In this episode, I interview Sarah Cook, freelance journalist for publications like Birmingham Magazine and Social Media Manager for Iron Tribe Fitness. We talk about best practices for press releases, what to include in your press kit, and what to say (and what not to say) when emailing a journalist about your self-published book.
Podcasts Episodes
How to Be a Writer: Getting Motivated to Get It Written with Carrie Rollwagen
In this episode, I talk about my writing process, including writing rituals, the magic of deadlines, the importance of grammar and most important writing tool of all — hard work.
Bonus Episode with Writer and Editor Josh Miller: ebooks, Erotic Fiction and the Economics of Self-Publishing
In this bonus episode, I continue my conversation with writer and editor Josh Miller (from Taste of the South and Southern Cast Iron magazines). In this bonus episode, Josh turns the tables on me and asks questions about self-publishing — including whether or not I made money with my book, The Localist. We also talk about Twilight, erotic ebooks and Fifty Shades of Grey.
Meet the (Other) Writer: Talking Fiction, Fantasy and Writing Inspiration with Josh Miller
In this episode, I interview Josh Miller, a writer and editor at two magazines: Taste of the South and Southern Cast Iron by Hoffman Media. We talk about how to get and keep inspiration, the mechanics of writing, whether grammar matters and who taught who to use a semicolon.
Meet the Copyeditor: Grammar, Constructive Criticism and Family Drama with Susan Rollwagen
In this episode, I interview Susan Rollwagen, my mom and copyeditor of The Localist book. We talk about the difference between a content editor and a copyeditor, how to give a take edits and criticism, and which parts of The Localist Mom took issue with.
Raise Money for Your Book: Budgets, Crowdfunding and Side Hustles
In this episode, I talk about what budget you should plan for your self-published book and how to make the money, including how to start a side hustle and how to work your crowdfunding platform like Kickstarter to self-publish your own book.
Meet the eBook Coder: Talking Upload Errors and eReaders with Jonathan Walls
In this episode, I interview Jonathan Walls, the web designer and developer who coded the ebook of The Localist. We talk about differences between print and epub, why to submit to different ereaders, and what errors to look out for in your self-published ebook.
Meet the Designer: Book Design, Cover Art and Book Blurbs with Andrew Thomson
In this episode, I interview Andrew Thomson, product designer, graphic designer and designer of The Localist book. We talk about the limitations of self-publishing and small print runs and how to utilize a self-publishing printer like Ingram Spark.
How to Ask for Help: Working with Freelancers and Asking for Favors
In this episode, I share my top 10 tips for asking for favors when self-publishing your book. Whether you're paying professional freelancers or asking for help from family and friends, it's important to be courteous and professional — I'll show you how to do that.
Meet the Editor: Grammar, Notes and Constructive Criticism with Bobby Watson
In this second podcast I interview my editor, Bobby Watson, about the book editing process.