Hungry Authors

Authors often hear that to get a traditional publishing deal, you have to have a “large” platform. But is that true? And what does “large” really mean? How important is the quality of your writing or your idea? In this episode, Liz and Ariel discuss platform, whether only celebrities can publish memoirs, and interesting new insights from Publishers Marketplace that might disprove this widespread publishing myth.

To learn more about us, follow @hungryauthors on Instagram.

Memoir is one of the most popular genres, for both readers and writers. For authors, memoir offers the chance to tell your story, to process the hard things you’ve been through, to share a message of hope and transformation with the world. But memoirs are notoriously tricky to write! In today’s episode, we chatted with Alee Anderson, who specializes in writing trauma-based memoirs, to get her take on the craft (and the business) of writing memoir. Alee thinks of memoirs like a puzzle, and we loved hearing her practical approach to putting them together!

Alee Anderson is a six-figure-earning ghostwriter and editor who has worked in-house at one of the top 5 publishing houses in the world. She works exclusively with trauma survivors to turn their pain into best-selling books. Alee is also the founder of Hey! Young Writer, a mentorship platform where she and her team inspire youth to pursue their passion for writing.

For more information about Alee, visit https://heyyoungwriter.com/ or follow her on Instagram @heyyoungwriter.

Today’s guest, author and producer Matt Williams, shares all about how he made the switch from writing for TV to learning to write prose. Matt has learned the value of practicing writing, listening to your “Spirit Voice,” thinking carefully, and not rushing the process. He has so many nuggets of wisdom to share for aspiring writers, especially those who are interested in improving their craft! Plus, he shares the origin story of Home Improvement, which you do not want to miss!

Matt Williams is best known as the creator and Executive Producer of the hit series Roseanne and the co-creator and Executive Producer of Home Improvement, one of the most successful programs in television history. Williams started his television career when he joined The Cosby Show during its premiere season and worked as a writer/producer on the show for three subsequent seasons. He also co-created the series A Different World. Matt’s work was nominated for Emmy and Humanitas Awards and won a Peabody Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Writing.

In 1989, Williams formed the bi-coastal production company Wind Dancer Films with principals Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean. Williams’ projects under the Wind Dancer banner include the television programs Carol & Company, Soul Man, Buddies, and the PBS children’s program Ready Jet Go! In film, Matt wrote or produced Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, Firelight, Where the Heart Is, What Women Want, Bernie, and The Keeping Room.

Matt has directed numerous productions in regional and Off-Broadway theatres. He directed the world premiere of Robby Benson’s musical Open Heart at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Along with Daryl Roth Productions and his partners at Wind Dancer, he co-produced the stage production of Camping with Henry and Tom. He and Wind Dancer co-produced The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin at Playwrights Horizons.

In addition to his many credits, Matt is a founding board member of The New Harmony Project and the Cherry Lane Theatre. Matt is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University School of the Arts Theatre Program. He lives in New York with his wife, actress Angelina Fiordellisi, the Artistic Director of the Cherry Lane Theatre.

IG: @mattallenwilliams

Today’s Hungry Author conversation is with Kate Moore, author of The Radium Girls and The Woman They Could Not Silence. Kate shares how she learned to trust herself as a writer and take every opportunity she could to learn new skills. Her career started in editing, but she quickly transitioned to ghostwriting, acting, and finally writing her own narrative nonfiction books. She uses her experience to research and represent the stories of forgotten women of history, a gift for all of us as readers and writers.

Kate Moore is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Radium Girls, which won the 2017 Goodreads Choice Award for Best History, was voted U.S. librarians’ favourite nonfiction book of 2017, and was named a Notable Nonfiction Book of 2018 by the American Library Association. A British writer based near Cambridge, UK, Kate writes across a variety of genres and has had multiple titles on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Her latest book is the critically acclaimed The Woman They Could Not Silence, which, among other accolades, was named runner-up for Best History in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards and a 2021 Booklist Editor’s Choice.

Website: https://www.kate-moore.com/

Twitter: @katebooks

Listen to the Daily Writer podcast episode with ghostwriter AJ Harper

Ariel and Liz chat with New York Times bestselling author Warren Berger about how writers can use design thinking to think strategically about their careers, how authors can maintain their hunger even after the book publishes, and the two questions every writer needs to ask.

Innovation expert and questionologist WARREN BERGER has studied hundreds of the world’s foremost innovators, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers to learn how they ask questions, generate original ideas, and solve problems. He is the author or co-author of more than 12 books on innovation, including the bestseller A MORE BEAUTIFUL QUESTION: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas and the internationally acclaimed GLIMMER, named one of Businessweek’s Best Innovation and Design Books of the Year. His writing appears in Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, and The New York Times. He lives in New York.

Website: https://amorebeautifulquestion.com/

Social Media: Twitter: @GlimmerGuy

Buy A More Beautiful Question: https://bookshop.org/a/20362/9781632861054

Buy The Book of Beautiful Questions: https://bookshop.org/a/20362/9781632869579

Buy Beautiful Questions in the Classroom: https://bookshop.org/a/20362/9781544365466

As hungry authors, we show up to our writing through all seasons of life, both the good and the bad. Liz and Ariel are no exceptions. In June 2022, Liz’s younger brother Jack suddenly passed away, and Ariel has been dealing with the ups and downs of infertility for nearly five years. In this vulnerable episode, we talk about how “real life” and our “writing lives” are not separate; we are whole integrated people, and that means we write through grief and heartache along with joy. We don’t necessarily have answers; there are no easy tips we can give for writing when life sucks. But as writers, we have each other. We see you, we hear you, and we’re with you.

IG: @hungryauthors

Liz: @liz_morrow

Ariel: @arielkcurry

Platform is NOT the thing stopping you from publishing your book. Don’t believe us? In this episode, Liz and Ariel chat with award-winning author and friend Allison Fallon about the myth of platform, balancing marketability and creativity, writing from your heart, and working with editors.

Allison Fallon is an award winning author, sought after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She has coached hundreds of thousands of writers – from NYT Bestselling authors to total beginners to help them finally get their books written and on shelves. Her most recent book, THE POWER OF WRITING THINGS DOWN, walks anyone – even those who swear they aren’t “real” writers – through a simple daily practice they can use to reduce anxiety, curb depression, improve their confidence and gain clarity in their life. She lives in Nashville, TN, with her husband Matt, daughter Nella, and son Charlie.

In our first episode, Liz and Ariel discuss what it means to be a hungry author and the most important asset you need to get your book published. We’ll give you a hint: it’s NOT a big platform! Hungry authors just need the right mindset and a solid plan.