Beyond the Draft

What separates a writer who publishes one book from an author who builds a lasting career?

Lana McAra is an award-winning, international bestselling author and ghostwriter of more than 50 books with over one million copies sold. Founder of Vendela Publishing, she's spent more than two decades teaching fiction writing and helping authors build long-term careers that reach readers beyond the algorithm.

In this episode, Lana shares the three foundations career authors rely on to build momentum and sustain success book after book, why so many good books simply don't sell, and what it actually takes to turn individual titles into a lasting body of work. She also opens up about rebuilding her own career and life at 52, with nothing but grit to start over.

What We Talked About:

1. The three foundations of building a long-term writing career
2. Why good books don't always sell, and what pros do differently
3. Creating a legacy through a body of work, not just one book
4. Building a genuine fan following and support network
5. Alternatives to Amazon-only publishing paths
6. Rebuilding her career and life at 52

Connect with Lana McAra:

Website: lanamcara.com

Book Health Check: vendelapublishing.com

Podcast: In The Writers Chair

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn & Substack: linked on her prof

Every company has a conference room quietly bleeding hundreds of hours a month, and almost nobody notices until someone actually goes looking for it.

Dan Kurtz has spent twenty years in digital marketing, working across Fortune 50 companies, Microsoft, Nielsen, and scrappy startups. In 2018, he discovered five graphic designers each losing 40 hours a month to manual busywork, 200 hours gone, fixed with a $300-a-year tool. That discovery became the foundation for Miss Pepper AI, where he now helps companies find their hidden hours and automate the work that shouldn't require a human.

In this episode, Dan walks through the conference room moment that changed his career, explains what he calls the "40-Hour Month" and why almost nobody in a company ever notices it happening, and breaks down why he believes automation is meant to free your team, not replace it. He also shares his rule that roughly 85% of work can be automated, while 15% has to stay human, and how leaders can figure out which is which.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The conference room discovery that changed his entire approach
2. What the "40-Hour Month" is and why it hides in plain sight
3. Why "that's just how we do it" is the most expensive sentence in business
4. Why automation should free your team, not replace it
5. The 85/15 rule for what should and shouldn't be automated
6. The first step any business owner should take this week

CONNECT WITH DAN KURTZ:

Website: (linked on his profile)

LinkedIn: linked on his profile

What if the book you're pouring months into isn't actually the book your business needs?

Ally Machate is the founder and CEO of The Writer's Ally, a bestselling author and publishing consultant who has led serious authors toward success since 1999. With a background as a "Big Five" editor at Simon & Schuster, she's built a career helping nonfiction authors write strategic, high-quality books that actually serve their business goals, not just sit on a shelf.

In this episode, Ally shares what she learned inside traditional publishing about what makes a book marketable, why so many brilliant experts pour time and money into books that never serve their goals, and what it actually means to write the "right" book. She also breaks down the three paths to publication and why book sales shouldn't always be the goal.

What We Talked About:

1. What she learned about marketable books at Simon & Schuster
2. Why "a good book" isn't the same as the right book
3. How to avoid writing the wrong book for your business
4. The three paths to publication, and which one fits you
5. Why book sales aren't always the right goal
6. Choosing the right team to bring a book to life

Connect with Ally Machate:

Website: thewritersally.com

Facebook & LinkedIn: linked on her profile

What does decades of crisis PR work teach you about writing a mystery novel that actually keeps readers guessing?

John David is a longtime public relations and crisis communications consultant, corporate ghostwriter, and debut novelist. His first novel, The Bystander, won the 2025 Page Turner Award for Mysteries and was named one of the Best Thrillers of 2025 by BestThrillers.com. The story follows a TV reporter who captures a viral, high-stakes shooting on camera, only to discover the truth is far more complicated than it first appears.

In this episode, John shares his path from crisis communications and corporate ghostwriting to writing commercial fiction, how pop culture, sports, and politics shape his creative process, and what he's learned navigating literary agents, small presses, and the publishing world as a debut novelist. He also breaks down the real differences between traditional, self, and hybrid publishing.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. From crisis communications consultant to debut novelist
2. The real story behind writing The Bystander
3. How pop culture, sports, and politics influence his creative output
4. Finding a literary agent and securing a small press deal
5. Traditional vs. self-publishing vs. hybrid presses
6. Current trends in entertainment from an author's perspective

CONNECT WITH JOHN DAVID:

Website: ByJohnDavid.com

Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok & Substack: linked on his profile

What happens when a bestselling author, by every outward measure successful, realizes she's lost the person who set out to become one in the first place?

Nina Amir is the Inspiration to Creation Coach, an Amazon bestselling hybrid author with 20 books on the Amazon Top 100 list. After 15 years of chasing publishing industry success, she found herself empty and disconnected, until a friend asked her over lunch, "What happened to Nina, the Nina I used to know?" That question became the turning point that led to her newest book, Change the World One Book at a Time.

In this episode, Nina shares the moment she realized she'd lost herself while trying to meet everyone else's expectations, how personal and spiritual growth turned out to be inseparable in her own journey back, and what it actually means to write for change instead of for approval. She also breaks down what stops most people from achieving their goals, and how to know what you're truly committed to.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The lunch conversation that changed everything
2. Losing herself while chasing external publishing success
3. Why personal growth and spiritual growth are deeply connected
4. What it means to become an "Author of Change"
5. What stops most people from achieving their goals
6. Living a life and career that feeds your soul

CONNECT WITH NINA AMIR:

Website: ninaamir.com

Free strategy session: ninaamir.as.me/15-min-strategy-session

What does it really mean to go out and live when life has tested you in ways you never expected?

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Draft, I sit down with Jonathan Brandt, cancer survivor, health coach, personal trainer, holistic nutritionist, and host of the GoOutLiving Podcast.

Jonathan shares his journey through cancer, the lessons he and his late wife Kristie learned while navigating illness and recovery, and how their commitment to a healthier, more intentional life became the foundation of the GoOutLiving movement.

We talk about taking an active role in your health, building better habits, the importance of community, finding purpose after loss, and how Jonathan continues to carry Kristie's story and legacy forward.

This is a conversation about health, resilience, grief, purpose, and choosing to live fully—even when life doesn't go according to plan.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN

Website: https://brandtperformance.com/

GoOutLiving Community: https://www.skool.com/gooutliving

Find Jonathan on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok through his website.

If this episode speaks to you, share it with someone who needs a reminder to keep going—and keep living.

Pat wanner

What does it take to build a creative career that spans music, film, and literature, all at once, and keep reinventing across every decade?

James Hand is a musician, songwriter, filmmaker, author, and educator with more than 30 years of experience in the arts. His song "I'm Trying To Get To You" won Triple J Unearthed in 2001, his short film Just Friends screened at Cannes in 2006, and today he performs as lead guitarist and vocalist for The Waterloo Sunsets, a popular 1960s tribute band. He's also the author of the Beth Duncan book series, a twelve-novel collection, with book three, The Fit Girl Part II, part of a planned ten-part young adult series.

In this episode, James shares how three decades of teaching music shaped his approach to every creative medium that followed, what it was like winning national recognition as a songwriter and later screening a film at Cannes, and what pushed him to expand his storytelling into a twelve-book novel series. He also reflects on staying creatively relevant across decades of change in music, film, and publishing.

What We Talked About:

1. Three decades as a music educator and mentor
2. Winning Triple J Unearthed as a songwriter
3. Screening his short film Just Friends at Cannes
4. Performing with 1960s tribute band The Waterloo Sunsets
5. Writing and publishing the twelve-book Beth Duncan series
6. Staying creatively relevant across music, film, and literature

Connect with James Hand:

Website: jameshand.com.au

TikTok: linked on his profile

What if a single promise made to a dying parent could reshape the next twenty-five years of your life?

Matthew Cossolotto, known as The Empowerment Pro, made a promise to his dying mother to finish a book she'd been encouraging him to write. Harness Your PromisePower: Change Your Life, Transform the World, with a foreword by Jack Canfield, is rooted in that make-or-break promise. It's the second book in his Triad Empowerment System trilogy, alongside The Joy of Public Speaking and the upcoming Harness Your HabitForce. His career has taken him from speechwriting for NATO's Secretary General to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to top executives at Fortune 100 companies.

In this episode, Matthew shares the story behind the promise he made to his mother, and how keeping it changed the entire trajectory of his life. He explains why he believes "a promise is like a goal on steroids," breaks down his Triad Empowerment System of Habits, Speaking, and Promises, and shares how his initiative, Make a Promise Day, is turning personal integrity into an annual practice. He also shares promise stories from well-known figures like Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James.

What We Talked About:

1. The promise Matthew made to his dying mother, and what it led to
2. Why a promise functions like "a goal on steroids"
3. His Triad Empowerment System: Habits, Speaking, and Promises
4. Famous promise stories from Oprah, Jack Canfield, and LeBron James
5. Make a Promise Day and why it matters
6. Moving from stage fright to stage delight as a speaker

Connect with Matthew Cossolotto:

Website: matthewcossolotto.com/speaking

Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram & LinkedIn: linked on his profile

What happens when a trained mental health therapist realizes the real problem isn't just how people think, it's how they search?

Melanie Gorman is the founder and Chief Strategist of Crownsville Media, a marketing and website development agency helping service-based businesses build visibility, earn trust, and generate qualified leads. Before founding her agency, she spent 8 years managing digital platforms for John Gray, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, followed by nearly 13 years leading the Experts division at YourTango. Today, she's known for her "Common Sense SEO" approach, cutting through marketing noise with practical, human-centered strategy.

In this episode, Melanie shares the grad school moment that first pushed her toward business, why she believes most business owners come to marketing carrying inherited assumptions and outdated advice, and how her clinical background gives her a unique read on how people search for help and decide who to trust. She also breaks down what business owners should actually focus on if they want to be found, trusted, and hired online.

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

1. The grad school question that changed her career path
2. What Common Sense SEO means, and what it helps you stop wasting time on
3. How a therapist's understanding of people shapes smarter marketing strategy
4. Lessons from working with John Gray and YourTango
5. Using AI in content marketing without losing your voice
6. Turning visibility into real, qualified leads

CONNECT WITH MELANIE GORMAN:

Website: crownsvillemedia.com

LinkedIn: linked on her profile