OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennI believe the story in 2014/2015 will be the expansion of digital book sales in print, ebook and audio to global markets.

With over 300 million educated English speakers, and a culture that values books, I'm excited about the opportunities in India. I also love the country and want to spend more time there, so there's certainly a personal slant on this interview.

In the intro, I talk about my pivot on the 5th anniversary of the blog, the launch of A Thousand Fiendish Angels for Kindle, and why I love to speak on marketing. The podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system.

Minal Hajratwala is the award-winning author of ‘Leaving India; My family's journey from 5 villages to 5 continents' as well as a poet and the editor of ‘Out: Stories from the new Queer India'. Minal is also a speaker, coach and consultant. You can watch the conversation on YouTube here, or listen above or on the podcast feed.

* Minal was born in the Bay Area of the USA. She has always been a writer and became a journalist, later doing a one woman show. She got a fellowship at Columbia University and during that time wrote the proposal for ‘Leaving India'. She's working on a novel and a poetry collection and is now a writing coach as well as starting a publishing business. She went to India 3 years ago as part of researching the book, and ended up moving there, 3 generations after her grandfather left.

* India has changed in the last 15 years through tremendous economic growth, although there's still poverty and the stereotypes that many think of. There's a new literate, educated middle class of several hundred million people which has a big impact for the book industry. As a journalist from Silicon Valley, there's a lot in Bangalore that reminds Minal of how it used to be there – Google and IBM and all the big IT companies have campuses in Bangalore, which gives the city a cosmopolitan feel. It's a young city, with a huge expat community. As the economy grows, there's more space for arts and culture to grow. Minal talks about editing a collection and now her new process of publishing poetry as a collective. There's an entrepreneurial spirit in India, a sense that anything is possible.

* We talk about the shift in the opportunities for women, in IT and engineering and other prospects. Minal also works in diversity consulting, helped companies get used to having so many women in the workplace. So things are changing!

* There are ~35 official languages in India, each state has its own language and many people speak 3-7 languages. English has become the language of the educated classes, with estimates of ~300 million speakers.

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennWriting serial fiction and collaboration with other authors are things I haven't experienced myself, so I'm thrilled to interview author David Wright today.

In the intro, I talk about winning The Guardian Top 100 Creative Professionals 2013, as well as a little about my plans to play a bigger game as a public speaker in 2014, and some upcoming changes for this site.

The podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.

David Wright is the co-author of dark horror fiction with Sean Platt, including the series Yesterday's Gone, Z2134 and Whitespace. He also draws the comic strip Todd and Penguin, as well as being one third of the Self Publishing Podcast (nsfw). You can watch the video on YouTube here, or listen above or through the podcast feed.

* Dave has always alternated between writing and drawing, as a way of escape. He was a journalist and editorial cartoonist, and that job taught him to write thousands of words per day to deadline.

* How Dave's visual art and comic writing experience helps him write great fiction scenes

* Why we write dark fiction about the things that scare us. Dave shares his fears about being a parent.

* Influences on Dave's work, in terms of comics and fiction

* The line between authenticity and privacy for Dave and his family. Check out Dave's blog here.

* We talk about the renaissance of graphic novels and comics. There's never been a better time to be a writer or artist!

* What serialized fiction is and how the technology works for Amazon Serials vs what's available for indies right now. The books are in episodes which are collected in Seasons, the model being TV shows.

* On collaborative writing with Sean Platt. How they got started, and how their personalities complement each other. Dave's recommendations for authors wanting to try collaboration, and how to leave the ego behind.

* Why blogging is great for connection, learning from other authors and potential opportunities

* What Dave would love to write, as an ultimate goal

* On the Self-Publishing Podcast [which I highly recommend, although it is not safe for work and the humor can be a little pueril...

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennMany of us would love to get a 14 book deal with a big name publisher, as well as hitting #1 on Amazon.co.uk. Today's guest, Kerry Wilkinson, has done just that, but he certainly works hard for his success.

In the intro, I talk about the publication of my new novel, Desecration, and my thoughts around parting ways with my NY literary agent. I also mention the Bristol CrimeFest opportunity to be on the panel of indie authors.

The podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. I'm currently selling in 22 countries through Kobo – exciting!

Kerry Wilkinson is the author of the Jessica Daniel crime series with the Silver Blackthorn YA series coming in 2014. The first Jessica Daniel book reached #1 on Amazon.co.uk  and the series is currently on Book 6, Thicker Than Water. You can watch the interview on YouTube here, or listen above or on the podcast feed.

* Kerry was a sports journalist for a decade after University, and started writing fiction at aged 30. He looked into how to get published and didn't like the negative energy, in comparison to the positive energy of writing the book. He self-published in 2011 and his first book, Locked In, went to #1 in the Amazon.co.uk store.

* The Jessica Daniel series is character driven, more about Jessica's life and her friends, rather than a police procedural. There is a general formula around crime books, with a twist at the end of the mystery, so it is the character's that make it more interesting. Kerry reads a lot of non-fiction and also journalism and his plot ideas often come from little things he has read.

* We spoke on Halloween, so we discuss why people are obsessed with reading about the dark side of humanity …

* Gender in publishing, both in terms of our names and also our characters

* Kerry particularly enjoys reading comics, and so his new YA Silver Blackthorn series is delving more into that world, written as if it could be turned into a graphic novel. On using book cover design to separate branding as opposed to author name.

* How self-censoring has disappeared after writing a number of books, as Kerry has relaxed into his voice.

* On Kerry's 14 book deal with Pan Macmillan … and how he has already written all the books, so he is back into self-publishing at the same time. He doesn't get distracted during his work day, so no social media, no email. He just gets up early and works, sometimes 12-14 hours of writing.

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennI'm VERY excited about the global market for ebooks, which is just beginning to explode!

The US, UK and Canada can be considered ‘mature' ebook markets, but the rest of the world is just beginning the exponential growth that characterized these early adopters. Germany is currently the 3rd largest ebook sales market, so it is already worth trying to break into.

In the intro I update you on my own writing progress, and my project for NaNoWriMo, Delirium, which you can see a little about on my Pinterest boards. I also have a print giveaway for ‘One Day In Budapest’ on Goodreads – click here to enter before Nov 14th.

The podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system. Today I explain why I think authors should be using Kobo to reach readers they wouldn't otherwise.

Matthias Matting is a journalist and author of more than 30 books in 6 languages that have sold over 100,000 copies. He runs selfpublisherbibel.de, the #1 site for self-publishing in Germany and he's just published the English version of his ebook ‘How to publish in Germany‘, available now.

We discuss:

* How Matthias got started with self-publishing, experimenting with different books on the Kindle and other devices.

* Why the German market is worth pursuing. There's a population of 80 million (bigger than the UK) but the book sales volume is 40% of the USA (with a population of 300m). There are also German speakers in Austria, Switzerland and of course, the rest of the world. Ebook adoption is increasing and Germany is the 3rd largest ebook market after US and UK right now.

* Books that sell well are similar to the US – romance, fantasy, thrillers & crime. 50% of the top 100 bestsellers are self-published.

* Some books in English sell well, but generally you want to publish in German. You can look at translation opportunities at Proz.com or TranslatorsCafe.com. Translators will apply for projects and you can see their experience. You should ask for a test chapter and find a native speaker to read it in order to check quality. Pricing varies by the word, but a 70,000 word book would be between US$3000-$5000. Joint venture partnerships are starting to happen [as I am doing with my translator].

* In terms of ebook readers, Amazon and Kindle have 60% of the market. The Tolino has ~30% and was started by German publishers. It is also sold in physical bookstores so will always have a good % of the market.

* To publish on the Tolino, you have to use an aggregator as right now they don't have a direct publishing platform. You can use

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennTom Evans helped me get over my creative block around writing fiction several years ago (right here on the podcast!), and today he's talking about his new book, The Zone: How to get in it and stay in it.

In the intro, I talk about my trip to Berlin (photos here) and the positivity of the German market for ebooks in the coming year. I also talk about my renewed focus on the iBookstore based on Mark Coker's presentation to the Alliance of Independent Authors. I also have a print giveaway for ‘One Day In Budapest' on Goodreads – click here to enter before Nov 14th.

We also have a message from podcast sponsors Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system.

Tom Evans is an author, inspirational speaker and creative catalyst. His latest book is The Zone – How to get in it and stay in it. Tom has also been on the podcast before talking about unblocking writer's block. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.

In the interview, Tom and I discuss:

* What is “the zone” anyway? It's not actually just one zone, there are lots of different ones. So you can interchange this with the word ‘state'.

* The difference between the Creative Zone and the Busy Zone. Techniques to enter the Creative Zone and how that ‘bends time' including meditation and dreaming. There are also different parts of the creative process and sometimes the various parts can be collaborative. On completion and knowing when to stop as a critical aspect of the Creative Zone.

* How the Fear Zone can stop you from completing your creative project. What that fear is specifically and where it comes from. You can listen to the podcast with me and Tom on writer's block here.

* The entrepreneurial zone and the skill of following your ‘gut' as well as the ability to actually produce. Each book is its own project, its own product and has its own life in the world. Tom and I talk about how our first books didn't exactly set the world alight but were responsible for changing our own lives. How ‘failure' in one regard can be true success from another perspective.

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennIn today's podcast, Dan Blank and I have a candid discussion on the latest developments in publishing, as well as how to combat platform fatigue.

In the intro, I talk about my trip to India and my 2 year anniversary as a full-time author-entrepreneur. I also mention the opportunity of using PubMatch through the Alliance of Independent Authors for foreign rights, as well as my speaking engagements. We also have a message from podcast sponsors Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system.

Dan Blank is a professional speaker and consultant to the publishing industry. He teaches authors how to grow their platform and target readers through his online articles, courses and conference. You can watch the interview on YouTube here, or listen in the podcast stream or on iTunes.

* How Dan got started in the creative space, how he got into the publishing business, and how all that has collided now into his business, We Grow Media where he works with writers and the publishing industry.

* If the author is the source, and the reader is the destination, what role does the middleman play? We discuss the changing structure of the publishing world.

* Authors are experiencing a fatigue around “platform.” Dan explains his definition of platform – communicating effectively with the people you want to reach and engender trust in the process. He talks about how to reframe platform and refocus on goals. We discuss trust and authenticity, and the fundamental principles around platform, rather than the technology and the ‘latest' headlines that can distract.

* Getting some perspective and thinking long term. Embracing patience and consistency for the long-term. The importance of relationships that you forge in real-life or cyber-space.

* How the stigma of publishing has pretty much disappeared in the US. On foreign markets and other opportunities.

* On social reading and how Goodreads integration with Kindle Paperwhite and Fire might work for authors

Dan's running an online conference for authors, Get Read, on Nov 13-14, 2013, focused on helping you ensure your books get read.

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennWriters are readers first, so today we discuss the number 1 social network for readers, Goodreads, and how authors can best utilize its many features.

Breaking news 4 September 2013: Amazon introduces new Kindle Paperwhite which incorporates Goodreads reviewing, so whether you like it or not, reading customers will be rating your books on Goodreads.

In the intro, I mention a fantastic article by Kristine Rusch on career writers, as well as my imminent trip to India, how the launch of ‘One Day In Budapest‘ went and also some thoughts on screenwriting. We also have a message from Kobo Writing Life, who now sponsor the podcast, all about how authors in the US market specifically can work with independent bookstores through Kobo.

Patrick Brown is the Director of Author Marketing and Community Manager at Goodreads, the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations, with over 20 million members who are passionate about books. It's a feature-rich site with a lot going on!

You can also watch the interview on YouTube here.

The aim of Goodreads is to keep track of books previously read, currently being read or to-read in the future; join book club style groups, get book recommendations and hang out with other readers. Avid readers are addicted to the site

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennMemoir is a misunderstood genre, and I am as guilty as anyone for underestimating it. In today's interview, Marion Roach Smith explains the power of memoir and how we can all use it to become better writers.

In the update, it's fantastic to announce that the podcast now has a sponsor in Kobo Writing Life, a fantastic platform for indie authors. I've been publishing on Kobo for the last year and it's definitely been brilliant to see sales grow in Canada and in many other countries.

I also announce the launch of my new novella, One Day In Budapest and mention my research video which you can view here. I was also on BBC World on a segment about digital publishing and ebooks – an exciting week!

Marion is the author of 4 books, and she has written for the NY Times, Vogue and other publications. She’s been teaching memoir writing for 13 years and her latest book is ‘The Memoir Project – a thoroughly non-standardized text for writing and life‘

* Marion started by her career writing for the New York Times about the death of her mother from Alzheimers, which was rare back then. Since then, she's written more books – about forensic science and the history of red hair – as well as lots of pieces for mainstream media like Vogue, plus blogging.

* On the definition of memoir. Understand your territory and what it covers, as defined by your areas of expertise, one area at a time. You're not writing about “your life” – it's more about a specific insight into a specific aspect of your expertise. For example, Drinking: A Love Story. One area of life in great detail. Memoir is not biography, as most of us are not famous enough to justify it. Comparing memoir to narrative non-fiction and the vagaries of genre bending.

* Everyone has lots of stories, and writing from a need for therapy is legitimate as is a need for self-understanding. Asking provocative questions will help in order to delve down into the reasons behind. A piece of memoir that gives an insight into something else. Decide on your intent and focus on that, rather than just laying it all out there.

* On the importance of editing and what to leave out. You have an argument or a position to illustrate with your book, so you should only leave in the stories that illustrate this. You shouldn't be centre-stage. There should be some deeper consideration of your theme and argument. Every page must drive the story forward.

Just because it happened, doesn't make it interesting.

* What is truth? Memoir is ‘your' truth, but there will always be another version of the truth. Don't mess with the intent of the exchange, even if you can't remember the actual words. If your ultimate piece is laden with cliche, ‘it was the saddest day of my life,

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennThere are some authors who are able to teach others the craft as well as managing to juggle writing their own fantastic books. Today I am excited to be interviewing James Scott Bell, who excels at both.

James Scott Bell is the #1 bestselling author of Plot & Structure, numerous thriller novels and several books on the craft of writing. He is a professional speaker, teaching novel writing and other skills for writers.

In the intro, I mention the audio for Prophecy is now available at Audible, Amazon and iTunes. Plus the music for the trailer is The Complex, Creative Commons from Incompetech.

You can listen to the audio above or on the podcast feed. You can also watch the video interview on YouTube.

* James has been a professional writer for 20 years, and was previously in criminal law. He started as a screenwriter and majored in film at college. He started teaching writing at a time when it was assumed that writers were ‘born' not made, and wanted to help writers with learning the craft as he had learned it.

* On James' own fiction, legal thrillers like Blind Justice. The theme that runs through his work is the personal quest for justice, often one person trying to gain justice against huge odds.

* James believes writing to a quota is important – you have to get the words down in order to work it into a product. When writing a scene, he will find the hotspot of the scene, find the emotional connection to it and then write. He has a weekly quota of 6000 words so if a day is missed, it can be made up. He also takes a day off to recharge the creative batteries.

* As a pro writer, James still loves to learn. He talks about the power of the unexpected and trying to find things that will surprise the reader, even a line of dialogue or a strange item in the scene. This can stop readers feeling jaded and get their attention, even when they think they know what will happen. We discuss the habit of writers of noting down things in real life to inspire story. Everything is material.

* One common mistake that new writers make is a tendency to start off slowly and not get into a scene where something happens. Characters alone and thinking, starting their day is not a good opening. The story begins not when you lay out the kindling, but when you strike the match. The opening disturbance is critical to engage the reader in the story.

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna PennI've been a fan of Jeremy Robinson's thrillers for a while now, and recently read the fantastic Island 731 about human/animal hybrid experimentation. I'm excited to bring you an interview with him today which goes into how he writes so prolifically, and how monsters invade his imagination.

Jeremy Robinson is the bestselling author of 30 novels, ranging from thrillers to horror under Jeremy Bishop. You can also watch the interview on YouTube in two parts – for readers, for writers.

In the interview, we discuss:

* How Jeremy started out at art school and went into comic book illustration, and then into comic book writing, then screen-writing. After being inspired by a James Rollins novel, he moved into writing books.

* Monsters are a recurring theme in Jeremy’s books, including his recent book Island 731. He talks about his TV and film influences and why monsters have been part of his inspiration. ‘Island 731’ is about a crew stranded on an island that had been used for human experimentation during WWII.

* Jeremy writes horror under Jeremy Bishop, the first book was ‘Torment’ which is a very dark book based on a nightmare he had. The Raven is the next book in the Jane Harper series, coming soon, where Jane has to deal with parasitical zombies that can zombify anything mammal, whilst out on the high seas. Ridiculous fun!

* We talk about ‘I am Cowboy’, which is not a Western! Cowboy is the main character who first appeared in SecondWorld (about Nazis returning to take over the world). Cowboy is a conspiracy theorist obsessed with cowboy movies. He’s from the Czech Republic and he has a line ‘I am cowboy, I am gunslinger’.

* How much of Jeremy is in his characters? It depends on the characters – some of them are very similar. In the YA series, the Last Hunter, Solomon is based on 50% Jeremy and 50% on his son. But many of the characters are nothing like Jeremy –  the books are not autobiographical!

* Jeremy talks about his writing space and you can see some of his Japanese movie monsters behind him in the video. He has a big office which is packed with pop culture objects, posters etc. It inspires him, and he does a lot of video as well as writing. He also paints and his kids play in the room.

* Jeremy's writing routine. He works 9-5, 5 days a week so he can make time for his family. He writes in the afternoon and in the morning, he does marketing. This is about 5 hours a day of writing, but he does write quickly about what he's going to write next. When he sits down to write, he knows what he will say. While writing a novel,