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.
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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/dev/contact/
*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Christopher Wills
3 years ago
Great questions today. I love the idea of collaborating with one’s children. Although I’ve yet to hear of a bestseller originally written in crayon on a wall.
Interesting answer to the ‘levelling up’ question. Both J D and Zach effectively said don’t spread yourself too thin and concentrate on one thing. That resonates with me. As does the key to the most successful authors – which is obviously persistence. Nobody ever won a race by quitting.
So continuing the theme well done Zach. I am impressed. You deserve your success and I hope that one day, in true Hollywood tradition, you will become an overnight success.
Enjoyed the show.
J. Thorn
3 years ago
Thanks for submitting great questions!