Q&A Episode – May 2021
In this monthly q & a session, the guys answer listener questions.
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.
Join us on Patreon and ask your question LIVE on the podcast!
https://www.patreon.com/writersinkpodcast
Questions asked:
- Can you take us through your process of choosing a title for your books and/or series?
- If you had the opportunity to start your writing career again, maybe go back in time, what would you differently?
- How do you decide what marketing opportunities to say yes to and what to decline? I’m at the beginning of my publishing career and feel like I should say “yes” to most offers, and then be more discerning as things progress. I’m asking because I agreed to do something, and it’s taking up a lot more of my time than I had anticipated and that I would like!
- J, it’s been almost six months, how is the short story project going?
- How do you approach authors who are farther ahead in their careers than you? Like if you see them at a conference or if you want to reach out to them for something? How do you prefer people approaching you?
- What qualities are you looking for in collaborators? (writing partners, editors, cover designers, etc…) What qualities are you looking for in clients? (when you are offering an author service)
- I know J is writing short stories, but what other projects are each of you working on at the moment that you’re willing to share?
- What kind of class would you pay for at this point in your career?
- Should I get some kind of liability protection, like from forming an S-Corp or LLC?
Links:
J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/
J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/
Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/
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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Rejecting Assumptions About Aging with Actor, Writer, Director, and Producer, Justine Bateman
Justine Bateman has done it all and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. In her new book, Face: One Square Inch of Skin, she addresses irrational fear cycles, like the aging of one’s face leading to missed friendships or job opportunities, and instead introduces a healthy way of deconstructing and understanding these fears. Justine first gained popularity for her role as Mallory Keaton on 80s sitcom Family Ties and has since been involved in a number of other movies and TV shows. Her first book, Fame: The Hijacking of Reality, won acclaim for her honest evaluation of celebrity culture in today’s world. To order her latest book, follow the link below.
From Amazon.com:
Filmmaker and author Justine Bateman has an impressive, decades-long resume in film and TV that includes a Golden Globe nomination and two Emmy nominations. Bateman wrote and produced her directorial film short debut, FIVE MINUTES, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival and was chosen by seven more festivals, including the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. It was one of the winners of the 2019 Amazon Prime Video Direct Festival Stars Program and was chosen by both Short of the Week and Vimeo’s Staff Picks. VIOLET, Bateman’s directorial feature film debut of her own script, stars Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, and Justin Theroux. It premiered at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Her best-selling first book, FAME, a non-fiction about society’s need for its presence, was published in 2018 by Akashic Books. Her second book, FACE, was released April, 2021 by Akashic. Justine holds a UCLA degree in Computer Science and Digital Media Management.
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.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What Justine’s writing next
- How to stop rationalizing
- Formats for writing nonfiction
- Why to keep a folder for your ideas
- The importance of being faithful to your work
Links:
J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/
J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/
Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/
Justine Bateman – https://twitter.com/JustineBateman
Face: One Square Foot of Skin – https://mybook.to/FaceJustineBateman
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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Writing a Novella Collection with Josh Malerman, NY Times Bestselling Author of Bird Box
Josh Malerman makes his second appearance on the show to talk about writing his new novella collection, Goblin. With this format, he’s been able to focus on exploring multiple tones and characterizing the setting itself through different characters while sticking to a central theme throughout the novellas. Malerman is a bestselling author who won international acclaim with his debut novel, Bird Box, which Netflix adapted into a film starring Sandra Bullock. In normal years, Josh also toured the country with his rock band, The High Strung. To preorder Goblin, follow the link below.
From Amazon.com:
Josh Malerman is an American author and also one of two singer/songwriters for the rock band The High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the Showtime show “Shameless.” His book Bird Box is also currently being filmed as a feature film starring Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson. Bird Box was also nominated for the Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the James Herbert Award. His books Black Mad Wheel and Goblin have also been nominated for Stoker Awards.
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.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What Clive Barker said about Goblin
- How to characterize your setting
- How different tones/perspective help add to a central theme
- Why Malerman works on one project at a time
- News on Amazon’s new Vella Program
Links:
J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/
J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/
Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/
Josh Malerman – https://joshmalerman.com/
Goblin: A Novel in Six Novellas – https://mybook.to/Goblin
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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Writing Rounder Characters with Andy Weir, #1 NY Times Bestselling Author of The Martian
Bestseller Andy Weir has made a special effort to make the characters in his latest release, Project Hail Mary, as rounded out as possible. By working off of past criticism, like the need to avoid writing characters based on his own personality and focus on relatability while including reasonable flaws, he has both increased the depth of his characters and consequently strengthened his story arc. Andy has been writing for over seven years and is best known for his debut novel, The Martian, which topped the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into a hit film starring Matt Damon. To order Project Hail Mary, follow the link below.
From Amazon.com:
ANDY WEIR built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail.
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.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Andy’s writing process
- Why to avoid self-based characters
- How to write a flawed character that is still likeable
- How to balance plot depth and character depth
- When to write a short story vs. a longform piece
Links:
J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/
J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/
Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/
Andy Weir – https://www.andyweirauthor.com/
Project Hail Mary – https://mybook.to/ProjectHailMary
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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Writing in Different Mediums with the NY Times Bestselling author of YOU, Caroline Kepnes
Bestseller Caroline Kepnes is no stranger to writing in different mediums. Along with being an author, she uses her past experiences as a screenwriter and entertainment reporter to write intriguing stories while meeting deadlines and allowing herself to be less critical of her work. Caroline is well known for thrillers like Hidden Bodies and You, the latter of which was adapted for television, and for working as a writer on shows like 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Her latest publication, You Love Me, is available now.
From Amazon.com:
Caroline Kepnes is the author of YOU, HIDDEN BODIES and PROVIDENCE. The hit Netflix series You is an adaptation of her debut novel. The upcoming second is based on her sequel HIDDEN BODIES. After graduating from Brown University, Caroline continued writing short stories (on her computer, sorry typewriter) while embarking on a career in pop culture journalism first at Tiger Beat, then at Entertainment Weekly. She also worked as a TV writer on 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
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.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What Stephen King said about You
- How to characterize a serial killer
- When to write in 2nd person
- How to be less precious with your words
- The differences between writing and screenwriting
Links:
J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/
J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/
Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/
Caroline Kepnes – https://www.carolinekepnes.com/
You Love Me – https://mybook.to/YouLoveMe
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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.