Author Your Dream

In this episode, Kenny talks with Abigail K. Perry about writing query letters. Abigail is the host of the Lit Match podcast, a show that helps writers find the best literary agent for their writing and literary career. Abigail talks with us about what a query letter is and some mistakes you should avoid when writing them and has some great advice on choosing comparable titles. She also talks about the three paragraphs every query letter should have; the hook, the book, and the cook. If you are looking to publish traditionally, this episode will add so much value to your writing journey. Highlights: Author Action Point: Do your research! Research the literary agent and the agency. This will set you up for the most success. It gives you a place to find a connection with someone who may just be the most important person in your writing career.

We dive deep into the world of writing romance. In this episode, we're thrilled to have bestselling romance author Olivia Gaines as our guest. Olivia shares valuable insights on how to overcome the common pitfalls that writers encounter when crafting love stories. Whether you're looking to create compelling love scenes, establish deep connections between your characters, or keep a romance series going strong, this interview is packed with practical tips and techniques. Olivia also delves into creating romantic tension, incorporating themes of self-love and self-discovery, and finding the right balance of drama in your stories. Aspiring romance writers and seasoned pros alike won't want to miss this engaging conversation with Olivia Gaines. Tune in now and take your writing to the next level! Highlights Author Action Point What kind of writer do you want to be? Once you determine what that looks like to you, it will really determine your writing career. Make sure

In today’s episode, we are talking about entering writing contests. Kenny talks with Paula Sheridan, the founder of the Page Turner Awards, about how authors can enter, what they can in, and why they should even consider entering in the first place. Paula shares her insights into this topic and provides some practical tips and mistakes to avoid. Highlights • Paula’s story • Page Turner Awards • Submitting to the Page Turner Awards • What do you win? • How writing contests can help you • Who are contests for • Biggest mistakes when entering contests • When should a writer enter Author Action Point: If you are an indie-published author and you are going out to enter a writing contest, make sure that your writing is the best that it can be. Give yourself the time to get the best book that you can. The same goes for those who want to go down the traditional route. Resources Mentioned Book Adaptation Boot Camp Page Turner Awards Mastering Character Emotions Free Book Marketing Course Get 20% off Page Turner Awards submissions using 23AuthorDreamPod20. Enter here to apply.

In this episode, we are talking about sensitivity readers. I had the pleasure of speaking with author J.H. Dahler about her experience of working with one. And as a bonus, we are joined by Candice Roma, who is an editor and and Jodie's sensitivity reader. They both share their perspective on the process and how sensitivity reading can improve representation in literature. This is an insightful conversation that sheds light on the importance of inclusivity in storytelling and the role of sensitivity readers in ensuring authentic representation. Highlights What is a sensitivity reader? Jodie's experience with the process Candace's perspective About Jodie's book Forest Girl Qualifications for a sensitivity reader Getting Feedback Giving Feedback Mindset and attitudes authors should have Does a sensitivity reader have an impact on a book's success?

If you've ever found yourself struggling to categorize your writing or wondering why certain books fit into specific categories, then this episode is for you. We'll start by discussing why genre is essential in fiction writing and how it helps readers find books they enjoy. Next, we'll delve into the two main types of genres: commercial genres and content genres. We'll explain their differences and explore the various sub-genres that fall within each category. Highlights Resources Mentioned Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/genre How to Structure a Scene with Emma Dhesi Free Master Class Sign Up for a FREE 30-Day Trial of the Novel Factory.

Do you have questions about traditional publishing? As a first-time author, you probably have a lot of questions about everything. In this episode, Kenny talks with traditionally published author Mary Adkins about the four biggest questions she gets asked all the time. She will share her experience on everything from agents to royalties and more. Highlights: Sign Up for a FREE 30-Day Trial of the Novel Factory.

In this episode, Kenny talks with Katja Kane, the creator of the Novel Factory, a purpose-built software for novel writers. With her experience as an author, she created Novel Factory to help writers achieve their goals by providing them with the tools they need to streamline their writing process. Katja’s software has been trusted by thousands of writers and has received widespread acclaim. During this episode, Katja will be sharing her journey as a writer and the story behind the creation of Novel Factory. She will also be discussing the challenges she faced while building the software and her future plans for Novel Factory. So, join us as we have an insightful conversation with Katja Kaine, the creator of Novel Factory. Highlights Author Action Point To be a writer, one of the best things to have is a writing habit. Get into writing five to six days a week. Even if you can only write five minutes a day commit to that, but don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day.

In this episode, I talk with Emily Layne about how to write a book in 30 days. Emily has written several books in just 21 days, and she shares some tips and tricks to help you write yours. She shares how she writes fast and writes quality books that have been picked up by a traditional publisher. Highlights 01:48 Emily’s story 05:55 Process of writing a book in a month 09:54 How do you create a quality book in a short time frame 19:42 Staying motivated 27:00 Tips to be more productive 35:09 The Prep before the writing 40:20 Author Action Point Author Action Point “I would say just to start. Whether for you, that does not look like plotting. If you think the idea of plotting is something you cannot fathom, that’s okay. Start writing. If you think plotting is something that would work for you, start plotting and. don’t stop. That’s, I think, something that is one of the hardest things for writers and for myself. You get this shiny new idea, and you’re like, oh, I’m so excited. I’m gonna write this book, and the people are gonna love it. And then you hit the first roadblock, and you’re like, okay, well, I’ll leave that for later. I’ll come back to it at some other time, and then you don’t come back to it. So I think to start, set a goal and don’t stop and don’t give up until you have achieved that goal. Whatever that goal happens to be.” Connect with Emily www.emilylaynebooks.com Instagram Facebook Twitter

Getting local media coverage for your book can be a great way to increase visibility and sales in your community. By reaching out to local newspapers, radio stations, and television programs, you can pitch your book to journalists and producers and potentially secure interviews or feature articles. This type of coverage can be especially valuable for authors who are self-publishing or have a small publisher, as it can help to build buzz and awareness for your book among your target audience. In this episode, Kenny talks with Mickie Kennedy, the founder of eReleases. Mickie started his business twenty-four years ago to help small businesses, authors, and startups increase their visibility and credibility through press release marketing. Highlights 01:45 Introduction to Mickie Kennedy 04:25 Why authors often shy away from media 07:23 Strategies for reaching out to local media outlets and pitching your book 10:55 Tips for pitching 16:29 Where to find local connections 22:02 Process of Working with eReleases 34:36 Press Release 35:59 One Sheet vs. Press Release 40:15 What is the wire? 46:55 Author Action Point Local Media Coverage Action Point Go out and create a list of local contacts. There are probably ten people in your area who would be willing to write about you and cover you on tv and radio. Make a list of those people and reach out to them. Don’t just do it once, but reach out to them quarterly. Try different approaches. Connect with Mickie Free PR Master Class www.ereleases.com

When Matty Dalrymple created the idea of the story frame, she didn't want it to be just another name for an outline. For some, an outline is rigid, whereas the story frame feels a little more organic. This frame gives an author a clear picture of the overarching story and gives you something to hang everything else on. 05:45 The Indy Author Podcast 09:32 What a story frame is 15:16 Formatting 24:23 How long the process takes 33:21 How you can create a frame 41:54 Differentiating plots and subplots 43:49 How to know you've gone too far 50:17 Author Action Point

We have all heard the statistics about people making and breaking their new year's resolutions. It's nothing new, and if you are like me, you're probably one of those numbers. These resolutions don't work because, more often than not, they are too generalized. I want to lose weight. I want to be more outgoing. I want to finish my book. If you don't have a plan on how you are going to lose weight, be more outgoing than your resolutions are as good as the wishes you made when blowing out your birthday candles. In this episode, Kenny shares how to create an Author Growth Plan or AGP for short. An author growth plan is a road map to help you move forward in your author journey.

How do you answer the question, "What do you want for Christmas?" In this episode, Kenny shares 12 gift ideas for writers. Physical Gifts: 1. Noise Cancelling Headphones 2. Blue Light Glasses 3. Laptop Stand 4. Travel mug, coffee cup, or sticker with an encouraging saying or a phrase stating what you want to be ex. Future Best-Selling Author 5. A Gift Card to your local bookstore Books: 6. Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 7. The Ten Commandments of Author Branding by Shayla Raquel 8. The Secrets of Character by Matt Bird 9. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi 10. Author Your Dream by Kenny MacKay Program/Subscriptions: 11. Grammarly 12. Milanote

In this episode, I’m going to walk you through planning your author website whether you want to make your own or hire someone to do it for you, there are some foundational items you need to have in place to help the process go quicker and smoother. You may have heard in past episodes that I create websites. I earned a diploma from an online college back in 2010. It was a skill I thought I would learn because it would give me the freedom to pick up extra work on the side as I lived and worked for the church here in the UK. Since then, I have created several websites for non-profits, daycares, auto shops, and authors. Since starting this podcast, I decided to narrow my focus to authors. Highlights Do You need a website Where to build it yourself Domain Name Asking yourself questions Site Structure and Key Pages Top Mistakes Author Action Point Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/planning-your-author-website/

Have you thought about your book launch strategies? In this episode, I talk with author and podcast host Christopher Tallon about why this is important to do if you are writing a book. We also talk about a few strategies that Chris has done. We talk about blogging and podcasting and how what we have learned over the last few years. These tips will help you as an author to start your own show, or help you pitch yourself to podcasts as a way of getting publicity for your book. Christopher Tallon is a veteran, former middle school teacher, the author of the sci-fi/horror novel Switchers, host of Creative Ops (a podcast for creative people), and makes being bald look awesome. Highlights 02:22 Chris’ Story 04:00 Defining strategizing 06:00 Strategy 1: Blogging 13:31 Strategy 2: Podcasting 16:59 Mistakes to avoid 25:21 How has all this helped with selling books 28:46 Picking topics for blogs and podcast episodes 40:54 Author Action Point Author Action Point Start as soon as you can. If you have an idea that you will be selling a book, start as soon as you can. Start reaching out to people and trying to get on podcasts. Get on social media but don’t just constantly be posting about your book. Think of the future, plan for the future and don’t wait for a week before the release Connect with Christopher www.christophertallon.com Facebook Instagram Twitter Resources Mentioned Creative Ops Podcast Threads Podcast Life Unfiltered

Amazon ads are a great tool for an author who is wanting to increase their sales. But where should you start? What should you have in place before doing an ad? What type of campaign are you able to do? These are just some of the questions that my guest Matt Holmes will answer during this episode. Matt is the author of The 7 Day Authors Guide To Amazon Ads, written under the pen name, Matthew J Holmes. He started his journey by helping his wife, Lori Holmes, promote her book series, The Ancestors Saga, and now helps authors take their first steps into Amazon Advertising. Highlights 01:48 Matt’s Journey 08:41 Why run Amazon ads 11:40 What to have in place before you start 16:39 Figuring out your targetting 19:29 Types of campaigns 23:37 What does it cost? 28:13 Biggest struggle authors have 31:30 How long does it take to manage ads 35:30 Resources 39:49 Mistakes to Avoid 43:31 Author Action Point Amazon Ads Action Point If you are ready to get started with amazon ads, you just have to make that leap and get going. If you can only budget $5 a day then start with that. You can set up an automatic targeting campaign for one book in your series, or your one best-selling standalone book. You don’t have to advertise every single book, just choose the best-performing ones and promote those. Key Take Aways Sponsored Products: The ones you see on the search results page and the product pages of other books. These are your workhorse, and you will get the best results. Sponsored Brands: Appears at the top of the search results and can advertise three books. Amazon creates a landing page for this ad. These ads have a high conversion because of their prominence. Lock Screen Ads: Appear on the lock screens of Kindle devices. These ads are hit-and-miss, and a lot of authors don’t use them. Only available in the US. Resources Mentioned Publisher Rocket The Seven Day Authors Guide to Amazon by Matthew J. Holmes Connect with Matt Twitter www.matthewjholmes.com

With National Novel Writing Month a few weeks away I wanted to release this episode with Kelly Blanchard. Kelly has successfully completed NaNoWriMo several times and this episode has some great information for anyone wanting to take on the challenge.

In today's episode, Monique Mensah shares about building a ready-to-buy audience. She talks about the mindset shift that authors need to make and how they need to go from author to publisher if they want to make money with their books. Highlights 1:20 Monique's Story 8:41 Authors write books, businesses sell them 12:02 Why you need to build a ready-to-buy audience 30:24 Brand awareness 36:10 Sharing the ups and the downs 38:56 The Role of Social Media 42:35 Author Action Point Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/ready-to-buy-audience/ for more

In this episode, Kenny talks with Becca Syme about Facebook ads for intuitive authors. Becca shares her own experience as an author running ads and provides a unique perspective on this subject. She will share about the different components of an advertisement, how long you should run an ad, and give you tips on where you can create images. Highlights 02:12 Becca's Author Journey 04:16 Intuitive Authors Defined 07:29 Are ads worth it 09:18 The Intuitive process 12:50 Shifting your mindset 24:10 Components of a Facebook Ad 27:19 The two types Becca uses 37:15 Talking about cost 40:52 How long to run the ad 43:53 What data should you look at 49:32 Author Action Point 52:55 Creating ad images Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/facebook-ads/

Have you ever felt like marketing is difficult? Callan breaks it down in a way that makes it feel less daunting. He also shares his tips and advice for new authors just starting their marketing journey. You'll find out what he thinks about book trailers and how you can market if you write in multip genres. Highlights 02:29 Callan's Journey 04:07 About Astreus 07:48 Is marketing really difficult 08:39 Where to start 19:51 More tips 23:27 Book trailers 29:16 How new writers can start marketing 39:28 Reciprocal marketing 41:18 What to avoid 46:39 Author Action Point 49:06 Marketing for multiple genres Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/start-book-marketing/

Everyone has roadblocks that they have to overcome on the road to publishing. Some are internal and revolve around an author's own limiting beliefs. While others are external, we have a choice to either give up or find a way to overcome these obstacles. That is what today's guest Aisha Yusuf did when she encountered resistance. In doing so, she not only published her book but also created a publishing house and birthed a vision to change the literary world and bring diverse voices to the forefront. Highlights 02:16 Aisha's Autor Journey 15:58 Aisha's Book 29:20 Roadblocks 35:44 Thoughts of giving up 38:27 Advice for others facing similar obstacles 42:23 Starting a publishing house Visit https://authoryourdream.com/episode/roadblocks/