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Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. - Ambrose Bierce All advertising is good advertising, right? It doesn’t matter if you’re mean or nice, so long as people know your name, right? Wrong. People may know your name, but you could easily do more damage than good. In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss how to identify rage bait, what to do when you find it, and why it's generally a bad idea to implement on social media if you're looking to become a career author.

The idea of writing a memoir pushed me way out of my comfort zone. So instead of trying to eat the whole elephant in one sitting, I took small bites. - Rachel Trotter Whether or not you’re writing a memoir or a piece of fiction, it is well known that writers “write what they know.” In many cases, that translates to using real experiences from the author’s own life to help shape or directly inspire certain scenes in their book. For memoir writers, it’s almost all true. But how true should a memoir be? How much can you really pull from real life if you’re writing a piece of fiction?

All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. - George Orwell

It ain’t whatcha write, it’s the way atcha write it. - Jack Kerouac

There have been a few authors recently - usually newer authors - who have made a bad name for themselves because of how they interacted with readers. In some cases, it was calling them names for leaving bad reviews. In others, its an unreasonable restriction on the copyright page that completely ignores the legally-established First Sale Doctrine. When you set out to be an author, one thing you need to prepare for is interacting in reading communities. It is the reader's space and you are there as a guest, even among your own fanbase. First aired February 12, 2024.

A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it. - Danielle Steel

When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another. - Kate DiCamillo

Wanting to be a writer and not wanting to be rejected is like wanting to be a boxer and not wanting to get punched. - David Barr Kirtley

Part of figuring out yourself as a writer is testing different options along the way. Are you a pantser or plotter or something in between? Do you like doing writing sprints? How much time do you spend on each project in order to get it done? Do you write at scheduled times or as you’re inspired? Walk through with us as we talk about the different options of your journey to figure out what kind of writer you are or want to be. First aired January 29, 2024.

Funding is one of the most precarious parts of publishing your own books. From the editing to cover design to formatting, it can be an expensive process to undertake on your own. One route many authors have found is through crowdfunding campaigns such as Kickstarter. We talked with Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, to talk about how crowdfunding can be a useful tool in getting your books out into the world. First aired January 27, 2024. Resources: Kickstarter Publishing How to Create a Kickstarter Budget How to Create a Publishing Project Page How to Promote Your Kickstarter Project Examples of Kickstarter Publishing Projects Small Genre Skyblue Fraud and Feta Haunted Haven Kit and Basie Anthologies Death in the Mouth Crown Collection Audiobook Wounds of Ash The Lost Cause Stone & Sky Deluxe Editions Dragons Rising The Gilded Blood The Sea at the End of Everything Big Genre Projects Esrahaddon Seasons of Shadowhunters Wraithmarked Other Resources Kickstarter for Authors Facebook Group Writer MBA – Russel Nohelty

Each writing journey is a totally unique experience, and it’s not just because each book is unique. When you start along the path of writing and maybe even publishing a book, you have to understand that no other author’s journey is going to be a perfect fit for you as well. Things would be a lot easier if there was some perfect formula to follow, but there simply isn’t. Instead, writing is about discovering your own path. It may be similar to someone else, even being a parallel at times. But eventually, you will come across a fork that will take you in a branching direction. In this episode, we take a look at why your journey is unique and how understanding what makes it yours will help make the process easier. First aired January 25, 2024.

When you are writing, we always want you to focus on creating the story for yourself. Inevitably, however, there comes a time when you will likely consider sending that story into the world for readers to consume. Making that choice to monetize – whether through direct sales or as a marketing hook for other stories – isn’t always easy. In this episode, we discuss things you should consider when approaching the topic of when and how to monetize your writing. First aired January 22, 2024.