Authoring Onward

It’s the last interview episode of the year! But we’re ending with a good one. This week author Priya Sridhar comes on the show to talk about a crucial topic for fiction writers, conflict. Without conflict, there’s no story. Have a listen!

About Priya:

I’m an American author, from an Indian background. My parents immigrated to the United States from Tamil Nadu, India, and settled in South Florida.

Every story is a journey, about a character undergoing a great change. That change will be for the better, even if it comes at a high price. That’s my philosophy when I write, whether about Beowulf in the modern era or soothsayers that foretell death.

Priya’s website

When you think about taking an entrepreneurial approach to your writing, you probably think about marketing your books, right?

It turns out having an entrepreneurial mindset as an author applies to all aspects of your writing, not just the selling piece. That’s why I’m so glad to have Liesel K. Hill on the show today to talk about being a writer-entrepreneur.

Also, do be sure to check out the upcoming Your Breakout Book conference in January, where I’ll be a speaker. It’s being led by Dana Kaye of Kaye Publicity. Be sure to check out some of her podcast episodes as well and learn about branding.

About Liesel:

Liesel K Hill is a novelist who writes across three genres. Her scifi and fantasy, including dystopian, are written under her full name, Liesel K. Hill. She writes crime fiction under her initials, L.K. Hill. Her historical romance is written under the pen name K.L. Conger.

She comes from a large, tight-knit family and resides in Northern Utah. She loved to read and write at a young age, and her earliest memories consist of her father sitting in the doorway of her room at night, relating stories of Frodo, Gandalf, and the One Ring. Her mother also read to her every afternoon as a child, sometimes for several hours a day.

Today she is an award-winning author. She plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or the Second Coming happens. Whichever comes first. ;D

Find more at her website.

In today’s super-quick tips episode, I talk about how I accidentally formed a new habit, waking up at 5:30. And it turns out I like it.

Is there a small but beneficial habit you can form in the next two weeks to carry you through the holidays and set up your author business for success in 2021?

Next week, look out for another author interview. We’ll be talking entrepreneurial mindset for authors.

Looking for new ways to reach your readers? Do you love photography and other visual art?

Try Instagram! Today, YA author R.L. Medina comes on the show to talk about how she uses Instagram to grow her readership, connect with other authors, and more.

Best of all, all these tips don’t require running ads. That’s right folks, it’s free! This interview has certainly got me thinking about how I can incorporate Instagram into my 2021 plans.

About R.L. Medina:

R.L. Medina was born in the Amazon, adopted and raised by two upstate New Yorkers. At age six, she vowed to hate reading forever. That hate quickly turned to love (or obsession) and by age eight she was filling every notebook with story after story. Now a mother herself, she juggles her time between a busy toddler and the stubborn characters that demand her time. When she’s not exploring all the Sci-fi/Fantasy worlds in her head, she enjoys life with her family in Florida. Her debut novel, Feylin, is just the beginning of many adventures.

Website: www.rlmedina.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/R.L.Medinabooks/

IG: @spaceships_and_dragons

TikTok: @moondragonbooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19326066.R_L_Medina

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/r-l-medina

As we close out on 2020 and look ahead to 2021, it helps to review the progress we’ve made as writers and see where we might need to shift our focus for the coming year.

Last Christmas, I released an episode on planning for 2020, focusing on four key areas: Writing and Publishing, Marketing, Publicity, and Author Continuing Education. Now, nearly a year later, it helps to look back and see what I’ve done in each.

Where have you made the biggest progress this year? Where do you need more focus next year?

November is nearly half-over! How did that happen? As we lead up to the holidays, it’s time to wrap up 2020 plans (including, my long-promised author planner–stay tuned!) and think ahead to 2021.

If author school (or library or bookstore, etc.) visits are in your 2021 plans, today’s episode with Valerie Bolling is one not to be missed. Her first children’s book released just before pandemic lockdown ruined her book promotion plans. But Valerie put on her thinking cap and took her visits virtual. Listen to all her tips and tricks!

About Valerie:

Valerie Bolling has been an educator for over 25 years and a writer since age 4. She is a graduate of Tufts University and Columbia University, Teachers College and currently works as an Instructional Coach.

Her nieces inspired her to write picture books, and she wants children of all backgrounds to see themselves in her stories and feel valued and heard. Let’s Dance! is her debut book.

Ms. Bolling and her husband live in Connecticut and enjoy traveling, hiking, reading, going to the theater … and dancing.

Find more from Valerie on her site.

Find Let’s Dance in stores.

Hi, folks. On this stressful election evening, I’m distracting myself by thinking about the upcoming holidays.

There’s a lot of ways authors can promote their books for the holiday season. That’s the topic of today’s tips episode. Have a listen and see if one of these tactics might work for you.

But don’t forget, we’re not retailers. We don’t have to make the bulk of our sales in one season, so the most important thing is to just enjoy the holiday season. Make some tea or cocoa, maybe read a holiday book yourself, and relax!

Stay tuned for next week’s interview focusing on virtual school visits!

Halloween is coming! And so are some other fun writing stuff. National Novel Writing Month starts on November 1st. That’s also the start date of the beta cohort form my new group book coaching program. Give yourself the Christmas gift of meeting your goals and join Make Your Book Happen for as little as $0! Signups close on Friday afternoon, so don’t delay.

Today I have a great interview with Aly Bourque and Lori Orlinsky of Foreword Publicity. We chat about what publicity for authors is, how to find the right help if you’re thinking of hiring someone, and how to extend the “shelf life” of a book. A book is new to a reader whenever they pick it up!

You might remember Lori from her previous appearance on the show back in March, when she talked about reaching out to libraries. I think I say in today’s episode that she came on the show last year, but I was mistaken. 2020 has been such a year that I didn’t realize it had only been a few months!

About Foreword Publicity:

Created by multi-award winning, bestselling authors, Foreword Publicity, specializes in custom book PR campaigns with combined strategies in marketing, sales, and branding. Using the latest trends in social media, technology, and applications, Foreword Publicity’s mission is to build a platform for an author to succeed and maintain their success as a writer. With a combined ten years in the publishing industry and a passion for storytelling, Foreword Publicity creates a campaign for authors to master social media awareness, engagement and growth, brand awareness and sustainability, online and broadcast media placement, video production, event planning, and countless review opportunities for the target audience. Foreword Publicity wants authors to succeed, tell their stories, and build a long-lasting bond with their readers. By using firsthand knowledge, experience, and connections in the industry, Foreword Publicity can help others achieve and maintain success.

It’s a busy week here. I’m still running the NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge in my Facebook group. All videos are available for replay, so you can still join us here.

But, for this episode, I’m switching gears from talking about writing craft to bring you a tips episode about all the marketing and promotion we do as authors. There’s so much. You might wonder how you can possibly do learn all.

Well, for one, you certainly don’t have to do absolutely every technique any publishing guru advocates that you do to promote your books. But there’s no denying there is a lot that goes into a well run author business. How do you learn all that you need to learn?

Pick a focus. Just learn one thing at a time. Don’t worry. There’s more time to learn the rest later.

Things are about to kick into high gear, with NaNoWriMo next month and the holidays coming soon after. It’s the time of year when healthy practices get forgotten.

But what should you do to say well both physically and mentally as a writer? I chatted with author of Writer Wellness, Joy E. Held, about great practices to keep you well and how creativity is affected by and intertwined with your physical and mental wellbeing. Have a listen!

Also in pre-Nano announcements, don’t miss out on my upcoming NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge, happening right in my Facebook group for writers next week. Even if you aren’t participating in Nano, it’s a great kickoff to whatever your November writing goals may be.

About Joy:

JOY E. HELD is a wife, mom, nana, published author, and yogi. She graduated from Seton Hill University with an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, as well as Glenville State College with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. Additionally, she is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher-500+ (E-RYT-500) with Yoga Alliance, and a certified journal facilitator for Journal to the Self/Center for Journal Therapy. Joy is published widely in newspapers, literary magazines, and a variety of arts trade journals including Yoga Journal, Dancer Magazine, Dance Teacher Now, Juggler’s World, Gambit Journal, and Dance Teacher of London. She is a regular contributor of book reviews for BlueInk.com. She resides in West Virginia and enjoys journal writing, walking, herb gardening, and reading.

Find more at Joy’s website.