Notes in the Margin

Vicky gets grilled by language expert, author, and Posh Punk Julian Northbrook. He dragged her into his world and made her answer loads of questions about why you might want to write a book, how to come up with ideas, and what The Matrix is really all about. Want to know how stories work? Listen up.

Key Takeaways:

[1:25] Who is Vicky?

[4:20] Everybody has an interesting story.

[9:20] How can you get people interested in your story?

[10:40] Is your life mundane and boring?

[13:05] Do you feel like you don't 'know enough' to become an expert?

[19:35] Vicky offers her advice on charisma.

[25:50] How does Vicky discover interesting things about people?

[29:45] Why does Vicky like socks in the wind?

[31:45] How did Vicky accidentally acquire three sheep?

[34:45] It's okay to be wrong. Just don't be boring.

[38:55] What does it take to become a world class photographer?

[40:15] Vicky shares what her new book is all about!

[43:00] Can anybody write a book?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Doing English.com

Vicky and Joe talk teeth and cosmic universal alignment rays in the latest episode of The Business For Superheroes Show. There's a brief argument about grammar and lots of questions. Questions you'll find helpful if you're writing a book and trying to make it better. You'll also find them helpful if you're making anything new and want it to be good. Tune in to find out what questions Vicky asked her beta readers, and why they're important.

Key Takeaways:

[2:05 Vicky is still going through mouth torture from her braces.

[4:35] It gets better!

[8:30] How do you extract helpful feedback from your readers?

[10:55] Vicky lists the 18 questions she asked her readers.

[16:00] Where did the book get boring?

[17:30] What was missing from the book?

[20:55] Get someone to proofread your questions to your beta readers, because Vicky didn't. Lesson learned.

[21:40] Get your beta readers to inform you when your stuff is repeating in the book.

[25:25] For both fiction and non-fiction writers, send people somewhere else, like to a newsletter!

[29:50] Are the chapters in the right order?

[32:10] The Breaking Bread Mastermind in Portugal is happening soon!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Breaking Bread Mastermind

Vicky lisps her way through this week's podcast. No, she's not drunk – yet… If you want to know why she's suddenly developed a speech impediment, tune in. You'll hear Joe's top tip about fitting skirting boards, and why that's relevant to your business. And, of course, you'll discover if you actually do need beta testers for your book, new product, or new service – and how to get the best out of them.

Key Takeaways:

[:50] Vicky has braces!!!

[5:00] Vicky gives a quick trapeze update!

[8:25] Vicky did not get beta readers on her first book, and her book would have been much better if she did.

[10:20] You don't always need to pay your beta readers.

[12:40] How do you find your beta testers?

[18:20] Vicky doesn't expect everyone she asks to become a beta reader.

[19:25] Who should you include in your beta list?

[24:15] When Vicky sent out the beta version of her book, she sent it out in a wirebound format so that people could easily make corrections.

[24:45] Send a thank you letter to your beta readers!

[27:30] Next week, Vicky will dive into the questions she asked her beta readers!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Breaking Bread Mastermind

Joe goes on a verbal safari and refuses to let go of the concept of the shit sandwich. In fact, he creates an artisanal club shit sandwich. Vicky fails to rein him in, and the whole podcast goes downhill from there. Buried in the artisanal bread safari, though, is some gold-dust that'll help you deal better with criticism and feedback, and create better books, art, products, and services.

Key Takeaways:

[2:30] Quick Dingle update!

[5:30] Vicky has sent a limited edition copy of her new book to some of her inner circle members to get feedback on it.

[7:25] What would you do if 50% of your readers hated your book?

[8:50] How do you deal with criticism with grace?

[11:05] Vicky asks for feedback often and early into her book-writing process.

[16:00] If the criticism hurts, it's okay to spend five minutes crying over it.

[19:00] Remember, most of your critics really want you to succeed.

[21:35] When asking for feedback, make it clear that that the person is not forced to do it. Give them an out.

[25:45] We are far more likely to internalize negative feedback than positive feedback.

[28:45] Breaking Bread Mastermind is happening in Portugal and Joe will be wearing some very short shorts.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Breaking Bread Mastermind

Project Dingle

Kenda Macdonald has just published her first book and is fizzing with excitement – so Vicky tied her to a chair and made her talk about it. This episode contains angst, truthy stories, a heroic victory, a fantastic idea for selling more copies of your book (or product or thing)... and sad parsnips. If you're thinking of writing a book but you don't yet believe you can listen to this.

Key Takeaways:

[1:05] What is Kenda's new book, Hack the Buyer Brain, all about?

[2:05] What did Kenda struggle with the most about writing this book?

[4:00] Kenda suffered from imposter syndrome while writing this book and it took a lot to get over that.

[6:25] Who is Kenda and what does she do?

[9:00] Kenda had a mental breakdown on the last chapter of her book!

[11:15] What helped Kenda get unstuck?

[14:25] How many pre-sale copies has Kenda sold so far?

[15:45] Kenda describes how she uses the 'golden ticket' to promote her book.

[18:30] Kenda shares why she's using the UpViral tool to help promote her book.

[21:40] People have really taken well to the branding of the book and Kenda wants them to get excited about the swag that comes with the book!

[22:15] Thinking of writing a book? Vicky hopes Kenda's story inspires you to take action!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Automation Ninjas

Kenda Macdonald on LinkedIn

UpViral

Handsome men in tiny shorts, beaches, and brains – oh my! This week, Vicky drags her sista-from-another-mista onto the show so they can rabbit on about their fourth international Breaking Bread Mastermind. This time it's happening in Portugal at the end of July, and they're a little bit excited about it. Tune in to find out what they've got in store for you IF you manage to snaffle one of the four remaining spaces...

Key Takeaways:

[1:25] Come join Vicky and Misty in Portugal this July 26th-28th!

[6:15] What makes this mastermind different from other masterminds?

[10:15] What will you be learning at this mastermind?

[15:00] Misty shares an example of a prior mastermind student and what they achieved after attending!

[18:45] Vicky and Misty don't just focus on work either! They focus on your whole life!

[22:30] What's included in the ticket price?

[26:20] There will only be a max of 8 spots!

[31:10] Have you listened to every single episode? Drop Vicky an email!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Breakingbreadmastermind.com

Vicky makes a new friend! In this episode, Vicky sidelines Joe in favour of expert brain-burrower Hannah Shamji. Hannah is a copywriter/counsellor who teaches business owners how to interview their clients. Why is this important? Tune in and find out! You'll also discover what not to ask, how to ask tough questions without pissing people off, and how to get an unbiased interview.

Key Takeaways:

[1:05] Who is Hannah and what does she do for her clients?

[3:15] Hannah started out as a counsellor first. Now, she's a counsellor/copywriter!

[4:55] How does Hannah get over her introvertedness and actually talk to people?

[7:30] Why are interview skills so important for business owners?

[10:25] What are some of the biggest frustrations business owners face when trying to write copy that resonates?

[14:10] Hannah explains how you can dig deep into pain and motivation without creating tension!

[18:45] Hannah shares suggestions on how you can ask the tough questions during an interview.

[22:20] What are some of the worst questions to ask someone?

[25:00] How can you prevent interviewees from going off on a tangent?

[28:25] What's one piece of advice Hannah would give to someone trying to get better at interviewing?

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Hannah Shamji

Joe and Vicky talk giant table penises, enormous birthday cakes, and magnificent bruises before getting into the real nitty-gritty: how long should it be? They mean your book, of course. In this episode, you'll discover why worrying about length causes big boring book problems – and what to do about it. Tune in and find out how to keep things lean, mean, and fascinating.

Key Takeaways:

[1:30] It was Vicky's big 40 last week!

[3:50] Vicky and Joe had some hilarious fun vaccinating sheep.

[10:00] A common mistake writers make is that they feel like they have to write a huge novel in order for it to be 'good enough'.

[12:00] Pick some books at random on Amazon. What commonalities do you notice?

[14:00] From a practical printing standpoint, what's a good number of pages?

[16:20] How do you avoid being boring?

[18:45] Get a good editor to make sure you're not repeating yourself accidently!

[22:15] The editing and de-fluffing of the book will take a while, and a couple of comb-throughs before you get it just right.

[23:45] Remember! There's no wrong way to write a book. The most important thing is it interesting, useful, valuable, and/ or entertaining.

[24:25] Any questions for Vicky? Email her!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle

Vicky and Joe suit up to answer more of your questions about writing and publishing books. Tune in to find out what drives Vicky to do what she does, what to do if you think you're not expert enough, how to unwaffle your writing, how to juggle your time with paid clients to make room for writing a book, and a funny story about bad reviews.

Key Takeaways:

[2:15] Sara has a lot of fear when it comes to writing her own book.

[4:20] Finishing your book is only the start!

[5:50] Getting bad reviews for your book isn't really so bad!

[7:30] It's not going to take you years and years to write a book! Vicky wrote hers in 90 days.

[9:10] Where does Vicky find her inspiration?

[13:30] Sara asks: How do you build authority when you're new to the industry? Should you just wait till you have more experience?

[16:15] The best people in the industry always think they still have something more to learn.

[17:20] How do I manage my time when I'm juggling paid work?

[21:50] Would you like to Borrow Vicky's brain? You can! Click here.

[22:25] Casey asks: What drives Vicky to do what she does?

[24:05] What makes Vicky the most happy during her working week?

[27:40] Tune in next week to find out how long your non-fiction should be!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle

Vicky and Joe talk about misery tea, tit-lice, and how the effing hell you can possibly come up with a good title for your book (or course or product or anything). They promise you 10 top tips, but only deliver 5 because–somewhat predictably–they ran out of time. Tune in and find out why it's so tough coming up with titles, why your bookshelf is your friend, and how to rope in friends, family, and clients to help.

Key Takeaways:

[1:20] Quick Dingle update! Everything takes longer than you think it will.

[5:55] Vicky is thinking of ending this podcast. Are you shocked?

[7:55] When it comes to coming up with a title for your book, that process can take months.

[9:55] Authors have a lot a pressure coming up with a good and engaging title that attracts attention.

[11:5] We want a title that feels like 'us'. We want a title that is unique.

[12:10] Vicky has ten top tips that she uses for herself and her nonfiction writers.

[13:20] Look at the titles on your bookshelves!

[18:30] What book titles tend to jump out at you?

[20:25] You can find out what keywords people are searching for in your industry through the use of Google Keywords and Amazon Kindle!

[23:40] Want more tips? Vicky is on Medium!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Vicky Fraser

Vicky's Podcast

Vicky's Blog

Vicky on Medium

Join the Superheroes

Vicky's Business For Superheroes Book

The Inner Circle

Borrow My Brain

Vicky's Book Club

Vicky's new book! Write & Publish Your Book in 90 Days

Email Vicky

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, and Overcast

Project Dingle