A novel is its own little miracle...

In an episode on craft, Kathleen and Adanna talk with author Stephanie Kemler about the process of world-building in fiction. Stephanie is the author of Bloodborn and the soon-to-release Bloodmad coming Valentine’s Day 2023. Stephanie created an extensive world in this vampire duet series. She has taken vampire lore and thrown out most of what readers know about them, creating an origin story that has never been told before. This TBP episode takes a nuanced look at creating a religion and applying ancient practices to a modern-gothic coming-of-age tale.

But this is not just world-building. How do you find time and discipline to get a manuscript completed? There is a wealth of wisdom for writers about Stephanie's intuitive writing style, and tidbits about her non-traditional way are littered throughout this conversation. As she puts it, finding ways to "write in the margins" is one of the tips we like to share here at Talking Book Publishing.

We'd like to hear from you as well. If you have topics or speakers you'd like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet. We'd love to know how you build your worlds and your writing process.

Website: stephaniekemler.com/

Instagram: @writingstephaniekemler

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/6823337

Publisher: www.curiouscorvidpublishing.com

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

One in four readers is listening...

There are so many platforms to get your book into the hands of readers. But how do you choose where to put your money as a self or indie-published author? The current audiobook industry is raking in over $16b a year. Our guest today, on the first episode of season three, is Scott Ellis. He's created a business around getting your books narrated and out into the world for readers or listeners, as the case may be. Scott goes over everything from how you get paid to how he gets paid. Plus, the benefits of producing your work in this media. A jam-packed 55 minutes, co-hosted by Kathleen Kaiser and Adanna Moriarty, season three is bound to be exciting with our new platform.

Let us know if you have any requests for topics for us to discuss in season three at [email protected].

Resources from Scott:

Instagram - @scott_ellis_reads

FaceBook -www.facebook.com/scottellisreads

TikTok - @scottellisreadsnarration

www.acx.com

www.findawayvoices.com

www.proaudiovoices.com

www.scottellisreads.com

www.serclassroom.com - This is Scott's online, video-based learning platform for those who would like to become narrators.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Do you need an editor? Have you ever wanted to pick an editor's brain before you had to pay them? Do you even know what an editor does for your manuscript? 

We round out 2022 with our last episode of the season and the talented Anna Corbeaux of Corbeaux Editorial Services. Kathleen and Adanna pick the brain of a full-time working copy and developmental editor to get your questions answered. Anna is so open with advice for what you can do as an author to make your manuscript great. From plotting your story, and character arcs, to grammar and when to let your editor take over your commas. These three get into the nitty gritty of what makes a book. Almost no stone was left unturned over this hour-long conversation. It's an episode you don't want to miss for your writing journey.

We at Talking Book Publishing are looking forward to 2023 and our third season. We will continue to bring you great guests for fun and informative conversations. We've especially enjoyed our new platform with a more roundtable feel. We hope you will as well. 

We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year. Please let us know if there are topics you'd like us to cover in the upcoming season by emailing: [email protected]

See you all in 2023! 

Resources from Anna:

For beat sheets:

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 
• Jessica Brody also has a beat sheet breakdown on her website at https://www.jessicabrody.com/2020/11/how-to-write-your-novel-using-the-save-the-cat-beat-sheet/

For POV:

• I recommend Emma Darwin’s blog at This Itch of Writing a lot, but specifically her series about POV which starts with this post:  https://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2011/10/point-of-view-narrators-1-the-basics.html 
• And her post about psychic/narrative distance here: https://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/psychic-distance-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it.html 
• The book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King is another excellent resource for learning more about POV, as well as all sorts of other stuff.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Adanna continues the chat with Rik and Steve, discussing the process of co-authorship, the ups and downs, and what they did to make the process go smoothly. Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance was a massive undertaking, with over 500 pages of information to keep track of, and these two did it beautifully. Join these three and get some tricks and tips for your next project, or just more on the Eagles and have a good time with them in the after-hours segment.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

In the summer of 1972, one band soared to the top of the charts and changed the music scene forever. The Eagles brought new sound and talent into the world, creating a following and loyal fans.

In today's episode, authors Rik Forgo (Previous book: Eagles: Before the Band, book one in a trilogy on the Eagles) and Steve Cafarelli join Kathleen and discuss rock music history. They delve into their new book, an impressive rock forensic dive into the years the band made history, Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance. It's a conversation steeped in classic rock history, and this is a Talking Book Publishing for your commute. Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance is available anywhere books are sold and released on Nov. 10, 2022.

If you're listening to this podcast between 11/12 and 11/16, the Kindle version is free to download on Amazon.

Please let us know if you would like us to cover any subjects in future podcasts. We'd love the feedback and to ensure we bring the information you wish to hear.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Following Kathleen's segment with NY Times bestselling author William Bernhardt, Adanna Moriarty, our producer, takes up the host mantel jumping into the conversation. Adanna and William get into process, how to create a dedicated practice, and what William thinks helps aspiring authors be successful. Writing is hard, and getting to pick a successful author's brain, let alone one who has been writing as a career for thirty years, is a happy place for Adanna.

The pair also discuss pitching a series vs. a stand-alone book to the bigger publishing houses and what they look for when a new author comes to them.

William is very supportive of aspiring authors, and you can feel that through this after-hours conversation. Join us for both segments and get to know William before he joins us as a speaker and workshop leader at the 805 Writers Conference.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Today marks the last episode of our 805 Writers Conference highlight series. Our guest is a New York Times multi-bestselling author, creator of the Red Sneaker Writing Center, and organizer of WriterCon, William Bernhardt. Kathleen and William discuss his career as an author. From hundreds of rejections to becoming a bestseller, William has spanned three decades as an author, adjusting to the times along the way.

William's mystery series have been a massive success for him. But recognizing his industry struggles over the years led him to create the Red Sneaker Writing Center, because he couldn't find books that help teach process and development he liked. Each book is subject-specific, short but chalked full of info every writer needs.

William will be at the 805 Writers Conference on November 5 & 6, 2022, as a keynote speaker, member of the mystery panel, and teaching an intensive workshop on characters. Once you hear his voice on the podcast, you'll want to listen to more of him.

"Keep writing, and remember you cannot fail if you refuse to quit."-William Bernhardt

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

Today we explore Julie D. Summers decades-plus journey writing her new book, Off My Knees: From Skid Row to Sunset Boulevard. Writing a memoir can be incredibly hard, and both Kathleen and Adanna jump into this conversation together as they try on a new platform for the podcast. Yet, Julie's story is one of resilience and hope amid some very dark, troubling times.

This episode focuses more on "what makes a memoir?" than a how-to. It's not just about having had struggles or a fascinating life, although Julie has had both. But more so the willingness to have the guts, chutzpah, and the ability to self-reflect. Julie gives tips throughout the conversation to help and encourage others seeking to write their memoir and for folks climbing out of hard times.

Julie's memoir takes you through her life, from childhood to later in life. It's a seemingly endless string of trauma, yet in how she writes her story, there is light at the end of the tunnel with every downturn. If you listen to this on its release day (10/13/22), the eBook will be free for the next five days starting 10/14 on Kindle.

"We really enjoyed this format for the podcast and will be incorporating it into our upcoming Season Three starting in January. Let us know if you did too." - Adanna Moriarty, Producer, Talking Book Publishing Podcast.

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

"Adanna and Mark dive into the writing process—what Adanna calls inopportune moments that spark creativity and overcome writer's block. They go over writing styles and how no matter your method, you can pull from all different places to be successful. It's possible the most essential bit of their 20ish-minute conversation is the process for querying larger publishing houses. Listen to both segments together. Having the main episode and the after-hours released together is a rare treat. We're very excited to have Mark as one of our speakers this year at the 805 Writers Conference."

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.

For the last several episodes, we've been doing a highlight series on the podcast, interviewing our speakers for the 805 Writers Conference. Today Kathleen highlights award-winning author Mark H. Parsons. He's a multi-talented major house-signed non-fiction and YA writer and musician.

Kathleen and Mark discuss his latest YA work, The 9:09 Project, releasing in November 2022, from Delacorte/Random House. The story follows a young man dealing with grief. He starts taking photographs every day at 9:09. Inspiring him to use this project to put his grief to work for him. They touch briefly on the process Mark takes while developing his stories, but more so on the why of them. Writing YA allows an author to explore significant subject matters and how to deal with life-altering moments. Join the discussion and get inspired by yet another one of our very talented conference speakers. 

We’d like to hear from you. If you have topics or speakers you’d like us to interview, please email us at [email protected] and join the conversation in the comments on our Instagram @writerspubsnet.