The Rookie Writer Show

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to admit that it’s time to actually stop doing something. The numbers are in, and it would appear that the Season 3 format is simply not resonating with listeners and taking up too much of my writing time. As much as I loved this idea on paper, sometimes […]

SEASON 3 of The Rookie Writer Show will be a “behind the scenes” look at my writing journey from concept to published book, with lots of short stories and other projects sprinkled in for good measure. Let’s see how everything we’ve been learning gets put to good use! A quick check-in from last week. Were […]

Season 3 of The Rookie Writer Show will be a “behind the scenes” look at my writing journey from concept to published book, with lots of short stories and other projects sprinkled in for good measure. Let’s see how everything we’ve been learning gets put to good use! A quick check-in from last week. Were […]

Season 3 of The Rookie Writer Show will be a “behind the scenes” look at my writing journey from concept to published book, with lots of short stories and other projects sprinkled in for good measure. Let’s see how everything we’ve been learning gets put to good use! First order of business: I realized this […]

After much reflection, I’m changing up the show! It’s time to take ALL that we’ve learned the last couple of seasons and take it out for a spin. Time for the rubber to hit the road and all that! New Format Instead of weekly episodes where I give you a report on a book that […]

I will confess. I love James Scott Bell‘s books and classes. He not only cuts to the chase (and this book is no exception, weighing in at a mere 110 pages), his writing style makes those pages fly by. But don’t let the conversational tone and Dad jokes fool you. Bell knows his stuff. He’s […]

A few years ago, I heard about a doctor named Atul Gawande, who was advocating for surgeons to have a checklist when they go into surgery. He very reasonably explained that the humble checklist could dramatically reduce medical errors. We’ve all heard stories of the poor souls who had the wrong ovary, testicle, arm, or […]

A little about Stuart Horwitz (quoting his web site, BookArchitecture.com): “As founder and principal of Book Architecture, Stuart has spent over fifteen years helping writers become authors, signing with top literary agencies, sealing deals with coveted publishing houses, or forging a successful path through indie publishing. Book Architecture’s clients have reached the New York Times […]

The author of this week’s selection, Writing Killer Cover Copy primarily writes sweet romance under her own name Elana Johnson and inspirational romance under the pen name Liz Isaacson. This title is part of a series for Indie authors, which she publishes under her full name Elana M Johnson. Quoting her website: “A USA Today […]

A little about K.M. Weiland (quoting her author page): “K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the award-winning and internationally published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs, as well as Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic, the […]

It’s our September writing business episode! Today we’re going to dig into Audio for Authors by Joanna Penn. A little about Joanna Penn (quoting her author page): “Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She’s a podcaster and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. […]

It’s our August writing craft episode! I’ll be reviewing The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Don Maass Don Maass is the founder of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, which specializes in representation for novelists. The agency is comprised of agents Jennifer Jackson, Katie Shea Boutillier, Cameron McClure, Michael Curry, Caitlin McDonald, Paul Stevens, and Jennie Goloboy — […]

It’s our August business episode! I’ll be reviewing Your Book, Your Brand: The Step-by-Step Guide to Launching Your Book and Boosting Your Sales by Dana Kaye. To share a bit about Dana Kaye, I’m going to quote from her website: “Dana Kaye is a veteran publicist, social media pro, and brand manager. In 2009, she founded Kaye […]

This is the second book I’ve reviewed by author Becca Syme for this series. Syme is the woman behind The Better Faster Academy, which offers classes and individual coaching for writers. In addition, she produces a writing productivity podcast and YouTube series of her own called The QuitCast. For the past few years, she’s also […]

This review comes to you courtesy of a recommendation by my friend Karol Lagodzki. He’s getting his Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) from “The W,” AKA the Mississippi University for Women, alma mater of Eudora Welty, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Blanche Colton Williams, author and first editor of the O. Henry Prize Stories. This is the only book […]

This week, we’re reviewing Kindlepreneur’s Amazon Book Advertisement Mastery. Dave Chesson is the man behind Kindlepreneur (and Publisher Rocket) and the host of The Book Marketing Show podcast. Dave’s a dynamo, a Renaissance Man, if you will. Or as he describes himself on his website: “When I’m not lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, or sipping tea […]

This week, we’re reviewing R.L. Stine’s MasterClass. If you’ve been listening to this show, you know I’ve been a real fan of the MasterClasses. I don’t necessarily want to write for younger audiences, but I do want to write spookier stories, so I’m going to focus on that today. But first, I’d like to introduce you […]

Today, I’ll be reviewing Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble. Noble has been writing and teaching since the 1970’s. He’s authored or coauthored 20 nonfiction books around a variety of topics, including writing. His books have been chosen as book club selections by Book-of-the Month Club and the Writers Digest Book Club. His short […]

This week, we’re reviewing The Proactive Author by Georgia Clark. According to her website, Georgia Clark is “an author, performer, and screenwriter. She wrote the critically acclaimed novels, The Regulars, The Bucket List, and others. [She] is the host and founder of the popular storytelling night, Generation Women, and comedy showcase, Funny Over Fifty. Her fifth novel, […]

Hello! Welcome to Season 2 Episode 22 of The Rookie Writer Show. I’m Robin Knabel, and I will be your host today. You can find me on Twitter @LaConteuse and on Instagram as Robin Knabel. I want to dedicate today’s review to all the new writers out there who are listening. A lot of the […]