Become A Writer Today

I recently read  Mind Management, Not Time Management by  David Kadvy.It made a big impact on me because David has thought a lot about popular productivity methods like Getting Things Done and considered how they can apply to writers and creatives. He breaks down how creatives can organize their day so they’re at their best when it’s time to write or work on a project and how they can also find time for all the administrative stuff that could come with running a writing business. I was interested to know more about his writing process. He also has a very specific early morning writing routine he describes in this week’s interview. I started by asking David about the key ideas in his book and how he came to write it in the first place. In this episode, we discuss:Getting your mind ready to writeReview what you're going to write the next dayDavid's morning routineUsing The Zettelkasten MethodHow many hours a day David spends in a creative state Deciding how many books to write each yearResources:David

I've read a few books about productivity and work that have radically changed how I think about finding time to work and creative projects.One of those books is Getting Things Done by David Allen, and it made a significant impact on how I think about work. In this week's interview, David discusses how your mind is for having ideas, not for holding onto them, and writers and creatives must have a system for capturing all of their ideas.I started the interview by asking him how GTD has changed since he first came up with the concept over 20 years ago.In this episode, we discuss:How GTD has evolved over the yearsStrategies for managing inboxesPracticing weekly reviewsManaging your prioritiesThe books key role in the development of GTD coursesHow the book was received in different languages around the worldResources:Getting Things Done - WebsiteGetting Things Done - BookMaking it all Work - BookSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can

In this episode, I catch up with TEDx speaker and author Dai Manuel.Dai brings to his work his personal story of the challenges he overcame to become a wellness coach and run a multimillion-dollar business.Dai explains how, when he started to bring more vulnerability into his writing, everything changed for him. His coaching clients increased, and he secured more public speaking gigs, including TEDx.I was interested in finding out from Dai what it was like to give a TEDx talk, and I was fascinated to discover the amount of work and editing that goes into it.Dai reveals how he worked with a team of editors and public speaking coaches who helped him perfect his talk and how much he learned from the whole process. In this episode we discuss: Dai explains what the five F's areIdentifying what to work on when you have a busy lifeOvercoming the fear of being judgedEducating and inspiring others through storyBehind the scenes of a Tedx talkResources:Why Vulnerability is a Human Thing - TEDx Dai ManuelSupport th

In this episode, we focus on email marketing, and my guest is email marketing expert Keith Monaghan.He knows his stuff as he previously worked as a market researcher and email marketer for companies like Nike, Specialized Bicycles, Trek, and NBC Television.He's the author of the new book, Easy Email Marketing: 10 Simple Steps for Creating and Sending Marketing E-Mail Your Customers Will Love.I asked Keith to walk through all the steps needed to create a successful campaign. From setting up an email list through to what to send. He also explains what to look out for and how to engage with readers more frequently.In this episode, we discuss:People are using email more than everThe steps to creating a successful email campaignKeith's recommended email toolsHow to get the tone of your emails right How to write a good subject lineDo a final check before sending your emailResources:Fat Stacks OfferKeith MonaghanConvertKit ReviewEasy E-mail Marketing: 10 Simple Steps for Creating and Sending Marketing E-Ma

Was your first book a bit of a passion project? If you're going to commit to writing in the long term and want to earn a living wage from it, you need a plan.That's one of the topics I address in this week's interview with Orna Ross. She is the Alliance of Independent Authors director, and she also coaches students on creative planning. I wanted to know more about her creative planning process and how writers can benefit from it. I started our conversation by asking her to describe her background and how she first broke into self-publishing.If you have questions, suggestions, or feedback for the show, please tweet me at @bryanjcollins. I'd love to hear about your writing projects and what writing podcasts you're listening to at the moment.In this episode, we discuss: Are there more opportunities to self publish todayHow creative planning worksTips for what you should and shouldn't be doing How to decided what to work on nextTaking time out for creative playCan business be fun and

Would you like to start a content website about your hobby that you could sell for many multiples? My guest this week explains how to do just that.Mushfiq has bought and sold over 150 websites since he started his career as a content creator and website builder back in 2008. In other words, he’s an expert on the topic.But what if you have no money and no budget for buying a content website? Mushfiq explains the steps he would take if he were starting from scratch today. He reveals how he buys, builds, and later sells his content websites.I also asked him what his working life looks like and his approach to working and collaborating with other writers to build his sites a little bit faster.In this episode we discuss:How Mushfiq first got started buying and selling websitesHis target criteria for buying a content websiteUsing freelance writers and specialists to grow your contentThe primary monetization methods Knowing the right time to flip a websiteResources:The Website FlipMotion InvestFlippaODYSEasyWinsSupp

Michelle Cox is the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series author, a mystery romance set in 1930s Chicago. Described as Downtown Abbey meets Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, the books have won multiple awards, and publications like PopSugar, Elle, BuzzFeed, Redbook, and Bustle have praised it as a top read. In this episode, Michelle describes her writing process for mysteries and explains where the idea came for a mystery romance set in 1930s Chicago. Michelle also describes how beta readers help her improve her mystery books, where she finds them, what she asks them, and how she decides who to listen to and who to ignore.In this episode we discuss:Where Michelle got the idea from for her seriesMichelle's writing processDoing character researchHow to find her beta readersWhat to do with the feedback from beta readersMarketing strategiesResources:Book FunnelSurveyMonkeyShe Writes PressClubhouseMichelle CoxSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions y

Chicago-based scriptwriter Daniel Joshua Rubin is the author of 27 Essential Principles of Story.This book stands out because Daniel uses modern examples like South Park and Breaking Bad to describe how storytelling principles work. Then, he explains how writers can apply the principles to writing screenplays, novels, etc.Daniel describes what it means to live a writing life and how sometimes you need to separate your identity from being a successful writer.Towards the end of our conversation, we went off-topic and talked about how investing, and the stock market has something in common with a good plot. In this episode we discuss:Deciding on the number of principlesUsing popular media to convey the principlesShould you outline a story firstDaniel's writing processHow long it takes to write a scriptResources:story27.comDay One The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot DíazThe War of Art - Steven Pressfield Support the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any ques

Carol and Matthew Newell run the Family Hope Center. It's an organization that has so far supported over 20,000 families dealing with special needs children.Carol and Matthew took some of the ideas they've refined throughout their careers and turned them into a book.One of the key challenges they faced is having spent their entire careers as experts in their field, they found it hard to convey the knowledge they take for granted.I've experienced reading books written by clinicians, and I appreciate that the books could often be challenging to read. I was struck by how accessible their new book, Healing Your Child's Brain, is.I wanted to understand how they turned their expertise into something that parents can understand. It was interesting to hear how they didn't write the book to generate an income. Instead, they're doing it because of the message they want to share with parents. In this episode we discuss:Their background and how they came to start The Family Hope CentreHow so

I recently read a collection of personal essays by my guest today, the Irish Times journalist Patrick Freyne. It’s called OK, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea. In the book, Patrick reflects on the jobs he’s had, his time in a band, and a friend who unexpectedly passed away. He didn’t necessarily set out to write a book, but one of his personal essays gained traction with a popular writing publication in Ireland.I had the chance to catch up with Patrick and ask him about his writing process and how he put together a collection of personal essays.I started by asking Patrick all about this book, OK, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea.In this episode we discuss:How Patrick relied on his memory when writing the essaysPatrick explains his writing processPatrick's love of short storiesHaving a criteria for what goes in the bookHow Patrick promoted the bookResources:OK, Let's Do Your Stupid IdeaIrish TimesSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me o

In this episode, I interview author, biographer, and ghostwriter Ruby Peru. She's written an astonishing 19 books to date, and she spoke to me about how she balances working on her craft whilst working on books for her clients. She also has to juggle this with finding her next client, which can be a painful lesson to learn as a freelancer. It's great to get the paycheque at the end of your commission, but then you have to find your next client.I wanted to know what got Ruby into writing memoir, non-fiction and ghostwriting, and she also talks about how she is in the process of building up her publishing company.In this episode we discuss: Are there any rules to follow when writing a memoirThe difference between self-help books and memoirsThe process for writing a memoirRuby explains her editing processSetting expectations at the start of the projectHow it feels to ghostwrite a book and see someone else's name on the front pageRuby's promotion strategiesResources:Ruby PeruPangloss PressBusi

People consume books differently from how they did in the past. They like to read books on their phone or tablet. And they also want to listen to books in the car, at the gym, and on the go. And this is where audiobooks come into their own.I've recorded several audiobooks as it's a fantastic way to increase sales. I'd certainly encourage you to consider turning your books into audiobooks.  In this episode, I speak with Al Black of Voquent Media. He's an expert when it comes to creating audiobooks as it's his service that helps authors find professional narrators, audio engineers, and so on to get their audiobooks ready for publication. In this episode, we discuss:Where should a writer start when turning their book into an audiobookHow to pick a specific narratorHow much should you budget for an audiobookWhat happens after you've chosen your narratorKnowing when you're ready to publish the audiobookMic recommendations for recording your own audioResources:ACXVoquentWhispersyn

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Jeff Leisawitz.His book, Not F*ing Around, was written with creative people in mind. It encourages the reader to get their creative dreams off the ground. He's also a life coach whose work is focused purely on creatives and helping them to achieve their creative goals.As it says on his website: "Jeff burns with a mission— to inspire and teach writers, artists, songwriters, musicians, filmmakers, solopreneurs, arts organizations (and every other human with a heartbeat) to amp up their vision, tap into their potential and shine in the world." In this episode we discuss: The type of people who come to Jeff for coachingHow Jeff works with his clientsWhat are creatives afraid of?Using NLP to help people overcome blocksA simple technique that you can use today How Jeff promotes and sells his bookResources:Not f*cking around NLPInsight TimerJeff LeisawitzSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you

Alinka Rutkowska is the CEO of Leaders Press, a company that helps non-fiction authors, specifically in the business genre, hit the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Seller List.In this interview, Alinka highlighted the importance of having an email list.While it's true that Amazon and Facebook ads can help you sell books, it's an email list that is the most effective way to keep in touch with your readers and let them know when your work is live.Alinka also discusses how to generate interest in your email list by giving away something for free and using that to build a relationship with your readers.Click the link in the resources below to access Alinka's latest webinar.In this episode, we discuss:Using your book as an authority builderWhy would someone outsource their book?Building your email list using lead magnetsWhat it takes to make the Wall Street Journal or USA Today Best-Seller ListFinding authors to create anthologiesUsing bonuses as part of a launch strategyResources:ConvertKitO

What could you accomplish if you wrote 300 words a day every day for 30 days? Nicolas Cole and his business partner, Dickie Bush, put together the "Ship 30 for 30" challenge where they encourage writers to do just that.  It's an excellent challenge if you want to tap into the power of small daily wins for your writing.Nicolas is the author of several books, including The Art and Business of Online Writing. I started our conversation by asking Nicolas to explain his rather interesting backstory, because, like me, he was a gamer back in the day.In this episode, we discuss:How Nicolas transitioned from gamer to writerHis advice for new writers wanting to be readMaking money from your writing by selling it as a serviceBalancing running a business with writingSuccess stories from writers using the "30 for 30" challengeResources:QuoraMediumWattpadNicolas ColeNicolas on TwitterNicolas on QuoraSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any question

James Breakwell is a professional comedy writer.He's the father of four girls who were the inspiration behind his popular Twitter account, which eventually went viral. And on the back of that, he produced a series of parenting books, but they're not you're usual parenting books.In this episode, James and I chat about what makes his parenting books different from the others out there. We also talk about his latest book, How to Be a Man (Whatever That Means).In this episode, we discuss:How James built a following on Twitter before writing his first bookUsing his family and friends as the subject of his tweets and booksThe next step after building a following on TwitterJames's writing processWorking on his next projectsResources:James on TwitterSendyConvertKitExplodingUnicorn.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 @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!

I know many authors who've thought about it, but few who have done it... written a children's book.As the parent of three children, it's certainly something that I have considered. One man who has leapt into children's fiction is John Mashni. He's recently written and published CinderToot, which is a take on the tale of Cinderella.Having read the book, I surprised myself by laughing out loud as it's hilarious, and the illustrations that accompany it are superb.In this episode, John, who runs his own legal practice, explains why he chose to write a children's book in the first place and how writing it taught him some valuable parenting lessons. In this episode, we discuss: The premise of the book and why John decided to write itWhat to include in a children's bookHow long the editing and illustrations tookDescribing illustrations to an illustrator How John is marketing the bookCan anyone write a children's book?Resources:CinderTootHow to Write a Children's Book

Have you ever used prompts or constraints to inspire your creativity? Herbert Lui is a well-known freelancer. He’s written for top publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company, and I also know him as the guy who introduced me to the Zettelkasten method, which changed how I research and write books. Herbert also runs his own business, helping companies set up blogs and build a name online. In this episode, I ask Herbert what it’s like to write for companies like Lifehacker and Fast Company and how new writers can get gigs writing for publications like these. He also explains why quantity should be your number one priority as a creative and how to balance quantity with quality.I also ask Herbert to tell me more about his new book, There Is No Right Way to Do This.In this episode, we discuss:What Herbert's latest book is aboutTips for starting writing againThe types of constraints that authors useUsing the three-act structure when writing a bookHow a new writer can start writing for big publicationsResourc

Fantasy and non-fiction author, Richie Billing, has written several fantasy books and collaborated with other authors. In this episode, I chat with Richie about his writing process for fantasy, world-building, and collaborating with other authors across the genre. Richie's day job is in digital marketing, and so it stands to reason that he would use this to his advantage when it comes to selling his books. He discusses the current digital marketing trends for authors, the benefits of building an e-mail list, and how to use Facebook ads to sell books.In this episode we discuss:Building the fantasy world before writing anythingWhat aspects fantasy novels should includeRichie's process for world-buildingCollaborating with other authorsUsing Facebook ads to sell booksResources:The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos EgriPariah's Lament by Richard BillingNeil PatelRichie BillingSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitt

Can you build a long and successful career as a writer? My guest on this episode is Linguistics professor Julie Tetel Andresen. Not only has she published more than 35 books, but she also writes in many different genres, including romance, police procedurals, and crime thrillers.I encourage you to listen until the end of the episode, as Julie reveals the importance of a backlist and why it's almost as important as the book you are currently working on.But before that, I was interested in discovering more about Julie's take on sustaining a rewarding writing career that lasts a lifetime. In this episode, we discuss:What it means to get into your writing shapeHow to balance writing with a career and familyWhy romance is a very expansive genreJulie's process for writing a bookHow a good editor can make all the differenceHow Julie markets her writing Resources:ReedsyJulie Tetel AndresenSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find