, I want to really up the ante for the free information about self-publishing that’s floating around here. For that reason, as you may have guessed from the title of the post, I’m launching a podcast.
What’s a podcast?
If you haven’t heard of podcasting before, it’s essentially an internet radio show that’s syndicated and made available on podcast networks like iTunes, Stitcher, and BlackBerry.
You can subscribe and download episodes, save them for later, and generally play them at your leisure. There are podcasts on literally thousands of topics, each with a unique flavor, sound, and style.
“Self-Publishing Answers” is going to be hosted by yours truly, featuring questions sent in by you, the reader/listener. I’ve already got a head start on this thanks to the earlier blog-only Self-Publishing Answer series, so I already have content for the first six episodes.
How to subscribe
The podcast isn’t quite ready in iTunes yet, so you’ll have to listen in your browser to this first episode (embedded below). In a few days though, do check out the iTunes page and subscribe to get the latest episodes sent right to your phone/computer/device.
I’ll add a link to the podcast in the sidebar of the blog, and I’ll be sending out an email to update everyone as well.
Let me know what you think!
In the comments section, would you let me know what you think of all this? Will you subscribe and listen? What questions would you like to hear answered?
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The post SPA 1: Introduction and Welcome is copyright 2013 by Write Hacked.