The Author's Corner

Summary:

Ever pondered the dynamics of co-authoring a book?

It’s a journey filled with twists and turns, and today, my guests, Brianna and Matthew Penfold, join us to offer firsthand insights into the complexities of this experience.

In episode #146 of The Author’s Corner, Brianna and Matthew share their insights on co-authorship and how they navigate the challenges that arise during such an intense collaborative process. Tune in to discover the secrets behind their successful collaboration and gain valuable insights from their co-authorship journey.

Key takeaways:

• Unlocking the dynamics of co-authoring
• Discovering the rhythm of collaboration
• Amplifying synergy amidst creative disparities
• Embracing wins and losses as a team
• Navigating the labyrinth of publishing
• Embracing the journey of literary partnership
• Crafting a narrative that transcends generations
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Intrepid Three: Animus Revealed by Brianna and Matthew Penfold

About Brianna and Matthew Penfold:

Brianna and Matthew Penfold are a wife-and-husband writing team. The Intrepid Three: Animus Revealed is their debut book. This work is a labor of love enlightened by their lifelong faith journeys and diverse experiences in medicine, law, victim advocacy, crisis intervention, research, and children and youth mentorship. By day, and sometimes by night, Brianna is an attorney, and Matthew is a pediatrician. They currently reside in Virginia where they are having a blast raising their energetic toddler.

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Summary:

"Your story is so incredible! You should write a memoir!" 

However, when individuals approach Robin Colucci seeking guidance on writing a memoir, she typically steers them in a different direction.

Find out why in episode #143 of The Author’s Corner where Robin explains why she generally advises against memoir writing. However, if you've been considering it, she also shares how you can use your story to craft a book that offers genuine value to your readers while showcasing your best tales.

Key takeaways:

• Why traditional publishing can be tough for memoirs
• An alternative approach is to position your personal experiences
• The importance of understanding your audience
• The untapped potential of niche genres
• And more!

About Robin Colucci:

Robin Colucci is the principal founder of World Changing Books. With over 3 decades of experience in journalism and the publishing industry, she is a multi-hyphenated professional—she's a guide, mentor, and strategist for thought leaders ready to see their expertise and ideas become a lasting legacy that changes the world.

Under Robin's expert guidance, World Changing Books has helped authors—from CEOs, astronauts, and Nobel laureates to emerging voices—secure over $6.3 million in advances in a mere 4 years. These authors have successfully landed deals with “Big 5” publishers, won prestigious awards, and earned bestseller statuses everywhere from Amazon to The New York Times.

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Summary:

I'm willing to bet you’ve experienced the chaos of juggling work, family, and personal time. I know I have (and often still do), and it can feel like a never-ending circus!

But we all have a breaking point where no matter how much we want to keep up the juggling act, we just can’t do it anymore. It’s called burnout. And it affects millions of people every day.

In episode #144 of The Author’s Corner, Robin delves into the essential discussion on avoiding burnout and finding balance in work and life with Melo Calarco. Join us for this enlightening conversation and discover some of the tools that can help you thrive in both your personal and professional life.

Key takeaways:

• How to recognizing the signs of burnout
• The importance of self-awareness and self-care practices
• Utilizing boundaries to manage stressors
• Understanding your personal strengths and energy allocation
• The residual effects of COVID-19 on mental health
• Rebuilding resilience and refilling one's cup
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Beating Burnout-Finding Balance: Mindful Lessons for a Meaningful Life by Melo Calarco
• The Kolbe Index (Instinct Test) 

About Melo Calarco:

Melo Calarco, award-winning author of Beating Burnout-Finding Balance: Mindful Lessons for a Meaningful Life (Wiley), is a mindfulness and high-performance coach, keynote speaker and corporate programs facilitator. His work has helped many CEO’s, leaders, corporate executives, medical professionals, elite athletes and other high achievers to perform at their absolute best, without burning out. Personally, Melo has trekked and cycled around the world on his mountain bike over 30,000kms across five continents where he learnt to manage highly challenging and stressful situations, build resilience and mental endurance. He shares this experience in his professional workshops and seminars, which have been described as truly transformational!

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Summary:

Since March is Women's History Month, we decided to take some time to celebrate the remarkable contributions of women through books.

Throughout this month, we've posted to social media a series of videos highlighting remarkable female authors whose books have changed the world.

Now, we're excited to bring you a compilation of these insightful videos, along with some exclusive content that didn't make it to the public postings.

In episode #143 of The Author’s Corner, Robin delves into the timeless wisdom and enduring legacy of nine remarkable female authors who have reshaped our world through the power of their written words. From Mary Wollstonecraft's groundbreaking advocacy for women's rights to Maya Angelou's resilient portrayal of overcoming adversity, each author's journey holds the promise of profound insights and inspiration!

Key takeaways:

• Recognizing the enduring legacy of women authors and their profound impact on literature and society
• Exploring how food culture has influenced the world
• Examining the transformation of gender roles reflected in these books
• Emphasizing the importance of seizing the moment when you have a book idea
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• 100 Books that Changed the World by Scott Christianson and Colin Salter
• A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
• A Book of Mediterranean Food by Elizabeth David
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

About Robin Colucci:

Robin Colucci is the principal founder of World Changing Books. With over 3 decades of experience in journalism and the publishing industry, she is a multi-hyphenated professional—she's a guide, mentor, and strategist for thought leaders ready to see their expertise and ideas become a lasting legacy that changes the world.

Under Robin's expert guidance, World Changing Books has helped authors—from CEOs, astronauts, and Nobel laureates to emerging voices—secure over $6.3 million in advances in a mere 4 years. These authors have successfully landed deals with “Big 5” publishers, won prestigious awards, and earned bestseller statuses everywhere from Amazon to The New York Times.

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Summary:

Being a perennial bestselling author almost seems like an urban legend. We’ve all seen books with that kind of staying power, but few authors have that experience. 

If you’re wondering what it takes to write a book that sells thousands of copies, not just for weeks, but for decades, then this is the episode for you!

In episode #142 of The Author’s Corner, Robin is joined by perennial bestseller, HeatherAsh Amara, to tell you not only that it can be done, but she also shares insights into how she did it, so you can too.

Key takeaways:

• The inspiration behind her first book
• How her personal life influenced her writing
• The creative strategies she used to put her book in front of her audience
• Her strategy to create intimacy with the reader
• Insight into the crone archetype
• HeatherAsh’s favorite lessons in her book
• How to practice open heartedness
• How we can “align with life”
• HeatherAsh’s advice to authors
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• HeatherAsh’s bestseller, Warrior Goddess Training: Become the Woman You Are Meant to Be
• HeatherAsh’s upcoming book, Wild, Winning, and Wise (out July 30, 2024)

About HeatherAsh Amara:

HeatherAsh Amara is the author of nine books, including the bestselling Warrior Goddess Training, The Seven Secrets of Happy and Healthy Relationships with don Miguel Ruiz Jr., and the upcoming book Wild, Willing, and Wise. She skillfully and unconditionally guides people to shift from self-judgment to discernment, victimhood to authentic vulnerability, and to shed limiting domestication so they can ground into their self-intimacy, steadiness, and stillness. Raised in Southeast Asia, HeatherAsh has traveled the world from childhood and is continually inspired by the diversity and beauty of human expression and experience. She brings this open-hearted, inclusive worldview to her writings and teachings.

Summary:

For some reason, people have long lauded large social media followings as indicative of who will sell the most books. But the numbers speak for themselves: celebrities with HUGE social media followings consistently underperform in book sales. 

Why does everyone think that social media following = book sales? 

In episode #141 of The Author’s Corner, Robin reveals her theory about why this belief is so common, even among publishing house editors and staff. She also discusses how authors can still sell thousands of books and make multiple bestseller lists, without millions of followers.

Key takeaways:

• What we can learn from Britney Spears’and Billie Eilish’s memoirs
• A theory on why social media followings are considered indicative of book sales (and why it's not true!)
• The power of consistency
• And more!

Resources: 

• Billie Eilish’s memoir, Billie Eilish
• Britney Spears’ memoir, The Woman in Me
• Justin Timberlake’s memoir, Hindsight: & All the Things I Can't See in Front of Me
• Tamika Mallory’s book, State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built
• Episode 8 of The Author’s Corner, featuring Jonathan Jacobs
• Rachel Hollis’ Girl Stop Apologizing
• Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
• Jack Canfield’s Chicken Soup for the Soul
• Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad



About Robin Colucci:

Robin Colucci is the principal founder of World Changing Books. With over 3 decades of experience in journalism and the publishing industry, she is a multi-hyphenated professional—she's a guide, mentor, and strategist for thought leaders ready to see their expertise and ideas become a lasting legacy that changes the world.

Under Robin's expert guidance, World Changing Books has helped authors—from CEOs, astronauts, and Nobel laureates to emerging voices—secure over $6.3 million in advances in a mere 4 years. These authors have successfully landed deals with “Big 5” publishers, won prestigious awards, and earned bestseller statuses everywhere from Amazon to The New York Times.

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Summary:

Why is it that some messages connect, and others don’t? The answer is simple. 

I mean, the answer is simple, or rather, simplicity. But simple doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.

In episode #140 of The Author’s Corner, Robin is joined by marketing expert Ben Guttmann, to share some of his best design principles that enable us to communicate clearly and simply with our readers. 

Key takeaways:

• The simple difference between successful and unsuccessful marketing messages
• What it means to be “simple”
• How empathy and simplicity work together
• The idea of an “enlightened idiot”
• What we can learn from Taylor Swift
• Being nice versus being kind
• How to connect with the root of what people want
• What we can learn from Godzilla
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Ben’s book, Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win — and How to Design Them

About Ben Guttmann:

Ben Guttmann is a marketing and communications expert and author of Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win — and How to Design Them. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, Hachette Book Group, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands. 

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Summary:

Have you ever picked up a book at 10pm and been so enthralled, the next thing you know, it’s 3am, and you’re approaching the last few pages? 

If you have experienced this, then you know the exhilarating feeling of being totally in the author’s thrall and how rare it is to connect so deeply with a book that you simply cannot put it down. Never mind how you feel the next day. Any author who kept you up all night reading deserves to have you make that early morning walk of shame to the coffee maker.

But if you’re an author, or planning to be, what you really want is to have your reader pull an all-nighter for YOU. 

In episode #139 of The Author’s Corner, Robin reveals a simple-but-not-necessarily-easy four step process to keep your reader hooked.

Key takeaways:

• The rare experience of never wanting to put a book down
• Why connecting with your reader is so important
• The science behind connecting through a book
• Four tips to develop a strong connection with your reader
• The role of empathy and vulnerability
• And more!

About Robin Colucci:

Robin Colucci is the principal founder of World Changing Books. With over 3 decades of experience in journalism and the publishing industry, she is a multi-hyphenated professional—she's a guide, mentor, and strategist for thought leaders ready to see their expertise and ideas become a lasting legacy that changes the world.

Under Robin's expert guidance, World Changing Books has helped authors—from CEOs, astronauts, and Nobel laureates to emerging voices—secure over $6.3 million in advances in a mere 4 years. These authors have successfully landed deals with “Big 5” publishers, won prestigious awards, and earned bestseller statuses everywhere from Amazon to The New York Times.

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Summary:

30 years ago, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible seemed to be two of the few plays from American literature that had made it to the top of every highschool’s “must read” list.

In an era of an ever-widening wealth gap and a pervasive, savage bigotry fueled by ignorance and Trump—Miller’s two seminal works may be more relevant than ever. Yet, how many students in the Class of 2024 recognize his work, much less his name?

In episode #138 of The Author’s Corner, Robin is joined by master carpenter Marc Olivieri, who is doing his part to ensure that we remember the life and legacy of Arthur Miller. In this episode, Marc shares fascinating stories about Arthur Miller, whom Marc knew personally for many years before Miller’s death in 2005. He tells us about the Arthur Miller Writing Studio preservation project and why it is so important that we preserve the landmark, and others like it. And he shares how you, listener, can help support their endeavor! 

Key takeaways:

• The exciting story of how Marc met Aruthur Miller
• Marc’s journey in preserving the Arthur Miller Writing Studio
• The importance of preserving historical monuments
• The influence of artists in our society
• The relevance of Arthur Miller’s work
• How to engage the community to support preservation projects
• Fascinating peeks into Arthur Miller’s life
• And more!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The event held at the Arthur Miller Writing Studio: Guilty Until Proven Innocent: False Confession and Wrongful Conviction
• The Arthur Miller Writing Studio project
• Link to donate to the Arthur Miller Writing Studio project
• UT Austin archives of Arthur Miller
• Some of Arthur Miller’s most notable works: 
• The Crucible
• Death of a Salesman

About Marc Olivieri:

Marc Olivieri is a master carpenter, mason, builder, construction manager, and has been responsible for major historic, residential, archeological, and industrial restoration projects in Germany, Italy, and the United States. A long time Roxbury resident and member of the board of directors at the Roxbury Land Trust, he is construction manager in Connecticut for the Calder Foundation. Marc’s relationship with the Arthur Miller Writing Studio dates from 1981.

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Summary:

A lot of first-time authors get the same conventional advice: “Just start writing!”  

While doing something is usually better than doing nothing, “Just start writing” too often ends up meaning, “Waste a lot of time grasping at straws and keep trying to guess what your book is really about.”

The good news is, if you want to position your book like a pro, and get the maximum value and ROI out of your book, there are two key questions that you’re better off asking (and answering) before you begin to write, so that you can stop wasting precious time, and get started writing an impactful book that helps you reach your most ambitious goals. 

In episode #137 of The Author’s Corner, Robin reveals the two questions that every author needs to answer if they want to position themselves as an expert. Plus, once you answer these questions, you will come out on the other side even more confident about the value your book will provide for your reader!

Key takeaways:

• Why “just jumping in” isn’t a good strategy
• Why you can’t write a book for everyone
• The question you need to ask yourself to discover your unique, saleable concept
• How the comparable books exercise can help you pinpoint your selling point
• And more!

About Robin Colucci:

Robin Colucci is the principal founder of World Changing Books. With over 3 decades of experience in journalism and the publishing industry, she is a multi-hyphenated professional—she's a guide, mentor, and strategist for thought leaders ready to see their expertise and ideas become a lasting legacy that changes the world.

Under Robin's expert guidance, World Changing Books has helped authors—from CEOs, astronauts, and Nobel laureates to emerging voices—secure over $6.3 million in advances in a mere 4 years. These authors have successfully landed deals with “Big 5” publishers, won prestigious awards, and earned bestseller statuses everywhere from Amazon to The New York Times.

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