The Profitable Writer

I can say in all honesty that today is a momentous occasion here on the podcast!

Why do I say that? Because today is the culmination of a nearly 20-year journey to hold a very special book in my hands. It’s titled, Carson the Magnificent, and it’s the long-awaited biography of one of my entertainment heroes, the late Johnny Carson.

For those who aren’t very familiar with Johnny Carson, he was the host of NBC’s Tonight Show for 30 years, from 1962-1992. They called him “The King of Late Night” because he ruled the late-night airwaves for decades.

When Johnny Carson retired from the Tonight Show in 1992, at the top of his game, he famously went into his retirement cave and rarely came back out except for a few public appearances in the years afterwards.

That’s why it was such a big deal when the writer and journalist Bill Zehme was able to score an interview in Esquire magazine in 2002, ten years after Carson retired. It was the only formal interview that Carson had granted since his retirement.

A few years later, Carson agreed to let Zehme write his full biography. The book was announced, and he went to work on it. Then the years crept by and the book never came out. Zehme got cancer, which obviously stalled progress on the book. Then he passed away last year with most of the book written, but still incomplete. Over the years it had become known as one of the great unfinished biographies, almost achieving legendary status, but not for reason that Zehme or the publisher wanted.

But then earlier this year, nearly 20 years after Zehme started work on the Carson biography, Simon & Schuster announced that Chicago writer Mike Thomas would be taking up the reigns of the book and completing Zehme’s work. This was the perfect match because Thomas was a well-established entertainment writer, as well as a friend and former research assistant of Bill Zehme.

You have to understand how excited I was to see this announcement earlier this year. This is no exaggeration: for the last 20 years, every 6-8 months I would try to find some little scrap of news about the book. That’s how excited I was. So when I saw that Simon & Schuster was still going to release the book, I was over the moon.

Which brings us today. I knew the book was coming out on November 5, so a few weeks ago I got in touch with Mike Thomas to see if he’d be interested in talking about the book here on the podcast. He graciously agreed, and with the help of Anne Pearce, the Associate Director of PR at Simon & Schuster, we arranged this conversation.

So that’s how this conversation came about. It’s more backstory than usual, but I thought it might be interesting for listeners. Let me tell you a bit about my guest!

Mike Thomas is the author of two critically acclaimed books, The Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater and You Might Remember Me: The Life and Times of Phil Hartman. He spent more than fourteen years as an arts and entertainment features writer at the Chicago Sun-Times and is a regular contributor to Chicago magazine. He lives in Chicago with his family.

In this conversation, we dive into all sorts of topics related to Mike, his writing career, and of course the book that brought us together, Carson the Magnificent. Our conversation topics include:

Many thanks to Mike Thomas for an engaging and inspiring conversation!

If you love Johnny Carson or entertainment biographies, you'll love Carson the Magnificent. And if you’re a ghostwriter, editor, or biographer, you'll love the book even more because it's a perfect example of telling someone's story without getting in the way.

In this case, Thomas had the double task of telling two stories: Caron's life story, and the story of Zehme's journey to complete the book. My hat is off to a job well done!

You probably didn’t know this, but I recently turned 50—on July 26, to be exact. And while I don’t feel 50 in my mind, in my body I’m definitely starting to feel it a bit!

50 is an interesting age: a watershed moment when many people re-evaluate their lives. Over the last few years, I’ve started paying more attention to how different people deal with this important transition in life.

I’ve noticed that people generally make one of two choices when it comes to middle age.

When you enter this period of life, you stand before two objects: a ladder and a recliner. You have the choice of whether you are going to sit down in the recliner and focus on being comfortable … or whether you’re going to accept the challenge to keep climbing up the ladder of personal success.

Most people choose the recliner. At this point in life, many people are tired, beaten down from life, and have no interest in new challenges. So they sit down in the recliner with no intention to grow and learn as a person.

On the other hand, a much smaller percentage of people realize that life isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about growing into your full potential and using the challenges of life to propel you to new heights. So instead of turning away from the challenges and checking out of life, they take a good, long look at the ladder … and they start climbing.

Which brings me to my guest on this episode, my friend Laura Venecia Rodriguez.

Laura is an author, researcher, and speaker dedicated to helping individuals over 50 regain or discover their mojo and “shine” with renewed purpose and passion after reaching an impasse or experiencing a major upheaval or change in their lives.

She shares information on ancient and contemporary tips, techniques, and wisdom that enhance the body, mind, and spirit. You can find her inspiration and wisdom in her weekly newsletter, “Shine After 50:  Regain Your Sparkle” as well as her “Shine After 50” Youtube channel.

Laura is also the author of Gentle Yoga After 50: Get Fit, Flexible, and Feel Fantastic!, where you’ll learn information and insights about yoga that Laura has learned since starting yoga at age 15. You can find out more about Laura and her writing at her website, https://shineafter50.com.

I’ve asked Laura to be a guest on today’s episode to especially help those of us 50 or older (or who are approaching that age) to understand what we can better to shine and succeed as writers.

You’ll learn about some of the key challenges we face in this period of life, how to navigate life transitions, lots of insights about how yoga can help you be more healthy and centered, and much more.

One of the most common questions people ask me about ghostwriting is, “Where do I get clients?” It’s a natural question, of course, because all writers who are doing client work would probably like to increase their income and have more consistent work.

My answer to these friends is sometimes a little disappointing because almost all of my clients have come to me via referrals from colleagues, friends, and previous clients.

A great network takes time to build, but it’s worth it because those relationships are the foundation for a client-based business over the long haul. However, there are other sources for client work as well. One of the most popular ones is Reedsy, a marketplace for writers, editors, marketers, and designers.

I've asked my friend, Alice Sullivan, to join me for a conversation about Reedsy since she's had a lot of success connecting with ghostwriting clients there over the last few years.

Alice Sullivan is a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling ghostwriter, New York Times bestselling editor (11 times over), collaborator, and speaker. A natural-born storyteller, she has written 64 books and edited over 1,300 titles since 2001.

In addition to her NYT and WSJ bestsellers, other books have achieved Amazon bestseller status and won several awards, such as Readers’ Favorite, Living Now Book Award, and Nashville’s Best Local Children’s Book Award.

She has written for Forbes, Hay House, Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), Abingdon Press, Made for Grace Publishing, World Net Daily, Changing Lives Press, Carpenters Son Publishing, Clovercroft, and KN Literary Arts.

Alice specializes in memoir, self-help, personal growth, and leadership because she loves personal stories and practical advice. Her favorite projects challenge her point of view, expand her knowledge, and add meaning to her life.

Alice is not just a consummate storyteller and writer. She's also one of the most kind and down-to-earth people I know.

In this conversation, I get to ask Alice all my burning questions about getting started on Reedsy. We talk about:

If you want to expand your client base as a ghostwriter, editor, or designer, you'll love Alice's advice! Make sure to connect with Alice at https://alicesullivan.com.

No matter what your product or service, and no matter what type of books you write and publish, you need to grow your audience.

Why? Because ultimately, your business depends on people and their willingness to buy from you.

That’s why I’m excited today to feature this incredible interview with Bryan Harris, CEO of Growth Tools, a monthly coaching and done-for-you partner matching service that makes it nearly impossible to fail at getting more customers.

They combine proven growth playbooks, 1:1 coaching, peer support, and matching you with your best fit partners who will promote your offer, so you’re never overwhelmed, stuck, or left wondering what to do next.

On this episode, I had a chance to talk to Bryan about an innovative and very successful method of growing your audience, which is borrowing other people’s audiences. He’s had great success with this method, and he shares which audiences to borrow, how to borrow them, and what to do afterward.

Bryan and I also talk quite a bit about ghostwriting. He gives some fantastic advice for connecting with clients and dealing with some of the problems that can come up with client work.

I was blown away not just by Bryan’s strategies, but also by his humility and honesty. He shares some of his own mistakes and disappointments in business—which we can all relate to.

Bryan and his team have also been kind enough to put together a very cool page of resources he mentioned during the conversation. This is not a static page on their website—it’s an actual list he made while we were talking, so it’s completely customized for Profitable Writer listeners.

You can grab it at https://growthtools.com/kent. You can also learn more about Growth Tools by visiting https://growthtools.com.

Many writers who want to grow their business spend their time focusing on the craft of writing. They go to conferences, read books, listen to podcasts, and take courses on how to be a better writer.

Which is all well and good … except that there’s a lot more to building a business than doing the work. The other 50% of having a successful writing-based business is the business side.

That’s why I regularly have guests on the show who have all kinds of businesses. There is much we can learn from other industries about what it takes to be successful as a business owner.

Today I’m very excited to bring you an incredible conversation with one of the most successful business leaders I personally know. Ali Hemyari is the founder and owner of Nashville K-9, which is Nashville’s premier dog training facility. He’s a serial entrepreneur who’s started various businesses, from advertising, to becoming a pet industry expert, and much more.

Ali is a multi-event triathlete, a helicopter and airplane pilot, real estate guru, certified SWAT Operator, Sniper/Firearms Instructor, and a general try-hard, servant-hearted, overachiever who wants to make a difference in today’s world.

He’s a husband and father, a God Seeker, and an inspiring leader who hopes that his story can effect a significant change in someone who wants to be better, do more, accomplish, and help. You can visit his websites, https://nashvillek9.com and https://hemyaricompanies.com to learn more and see a complete list of his companies.

I’ve asked Ali to join me for a conversation about his fantastic new book, Discipline: What It Really Takes to Build a Seven-Figure Business. This is a short book you can read in less than an hour, but it’s absolutely packed with wisdom about how you can actually build a successful business, no matter your industry.

In this conversation, we explore some of the principles in his book and how they apply to writers building their business. We talk about:

Many thanks to my good friend, Honorée Corder, a shout-out for introducing me to Ali.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

The way I look at it, there are two forces at work to growing a sustainable writing business, or any business for that matter.

 There are external elements that people see: the websites, the blog, the books, the client conversations, the work you produce, and so forth. But then there is also the internal element—the mental and emotional journey you are taking.

When you start taking your business seriously, it feels like the external elements are going to be what make or break you. You think it’s all about learning to connect with certain types of people or understanding the craft of writing.

But as you get your feet wet and establish yourself a bit, you come to understand that it’s really more about the mental and emotional journey you’re taking. People typically don’t self-destruct because they don’t know how to write a book outline or they get something wrong when putting their book on Amazon. They self-destruct because they haven’t gotten a handle on their emotional and mental life as a creative and a business owner.

That’s why I’m honored and excited to have my friend, Chris Morris, as a guest today on the show. He’s going to help us navigate some of these issues from the perspective of building our resilience and mental health as writers and business owners.

Chris is the author of the excellent new book, Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons About Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward. He’s written several other books on topics such mental health, faith, and chronic illness. Chris is also the host of the “Resilience and Other Things” podcast.

I got to know Chris a number of years ago through my good friend, Jim Woods. I soon discovered that Chris, who is accountant by trade, was not only a thoughtful and kind person, but one of the most gifted writers I know.

Let me share a bit about Chris in his own words. This is from the bio section of his website, https://chrismorriswrites.com. He says, “I spend my time writing about how to balance faith and difficult times. I have both mental illnesses and chronic illnesses, but I’m learning to thrive anyway. I’ve never been good friends with normal, but I’m well-acquainted with disappointment and pain. I guess that’s why Redefining Normal is part of the code here, because it’s been part of my journey.”

Chris and I talk about several topics in this conversation, including:

You can check out Chris’s books and podcast at https://chrismorriswrites.com.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

So you’ve finished writing that book that’s been on your heart and mind for a long time. You’ve put a lot of time, planning, and energy into crafting the best book possible. You’ve considered your business goals and how the book will help you achieve them. You’ve thought about your reader’s journey and how the book can help them.

Now that you’ve written the book, that’s only part of the journey of bringing this book to life! One of the areas many writers don’t think about much is the design of their book.

As writers, we like to focus on the words and storytelling. However, the design of your book has a huge impact on the reader’s experience, not to mention how you will market it—and how it will be perceived—by your ideal reader.

That’s why I’m excited to bring you this conversation with my friend, Kaycee Parker. She is a graphic designer and writer who has been freelance designing for various clients nationwide for over ten years.

Kaycee published her first devotional book in 2023, titled Devotions on Diabetes: A 30-Day Journey to Anchor Your Soul. (You can grab your copy by visiting https://devotionsondiabetes.com/book.) She enjoys cover design and interior formatting, but more than anything, she loves to help bring a book to life for an author.

In this conversation, we dive into 5 ways to improve the design of your book. This is based on her excellent free guide, which walks you through each of these steps. You can download it by visiting https://kpcommunications.net/bookdesign.

Let me say this as plainly as I can—I see a LOT of self-published authors publish books with mediocre or even terrible covers, or formatting that doesn’t look good. Don’t compromise the quality of your book by letting poor design detract from the reading experience.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

As you’re well aware, there are basically two sides to being a writer. There’s the creative side, which allows us to tell stories and communicate in a way that connects. Then there is the business side, which allows us to create sustainable income in lots of different ways.

Most of us gravitate toward the creative side of writing and struggle with the business side. It doesn’t come as naturally to us. That’s why I’m excited to feature this interview with Liz Wilcox.

I originally ran this interview last year, but shortly after the interview came out, Liz applied to be a contestant on the CBS show Survivor … and made it! I’m re-running this episode not only because you can watch Liz compete on Survivor right now, but also because I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on this conversation.

Liz is the mastermind behind the wildly successful Email Marketing Membership, a simple $9 per month subscription that helps you improve your email marketing through templates. In our conversation, we dive into the story of how she created a business with 3,500 members and moved away from doing client work so she could focus on serving her students and growing her membership.

Liz is going to inspire and motivate you to start putting more time into creating your own content and moving toward building a business that fits your lifestyle and personality! She also happens to have the most fun website I’ve seen in a long time.

You can check out Liz’s Email Marketing Membership at https://lizwilcox.com and grab her free email swipe files, which include templates for an email welcome sequence and more!

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

I’m honored today to bring you a conversation with Honorée Corder, who is my Yoda, Gandalf, and Dumbledore all rolled into one. She’s my mentor and business coach, and it would be an understatement to say she’s had a big impact on my life and business these last few years.

Honorée Corder is the #1 expert on self-publishing. You can scour the internet, and I promise you will not find anyone who has more experience, credibility, or success when it comes to publishing and marketing their own books and creating a multi-layered, successful business from their ideas.

She is also the author of dozens of books, including: You Must Write a Book, The Prosperous Writer book series, Vision to Reality, The Bestselling Book Formula, Write Your First Nonfiction Book, She’s sold millions of books, so she definitely knows a thing or two about selling and success. Honoree also runs the Empire Builders Mastermind, which has been an awesome experience these last couple of years.

One of the ways we work together is that Honorée offers bespoke book creation to clients, and I’m the ghostwriter for those projects. Basically, this means it’s ghostwriting, publishing, and marketing at a very high level. It’s been an honor and a pleasure working on her team because she not only knows about marketing … she’s also written dozens of books and has sold books in every conceivable way.

Today’s episode is a recording from Honorée’s recent appearance as a guest expert in our Profitable Writer Community. We do a call each week, and once a month we feature an expert. Honorée shared some thoughts about money mindset and book monetization from her brand-new book, You Must Monetize Your Book.

On this call, we hit on several key topics:

I encourage you to grab a copy of her new book because she shares a lot more detail than what you’ll hear on this call. But I hope it whets your appetite for more!

You can connect with Honorée and learn more about her books, courses, and more, by visiting https://honoreecorder.com.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.

On many of our Profitable Writer episodes, I bring on a guest who has expertise on a certain topic. They come on the show to help us figure out how to solve a specific problem or give guidance or help us improve in some way.

Other times, I bring on a guest because they have an interesting story and I believe we can learn some things, and be deeply inspired by, their journey as a writer. Today’s episode definitely falls into that category because I know you’ll be just as encouraged and inspired as I was by our guest. Let me tell you a bit about her.

Barbara Richter is an accomplished author, public speaker, French-to-English translator, podcast host of Writing for Immortality, and founder of DIYBook and In Ink Ghostwriting.

Barbara has had a multifaceted career, including roles as the Managing Editor for Literary Features Syndicate, columnist for Fine Books and Collections Magazine, and contributor to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, and other outlets.

She launched DIYBook in 2023, a comprehensive solution designed to make book writing and publishing accessible and affordable for authors at all levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. On her podcast, Writing for Immortality, Barbara shares insider advice and strategies for writers at every stage of the writing process featuring discussions with a wide array of guests from the industry.

Barbara is also the founder of In Ink Ghostwriting, one of the premier ghostwriting firms in the NYC area with clients from around the world, which delivers an assortment of writing services. From business books to memoirs and novels, the firm caters to a diverse clientele, such as best-selling authors, NFL players, Fortune 500 CEOs, artists, musicians, doctors, entrepreneurs, and attorneys.

She lives in Westchester, New York, with her family and beloved basset hounds. You can connect with Barbara via her website, https://www.ininkghostwriting.com or https://www.diybook.us. Please note that you can get a free 7-day trial of the DIYBook program, no code needed, when you sign up.

In today’s conversation, Barbara and I talk about her journey as a professional writer: how she got started, different roles she’s had, her experience in ghostwriting and podcast, starting DIYBook, and more.

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Today’s episode is sponsored by Karen Hunsanger, an incredible editor known as “The Word Wizard.” I’ve worked with Karen many times, and she is your secret weapon for crafting the highest-quality book possible. Visit the link above for a free sample edit.