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Writing, Publishing And Marketing Books For Children With Crystal Swain-Bates

April 12, 2021 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

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How can you write a children's story with a message without being preachy? How can you find and work effectively with an illustrator? How can you market your book to kids in schools?

Crystal Swain Bates gives her tips on writing, publishing and marketing books for children, as well as how we can make books and the author community more diverse.

Writing, Publishing And Marketing Books For Children With Crystal Swain Bates

In the intro, how library distribution works for indie authors [ALLi]; Constant change and when your winning bet becomes your losing bet [Spotify A Product Story]; Tarzan Economics; 8 Principles for Pivoting Through Disruption by Will Page; Subscription models and streaming and the impact on indie authors [me and Orna Ross on the Ask ALLi Podcast]; The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow; Google update coming in May 2021 for Page Experience and Core Web Vitals [Search Engine Watch], plus ScribeCount for wide reporting.

draft2digital

Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, where you can get free ebook formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Get your free Author Marketing Guide at www.draft2digital.com/penn 

crystal swain bates

Crystal Swain-Bates is the best-selling author of children's books, and the founder of Goldest Karat Publishing, which seeks to fill the racial diversity gap in publishing.

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 value of making mistakes along the way and learning as you go
  • Writing a positioning statement for your book
  • Writing a story with a message — but without preaching or lecturing
  • How to find and work with illustrators for children’s picture books
  • The importance of getting your contract right if you want to create merchandise and other products
  • Using print-on-demand for children's books and which services are best
  • Marketing children’s books in schools and online
  • Encouraging diversity in characters, books and in the author community

You can find Crystal Swain-Bates at CrystalSwainBates.com and on Twitter @CSwainBates

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Publish Wide, Sell More Books And AI for Voice. Google Play Books With Ryan Dingler

April 9, 2021 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

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How can you sell more ebooks and audiobooks on Google Play Books to the global market? How can you optimize your books so they are more likely to be discovered?

How might auto-narrated audiobooks help expand the market? All this and more in today's interview with Ryan Dingler from Google.

Publish Wide, Sell More Books And AI for Voice. Google Play Books With Ryan Dingler

Ryan Dingler is a product manager at Google, and also writes about the intersection of technology and business.

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

Show Notes

  • The difference between Google Books and Google Play Books
  • How searching and purchasing books works on Android
  • Market penetration of Android devices and global reach of Google Play Books
  • Publishing books on Google Play Books and international pricing
  • Advantages of publishing direct with Google Play Books
  • The importance of good metadata for marketing books
  • AI-narrated audiobooks and when they might be available for authors

You can find Google Play Books at play.google.com/store/books and you can publish at Play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/

[You can buy my ebooks and audiobooks on Google Play — non-fiction as Joanna Penn, and fiction as J.F.Penn]

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Writing Dialogue And Character Voice With Jeff Elkins

April 5, 2021 by Joanna Penn 4 Comments

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How can we write authentic and engaging character dialogue? How can we incorporate sub-text that deepens our writing? Jeff Elkins, The Dialogue Doctor explains more in this interview.

writing dialogue

In the intro, the new AudibleGate site; scammers using big publisher names [Writer Beware]; Vellum update for Ingram PDF [Vellum software; my tools and tutorials] ; Do BookBub deals on a permafree first in series work multiple times? [BookBub blog]; audio course on financial independence [JD Roth] and my list of money books. Plus, Secrets and Lies Storybundle; and updates on my books, The Wreck of the Unbelievable, and Damien Hirst's ‘green' NFT [FT].

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.

Jeff Elkins Dialogue Doctor

Jeff Elkins is the author of 12 thriller and mystery novels, as well as over 100 short stories. He's also a ghostwriter, dialogue editor, and a podcaster at the Dialogue Doctor Podcast.

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

  • How getting fired started Jeff’s writing career and how he now manages multiple streams of income
  • The two biggest mistakes writers make with dialogue
  • Ways to research authentic voices
  • How to use subtext in dialogue
  • How dialogue helps readers connect with characters
  • Making choices about swearing in dialogue based on who your readers are

You can find Jeff Elkins at DialogueDoctor.com and on Twitter @Jffelkins

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Fix Your Writing Tics With Chris Banks From ProWriting Aid

April 2, 2021 by Joanna Penn 1 Comment

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 39:59 — 32.8MB)

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What is your writer's tic and how can you fix it with Pro Writing Aid? Why are commas such an issue for writers? (and my own personal nemesis!)

How can AI tools enhance our creativity and usher in a new abundant future for writers? I discuss all this and more with Chris Banks from Pro Writing Aid.

fix your writing tics

Chris Banks is the CEO and founder of ProWritingAid, which has over 1.5 million users worldwide.

I use ProWritingAid for all my books at various stages of the editing process and I'm a very happy affiliate! You can get 25% off the premium edition using my link: www.TheCreativePenn.com/prowritingaid

You can also check out my tutorial: How To Use ProWritingAid To Improve Your Writing And Self-Edit Your Book

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

  • How ProWriting Aid evolved from Chris's desire to improve his own writing
  • Passive voice, commas, -ing words, and other common writing tics
  • Integration with Scrivener and checking your writing across large documents
  • The different types of reports ProWriting Aid generates to support your writing
  • How AI is used at ProWriting Aid
  • How the demand for writers may increase because of AI, and help enhance our creativity

You can find Chris Banks at ProWritingAid.com and on Twitter @ProWritingAid

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What Can Authors Learn From Digital Changes In The Music Industry? With Tristra Newyear Yeager

March 29, 2021 by Joanna Penn 2 Comments

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What can authors learn from the digital changes in the music industry? In this interview, Tristra Newyear Yeager talks about the empowerment of the indie musician, multiple streams of income, and the uses of blockchain and AI.

What can authors learn from the music industry?

In the intro, I report back on attending SXSW and some other online conferences on lessons learned from the acceleration of digital adoption; what the metaverse might mean [Forbes]; Mark Zuckerberg on the next iteration of VR [The Information]; Facebook's wristband wearable [The Next Web]; creating AI avatars [Exponential Wisdom], and Microsoft's identity platform on Bitcoin’s Blockchain.

Plus, the Secrets and Lies mystery/crime Storybundle (limited time); Businessplan für Autoren (German); and Spotify: A Product Story 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.

Tristra Newyear Yeager

Tristra Newyear Yeager is a writer and strategist for music PR firm Rock Paper Scissors. She's the co-host of the Music Tectonics Podcast, which explores the intersection of music and technology. She's also a fantasy novelist as T. Newyear.

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

  • Digital shifts in the music industry in the last few years
  • The upside, and downside of the digitization of music
  • How payouts for streaming works in the music industry
  • How musical artists responded to the pandemic when the tour economy was decimated
  • The creative ideas musicians have for merchandise that adds to their streams of income
  • The effect technology, NFT’s and AI are having on the music industry
  • How will copyright be affected by technology and will artists benefit or lose out?

You can find Tristra Newyear Yeager on LinkedIn and at musictectonics.com and on Twitter @MusicTectonics

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Recent Posts

  • Writing, Publishing And Marketing Books For Children With Crystal Swain-Bates
  • Publish Wide, Sell More Books And AI for Voice. Google Play Books With Ryan Dingler
  • Writing Dialogue And Character Voice With Jeff Elkins
  • Fix Your Writing Tics With Chris Banks From ProWriting Aid
  • What Can Authors Learn From Digital Changes In The Music Industry? With Tristra Newyear Yeager
  • Your Author Business Plan. Joanna Penn Interviewed By Peter Urpeth From XPO North
  • How To Write A Cozy Mystery With Debbie Young
  • Author Survey Results: Multiple Streams Of Income 2021
  • Out Now: How To Make A Living With Your Writing. Completely Rewritten And Updated Third Edition
  • Successful Self-Publishing On Kobo Writing Life With Tara Cremin
  • Copyright Protection, Smart Contracts, Digital Scarcity And NFTs For Authors. Blockchain For The Publishing Industry With Simon-Pierre Marion
  • Warrior Of The Blank Page. Writing, Marketing And Mindset With Steven Pressfield
  • How To Write Authentic Crime Fiction With Patrick O’Donnell From Cops and Writers
  • The AI-Augmented Author. Writing With GPT-3 With Paul Bellow
  • Book Marketing On Podcasts: How To Be A Great Podcast Guest

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Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn!

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

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Looking for something? Search this site with Google below

Inspiration and Information every Monday in The Creative Penn podcast

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. Read the Cookie policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

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