Send us a Text Message. Episode 217 /  Writing under two pen names, Celeste Barclay has penned over 50 books in historical and mafia romance. She shares insights on the writing process, the challenges of juggling multiple book brands, the importance of flexibility, and why universal themes resonate across genres. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support Topics:  Balancing marketing efforts for...

Send us a Text Message. Episode 216 / Mystery author Abigail Keam shares how she embraced the digital landscape and incorporated direct sales into her business model. From historical accuracy to adapting to technology, she shares her lessons-learned.  💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support Topics: Challenges Abigail faced with publishers and how she found success with indie publishingHow...

Send us a Text Message. Episode 215 / When it comes to your author business, a bargain sometimes costs money in the long run, but other times it pays to splurge instead of scrimp. Join us as we discuss tips for saving money as well as when we’re willing to pay more. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support Use a “savings triage,” a list of ways to save money on business expensesInnovative...

Send us a Text Message. Episode 214 / How do you pull in readers who will love your books and push away those readers who won’t enjoy your book? Branding. Branding is more than colors, fonts, and covers. Join us for an in-depth discussion on how to determine your brand and carry it through in everything from your voice to ad copy to covers. And you know we’re always here for food analogies so the alternate title of this episode is “Why branding is like a layer cake.” 🍰 What is a brand...

Subscriber-only episode Send us a Text Message. The sage. The rebel. The everyman. These are a few character archetypes that resonate with readers. We discuss fifteen character archetypes, their common characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and their desires along with examples in popular culture. We also discuss the difference between an archetype and a stereotype and how to avoid cliques. And quick note: Jami said "Xander" but meant "Xaiden." :)  Links mentioned: List with...

Send us a Text Message. Episode 213 / We’re sharing an interview Sara did with Matty Dalrymple on the Indy Author Podcast last year. Sara and Matty go deep on the topic of how to structure a series so that it works for your writing style and your genre.  💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support The three types of seriesExtending your seriesSpin-offsUsing short stories to enhance your...

Episode 212 / Claire Taylor, humor and mystery author and Enneagram expert, shares how authors can use the Enneagram to create a resilient approach to the often chaotic writer lifestyle. We also discuss Claire’s successful track record on Kickstarter, and she tells us what she wishes she knew about using the crowdfunding platform. 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support How the Enneagram can...

Episode 211 / How do you live your best life through your writing career? We talk with Joe Solari about how to achieve author goals and how various business models, including direct sales and subscriptions, play into reaching those goals. We also discuss Author Nation, the largest indie author conference, and tips on how to have a great conference experience.  New business models: direct sales, subscriptionsImpact of AI across industriesThe single factor that will attract readers to...

Episode 210 / M.K. Williams writes suspenseful literary fiction and helps aspiring authors. M.K. shares how she writes and markets books across different genres, using Payhip for direct sales, the drawback of a surprise launch, and why delusion is sometimes a good thing. 🌀 Why M.K. has specific goals for each bookWhy M.K. recommends purchasing your ISBNsWhy authors should “pack their patience” when it comes to writing and publishingMindset shift M.K. had to go through in considering the...

Episode 209 / How do you get to the point that your readers “one-click” the buy button for your books? Join us as we chat with small town romance author Melanie Harlow. Melanie shares what she learned about giving readers what they want—and what that has to do with spaghetti versus cake. 🎂 Knowing how to market the book before you write itDiscovering micro-tropes that appeal to readers (and one disadvantage of focusing too much on tropes)How to keep your writing creatively interesting when...

Episode 208 / Want to write something a little bit different? How do you appeal to readers in one of the main genres, but also forge your own path?  Margaret Lashley joins us to share how she created a subgenre of wacky, humor-filled mysteries that appeal to cozy readers as well as women’s fiction readers.  How Margaret’s background in advertising helps her write fictionWhy Margaret only uses one social media siteHow she markets her genre-adjacent fictionWriting humor as well as crafting...

Episode 207 / Do you want to create a loyal readership interested in you, not just your genre? Do you want to up the romantic tension in your books? Rom-com author Emma St. Clair shares tips on these topics, plus much more:  The minefield of romance terms used to describe heat level and toneWeighing the cost of taking a break from a seriesHandling the pressure that success bringsEmail building tipsAdding emotional connection to deepen swoony scenesPlanning an in-person reader retreatGoing...

Episode 206 / Leslye Penelope, author of fantasy and paranormal romance, joins us and shares how she builds rich story worlds. How the worldbuilding can connect to plot, character, theme, and conflictUsing Payhip to sell signed paperbacks Leslye’s course on WorldbuildingHow Leslye went from indie publishing to being a hybrid authorHow she transitioned from rapid release to a slower release scheduleLeslye’s recommendations for helpful writing craft...

Subscriber-only episode How do you structure your novel so the middle is as page-turning as the beginning and the end? How do you write a strong heroine? What are content buckets and how can they help with your newsletter?  We dive into these topics with the wonderful Ines Johnson, who joins us to answer your questions! Ines is an expert at breaking down story structure. She shares insights on:  How Try/Fail cycles help you avoid a saggy middleWhat types of obstacles your protagonist can...

Episode 205 / This episode is all about harnessing the power of direct connection with your readers. Matt Briel from Lulu discusses the value of direct sales as we move away from a distribution-first publishing model.  Importance of owning customer dataWhy you should start building your direct audience even if you only have one bookUsing Lulu for Kickstarter fulfillmentOrder Import Tool: upload csv files for order fulfillment of crowdfunding or direct sales that Lulu prints and ships for...

Episode 204 / Having trouble getting words on the page? Erin P.T. Canning has strategies to help! We delve into how to let go of perfectionism and give yourself permission to write a “bad” first draft. Erin also shares how writing helped her with depression.  Why it’s important to look backward as well plan for the futureMaking time to write as a busy at-home and working momTurning off the inner criticEmbracing you genre Daydreaming: mentally draft and revise before writing Placeholder as the...

Subscriber-only episode Opening lines, where to start the book, and prologues How do you start your book in a way that hooks readers? In this month’s suporter-only episode, we look at compelling beginnings.  We cover the heavy lifting that the open line does, where to start your book, and (controversy!) prologues.  Famous first lines in literature and why they workSome of our personal favorite first lines in books we loveFirst lines we’ve written and why we decided on them as our...

Episode 203 / Do you want to simplify marketing? Do you want to take your branding up a notch? Do you want to know the trends in writing and publishing? Clayton Noblit of Written Word Media has answers about these topics and also shares tips on where to start with branding and common mistakes new authors often make. https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/ 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support. Links...

Episode 202 / It’s part two of our trope series–very appropriate for episode #202!  What’s your favorite trope? We asked a range of authors this question, and we’re here to share the answers.  We unpack the benefits of writing tropes, why we love specific tropes, and where to find the favorite examples of the specific trope in books, movies, and television.  💡 We hope this episode sparks inspiration for you! Tropes discussed: Crouching moron/hidden heroSecond chance...

Episode 201 / Mystery author S. L. Hansen shares how she hacked her writing process. She figured out how to fit writing in with her full-time job and also learned how to work with her Clifton Strengths to draft her books faster.  Stephanie shares so many great tips that you can personalize to fit your writing personality. We talk about how starting with a log line or blurb can help you stay on track in your writing, why linking habits and strengths helps develop consistency, tracking energy...

Episode 200 / We’re celebrating 200 episodes with a look back (what we learned in 2023) and a look forward to 2024 (trends that matter to authors).  We’re so happy to have such a warm community around the podcast! Thanks for listening and supporting us during the last four years.  Here’s to the next 200 episodes! 🥂 💜 🎙 Become a supporter of the podcast! We can’t wait to give you a shoutout in a future episode. https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support Top Episodes in 2023: How to Thrive in...

Episode 199 / Julia Stirling is a German romance author of over twenty books. She shares tips for when to go into translation, German covers, and connecting with German readers.  Julia also has some fantastic ideas on newsletter bonus content and a unique book giveaway that brings her new readers and also creates bonds between her readers. We delve into giving ourselves permission, knowing yourself so you can judge what will work for you, and trusting yourself.  Author website:...

Episode 198 / Claire Kohler writes Scottish fantasy romance and is also an editor, tutor, and neurodiversity advocate. Claire shares how her autism and ADHD can be both a positive and a negative in her writing career and encourages neurodivergent writers to pursue their goals.  We also talk about slowing down, the power of writing routines, how to connect with other writers, and why representation of neurodivergent characters is important. Sara is now all-in on Kdramas, and she couldn’t pass...

Episode 197/ Tara Cremin is the Director of Kobo Writing Life and has great tips for how to go wide, how to reach readers globally, and how Kobo Plus, their non-exclusive subscription platform, helps authors reach new readers.  We also talk about common mistakes Tara sees authors make as well as  library distribution and cover trends.  Kobo website:  www.kobo.com/writinglife www.kobo.com/p/kwlpodcast  Other links mentioned: Get Jami’s branding special:  [email protected] Jami on the...