Become a Writer Today

Amardeep Parmar is a content creator and a prolific Medium writer. 

Within around two years, he built up approximately 60,000 followers. One of his articles went viral, he's got millions of views, and he's featured in top-tier publications online like Wired and Morning Brew. 

Amar's experience shows that if you feel like it's too late to start online writing or it's too hard to build an online portfolio and stand apart, you can still do it. It is possible to start writing today and have readers and followers tomorrow.

Amar talks about balancing creativity with a scientific approach to the writing process. And he describes how he picks his topics, plans and edits them, and then prepares them for publication. 

Amar also talks about why he set up his podcast and describes how he turns content from the podcast into articles. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Amar's viral Medium article
• The writing process
• Tools that Amar uses when writing
• Planning out future articles
• Repurposing podcast content
• How Amar balances all of his projects

Resources:

• mindfuldriven.com

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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

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Debbie Gartner is known as The Flooring Girl. 

Her website is all about home improvements, but the emails she sends to her list are all about SEO, creating content, and affiliate marketing. 

I wanted to find out how somebody can run two different business models and earn a living.

Debbie is very open and transparent about what works in her business and what she earns from it. She produces monthly income reports where you can see the types of digital courses that people are interested in and she provides inspiration for the types of digital products you can create. 

Debbie started The Flooring Girl as a side project and it turned into a business when she found herself in debt. She also honed her SEO skills and began coaching clients in SEO and then transitioned to teaching what she knows about SEO into digital courses and other products. 

Debbie confesses in the interview that she doesn’t like to write which is interesting considering she’s built a successful content business. She also describes her process for creating all of her digital products. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Using an email list to generate income and promote products
• Finding the right products to promote as an affiliate
• Choose one thing and implement it well
• Stop going after the next shiny object
• Which digital products work well

Resources:

• The Flooring Girl
• SEO Course

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!

Dan Clarke is the founder of Brain.fm, a service designed to help you focus on your task. It was popularized in 2016 via an AppSumo deal but has gone through many iterations since then.

Brain.fm helps you manage distractions which can be a real challenge for writers. Distractions can take you away from your flow state and affect your writing.
Dan Clark talked with me about how Brain.fm evolved and how writers and creatives can use it. Dan also states that it pays to understand what time of the day you’re creative, what time you’re productive, and what times you should step back from your work, switch off, and even do nothing.

He talks about finding a balance between being bored and hyper-energetic and how that sweet spot can help you get into a creative groove.

This interview is a more extended episode than usual because Dan has given a free preview of Brain.fm, which you can listen to at the end of this episode around the 25- or 30-minute mark.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What is Brain.fm and how does it work?
• What are binaural beats?
• How the music is created
• The most effective way of listening to Brain.fm
• How writers can use Brain.fm
• How the product is changing and adapting 

Resources:

• Brain.fm

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 internet thrives on great content. Somebody has to write it, and while some people say AI could replace writers, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

That's a topic I talk about in this week’s interview with the expert content marketer, Pam Didner. Smart content marketers write books, articles, or publish content that aligns with a product or service that they create. Non-fiction authors like Pam will write a book about a topic which potential clients find interesting so they may then hire the author. 

Pam also talks about writing for the sake of writing, which can be fun but it’s not necessarily something you do with commercial intent.

I’ve interviewed a number of non-fiction writers for the Become a Writer Today Podcast, and if you like this interview with Pam, check out my chat with Neal Schaffer.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to make your content stand out
• Will AI change how content marketers do their job
• Key analytics and stats to look out for
• How writing a book can boost your career

Resources:

• Pam Didner
• Neal Schaffer Interview
• The Modern AI Marketer
• Effective Sales Enablement
• Global Content Marketing

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!

Matty Dalrymple has been the host of The Indy Author Podcast since 2016 and published her first book in 2013.

She's the author of the Ann Kinnear suspense novels and suspense shorts and the Lizzy Ballard thrillers.  In this episode of the podcast, I ask Matty why she decided to set up her podcast and if it’s too late for aspiring podcasters today.

We also get a little bit into the workflow of podcasting and the various software and hardware that she uses.

Matty also describes how podcasting has shaped her writing and why she believes it’s a fantastic format for creatives.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What encouraged Matty to start her own Podcast
• Matty's personal podcast highlights
•  Forward planning podcast episodes
• The process for finding new guests
• How many hours a week to spend preparing and promoting your podcast
• Matty's podcast set up
• Reviewing podcast metrics

Resources:

• The Indy Author
• Matty Dalrymple

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!

Jon Tromans is a fellow podcaster. His podcast is called Not Another Marketing Podcast, and he uses content marketing to build his business and provide consultancy services to his clients.

It can be challenging to balance creative work, like writing a book or writing stories, with content marketing, so I wanted to talk to Jon about his productivity tips for creatives.

Jon explains that if you want to build a lasting business, you need to experiment with different formats like blogging and podcasting.

In this interview, he gets into some of the tactics that have worked for him. He explains his definition of content marketing, and he also talks about how he structures his day so he has time for creative work and building his business.

The content that you create encourages your audience to act. So, if you’re a blogger, they’re joining your email list or buying one of your digital products. If you’re an author, they’re buying your book. If you’re a podcaster, they’re subscribing to your show and leaving a review.

Whatever content you create and publish online leads your fans and followers further down into your world and helps you build a lasting creative business.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What is content marketing?
• How a podcast can help to grow your business
• Productivity tips for creatives
• Keeping good documentation of your processes
• Tools for creating content
• Talk to people in your niche and ask what content they want to see

Resources:

• Not Another Marketing Podcast
• Jon Tromans
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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!

Treasa Edmond has been an accomplished ghostwriter for over 15 years. She's written across many different genres and, in this interview, she talks about how much ghostwriters can earn, how to get started, and the types of questions you should ask clients before you decide to work with them.

You'll learn a lot from this interview, especially if you are a freelancer who struggles to find clients and never really negotiate a proper contract. Treasa covers both of these topics in this interview.

Treasa also describes how she structures her day, spending several hours in the morning writing up to 5,000 words and then using the afternoon to work on the administrative work that keeps the lights on in her business. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Writing articles and books in the client's voice
• How many ghostwriting projects Treasa takes on each month
• The five structures for writing a non-fiction book
• Proofreading and editing
• Getting started as a ghostwriter
• Finding your clients
• How to balance working on one project while looking for your next one

Resources:

• Show Your Work - Austin Kleon 
• The Writing Mindset

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!

Mariah Sinclair is an Arizona-based book cover designer who recently set up and sold a book cover directory.  I wanted to know what a book cover directory is, how authors can use them, and how her sale went. 

I also asked Mariah to critique a book cover for one of my earlier books that didn’t sell well. Mariah gave me some interesting insights that I could use if I decided to relaunch the book at some point.

Book covers are an investment in your craft. I’ve spent anywhere from $100 or $200 to over $1,000 on book cover designs. 

I also worked with professional designers while working for a software company, and one thing I’ve learned is that design is a different discipline from writing. It’s still creative work, so if you’re going to work with a book cover designer, it pays to understand the language of design.

In this episode we discuss:

• How long it can take to design a book cover
• How a good book cover can sell more copies of a book
• Mariah critiques one of Bryans's book covers
• Cliché book covers
• What different fonts represent
• How much should you spend on a book cover?
• When should you start looking for someone to design your book cover?

Resources: 

• Mariah Sinclair 

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!

If you've not heard of it before, the Zettelkasten Method is a way that will help you collect and organize your research, thoughts, and ideas, and any information you come across in a structured manner or a single system.

It has its origins in the mid part of the 20th century. The German scholar Niklas Luhmann is the man behind it, and he used the Zettelkasten Method to write over 70 books and more than 400 different articles.

His Zettelkasten method was a paper-based system. When Niklas read or came across an interesting piece of research, he wrote a single idea down on an index card and filed it in a cabinet. He also referenced where he found the idea on the index card and interlinked each index card using a numbering system.

Today, you can replicate much of what Niklas Luhmann did using digital tools and software. But you don't necessarily need to have fancy software to build your version of the Zettelkasten Method.

Resources:

• Digital Zettelkasten by David Kadavy
• The Zettelkasten Method Means You’ll Never Run Out of Ideas Again - Sascha Fast

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!

In this episode, I talk to Geoff Kullman about his writing journey and how he became an instructor in the art of copywriting.

Geoff also helps authors turn their ideas and non-fiction books into emails, landing pages, and other digital assets, which help them earn more money.

Geoff taught me that there are different types of copywriting. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of using words to sell, then take heart because copywriting can help you convince your audience to make a decision that’s in their best interest.

It can also help you earn a better living as a writer and as a creative, and then you can use that money to invest back into your craft and improve the quality of your work.

In this episode we discuss: 

• Working as a freelancer
• Finding your niche
• Recommended copywriting books
• Creating an email campaign to sell your book
• Map out an email campaign before you write your first email
• Using bonuses and incentives in a campaign
• How to balance different businesses and interests

Resources: 

• Geoff Kullman
• The Psychology of Copywriting

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!