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🚀 Ready for a real-world, behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of a writing career? In this episode, Kevin Tumlinson shares a candid update on his current projects, his shift toward traditional publishing, and the valuable lessons learned from both indie and trad pub worlds. If you’ve ever struggled with burnout, decision fatigue, or wondered how to level up your author journey—this is the episode for you.

Kevin holds nothing back as he talks about:

* Why dictation isn’t for everyone (and why that’s okay)

* The challenges and breakthroughs in co-authoring with J.D. Barker

* The surprising benefits of letting your books “breathe” before publishing

* How and why he’s embracing feedback from industry professionals

* The difference between “revenue books” and “shop around” traditional projects

* His evolving strategy for hybrid publishing and negotiations with publishers

Episode links::

* Wordslinger Podcast (https://wordslingerpodcast.com) - Listen, connect, and send your questions

* KevinTumlinson.com (https://kevintumlinson.com) – Kevin’s author site and contact info

* Kevin’s Substack

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Sponsors:There are no paid sponsors for this episode, but support the show by visiting WordslingerPodcast.com and KevinTumlinson.com—your go-to sources for writing tools, podcast archives, and contact links!

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Key Time Codes:

[00:00:00] – Introduction & topic preview[00:01:18] – Why dictation doesn’t work for Kevin[00:03:30] – Collaborating with J.D. Barker: co-authoring insights[00:04:59] – The power of letting books rest[00:08:40] – Changing titles mid-book: new lessons learned[00:11:20] – Indie vs. traditional: developing a hybrid writing strategy[00:15:04] – Marketing across indie and trad pub[00:19:05] – Negotiation, leverage, and making fair publishing deals[00:27:49] – Reflections on writing career growth and advice for fellow writers[00:28:36] – How to connect & share your own writing journey

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