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Activated Authors
By Activated AuthorsArts
Activated Authors episodes
- #006: John Crinan – Getting the words in, building the habit, and building a network through podcasting.
John Crinan is a writer and podcaster who hails from the rolling hills of Scotland and migrated down to the cobbled smoky streets of London. His work has regularly been featured on The Other Stories podcast, and his new show, The John Crinan podcast, sees John catting with new creators about their work, craft and the difficult business of making stuff and getting shit done.
In this episode we go deep into:
- Why John switched up the rolling hills of Scotland for the smoky streets of London
- Why it’s important to follow through on your word
- Lessons learned from John’s first novel
- The advantages of short writing courses
- Why it’s important to surround yourself with other creatives
- What’s the point in getting up early to work?
- Finding the time to get the words down.
- Why it’s beneficial to find an accountability partner
- Rewarding yourself for the work you do
- How John is tackling Patreon
- Why choose podcasting?
- Keeping up the daily writing habit
John answers questions from Patrons:
Jon Cronshaw: Have you found a way to make consistent money from short fiction?
Find out more about John:
Johncrinan.com
FB & Tw: @JohnCrinan
Links from the show:
John’s interview with Luke Kondor
John’s Patreon
Discipline Equals Freedom book
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons of the show:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
Innes Richens
Ian J Middleton
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 2 min - #005: Alison Ingleby – Hitting the USA Today Bestseller list, publishing anthologies, and why you should write what you love.
Alison Ingleby is a USA Today bestselling author of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. She loves writing cross-genre books featuring complex characters, twisting plots and fast-paced action with a dash of romance.
When not writing, Alison enjoys reading, drinking tea and spending time outdoors. She lives in Yorkshire, England, but her heart loiters by the sea in north-west Scotland.
In this episode we dive deep into:
- What does Alison get out of going to writing conferences and events
- Why having a community of writers is important
- Biggest takeaways from conferences over the last year
- Tips for introverts to tackle author events
- The difference between anthologies and box sets
- How to approach publishing an anthology and what you get out of them
- Lessons learned from several different types of anthologies
- Pros and cons of genre-hopping
- Ensuring you’re productive when you know you’re a slower writer
- Balancing the ego with the outcome when trying to make a living from your writing
- How to hit the USA Bestseller List
- Group advertising strategies
- Why Alison chooses independent over traditional publishing
- How to build a beta reading team and what to look for when choosing who first reads your work
Alison answers questions from Patrons:
- David Hines: Does one need an MFA do exceed and make a living as a writer? I went to college many years ago and now wish I'd studied English/literature, of course I didn't. Is it necessary to get such a degree? At this point in my life it would be a struggle.
Find out more about Alison Ingleby:
Alisoningleby.com
theplottamer.com
Links from the show:
BundleRabbit
PublishDrive (not yet live at time of publication)
Special thanks to:
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
Innes Richens
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 3 min - #005: Alison Ingleby – Hitting the USA Today Bestseller list, publishing anthologies, and why you should write what you love.
Alison Ingleby is a USA Today bestselling author of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. She loves writing cross-genre books featuring complex characters, twisting plots and fast-paced action with a dash of romance.
When not writing, Alison enjoys reading, drinking tea and spending time outdoors. She lives in Yorkshire, England, but her heart loiters by the sea in north-west Scotland.
In this episode we dive deep into:
- What does Alison get out of going to writing conferences and events
- Why having a community of writers is important
- Biggest takeaways from conferences over the last year
- Tips for introverts to tackle author events
- The difference between anthologies and box sets
- How to approach publishing an anthology and what you get out of them
- Lessons learned from several different types of anthologies
- Pros and cons of genre-hopping
- Ensuring you’re productive when you know you’re a slower writer
- Balancing the ego with the outcome when trying to make a living from your writing
- How to hit the USA Bestseller List
- Group advertising strategies
- Why Alison chooses independent over traditional publishing
- How to build a beta reading team and what to look for when choosing who first reads your work
Alison answers questions from Patrons:
- David Hines: Does one need an MFA do exceed and make a living as a writer? I went to college many years ago and now wish I'd studied English/literature, of course I didn't. Is it necessary to get such a degree? At this point in my life it would be a struggle.
Find out more about Alison Ingleby:
Alisoningleby.com
theplottamer.com
Links from the show:
BundleRabbit
PublishDrive (not yet live at time of publication)
Special thanks to:
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
Innes Richens
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 3 min - #004: Martha Carr – Creating universes, trusting the process, and engaging your readers.
Martha Carr is the Amazon bestselling author and co-author of over 100 Urban Fantasy titles, all created in the last 2-3 years. She is the co-creator of the Oriceran universe, a universe containing collaborations with: Sarah Noffke, A.L. Knorr, as well as last week's guest of the show, Michael Anderle, to name a few, creating titles which have dominated the top of the Amazon charts.
Martha is also a regular speaker at many of the 20Booksto50k events across the world, a former New York journalist, a self-confessed geek, and spends her days dreaming of elves, witches, wizards and other magical worlds while hanging out with her two dogs, Lois Lane and Leela.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How pets can help with your writing
- How the Oriceran universe came to be
- How Martha selects her collaborators
- How to manage a story universe
- How to correct course when mistakes are made
- Being authentic and managing the relationship with your fans
- The importance of author notes
- Creative ways to engage your fans
- Choosing Facebook groups instead of pages
- The importance of seizing opportunities and saying ‘yes'
- Knowing your limits
- Why does Martha write?
- Giving back to the community
Martha answers questions from Patrons:
- Jon Cronshaw: If you were to start your writing career today, what would be the core things you would do to build up an audience and start selling books.
- Jenn Mitchell: What suggestions do you have around reader engagement for new authors trying to build their reader base?
- Jenn Mitchell: Do you have any advice for newer authors wanting to participate in anthologies – specifically: what to do and what not to do when approaching the gatekeeper in charge of the anthology.
Find out more about Martha Carr:
marthacarr.com
Links from the show:
Oriceran website
Martha Carr Fans Facebook group
The Maggie Parker series
The Career Author podcast
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 3 min - #004: Martha Carr – Creating universes, trusting the process, and engaging your readers.
Martha Carr is the Amazon bestselling author and co-author of over 100 Urban Fantasy titles, all created in the last 2-3 years. She is the co-creator of the Oriceran universe, a universe containing collaborations with: Sarah Noffke, A.L. Knorr, as well as last week's guest of the show, Michael Anderle, to name a few, creating titles which have dominated the top of the Amazon charts.
Martha is also a regular speaker at many of the 20Booksto50k events across the world, a former New York journalist, a self-confessed geek, and spends her days dreaming of elves, witches, wizards and other magical worlds while hanging out with her two dogs, Lois Lane and Leela.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How pets can help with your writing
- How the Oriceran universe came to be
- How Martha selects her collaborators
- How to manage a story universe
- How to correct course when mistakes are made
- Being authentic and managing the relationship with your fans
- The importance of author notes
- Creative ways to engage your fans
- Choosing Facebook groups instead of pages
- The importance of seizing opportunities and saying ‘yes'
- Knowing your limits
- Why does Martha write?
- Giving back to the community
Martha answers questions from Patrons:
- Jon Cronshaw: If you were to start your writing career today, what would be the core things you would do to build up an audience and start selling books.
- Jenn Mitchell: What suggestions do you have around reader engagement for new authors trying to build their reader base?
- Jenn Mitchell: Do you have any advice for newer authors wanting to participate in anthologies – specifically: what to do and what not to do when approaching the gatekeeper in charge of the anthology.
Find out more about Martha Carr:
marthacarr.com
Links from the show:
Oriceran website
Martha Carr Fans Facebook group
The Maggie Parker series
The Career Author podcast
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 3 min - #003: Alex C Gates – Making the leap to full-time, writing horror, and riding the BookBub wave.
Alex C Gates is a loving husband, skilled educator, true Gryffindor, dragon-slayer, wizard of the highest order, defender of the realm, Cowboys fan, and connoisseur of cheap beer. He spent four years at California State University studying literature, watching football, and day drinking before obtaining a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Southern California.
At the time of recording this interview, his latest horror novel, The Demon of Decay, was a current bestselling Amazon horror title.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How Dungeons ’n’ Dragons can stretch the creative muscle for writers
- How Alex managed the move into full-time writing
- Why it’s important to bring your significant other along with your journey
- How to find success with BookBub
- Why do people write horror?
- Tips to stay focused when full-time
- How to find an editor
- Going analogue to plan your book
- The benefits of being in anthologies
- The importance of attending author events
- Alex’s morning routine
- Recommended podcasts for authors
Find out more about Alex C Gates:
alexcgates.com
IG& FB: @alexcgates
Links from the show:
Demon of Decay by Alex C Gates
https://partners.bookbub.com/
https://reedsy.com/
http://the-efa.org/
Undead Tales: 15 Thrilling Tales by Molten Universe Media
Sell More Books Show
The Creative penn
Self-Publishing Show
The Career Author
Chris Fox’s Marketing series
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons of the show:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 1 min - #003: Alex C Gates – Making the leap to full-time, writing horror, and riding the BookBub wave.
Alex C Gates is a loving husband, skilled educator, true Gryffindor, dragon-slayer, wizard of the highest order, defender of the realm, Cowboys fan, and connoisseur of cheap beer. He spent four years at California State University studying literature, watching football, and day drinking before obtaining a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Southern California.
At the time of recording this interview, his latest horror novel, The Demon of Decay, was a current bestselling Amazon horror title.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How Dungeons ’n’ Dragons can stretch the creative muscle for writers
- How Alex managed the move into full-time writing
- Why it’s important to bring your significant other along with your journey
- How to find success with BookBub
- Why do people write horror?
- Tips to stay focused when full-time
- How to find an editor
- Going analogue to plan your book
- The benefits of being in anthologies
- The importance of attending author events
- Alex’s morning routine
- Recommended podcasts for authors
Find out more about Alex C Gates:
alexcgates.com
IG& FB: @alexcgates
Links from the show:
Demon of Decay by Alex C Gates
https://partners.bookbub.com/
https://reedsy.com/
http://the-efa.org/
Undead Tales: 15 Thrilling Tales by Molten Universe Media
Sell More Books Show
The Creative penn
Self-Publishing Show
The Career Author
Chris Fox’s Marketing series
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons of the show:
David Hines
Harley Christensen
Jon Cronshaw
Jenn Mitchell
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 1 min - #002: Michael Anderle – Publishers vs creators, the growth of collaboration, and the future of independent publishing.
Michael Anderle is the Amazon bestselling author of over 27 series, 4 story universes, and 160 audio books. Of which all of these have been published by his independent publishing company, LMBPN, in the last 3 years. His leading series, 'The Kurtherian Gambit' houses almost 200 books, with collaborations from a multitude of bestselling and leading independent authors, and spans across several genres including; science-fiction, space opera, fantasy, and post-apocalyptia. His Facebook group, 20Booksto50K, is now one of the leading pages for independent writers to share knowledge and ask questions, with the group hosting over 32,000 members at the time of recording.
On top of running a smash-house independent publishing company, Michael also finds time to appear and host at events and conferences across the globe, and is gracious enough to spare a small chunk of his very valuable time to join me on this podcast and answering a few of my own burning questions.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How he manages such a fast-growing publishing company
- The difference between publishers and creators
- Why you shouldn’t let having no editor slow you down
- Moving across genres
- Reviews vs sales
- The key things to look for when finding collaborators
- What exactly is an Australian death lizard?
- How to remain so grounded following a meteoric success
- The future of independent publishing and traditional publishing houses
- The value of the whale reader
- Finding out what you do best and finding others to support what you don't
- Why Michael doesn’t have a morning routine
- Distractions in Dan’s day with personal training
- What is the end game with LMBPN?
- Publishing across mediums
- Michael answers questions from fans
Find out more about Michael Anderle:
www.lmbpn.com
Links from the show:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k/
https://www.sourcebooks.com/
https://fourhourworkweek.com/
Michael’s previous interview on The Story Studio
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons of the show:
David Hines
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 6 min - #002: Michael Anderle – Publishers vs creators, the growth of collaboration, and the future of independent publishing.
Michael Anderle is the Amazon bestselling author of over 27 series, 4 story universes, and 160 audio books. Of which all of these have been published by his independent publishing company, LMBPN, in the last 3 years. His leading series, 'The Kurtherian Gambit' houses almost 200 books, with collaborations from a multitude of bestselling and leading independent authors, and spans across several genres including; science-fiction, space opera, fantasy, and post-apocalyptia. His Facebook group, 20Booksto50K, is now one of the leading pages for independent writers to share knowledge and ask questions, with the group hosting over 32,000 members at the time of recording.
On top of running a smash-house independent publishing company, Michael also finds time to appear and host at events and conferences across the globe, and is gracious enough to spare a small chunk of his very valuable time to join me on this podcast and answering a few of my own burning questions.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How he manages such a fast-growing publishing company
- The difference between publishers and creators
- Why you shouldn’t let having no editor slow you down
- Moving across genres
- Reviews vs sales
- The key things to look for when finding collaborators
- What exactly is an Australian death lizard?
- How to remain so grounded following a meteoric success
- The future of independent publishing and traditional publishing houses
- The value of the whale reader
- Finding out what you do best and finding others to support what you don't
- Why Michael doesn’t have a morning routine
- Distractions in Dan’s day with personal training
- What is the end game with LMBPN?
- Publishing across mediums
- Michael answers questions from fans
Find out more about Michael Anderle:
www.lmbpn.com
Links from the show:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k/
https://www.sourcebooks.com/
https://fourhourworkweek.com/
Michael’s previous interview on The Story Studio
Special thanks to :
Intro vocals: Persephone Rose
Show theme: Karl Hughes
Become a Patron of the show! Get exclusive bonus content, find your tribe, and get early access to all episodes.
Thank you to my patrons of the show:
David Hines
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
1 hr 6 min - #001: Luke Kondor – Award-winning films, journalling, and experimental creativity on a shoestring budget.
Luke Kondor is a podcaster, comic creator, filmmaker, and bestselling author. His short film ‘Keith’ – a film made with no ideas, no money, and no camera – went on to win the best low-budget short film at the London Film Festival and has since been played the world over. His work with Hawk & Cleaver’s ’The Other Stories’ podcast has brought in over 3 million downloads internationally, and he has dabbled in post apocalyptic fiction, bringing the immensely weird and wonderful ‘El Marvo’ to life through a successful Kickstarter campaign and has reached the top of the Amazon charts with his best-selling series ’The Rot’, written alongside Daniel Willcocks.
Luke’s credentials include 2x Vimeo Staff Picks, Grand Prix at the In Short Fest, 1st Prize at Five Lamps 24hr Film Competition, and Audience Choice at Focus Film Festival (not to forget the aforementioned Best Low-Budget Short Film at the London Short Film Festival).
Luke is also part-owner of the independent story studio, HAWK & CLEAVER, and happens to be one of my best friends, inspirations and co-writers.
In this episode we go deep into:
- How Luke kick-started his creative career
- His 7-day creative challenges
- How to create a film with no camera and no money
- How Luke created his morning habits
- Why creating an overly curated personal brand can be counterproductive to success
- Why Luke thinks of himself as an 'explorer'
- What mediums and genres Luke still wants to play with
- How experiencing all that life has to offer can inform your art
- The links between writing and running
- Conquering distractions when writing
- How journalling plays into a successful morning routine
- How bullet journalling supplements a good productive routine
- Luke's proudest achievement to date
- Choosing between traditional publishing and independent
Find out more about Luke Kondor:
www.lukekondor.com
www.hawkandcleaver.com
Links from the show:
Luke's Massive Storytelling podcast
Luke's award-winning film, Keith
The Hipster from Outer Space book
Swiss Army Man
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
57 min
About Activated Authors
From the publisher's feed
Activated Authors is an online author community centered around principles of healthy productivity, community, and shared knowledge. Founded by international bestselling author, award-winning…
podcaster, and author coach, Daniel Willcocks, the group aims to help authors and creatives of all levels achieve their creative goals and thrive as part of a healthy, positive community.