Writer Craft Podcast

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Show Notes:

Use the story rubric at https://valerieihsan.com . It's great for objectively identifying areas that need development and using a shared vocabulary with your critique partners.

Receiving feedback requires open mind, growth mindset, willingness to hear the feedback, and being specific about the kind of feedback you want/need.

Giving feedback requires being constructive and using vocabulary that specifies the area that needs development. Saying, "I just didn't get it" isn't helpful, and could actually be harmful.

Show Notes:

Use the Rubric (available at valerieihsan.com for free) after drafting to have shared vocabulary to use with your critique partners and editors. And for self-editing. Find the parts that need work and study them as needed. (Read craft books on that subject, or listen to podcasts.)

If a reader says:

• "I just don't seem to connect with the character," work on inner dialogue, and character motivation (needs and wants).
• "The character seemed flat. She didn't change at all," work on the character arc by giving her a potentially life-altering flaw at the beginning of the book, and a big global choice at the end of the book where she can kill her flaw.
• "The ending was just 'Meh',", beef up the global choice (it needs to be a Best Bad Choice or an Irreconcilable Good Choice, and related to the character flaw), and make sure you've got a theme--take away message, the 'point' of the story, or what you are saying about the world.
• "I kept waiting for the story to 'start'," make sure the character's needs/wants are clear from the very beginning. That's what tells the reader, "OK, now the story really starts. We're going to see how he gets the thing he wants." Plus, make sure you've got a good hook to keep them engaged until your character reveals his needs/wants.
• "It was boring. I just couldn't get into it," means that probably you are doing more Telling than Showing and you can fix that with more inner dialogue and concrete sensory details. 70% of communication is non-verbal. When "in scene" (as opposed to a reflexive thinking segment between action), only write what the "camera" can see or hear. What does disdain look like? What does fear sound like in a voice?

All of this takes honesty with self and a healthy inner-analyst; What does you book need? What are your weaknesses?

Next Episode: How to Give and Receive Feedback in Critique Groups

Find Us:

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Writer's Block is a real thing, but I believe it is a symptom of something else. Whether it is procrastination, the story is broken, or you are trying to write to market and it's "just not you," there are ways to break through the writer's block and get you back to the page.

**

Show Notes:

When Can Writer's Block Hit?

• Manuscript is broken

• Procrastination

• Fear

• Not ready to write

• Do I have room right now in my life to write this?

• Situational block

• Burnt out

• Forcing a process that is not your own

Tools:

• Toss it and write a new story

• Start another writing project to switch back and forth to

• Address the "energy" you need for the project; Maybe you're stopping because you've hit the hard/boring part

• Find a way that feeds the story (fill creative well)

• Space and environment are important

• Retreat

• Coaching

Next Episode: What's Wrong With My Story?

Find Us:

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Show Notes:

How do you start? FOMO creates stress. How do I do all of it?

Marching order:

1. Real estate (website--build your house);

2. Put up content: review books, talk about movies, response videos to current shows, try to get people to your site main purpose; non-fiction authors write to topic (keywords--what are people actually searching for by using Google Keyword Planner),

2.5. Build a content plan/strategy quarterly;

3. Advertising you don't own, but that's the next step.

The more organic (without ads), long-tail (rose bush cultivating in Pacific Northwest), and evergreen (Rose Cultivation Basics) the content is the healthier your property is. Google looks at authority overtime. Start with bigger topics. Then work into more niche (long-tail) topics. Google rewards video content because they own YouTube. Make sure you use meta data and keywords in the description box. (#authormarketing) Embed video in the blog post. And use meta data again.

Blog post: Video, description 300 words minimum, link to audio feed.

Nutshell: Knowing market, what market wants, build from there in a realm you own (and enjoy). Building authority. (Be you and be genuine.) Model after your own searching habits. 5 to 1 principle: give readers five things to every 1 sales pitch.

I'M READING:

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce;

Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier;

Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Erick's Reading:

• Hyperion by Dan Simmons
• 1 Last Betrayal by Valerie Brooks

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 109 of the podcast and it's April 5, 2023 as we record this.

Main Topic: SEO (Part 2 in our Marketing That You Own series)

PATREON:

No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Patreon.com/strangeairstories for paranormal mysteries short stories

Comments: email from listener:

Questions from listeners:

Announcements:

• 1) Next Group Coaching cohort is starting soon! On sale now for $333. April 11- June 7 weekly; Tuesdays 2:00 p.m. (day and time negotiated by cohort)

UPDATE:

• Valerie: quarterly check-in and not monthly check-in felt weird; lots of knitting!; compiling a master list of business tasks so that I can prioritize them.
• Erick: getting to finished points on two books, (accidental rapid release later this year)

Just finished: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

I'M READING: The Blackhorse by Carole Johnstone ; Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next: audiobook library pick. I want to finish this sweater!

• Erick's Reading:
• The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood
• Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Show Notes:

Make sure you have Google Analytics on website at the very least.

Search Engine = Google; Google scans All Pages On The Internet; Which page is most likely to help the searcher?

When building a page (blog, site, YT) you are optimizing that content so that Google can find it. Tailor the content for that purpose--to rise to the top of those search results.

Website = newspaper (Erick analogy.)

Write blog topics based on google search terms. (What's a hot search term right now?)

Tailor your content to the broad topic (called long tail search term) and create content based on each smaller keyword.

YOST plug-in gives you red/green lights on each page, and tells you where to naturally put your keywords.

Google crawls your site to look for new content. Goal: to rank for multiple relevant keywords. After two dozen pages of targeted content, you'll be pushed up in the searches. This marketing strategy is part of SEO. (Or maybe the other way around?)

Erick works on this quarterly and weekly. Every quarter he looks for trending search terms and plans a quarter of blog post topics; and writes one each week for his blog.

Also, thinking about how to narrow the search terms. "Ghost writer" becomes "best ghost writer for hire in Portland Oregon."

This works especially well for writers that provide author services and non-fiction authors, but what about fiction writers?

Fiction: what are your competitive keywords? Take the low hanging fruit. Be the best small fish.

"Mystery author" (competitive), "Oregon City author" is less competitive than "Portland author."

It's about branding. If "Books about haunted towns" is the search term, write a blog post on "Top Ten Haunted Towns."

You can look at SEO like choosing amazon keywords and categories for your book. Amazon book page is same as a website page in terms of content for Google to search.

Site age does factor in to the Google ranking.

Start SEO habit today, don't go back to fix old blog posts. Republishing blogs does count as new content, though.

Next Steps:

1. Install Google Analytics on your website.

2. Install Yost on your website.

3. Brainstorm for search terms. What do you want to rank for in six months? (Think highest paying job.)

4. Take each term and put it in AdWords or Keyword Planner, and it will give you fifty other terms that fit, and rank them.

5. Start with lowest competitive terms. (What does it cost to run an ad on that word?) And write a blog post on that.

Alternate topics.

It all starts with content. (There are further strategies that come beyond the page, but you need content first. This can be: blog post; pictures can have keywords, too (meta tagging); video descriptions.

Tools to use for SEO, domain analysis, and keywords: Google Analytics, Google Ad Words, Yoast, Moz.

Talk to Erick about it. Email him to start a conversation. He can help you get started.

SEO Consultants are expensive. There's a lot you can do BEFORE you hire one.

Semrush, The HOTH

Resources:

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group (Jennie Komp's group)

3 Bird View FB page (Jennie Kemp's business page)

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for author coaching.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 108 of the podcast and it's March 28, 2023 as we record this.

Main Topic: Website Basics

PATREON:

No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Patreon.com/strangeairstories for paranormal mysteries short stories

Comments: email from listener:

Questions from listeners:

Announcements:

• 1) Next Group Coaching cohort is starting soon! On sale now for $333. April 11- June 7 weekly; Tuesdays 2:00 p.m. (day and time negotiated by cohort)

UPDATE:

• Valerie: Coaching and birthday stuff
• Erick: website re-do

Just finished: Pilgrimage by J.F. Penn and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden.

I'M READING: The Blackhorse by Carole Johnstone ; Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next:

• Erick's Reading: Fairy Tale by Stephen King; anthologies from mom Dr Who 50th anniversary edition; Dispatches from Anarres

Show Notes:

Website (own your home; renting is risky): URLs that are you.

Sitemap shows navigational flow

Above the fold: mailing list signup and reader magnet

Pages: About/Philosophy, Coaching, Editing, Podcast/News, Shopping, Retreat, Contact Me, Testimonials

Home page: tag line/branding; About; Books; Categories of Books; Blog (can be gallery of images, podcast, video blog, showcase); reading lists, featured on... ;

#1purpose: Mailing list capture

#2 purpose: keep people there as long as possible

#3 purpose: convert to a customer

Model after authors in your genre (how to depict self, branding); and in your journey (like, one book or a step ahead of where you are)

Buy URL (claim domain name) ~$100 for two years

Get hosting (GoDaddy, BlueHost, HostGator, Squarespace)

The bigger the website, the more complex the build.

Resources:

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group

3 Bird View FB page

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Jennie's Bio:

J. Komp, of Just Key Edits, has been taking apart stories, to explain why we love or hate them, for over 30 years. A Behavioral Science major, that found her voice after a decade of live theater productions, Jennie lives for stories that are as entertaining and consumable as they are transformative. Her development editing focuses on the connection between a book and its potential audience, emphasizing the tangible elements that bring a story into a reader's everyday life and reveal our relationship with the extraordinary.

Jennie's style, in both fiction and non-fiction, bridges that elusive gap between art and business. She's taken 2 companies to over 4 million Facebook fans, in less than a year, leads a live online, Read & Critique group for every proficiency level and type of writer, teaches at seminars and writers conferences across the country, and manages writers committed to reaching their publishing goals. A distinctive realist, Jennie's dark sense of humor is balanced by a mantra that is the standard for everything she does, "the Disney is in the details."

Jennie's Read: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

Valerie's Reads:

Pilgrimage by J.F. Penn and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden.

Erick's Read: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Jennie's new book!: The Phone: An Unruly Collection of Second Chances

In Erick's update, he mentions "noodling" and I immediately thought of this (which was not what he was talking about!): https://youtu.be/Yu0GhasxOws (Kathleen Madigan video clip of stand-up talking about Noodling. Hilarious!)

Jennie's group you can join:

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group

3 Bird View FB page

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 106 of the podcast and it's March 22, 2023 as we record this.

Main Topic: Setbacks

PATREON:

No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Patreon.com/strangeairstories for paranormal mysteries short stories

Comments: email from listener:

Questions from listeners:

Announcements:

• 1)

UPDATE:

• Valerie: book launch party, speaking event, author expo, pitching conferences, doing some group coaching for The Author Life Community this weekend, some health issues slowed me down a bit.
• Erick: website error took me out of a week's worth of work; mountain of little client work to finish before getting back to my own work.

Just finished: You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

I'M READING: Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix; Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next: Pilgrimage by J.F. Penn and The Blackhorse by Carole Johnstone

• Erick's Reading: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Show Notes:

"Everybody has a plan until you get hit in the mouth." Mike Tyson

It will happen--losing control. You can't insulate yourself or your business from setbacks.

It's okay to get angry or sad. Let it out.

Sometimes immediate response doesn't work, isn't helpful.

Acknowledge the life shift and make a new plan.

Making a new plan is empowering and gives space for new growth.

"You might need a rest stop." And not every one knows how to merge, so there will be detours along the way.

Take away:

1. Feel your feelings.

2. Empower yourself to find a new plan

3. Be analytical and reflective about why it happened. Sometimes there is no answer.

4. Leave space for recovery.

5. Start the new plan.

6. Find support to carry on with the new plan.

Next episode: interview author Jennie Komp

Resources:

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice.

Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 105 of the podcast and it's March 8, 2023 as we record this.

Main Topic: Reflection as an Indie Author Tool

PATREON:

No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Patreon.com/strangeairstories for paranormal mysteries short stories

Comments: email from listener:

Questions from listeners:

Announcements:

• 1) Book launch party on Saturday
• 2) Chasing Shadows 99 cents on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YZ44QXF

UPDATE:

• Valerie: Went to Becca Syme's Publishing conference this past weekend. Blew my mind. I'll be going every year now. Got my books and delivered them to the bookstore for the launch party on Saturday. Starting new book project today; met with co-writer yesterday to set up the outline.
• Erick: Website crashed; that consumed all of last week; working to catch up on client work, as a result; released reader magnet "Forgotten Shadows;" from the ground up marketing; reengaged with newsletter swaps; working on main series, plus side series with

Just finished: In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber

I'M READING: Maame by Jessica George; Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next: The Blackhorse by Carole Johnstone

• Erick's Reading: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

Show Notes: "Only do what you are good at." (Wisdom gem from Erick.)

You don't need to use a spreadsheet for metrics; It can be more "feelings" oriented.

Pick a section of time (or a work) to reflect on. For instance, a co-writing experience, writing your last novel, the ad campaign you did last week, your last month.

Example questions to ask yourself:

• What was the most memorable part of this past month?
• What were the three biggest lessons you've learned in this past month?
• Assess your priorities. Are you happy with how you spent your time? If not, what steps can you take next month to adjust them?
• What did you accomplish this past month? What are you most proud of?
• What or who are you especially grateful for this past month?
• Name three things you can improve on this upcoming month. What are concrete actions you can take to work towards these improvements?

Next episode:

Resources:

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice.

Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Find Us:

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 104 of the podcast and it's March 1, 2023 as we record this.

Main Topic: Launch Day -- We live in an upside down world.

PATREON:

No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

Patreon.com/strangeairstories for paranormal mysteries short stories

Comments: email from listener: Catherine says, "I just bought your book and can't wait to read it!"

Questions from listeners:

Announcements:

• 1) This week I was interviewed on Sample Chapter Podcast; You can hear me read the first chapter of You Can't Dance a Lie after a short interview. https://samplechapterpodcast.com/valerie-ihsan-you-cant-dance-a-lie
• 2) New Patreon story up this week for Erick; new stuff coming.

UPDATE:

• Valerie: Launch Day. Amazon is linking large print, pb, and ebook. Ingram got back to me to wait for hardcover dust jacket issue. Taxes prepped. Goal: reduce expenses by 10% (Profit First)
• Erick: tax prep this last weekend; Erick is weird and enjoys doing his taxes. Subscription audit. Finished a second novella. Novel re-write is slowing, due to writer's group logistics. Novellas end up being ebook only. Thinking of creating omnibus of short stories and novellas.

Just finished: Profit First

I'M READING: Only Good Indians (Not into it yet.); Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next: In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber, The Blackhorse by Carole Johnstone

• Erick's Reading: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

Show Notes: feed the book buying energy; new things to talk about; struggling with Learning in Public. Email [email protected] if you want the Writing and Publishing Checklist Valerie uses.

Next episode:

Resources:

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice.

Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book.

Other Resources:

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates.

I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news

The Author Life Community

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE188

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