I wrote Choose your own Adventure stories before apps like this existed and it was hellish to keep track of all the threads. It seems like it could be a lot easier and more fun to write with an app such as Zory.

Choose Your Own Romance... what a concept!

I don’t see Zero in the show notes

Of all the author newsletters that I've signed up for, Joe Solari's is the most informative, unique, and practical one. I was excited to hear him on the podcast!

It’s three people now.

When you make a goal like one book a year, what would happen if you don’t make it? Do you just move on to the next book? That’s my problem right now. The one-year timeframe is up but I’m only halfway through the book.

Thank you for your transparency, Melanie. Many of these questions and issues are exactly what I am experiencing in my career. Instability is distracting me from getting the words down. Knowing I’m not the only one who struggles is a relief. Thank you all!

27:31 "I have a lot of authors who listen to my podcast, my imaginary friends..." It took me a minute to remember the podcast is called My Imaginary Friends. 😁

Jamie, y’all should interview Tonya Kappes. She’s a Cozy Mystery writers how has over 189 books. She has a very active thriving Patreon community. The things she doing will blow you away.

Love listening to the podcast! I would make the note though that KDP does not offer a pre-order yet. All it is is a way to choose a date to publish your book. In the past you couldn't choose the date to publish paperbacks. You submitted it for review and then it was published within that 72 hours. Now you can actually choose a date it publishes but there's no way for anyone to order the book ahead of time. It's very confusing! Many of us in the community thought this was a pre-order and we were very happy but turned out it's not what it was.

I've been reading light novels from Japan all year, including the 32-book series Ascendance of a Bookworm. Once it's translated it's going to be almost 3 million words.

Well this is my life... I've never clicked so fast

Thanks for having me!

Super informative, thank you!

The intro is perfect, because it makes you more human, so I hope you continue doing it❤ thank you for all the good info! 6:37

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So much value in this! Thank you all.

This was fantastic!

"Wait, you said dimple!" -> "Don't worry, we do edit this, so that won't go live" It's kinda fun to catch the behind-the-scenes moments here on KZbin =]

Fabulous hearing Rachel's story, very inspirational. Thanks

Just found them a couple of days ago and I am beyond hyped

Such a fun episode. I could hear how the three of you were having a great time together.

I love Rachel. I’m reading the Beach House

Great advice, Belinda. Thanks for sharing your many ideas. <3

Inspiring and fun content. Thanks!

Interview starts at 8:00

Good interview! But after the interview wraps up around the one hour mark, it then starts the opening for a brand new, different episode for the rest of the playtime, so I think it got cut at the wrong place.

Loved this. Thank you

Hi. I keep hearing about The Writer Id, but can't find it anywhere. I'm assuming it's a book. Can anyone clarify? Thanks.

Good show ladies ❤

Ribbons! This is exciting. 😍

Great interview!

Hey Jami! I just wanted to let you know, that I REALLY contemplated a consultation from you. I worked it into my marketing budget (my debut novel is coming out in September) and... I just felt like you're an AUTHOR and I'm a wanna be. I guess it's impostor syndrome but that's my reason for not taking you up on the offer. I think the price (especially for listeners!) is great and fair. I just feel you're amazing and I'm not worthy of you advice... does that make sense? Just giving you some feedback that your price is great, it's my own fear that holds me back <3

Loved this. I'm a Ream Author and so excited about it. Victoria LK Williams

00:01 Updates 12:15 Jennifer Hilt intro 15:45 Wish I'd known when starting out - Importance of marketing - Be involved with genre interest groups - Know what people are reading and why - Know genre expectations - Make connections with readers before launching a book - Take little steps. Don't think all or nothing. - Build an email list. Use BookFunnel to deliver reader magnets. - Do newsletter swaps with other authors 21:00 Wish I'd known about writing Romance - Genre expectations - Don't mix too many genres - You can write books to learn writing, not necessary to write only market focused books for publication - You can lightly revise old books and titles to be more tropey and marketable 35:00 Early assumptions - Would write only in one genre. Ended up writing in more than one. - Not worrying about time. Now aware of how limited time is. 27:45 Current work - Mainly Trope Thesaurus - Other small bounce around miscellaneous projects - Co-writing mystery series with brother 28:40 Lessons learned - Be yourself, don't try to write like other authors - Your voice, how you view the world, is important and helps you connect with people - Don't worry about being too weird or too different 30:30 Biggest change in thinking - Being more flexible with project schedules while not stopping working - Don't plan and then not execute 31:55 Things to do differently - Write a 5 book series, Mystery or Romance - Finish writing most of them before releasing because life happens, not necessarily for Rapid Release. You can also still edit earlier books for continuity. - Writing a standalone book might work for personal growth but is hard to sell - Not necessarily to have the same main protagonist in the series, but have the same characters in the same place (small town) - No need to rush books out, write a good book 37:13 How to work tropes into fiction - Tropes are story building blocks because they are about relationships - Once you are aware of them, you see them in all stories - Tropes are what hook people - The Mandalorian (Star Wars): people were talking about the relationships 38:40 Examples of tropes - Harry Potter (orphan, scar, secrets and other tropes customized to the world) 39:55 Trope categories - People (personality characteristic): orphan, boss, virgin, billionaire - Relationships: enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, boy next door, unrequited love, fated mates - Secrets: big and small 41:28 Will Trent (Hulu series) - Tropes: orphan, detective, big secret, wound 43:03 Romance - Develop them as individuals too: hooks readers, creates potential for conflict - Don't have to reveal all character details in the beginning, can be at the story midpoint - Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Issue with her mother is only revealed 1/4 way into the book 46:20 Tips for beginners to recognize tropes - Look through favorite book or movie and identify the tropes - Think about what the blocks are: pieces of the characters, relationships - Start with Hallmark Channel or Netflix Romances because their tropes are straightforward 48:24 Twisting tropes - The Lost City (Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum) - Bridesmaids - The 40 Year Old Virgin 50:14 Intentionally incorporating tropes - Use them with Goal, Motivation, Conflict to make it specific - For Romance, Goal can't be they want to be with the other person because we already know that. Needs to be something different like wanting a promotion. Their Goals can conflict. - Tropes help generate conflict - Goal: make it meaningful and measurable - Motivation: what feeling is this engendering - Conflict: based on Goal and Motivation - Jennifer Crusie's book Bet Me: interpersonal conflict not explosions, good examples of tropes 54:20 Jennifer's Kickstarter - Selling your book directly to people, not through Amazon or Barnes and Noble - No need to worry about keywords - Communicate directly with readers - Takes time to learn - People can buy tiers: ebooks, courses, audiobooks 57:05 Jennifer's books - The Trope Thesaurus - The Trope Thesaurus: Horror - The Trope Thesaurus: Romance (Kickstarter - book, audiobook, companion book) 59:55 Kickstarter advice - Recommended for fiction and non fiction - Some people use it to test early versions - For non fiction, target a specific audience - For fiction, have 3 books (series or otherwise tied together) - Finish the book first because you are obligated to deliver if the Kickstarter is funded 1:02:10 Best thing done to set up for success - Not giving up - Learn from failure - Keep writing books even if they don't sell, develop a backlist 1:03:35 Contact and Kickstarter information

Loved this. Thank you

Great episode! That sounds like so much fun working with other authors in that way rather than just seal inthology way. I would love to find writers to work with, make that have fun with.

Yayy. Y’all got Olivia Hayle on the show. I love her.

This is a fabulous episode. I love Joanna and I learned so much!

Here's my biggest tip as someone who almost went into business as a professional organizer: if you're not sure where to put something (digital or physical) ask yourself, "If it were six months later and I'd completely forgotten where I put this thing, where is the first place I'd look for it?" And then put it there. :)

All right, I'll test this! My book is coming out in 2 months (under a pen name). I'll give it all the love I can (as well as actions) to be successful and I'll have the goal of being asked to be on your podcast within 2 years! Fingers crossed!

None of the links work 😢

What Tess says about not knowing how to get your books out there is me. Every time I do a Facebook ad, it costs soooo much. I've taken paid classes. I'm stupid!

Does Tammi have any advice for a middle grade author since the person subscribing is usually not the reader? I have a very tiny list that's got decent engagement but it's only 25 people. My reader magnet is a book club toolkit.

PS - If not “synergy,” maybe “synchronicity.”

I think the word “synergy” is what Jaime was searching for. Great episode!

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Please interview Olivia Hayle. She’s done some awesome stuff in just three years.

Thank you. Wonderfully informative 💫

Its the Stephanie London interview not Kate P