Hungry Authors

Latest Episodes:

35. No One Can Do It for You Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

If you’ve ever struggled to get your writing done, you are not alone! One of the most common requests we get is for “accountability.” We hear things like, “I need you to hold my feet to the fire” and “I need you to set deadlines for me.” In this episode, Ariel & Liz talk all about when accountability works and when it doesn’t – including our experiences when we tried and failed to hold others accountable. We share our favorite tips for getting work done and using external motivators (like writing coaches, writing groups, retreats, etc.) to help you get work done and meet your writing goals.

Ultimately, though, NO ONE can hold you accountable except you.

The good news with accountability is that it’s a skill you can learn. You can always get better at keeping promises to yourself, and it helps to start early and start small.

Listen to the episode for all of our tips for strengthening your accountability muscles!

Learn more about us at hungryauthors.com or follow us on Instagram @hungryauthors.

34. How to Set Writing Goals Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

This week, a little life update and some practical advice on setting writing goals for those of you who need numbers and a schedule to get motivated! You didn’t think we’d be doing math on this podcast, did you?

We talk average word count ranges for the top three nonfiction genres: prescriptive, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. We’ll also share our thoughts on how long it should take you to write a book and how to figure out an ideal daily, weekly, or chapter word count goal – or take a different approach and set a time goal instead.

In this episode, we mentioned Otter.ai and Rev.com for dictations and transcribing recordings to make your life even easier and help you get started.

33. Here’s What’s Wrong With Your Memoir Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

This week Ariel & Liz talk about why it’s so hard to sell memoirs to traditional publishers – including a little debate between the two of us around whether your memoir needs to have something extraordinary in order to be a good fit for traditional publishers. Plus, we give a little update on the Hungry Authors manuscript and where we’re at getting feedback from our beta readers!

32. No Such Thing as Writers’ Block with Honoree Corder Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

This week we share wisdom from an incredibly prolific author and someone who helps others realize their dreams of being published: Honorée Corder! Honorée shares her Bestselling Book Formula, how to use your book as part of your business, how she comes up with ideas, and why writers’ block is like the Loch Ness monster – that is, it doesn’t exist! Honorée Corder is the author of more than 50 books, including her newest, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WRITER’S BLOCK, a publishing consultant, TEDx speaker, host of the Empire Builders Mastermind, and Founder of Indie Author University. Honorée passionately turns aspiring non-fiction authors into bestselling and best earning authors (and so much more)! She does all sorts of other magical things, and her badassery is legendary. You can find out more at HonoreeCorder.com.

31. Exploring the Authors Guild with Johnny Chinnici Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

Navigating the publishing industry can be daunting for many new authors (and experienced ones!). This week, we chat with Johnny Chinnici from the Authors Guild to make sure you’re aware of all of the support (both free and paid) that exists for authors. This isn’t a sponsored episode; we just love all of the advocacy work that the Authors Guild does and want to make sure more authors are aware of the benefits and resources that are out there! In this episode, we talk about BookTok, publishing scams, and how you can work with the Authors Guild to protect your rights.Johnny Chinnici is marketing and communications coordinator at the Authors Guild, which is a fancy way of saying he runs educational webinars and helps authors in a variety of ways. He holds an MFA in poetry from the New School, and his work has appeared in various journals and on The Best American Poetry blog. He grew up in Texas and lives in Queens.Follow Johnny on TikTok: @johnnychinnici

30. Get Media-Ready with Paula Rizzo Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever dreamed about getting media coverage for your book? And we don’t just mean social media – we mean TV, podcasts, radio, news! Author and media expert Paula Rizzo has so many ideas for authors to help them find and pitch the right media outlets for their books. Believe it or not, this process starts from the very beginning – with having a strong idea and something important to say. In this episode, Paula will teach you:

the accordion method so you’re always ready for any question!
“the hook, the twist, and the takeaway” for great pitches
how to be your own producer and start creating your own media to get more media attention

Plus, Paula has some great advice for authors (like us!) who might be putting a little too much emphasis on the importance of the pub date!Learn more about Paula’s Media Ready Author course!Download Paula’s free resource: 10 Questions Every Author Needs to Answer

29. The Enneagram in Writing with Christa Hardin Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the personality typing system called The Enneagram. This week, Liz and Ariel are joined by Enneagram in Marriage coach and counselor Christa Hardin to talk about her new book, The Enneagram in Marriage! We talk about how Christa found her unique angle in a saturated market, how being a 7 impacted her writing process, and the particular vulnerability of expertise. Knowing the Enneagram isn’t just helpful for marriage; it can help you as a writer and creator, too!Christa Hardin (MA, Wheaton College) has counseled and coached couples all over the globe for two decades. Founder of Reflections Counseling Center, LLC, Christa hosts the popular Enneagram + Marriage podcast, which has over 1 million downloads and has helped thousands of couples find refreshment, joy, balance, and connection together. Christa uses the Enneagram and other research-based marriage tools to give couples deeper insight into their strengths and shadows, and to help them determine how they can shine brightest in the world together. She lives with her husband and three children in Florida.Order The Enneagram in Marriage here: https://www.enneagraminyourmarriage.com/.Follow Christa on Instagram @enneagramandmarriage

28. Navigating the Publishing Industry with Jane Friedman Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

This week, we interview publishing expert Jane Friedman. We talk about Jane’s recent brush with AI and Amazon and what authors can do to protect themselves from AI scams. We also chat through current trends across the publishing industry, what authors need to know about traditional publishing, and the surprising benefits of choosing to work with a small, independent (not-Big 5) publisher. We talk about the four “buckets” (types) of authors who get traditional book deals, and how you can be a breakout author.Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.Read Jane’s blog at https://janefriedman.com/.Follow Jane on Instagram @janefriedman.Get the Hot Sheet in your inbox: https://hotsheetpub.com/.

27. From Bylines to Books with Ericka Andersen Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

One of the best and most underrated ways to build your platform and get a book deal is to write articles for major publications – aka get “bylines.” Today we brought on freelance writer and coach Ericka Andersen to help us understand how to get your name in high-profile publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Inc., and any other places where it would make sense for you to start reaching your audience. The good news is that getting bylines is way easier than a book proposal – so start there and scale up!Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer and writing coach at Pitch and Publish Co. Follow her @pitchandpublish on Instagram or visit https://pitchandpublish.co/ to find Ericka’s courses and tutorials.And follow us @hungryauthors on Instagram!

26. All the Platform Poe-sibilities with Catherine Baab-Muguira Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Cat Baab-Muguira always hated the idea of “building a platform” (don’t we all??), so she resisted it for years, even when preparing to pitch a nonfiction book to publishers. Instead, she took a counterintuitive approach to pitching the book that she published in 2019: Poe for Your Problems. In this episode, Cat tells her story and shares her advice for aspiring authors who want to explore other Poe-sibilities for growing their platform!Sign up for Cat’s Substack, Poe Can Save Your Life: https://poecansaveyourlife.substack.com/.Read Poe for Your Problems: https://bookshop.org/a/20362/9780762499090.Follow Hungry Authors on Instagram: @hungryauthors

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