Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Latest Episodes:

EP 333 - 10 Things You Likely Didn't Know About Draft2Digital Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Mark shares the audio from a presentation he gave in early November 2023 at 20BooksVegas called "10 Things You Likely Didn't Know About Draft2Digital."

This episode is sponsored by Mark's affiliate link to Draft2Digital.

Go to https://draft2digital.com/markleslie to sign up for a free Draft2Digital account.

The visuals and slides for this presentation can be downloaded here.

Links of Interest:

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

EP 332 - The Art of Noticing with Johnny B. Truant Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews Johnny B. Truant about his new THE ART OF NOTICING podcast.

Prior to the main content, Mark leverages his digital AI voice from Eleven Labs to offer a brief introduction as well as a word about this episode's sponsor, the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

Links of Interest:

Johnny B. Truant is a bestselling full-time author with over a hundred books to his name. His best-known book is probably Fat Vampire, which was adapted by the SyFy Network as Reginald the Vampire. Some of his other big hits are Pretty Killer, The Beam, Pattern Black, Gore Point, Dead City, Invasion, and Unicorn Western.

EP 331 - Self Publishing Made Simple with April M. Cox Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews author, coach & CEO/Founder of Little Labradoodle Publishing April Cox.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal updates and a word about this episode's sponsor, the Authorpreneur Summit 2023.

Transform your passion to profit! Unveil the business behind the book and elevate your business acumen with 35+ industry-leading authorpreneurs at the Authorpreneur Summit.

During their interview Mark and April talk about:

April's background as a former IT consulting geek
Leaving that corporate world to assist authors with their publishing goals and helping to make their dreams come true
How her desire to write a story for her grandkids led to an entirely new and dynamic role and purpose
Recognizing how she could make a huge difference being there to help authors who would normally be easy targets for so many of the predatory outfits looking to take advantage of them
The origin of Little Labradoodle Publishing which was more of a legacy project
How the consultant, programmer, and project manager in April were applied to help authors with navigating the complex world of publishing books for younger readers
Why April puts so much free content on sites like her YouTube channel
April's 12-week course that takes authors through the process of getting a book ready for publishing
The importance of having a network of trusted professionals to work with
Wanting to create a summit that focused more on the business side of publishing, which became the Authorpreneur Summit
Some of the amazing interviews that have been lined up for this summit which takes place for free Dec 4 through Dec 8, 2023
The bonuses April will be releasing for those who sign up for the summit early
Advice April would offer to authors who are receiving numerous rejection letters from traditional publishing
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on the value when an author combines their passion with filling in a hole within a particular market.

Links of Interest:

April Cox is an Author, Coach & CEO/Founder of Little Labradoodle Publishing. She has successfully guided over 1,500 authors from manuscript to a high-quality, self-published book through her 90-day signature program, Self-Publishing Made Simple.

April is a passionate teacher and speaker on publishing topics and has personally launched over 400 books.

EP 330 - Book Indexing with Stephen Ullstrom Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews writer and indexer Stephen Ullstrom about book indexing and his recent release BOOK INDEXING: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update about a skeleton and license plate theft, as well as word about this episode's sponsor, the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Stephen talk about:

Stephen's long-time interest in writing
How his role working at UBC Press when he was attending university was his first exposure to indexing
Using freelancing doing indexing to help support his writing, but how that freelancing kind of took over much of his career
Still being interested in fiction, but how writing a book about indexing was a good full book-length project to complete
Stephen's book: BOOK INDEXING: A Step-by-Step Guide
His goal to make indexing simple and practical and more entry-level
Why authors should care about indexing
How indexing can become somewhat of a marketing tool
The way an index can bring more value to a book
The pros and cons of a keyword search (as opposed to an index, where the human filtering on what's relevant is being done for you)
How an index can be much more granular than even a layered/multi-leveled table of contents
The way an index works within an eBook
What an embedded index is
Cases where a fiction author might want to use indexing
Considerations on whether or not it's best to do your own index or to hire that work out to a professional indexer
The average length of time it would take Stephen to index a 200 page book (about 20 hours)
The typical price range an author can expect to pay for having a book indexed (For example a trade book that's about 200 pages could cost about $800 to $900 CAD - about $4.00 CAD per page. A scholary book is usually about $6.00 to $6.50 to $7.00 CAD per page)
The steps to go through when creating an index
Stephen's use of the indexing software called Cindex
Remembering that, ultimately, your index is for the READER
How to hire Stephen if you're interested in leveraging his indexing services\
A common misperception authors often have about indexing
And more

After the interview, Mark reflects on the value of indexing as it pertains to some of his non-fiction and even fiction titles.

Links of Interest:

Stephen Ullstrom is an award-winning professional indexer. He believes that the world is a better place with well-written indexes, and is passionate about helping authors, publishers, and the index-curious understand how indexing works.

EP 329 - Laws of Tenacity with Eriq La Salle Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews actor/director/producer/writer Eriq La Salle about his latest novel LAWS OF ANNIHILATION and his life-long passion for storytelling.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, thanks Patrons, provides a personal update, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark and Eriq talk about:

How Eriq had always wanted to be a writer
Joining the high school drama club in junior high with the idea that they'd be able to put on the plays that he would write
Being told by the drama teacher that he had to audition, and how that started the "acting bug" that took him through a multi-decade career acting, directing, and producing
The way the author desire resurfaced about a dozen years ago
The prequel story to The Martyr Maker series (which appears in the end of LAWS OF DEPRAVITY) and why Eriq wrote it
The concept behind The Martyr Maker franchise
Loving movies and television and being inspired by the storytelling conventions there
The way each of the three main characters leads a little bit more in the first three books in the series
Eriq's work as Executive Producer for several years on Chicago PD
Directing and Executive Producing Dick Wolf's first show launched into streaming on Amazon Prime
A minor character in the series (known as "The African") who was fashioned after the Luca Brasi character in The Godfather and who will return in a later book in the series
How it took 10 years to find a publisher, and Eriq's DIY experience self-publishing
The importance of understanding and participating in the grass-roots style marketing as an author
Having to do a lot of marketing work even when you're with a larger publisher
The way that the status of "celebrity" can sometimes work against you
Eriq's respect for each medium and how to re-think, and re-learn in his unique roles within them
The importance of humbling yourself
How the marketing person that Eriq had hired and worked with eventually became his agent
Feeling that he is a better writer of fiction novels than of screenplays, despite his years of experience as an actor, director, and producer
The intention cinematic writing that Eriq did when crafting The Martyr Maker series
Enjoying collecting "useless trivia" and how that can aid in the research aspect of writing a novel
Giving credit to the technical advisors Eriq has worked with on shows like ER and Chicago PD
The various first readers that Eriq works with
Being an old fashioned paper book reader
Eriq's great respect for librarians
The delightful feeling of seeing your book in various bookstores of all sizes, including indie bookstores, big box stores, and airport bookstores
Doing several events in New York for the week the book is launching, including a special "On the Couch with Eriq La Salle"
The importance of listening to the messaging
The understanding that "we are blue collar artists"
Advice Eriq would offer to writers who are working at it and haven't yet found their success
And more . . .

After the interview, Mark reflects on a few of the things Eriq talked about, as well as a subtle, but important way Eriq spoke about the "team" he works with as an author.

Links of Interest:

Actor/director/producer Eriq La Salle is best known to worldwide television audiences for his award-winning portrayal of the commanding Dr. Peter Benton on the critically acclaimed and history-making medical drama ER. Educated at Juilliard and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, his credits range from Broadway to film roles opposite Eddie Murphy in Coming to America and Robin Williams in One Hour Photo and Hugh Jackman in Logan. La Salle has maintained a prolific acting career while at the same time working steadily as a director, taking the helm for HBO, Showtime, NBC, Fox and CBS. He remains a valued member of the Dick Wolf Entertainment camp after 4 years as Executive Producer and director on Chicago PD in addition to directing episodes of Law & Order, and Law and Order Organized Crime.

As a writer, La Salle is the author of several critically acclaimed thrillers published in 2022 and 2023-Laws of Depravity, Laws of Wrath, and Laws of Annihilation. He has also written an episode of The Twilight Zone which made WGA's list of 101 Best Written TV Series. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

EP 328 - Reflections on A New Season with Terry Fallis Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews Terry Fallis about his latest novel, A New Season.

A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the author of nine novels, all of them national bestsellers—including six #1 bestsellers—and all published by McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes new Patron Nikki Guerlain, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark and Terry talk about:

Terry's latest novel, A NEW SEASON, and the unique approach he took to his latest book
Retiring from his day job as a communications/public affairs consultant in March 2022
Having wanted to write full time since the release of his first novel fifteen years earlier
The precarious reality of the earnings an author is most likely to make, even if they are a successful author who regularly hits the bestseller lists in Canada
How the novel was derived from fears (something Terry was inspired by John Irving to consider), and from events that unfolded during the pandemic, and the way Terry had to evolve his writing from the usual "bend" of humor he employed in his previous books
Casting off the shackles/tyranny of humor
Some of the "trademark" self-depracating humor of Terry's narrators (Jack McMaster in this one, Daniel Addison in his first couple of novels)
Not being able to believe that he's currently 63 and the experience of writing a narrator (Jack) who is closer to Terry's own age
Terry's experiences playing ball hockey every week and how ball hockey can be a bit of a time machine
Writing the scenes from trying to speech French when in Paris from personal experience
Terry's friendship with Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo fame) via his weekly ball-hockey and how the musician allowed Terry to write him into his novel
The examination of make friendship which is an important aspect of this novel
Terry's history of being a "closeted" singer-songwriter, which he's been doing since he was seventeen years old
The song "More Than The Game" which Terry wrote about the comradarie of his ball hockey league
Laying a few of Terry's songs into the audiobook produced by Penguin Random House
The 42-year-old love song that Terry wrote for his University girlfriend (who he has been married to for 36 wonderful years)
The long-time romantic tradition of Terry singing the love song to his wife on Christmas Eve
Terry's personal connection to Paris and how it, like ball hockey, is a kind of time machine
Writing a scene of the novel at the seat of Hemmingway's favorite table at a Paris cafe
Hailing from the "why use 6 words when 12 will do" school of writing
The saga of Constance Stanley's diaries becoming the final piece that Terry needed to complete the story
How the title A NEW SEASON refers to so many different elements from the novel
The next book that Terry has already started to work on, which has even more intrigue and suspense than two of his previous novels
Advice Terry would have for writers who have long wanted to do it, but haven't yet taken that step
And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of writing books from passion and intense interest. He then shares the name of the Patron winner of Joanna Penn's Writing the Shadow.

Links of Interest:

Terry's Website
Terry's Substack
A New Season (PRH Canada)
Terry's previous guest appearances on this podcast:
- EP 029 - Terry Fallis on Writing with Authenthicity, Humor, and Passion
Mentions of Terry on previous episodes:
- EP 189 - From Stage to Page and Back to Stage with Rod Carley
- EP 050 - 5 Things Learned in 50 Episodes
- EP 020 - Lessons Learned on My Writer Journey
EP 146 - Finding Yourself in Our Song with Meaghan Smith
EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn
EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams
EP 325 - Reflecting Back: 3 Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing
Mark's YouTube Channel
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Best Book Ever Podcast
Lovers Moon Podcast
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
Wide for the Win
Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
- This Time Around (Short Story)
- A Canadian Werewolf in New York
- Stowe Away (Novella)
- Fear and Longing in Los Angeles
- Fright Nights, Big City
- Lover's Moon
- Hex and the City
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews Joanna Penn about her new book Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words, then associated Kickstarter she launched for it, plans she has to window its release, and much more.

Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about:

How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark's podcast (she was in episode 212)
The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009)
How sometimes there's a book that you really want to write that you're not ready to write yet
The way we can often push the "shadows" down and repress them
The importance of writing the things that fascinate you
What happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it there
Plato's Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmony
The value of addressing what we're repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writing
How critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadow
The common themes in Joanna's writing about helping or saving the family or saving the world
The only way we're going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated content
How Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are "mid-life" books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style books
Exploring how you're being held back by some of those things that you've allowed to be repressed
The shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishing
How you don't need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadow
The Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the Shadow
The way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategies
Joanna's launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distribution
The value of standing out as an author, particularly today
How Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in it
Building a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realm
The importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn't change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and others
Gifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of "after the curse comes the gift"
The spiral bound workbook
How thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the future
The horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both in
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things from the conversation, announces a bonus for his patrons related to a reward from Joanna's Kickstarter, and invites listeners to share their own reflections on this topic.

Links of Interest:

Joanna Penn's Main Website: The Creative Penn
- Writing the Shadow
Halloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023)
Joanna's Previous guest appearances on this podcast:
- EP 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn
- EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn
- EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed Author
- SELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / Appearances
  - EP 164 - Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn Podcast Episode 517
  - EP 300 - Celebrating 300 Episodes with Guest Reflections
Mark's YouTube Channel
EP 324 - The Asset of Attention with Joe Solari
EP 325 - Reflecting Back: Three Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Best Book Ever Podcast
Lovers Moon Podcast
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
Wide for the Win
Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Mark interviews author E.L. Williams about her writing life, about her books, about rebranding one of the books in her series, and more.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes a brief personal update, welcomes new patron T. Thorn Coyle, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Emma talk about:

How it took Emma about ten years to write her first book
Getting slightly "bullied" into going to a writer conference from a fellow author
Publishing her first book during Halloween season in 2020
How the global pandemic changed enough things with her day job that allowed her the opportunity to get the book finished and published
The "Murphy's Law" events that piled up with the launch of book two, which led to a signifcant health issue that had to be dealt with
The decision to change the title and cover for book two after realizing it wasn't hitting the market properly
Being a great believer in learning by doing
Rolling back on the unrealistic expectations Emma set herself up with and learning to enjoy the process and take a more relaxed approach
Emma's ideas involving merchandise in relation to her book and how that led to collaborating with Deadweight Brewing
The book "relaunch" party Emma planned out including the beer and book cakes
The social media "long shot" that Emma took on Instagram asking if the beer book branding thing had ever been done before
How social media can be a bit like marmite
Beginning to check out experimenting with TikTok by doing a video a day
Advice Emma has for other writers who haven't taken the plunge yet
And more....

After the interview, Mark reflects back on a couple of things his conversation with Emma made him think about.

Links of Interest:

EP 325 - Reflecting Back: 3 Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode Mark reflects back to Episode 6 of this podcast, which was released on Feb 6, 2018.

He shares clips from that episode, in which he outlined three of the things that bothered him about the indie publishing world.

Reflecting back, he comments on a few things that have changed, and what is consistent more than 5 years after the initial broadcast.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

Links of Interest:

EP 324 - The Asset of Attention with Joe Solari Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

In this solo episode, Mark interviews Joe Solari about his new book May I Have a Moment of Your Attention?

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and then reflects on the reasons why he canceled a trip he was supposed to take to Florida to attend NINC (Novelist's Inc.)

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joe talk about:

Joe's winding experience path, the long journey he has been on, and how there's no way you could possibly train for the job that Joe does
The daily roadblocks that Joe had to overcome as he was beginning to learn about the complex writing and publishing business
The importance of not assuming that the person on stage actually knows what they're talking about
Also not assuming that what you "need" is what you're seeing presented on that "stage"
Joe's very first 20BooksVegas conference (which he has been to since the very beginning of it)
How Joe feels that we're still in the early stages of the entire self-publishing landscape
Understanding different formats, like audio, where the consumers aren't necessarily readers, but do enjoy story
The value of recognizing the assets in your business, which includes the asset of AUDIENCE and the related importance of DEMAND
How ads aren't scaleable, but that audiences are scaleable
Joe's latest book MAY I HAVE A MOMENT OF YOUR ATTENTION and how it's only available to buy direct from Joe
How the book was created, and how, in part of Joe building his brand is NOT just putting the book up everywhere
The audit statements in a survey that Joe asks readers of the book to complete
The way this survey and other assets help the reader get to "know, like, and trust" Joe and then be willing to purchase from him
How traffic to your Amazon page can be one of the worst things you do if that traffic doesn't convert to sales
The value of a customer retention system
The importance of feeling a special part of a brand's community
Focusing on serving your ideal reader rather than trying to sell more books
How author Chris Kennedy allows his fans to incorporate their own fan club about the worlds he has created and written
The way that people who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on merchandise, cosplay, etc, are not even thinking about how much a book costs
Joe telling authors to try out his author marketing audit survey and to pay attention to it and see how they can steal his ideas for their own branding and marketing efforts
The free 20 minute calls that Joe offers
The critical importance of focusing on your audience, and not on what other authors are doing

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of the things Joe talked about, including the advice on assumptions made about the person "on stage" offering advice, and on the critical value of focusing on how you can serve your ideal reader rather than focusing on trying to sell more books.

Links of Interest:

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected