Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 93 of the podcast and it's November 30, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: Failing (in order to Succeed)

PATREON:

No new patrons this week,

• A big squeezy hug and Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Comments: RE:Ep92: Mary says, Very nice episode. I'm excited for both of you and your upcoming projects. Valerie, I think the picture on your Author's Website is fantastic! I definitely think that picture of you would entice people to pick up the book. Erick, I have your first book. I like the cover and I look forward to reading it.

• Announcements: Tickets for the Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop are live. Priced at $900, but patron price is $825. Monthly payments are an option. Send me a message [email protected] for a unique PayPal link, or go to the shopping page on my website to purchase at full price.

• Writer Craft Writing Retreat is scheduled for next August 24-27, 2023. Tickets include all lodging and gourmet meals, plus instruction and coaching and retreat time on the river, in Marcola, OR. Go to valerieihsan.com/retreat for more information.

• Update:
• Got caught up in subtitle fonts for the cover. Been emailing back and forth with designer. I'm overthinking it. But 99% done and ready to approve the ebook cover. I've forecasted my remaining publishing tasks and am on target for a January release. I'm starting to think about pricing and keywords. Yesterday I did a final proofread on the manuscript and finalized the formatting in Vellum. AND, I'll send out the last of my postcards today. (Had to get postcard stamps.)

Just finished: Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander and The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

I'M READING: Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton, A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

• Up Next:
• Erick's Reading:
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murder Bot series) Artificial Condition (Book 2)

• Deserter by Junji Ito (graphic novel)

Show Notes:

Believe in my head, not in my heart. So still struggle. Failure is necessary to your success. But is it really? Do I have to? Maybe I won't. Just try hard and stay focused. Except, then, perfectionism gets in the way of starting. "Learning in Public" is what I try to do. To normalize failure.

Play in the sandbox.

"Perfect is the enemy of done."

"Better is the enemy of good."

Community building is necessary.

I wish I would have started failing earlier.

Next Episode: How to Decide on Your Next Project

Resources:

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice.

Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIEO866

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan