Author Your Dream

Writing a great book quickly is something that every new author I have talked to would love to do. But so many times, they don’t have a plan or infrastructure to accomplish that. In this episode, Chandler Bolt shares tips from his new book, Published, to help you get your book written quickly. This is actually version two of his book, and the first version helped me get serious about finishing my book.

Highlights

02:22 Chandler’s Author Journey

08:25 Published

13:37 How do you write a great book quickly?

21:29 How to choose what idea to tackle

27:12 Advice for pushing through the editing slog

30:13 How do you successfully launch a book

35:2 3 Using books to grow a business

40:06 What holds people back

41:06 Author Action Point

43:07 Self Publsihing School

Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/great-book-quickly/ for more from this episode.

In this episode, I talk with Robert Wilson about diversity in the publishing world. This is such a huge topic, but it is so vital if we are going to grow as writers and, more importantly, as people. Throughout this interview, we talk about the importance of diversity in fiction and how authors can avoid perpetuating stereotypes. Robert also shares some tips for how you can write stories that honor people who come from diverse backgrounds without using them as a prop for your novel.

Highlights

02:54 Robert’s Journey

10:09 Why is diversity important

14:05 How can we help improve diversity

16:59 Analyzing our own bias

25:41 Why diversity is important in fiction

33:22 Diverse characters

34:13 Ways authors unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes

46:50 Tips for writing stories that honor others

52:25 Avoiding using diverse characters as props

1:02:00 Author Action Point

Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/diversity-in-publishing/ for more from the show.

Middle grade fiction requires a slightly different approach than other genres. During the episode, we discuss mindsets, where to find inspiration, and how to handle mature topics. Hint very carefully. If you have a dream of writing a middle grade book this episode is going to be a great starting point for you.

Highlights:

03:10 Tonya’s Author Journey

08:14 About the Sophie Washington series

11:45 Defining Middle Grade books

15:10 Mindset for this audience

19:02 If you don’t have kids

21:07 Beats to include

28:14 Finding ideas

30:51 Handling mature topics

34:01 Beta readers

37:27 Recommended authors to read

39:20 Suggestions for writing middle grade

44:18 Author Action Point

Check out https://authoryourdream.com/episode/middle-grade-fiction/ for more.

Twitter for authors is the next installment of the social media for authors series. There are so many options, and it can be challenging to decide which one you should be on. In this episode, my guest, Hannah Richards, will share some tips on how authors can get the most out of using Twitter.

Highlights

02:07 Hannah’s Journey

04:11 Common Struggles authors have on Twitter

06:35 Identifying your dream reader

10:13 Connecting with readers and reviewers

12:20 How often should you Tweet

17:38 Content ideas

26:58 Content Pillars

31:27 Photos and Videos in posts

34:15 Creating a clear brand

37:01 Suggestions for genre content ideas

42:21 Author Action Point

Check out the Show Notes Page for more.

TikTok for Authors is one of the subjects that I have wanted to do for a long time. But not being on the platform very much myself, I had didn’t know who I should approach to be a guest on the show. In comes the fantastic writing community. I reached out to a Facebook group TikTok for Authors and asked for some suggestions, and A.K. Mulford was someone who repeatedly came up in the comments.

Highlights

01:25 Ali’s Author Journey

05:08 What is TikTok

06:24 Why Ali started on the platform

07:22 Reservations

10:23 Why it’s so good for authors

13:56 Indies Fully Booked podcast

16:49 How TikTok uses hashtags

18:14 BookTok and other author terms

19:27 Finding your audience

21:08 Dueting

22:23 Content creation

30:59 Ali’s content creating process

32.39 Do you have to be good at editing?

33:06 Building a readership before your published

38:18 Finding and saving sounds

40:39 Engaging with others

40:55 Top tips of beginners

46:04 Author action point

47:24 Ali’s Book The High Mount Court

Check out the Show Notes page for more.

Writing myths can stop aspiring authors from going after their dream and writing that book. In this episode, Kenny discusses some of the most common myths with author and podcaster Kristina Adams. This episode will talk about whether or not you need to have a blog as an author, writer’s block, as well as some myths that aren’t actually myths.

Kristina Adams is the author of seventeen books, including three non-fiction books and several series. She co-hosts a podcast called the Writer’s Mindset that covers topics from writing romance to communicating confidently. Kristina also helps to help writers through her blog and website, The Writer’s Cookbook. She has excellent insight into myths that writers face that will help you face any yourself.

Highlights

01:12 The Writer’s Mindset podcast

03:43 Kristina’s Author Journey

12:52 Kristina’s Book: Writing Myths

16:20 Common Writing Myths

22:18 You have to have a blog

16:38 Is Writer’s block a myth

36:10 Book series and first-time authors

39:39 Wher writers go wrong with social media

43:12 Writing Fast vs. Taking Your Time

47:58 Author Action Point

49:05 Connect with Kristina

Check out the Show Notes page here for more resources.

Doing research for historical fiction can be one of the most fun and most frustrating parts of writing in this genre. You love history as a historical fiction author, but how do you not bag down the story with the facts? How do you avoid going down rabbit holes? And where do you find good quality information about your subject? Jodi Daynard will answer these questions and more in this episode.

Highlights

01:53 Jodi’s Author Journey

07:05 Jodi’s Process for fact gathering

13:34 List of research resources

18:24 What are you looking for when you visit a location?

22:09 Maps and Artwork

25:32 Time spent researching vs. the amount of info used

28:12 Organising your research

30:13 Syncing your chapters with your research

32:47 Jodi’s must-have facts

36:43 How to avoid outweighing the story with the history

41:39 Ensuring accurate portraits of historical figures

43:34 What to include in an Author’s Note

46:36 Avoiding the Research Rabbit Hole

53:17 Author Action Point

Check out the Show Notes page for more including a list of research resources.

In this episode, Kenny talks with guest Emma Dhesi about scene structure. Emma shares some very very actionable information for new authors. During the interview, Emma shares what a scene is, mistakes to avoid, and a great scene structure model to help you with your writing.

Highlights

03:48 Emma’s Author Journey

09:03 Definition of a scene

12:15 Length of scenes

15:25 Setting and Scene

18:21 Scene structure

28:50 Mistakes to avoid

30:57 Problems in your scene

33:36 The relationship between Aim and Outcome

36:06 Using the scene structure model to troubleshoot your book

42:41 Emma’s Coaching Program

Check out the Show Notes for more including an action point and how to connect with Emma Dhesi.

Social media marketing can be overwhelming, especially when you add it to the vast list of responsibilities you already have on your plate as an author. In this episode, we follow on from the interview with Rick Lite about The Ultimate Book Marketing Timeline and focus on a specific aspect of marketing.

Highlights

03:44 Erik’s Writing Journey

09:50 Branding Yourself

13:26 Big 4 Social Media sites to use

16:26 Using Twitter as an Author

25:52 Content for each platform

34:00 Planning your content

37:29 Blogs and websites

46:37 How to approach new platforms

51:52 Avoid Twitter Yo-Yo

58:38 How to measure success in your social media marketing

1:01:40 Author Action Point

Visit the Show Notes page for more resources.

Book marketing has been one of the most popular topics on the show. It is also one that many authors struggle to wrap their heads around. In this episode, I talk to Rick Lite from Stress Free Book Marketing. Rick shares the book marketing timeline he uses with his clients. This timeline is broken down into seven steps that we talk about in-depth throughout the interview.

The 7 Steps are:

Before You Begin Writing

As You Begin Writing

While You’re Writing

While Your Book is Being Edited

Two Weeks Before Release

Release Date

Post Release

Highlights

02:23 Rick’s story

07:39 Success stories

10:29 What is the Ultimate Book Marketing Timeline

13:00 Step 1 & 2

19:08 Social media strategy defined

25:04 Step 3

29:16 Media Kits

32:56 Advanced Reader Copies

38:24 Step 4

41:44 Step 5

45:25 Step 6 & 7

51:20 Author Action Point

54:43 Connect with Rick

Check out the Show Notes page for more resources.