Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

Authorpreneur Jeniffer Thompson knows how to harness the power of personal branding. Through various books and speaking events, she teaches authors around the world how to find their voice, attract their desired readers, create a sustainable online presence, and ultimately find success while being authentic. Jeniffer is well known for running Jeniffer Thompson Consulting and Monkey C Media, both consulting firms that help authors through the publishing process. Her latest publication, How to Write a Professional Bio: For Authors, Speakers, and Entrepreneurs, is available below.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Jeniffer Thompson - https://jenifferthompson.com/

Monkey C Media - https://monkeycmedia.com/

How to Write a Professional Bio by Jeniffer Thompson - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081J8MW89/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, J, J.D., and Zach talk about why every author needs a mailing list and how to build one from scratch, maintain expectations, and continuously acquire new readers.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

Google Play Books Announcement

Google Play Books has redesigned our promotional pricing tool, which allows publishers to change the list price of their book for a specified date range.

Publishers are no longer required to upload a spreadsheet to activate a promotional price. Instead, publishers can easily create a new campaign in their Promotions tab by selecting the promotion’s date range, titles, and prices. For a step-by-step guide to promotional pricing, visit g.co/play/promopricing.

When a publisher discounts their book on Google Play Books, the book becomes eligible for additional in-store merchandising and customer notifications. This doesn’t mean that every book will receive every promotion, but this discount significantly increases the book’s likelihood of receiving more promotion in the storefront.

These discount promotions are driven by our algorithm and can include:

Appearance in a collection highlighting discounted titles, including relevant genre collections

Targeted in-app notifications and emails to customers that have wishlisted or sampled that title

As a reminder, Google Play Books recently launched another marketing tool for publishers: promo code campaigns. Promo code campaigns can be used to offer select customers a discounted book without lowering the book’s list price. After creating a promo code campaign, publishers can easily share the deal via a link to the Play Store, where customers can redeem the discounted book offer.

Both promotional pricing and promo code campaigns can be used to offer discounts to customers in 75+ countries. To get started, publishers can visit the Partner Center and go to the Promotions tab.

Tell J.D. your ghost story - https://jdbarker.com/haunted/

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dacre Stoker is committed to keeping his great great-uncle’s work alive and relevant. By writing Dracul, a prequel to Dracula, with JD, reproducing Bram’s first-edition classics, and adapting his little-known short stories into graphic novels, he has expanded the Bram Stoker universe to a generation of new readers by retelling old stories in a new and exciting way. Dacre is an international bestselling author who is well known for works like Dracula the Un-Dead and The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker and for offering extensive Transylvania tours that help uncover the real geography referenced in Bram’s writing. To learn more about Dacre’s work, visit the links below.

From DacreStoker.com:

Dacre Stoker is the great grand-nephew of Bram Stoker and the international best-selling co-author of Dracula the Un-Dead (Dutton, 2009), the official Stoker family endorsed sequel to Dracula. Dacre is also the co-editor (with Elizabeth Miller) of The Lost Journal of Bram Stoker: The Dublin Years (Robson Press, 2012). His latest novel, Dracul, a prequel to Dracula, released in October 2018 co-authored with JD Barker, has been sold to Putnam in North America, Penguin Random House in the UK, and additional publishers in France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Brazil, Serbia, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Poland with film rights purchased by Paramount Studios.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, Jim Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Dacre Stoker - http://dacrestoker.com/

Dracul - https://mybook.to/Dracul

Back Dacre’s Reproduction Project - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geminiartifacts/first-editions-dracula/faqs

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With twenty-one Joe Pickett books under his belt, New York Times bestseller C.J. Box knows how to write an extended series. By maintaining previous worlds and characters that fans love, creating new and innovative storylines, and gaining exposure through advertisements and book tours, he keeps readers coming back for every book. C.J. is the #1 bestseller of more than thirty novels, including two wildly successful series, Joe Pickett and Cassie Dewell, the latter of which was adapted into “Big Sky” by David E. Kelley. To order his most recent publication, Dark Sky, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

C. J. Box is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-two novels including the Joe Pickett series. He won the Edgar Alan Poe Award for Best Novel (Blue Heaven, 2009) as well as the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award (twice), the Western Heritage Award for Literature, and 2017 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Western. The novels have been translated into 27 languages. Open Season, Blue Heaven, Nowhere To Run, and The Highway have been optioned for film and television. Millions of copies of his novels have been sold in the U.S. alone.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

C.J. Box - https://www.cjbox.net/

Dark Sky - https://mybook.to/DarkSky

“Big Sky” - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11794642/

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jean Hanff Korelitz knows how to take a story from book to screen. By both working closely with producers but also understanding that adapted stories will be inherently different, she has learned to give up a level of creative control in order to create a show or film that is just as good as the book. Jean has published six novels since she entered the industry in 1996, two of which garnered considerable attention from screenwriters: Admission (2009) was adapted for a film starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd and You Should Have Known (2014) was adapted for a limited series on HBO by David E. Kelley. She even personally adapted James Joyce’s The Dead, 1904 into a theatrical production. Her most recent novel, The Plot, is available for preorder now.

From Amazon.com:

Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of the novels YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted for HBO as "The Undoing" by David E. Kelley, and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film starring Tina Fey), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS. A new novel, THE PLOT, will be published on May 11th 2021. Her company BOOKTHEWRITER hosts "Pop-Up Book Groups" in NYC, where small groups of readers can discuss new books with their authors. www.bookthewriter.com

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Jean Hanff Korelitz - https://www.jeanhanffkorelitz.com/

Admission - https://mybook.to/Admission

The Plot - https://mybook.to/ThePlotBook

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, J, J.D., and Zach discuss the advantages of using different mediums, such as TV, film, video games, and comics, to tell stories and how authors should approach these different modes of storytelling.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Lee Hancock’s recent film, “The Little Things,” brings to life many key aspects of viewer engagement and character development that translate from the cinema to the page. Through excellently written mystery and complex, relatable characters, he hooks viewers early on and keeps them on their toes throughout the movie. Hancock is an accomplished screenwriter, director, and producer who is well known for his role in films like “My Dog Skip,” “The Alamo,” and “The Highwaymen.” To get tickets to “The Little Things,” follow the link below.

From RottenTomatoes.com:

The "feel good movie" may never have had a bigger proponent than John Lee Hancock. As a writer, director, and producer of high profile feature films, Hancock introduced his earnest and often sentimental sensibilities to sports movies like "The Rookie" (2002) and "The Blind Side" (2009), show business pictures like "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013), and the occasional fairy tale jaunt, including "Maleficent" (2014). Achieving big numbers at the box office and awards recognition in the process, Hancock established himself over the course of his decades in the filmmaking game as a reliable perpetrator of crowd-pleasing entertainment. Although intermittent attempts at darker and more severe material proved substantially less fortuitous, Hancock powered through these missteps to become a veritable fixture in the family-directed film community.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

Complete the listener survey by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 28, 2021 and win a chance for a private one-on-one consultation with J. D. Barker! - https://forms.gle/CZ6HBP5Kyy1pm2YZ9

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

John Lee Hancock - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359387/

“The Little Things” - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10016180/

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his recent memoir, Greenlights, legendary actor Matthew McConaughey recounts the last fifty years of his life through gripping storytelling, offering advice that transcends all to focus on the rules of life itself. Whether you are a writer or not, you need to own your work, be arrogant before you can appreciate being humbled, and that the uncertainty of losing a safety net only makes it easier to embrace your actions and responsibilities. McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor and producer who first became popular for his breakout role in the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused and has since starred in countless successful movies including Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, and The Gentlemen. To purchase his excellent new memoir, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey is a married man, a father of three children, and a loyal son and brother. He considers himself a storyteller by occupation, believes it's okay to have a beer on the way to the temple, feels better with a day's sweat on him, and is an aspiring orchestral conductor.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

Complete the listener survey by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 28, 2021 and win a chance for a private one-on-one consultation with J. D. Barker! - https://forms.gle/CZ6HBP5Kyy1pm2YZ9

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Matthew McConaughey on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/3d8mv30

Greenlights - https://books2read.com/greenlights

Findaway Voices February Promo - https://love.findawayvoices.com/

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bestseller Ann Charles knows how useful it can be to set your story in places from your life. Having spent many long summers in the old mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota in her youth, her childhood memories of riding dirt bikes through old trails, hanging out at the library, and talking to locals made it easy to bring the town to life in her Deadwood series. Alongside the massively popular series, on which a TV show and movie were based, Ann is well-known for her Jackrabbit Junction and Deadwood Undertaker series, all three of which feature her knack for writing mysterious Westerns. Her latest publication, Catawampus Christmas Carol, is available below.

From Amazon.com:

Ann Charles is a USA Today Best-Selling author who writes award-winning mysteries that are splashed with humor, romance, and whatever else sounds fun.

Ann has a B.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Western Writers of America. She is currently toiling away on her next book, wishing she was on a Mexican beach with an ice-cold Corona in one hand and a book in the other. When she is not dabbling in fiction, she is arm wrestling with her two kids, attempting to seduce her husband, and arguing with her sassy cat. Most nights, you can find her hanging out over at www.anncharles.com, on Facebook as Ann Charles, or as AnnWCharles on Twitter.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

Complete the listener survey by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 28, 2021 and win a chance for a private one-on-one consultation with J. D. Barker! - https://forms.gle/CZ6HBP5Kyy1pm2YZ9

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Ann Charles - http://anncharles.com/

Deadwood by Ann Charles - http://anncharles.com/book_cat/deadwood/

Catawampus Christmas Carol by Ann Charles - https://mybook.to/Catawampus

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Legendary concert promoter Danny Zelisko gained experience putting old memories to paper while writing his autobiography, ALL EXCE$$. By working with a ghost writer, orating stories to close friends, and diligently ordering everything chronologically, he was able to make his old stories super detailed and easy to follow. Danny has promoted over 12,000 shows over his 44 years in the business and has worked with music icons like The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Axl Rose, and Carlos Santana, to name a few. To read about his experiences promoting during the Golden Age of concerts, purchase ALL EXCE$$ below.

From Amazon.com:

ALL EXCESS: OCCUPATION - CONCERT PROMOTER is the story about growing up in a Chicago suburb in the 50s and 60s, with his large family. Thru good fortune to have met many of the sports stars in Chicago in that era, he then parlayed his ability to form bonds with some of the biggest athletes on Earth into becoming a concert promoter. Different uniforms, different types of events in almost every way, except one. Both sports and music events are basically the same because it's about putting butts in seats to enjoy their favourite team or singer or band . With a different type of show they each put on, no 2 games or concerts are ever the same - hitting the ball well or singing that big note in a song that sends the audience to their feet. Meanwhile, Danny thought this to be the best time to write about all the stars and building his business from scratch into a great career as a concert promoter, while sharing over 700 pictures from his vast memorabilia collection. ALL EXCE$$ takes you on a fun journey from growing up in Chicago to moving out west to discover gold as a concert promoter.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

Complete the listener survey by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 28, 2021 and win a chance for a private one-on-one consultation with J. D. Barker! - https://forms.gle/CZ6HBP5Kyy1pm2YZ9

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Danny Zelisko - https://www.dannyzeliskopresents.com/

ALL EXCE$$ by Danny Zelisko - https://mybook.to/AllExcess

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfict Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.