Become A Writer Today

NFTs are a topic that has been in the news a lot lately. I recently went down the NFT rabbit hole by reading up on the subject, joining Discord channels, watching videos on YouTube, and reading articles.One person who knows more than me is this week’s guest, Shane Neeley. He wrote a fantastic article about how writers and authors can use NFTs to sell some of their books and increase their income. The other thing we got into in this week’s interview is using AI writing software. I was fascinated to hear how Shane has tested AI writing software like jarvis.ai, Writesonic, and Wordtune. These apps are great for writing headlines or an introduction to a blog post, but if you want to rely on AI to write an entire article, it’s just not possible yet.In this episode, we discuss:How a writer could use AIWhere writing technology will go over the next few yearsUsing AI tools when you have no knowledge or experienceHow Shane used an NFT based on his bookHow easy is it to create an NFT?Resources:OpenSeaShane NeeleyStonea

 The self-publishing landscape has changed quite a bit since I self-published my first book in 2014. It was easy to sell your book using Amazon ads back then. These days, you've got to invest a lot more time and money and learn the basics of Amazon advertising. That's on top of learning how to commission a book cover, finding an editor, and the rest! But what if you don't want to do all of that? An alternative is to work with a small indie press. Maria Dismondy is the founder of Cardinal Rule Press. She's also an author and has published over ten children's books, and a podcaster who podcasts regularly on the topic of publishing. During our chat, she explained her writing journey, why she started writing children's books, and how she set up her publishing company. In this episode we discuss:Writing for childrenHow long it took Maria to set up a publishing companyFocusing on characters with disabilitiesThe process of working with a small pressA typical working day for MariaDecidin

Amy S. Peele is a successful indie author who’s written across several genres, including medical mysteries and, more recently, rom-com. Amy says that when you start writing in a new genre, it’s natural to feel a sense of imposter syndrome. After all, this is something that you haven’t written in before. But, with a little bit of practice and some know-how about the genre, you can easily overcome this natural part of the creative process.Amy proves that it is possible to build a writing career on the side of a busy job. Amy is a registered nurse and a retired organ transplant expert, and she uses many of her insights and anecdotes from when she worked in that field for her medical mystery books.Maybe stories from your career could be fodder for a future book?In this episode, we discuss:The key to switching genresThe conventions of a good rom-comTaking improv classes to improve your writingOutlining stories vs. freewritingBreaking down mental blocksHaving a tribe that you can share withResources:Amy S. PeeleAmy

 Katja Kaine is the founder of The Novel Factory, a piece of software that makes it easier to write compelling stories. Katja developed the software and now uses real-world feedback from readers to improve the product.Katja talks about how she balances creative work and writing with running a business. She told me she writes for between two and three hours in the morning before she starts work on her business. The remainder of her day involves working in her Novel Factory business. She handles all of the support messages from customers, plans the latest features, and manages her team of developers.It's great to hear from a creative who balances working on their craft and telling compelling stories with working on their business and doing something to help other writers and other authors get their published works out into the world.To get  20% off The Novel Factory, use the discount code: BECOMEAWRITERTODAYIn this episode, we discuss.Why Katja designed The Novel FactoryThe evolution of The Novel factoryWh

If you've never tried affiliate marketing before, it can be an excellent way to earn some passive income.I've been using affiliate marketing for some time, and I've also promoted some courses directly as an affiliate. How it works is, when there's a big course launch, you get invited to recommend it to your audience by an affiliate manager. Matt McWilliams is one of the most well-known affiliate managers online today.I met Matt several years ago online when he invited me into the affiliate program for Michael Hyatt's Five Days to Your Best Year Ever course. Since then, I've taken part in other affiliate launches with Matt, like Self-Publishing School.In this episode, I want to help you understand how affiliate marketing can help you earn more money as a writer and build an ecosystem of products and services that you can promote. I finally had the chance to catch up with Matt for this podcast episode. I asked him about his journey into affiliate marketing and how writers and creat

Julie Broad is the author of Self-Publish & Succeed and she is an expert when it comes to book launches.If you've written a book and have been thinking about its launch, there are several strategies that you can try.On her YouTube channel, Book Launchers, Julie offers practical advice about how to launch your book on Amazon, get reviews, and sell more books.I caught up with Julie to get some first-hand advice on launching a book. In this episode, we discuss.Why are there so many boring self-published, non-fiction booksWhat it takes for a book to succeed on AmazonGood strategies for launching a bookWhere should you sell your book other than AmazonOther tactics for selling a bookHow to find a good editorHiring a developmental editorUsing YouTube as a promotion toolResources.Book Launcher More than CashflowThe New Brand YouSelf Publish and SucceedBooklaunchers.comSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollin

Many of you who listen to Become a Writer Today want to write a book and take action and do it. Others say they want to write a book or have a book inside of them, but somehow, that goal or that intention never actually happens.The best way to start writing your book is to think about your intention. Do you want to be more creative, build a business, make an impact or share your stories? Or is it simply something that you want to tick off your bucket list? Travis Bell is known as The Bucket List Guy, and he has built a popular business around public speaking and teaching other people how to tick items off their bucket list. He’s also the author of the Bucketlist Blueprint.Travis describes how his focus has helped him become an author, build a profitable public speaking business, travel the world, and serve his audience.In this episode, we discuss.Where the name The Bucket List Guy came from.How to get started writing your bookUsing a book to build a businessMotivational books to readHow Travis structures his

As the founder of Filthy Rich Writer, Nicki Krawczyk teaches other people how to become profitable copywriters.In our chat, Nicki talks about how you can become a copywriter, the skills you need to land clients, how to pitch your first client, and how to set your rates so you can get paid well for doing it. I also asked Nicki what courses copywriters should take and which books they should read. Nicki has her own courses, and she details some of the lessons and how she helps her students.In this episode, we discuss:How Nicki got into copywritingHow a good copywriter understands their target marketCopywriting is half creativity and half strategyWhat you should include in a copywriting pitchWho to pitch to and what should you charge?How to change your writing to that of a copywriterHow much can a copywriter earn?Resources:Filthy Rich WriterBuild Your Copywriting Business PodcastFree Video TrainingFilthy Rich Writer on FacebookFilthy Rich Writer on InstagramSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a

My guest in this podcast episode is Geoffrey Bunting, a book cover designer based in the UK.He’s worked for publications like HarperCollins and National Geographic. In this episode of the podcast, we get into how you can get ready to work with your book cover designer, how much you should expect to pay, and how to figure out the types of book covers that will work in your niche.In the second half of the interview, we also talked about Geoffrey’s other type of work, designing and laying out books.I asked Geoffrey what he thinks about the layout software Vellum, and he has some interesting insights on software versus working with a professional book designer.In this episode we discuss:Is there more work for book designers due to self-publishingHow to market yourself as a book designerWhy non-fiction is easier to design forDeciding on the type of coverShould you have different covers for different countriesHow much you should expect to pay for a professional book coverThe process for designing a bookDesigning fo

Frank Scalise is a crime writer who also writes under the pen name Frank Zafiro.His books include the River City series and he has also written several fantasy books.Frank has been writing since he was 13 years old. After entering the police force, he wrote before or after shift work. In 2013, Frank did what many writers dream of: he retired from the police force to write full time.During our chat, Frank told me that if you collaborate with somebody else, you can accomplish a lot more, and to prove it, Frank has written over 30 books.If you’re interested in collaborating with other writers, listen to the middle of the interview when Frank explains how he finds collaborators. He talks about what to expect from the collaborative process and how it’s helped him write more books. In this episode, we discuss:How Frank balanced work with writingWriting what you knowThe secret to writing over 30 booksOutlining a plot vs writing as you go A typical day's writingWorking with editorsFinding collaboratorsThe collab

Sandy Forster is the author of the international bestseller How to Be Wildly Wealthy Fast. Not only is she a published author, but she has built a  successful business around her book. When I recently caught up with Sandy, one of the key takeaways from the interview was how she got really clear on her ideal reader and who she wanted to help.Sandy admitted that she had some limiting beliefs about money earlier in her life, just after she got divorced, but she found a way to work through those beliefs.She’s now earning money from her book, which has sold over a staggering quarter of a million copies since it was first published. As well as the book, she earns money from her coaching, courses, and public speaking.In this episode we discuss:How Sandy discovered the Law of Attraction and turned her finances around.How long it took to write the bookTips for promoting your workSandy's experience when she climbed Mount EverestFinding time to work on your businessDealing with sabotage when building a writing care

The Final Flight is James Blatch's first book, and during our chat, I asked him how he's planning on selling copies because it's easier to sell books when you have a back catalog.So what should a new author do when they're about to release their first book? James talks about using advertising to sell copies of his book, so I asked him if advertising could help me sell the parenting memoir that I've written?James also talks about the different businesses that he runs aside from Self Publishing Formula, in particular, Fuse Books and Hello Books, and how they can help authors find more readers and get more copies of their work into the world.In this episode, we discuss.How Final Flight was originally written for the NaNoWriMo competition Finding the time to write a book while working on a businessIdentifying where your market isLearning from your writing process and making changesUsing advertising to promote your book and build an audienceBuilding an email listThe importance of checking

Steph Smith is a growth marketer, writer, and the author of Doing Content Right.Steph has a fascinating take on how to launch a book. In fact, she has an altogether different approach to most authors.As her book is about creating content for businesses, she promoted it first on Twitter, where she first validated the idea with her audience. In this interview, she talks about how she did that before she launched the book on Product Hunt.It's the first time I've heard of an author launching their book on Product Hunt, and I was fascinated. Steph believes that when you launch a book, you should go where your audience is and build a community around your book. In this episode, we discuss:Using a Twitter following to grow interested in your bookWhy Steph chose Product Hunt to launch her bookHow Steph wrote the book in 49 daysWhat to do if your non-fiction book starts to dateWhy there are more opportunities than ever before for content creatorsSteph's favorite keyword tool and is SEO the best way to g

Ann Kroeker is a writing coach, published author, and professional speaker.She works with clients who want to find agents and publish books the traditional way and also helps her clients figure out if self-publishing is the correct route for them. In this interview, we talk about some of the merits of self-publishing versus traditional publishing. One of the biggest challenges of self-publishing is you have to market and promote the book yourself. For that, you need a platform, and Ann helps her clients build an online platform. She helps them work out what channel is right for them, whether Facebook, Twitter, podcasting, or blogging. She also explains the difference between writing a blog post and writing an article. I asked Ann if it is too late to start a blog or build a platform online by publishing articles, and you may be surprised by her answer. We also talk about the merits of podcasting for writers, particularly for non-fiction writers. In this episode we discuss:How Ann focuses on non-fiction writin

Alex Strathdee is the founder of Advanced Amazon Ads as well as a best-selling Amazon author. I've used Amazon ads since 2016 to sell non-fiction books. Back when I started using Amazon ads, it was straightforward to get them working. Over the years, Amazon ads have become far more competitive. It's impossible to get the same return for the same budget, and the platform has changed. I wanted to talk to somebody who could talk me through what type of Amazon ad campaigns are working and how to use them to sell more copies of my back catalog. Alex also talks about the platform's future, and if you want to sell more copies of your book, Amazon ads work particularly well for non-fiction.In this episode, we discuss:The number one thing that Amazon Ad novices should doAmazon Ads don't have to be expensive. Start with the basicsHow to track your spend and salesWhat kind of budget gets good resultsAre Amazon Ads more profitable for fiction or non-fiction?Resources:Traffic SecretsAdvanced Amazon Ads

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Allen Klein. He's spent his career writing spirituality and personal development books.To date, he's written over 31 books, including The Healing Power of Humor, and his most recent title is The Awe Factor which spiritualityandpractice.com dubbed one of the best spiritual books of 2020.I wanted to understand what goes into a good spirituality book and how authors can take a simple idea like awe and turn it into a book. Allen explains how he draws on stories from his personal life, stories that people tell him, and those he comes across online.Allen talks about spending over a week in a library using microfiche film to extract an article from the New York Times, whereas, today, it's just a Google search away, or you can download an app.He also talks about how he promotes his books using a service called Help a Reporter Out  (HARO). If you write any non-fiction, I recommend checking it out.In this episode we discuss.Why Allen describes himself as a jolly

Mark McGuinness is an award-winning poet, author, and creative coach. He also hosts his own podcast, The 21st Century Creative.In this podcast episode, Mark explains how he worked with Brian Clark of Copyblogger and how the copywriting lessons he learned have stayed with him ever since.We also talked about how the pandemic has impacted creatives. Mark describes some of the steps he's taking to break out of his self-imposed "introvert's paradise," which he set up during lockdown. Mark also talks about the importance of looking on your computer for that messy creative project that you've been putting off. That messy creative project could be the one that pays dividends for you over the long term. In this episode, we discuss:Finding a balance between writing with traditional and digital toolsWhat happens to a poem after it's been writtenWhat a creative career looks likeDeciding which projects to work onFinding a rhythm to your creativityResources:The 21st Century CreativeCopyblogger

James Morgan-Jones found his love of writing at around 12 years of age.He's now the author of The Glasswater Quintet, and in this episode he talks about his approach to writing a book series and how the first book in the series came about when he was studying for his MA. James is also a poet and a playwright and I was fascinated to hear about how his poetry, screenplays, and his background as an actor have informed how he writes his books. In this episode, we discuss:Tips for writing dialogueDo you need an MA to write a bookWrite about what you knowJames explains how he hadn't planned to write a seriesThe writing processHow to approach writing poetryResources:The Glasswater QuintetJames Morgan JonesSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

Caitlin Berve recently published a collection of modern fairy tales called When Magic Calls. She's also written two other anthologies and has another one in the works. While she's not writing, Caitlin runs her own writing business and coaches other writers on how they can improve their books and their craft. In addition to all that, she also edits memoir and fiction.I recently had the chance to catch up with Caitlin and was fascinated to hear how she balances both her writing business and creative work.I also found out that Caitlin took an MFA in creative writing. Many new writers wonder if they need to take an MFA before they can write a book, so I put that question to Caitlyn, and I think you'll find her answer says a lot about what it takes to become a successful writer today.In this episode we discuss:How Caitlin manages her timeMistakes that memoir writers makeTypes of memoirsFinding an editor for your bookAdvice on joining a critique groupFinding the balance between client work and writin

Charlene Wang is a product manager at Google. In other words, she's got a hectic, demanding day job, and yet she found time to write and publish her new book, Model Breakers. Charlene also runs a popular newsletter on Substack called LivingOS. Last year, Charlene set herself a goal of writing 200 articles in 200 days, and so far, she's exceeded that goal. It's fantastic to hear about a writer who's built a side hustle while working a day job. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us work from home and no longer commute, which allows us more free time. Charlene eliminated her commute, and she had the extra time during her mornings and evenings to write.Charlene also discusses how online tools can help with writing and how she got into writing newsletters.In this episode we discuss:The types of topics Charlene covered in her 200 days of writingWhere the idea for LivingOS came fromWhich articles were most popular with readersHow to build an email listThe process for using apps when writingHow