Become a Writer Today

In this episode, I interview author, biographer, and ghostwriter Ruby Peru. 

She's written an astonishing 19 books to date, and she spoke to me about how she balances working on her craft whilst working on books for her clients. 

She also has to juggle this with finding her next client, which can be a painful lesson to learn as a freelancer. It's great to get the paycheque at the end of your commission, but then you have to find your next client.

I wanted to know what got Ruby into writing memoir, non-fiction and ghostwriting, and she also talks about how she is in the process of building up her publishing company.

In this episode we discuss: 

• Are there any rules to follow when writing a memoir
• The difference between self-help books and memoirs
• The process for writing a memoir
• Ruby explains her editing process
• Setting expectations at the start of the project
• How it feels to ghostwrite a book and see someone else's name on the front page
• Ruby's promotion strategies

Resources:

• Ruby Peru
• Pangloss Press
• Business Cards and Shoe Leather
• Scrivener
• BookBub
• Bits of String too Small to Save

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If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

People consume books differently from how they did in the past. They like to read books on their phone or tablet. And they also want to listen to books in the car, at the gym, and on the go. And this is where audiobooks come into their own.

I've recorded several audiobooks as it's a fantastic way to increase sales. I'd certainly encourage you to consider turning your books into audiobooks. 
 
In this episode, I speak with Al Black of Voquent Media. He's an expert when it comes to creating audiobooks as it's his service that helps authors find professional narrators, audio engineers, and so on to get their audiobooks ready for publication. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Where should a writer start when turning their book into an audiobook
• How to pick a specific narrator
• How much should you budget for an audiobook
• What happens after you've chosen your narrator
• Knowing when you're ready to publish the audiobook
• Mic recommendations for recording your own audio

Resources:

• ACX
• Voquent
• Whispersync

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

• The type of people who come to Jeff for coaching
• How Jeff works with his clients
• What are creatives afraid of?
• Using NLP to help people overcome blocks
• A simple technique that you can use today 
• How Jeff promotes and sells his book

• Not f*cking around 
• NLP
• Insight Timer
• Jeff Leisawitz

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Alinka Rutkowska is the CEO of Leaders Press, a company that helps non-fiction authors, specifically in the business genre, hit the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Seller List.

In this interview, Alinka highlighted the importance of having an email list.

While it's true that Amazon and Facebook ads can help you sell books, it's an email list that is the most effective way to keep in touch with your readers and let them know when your work is live.

Alinka also discusses how to generate interest in your email list by giving away something for free and using that to build a relationship with your readers.

Click the link in the resources below to access Alinka's latest webinar.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Using your book as an authority builder
• Why would someone outsource their book?
• Building your email list using lead magnets
• What it takes to make the Wall Street Journal or USA Today Best-Seller List
• Finding authors to create anthologies
• Using bonuses as part of a launch strategy

Resources:

• ConvertKit
• Outsource Your Book
• Leaders Press
• How to Get on the USA Today Best-Seller List Webinar
• How to Make Money as an Author

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

What could you accomplish if you wrote 300 words a day every day for 30 days?

Nicolas Cole and his business partner, Dickie Bush, put together the "Ship 30 for 30" challenge where they encourage writers to do just that.  It's an excellent challenge if you want to tap into the power of small daily wins for your writing.

Nicolas is the author of several books, including The Art and Business of Online Writing. I started our conversation by asking Nicolas to explain his rather interesting backstory, because, like me, he was a gamer back in the day.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Nicolas transitioned from gamer to writer
• His advice for new writers wanting to be read
• Making money from your writing by selling it as a service
• Balancing running a business with writing
• Success stories from writers using the "30 for 30" challenge

Resources:

• Quora
• Medium
• Wattpad
• Nicolas Cole
• Nicolas on Twitter
• Nicolas on Quora

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

James Breakwell is a professional comedy writer.

He's the father of four girls who were the inspiration behind his popular Twitter account, which eventually went viral. And on the back of that, he produced a series of parenting books, but they're not you're usual parenting books.

In this episode, James and I chat about what makes his parenting books different from the others out there. We also talk about his latest book, How to Be a Man (Whatever That Means).

In this episode, we discuss:

• How James built a following on Twitter before writing his first book
• Using his family and friends as the subject of his tweets and books
• The next step after building a following on Twitter
• James's writing process
• Working on his next projects

Resources:

• James on Twitter
• Sendy
• ConvertKit
• ExplodingUnicorn.com

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

I know many authors who've thought about it, but few who have done it... written a children's book.

As the parent of three children, it's certainly something that I have considered. One man who has leapt into children's fiction is John Mashni. He's recently written and published CinderToot, which is a take on the tale of Cinderella.

Having read the book, I surprised myself by laughing out loud as it's hilarious, and the illustrations that accompany it are superb.

In this episode, John, who runs his own legal practice, explains why he chose to write a children's book in the first place and how writing it taught him some valuable parenting lessons.

 
In this episode, we discuss: 

• The premise of the book and why John decided to write it
• What to include in a children's book
• How long the editing and illustrations took
• Describing illustrations to an illustrator 
• How John is marketing the book
• Can anyone write a children's book?

Resources:

• CinderToot
• How to Write a Children's Book Free Course
• John Mashni on Medium

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Have you ever used prompts or constraints to inspire your creativity? 

Herbert Lui is a well-known freelancer. He’s written for top publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company, and I also know him as the guy who introduced me to the Zettelkasten method, which changed how I research and write books. 

Herbert also runs his own business, helping companies set up blogs and build a name online. 

In this episode, I ask Herbert what it’s like to write for companies like Lifehacker and Fast Company and how new writers can get gigs writing for publications like these. He also explains why quantity should be your number one priority as a creative and how to balance quantity with quality.

I also ask Herbert to tell me more about his new book, There Is No Right Way to Do This.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Herbert's latest book is about
• Tips for starting writing again
• The types of constraints that authors use
• Using the three-act structure when writing a book
• How a new writer can start writing for big publications

Resources

• Oblique Strategies
• Figma
• Zettelkasten Method
• Notion
• Day One
• Roam Research
• Herbert Lui 
• Herbert Lui on Medium
• Wonder Shuttle

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Fantasy and non-fiction author, Richie Billing, has written several fantasy books and collaborated with other authors.

In this episode, I chat with Richie about his writing process for fantasy, world-building, and collaborating with other authors across the genre.

Richie's day job is in digital marketing, and so it stands to reason that he would use this to his advantage when it comes to selling his books.

He discusses the current digital marketing trends for authors, the benefits of building an e-mail list, and how to use Facebook ads to sell books.

In this episode we discuss:

• Building the fantasy world before writing anything
• What aspects fantasy novels should include
• Richie's process for world-building
• Collaborating with other authors
• Using Facebook ads to sell books

Resources:

• The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri
• Pariah's Lament by Richard Billing
• Neil Patel
• Richie Billing

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!

Can you build a long and successful career as a writer?
 
My guest on this episode is Linguistics professor Julie Tetel Andresen. Not only has she published more than 35 books, but she also writes in many different genres, including romance, police procedurals, and crime thrillers.

I encourage you to listen until the end of the episode, as Julie reveals the importance of a backlist and why it's almost as important as the book you are currently working on.

But before that, I was interested in discovering more about Julie's take on sustaining a rewarding writing career that lasts a lifetime.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What it means to get into your writing shape
• How to balance writing with a career and family
• Why romance is a very expansive genre
• Julie's process for writing a book
• How a good editor can make all the difference
• How Julie markets her writing 

Resources:

• Reedsy
• Julie Tetel Andresen

Support the show

If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollins

Thanks for listening!