The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

Writing Tips: How Character Flaws Shape Story With Will Storr

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 58:30 — 47.6MB)

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How can you create characters with unique and interesting flaws that lead into plots that will enliven your stories? In today's interview, Will Storr explains the science of storytelling.

In the intro, German booksellers and the challenges of re-opening [The Bookseller], Facebook launches Shops meaning more opportunities for direct sales [The Verge], Facebook Live replay on writing and publishing QA, plus the most useful tools for authors.

Plus, Want to know the 6 Secrets to Amazon Ads Success? Join me and Mark Dawson on Thurs 11 June at 4pm US Eastern / 9pm UK for this free webinar. Click here to register for your free place or to get the replay.

ingramsparkToday's show is sponsored by IngramSpark, who I use to print and distribute my print-on-demand books to 39,000 retailers including independent bookstores, schools and universities, libraries and more. It's your content – do more with it through IngramSpark.com.

Will Storr is an award-winning writer, the author of five critically acclaimed novels, a prize-winning journalist, an in-demand ghostwriter of bestselling books, and an international speaker on storytelling. Today, we're talking about his fantastic book, The Science of Storytelling.

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

Show Notes

  • The hard work that storytelling is for most writers
  • How we can use cause and effect in storytelling
  • Giving characters depth and flaws without being cliched
  • On creating original characters
  • Why gossip is fundamental to storytelling
  • The importance of linking character and plot together
  • Dealing with character flaws in a series
  • How TV has changed readers’ expectations of books
  • Writing without fear of judgment

You can find Will Storr at WillStorr.com and on Twitter @wstorr. You can also check out videos from Will on storytelling here.

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Writing, Publishing And Book Marketing Facebook Live QA With Joanna Penn. May 2020

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In this Facebook Live recording, I answer questions about writing, self-publishing, book marketing, author mindset, and more.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube.

In this video, you can access the various questions with the timestamps below, or read the transcript below.

  • 1:10 Should you reference the pandemic in your book?
  • 3:07 Would you recommend a new author concentrate on one piece of work? Or, if you have multiple projects, would you run them in parallel?
  • 5:28 What would be your number one tip for new authors starting a self-publishing career, or launching a new pen name in 2020?
  • 8:08 As a new writer with only two flash fiction collections out, would you focus on building a mailing list or writing the next book?
  • 9:45 I have five short stories of 10,000 words each. What is the easiest method for creating a box set?
  • 12:54 Have you ever had anyone on your podcast from IngramSpark? It'd be great to learn some more on pricing and how to set prices, which I find slightly confusing.
  • 15:04 Is it wise to write in more than one genre or sub-genre?
  • 17:20 The best software for writing a textbook
  • 18:53 Where Joanna wants to travel to first when pandemic restrictions are lifted
  • 21:18 I’m thinking of self-publishing a children's picture book and chapter book. Would you upload to IngramSpark first or Amazon first?
  • 22:58 How do you keep yourself motivated to work on a book when it's difficult, or you're finding it a slog?
  • 25:57 Have you ever experimented with book clubs?
  • 27:20 There are so many competing voices in the marketing space. Who do you listen to? [Join Mark Dawson and me for a free webinar on 6 Secrets to Amazon Ads Success – 11 June, 2020. Click here to sign up for your free place.]
  • 31:21 I'm wrestling with Scrivener. Have you succeeded in dragging and dropping into the research folder?
  • 32:19 Are you speaking at any more online conferences?
  • 32:46 Using ProWritingAid for a first pass at a book’s edits
  • 34:52 Keeping a series interesting
  • 37:35 How to know when a book is finished

I'll be doing more of these live Q&A sessions, so join me on Facebook.com/thecreativepenn so you get notification of the next one. You can also sign up for my email list and I'll notify you of the next one, plus you get my free Author Blueprint.

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Best Writing And Productivity Tools for Authors With Joanna Penn and Orna Ross

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You can write a book with just a pen and paper, but that's not how most of us run an author business these days! In this discussion, Orna Ross and I talk about the best tools we have found for writing, editing, formatting, productivity, marketing, sales, and accounting.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube.

You can also listen below or on your favorite podcast app at the Ask ALLi podcast, or read the transcript here on SelfPublishingAdvice.

We discuss the following tools.

Writing & Editorial

Productivity and life management 

  • Google Calendar for scheduling and time blocking
  • Calendly for managing interviews
  • Things app for to do list (Mac only)
  • Noise-canceling headphones for focus. [I use BOSE Quiet Comfort.]
  • Asana for project management

Design & Formatting

Marketing & Promotion

Social Media

  • Bufferapp and Smarterqueue for scheduling
  • Headliner for audiograms
  • Tweetdeck for managing twitter

Sales, Accounting & Business

  • Payhip or WooCommerce for direct sales
  • Xero for accounting
  • BookReport for sales tracking on Amazon
  • Orna: Google Sheets for manual tracking
  • Trackerbox for PC
  • Booktrakr.com but they want your logins

You can find the full transcript at Selfpublishingadvice.org/tools-for-independent-authors. You can find Orna Ross at www.OrnaRoss.com

The 7-Figure One Person Creative Business With Elaine Pofeldt

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:01:49 — 50.3MB)

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What if you could do work you love, earn great money — and have a lifestyle you enjoy? In this interview, Elaine Pofeldt talks about businesses that are doing just that and gives tips on how to get there, including ways to make more money as an author.

In the intro, I talk about Apple Books for Authors – now available on PC, Ingram Spark's new free ISBNs and revamped dashboard, and Nielsen report that people are reading more in lockdown [The Bookseller]. Plus, “Where do you get your ideas?” My answer with pics of my travels at JFPenn.com/ideas. I also mention the 7-Figure Small Podcast.

Findaway Voices

Today's podcast sponsor is Findaway Voices, which gives you access to the world's largest network of audiobook sellers and everything you need to create and sell professional audiobooks. Take back your freedom. Choose your price, choose how you sell, choose how you distribute audio. Check it out at FindawayVoices.com.

Elaine Pofeldt is an independent journalist, editor, and professional speaker specializing in careers and entrepreneurship. She's also the author of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business: Make Great Money. Work the Way You Like. Have the Life You Want.

You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.

Show Notes

  • Why people choose the entrepreneurial route
  • How the cover-19 crisis might affect choices about lifestyle
  • How small businesses are pivoting to serve current needs
  • Resilient attitudes that help small businesses
  • Commonalities among those small business owners that are successful
  • How a big picture view helps with getting day-to-day tasks done
  • Ideas for how authors can create other streams of income
  • How to become a memorable brand

You can find Elaine Pofeldt at ElainePofeldt.com and on Twitter @ElainePofeldt. You can find the revised edition of the book here for pre-order for 2021 or get the original edition here.

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Interview On Audio For Authors. Joanna Penn With Kobo Writing Life

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In this lively chat, I answer questions about audiobooks for authors, including how to publish, market, and sell audio, plus the future of voice, impacts of the coronavirus, and more. Thanks to Tara and Laura at Kobo Writing Life for the opportunity to do a Facebook Live.

Watch the video below or here on YouTube or listen to the interview on the Kobo Writing Life Podcast in audio-only here.

In this discussion, we talk about:

  • The international potential of being an indie author
  • Why audio is undergoing a surge in popularity
  • When authors can consider moving into audiobooks
  • Options for self-narrating audiobooks
  • How to find a narrator
  • The possible future of audio and AI voices
  • How to market audiobooks

You can find Audio for Authors on Kobo here in ebook and audiobook formats. It's also available on all the other stores – links here.

You can check out the Kobo Writing Life Podcast here or subscribe on your favorite podcast app. You can also listen to the episode below. You can self-publish your books at kobowritinglife.com

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