The Writing Podcast

Voice is your writing DNA. It's what makes your writing unique. It's what makes someone say, "You must read this author." Voice is how authors create a following. In this episode, Dave interviews Melissa about how she developed her writing voice. Melissa is frank about her insecurities and honest about the work she did to formulate her distinctive voice. This episode is for aspiring writers on the wonderful and often-long road to developing their voice.

Is a writers retreat worth your time and money? Will you really make progress on your book? That depends on what you want from the retreat. In this episode, Melissa and Dave raise and answer five questions to help you determine whether you should go on a writers retreat.

If you want your book to sell, the hard work of promoting it must begin the moment you lay down your first sentence. Promotion is a mindset that may be difficult to embrace as a writer. In this episode, we identify the three phases of promoting your book. We also discuss some practical book promotion ideas to jump start your thinking.

This week is launch week. Sean Scherer is launching his book, “Kabinett & Kammer," which took ten years to write. Yes, ten years. In this episode Melissa Parks and Dave Goetz interview Sean about the book writing journey and what he is doing specifically during "launch week" to promote the book.

The journey from first sentence to printed book comprises a lot of moving parts. In this episode, Melissa and Dave provide an overview of the complete roadmap for publishing your book. This episode is for those who want to understand the big picture. Each element demands that the author pays attention to detail, especially near the end of the process.

Just because you're a dynamic speaker doesn't mean you can easily convert your PPT presentations into a book. Speaking isn't writing. Yet within all content that you've created for presentations may be an idea that is book worthy. In this episode, we pick apart the idea of tossing your presentations into chapters and churning out an instant book. Instead, we help you with identifying a strong book idea and coming up with research, stories, and observation to create a book that impacts the world.

The first chapter of your book is key to how your writing unfolds. And whether the reader will stay engaged for the rest of the book. The first chapter must champion the promise of your book. In this interview with HarperOne senior vice president Mickey Maudlin, he discusses the importance of your book "pitch" - and making sure you answer the question, "Why should I as a reader pay $19.95 for this book?"

Many professionals feel uneasy about hiring a ghostwriter: Is doing so an accepted practice? In this episode, Dave and Melissa allay the fears of those who may want to hire a ghostwriter - and offer some practical advice on how to stay engaged in the process - and come out the other end with a book that you feel proud to promote.

It's one thing to make time for writing if doing so is your full-time job. But for most professionals, making time to write is a detraction from doing the very activities that generate immediate revenue. In this episode with Liz Repking, cyber safety consultant, she describes the difficulty of making time to write and finding the confidence to move forward with the project. Her story about completing the Boston Marathon will inspire you to keep moving from "water station to water station" in your book writing.

In this first episode, Dave and Melissa address one of the more muddy issues of writing book - developmental editing. Often developmental editing is confused with line editing or even proofing. If you're self-publishing a book, you need the function of a developmental editor to sharpen your book thesis, help you structure the book, and tell better stories.