WriterCon
162 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsBestselling authors William Bernhardt and Lara Bernhardt, with audiobook producer Jesse Ulrich, discuss the latest news from publishing, offer writing tips, and interview major authors, agents, editors, and other book-world professionals.
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Episodes
The Story Grid with Shawn Coyne
February 11, 2019 17:59 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the writing world, offers writing tips, and interviews Shawn Coyne, writer, editor, and creator of The Story Grid. News: 1) Steven Spielberg options a story first published on Reddit. 2) Wattpad announces the creation of Wattpad Books, a book publishing division to promote its authors and stories in print. 3) Otto Pendler announces the creation of a new mystery imprint. 4) Amazon's press release reveals that thousands of sel...
Crossing Genres with RJ Johnson
January 27, 2019 15:02 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, then interviews RJ Johnson, author of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery novels, and an independent publishing pioneer. News: 1) Amazon Advertising becomes a $125 billion business by using the data collected from its customers to sell targeted marketing to advertisers. Are you using Amazon Ads yet? 2) An Australian university has developed a new font--Sans Forgetica--which increases retention of what ...
Smarter Author Marketing with Jim Kukral
January 14, 2019 15:37 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of books and publishing, then interviews marketing expert Jim Kukral about smarter-author marketing techniques. News: 1) Copyright issues: Because of the current American copyright law, many classic works entered the public domain on January 1, 2019. Authors are currently afforded 95 years of protection for their intellectual property. Are you building an income-earning estate for your heirs? 2) Morality clauses:...
Creating Your Character's Mirror Moment with James Scott Bell
December 31, 2018 13:34 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the writing world, followed by an interview with James Scott Bell, author of bestselling thrillers and many books on writing, including Plot and Structure and Write Your Novel From the Middle. News: 1) Kindle Direct Publishing adds or improves two features: Image Handling and Tables of Contents in your eBooks; 2) The publishing industry experiences book shortages that curtail sales during the holiday season; and 3) End-of-th...
Using the Id List to Enhance Fiction with Jennifer Lynn Barnes
December 17, 2018 14:33 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of books and publishing, then interviews Jennifer Lynn Barnes, a young adult author and expert on the psychology of fiction. News Items: 1) Controversy surrounding a poet accused of plagiarizing portions of a Pushcart-nominated poem--and why you must be careful that the words you publish are your own. 2) Findaway Voices, which helps authors produce their own audiobooks, improves its royalty rates. 3) The two leadi...
Emotional Honesty with Genese Davis
December 03, 2018 14:02 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of publishing and books, then interviews the amazing Genese Davis, author of thrillers (The Holder's Dominion), film-related books, games, podcasts, science fiction, and much more. News Items: 1) We lost William Goldman, screenplay writer and novelist, whose book Adventures in the Screen Trade changed the way many people viewed storytelling. Goldman said, "Writing is structure," and always emphasized the importanc...
Content-Based Marketing with Joanna Penn
November 18, 2018 14:47 - 28 minutes - 25.6 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of books and publishing, then interviews Joanna Penn, founder of The Creative Penn and host of The Creative Penn podcast. News Items: 1) Amazon appears to be diminishing the influence of the "Also Bought" book page feature in favor of paid advertising. Is it time for you to take the plunge into the world of Amazon ads? 2) Big Five New York publishers are consolidating and eliminating many of their imprints. Is t...
Selling Your Book to Hollywood with Erin Hennicke
November 05, 2018 13:28 - 31 minutes - 29 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt provides a roundup of the latest news of interest to writers, followed by an interview with literary scouting agent for Franklin & Siegel, Erin Hennicke. In the news roundup, Bernhardt discusses: 1) the results from PBS's Great American Read, and what writers can learn by studying the list of books selected by readers; 2) the pricing scheme for John Grisham's latest novel, which suggests that the Big Five New York publishers are trying to drive readers a...
Developing a Daily Writing Habit with Kevin Tumlinson
October 21, 2018 14:14 - 30 minutes - 28 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the world of books, followed by an interview with Kevin Tumlinson, author and Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital. In the News segment, Bernhardt discusses: 1) Announcements from Draft2Digital that in addition to helping authors self-publish eBooks, they are expanding into providing print editions for clients. They are also adding a "shared words" feature for various fan fiction franchises. 2) Bernhardt visits an Amazon b...
Creating Mystery with Will & Julia Thomas
October 09, 2018 21:10 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBBestselling author William Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of books and publishing, then interviews husband-and-wife mystery writers Will and Julia Thomas. Chapter 1: Welcome and Introduction Chapter 2: The News. Amazon experiments with a new brick-and-mortar bookstore format. Why writers need a will to protect their intellectual property. A significant new deduction in the revised tax code that could significantly benefit writers. Chapter 3: Bernhardt interviews Will Thom...
Being a Hybrid Writer with Jess Lourey
September 23, 2018 19:56 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBWilliam Bernhardt discusses the latest news from the worlds of books and publishing, including: 1) the latest book sales reports for 2018; 2) the possible acquisition of Barnes & Noble; 3) Amazon investigating allegations of employees being bribed to remove unwanted book reviews; and 4) the author of "How to Murder Your Husband"...who was arrested for murder. In the interview segment, Bernhardt talks with Jess Lourey, author of the Mira James mysteries and, most recently, Mercy's Chase, a fe...
The Emotional Craft of Writing with Donald Maass
September 10, 2018 17:48 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBDonald Maass is the CEO of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, which sells over 200 books a year for its authors to major publishers. He is also the author of many books about writing, including The Fire in Fiction and The Emotional Craft of Writing.