April 2022 - Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

Question and Answer Episode – April 2022

Q&A Episode – April 2022

In this monthly q & a session, the guys answer listener questions.

J.K. Rowling was nearly homeless when she wrote the first Harry Potter book. Stephen King penned CARRIE on a small desk wedged between a washer and dryer. James Patterson worked in advertising and famously wrote the Toys “R” Us theme song long before becoming an author.

Join New York Times best-seller, J.D. Barker, and indie powerhouses J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon as they pull back the curtain on some of the world’s most prolific authors. Where did they start? What is their process? The biggest names in publishing all have origin stories, all have a process, all have tips and secrets… What does it take to consistently top the bestseller lists? Get your notepad out. School’s in session. This, is Writers, Ink.

Join us on Patreon and ask a question guaranteed to be answered on the podcast!

https://www.patreon.com/writersinkpodcast

Questions asked:

Just wondering how much your children are involved in your writing business and/or how much you plan to get them involved in the future. Would you discourage them from pursuing writing full-time?
A question for each of you today: What one writing skill would you like to improve about your own fiction writing?
Is there something you’ve been wanting that represents a level up investment for your writing life (e.g. joining an exclusive mastermind, going to a new conference, buying a new computer, etc.) that you’d like to do by the end of the year?
I’m going to a conference that has a ‘pitch fest’ where you have 5 minutes (3 minutes to speak and 2 minutes for editor to respond) to pitch your project to editors and agents. Have any of you taken part in a pitch session? The conference organizers have provided some guidelines but would love to hear any tips. I’m pitching a non fiction book proposal. Thanks!
Having talked with so many authors at this point, what seems to be the same thing or advice all of them say/do (besides that they write books)?

Links:

J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/

Free Writing Challenge from AutoCrit – https://autocrit.com/challenge2022

The Author Life Summit 2022 – https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/

Death of the Black Widow – https://amzn.to/3rsA97v

Curse of the Spiral – https://books2read.com/cursespiral

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.

Writers, Ink Podcast: Episode 131 – Kingdom of Bones with #1 NYT Bestseller James Rollins

Kingdom of Bones, the sixteenth book in James Rollins’ Sigma Force series, put the bestselling author to the test. From drafting the book during the rise of COVID-19 to managing the complexities of maintaining a long-standing series, he used decades of marketing and storybuilding experience to overcome the difficulties of writing and publishing a novel during the pandemic. James is the #1 NYT bestseller of international thrillers, best known for writing Sigma Force and six standalone thrillers. To preorder Kingdom of Bones, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his two golden retrievers, Echo and Duncan. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

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 did James’ research process look like during the pandemic?
The importance of a good author’s note
The pros and cons of writing a long series
How to prioritize different projects

Links:

J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/

The Author Life Summit 2022 – https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/

Death of the Black Widow – https://amzn.to/3rsA97v

James Rollins – https://jamesrollins.com/

Kingdom of Bones – https://mybook.to/KofB

Best of BookTook – https://bestofbooktok.com/

The Carbon Almanac – https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac

Story Rubric – http://storyrubric.com

Nonfic Rubric – http://nonficrubric.com

Scene Rubric – http://scenerubric.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.

Writers, Ink Podcast: Episode 130 – Sticking with Standalones with Carter Wilson

Bestseller Carter Wilson never writes the same book twice. By choosing to write standalone novels instead of series, he keeps his worldbuilding skills sharp, forcing himself to write new, unique characters in new settings for each book. Carter is a bestselling author of eight standalone psychological thrillers, including The Dead Girl in 2A and Revelation. To preorder his latest book, The New Neighbor, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

USA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson has written eight critically acclaimed, standalone psychological thrillers, as well as numerous short stories. He is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a four-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, and his works have been optioned for television and film. Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted…yet. To check Carter’s appearance calendar, subscribe to his irreverent monthly newsletter, or to inquire about his availability for speaking events, book clubs, or media requests, please visit www.carterwilson.com.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

How to write a good author newsletter
How to write a book from one scene
How to avoid stereotypical characters
How your character’s gender affects your writing voice
Why Carter prefers consistent writing over binge writing

Links:

J. D. Barker – http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn – https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon – https://zachbohannon.com/

The Author Life Summit 2022 – https://theauthorlife.com/summit2022/

Carter Wilson – https://carterwilson.com/

The New Neighbor – https://mybook.to/NewNeighbor

Best of BookTook – https://bestofbooktok.com/

The Carbon Almanac – https://books2read.com/carbonalmanac

Story Rubric – http://storyrubric.com

Nonfic Rubric – http://nonficrubric.com

Scene Rubric – http://scenerubric.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.

Writers, Ink Podcast: Episode 129 – Staying on Schedule with Elissa Sussman

Elissa Sussman knows how to keep her writing on schedule. Drawing from her past experience as a ghost writer and manager, she maintains a strict working regimen with set writing hours each day to maximize her productivity and availability. Elissa was a ghost writer of 15 young adult novels before writing adult novels under her own name. To preorder her latest book, Funny You Should Ask, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

Elissa Sussman is the author of the novel, FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, as well as the young adult novels, DRAWN THAT WAY, STRAY, and BURN. She has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, a MFA from Pacific University, and in a previous life managed animators and organized spreadsheets at some of the best animation studios in the world, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Dreamworks and Sony Imageworks. You can see her name in the credits of THE CROODS, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG and TANGLED. She lives in her hometown of Los Angeles with her husband and their two dogs, Basil and Mozzarella.