Taleist » Podcasts http://blog.taleist.com Helping writers become published authors Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:39:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Helping writers become published authors Steven Lewis clean Steven Lewis steven@taleist.com steven@taleist.com (Steven Lewis) Helping writers become published authors Amazon,selfpublishing,indie,author,writer,KDP,ebook,writing Taleist » Podcasts http://taleist.com/brandingimages/Taleist-Logo-120px.jpg http://blog.taleist.com/blog/podcasts/ LinkedIn for authors http://blog.taleist.com/2012/02/14/linkedin-for-authors/ http://blog.taleist.com/2012/02/14/linkedin-for-authors/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:13:22 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=3464 How to use LinkedIn, an interview with Raz Chorev, author of "Easy Steps to LinkedIn Success".

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How to use LinkedIn is part of the Social Media Check-Up, an e-course from Taleist.

LinkedIn is an important network for businessLinkedIn is a powerful networking tool for business and Raz Chorev wrote the book on it, literally.

When I learned that the author of Easy Steps to LinkedIn Success worked about a five minute walk from my home I asked him to have a coffee with me and give me his top tips for using the network.

This interview was recorded last year but I held onto it to coincide with the launch of the Social Media Check-Up because it includes a section on how to make the most of LinkedIn, whether you’re an author or have another sort of business.

The advice Raz gives in the interview is general but, owing to the lag between recording and publishing, I take full responsibility for anything that is out of date!

What about you? Do you have any advice for self-publishing authors wanting to make the most of LinkedIn? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you’re interested in making the most of social media, you should sign up for the Social Media Check-Up, which is a four-week course delivered in installments by email.

Social Media for Authors

Sign-up for the Social Media Check-Up

The Social Media Check-Up also covers blogging, Twitter and Facebook. You will receive two or three emails per week for four weeks. Each week focusses on one social network and the emails you receive will outline in plain English:

  • The opportunity each network provides
  • Reasons you might want to use that network
  • Reasons you might want to focus elsewhere
  • Practical tips for getting the best results

Read more about the Social Media Check-Up and sign up now

 

 

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2012/02/14/linkedin-for-authors/feed/ 2 ebook promotion,LinkedIn,Raz Chorev,social media,Social Media Check-Up How to use LinkedIn, an interview with Raz Chorev, author of "Easy Steps to LinkedIn Success". How to use LinkedIn, an interview with Raz Chorev, author of "Easy Steps to LinkedIn Success". Steven Lewis clean 10:29 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=3464-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Writing Time Management for Dummies http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/15/writing-time-management-for-dummies/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/15/writing-time-management-for-dummies/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:18:45 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=2733 Clare Evans, author of "Time Management for Dummies", tells me how she became a Dummies guide author and gives out productivity tips for authors.

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Clare Evans is the author of Time Management for Dummies. This made her the perfect interview subject for me:

  1. Time management is a keen interest of mine (my interview with Jim Benson of Personal Kanban is one of the most popular on this site)
  2. I’ve always be interested in how to become a Dummies guide author

I talked to Clare about both of those things. As she’s an author herself, she’s got some expert advice on how writers can use their time productively and fight procrastination and writer’s block.

She talks me through how she became a Dummies guide author for Wiley.

We also discuss:

  1. The process of writing a Dummies guide
  2. What help Wiley gives its authors
  3. How long it takes to write a Dummies guide
  4. The time from writing to publication

Finally we talk about marketing the book because Clare, like most published authors, is no different from we self-publishers: marketing falls on her shoulders.

Clare is fabulous to talk to and I wish she were my time management coach, except I don’t need one because I’m just so damn efficient, which is why I forgot to put up this post this morning and it’s not going up till tonight!

You can read more about Clare and learn from her on her website, including taking her free time management audit.

If you’re looking for Wiley’s link on submitting your own book proposal, it’s here.

And Time Management for Dummies is available as a print or Kindle book from Amazon.

If you are finding this podcasts useful, it would be wonderful if you could take a moment to open up iTunes now and leave me a short review. It really helps to support the podcast and is much appreciated.

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/15/writing-time-management-for-dummies/feed/ 0 Clare Evans,Dummies guide,Jim Benson,Personal Kanban,productivity,Time Management for Authors,Wiley Clare Evans, author of "Time Management for Dummies", tells me how she became a Dummies guide author and gives out productivity tips for authors. Clare Evans, author of "Time Management for Dummies", tells me how she became a Dummies guide author and gives out productivity tips for authors. Steven Lewis clean 28:25 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=2733-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> How Australian bookshops are fighting back http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/01/how-australian-bookshops-are-fighting-back/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/01/how-australian-bookshops-are-fighting-back/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:16:14 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=2674 Australian bookshops are fighting rumours of their impending demise. National Bookshop Day in August was a very public way of announcing they still mean business.

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]]> Chris Page book busking outside Pages and Pages in Mosman, Sydney

Chris Page book busking outside Pages & Pages in Mosman, Sydney

This is a podcast. If you are receiving this by email, you can download it with the link or visit the blog to listen using the embedded player.

National Bookshop Day was held in Australia at the end of August. Participating bookstores held a selection of activities, including having authors serving behind their counters, readings, parties and book busking, in the case of my local bookshop, Pages & Pages.

It’s a pleasure to see bookshops fighting back, especially in Australia where the weekend newspapers seem to have a gloomy story weekly and government ministers declare the bookselling industry doomed. The bankruptcy of Borders and Angus & Robertson, two of our biggest chains, didn’t help, either.

In a short article Fast Company recently listed five ways in which indie booksellers were innovating to increase sales. One of them included broadcasting radio-style shows in front of an audiences at bookshops, which, as you can imagine, I’d be right behind.

National Bookshop Day was one way in which Australian booksellers are announcing to the public — and certain government ministers — that they don’t intend to be going anywhere.

Jon Page, of Pages & Pages, is also the president of the Australian Booksellers Association, which represents chains and independent bookstores. I spoke to Jon on the street shortly after Chris had finished busking her way through a couple of children’s books.

We talk about:

  • National Bookshop Day (which, forgive me, was on a Saturday, not a Sunday, as I say in the audio)
  • What will keep bookshops alive
  • How bookstores are getting into the ebook game
  • And how booksellers getting into ebooks could help self-publishers
HeadphonesIf you enjoy the podcast, make sure you’re subscribed, either to our emails or in iTunes, so you never miss an instalment. Also, reviews on iTunes are a wonderful way to show your support :-)

 

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/09/01/how-australian-bookshops-are-fighting-back/feed/ 0 ABA,Australian Booksellers Association,Jon Page,National Bookshop Day,Pages & Pages,Sue Page Australian bookshops are fighting rumours of their impending demise. National Bookshop Day in August was a very public way of announcing they still mean business. Australian bookshops are fighting rumours of their impending demise. National Bookshop Day in August was a very public way of announcing they still mean business. Steven Lewis clean 11:44 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=2674-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Working with a self-publishing publisher http://blog.taleist.com/2011/07/12/working-with-a-self-publishing-publisher/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/07/12/working-with-a-self-publishing-publisher/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:05:49 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=2196 Delabarre Publishing combines elements of traditional publishing (like paying advances) with the tools of self-publishing and the expertise of a professional to work with a writer through the process and promotion of the book.

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]]> This is a podcast. If you’re getting this by email, there’s a download link at the bottom or you can visit the site to listen through the player.

Jeff RutherfordSelf-publishing publisher Jeff Rutherford has a background in traditional publishing, and he runs a PR and marketing agency. These skills have coalesced in Delabarre Publishing, Jeff’s independent publishing company.

Delabarre Publishing combines elements of traditional publishing (like paying advances) with the tools of self-publishing and the expertise of a professional to work with a writer through the process and promotion of the book.

I know from talking to many authors, and mentoring some, myself, that there are plenty who would be open to sharing royalties with someone who can do the things they can’t — or don’t want to because they want to spend their time writing, not promoting their ebooks, handling formatting or finding and briefing a cover designer (especially if the independent publisher they’re working with is meeting the upfront cost).

Jeff has an understanding of niches — he publishes titles as diverse as jokes and travel titles — and online promotion within them (like properly linking readers to other titles to improve sales, something surprisingly few traditional publishers understand)

Not only has Jeff published new and original works but he’s also brought Clark Howard’s Hard City back into “print”; and is working on a multivolume collection of this award-winning writer’s short stories.

In this podcast, Jeff and I talk — among other things — about:’

  • How he works with a cover designer
  • His pricing philosophy
  • The sort of ebooks he publishes
  • The importance of titles and descriptions
  • Ebook formatting
  • The benefits of working with an independent publisher

Jeff tells me he is open to approaches from authors who would like to collaborate on their ebook project. If you’re interested, feel free to email him.

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/07/12/working-with-a-self-publishing-publisher/feed/ 7 Delabarre Publishing combines elements of traditional publishing (like paying advances) with the tools of self-publishing and the expertise of a professional to work with a writer through the process and promotion of the book. Delabarre Publishing combines elements of traditional publishing (like paying advances) with the tools of self-publishing and the expertise of a professional to work with a writer through the process and promotion of the book. Steven Lewis clean 31:47 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=2196-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Interview with a successful, self-publishing travel writer http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/21/interview-with-a-successful-self-publishing-travel-writer/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/21/interview-with-a-successful-self-publishing-travel-writer/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:34:50 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=2088 Brian Lawrenson is a successful self-published travel writer with over 30 titles on the Kindle. He has, however, had the odd scrape with Amazon over breaches of their rules.

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Brian Lawrenson

Brian Lawrenson, author of over 30 self-published Kindle travel books

Brian Lawrenson has sold thousands of his self-published travel ebooks through Amazon and other e-bookshops.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Brian’s self-publishing empire extends to over 30 titles and a combined download total in the tens of thousands. His books are published under the Marco Polo Press imprint and the Kindle versions can be found on Amazon here.

An inarguably successful author and self-publisher, Brian has, however, fallen foul of Amazon’s rules and been penalised as a result more than once.

When Brian emailed me I realised I recognised his name. I’d written previously about Brian having reviewed his own books on Amazon (Don’t review your own book). That’s now moot as Amazon obviously feels the same as I do and removed those reviews.

More significantly, however, Amazon had discovered Brian was letting his books go elsewhere for less than the Kindle versions were being sold for. If you are in the 70% royalty scheme, that’s a breach of the rules.

We talk in the podcast about what happened next, as well as:

  • how Brian got into self-publishing
  • Brian’s experiences self-publishing
  • what Brian does to promote his book

Brian is a man after my own heart with his focus on self-publishing as a business. You’ll hear what would have happened if he hadn’t had his eye on the ball when Amazon made huge changes to the way his books were treated.

You might not be a travel writer but Brian’s is an inspirational success story worth listening to and learning from for any author.

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/21/interview-with-a-successful-self-publishing-travel-writer/feed/ 10 author,Brian Lawrenson,interview,travel self-publishing,travel writing Brian Lawrenson is a successful self-published travel writer with over 30 titles on the Kindle. He has, however, had the odd scrape with Amazon over breaches of their rules. Brian Lawrenson is a successful self-published travel writer with over 30 titles on the Kindle. He has, however, had the odd scrape with Amazon over breaches of their rules. Steven Lewis clean 18:13 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=2088-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Having at it with Debbie Weil on blogging for authors http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/14/having-at-it-with-debbie-weil-on-blogging-for-authors/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/14/having-at-it-with-debbie-weil-on-blogging-for-authors/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:10:13 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=2012 Blogging expert Debbie Weil talks about blogging as part of your author platform.

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]]> This is a podcast. If you’re receiving this by email, you will see the download link at the bottom or you can visit the site to see the player.

What can a corporate blogging expert teach authors about blogging? Plenty because self-publishing is a business, therefore your blog is a corporate blog.

The Corporate Blogging BookThat’s why I doorstopped Debbie Weil in Sydney, where she was speaking at Amplify, a thought-leadership conference I was lucky enough to be at (because I was running the live audio/video stream).

I bought The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie when it came out in 2006, so it was a real treat to meet her in person.

The book is now self-published, updated and of course available on the Kindle.

In this short podcast, Debbie and I talk about:

  • The benefits of self-publishing
  • When to start building your platform and building a community
  • How to get started
  • What sort of content to write and where to get it
  • What makes a blog interesting
  • How often you should blog

It was a pleasure to talk to Debbie and there’s no doubt in this podcast you’re hearing from a bona fide expert.

Taleist Author Community

In other news

I’ve started putting up some YouTube videos for some of the Taleist guides available on this site. This is the one for the Kindle Publishing Roadmap.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGYzuC394uM[/youtube]

If you can’t see the YouTube video, it’s here.

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/14/having-at-it-with-debbie-weil-on-blogging-for-authors/feed/ 4 Debbie Weil,The Corporate Blogging Book Blogging expert Debbie Weil talks about blogging as part of your author platform. Blogging expert Debbie Weil talks about blogging as part of your author platform. Steven Lewis clean 12:13 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=2012-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> An interview with Karen McQuestion http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/07/self-publishing-success-story-karen-mcquestion/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/07/self-publishing-success-story-karen-mcquestion/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:03:40 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=1973 Karen McQuestion is one of the original Kindle self-publishing success stories. This interview covers her journey from unpublished author to Kindle self-publisher and AmazonEncore author, including her tips for authors wanting to do the same.

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]]> This is a podcast. If you’re receiving this by email, you will find the download link at the bottom or you can visit the site for the player.

Karen McQuestionKaren McQuestion is one of the original Kindle self-publishing success stories.

Her self-published ebooks sold by the truckload; one (A Scattered Life) was been optioned by Hollywood; and this led to her signing with AmazonEncore, Amazon’s flagship imprint.

I spoke to Karen McQuestion at her home in Wisconsin about:

  • how she got into self-publishing on Amazon
  • what the journey looked like for her
  • how she promotes her books
  • to what she attributes her success
  • her advice to other self-publishing authors
  • her recent trip to the BookExpo in New York as a guest of Amazon

She is a wonderful author and a charming interviewee. It was a pleasure and privilege to talk to her.

If you want to hear from someone who has truly made it as a self-published author, this is your chance.

More about Karen McQuestion

If you like this podcast, a review on iTunes would be much appreciated as it really helps me to get the word out. If you have a minute now, this handy link will take you there :-)

Subscribing to this blog means you’ll always be notified when there’s a new episode.

More success stories

And, if you like hearing Kindle self-publishing success stories, I have a series of free emails that give you just that. You can sign up here.

You’ll get one email a week over five weeks, each one with a profile of a different author who has self-published on the Kindle and enjoyed tremendous success.

It’s meant as a boost at those times when self-publishing can seem a little too hard and you might be tempted to give up. Meet some others who pushed through and made it…

 

Success stories

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/06/07/self-publishing-success-story-karen-mcquestion/feed/ 13 Karen McQuestion Karen McQuestion is one of the original Kindle self-publishing success stories. This interview covers her journey from unpublished author to Kindle self-publisher and AmazonEncore author, including her tips for authors wanting to do the same. Karen McQuestion is one of the original Kindle self-publishing success stories. This interview covers her journey from unpublished author to Kindle self-publisher and AmazonEncore author, including her tips for authors wanting to do the same. Steven Lewis clean 31:30 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=1973-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Anthony Bourdain at the Sydney Writers’ Festival http://blog.taleist.com/2011/05/24/anthony-bourdain-at-the-sydney-writers-festival/ http://blog.taleist.com/2011/05/24/anthony-bourdain-at-the-sydney-writers-festival/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 01:00:08 +0000 Steven Lewis http://blog.taleist.com/?p=1842 Anthony Bourdain had three things to say in this Sydney Writers' Festival conversation that were particularly relevant to writers rather than readers.

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]]> Anthony Bourdain at the Sydney Writers' Festival

Anthony Bourdain in conversation with Jill Dupliex at the Sydney Writers' Festival

Anthony Bourdain was omnipresent at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, appearing on panels and in moderated conversations, some of which he seemed to enjoy more than others, describing one as “like a slow motion colonoscopy”.

At one he seemed to enjoy more, he had three things to say that I thought you might find relevant as writers so, without further ado, I present them to you.

Take a moment to make sure you don’t miss future posts and podcasts by joining up now for free updates.

 

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]]> http://blog.taleist.com/2011/05/24/anthony-bourdain-at-the-sydney-writers-festival/feed/ 0 #SWF2011,Anthony Bourdain,Sydney Writers' Festival Anthony Bourdain had three things to say in this Sydney Writers' Festival conversation that were particularly relevant to writers rather than readers. Anthony Bourdain had three things to say in this Sydney Writers' Festival conversation that were particularly relevant to writers rather than readers. Steven Lewis clean 5:42 <iframe width="320" height="24" src="http://blog.taleist.com/?powerpress_embed=1842-podcast&amp;powerpress_player=default" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>