WriterCon

Best-selling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews Dan Millman, internationally acclaimed author of The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Register for WriterCon 2020 while the Early Bird price is still available. You can attend the conference in person, stream the conference, or both.

Chapter 2: News
a) Black Lives Matter and protests all across the nation are impacting books. Black-owned bookstores are seeing increased sales, as are books treating issues of race.
b) Bookstores are cautiously reopening.
c) Major publishers have sued The Internet Archive for digitizing books without consent from copyright owners.
d) Bernhardt recounts his experience using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to stop illegal downloads of his books from Twitter.

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
A recent study indicates that men will give up on a book they aren't enjoying after fifty pages while women stay for about 100—but you want your readers to finish the book and love every page. Bernhardt discusses approaches to writing irresistible openings that hook readers and keep them reading.

Chapter 4: Interview
Bernhardt interviews Dan Millman, past WriterCon keynote speaker and the author of seventeen books, including The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. He talks about how transformative character arc can make your story one that readers not only enjoy but remember long after the reading experience has ended.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
a) ConsciousStyleGuide.com offers tips, language, and vocabulary advice for writing about sensitive subjects involving minority groups.
b) Jane Friedman has complied a list of websites where you can make financial contributions to support various organizations trying to support the African-American commuunity, protestors, and grieving families: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pf76L5azQN9ahbhbt7MRmKb5sBZgeUWbXKLoPJO592Y/edit?ts=5edbd445#gid=0
c) Register now to attend or stream WriterCon2020: www.writercon.org

Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the publishing world, offers writing tips, and interviews Damon Courtney of Book Funnel on how writers can maximize sales and find “superfans.”

Chapter 1: Introduction
The Early Bird registration fee for WriterCon 2020 (writercon.org) expires on June 15. You can attend in person or stream the conference online and even have private meetings with agents and editors by Skype.

Chapter 2: News
1)Lawsuits between authors writing in the fan fiction “Omegaverse” illuminate how copyright law can be “weaponized” and the impossibility of owning a world that you did not originate.
2)Author sues major publisher claiming AI “text spinning” was used to plagiarize original work.
3)Book sales improved in April.
4)In the wake of racism claims, RWA retires the Rita Award and launches the Vivian.
5)Draft2Digital partners with Vivlio to distribute books to European markets.
6)Kindlepreneur adds a book description generator/formatter to its webpage.

Chapter 3: Interview
Bernhardt interviews Damon Courtney of BookFunnel about how to maximize sales with landing pages, freebies, newsletters, mailing lists, and other services designing to help writers acquire and keep “superfans.”

Chapter 4: Parting Words
Register for WriterCon 2020 today! www.writercon.org

Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of publishing, offers writing tips, and interviews Mag Dimond, author of the beautiful travel and meditation memoir, Bowing to Elephants.

Chapter 1: Introduction
a)Twisted Justice by William Bernhardt breaks new sales records.
b)The Early Bird price for registering for WriterCon 2020 (Sept 4-6) expires on June 1.
c)Bernhardt will lead a small-group writing retreat at the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow on July 8-12.

Chapter 2: News
a)Apple Books creates a portal to allow writers to upload books directly.
b)The president of Simon & Schuster passes.
c)The Big Five are having problems. Macmillan releases employees while other major publishers post declining sales.
d)Books-A-Million is reopening.
e)Bernhardt predicts we are witnessing a milestone moment in the history of publishing, a decrease in the importance of New York publishing and an increased turn toward digital books, online sales, and print-on-demand.

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
Bernhardt discusses a study by David Gaughran analyzing the Amazon Bestseller list versus the Amazon Popularity list and what it indicates. Writers should make sure their work sends a clear message about its genre and target audience. Covers matter, titles matter, and price matters.

Chapter 4: Interview with Mag Dimond
The author of Bowing to Elephants discusses what she has learned from her travels and the importance of mindfulness and mediation.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
Keep safe, keep sane, and keep writing.

For info about WriterCon: www.writercon.org
For info about Bernhardt’s small-group writing retreat: www.williambernhardt.com/writing-retreats

William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews Lara Bernhardt, author of Ghosts of Guthrie and editor-in-chief at Balkan Press.

Chapter One: Introduction
WriterCon 2020, William Bernhardt’s annual writers conference, will take place on September 4-7. Streaming options will provide an optional way to attend.

Chapter Two: News
a)Alaska School Board removes The Great Gatsby and other classics from the curriculum
b)UK protests arise when anonymous donation to indie bookstores is revealed to have come from…a surprising source.
c)Bookfinity.com helps readers find new books
d)The Internet Archive states that it will remove authors’ work (made available for download without compensation to authors) upon request. So Bill tests the claim…
e)COVID-19 Impact Report: Libraries see increases in eBooks and eMagazines borrowing. Print book sales are up 10% over the previous week. Major publishers are turning to POD for print editions. Bookstores are starting to reopen. Penguin Random House delays payment of advances.
f)Barnes & Noble delays payment of author royalties. Draft2Digital agrees to pay those author royalties to its authors out of its own pocket.
g)This may be a pivotal moment in the evolution of the publishing world.

Chapter Three: Writing Tips
Do you have conversations with your fictional characters? Don’t worry about it—a new study shows that most writers do. There’s nothing wrong with it—in fact, it may be a good way to make characters three-dimensional, to develop a voice, and to write convincing dialogue.

Chapter Four:
Lara Bernhardt, author of Ghosts of Guthrie and editor-in-chief of Balkan Press and Conclave magazine, offers a top five list of advice for writers working with authors.

Chapter Five: Parting Words
William Bernhardt’s new novel, Twisted Justice (Book 4 in the Daniel Pike series) is now on sale. Lara Bernhardt’s new novel, Ghosts of Guthrie (Book 3 in the Wantland Files series) is also on sale. WriterCon 2020 will happen, September 4-7 in Oklahoma City. For more information, visit: writercon.org.

Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, offers writing tips, and interviews New York Times-bestselling author Steve Berry, author of the Cotton Malone historical thrillers.

Chapter One: Introduction
Twisted Justice (Daniel Pike Legal Thriller #4) can be ordered now!

Chapter Two: News
Books sales are down during the pandemic (except in juvenile nonfiction), but eBooks constitute a larger percentage of overall sales.
Many indicators suggest that the pandemic will cause serious problems for traditional publishers.
Comic book stores and independent bookstores are hit hard by the pandemic.
The largest US printer has filed for bankruptcy.
Barnes & Noble is late on royalty payments.
Harlequin adds a non-disparagement clause to freelance contracts.
The National Emergency Library continues to offend by offering access to eBooks without obtaining author consent.
Congratulations to winners of the Walt Whitman and Conclave prizes.
There are many sources of financial aid for writers in need.

Chapter Three: Writing Tips
Should you write about the coronavirus pandemic?

Chapter Four: Interview
Steve Berry has sold more than 25 million copies of his historical thrillers worldwide. In this interview, he talks about the lessons he has learned during this incredibly successful writing career.

Chapter Five: Parting Words
Did I mention that Twisted Justice is now on sale?

This podcast was edited by Jesse Ulrich, CEO of Rant9 Productions

Bestselling author William Bernhardt analyzes the latest news from the world of books, offers tips for writers during the coronavirus crisis, and interviews New York Times-bestselling author William Martin.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Bernhardt offers listeners a free Red Sneaker Writers book.
Bernhardt's new thriller, Twisted Justice, can now be ordered.
Bernhardt's sons have a movie review YouTube channel. Search for: William Bernhardt

Chapter 2: News
Scribd is offering free access for 30 days.
Kindle Unlimited subscriptions are free for two months.
Apple is offering free eBooks and audiobooks.
The Internet Archive has created a controversial National Emergency Library to distribute free eBooks during this crisis--with no compensation to the authors.
Book sales continue to drop in most areas--but not in juvenile nonfiction.
Penguin Classics is diversifying its list of classics.

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
Bernhardt shares what has inspired him to write these past thirty years--hoping to inspire listeners. Use this time to write!

Chapter 4: Interview with William Martin
William Martin has been a bestselling author of historic thrillers, most recently Bound for Gold, for almost forty years. He shares some of the secrets and lessons he has learned during this amazing career.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
For your free book, email: [email protected]
Please consider ordering Bernhardt's latest thriller, Twisted Justice

Thanks to the composer of our new theme music:

Funny Adventures by WinnieTheMoog
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6048-funny-adventures
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Summer Hit by WinnieTheMoog
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6036-summer-hit
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Bestselling author William Bernhardt analyzes the latest news from the book world, offers writing tips, OFFERS FREE BOOKS, and interviews successful ghostwriter and Christian writer Melanie Hemry.

Chapter 1: Introduction
While we persevere through this world crisis, William Bernhardt is offering all podcast listeners a free copy of any one of his nine books on writing--your choice. Email him at [email protected] and tell him which book you want.

Chapter 2: News
1) Book events cancelled during the coronavirus crisis.
2) Simon & Schuster for sale for $1.2 billion.
3) Baker & Taylor reveals which genres libraries buy most.
4) Amazon, Scribd and others make special offers to readers

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
William Bernhardt encourages authors who are homebound or quarantined during the coronavirus scare to USE THIS! If this has given you extra time to work at home, double-down on your writing. Emerge from this crisis with something wonderful.

Chapter 4: Interview
Melanie Hemry discusses her ghostwriting career, largely in the Christian book market, which has led to great success and more than fifty published books.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
Stay safe. And write.

For a free digital copy of one of the Red Sneaker books on writing, email: [email protected].

Bestselling author William Bernhardt hosts this podcast for Red Sneaker Writers--writers who are serious about building a writing career and looking for useful information to help them do it. In this podcast, he discusses the latest news, offers writing tips, and interviews Liz Berry, co-publisher of the 1001 Dark Nights romance line.

Chapter 1: Introduction
There's new content on the WriterCon website! Register now to get the Early Bird price!

Chapter 2: News
Ingram announces new content integrity standards
Simon & Schuster is for sale
Cli-fi genre emerges
Hallmark and Walmart announce a new romance line
Scott Carney Reddit posts discusses the merits of self-publishing

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
Bernhardt discusses the importance of setting and advises writers to choose a setting that will heighten the key elements of your novel.

Chapter 4: Interview with Liz Berry
Bernhardt interviews the book marketer and co-founder of the 1001 Dark Nights romance line. Liz explains how in five years she built a company that has already sold over three million books.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
Register now for WriterCon while you can still get into the small-group Lunches with the Stars, the banquet, and the Monday Masterclasses. Learn more at writer con.org

Bestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the book world, offers tips for increasing sales of your books, and interviews Laurel Thomas, author of the novel River's Call.

Chapter 1: Introduction
Recovering from the WriterCon Cruise--and planning the cruise for next year.

Chapter 2: News
a) Colin Kaepernick opts to self-pub his memoir and makes deal with Audible
b) Codex Group says Amazon Publishing has the most clicked covers
c) Two new romance imprints have been announced
d) Details on Audible settlement over Captions program
e) Entire RWA Board resigns
f) Poetry sales soared last year
g) Proposed Missouri law could charge librarians for "age-inappropriate" materials
h) Twitter account nominated for literary prize

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
Bernhardt discusses the takeaways from a panel at the SF Conference describing how Amazon Publishing promotes a debut novel, which includes strategic marketing, visibility, pricing, and much more.

Chapter 4: Interview
Bernhardt interviews Laurel Thomas, a regular face at the annual WriterCon conference in Oklahoma City, and the author of her first novel, River's Call. She discusses how the book came to be and her personal road to publication.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
Bernhardt invites comments on the podcast. Email him at: [email protected]

WriterCon: www.writercon.org
Summer Writing Retreat: www.williambernhardt.com/writing-retreats

Bestselling author William Bernhardt podcasts live from the 2020 WriterCon Cruise.

Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, presents writing tips, and interviews Rick Ludwig, author of the Maui Mysteries, most recently Pele's Fire.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: News
a) The American Dirt controversy intensifies.
b) Independent online bookstore Bookshop launches.
c) Amazon sales reports indicates many self-pub authors are making over $100,000.

Chapter 3: Writing Tips
Three writers attending the WriterCon Cruise--Betsey Kulakowski, Cary Herwig, and Martin Ludlum, share what they have learned.

Chapter 4: Interview with Rick Ludwig
The author of Pele's Fire discusses the unique flavor of his Maui Mysteries, what makes a great mystery, and how to survive in the modern publishing world.

Chapter 5: Parting Words
WriterCon will sponsor another cruise in 2021. In the meantime, William Bernhardt will host a summertime small-group writing retreat in Eureka Springs, and the annual writing conference, WriterCon 2020, will take place in Oklahoma City over Labor Day weekend.

Retreats: https://www.williambernhardt.com/red-sneaker-writers
Conference: https://writercon.org