SPA Girls Podcast

This week we talk about the power of four, or how working and interacting with other authors can amp up your author career.

Using our experiences in the SPA, we talk about how having other writers to talk to, offer support, give advice and ideas, and walk the same path gives you a huge boost.

We’ve all said that none of us would be as far along in our careers if we didn’t have the other SPA Girls. And we don’t think we’re unique. There are thousands of other groups of writers who are helping and supporting each other.

How can you do this too? Our best advice is to find events and conferences for writers near where you are and meet other authors in person. With this in mind, we also did an impromptu Top Ten Networking Tips for Introverted Writers, with heaps of suggestions for how you can meet and talk to other authors.

1         Go to a conference/ a talk / a meeting.

2          Practice asking interesting questions before you go. Most people love to talk about themselves and if not, ask them about what they’re writing / their processes / what they read.

3          Find your person if you can and be sure to make it an equal partnership.

4          Makes the goals small.  What do you want to achieve in a group? Feedback, friendship/support?

5          Be brave – take the first step to approach a person or a group of people. Someone has to.

6          Remember that everyone around you is probably just as nervous and awkward as you are. Be kind and believe that you’re in the right place.

7          Good things take time, especially friendships. Give people a chance and they’ll return the favor.

8          Be a good community member before you try to sell a book, or ask for favors. Don’t be a ‘that person’ who takes and not gives.

9          Brainstorming with others can help you in so many ways. Be gentle but as honest as you can be. Respect other people’s right to do it ‘wrong’.

10        Think about how you can offer support to others, offer to volunteer at the conference. This will allow you to talk to so many people. Scary, maybe, but a great way to jump in feet first.

All we’re saying is give it a try. We did.

Name your favourite character from any book you’ve ever read. What did you like best about that character? Was it how they acted? Was it their personality, or because they stood up for something they believed in?

Those are the kinds of questions you should be asking when you’re designing the characters for your next book. This week our topic is how to create characters that your readers will love, and with that in mind we dissect what makes a good character and how you can create characters for your stories that will take your novel to the next level.

We delve into what characteristics are important, how to create tension between the hero and heroine using their personalities and flaws, and how you can use your character’s traits to move the story forward and follow the arc of the plot.

We also talk about how to help your readers to get to know your characters, how to pull them into the story by making them feel like they know your characters really well, and how to make readers cry. (Mawaahahaha….)

This week we have the fabulous Tina Dietz, an expert in the area of audio, podcasting and audiobooks, who talks to us about the ways we can be using audio in our writing careers.

She gives us the low down on audiobooks, how to get them recorded, how they fit into the marketing of your other book formats, and how to promote/market them to your audience.

She also talks about the expanding audiobook industry and why we should all be considering adding audiobooks to our inventory of books.

Tina gave us some amazing ideas for how to promote audiobooks, or even just using audio to promote your print or ebook versions of your book. She’s a very smart marketer, with a strong grasp of the audio market, and this is a must-listen episode for anyone who’s thinking of getting into audiobooks, or who already has audiobooks on sale. (Or in fact anyone who thinks they could use audio in any way to help with the marketing of their books. 🙂 )

About Tina

Tina Dietz MS, NCC is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and content marketing expert who has been featured on media outlets including ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post and Forbes. Tina’s podcast, The StartSomething Show, was named by INC magazine as one of the top 35 podcasts for entrepreneurs.

Tina has been building businesses for over 20 years and is the owner of StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, a company committed to connecting experts, authors, and entrepreneurs with their ideal audiences through audio branding and marketing with a deep specialty in audiobook publishing, podcasting, and thought leadership.

website: https://startsomethingcreativebizsolutions.com/

This week we have the delightful Grace Burrowes on the show, chatting to Cheryl and Wendy about her career, why she started writing, and how she stays authentic, and why she uses blogging to connect to readers.

A New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Grace says she’s a recovering child welfare attorney, who for years turned to the reliable HEA of romance novels to balance out the stress in her life as a litigator.

This is a delightful interview with a smart, savvy author who is very open about her writing, her world view, and her career.

For more information about Grace, go to: https://graceburrowes.com/

(And if you want to see a great tag line for a romance author, admire Grace’s one right here: I believe in love. )